Hello everyone, thought I’d write about the WAVE SEASON with the Cruise Industry since that season is upon us. I know I’ve written about cruising, i.e. types of cruising and the different types of ships, the ambience of each of the lines, where they travel etc., as well as which lines are family friendly, which ones are for the adventurous, or best for the mature audience and/or single opportunities.  This article is about how to maneuver to get the best rates for the cruise line that matches your demographics/lifestyle, but how WAVE SEASON is an important opportunity to get ones ‘best bang for the buck’ deal.

First, I want to tell you what WAVE SEASON is, how it started and why, and why is all this important to you.

I get asked a lot, the question: “When is the cheapest time of year to book a cruise?” The problem with the question is that each destination has various marketing seasons for future sailings. An example is Alaska. If you want to book to get a good deal for Alaska, you might want to look into the winter or two before you intend on traveling…i.e. Fall is a great time to start seeking out deals for Alaska’s next season, which happens to run May to September.  HOWEVER, there is a caveat – Wave Season is a period where cruise lines try to get what they call yield management in order to fill their ships to as highest capacity as possible, early on. The lines can measure the popularity and the reception of certain “deals” by testing the waters on the Black Friday (the day following Thanksgiving) and Cyber Monday (the Monday following Thanksgiving). These have proven to be HOT BOTTONS for generating a lot of sales with worldwide departures.  

The interesting thing is that during those two different days, the results of the cruise line promos and the reception received, does mold the character of chosen promos and their make-up for the WAVE SEASON.  This is important to know because the Wave Season promos are for the most part All ships and All departures. Soooo, if you have a particular destination and/or departure time (maybe a significant celebration trip), chances are you’ll fine an answer during this season. 

Things have changed a lot over the last couple of years due to the COVID issues, so the cruise lines are being quite aggressive in promoting their offerings competitively during Wave Season, that has truly expanded for a longer booking period.  Used to be, you would have to wait until FEBRUARY (traditionally the WAVE CALENDAR) but now actually can run January – March. That’s a lot of opportunity to book and if you don’t do so early on you might not get the cabin type or departure date that works best for you.

Having said that, WAVE SEASON is not necessarily related to the price because the cruise lines are trying to garner the most buyers for their vessels over competitor’s.  Keeping prices up can give more integrity to their particular brand.  What they do is offer amenities or FREEBIES to entice the sell.  Some may be complimentary gratuities, or bar packages, or free excursions or on-board credits or free cabin upgrades or pre-night hotel stays, lots of things that are value-added and great savings included in the price. Maybe even two for one rates or free third and fourth passengers, or at least discounted.  Some lines, especially riverboats may offer FREE AIRFARE (from certain gateways). Soo yes, you can still find some discounted cruise rates and that depends on how you choose to book.

I think on of the frustrating things about cruising is learning, once you are home, the true cost of your trip reviewing your credit card charges.  The more items covered in the cruise is a true savings in the end for the traveler. Wave Season can be then a win-win for both the traveler and the cruise line. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are generally great but with some minor tweaks can generate additional interest for you.

The Weather plays an important part in the origination of the creation of Wave Season. My guess is, since this year has been exceptionally cold, snowy etc, this wintertime is a perfect time and opportunity to generate interest in cruising and the reason I am writing this article now.

One of the common offerings are FREE CABIN UPGRADES.  You need to understand what that means and is it important to you. Let’s say you want a MID-SHIP cabin.  These are very popular because you can feel less movement of the ship in particular itineraries.  An upgrade to the cruise line is different that what the passenger might believe is an upgrade.  To the cruise line, the upgrade is more complicated. If you booked a mid-ship and want to stay there, do not accept a free upgrade. Why? Because the cruise line cabin upgrades go by the category of the cabin location. An upgrade, if you are mid ship originally could mean moving the cabin selection to the next step up.  That means, you’d give up a mid-ship for a AFT cabin (back of ship) or a 2 category upgrade would move you to the FORE of the ship (front of the ship) and a 3 category upgrade would put you on the next level up into a mid-ship like your original booking. Unlikely you’d get a free 3 category upgrade and end up in the least desirable location, but you would be perhaps one deck higher. However, IF you are booked in the lowest category, that is different, you can’t go anywhere else but up. Did that make sense? Sometimes you are offered an upgrade from an interior cabin to an Ocean View or from an Ocean View to a Balcony.  There still is a question about cabin location but the size of the cabin and character of the cabin may be very attractive to you.

Beware of some cruise lines offering Free Beverage pkgs but you are charged for a gratuity on that package. Also, there may be a very limited number of drinks allowed each day. Also, generally speaking, both persons in the cabin are required to purchase the pkg and/or gratuities.

No matter how you book, be sure to check about available perks from the cruise lines. Some examples would be Military Discounts or teacher or senior discounts that can be applied to any promotions.

Finally, working with an experienced Travel Consultant can not only save you some money, you can get even more value-added amenities from the consultants relationships with either the particular cruise line OR business affiliate (consortium) they may be associated with. Besides, the travel consultants should qualify you for the right product. Be sure to be thorough and honest with the consultant from the on-set.

IMPORTANT Note: Trips to Canada, whether land or sea, cut cruises in particular along the west coast (Alaska itineraries) or the east coast (New England itineraries), Canada is harsh regarding foreigners with past DUI’s. A lot of discussion among the travel industry professionals. Client’s have been denied boarding and/or entrance into Canada due to historic DUI’s unfortunately, even 10+ year old offenses.  In that case, no wave season or deal is going to be a good one.