In our minds, cruises are often associated with sunshine and long summer days. However, there's another way to enjoy the facilities and stunning scenery: taking a winter cruise. When cruises are less crowded and prices are more affordable , you might encounter some surprises, as Christmas and New Year's are also peak season for cruises. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter cruises are considered to run from October to March.
Although we are now entering summer, this is the ideal time to book your winter cruise to the Canary Islands, Europe, Asia, New Zealand ... let yourself be surprised by destinations as remote as Easter Island.
Luxury destinations in winter
As I mentioned before, winter is the ideal time to discover exotic landscapes and destinations like the United Arab Emirates, India, or other parts of Asia. However, you do need to set aside some time, as these cruises, departing from Barcelona, ​​typically last three weeks. If you don't have that much time to sail and still want to reach these remote locations, you can fly to a port of embarkation. But of course, you'll miss out on a significant part of the voyage and the enjoyment of being on the ship itself. Here's a tip: in winter, cruise ship occupancy is about 15% lower , making everything much more relaxed and efficient.
Regarding price , if we compare these destinations in summer to winter, the price is approximately 25% lower, giving you the option to book more excursions or upgrade your cabin. The best prices are found between the end of November and Christmas. Just to give you an idea, from November 23rd to 30th, a Maldives cruise in a standard double cabin, including flights, can cost around €600 per person. Can you believe it? These are truly attractive prices.
River cruises in winter
Another very interesting option for winter is river cruises on the great rivers of Europe. Very popular are the destinations in central Europe, Rhine, Danube, Seine.
Christmas and New Year's are considered peak season; the cities are beautiful and have that special Christmas charm , especially the Christmas markets. But if you travel after New Year's, or in the first few days of December, you'll enjoy just as much, and with fewer crowds.
If you're feeling adventurous, you can take an 11-day Volga River cruise and visit major Russian cities for around €700 per person, including flights, excursions, and tips. This article provides an example of a cruise through Russia's imperial cities.
If you have never done a river cruise, I recommend the experience, it is another way of traveling, much more leisurely and with all the comfort of reaching the city centers immediately.
Do the off-season, from winter to summer
If you're looking to embrace summer and avoid the cold, then remember that it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere. It's the perfect time for that trip to the Caribbean, South America, Hawaii, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand , or even the remote Antarctic… although in the latter case, you won't find much warmth, but you will find a magnificent adventure cruise that you can't experience at any other time than when it's winter here.
One destination that we find very attractive during the austral summer (winter for the Northern Hemisphere) is Argentine or Chilean Patagonia, where you can see fjords as spectacular as, or even more spectacular than, those in Norway.
The easiest thing to travel until this constant summer is to choose the luggage: sunscreen, hat, sandals, shorts, swimsuits, T-shirts, a pair of elegant dresses, and voila.
We hope these ideas have encouraged you to book your next winter cruise.