The best time of year to take a cruise to 6 of the most popular destinations

Cruise vacations are already a value-packed way to vacation, but you can gain even more of an edge by planning your travel strategically.

When it comes to planning a cruise, experts say that timing is everything. If you’re OK cruising in less-than-perfect weather, you may be able to save a bundle and beat the worst of the crowds.

“For the most part with cruise timing, the least expensive — and least crowded — times to cruise will be when the weather isn’t necessarily ideal in your destination,” Colleen McDaniel, editor in chief of Cruise Critic, told Business Insider.

With that in mind, we asked experts the best times of year to travel to some of the most popular cruise destinations in the world, including Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean.

Here’s what they said.