NY and BALT: what is the least busy time of year?

just 2 of us and except for december have total freedom to pick when to go on a cruise. my understanding is all holidays even like presidents day and of course all summer are really jammed. so leaving from NY or baltimore what is the least busy time of year

does it follow that least busy is cheapest? if not then ill ask when is the cheapest time of year?

we have no expectations yet as far as ports of call or activities on any ships. just trying to get a feel for any times that arent as busy. or are the ships pretty much just always full and its just less kids during school sessions?

Yes...the ships sail pretty much full every sailing. If they're not totally at capacity, you won't notice a difference! While there will be fewer kids during school terms, there are always kids aboard....home-schooled, and folks will take kids out for vacations...and younger kids not yet in school.

So...go when the price is right for you!

Also, bear in mind the weather out of northern climes...takes a while to get to warmth in the winter!!

There will not be enough empty cabins for you to notice.

You are more likely to see slightly lower prices than empty cabins. Maybe shortly after the yearend holidays. Remember, then you are looking at 1 1/2 or 2 cold days starting and ending the cruise.

just 2 of us and except for december have total freedom to pick when to go on a cruise. my understanding is all holidays even like presidents day and of course all summer are really jammed. so leaving from NY or baltimore what is the least busy time of year

 

does it follow that least busy is cheapest? if not then ill ask when is the cheapest time of year?

 

we have no expectations yet as far as ports of call or activities on any ships. just trying to get a feel for any times that arent as busy. or are the ships pretty much just always full and its just less kids during school sessions?

every cruise ship will sail full. the ones with KIDS and FAMILIES are the ones during the usual breaks: holidays, summer, etc.

yes even in winter. Baltimore in particular is a haven for people who are local/don't want to lfy.

just 2 of us and except for december have total freedom to pick when to go on a cruise. my understanding is all holidays even like presidents day and of course all summer are really jammed. so leaving from NY or baltimore what is the least busy time of year

 

does it follow that least busy is cheapest? if not then ill ask when is the cheapest time of year?

 

we have no expectations yet as far as ports of call or activities on any ships. just trying to get a feel for any times that arent as busy. or are the ships pretty much just always full and its just less kids during school sessions?

A friend just got back from a Carnival cruise last week, which is supposed to be a not busy time, and she said the ship was jammed with lots of kids. Nowadays, parents don't care about school and take their kids out whenever they please.

Most ships sail full, but there are clearly price differences - we are sailing from NY on Feb 21 - at the time I booked it about 6 months ago I was undecided between the Feb 11 and the Feb 21 dates -- Feb 11 was a lot more expensive for comparable space -- most of that time is a school vacation week. Generally, lower prices will be found when fewer schools are closed.

just 2 of us and except for december have total freedom to pick when to go on a cruise. my understanding is all holidays even like presidents day and of course all summer are really jammed. so leaving from NY or baltimore what is the least busy time of year

 

does it follow that least busy is cheapest? if not then ill ask when is the cheapest time of year?

 

we have no expectations yet as far as ports of call or activities on any ships. just trying to get a feel for any times that arent as busy. or are the ships pretty much just always full and its just less kids during school sessions?

You can expect that winter will be the least busy from NY or Baltimore. The typically slowest time is the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

good point about cold weather. so in november, for example, if you leave late afternoon, by next morning are you into 70s or at least warm enough to hang out outsdie? as first timers i'm thinking maybe 2 days indoors isnt the worst thing if the price is right. probly lot to explore. i'm going to need a big spreadsheet to decide on which ship and time and price

First two weeks in November and December and the last two weeks in January.

Those are the hardest weeks to sell for them. Prices reflect it.

Like airplanes, ships are running pretty full most of the year.

Keith

good point about cold weather. so in november, for example, if you leave late afternoon, by next morning are you into 70s or at least warm enough to hang out outsdie? as first timers i'm thinking maybe 2 days indoors isnt the worst thing if the price is right. probly lot to explore. i'm going to need a big spreadsheet to decide on which ship and time and price

In November, sailing from New York at about 4:00 PM will put you in the 70+ waters of the Gulf Stream by mid afternoon the next day. Even in January or February, it will be a whole lot better than staying in New York. On the way back, the last full day will be chilly -- but people who talk about two really cold days each way - going and returning - simply do not know what they are talking about.

In November, sailing from New York at about 4:00 PM will put you in the 70+ waters of the Gulf Stream by mid afternoon the next day. Even in January or February, it will be a whole lot better than staying in New York. On the way back, the last full day will be chilly -- but people who talk about two really cold days each way - going and returning - simply do not know what they are talking about.

This is correct. I have sailed out of Baltimore in the Winter several times. It's never two cold days on each end of the cruise. Just the first day and last day.

this is good information. thanks. i dont really anticipate a january but the november pricing is tempting. i guess a jacket for 1st and last day wouldnt be so awful. but ill know more after a spreadsheet of pricing and months ;)

Lucky, Wow, didnt even know ships went out of up there except TA. Anyhow, Nov. esp later in month is a great time for Caribbean. Light crowds and good weather down there usually Kids in school except Thanksgiving.

First two weeks in November and December and the last two weeks in January.

Those are the hardest weeks to sell for them. Prices reflect it.

on the breakaway cruise thanksgiving week the haven starts at only 2099 on NCL cheapest of the year. not saying i'm getting haven but i'm using it as price barometer. sounds strange that holiday week is so cheap , right?

its 3000 in march and 4900 christmas week for comparison. so if its truly supply and demand could it be this isnt an in demand week?

or as stated above are all cruises really full but id just get lucky getting this cheaper.

Historically, week after Thanksgiving, first week or two in Dec. lowest priced of year for Caribbean.

Lucky, Wow, didnt even know ships went out of up there except TA. Anyhow, Nov. esp later in month is a great time for Caribbean. Light crowds and good weather down there usually Kids in school except Thanksgiving.

so far my research showed me that on NCL the gem and breakaway and then royal carrribean grandeur and one carnival ship i think are out of Balt. of course there are more out of NY and NJ but when i priced NJ it was out of sight. unsure why.

also i did expect the sunday before thanksgiving to be very expensive but for some reason on BA it is not. on the grandeur from baltimore suites start around 1350 that week too. not too bad.

Actually we sailed on Grandeur to Bermuda the last week of September and there were only 40 kids on board (including one of our own). The weather was great - Bermuda beats Bahamas any day of the week. Great cruise. Also, I think Celebrity and NCL also have ships going to Bermuda.

so far my research showed me that on NCL the gem and breakaway and then royal carrribean grandeur and one carnival ship i think are out of Balt. of course there are more out of NY and NJ but when i priced NJ it was out of sight. unsure why.

 

also i did expect the sunday before thanksgiving to be very expensive but for some reason on BA it is not. on the grandeur from baltimore suites start around 1350 that week too. not too bad.

RCI Grandeur of the Seas and Carnival Pride are the only two ships sailing out of Baltimore. I can recommend both, as well as the cruise port of Baltimore - a very smooth operation.:)

If you are looking at Suites, I would recommend RCI over Carnival for their Suite perks - we really enjoyed the "Suite Life" on Grandeur (must book Grand Suite or above for the perks;)). But on Carnival, we don't get anything extra with our Suites other than priority check-in, embark, and debark.

RCI Grandeur of the Seas and Carnival Pride are the only two ships sailing out of Baltimore. I can recommend both, as well as the cruise port of Baltimore - a very smooth operation.:)

 

If you are looking at Suites, I would recommend RCI over Carnival for their Suite perks - we really enjoyed the "Suite Life" on Grandeur (must book Grand Suite or above for the perks;)). But on Carnival, we don't get anything extra with our Suites other than priority check-in, embark, and debark.

ty for the good info. i barely have started researching royal. also reality is this will be our 1st cruise then not another for a very long time. so we cannot spend tons of money but we dont want to cheap out either.

and i dont know how bad NY really is to get there compared to balt (we are near philly) but it is something for us to consider. i just showed my gf the haven and thermal spa on breakaway (gotta love youtube videos) and she really did love the spa. also during thanksgiving she would save 2 days of vacation time at work which is nice.

cheapest room with free spa access is about 1200 on the breakaway..haven spa room is 2100. then the other haven rooms start at 2600.

but ive only started my research. ive read about drink policy on NCL and bottle water not in the price..ugh! crazy.

the carnival site seems not to be so great for researching pics of rooms and layouts. i loved the NCL site for that. and royal is good too.

i priced grandeur for nov 21 and a GS is 2000. and 300 on board spending included. i see you havent been on the breakaway but now i need to compare the grandeur benefits to a haven spa suite for 2100 and on the surface it seems like that may be a better deal. 50 per port shore credit, specialty dining package, unlimted beverage, free wifi. and i shouldnt have shown gf the video of the thermal spa lol. its something she woudl defintely use a lot.

can you tell me more about the dining on grandeur and the perks you got. i see i can do the my time dining and reserve your time but i'm not clear if you can eat 'alone' or you are still with others. another NCL thing i think i would like is just going into a restaurant anytime and eating 'alone' so to speak (absent waiting times of course). thats something else need to research.

ty for the good info. i barely have started researching royal. also reality is this will be our 1st cruise then not another for a very long time. so we cannot spend tons of money but we dont want to cheap out either.

 

and i dont know how bad NY really is to get there compared to balt (we are near philly) but it is something for us to consider. i just showed my gf the haven and thermal spa on breakaway (gotta love youtube videos) and she really did love the spa. also during thanksgiving she would save 2 days of vacation time at work which is nice.

 

cheapest room with free spa access is about 1200 on the breakaway..haven spa room is 2100. then the other haven rooms start at 2600.

 

but ive only started my research. ive read about drink policy on NCL and bottle water not in the price..ugh! crazy.

 

the carnival site seems not to be so great for researching pics of rooms and layouts. i loved the NCL site for that. and royal is good too.

 

i priced grandeur for nov 21 and a GS is 2000. and 300 on board spending included. i see you havent been on the breakaway but now i need to compare the grandeur benefits to a haven spa suite for 2100 and on the surface it seems like that may be a better deal. 50 per port shore credit, specialty dining package, unlimted beverage, free wifi. and i shouldnt have shown gf the video of the thermal spa lol. its something she woudl defintely use a lot.

 

can you tell me more about the dining on grandeur and the perks you got. i see i can do the my time dining and reserve your time but i'm not clear if you can eat 'alone' or you are still with others. another NCL thing i think i would like is just going into a restaurant anytime and eating 'alone' so to speak (absent waiting times of course). thats something else need to research.

You've got a lot of (my idea of) fun ahead of you - cruise research and planning!:D From the Philly area, NYC and Baltimore would both be pretty easy drives. But B'more would be easier, IMO. Less tolls, for one thing.

We have only cruised out of NYC once, and that was on Carnival. And we have only cruised NCL once, and that was Alaska (and in an Ocean View (OV), not a Suite), and 8 years ago, so you're right: I can't help with NCL. But I have looked at the Haven and NCL Suite perks and I like what I see, so much so that I think DH and I will be cruising in an NCL Suite within the next few years.:)

The Suite Perks we enjoyed on Grandeur were:

• Concierge Lounge access (free cocktail hour each evening, very helpful concierge that can help with just about anything, free specialty coffee machine, etc.)
  
• exclusive Suite-guest-only breakfast every day in the Steakhouse (Chops), with mini buffet and cooked-to-order menu items. This was one of my favourites. So pleasant and peaceful.:)
  
• Full MDR (Main Dining Room) menu available through Room Service for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This means we could dine in Suite (table would also be set for us) on our choice of whatever was being served in the MDR at that time - a wonderful option if you want alone time over dinner.
  
• Reserved seating in the Main Theatre. Although we used this perk a few nights, the seats aren't that great - centre, but towards the back. It was nice knowing that we had seats waiting there for us if we chose.
  
• little gifts of 'treats' delivered to our suite throughout the cruise
  

I know there were some others, but these are the ones I can remember.

Also, you get double loyalty points for booking a Suite with Royal (with NCL, too, I believe), if that makes a difference to you.

The specialty dining on Grandeur was very good. We enjoyed Izumi (Pan-Asian), the Italian restaurant, and Chops. We bought the specialty dining package.

The MDR dinner menu wasn't so great, but MDR lunch was good, because of the Tutti Salad - the made-to-order fresh salad with so many options.

You do not have to be seated with other people in the MDR, if you do not want, even if you don't chose Anytime Dining. You can request a table for two.

You're right about the Carnival cruise search page layout - they recently changed it to this horible design. There have been many complaints on the Carnival boards about it.

Happy cruise researching! Oh, and welcome to Cruise Critic.:) You've found the right place to find more cruise info and opinions than you'll ever want or need!:p

I have sailed on Grandeur twice - both times in suites, and once over Thanksgiving. It is a great ship; however, based on the prices - if you can get into Haven for $100 more per person then I would try Breakaway. It's a newer ship with way more bells and whistles. Thanksgiving cruises are great, but there will also be lots of families and kids. We had over 600 on Grandeur and over 1400 on Freedom last year.

I have sailed on Grandeur twice - both times in suites, and once over Thanksgiving. It is a great ship; however, based on the prices - if you can get into Haven for $100 more per person then I would try Breakaway. It's a newer ship with way more bells and whistles. Thanksgiving cruises are great, but there will also be lots of families and kids. We had over 600 on Grandeur and over 1400 on Freedom last year.

thats the part i dont get. this is literally the cheapest cruise of the year. so how can the demand be high? its like opposite day lol. i did figure would be heavy family week if they only have to take the kids out 3 days of school.

so how do you know the kid count on the ships?

thats the part i dont get. this is literally the cheapest cruise of the year. so how can the demand be high? its like opposite day lol. i did figure would be heavy family week if they only have to take the kids out 3 days of school.

 

so how do you know the kid count on the ships?

The lower the price, the greater the demand.

The lower the price, the greater the demand.

Actually: the greater the demand, the higher the price ----- basic economics.