When to cruise from London: the season month by month

Our schedule runs from March 31, 2027 to October 27, 2028, with 80 departures in 2027 and 77 so far in 2028. Both seasons follow the same pattern. The first ships leave in late March, most departures fall between June and September, the last regular departures are in October, and a handful of trips leave in winter. The table at the end of this guide counts every month from the live schedule.

When does the cruise season from London start and end?

Nothing on our schedule leaves before March 31, 2027. On November 9, 2026, that first departure was a Viking British Isles trip from Tilbury. In 2027 the season runs from that day to mid-October, and then nothing at all leaves in November 2027. In 2028 it opens again in late March and the schedule ends on October 27, 2028.

The winter months between are not empty, but they are close. December 2027, January 2028 and February 2028 have 4, 2 and 2 departures, against 15 in June 2027 alone.

Which months have the most departures?

June and July, then August and September, counting both years together on the schedule read November 9, 2026. April and October are much quieter, and March has only a few late-month departures.

Month	2027	2028	What leaves, on the schedule read November 9, 2026
March	1	5	Viking's British Isles trips from Tilbury, and Holland America's first Canaries round trip from Dover at the end of March 2028
April	7	8	Viking's British Isles trips from Greenwich and Tilbury, and Holland America's British Isles, Canaries and Baltic round trips from Dover
May	10	11	More British Isles trips, Holland America's first Norway round trips, and Carnival's first departures at the end of May 2027
June	15	11	Norway, including Viking's midnight sun trips from Greenwich, the Baltic, and Seabourn's first Iceland voyage in 2027
July	11	14	The British Isles and Norway, a Carnival Baltic trip in 2027, and Regent's Iceland trip in 2028
August	14	9	The Baltic and the British Isles, and Seabourn's voyages to Iceland
September	14	9	One-way trips south to Lisbon, Barcelona and Italy, mostly Viking's, and the last British Isles round trips of the year
October	4	6	Holland America's Canaries and Norway trips from Dover, and in 2028 Viking's trips from Tilbury to Lisbon and Barcelona

Each region keeps to its own months. On our schedule the British Isles trips leave from late March to early September, the Baltic mostly from June to September, and Norway mostly from May to July, with more in October and winter. The one-way trips to the Mediterranean cluster in September, and the Canaries trips leave in spring and fall. The northern Europe guide covers each route.

When can you see the midnight sun on a cruise from London?

In June and July, if the ship goes far enough north. Visit Norway says the sun does not set above the Arctic Circle for several weeks in summer. Its own dates, read November 9, 2026, are May 20 to July 22 in Tromso, June 4 to July 8 in Bodo, and June 12 to July 1 at the Arctic Circle itself.

The Norway trips on our schedule that call at Tromso in summer:

• Holland America from Dover. Most of its 14-night Norway round trips in May, June and July go as far north as Tromso and Honningsvag.
• Viking from Greenwich. Its Into the Midnight Sun trips are one-way to Bergen, with 3 departures from June 23, 2027 to July 10, 2028.
• Seabourn and Azamara from Dover. Seabourn Quest's Norway trips in June and July, and Azamara Journey's 18-night trip in June 2028. Both lines' June 2028 trips also call at Bodo.

The ship reaches Tromso partway through the trip, so check the date of the Tromso call on the line's itinerary, not just the departure date. That matters most for departures in May and from mid-July, near the ends of Visit Norway's dates.

Are there winter cruises from London?

A few, and nothing in November. These are the winter months on our schedule:

Month	Departures	What leaves, on the schedule read November 9, 2026
November 2027	0	Nothing
December 2027	4	Holland America's 13-night Baltic and 15-night Norway round trips from Dover, each also sold as a longer trip
January 2028	2	Holland America's New Year trip from Dover to Barcelona, and Viking's first northern lights trip
February 2028	2	Viking's northern lights trips from Tilbury

Viking's In Search of Northern Lights trips are 12 nights, one-way from Tilbury to Tromso, with calls at Bergen, Narvik, Harstad and Alta. There are 3, from January 10, 2028 to February 27, 2028.

Visit Norway says the northern lights can be seen from late August until late March, when the sky is clear and dark, and that peak time is often between 11 pm and 2 am. It also says activity is highest in spring and in autumn, in March and April and in September and October, and that Tromso is the main hub for northern lights trips. So Holland America's October Norway trips, which reach Tromso and Alta, fall in the season too.

What is London's weather in cruise season?

Mild. On the Met Office's 1991 to 2020 averages for Heathrow, read November 9, 2026, the average daily high is 15.0°C, or 59°F, in April and 23.9°C, or 75°F, in July. A rainy day is about as likely in July as in March, and more likely from October to January.

Month	Average high	Average low	Days with 1 mm of rain or more
January	8.4°C, 47°F	2.7°C, 37°F	11.5
February	9.0°C, 48°F	2.7°C, 37°F	9.5
March	11.7°C, 53°F	4.1°C, 39°F	8.5
April	15.0°C, 59°F	6.0°C, 43°F	8.8
May	18.4°C, 65°F	9.1°C, 48°F	8.0
June	21.6°C, 71°F	12.0°C, 54°F	8.3
July	23.9°C, 75°F	14.2°C, 58°F	7.9
August	23.4°C, 74°F	14.1°C, 57°F	8.4
September	20.2°C, 68°F	11.6°C, 53°F	7.9
October	15.8°C, 60°F	8.8°C, 48°F	10.8
November	11.5°C, 53°F	5.3°C, 41°F	11.2
December	8.8°C, 48°F	3.1°C, 38°F	10.8

Fahrenheit is converted from the Met Office's Celsius figures and rounded. These are London averages, useful for the days before you sail, not the weather at sea or in the ports of call.

Do fares change with the season?

They differ by month, but the pattern is loose. On fares checked November 9, 2026, Holland America's three lowest 14-night fares from Dover were all fall trips to the Canary Islands, in October 2027, September 2028 and October 2028, and every one of its June, July and August 14-night departures started higher. Viking's lowest 14-night fares were on its March 2028 British Isles trips from Tilbury.

Fares move every day, so treat that as a snapshot, not a rule. The lowest fare per night on the whole schedule today is $78, and the cheap cruises page sorts every sailing by fare and by fare per night. To see one month's sailings, open it from the table below or from the cruise list.