From Caribbean to Antarctica
December brings the warm-water peak back, and the far south with it. Seven ocean regions are at their best — the Caribbean and Panama Canal to Antarctica and the Galápagos — tied with January for the most on our atlas, and the Nile joins the Mekong at peak on the rivers.
In short
December's peak list is the year's longest, shared with January: the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera, the Panama Canal, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, South America & Antarctica and the Galápagos. Sailing below peak are the Mediterranean, Bermuda, Northern Europe, Hawaii & South Pacific, the Arctic & Norwegian Fjords and transatlantic crossings.
Three sub-areas start their peak this month and three close: Antarctica & Cape Horn, the South America coast and New Zealand begin their December core, while Japan and the Hong Kong–China–Korea–Taiwan circuit close after their autumn window. That leaves Singapore & Southeast Asia carrying Asia's peak alone.
Alaska and Canada & New England are the two closed ocean regions. The Nile and Mekong are the rivers at peak, the Danube, Rhine, Seine and Rhône are open for Christmas-market and holiday sailings, and the Douro has closed for the winter.
Seasons as published by the lines for 2026–27; read October 21, 2026. See every month side by side.
The map
Every ocean region on our atlas, sized by how many places we cover there. Gold is peak season; teal is sailing but quieter. Tap one to jump to it.
Swipe the map to see the whole world.At their peak
Year-round · peak December–April
December opens the December–April peak — the driest, busiest stretch of the Caribbean year, with hurricane season over. First of five peak months, all 13 ports sailing.
41 ports of call · 13 departure ports
Sails fromPort Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Jacksonville, New Orleans and 7 more
Port guidesCozumel, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman, Key West, Nassau and 36 more
October–April · peak December–February
First month of the December–February peak for Antarctica & Cape Horn and the South America coast together, Rio and Buenos Aires for the coast. Expedition gateways: Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, King George Island.
4 ports of call · 5 departure ports · 16 expedition landings · 2 scenic areas
Sails fromRio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, King George Island
Port guidesMontevideo, Puerto Williams, Stanley, Grytviken
October–May · a few September repositionings
The December–April dry-season peak begins, two months into the October–May transit season, Gatún Locks to Miraflores. Nine scenic points at the calendar's strongest point.
4 ports of call · 9 scenic areas
Port guidesColón / Cristóbal, Fuerte Amador / Panama City, Puerto Limón, Puntarenas
Year-round options · varies by circuit
Asia's peak rests on Singapore & Southeast Asia alone in December, second month of its November–April dry season. Japan and East Asia closed after November's autumn window.
8 ports of call · 4 departure ports
Sails fromSingapore, Tokyo / Yokohama, Hong Kong, Shanghai
Port guidesHa Long Bay, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Osaka / Kobe, Hiroshima and 3 more
Year-round from Australia · peak November–March
New Zealand joins Australia at peak in December, opening the December–March core of the southern summer from Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. New Caledonia & Vanuatu is open; the Kimberley coast is closed.
6 ports of call · 4 departure ports · 1 expedition landings · 1 scenic areas
Sails fromSydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Auckland
Port guidesCairns, Wellington, Akaroa, Bay of Islands, Noumea and 1 more
Year-round · peak November–April
Second month of the Mexican Riviera's winter peak: the most ships, the driest weather. Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco are the turnarounds.
8 ports of call · 3 departure ports
Sails fromLos Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco
Port guidesCabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, Santa Catalina Island, Ensenada and 3 more
Year-round · busiest mid-June to early September and mid-December to mid-January
Mid-December begins both the warm, calmer season and the busiest stretch, which runs to mid-January, across six expedition sites on our map. Two departure points, Baltra and San Cristóbal.
2 ports of call · 2 departure ports · 6 expedition landings · 1 scenic areas
Sails fromBaltra, San Cristóbal
Port guidesPuerto Ayora, Puerto Villamil
Year-round options · busiest May–October
MSC and Costa's winter ships keep the Western Mediterranean open, with the Eastern Mediterranean, Adriatic & Greek Isles closed after November. We have no confirmed dated December–March calls there.
18 ports of call · 9 departure ports
Sails fromBarcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Venice, Istanbul and 3 more
Port guidesSantorini, Dubrovnik, Messina, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca and 13 more
Summer-focused · selected winter itineraries
Winter loops from MSC keep British Isles & Western Europe open; the Baltic is a summer route and stays closed. Southampton, Dover, Amsterdam and Rotterdam are the turnarounds.
15 ports of call · 6 departure ports
Sails fromCopenhagen, Southampton, Dover, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Kiel
Port guidesStockholm, Edinburgh, Dublin, Helsinki, Tallinn and 10 more
Spring–autumn · a few winter calls
December's Bermuda is a handful of holiday sailings and transatlantic calls, with the weekly round trips finished until about April. February then drops off the atlas altogether.
3 ports of call · 5 departure ports · 7 scenic areas
Sails fromBoston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk
Port guidesRoyal Naval Dockyard, St. George's, Hamilton
Coastal voyages year-round · fjords and Svalbard in summer
Third month of the Norwegian coast's October–March northern-lights window, with daily coastal voyages. Fjords and Svalbard are summer products, closed until May.
5 ports of call · 3 departure ports · 3 expedition landings · 1 scenic areas
Sails fromBergen, Kirkenes, Longyearbyen
Port guidesTromsø, North Cape, Nærøyfjord / Flåm, Ålesund, Hammerfest
Year-round · busiest spring and autumn
A between-peaks crossing month: the autumn repositioning rush ended in November, and the few winter crossings are in January and February. Queen Mary 2's scheduled crossings continue.
5 ports of call · 7 departure ports
Sails fromFort Lauderdale, Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Southampton, New York, Lisbon and 1 more
Port guidesSan Juan, Royal Naval Dockyard, Cádiz, Ponta Delgada, Funchal
Hawaii year-round · South Pacific varies
December has no peak in either sub-area. Pride of America's weekly Honolulu sailings continue, and French Polynesia's small ships run outside the drier May–October months.
9 ports of call · 2 departure ports
Port guidesBora Bora, Moorea, Nawiliwili, Kahului, Kailua-Kona and 4 more
Not in season in December: Alaska, Canada & New England.
How to choose
Start with the Caribbean for a first cruise: it begins its December–April driest, busiest stretch now and has 13 departure ports and 41 ports of call on our map. The mid-December-to-mid-January rush is real on the Galápagos as well, so in both places book earlier than feels necessary.
Crowd-avoiders should look at the Western Mediterranean, where MSC and Costa keep ships through winter and the Eastern Med has just closed, or the Norwegian coast inside its northern-lights window. Hawaii is the third option — weekly sailings, no peak in any month.
Expedition is at its December best in the south: Antarctica & Cape Horn opens its December–February core with 16 expedition stops on our map, and the Galápagos enters its warm, calmer season and, from mid-month, its busiest stretch. Weather, ice and permits still decide every Antarctic landing.
River cruising
Two rivers at peak in December — the Nile and Mekong — and the four European rivers still sailing — Danube, Rhine, Seine, Rhône — are on Christmas-market and holiday departures before their January gap. The Douro is closed until March.
Open December on the river cruise map · River cruising, decoded
All twelve months
Every region on our atlas, month by month. December is highlighted; each month links to its own page.
Compare
Looking ahead
January keeps every ocean peak and every open region. The only change is on the rivers: the Danube, Rhine, Seine and Rhône leave the atlas for their January gap, and the Nile and Mekong sail on alone at peak.
Bermuda follows in February, and the Galápagos steps down once the mid-January rush ends. If the Caribbean or Antarctica is the plan, December, January and February are the same peak — pick on dates.
Where to cruise in JanuaryNext month →Free quote · no obligation
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Quick answers
December's seven peak regions are the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, South America & Antarctica and the Galápagos. The Mediterranean, Bermuda, Northern Europe, Hawaii & South Pacific, the Arctic & Norwegian Fjords and transatlantic crossings are open, and the Nile and Mekong are at peak on the rivers.
Not that we can confirm. Most Greek-island, Adriatic and Turkish itineraries run spring to autumn, and while some winter sailings exist we haven't confirmed dated December–March calls, so the Eastern Mediterranean shows closed; the Western Mediterranean is open with MSC and Costa.
Yes — the Danube, Rhine, Seine and Rhône are open on Christmas-market and holiday departures: Viking and Riverside on the Rhine and Moselle, AmaWaterways on the Danube, Seine and Rhône, with all four leaving the atlas in January. The Nile and Mekong are the two rivers at peak, and the Douro is closed.
The Caribbean makes it one: first peak month, driest stretch, more departure ports and ports of call than any other region. It's also the start of the busiest stretch, so the ship and date you want won't wait.
Six are open without peak: the Western Mediterranean, Bermuda's holiday calls, Northern Europe's winter loops, Hawaii & South Pacific, the Norwegian coast and transatlantic crossings. Quieter here means a narrower schedule as much as fewer people — in Bermuda it's a handful of sailings, not a weekly one.
Two things start in December: the warm season, with calmer seas through May, and from mid-December one of the two busiest stretches, running to mid-January. Early December gets the calmer water without the rush. Late December gets both.
Each region’s season comes from the lines’ published 2026–27 deployments and the sources below, the same profiles behind the Cruise Atlas. A region in season doesn’t mean every port or ship sails then.
