April is cruising's great in-between month: winter routes wind down, summer routes have not started, and the gaps create the year's best repositioning deals. Two rules: mind Easter week, and check where ships are actually going.
Japan: full blossom
Early-to-mid April is peak cherry blossom across central Japan, 13–20°C and festival season in full swing. Ships that sold out for March sometimes have April cabins left at $1,200–2,000 for ten nights. The Tokyo to Osaka route times the classic ports; Japan beyond Tokyo and Kyoto covers the less-crowded calls.
Transatlantic repositioning: the year's best per-night value
Ships cross from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean in April, and these 12–16 night crossings run $600–1,100 per person — often under $70 a night. Days at sea suit readers and deck walkers, not port collectors. The repositioning cruises guide explains the format; the seven-day transatlantic crossing shows the core route.
Mediterranean: shoulder season sweetens
Mid-April brings 17–22°C, wildflowers, and ports that work again after winter — still uncrowded, at $800–1,400 for seven nights. Easter week jumps in price and crowds; the weeks after are April's best window. Greece and Italy itineraries open in force by late month.
Caribbean: the wind-down bargain
The season closes with dry, warm weeks at 27–30°C and falling fares — $500–800 for seven nights on mainstream lines as ships leave for Europe. Late April is the year's quietest Caribbean window. Eastern Caribbean routes remain the flight-friendly pick.
Alaska: first ships, lowest fares
Late April sees the season's first sailings from Seattle and Vancouver. It is cold — 8–14°C, rain likely — and some excursions open later, but fares are Alaska's cheapest at $700–1,200 for seven nights. Travel Alaska dates the official season May through September, with a growing number of April and October shoulder sailings — these first ships are exactly that shoulder. Alaska in May, July or September weighs the trade-offs; the Inside Passage route is the classic first sailing.
The five-minute version
- Japan: full blossom early-mid April, $1,200–2,000, some cabins left after March sellout.
- Transatlantic repositioning: $600–1,100 for 12–16 nights, the year's best per-night value.
- Mediterranean: 17–22°C, $800–1,400, avoid Easter week.
- Caribbean: wind-down bargains at $500–800, quietest late April.
- Alaska: first ships late month, $700–1,200, cold but cheapest.