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Picking the Perfect Cruise

© Rita Cook

Picking a cruise line nowadays can be a daunting task. In fact, it can be downright confusing. If you want to go on a cruise to Europe during the winter, forget it unless you want to freeze. However, Australia's summer is our winter and vise versa so a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef in January might not be such a bad idea.

Seasonal Cruising

There are many destinations that are seasonal, in fact even if you were on a cruise in Alaska during the winter would you really enjoy it? Here's a list of seasonal cruises and the best time to go.

Alaska - May to September
Asia - October to March
Baltic - May to October
Bermuda - May to October
Black Sea - April to October
Canada - May to October
Mediterranean - March to November
New England - May to October
Panama Canal - September to May

Cruising Anytime

Destination such as the Caribbean or the South Pacific can be enjoyed no matter what month you're traveling. Here's a list of those cruises.

Caribbean - Year Round
Hawaii - Year Round
India - Year Round
Mexico - Year Round
South America (Northern Coast) - Year Round
South Pacific - Year Round

Remember there are always seasons that are going to be more expensive to cruise. This is called High Season. Months surrounding high season are called Shoulder Season and low demand time is called Value Season.

High Season will obviously be different depending on location. For example, high season in the Caribbean is January to April and then mid-June to mid-August. Hurricane season usually sets in during the summer so this can also be an unpopular time.

Specific months during the year that people travel vary too. Senior citizens tend to travel more during January to April and also people who live in frigid climates. Families usually have to wait to travel during the summer months when children are out of school, so this is a high season.

Picking A Cruise Right for You

After you get the date figured out there's still a world of choices concerning what cruise line. Cruise lines vary from Megaliners to Boutique ships and they are all very different. Megaliners usually hold up to 2,000 or more passengers. Superliners hold between 1,000 to 2,000 passengers. Midsize ships have between 400 to 900, the small ships usually carry fewer than 400 and the boutique ships under 300 passengers.

First questions to ask yourself is how many days you want to cruise, what is your budget and what you want your ship life/land excursions to include.