Questions to Answer When Planning a Cruise

By Linda Garrison, About.com Guide

Cruises are usually a little cheaper in the spring or fall. Students of economics will know that this is entirely due to supply and demand. Kids are in school, and weather can sometimes be uncertain. Winter used to be considered the only "high" season for tropical locations like the Caribbean. However, summertime costs are not far behind due to the large numbers of families with children, college students, and others who have "forced summer vacations".

Some people are fearful of fall hurricanes, but cruise ships can deal with those by altering their itinerary, although you may see different destinations than what you planned.

Some locations have short cruising seasons. For example, if you are going to Alaska or northern Europe, you will have to cruise between May and September. If you are going to Antarctica, November through February is the season.

Going to the tropics is a little easier. The temperature will not vary much with the seasons. What does vary is the rainfall. The dry season for most tropical locations like the Caribbean and Hawaii is in the summer, and the rainy season is in the winter. This does NOT mean it will rain all of the time. You just need to be prepared for more rain. Afternoon showers are more common. Of course, if you are coming from Canada or the northern U.S., some warm rainfall is not a problem if you have left piles of snow at home!

If you are going to the Mediterranean, summer is the high season, but some ships cruise there year-round.

Ten Questions to Answer When Planning a Cruise

• Who is going on the cruise?
• How much money have you budgeted for your cruise?
• How long is your vacation?
• When do you want to travel?
• Where in the world do you want to cruise?
• What types of things do you like to do?
• What type of cabin do you want or need?
• When do you like to eat dinner?
• Do you like to dress up?
• How do you plan to get to your cruise ship?