hawkplay Fewer Crowds, Bargain Prices: ‘Quiet Season’ Cruising in the Mediterranean

After a summer of overtourism in cruise ports like Barcelona and Amsterdam, and talk of caps on ship arrivals in Greece and other places, the cruise industry has come up with a surprising suggestion for where to sail in winter: Europe.

Traditionally, ships stationed in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe in the summer move to the Caribbean and other warm regions in winter. But a growing number of cruise lines are positioning ships in the Mediterranean in late fall and winter when crowds are fewer and the weather tends to be comfortable. Low-season sailings in Europe also offer itineraries at bargain prices, often half that of summer fares.

The Mediterranean is second only in popularity to the islands of the Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda for cruising, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. Its statistics show that offseason departures in the Mediterranean have risen 23 percent between 2019 and 2023.

“As the number of ships has grown and tourism itself has grown, more and more travelers desire to visit places when there’s not tens of thousands of other people descending on Europe,” said Samuel Spencer, the general manager of Ocean & River Cruises Travel, a travel agency based in Calgary, Alberta.

Isabel Rushton of Stoke-on-Trent, England, is one of those off-season passengers. A veteran of 76 cruises, she has sailed in the Mediterranean as late as December.

“You’ve got to accept you’re going to get rain and wind if you’re unlucky,” said Ms. Rushton, 76.

When it comes to sightseeing, she added, “The slight downside is that some places may not be open, but the upside is if they are open, they’re not so busy.”

The fires remained small, burning less than an acre of land combined, because local residents and firefighters worked quickly to extinguish them, according to Cal Fire. Mr. Hernandez, a resident of Healdsburg who was accused of setting the fires while off duty, was booked into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility on six felony counts and was being held on $2 million bail.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.hawkplay