Cruise: Expert reveals little-known ways you can save on your next holiday

Known as shoulder season, the time between summer’s peak and winter’s offseason, the autumn months see cruise lines lowering prices.

This time of year also attracts fewer crowds.

Adam Coulter, UK Managing Editor at Cruise Critic, told Express.co.uk: “Many experienced cruisers often say that Shoulder Season – a time window that is not quite high season and not quite low season – is the ideal time to take a cruise.

“The key benefit of cruising in a shoulder season is that you can often enjoy similar or slightly more temperate weather from peak seasons in any particular area but without the crowds and the higher prices.

“It also usually means that most children are back at school – so you tend to get a quieter experience both onboard and ashore.

“Various factors influence when the shoulder season takes place in different locations.

“Mediterranean cruises and European river cruises in early May to late June and mid-September and October, are a popular choice with Brits, especially since temperatures usually remain moderate.”