The Best Time to Book Alaska, Ireland & All-Inclusive Resorts (Real Prices Compared)

Wondering when to book your dream vacation to get the best value? In this episode of All Things Travel, hosts Ryan and Julie break down the real cost differences between peak season and off-season travel—and the savings might surprise you.

Travel advisors Ryan and Julie, co-owners of Wonder and Beyond Travel, analyze three popular vacation types to show you exactly how much you can save by adjusting your travel dates. They compare actual pricing for peak versus shoulder season travel, helping you make informed decisions about when to book your next adventure.

What You'll Learn:

• The true definition of peak season, off-season, and shoulder season travel
• Advantages and disadvantages of traveling during different times of year
• Real price comparisons for three popular vacation styles
• How the academic calendar drives pricing at family destinations
• Why hurricane season affects Caribbean and Alaska cruise pricing
• Tips for maximizing savings on cruises, European tours, and all-inclusive resorts

Featured Destination Comparisons:

1. Alaska Cruise - Celebrity Cruises 7-night Inside Passage (savings up to $1,300+ per couple)
2. Ireland Adventure - 8-9 night guided tour including Dublin, Blarney Castle, Cliffs of Moher, and more (savings up to $2,000 per couple)
3. All-Inclusive Resort - Sandals Royal Bahamian with club-level perks (savings strategies and hurricane season considerations)

Ryan and Julie discuss important trade-offs to consider, including weather conditions, crowd levels, resort refurbishments, and availability of attractions and restaurants during off-peak times. They also share how flexibility with travel dates—especially for all-inclusive vacations—can significantly impact your bottom line.

Whether you're planning a cruise, international adventure, or beach getaway, this episode gives you the tools to balance your budget with your vacation priorities and find the perfect time to travel for your family.

Transcript

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 0:00

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. We all know there are better times to travel to specific destinations, but what do the savings really look like

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 0:08

like

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 0:09

today? We discuss three popular vacations and run the numbers so you can make the best decisions on when to travel next.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 0:18

Listen in with travel advisors, Ryan and Julie. He is your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. And I am a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. And together we are the co-owners of Wonder and Beyond Travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all Thanks travel.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 0:45

How you doing today, Julie?

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 0:46

Julie? We're good. Today is a Friday that we're recording and we are heading into Martin Luther King weekend, a long weekend with families and, and you know, remembering that history obviously. And then, know, just, still so busy coming back from. Christmas break. I know we are both kind of all over the place and had to shift our recording time a little bit this week.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 1:12

Yeah, I mean, it definitely seems like, we are in the throes of winter here the last couple days we've been socked with some snow. and today is my son's 17th birthday, so happy birthday to Caleb.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 1:26

Woo.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 1:26

So I'm excited about that. I,

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 1:29

old?

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 1:30

well, no,'cause my daughter's, you know, almost 20. She, yeah. Yeah.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 1:35

know, like, know.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 1:36

But I'm excited. We celebrated with him last night. he came over and had dinner with Jasmine and I, next weekend, Jasmine and I and my parents are driving out to Pennsylvania to see my daughter swim, her final swim meet of her sophomore year, in Altoona, Pennsylvania. So there you go. We're gonna do a little road trip next week.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 1:56

And this time you're not stopping by, so, all right.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 2:00

Nope. I'm not gonna see you on this trip, but we already do have our plans for, the candy shop we're stopping at, and we know we like to stop here to eat and all that kind of stuff.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 2:08

You guys are so funny. Okay, so mentioning that, we're busy coming off of Christmas break. I truly feel like people went through the holidays and we're like, okay, get me out of here, and ready to start planning their next trip.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 2:22

Yep.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 2:22

I feel like this is a perfect time for this episode where we talk about, defining peak season defining. Off season or shoulder season travel and how that can really truly break down to your budget because isn't that such a common concern or question or conversation that we're having about when's the best time to go?

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 2:43

Absolutely. I totally agree. And Before we get into all of that, I wanna remind folks if they did not listen to last week's episode, they are seeing lots of commercials for cruises and cruise lines and Advertisements in their emails because this is what the cruise lines call wave season, and they want to have you book. And last week we talked all about the best of cruising when it comes to different types of vacations. So go check that out and then also listen today to figure out when the best time to cruise is. So Julie, what is peak season when it comes to vacations?

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 3:18

so I think of peak season as like that busy time or best time to travel. When I say best, I mean best for the destination. So. You're seeing

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 3:29

You're seeing at its quote unquote peak,

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 3:31

Yes, exactly. Like if this is the best time to go to Mexico because of the weather, something like that is what I think of with peak season. It can also be the busy times to travel, like Christmas weeks, spring break. I kind of think of peak season as both of those things,

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 3:49

And then the opposite of that is off season. So times when it's not as busy or it may not be the peak time to visit that destination. So what. Are some advantages of traveling during the off season?

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:05

I would say you're gonna have lower crowds because it's usually, off season, that mostly means kids are in school,

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:13

Yep.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:14

not as

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:14

A lot of this is driven by the academic calendar when it comes to a family vacation destination.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:20

Mm-hmm. It's also gonna mean you are likely paying a lower price because those destinations want to fill their spaces, their cruise cabins or their, rooms on site. So you're gonna have a lower cost. It also means you are probably gonna have a lot more availability of accommodations or itineraries to choose from.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:43

So the opposite of that is, why would we not want to travel during the off season? Well, oftentimes in these locations, the weather is not as good. And we'll discuss that with some of our,

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:54

of our

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:54

examples here today.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:55

here today,

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 4:56

Plus is everything available? sometimes traveling to someplace in the off season means that there's not as many restaurants, or maybe the tourist location is doing some renovations or things like that. So making sure what you're going there for.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 5:11

there for

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 5:12

Is available and it may not fit your family or your group. Like Julie said, a lot of this is dependent on schools or the academic calendar. Can everybody travel? Does it make sense with that time of year with their jobs, with their family structure? So that's something that certainly falls in the consideration there for off, off-season travel.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 5:32

Yeah, and I've actually seen a lot of examples of this this week because with being travel advisors associated with Walt Disney World and other Disney destinations, we are one of the first to know about refurbishments or renovations or closures. And right now, coming into February, that's a big refurbishment timeframe, isn't it, Ryan?

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 5:55

Yes, it always is.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 5:56

Yeah, and the reason is because it is off season for Disney. So sometimes you have guests who book their trip during that time thinking crowd and certainly lower cost. And then you find out the ride or attraction you're looking forward to or restaurant not gonna be available during your trip. And I've seen this all over the internet this week, with various things. I guess I just try to encourage them to keep in mind you also paid a much lower cost for

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 6:25

Yes. when we're talking about this today, it's very much a trade off or priority list for your group and your family. You may look at this and say, well, of course I want to save several thousand dollars and travel at this time versus that time, and know that you may not have. everything open, everything available, but it's still okay.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 6:45

Yeah. So before

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 6:46

for this episode, Julie, I put together three different trips so we could compare what it looked like traveling in the off season versus peak season. so I did these three trips for two adults. So keep that in mind. And the first trip that I did was a celebrity cruise in Alaska. Alaska is hot. People want to cruise there. Celebrities one that we highly recommend, especially for two adults. I think that just fits

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 7:13

can we just specify that by hot you mean popular?

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 7:16

Popular. Yes. Alaska is not always hot, although if you go during peak season, it's hotter than the most, um, yeah, exactly.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 7:25

came in strong with Alaska is hot.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 7:27

I did Alaska. So this is a seven night Alaska cruise round trip from Seattle, and this is gonna have ports in Seattle, Kechika,

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 7:37

in

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 7:37

Endicott, Skagway Victoria, British Columbia. this is your classic inside Passage cruise, right? Peak season for this is smack dab in the middle of the summer. You have the best weather summer wise, and that's when everything is open and tourists are there experiencing it, right? So I looked at July 17th to 24th, In a veranda state room, you're looking at$5,135. to be honest, that's not that bad of a price.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 8:12

gonna say, is this per person?

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 8:14

No, it's not per person. But if we look at shoulder season or off peak season for Alaska, We're going a little bit before the summer and a little bit after the summer. if we move that to May 22nd to 29th, that same room, that same trip drops down to$4,055 for the two.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 8:38

and

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 8:38

And if we wait until September.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 8:41

September,

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 8:42

September 4th through 11th, we're at 38 0 6 for that same trip. So, you know, you're still having really good weather during all of those times. In fact, I would say the September weather's probably gonna be better than the Mayweather.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 8:56

for Alaska. Yes.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 8:58

yes,

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 8:58

I would say the reason that's lower is because it's hurricane season for a lot of the travelers.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:03

yes,

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:03

So you'd

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:04

yes.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:05

am I going to be able to get there?

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:08

Yes, and this is not the last time we're gonna talk about hurricane season when it comes to peak versus off season, but there we go. We see right there, black and white, some very real differences when it comes to costs. if you want to save some money, you're saving over a thousand dollars by moving your trip up to May. And even more if you wait until after Labor Day.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:33

Yeah.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:33

getting some really good, options there. So what do you think about that?

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:37

think that is so, so important, especially for the Alaska cruises, because you are adding on excursions in those ports.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:45

Yes, more than any other type of cruise.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:48

Mm-hmm.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 9:48

are adding to that bottom line once you've made the the decisions. Absolutely. Alright, so now we're going across the pond, Julie, we're going to Ireland. Talk to us about these two adults going on an Ireland adventure itinerary.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 10:05

and this is again, a classic itinerary for this destination. This is something Ryan and I put together frequently. this is an itinerary that is eight or nine nights, depending on the specific date that you choose. You're starting off in Dublin, doing a city tour, touring some whiskey distilleries. Blarney Castle, the ring of Carrie and Killarney, the Cliffs of Moore and Galway Sheep dog demonstrations, Donal Dairy Giants, Causeway, Titanic, Belfast. I mean, there is so much built into this itinerary.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 10:40

you are hitting the highlights.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 10:41

You are hitting every highlight. this itinerary is priced per person. So remember that all these numbers truly do double. the peak season for this is the middle of the summer. Again, a lot

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 10:53

Yep.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 10:54

because the weather there is pretty nice at that time as well as kids are off school. peak season, July 20th is gonna be just under$3,600 per person, which truly comes out to about 7,200. That's

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 11:11

Yep.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 11:11

before flights before food. If you switch that up to November the second where it's gonna be quite a bit chillier there. Now you're looking at about$2,600 per person, which a thousand dollars per person off really

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 11:25

I,

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 11:26

$2,000 off.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 11:27

that pays for your flights if you want to think about it that way.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 11:30

Your

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 11:30

I've been to Ireland twice, Julie, and it was both in January, which is not a great time, but it's not ridiculously cold. Um, so November I think would totally, I mean that's, that's sweater and fleece jacket weather. Um, so, you know, still very much an enjoyable trip.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 11:51

And then if we think about going in March, March kind of starts the season of travel over there. So you'll see a tiny elevation to where those trips start around$2,700. the weather's starting to turn a little bit nicer and traveling from the East coast. in November you still have a slight chance of a hurricane in March. You're not gonna have a

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 12:11

Yes.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 12:12

a snowstorm,

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 12:13

Okay. Julie, we have one more trip to discuss, but first I wanna know where in the world is Wonder and Beyond Travel.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 12:21

This is a really exciting one. I just booked for a client, like a pretty last minute Disney cruise and they are sailing this spring break. so yes, those opportunities are still available if you don't have spring break plans, but this one is awesome. They are sailing on the Disney Destiny, which is the newest Disney ship.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 12:43

Yep.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 12:43

family's first Disney cruise and. will be going to Disney's private island of Lookout Key as well as Nassau. the Disney Destiny is really cool because it has a theme very different from all the other ships. It is very much a heroes and villains themed ship. So if your family isn't into Marvel or any of those villains, that stuff is everywhere on the ship. So it is just gonna be a super amazing family cruise.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 13:14

Great. That sounds like an awesome spring break. we love celebrating with our clients and where they're headed for their vacations. It inspires our curiosity and inspires their curiosity, and we can't wait to hear about their trips. And if you work with Julie and myself, who knows, maybe you Trip, be featured next. Alright, so the third type of trip I wanted to highlight today, Julie, is the all-inclusive vacation. And I will say

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 13:43

say

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 13:43

when it comes to this, it is a little harder to define peak and shoulder season. especially when I looked at the pricing and the different options, that doesn't mean it's bad to go to. It just means there's not as much variation that we're seeing with some of these others. I looked, again for two adults. I looked at the Sandals, Royal Bahamian, which we know from our site visit as an. an absolutely gorgeous resort, it's super easy to get to from the United States.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 14:10

Mm-hmm.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 14:11

I looked at a West Bay honeymoon, ocean view club level. Room sandals, likes to put as many different descriptors in there, but the key word there is what?

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 14:21

Club level,

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 14:23

level, we always want you to go at least club level because then you're gonna get some really nice perks. I looked at July 17th to 24th, so I tried to start at that same time period. And we're looking for two adults. That time is gonna be$8,179 for your vacation. Then if we look at more off seasons. I did April 20th to 27th and I did that strategically because that is after spring break time. Not that you get a lot of spring break when it comes to sandals, but it's definitely gonna influence the prices in the Caribbean.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 15:00

mm-hmm.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 15:00

I look to April 20th to 27th, and that same room for that week goes to$7,500. So, you know, you've got a nice little, five to$600 bump down, which again, can help with flights and all that kind of stuff. If I look at September to early October, I'm seeing the most savings. That same week is 68 40 per couple, but. What do we need to consider during that timeframe? Julie,

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 15:31

Hurricanes,

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 15:32

that is hurricane season. So again, it's about priorities. It's about, when are you able, willing to travel, not that you can't travel to sandals and Nassau during, Hurricane season, but there's some extra variables. You know, we're always gonna want you to have travel protection, but travel protection comes in extra handy during these specific times. But right there again, we see that off peak season for Royal Bahamian does pay off in the long run.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 16:02

And I would even go so far as to mention like, yes, considering the different seasons and the different months, but for a vacation, like an all-inclusive vacation, something unique about that versus the cruising and the European tours is that. You could choose your arrival and departure days specifically, right? So you could shorten those days and you could also say, I'm gonna arrive on a Sunday, which is always cheaper than arriving on a Friday or a Saturday. So,

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 16:32

Yep.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 16:32

know, shifting that also helps with your cost and knowing that and be able to, adjust your work schedule or whatever you need to do to make that happen. Yeah,

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 16:40

Yeah, that's a really good point. You do have a lot more flexibility with this type of vacation.

j_1_01-16-2026_141624: 16:47

The world is full of wonder and your next great adventure is waiting at Wonder and Beyond Travel. We work with you to create a one of a kind journey, taking the stress off your plate so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you for forever. If you're ready to start planning or just want to dream a little bigger, head over to Wonder and beyond travel.com. We'd love to help you get started.

ryan_1_01-16-2026_141624: 17:11

We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel. When we continue our best of series by looking at Walt Disney World.