Travel expert says you can get the cheapest cruise deals during 'wave season'
Cruise enthusiasts should avoid booking over a certain time of the year if they're looking for a bargain.
As tempting as the idea of sailing away from your roast dinner responsibilities and present-expecting family members come December may be, Christmas is not the time of the year for a bargain sail.
Stephanie Goldberg-Glazer, chief experience officer and owner of the travel agency Live Well, Travel Often has warned against booking a festive deal unless money isn't too much of a concern.
Instead she recommends steering clear of the major holidays and booking when children are in school.
Cruises in the week after the new year tend to be about half the price of those over the festive break.
All the places you can fly to for less than a tenner including Italy and Spain
One way to get onboard for much less is to book yourself onto a repositioning cruise.
Being canny about booking a cruise means it needn't cost the Earth (Getty Images)These are when companies move ships from one part of the world to another between sailing seasons.
Right now Celebrity Cruises has one two week Atlantic trip on offer from £480 per person, and a 14 night Mediterranean sail from £521.
Such sailings tend to take place in the Spring or Autumn, so if you're able to be flexible with when you can get away, you're more likely to find a bargain.
It is worth noting that some cruises only operate at certain times of the year, so going for a big deal means the window of opportunity may be small.
Hurtigruten only runs its Northern Lights themed cruises during the colder months when the aurora is likely to show, for example.
The Alaska cruise season tends to last from May to September, while the Caribbean season typically stretches from November through April.
Goldberg-Glazer recommends that big time bargain hunters look for a cruise during the "wave season", which stretches from January until March, and booking as far in advance as possible.
Booking after New Year may be a good idea (Getty Images)"I think that, realistically, if you can book a year or more in advance and block off the time and know that's going to work for you, then that's perfect," she told USA Today.
Cruise holidays surged back last year as Covid receded, and this year promises to be even better with a host of fabulous, innovative and exciting new ships.
EasyJet currently has a huge sale with up to £200 off Spain holidays
Virgin Voyages will be welcoming two new ships - bringing its total fleet number to four - where passengers can expect the same boisterous adults-only experiences already to be found on Scarlet Lady and Valiant Lady.
Meanwhile Royal Caribbean will be welcoming Icon of the Seas in December, set to take record for the world's largest cruise ship - a title currently held by Wonder of the Seas.
Other cruise lines including Marella Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and MSC Cruises are also set to launch brand new ships which we'll be adding to the bucket list.
We recently compiled a list of the big launches over the coming months for big ship enthusiasts.
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