Caribbean cruises

The Caribbean is the largest cruise region we track: around 1,500 sailings over the next 12 months on 98 ships from all ten lines in our database. That depth works in your favour. With this many departures, the same ship and route can vary widely in price from one week to the next, so the date you choose matters as much as the line.

When is the best time for a Caribbean cruise?

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, peaking from August to October. Ships keep sailing through it; when a storm forms, they reroute rather than cancel, so an Eastern Caribbean week can turn into a Western one or gain an extra sea day. The ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) lie south of the main storm track, which makes Southern Caribbean sailings the safest bet in autumn.

Hurricane season is also when fares are lowest. In the seasonality chart above, October departures have the lowest median price per night, followed by November and September. Early December is a sweet spot: departures in the first two weeks of the month have a median of about €136 per night, against about €200 for sailings between 19 December and 2 January.

The other price peaks are spring break (March, about €189 per night) and, perhaps surprisingly, June and July (around €220). Summer has the fewest Caribbean departures of the year, because many big ships move to Alaska and Europe, and school-holiday demand chases the ones that stay. For the steadiest weather at a fair price, aim for late January, February, or late April to May.

Eastern vs Western vs Southern Caribbean cruises

Western Caribbean itineraries run to Mexico's Yucatán coast and Central America. Cozumel is the single most-called port in our Caribbean data, on roughly 600 sailings, and most Western routes add Costa Maya, Roatán, Belize City, Progreso, George Town on Grand Cayman or Falmouth in Jamaica. Departures come from Galveston, Tampa, New Orleans, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. A 7-night trip from Texas or Louisiana typically has three or four sea days, because the crossing of the Gulf takes time.

Eastern Caribbean cruises head for Grand Turk, Amber Cove on the Dominican Republic's north coast, San Juan, St Thomas and Philipsburg on St Maarten, usually with a private-island day on the way out or back. They sail from Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral and Miami. The open-water run out to the Virgin Islands means a 7-night Eastern itinerary typically has four sea days, which suits travellers who want time on board.

Southern Caribbean cruises are the most port-intensive. From San Juan or Barbados, a 7-night loop typically calls at five islands, picked from Antigua, St Kitts, St Lucia, Dominica, Barbados, Aruba and Curaçao, with only about two sea days. From Florida, the same islands take 8 to 11 nights. These cruises come with more beaches and fewer theme-park ships.

Caribbean cruise home ports

The home port affects your total cost as much as the fare does: flights, a pre-cruise hotel night and parking all add up. Counts below are Caribbean sailings in our database over the next 12 months.

• Miami (414 sailings): the widest choice. Virgin Voyages bases most of its Caribbean programme here, alongside MSC, Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Holland America and Cunard. See cruises from Miami.
• Fort Lauderdale / Port Everglades (323): led by Princess, Holland America and Celebrity, with the longest itineraries on average (close to 10 nights).
• Port Canaveral (299): the most even spread: Norwegian, Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC and Celebrity. It's the natural choice if you are pairing the cruise with Orlando.
• Galveston (155): Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, Norwegian and MSC; the main Western Caribbean port for Texas and the central US.
• San Juan (86): Virgin Voyages, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess and Norwegian; the base for Southern Caribbean loops.
• Tampa (85): Royal Caribbean and Carnival on shorter Western routes, with the lowest median price per night of these seven ports.
• New Orleans (65): mostly Carnival, plus Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, sailing to Cozumel, Costa Maya and Progreso.

Cruise line private islands in the Caribbean

Most private islands are in the Bahamas, and on many short sailings they are the main event. They are included in the fare, with paid extras such as cabanas, water parks and adults-only zones.

• Perfect Day at CocoCay (Royal Caribbean): in the Berry Islands, with a water park, a large freshwater pool and the adults-only Hideaway Beach. Some Celebrity sailings call too.
• Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point (Disney): Castaway Cay has family, teen and adults-only beaches; Lookout Cay is on Eleuthera.
• Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (MSC): a former industrial site turned beach island near Bimini; some short sailings from Miami spend two days there.
• Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian): in the Berry Islands; NCL also runs Harvest Caye in Belize on Western routes.
• Half Moon Cay (Carnival Corporation): now branded RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, used mainly by Holland America and Carnival.
• Celebration Key (Carnival): on Grand Bahama, used by Carnival and Princess ships.

Virgin Voyages uses The Beach Club at Bimini instead of an island of its own.

Which Caribbean cruise line is right for you?

The line comparison table above ranks every line by its median price per night in the region. In short:

• Families: Royal Caribbean (median about €167 per night) for the biggest ships, including Icon and Oasis class; Disney (about €331) for characters and kids' clubs, at roughly double the price; Carnival (about €129) for a lively atmosphere at a lower price.
• Adults and couples: Virgin Voyages is adults-only, with tips, Wi-Fi and soft drinks included (median about €329). Celebrity (about €173) is calmer, with better food and Edge-class ships out of Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Port Canaveral. See also adults-only cruises.
• Value: MSC has the lowest median in the region (about €116 per night) and the cheapest short sailings. Carnival is a close second. Norwegian (about €145) sits between the value lines and Royal Caribbean, with flexible dining and no fixed seating.

Princess and Holland America (about €164 and €182) focus on longer, quieter itineraries from Fort Lauderdale.

3–4-night vs 7-night Caribbean cruises

Short Caribbean cruises are mostly 3- and 4-night trips by Carnival, MSC, Royal Caribbean, Disney and Virgin Voyages. From Miami and Port Canaveral they usually mean Nassau plus a private island; from Galveston and Tampa, a quick run to Cozumel. Leaving out Disney and Virgin, the median cheapest cabin is about €415 per person for 3 to 4 nights, against about €781 for 7 nights. Per night, the two lengths cost almost the same (about €108 against €112).

So a short cruise is a cheaper trip, but not cheaper cruising. It works as a first cruise or a long weekend. If you are flying in from Europe, a 7-night sailing makes better use of the flight and gets you past the Bahamas to Mexico, the Virgin Islands or the southern islands. Short sailings are also the busiest with weekend groups, so expect livelier pool decks.

Shore days: Nassau, Cozumel and tender ports

In Nassau, ships dock at Prince George Wharf in the city centre, and Junkanoo Beach is a short walk west. You don't need a tour for a beach day; see our Nassau port guide. In Cozumel, most ships dock a short taxi ride south of San Miguel, and a passenger ferry from the town crosses to Playa del Carmen on the mainland. Check the last ferry back against your all-aboard time.

Grand Cayman (George Town) is a tender port: you go ashore by small boat, which adds queues at both ends of the day. Allow an extra hour before all-aboard. The port cards below link to independent tours in each port, which are usually cheaper than the ship's own excursions and work well for snorkelling, beach clubs and Mayan ruins.

Caribbean cruise prices and how to pay less

Every fare on this page is the cheapest available cabin, per person, captured on the date shown in the tables. The cheapest Caribbean sailings start from €165 per person on a 3-night MSC trip. Four ways to pay less:

1. Pick the month first. September to early December is consistently the cheapest window. Christmas, spring break and July are the most expensive.
2. Pick the port second. Tampa and New Orleans have the lowest medians per night; Miami and San Juan the highest, partly because of Virgin Voyages and longer routes.
3. Watch the final weeks. Once final payment dates pass, lines often reprice unsold cabins, especially on short sailings from Florida. It isn't guaranteed, which is why tracking beats guessing.
4. Compare markets. The same cabin can be priced differently in different booking markets. Pro shows the cheapest market for each sailing.

Set a price alert on a sailing or a whole region to get an email when the fare drops. Basic covers five alerts with 90 days of price history; Pro is unlimited with 12 months of history. Browse current drops in the deals feed, or filter by port, month and line in find a cruise. For the other big warm-water region, see Mediterranean cruises.