Where and when

Always wanted to see Alaska? Yearning to sail through the Panama Canal? Or just looking for somewhere warm and reasonably priced?

You can get a run-down of all the major cruise destinations in the Savvy Guide to Cruise Destinations, or for a quick overview check out our list of major destinations and their attractions (in order of popularity):

Destination	Attractions	When
Caribbean	Fun in the sun Relaxation Low prices Wide range of ships	Year-round
Alaska	Wildlife and natural wonders Culture and history	May - September
Mexico (Pacific Coast)	Fun in the sun Relaxation Convenient to the West Coast	Year-round, but esp. Sept - April
Hawaii	Wildlife and natural wonders Fun in the sun Relaxation Culture and history	Year-round
Mediterra- nean	Culture and history Value (vs. land vacation in Euros)	March - November
Northern Europe	Culture and history Wildlife and natural wonders (esp. fjords) Value (vs. land vacation in Euros)	May - October
Bermuda	Fun in the sun Relaxation Convenient from the Northeast	April - November
Panama Canal	Culture and history Natural wonders Relaxation	Mainly April, May, September, October
Transatlantic	Relaxation Transportation Culture and history (especially of ocean travel)	Mainly April and November, but also March through December
New England & Canada	Natural wonders Culture and history	May - October
South Pacific / Tahiti	New horizons Natural wonders Fun in the sun Culture and history	Year-round, but mainly November - April
Australia / NZ	New horizons Fun in the sun Culture and history	Mainly October - March, but some year-round
Asia	New horizons Culture and history	Mainly October - March, but some year-round
Pacific Coast	Relaxation Low-prices Short cruises on high-end lines	April, May, September, October

When to go

In seasonal destinations like Alaska, Northern Europe, and the Med you may find that the first and last months of a season are less expensive. They are also prone to chilly weather. If your cruise to the Mediterranean is focused on museums, November may be fine, but if you were hoping to get a tan, you will be disappointed.

See the Savvy Guide to Cruise Destinations for more detail on each of these.

Know something we don't?

We welcome suggestions. If you see something amiss, or have information we should add, please let us know!