Cruises in October 2027: where to go and what to expect

Where to cruise in October 2027

Best this month: Canada and New England, Mediterranean and Europe. Each region below links to its full guide, with the lines that sail there and the ports they leave from. Ratings follow the “best time to go” advice in our destination guides.

Best this month

• Canada and New EnglandPeak fall color in the first half of the month, the busiest weeks.
  From $784 per personChecked October 2026
• Mediterranean and EuropeStill warm, quieter and cheaper; the Med season winds down.
  From $520 per personChecked October 2026

Also in season

• GreeceWarm sea and quiet ports as the season ends.
  From $520 per personChecked October 2026
• HawaiiRound trips and fall repositioning cruises.
  Fares change daily; check current prices
• MexicoMexican Riviera ships return from Alaska.
  From $1,304 per personChecked October 2026

Possible, with trade-offs

• BermudaLast good beach month, with more chance of rough seas.
  From $469 per personChecked October 2026
• The CaribbeanHurricane risk until mid-month, then calmer; low fares.
  From $389 per personChecked October 2026
• Panama CanalFall repositioning, wet season, tail of hurricane season.
  Fares change daily; check current prices

Holidays and school breaks

October has no major school holiday in most of the US, which is why it’s quieter and often cheaper than summer. The one long weekend is Columbus Day, also observed as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, on Monday, October 11, 2027. Halloween falls on Sunday, October 31. Fewer children are aboard than in summer, which is why October is one of the months our adults-only cruise guide recommends on any line.

Canada and New England in October: fall foliage

This is the reason most people cruise in October. The first two weeks are our pick for color on a Canada and New England cruise. Color usually peaks first in the north and inland, in Quebec and northern Maine, and later on the coast, so late-October sailings catch the last of it with colder, rougher seas.

Foliage weeks are the most expensive of the season and sell out first. For 2027, Holland America sails Volendam and Zuiderdam on round trips from Boston and one-way trips to Quebec City or Montreal through October. Princess has Regal Princess on 7-day round trips from New York and Caribbean Princess between Boston and Quebec City until late October. Norwegian Breakaway from Boston and Norwegian Pearl from Philadelphia run their trips until mid-October. Pack for cool, wet weather.

The Mediterranean and Greece in October

September and October are our pick for the Mediterranean in our Europe cruise guide: the sea is still warm from the summer, crowds thin after the European school holidays and fares usually drop. October and April are usually the cheapest months of the season. Greece has a warm sea and quiet ports as its season ends, and Greece’s per-person cruise fee at Santorini and Mykonos is lower outside June to September.

The trade-off is that the season is winding down. Northern Europe sailings end in September, and from November only a few ships stay in the western Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. October is also when ships start crossing back to the Caribbean, so one-way transatlantic sailings appear at low per-night fares.

Alaska cruise in October

For most people there isn’t one. Travel Alaska, the state tourism office, puts the main cruise season at May through September and says lines are adding some shoulder sailings in April and October. The big-ship programs in our Alaska cruise guide finish in late September, and by then days are cooler and wetter and some excursions have stopped running. If Alaska is the goal, book May to September 2028 instead. The ships that spent the summer there are the same ones that reopen the Mexico and Hawaii seasons this month.

The Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexico and Hawaii

The Caribbean has its lowest fares of the year in the peak of hurricane season. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center puts most Atlantic activity between mid-August and mid-October, and the season runs to November 30. Lines steer ships around storms, so the usual cost is a swapped port or an extra sea day. The second half of the month is the safer half. Buy travel insurance and don’t book a same-day flight home.

Bermuda is still warm: Go To Bermuda gives October averages of 80°F in the air and 78°F in the water. It’s the last good beach month, with more chance of rough seas on the way. Carnival Pride’s 7-day Bermuda trips from Baltimore run until October 2027.

On the West Coast, October is when most ships come back to Mexico. The Mexican Riviera season runs from October to April. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season also lasts until November 30, but NOAA says most of its storms occur between late June and early October. Hawaii round trips from the mainland are back too, alongside a few one-way fall repositioning cruises.

Disney and Carnival cruises in October 2027

Disney Cruise Line runs its Halloween on the High Seas sailings from September 2027, with themed deck parties and trick-or-treating. In fall 2027 Disney Wish sails 4- to 7-night trips from New York to Bermuda and to Canada and New England, and Disney Magic and Disney Wonder sail Baja and Mexican Riviera trips from San Diego. Our Disney 2027 guide has the full list.

Carnival sails year round from most of its home ports, so October choice is wide: short Baja trips from Long Beach, Caribbean and Bahamas trips from the East and Gulf coasts, and the last Bermuda weeks from Baltimore.

Sample October 2027 sailings

October cruise FAQ

Other months: September, November. See every month on our cruises by month page.