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8 Types of Cruises I'd Think Twice About Before Booking

There are plenty of articles out there about cruises you should avoid.

But here's the thing. There really isn't a list of universally bad cruises.

A cruise that sounds terrible to one person might be exactly what another traveler is looking for.

Maybe you love sea days while someone else needs a port to look forward to every morning. Maybe you want quiet evenings while another traveler considers the nightlife one of the best parts of cruising. Maybe you're perfectly happy trying a brand-new ship while someone else would rather let the first group of passengers work out the kinks.

That's why I don't think the question should be, "Is this a cruise I should avoid?"

A better question is:

"Is this the right cruise for the vacation I want?"

With that in mind, here are eight types of cruises I would think twice about before booking. Not because they're necessarily bad cruises, but because there may be something about them you want to consider first.

In This Article

🚢 Short Cruises

🌪️ Cruises During Hurricane Season

🆕 Inaugural Cruises

🔧 The Last Sailing Before Dry Dock

🛠️ The First Sailing After Dry Dock

🌤️ Shoulder Season

🌊 Repositioning Cruises

🚢 A Cruise Line That Doesn't Match What You Want

💙 So, Which Cruises Should You Actually Avoid?

🚢 Short Cruises

A three- or four-night cruise can sound like the perfect little getaway.

You don't need as much time away from home, you may not have to use as much vacation time, and the cruise fare can look pretty appealing.

If you've never cruised before, a short sailing can also seem like a good way to find out whether cruising is for you.

But there's something I would keep in mind.

Short cruises can be surprisingly lively.

With only a few days onboard, some people are determined to make every minute count. Short sailings can attract travelers looking for a fun weekend, a celebration, a quick getaway, or a party.

And when you add spring break or another popular school vacation period, the atmosphere can be very different from what you might experience on a longer sailing at another time of year.

That doesn't make a short cruise bad.

If you're looking for a lively weekend and plenty of things happening around you, it might be perfect.

But if your idea of a vacation is sleeping in, enjoying a leisurely breakfast, wandering around the ship, taking a nap and having a quiet dinner, you may want to look a little closer before booking that three-night getaway.

🌪️ Cruises During Hurricane Season

Hurricane season can make some travelers nervous, and understandably so.

Nobody wants to spend their vacation staring at a weather forecast and wondering what is going to happen next.

But I wouldn't tell everyone to avoid cruising during hurricane season.

In fact, I'm cruising in October this year.

The important thing is that I'm going into it knowing there is a possibility that the itinerary could change.

Cruise lines monitor tropical weather closely and may change a ship's route or skip a port when necessary for safety. That could mean missing a port you were excited about, changing the order of your stops, or spending more time at sea.

The cruise itself can still be wonderful.

It just may not be exactly the cruise you originally pictured.

So who should think twice?

If you've spent years dreaming about visiting one particular island and your entire vacation revolves around being there on a specific day, hurricane season may require more flexibility than you're comfortable with.

If you're the type of traveler who can say, "Well, we didn't make it to that port, but let's see what else the ship has planned," you may be perfectly happy.

The point isn't to scare you away from hurricane season.

It's to make sure you understand the tradeoff.

You may get a great cruise. You just need to be comfortable with the possibility that it won't follow the original plan exactly.

🆕 Inaugural Cruises

Being one of the first people to step aboard a brand-new cruise ship sounds pretty exciting.

And for some travelers, it absolutely is.

You get the new ship, the new restaurants, the new entertainment and the bragging rights that come with saying, "I was on one of the first sailings."

But there's another side to being first.

The ship is new.

The crew is new to that ship.

The systems are new.

The procedures are new.

Everyone is figuring things out together.

There can be delays, changes, unfinished areas or little operational hiccups while everything gets settled.

And sometimes the excitement surrounding a brand-new ship means you're paying more for the privilege of being among the first onboard.

Personally?

I don't need to be first.

I'll happily let somebody else figure out where everything is and whether all the buttons work before I get there.

But an inaugural cruise might be perfect for you if...

You love being part of something new. You enjoy the excitement of a brand-new ship and don't mind a little uncertainty along the way.

That's completely reasonable.

Just know what you're choosing.

🔧 The Last Sailing Before Dry Dock

Here's one that many travelers probably don't think about.

If a ship is scheduled to go into dry dock immediately after your cruise, there may be a reason it is ready for some attention.

That doesn't mean the ship is in bad shape.

Cruise ships work hard. Thousands of passengers use the furniture, carpets, public spaces and cabins over and over again. Eventually, things start to show some wear.

Depending on the ship and the work being planned, you may notice tired-looking furnishings, worn carpet or areas that are temporarily closed. There may also be maintenance or preparation taking place before the ship heads into dry dock.

If you're primarily interested in the itinerary and the price is right, this may not bother you at all.

But if part of what you're paying for is a beautiful ship that feels fresh and polished, it's worth knowing where that ship is in its refurbishment cycle.

I'd think twice if...

You know the ship is about to undergo a major refurbishment and the condition of the ship is important to your enjoyment of the cruise.

On the other hand, if you find a great fare on an older ship and you're more interested in where it's taking you than whether the carpet looks brand new, this might not matter much at all.

It's about knowing what you're buying.

🛠️ The First Sailing After Dry Dock

Now let's flip that around.

You see that a ship has just been refurbished and think:

"That's the one I want!"

And honestly, I understand the appeal.

A refreshed older ship can offer updated spaces and amenities without requiring you to book a brand-new ship.

But I wouldn't automatically assume that the very first sailing after dry dock means every single thing will be perfect from the moment passengers walk onboard.

Major refurbishments involve a lot of moving parts. Sometimes work takes longer than expected. Sometimes something needs additional attention once the ship is back in operation.

The ship may look fantastic while a few details are still being finished or adjusted.

Does that mean you should never book the first sailing after dry dock?

No.

Not at all.

It simply means you should understand that "newly refurbished" and "completely settled" aren't necessarily the same thing.

If you are the kind of traveler who would be annoyed by a venue being unavailable or a few finishing touches still being completed, I'd consider waiting a little.

If you're excited about the refreshed ship and can roll with a few imperfections, go for it.

🌤️ Shoulder Season

I'm going to push back a little on this one.

I don't think shoulder season is something you should automatically avoid.

It can actually be a wonderful time to travel.

You may find better pricing. Crowds may be lighter. And depending on where you're going, the weather can still be very pleasant.

The thing I want you to consider is whether the weather you're likely to get matches the weather you're expecting.

Because shoulder season can mean shoulder-season weather.

That sounds obvious, but it's easy to see a lower fare and picture yourself enjoying the same conditions you'd have during the destination's busiest travel season.

That isn't always the case.

For some travelers, a slightly cooler day is no big deal.

For someone who has chosen a cruise specifically because they want warm weather, sitting outside in a jacket is a different story.

Before booking a shoulder-season cruise, ask yourself:

• How important is warm weather to me?
• Am I comfortable with cooler or less predictable conditions?
• Am I more interested in exploring than sitting by the pool?
• Is the lower price worth the weather tradeoff?

A lower fare can be a great deal.

Just make sure you're not buying a lower price at the expense of the experience you really wanted.

🌊 Repositioning Cruises

This is one I want to handle a little differently because I actually like sea days.

A lot of them.

A repositioning cruise can be a wonderful option if you enjoy spending time onboard. You might have several consecutive sea days, which gives you time to slow down instead of constantly checking the clock because you have another port to visit tomorrow.

Give me a comfortable chair, a good book and somewhere to watch the ocean go by, and I'm pretty happy.

If you enjoy sea days and want to understand why repositioning cruises can be such a good fit, my article Why Repositioning Cruises Are the Best-Kept Secret at Sea takes a closer look.

The part I'd think about isn't the sea days.

It's the logistics.

Repositioning cruises generally move a ship from one region to another, so you may be starting in one city and ending in another.

That means you need to think about:

• How you'll get to the embarkation port
• How you'll get home from the final port
• Whether airfare costs more
• Whether you'll need a hotel before the cruise
• Transportation at both ends
• Whether the longer itinerary fits your vacation plans

A repositioning cruise might be perfect for you if...

You love sea days, enjoy the journey as much as the destination and don't mind a little extra planning.

I'd think twice if...

You want a simple round-trip vacation with easy transportation and lots of ports.

And don't let someone else's dislike of sea days talk you out of a repositioning cruise if you actually enjoy them.

🚢 A Cruise Line That Doesn't Match What You Want

This may be the most important one on the list.

Not because there are "bad" cruise lines.

There aren't.

There are cruise lines that may be a better match for one traveler than another.

Cruise lines have different personalities. Some are known for a lively atmosphere. Some are more relaxed. Some are heavily focused on families and activities. Others put more emphasis on food, enrichment, entertainment or the destinations you're visiting.

But here's where I think travelers sometimes get tripped up:

You don't have to participate in everything a cruise line offers.

I like Carnival.

And I don't participate in all the loud activities.

We take naps.

We eat good food.

We go to the shows.

I play Bingo.

We like trivia.

We don't do water activities.

And I don't need the big slide.

I didn't even know about Sail Away until I became a travel advisor.

And that's okay.

A cruise line can offer a lot of things you don't care about and still offer plenty of things you do.

That's why I don't think you should choose or reject a cruise line based solely on its reputation.

Instead, ask yourself:

Does this cruise line offer the things I actually want to do?

If the answer is yes, you may not care one bit about the things you plan to skip.

The same thing works in reverse.

If you're looking for nonstop nightlife and a cruise line has a quieter overall atmosphere, you may find yourself wishing you'd chosen differently.

That's not a bad cruise.

It's simply the wrong match for what you wanted.

💙 So, Which Cruises Should You Actually Avoid?

After all that, you might be wondering what I really mean when I say "avoid."

Here's my answer:

Avoid the cruise that doesn't fit the vacation you want to have.

That's it.

A short cruise isn't automatically a party cruise.

Hurricane season doesn't automatically mean a ruined vacation.

An inaugural cruise isn't automatically a mistake.

An older ship isn't automatically a bad ship.

A newly refurbished ship isn't automatically perfect.

Shoulder season isn't automatically a bad time to travel.

A repositioning cruise isn't automatically too many sea days.

And a cruise line isn't automatically wrong for you because you've heard it has a certain reputation.

The best cruise isn't necessarily the newest ship.

It isn't necessarily the cheapest fare.

It isn't necessarily the most popular itinerary.

And it certainly isn't necessarily the one everyone on social media says you should book.

The best cruise is the one that fits you.

Think about how you actually like to spend your vacation.

Do you want lots of ports or lots of sea days?

Do you want a quiet ship or lots of activity?

Do you care about the newest ship, or would you rather let someone else work out the kinks?

Is the weather important, or are you flexible?

Do you want to spend your vacation exploring every port, or are you perfectly happy spending an afternoon onboard while everyone else heads ashore?

There isn't a wrong answer.

There is only the answer that's right for you.

And that's why I think it's worth looking beyond the cruise fare and the shiny ship photos before you book.

Because when the cruise matches the way you actually want to vacation, it's a whole lot easier to do what you came for:

Escape. Explore. Exhale.