Summer is over and the schools are back, but as the nights draw in now is the perfect time to plan ahead and grab a bargain cruise.September is an ideal month to snap up remaining sailings for this year, with early December a prime time for competitive deals before the Christmas rush kicks in.For many lines, this is also when they study forward bookings and look to plug any gaps with special offers.Here’s a pick of some of the best offers…HALF-PRICE TO THE MED A nine-night sailing aboard Oceania Sirena is available for half the costMediterranean cruises in winter are increasingly in vogue as the searing heat of summer vanishes, along with the suffocating crowds and interminable queues.Flights and hotels, as well as voyages, are cheaper too.This Oceania Cruises departure, which encapsulates many of the Mediterranean’s top draws has 50 per cent off. Snap this up and enjoy the Renaissance wonders of Florence and Pisa, picture-book Provencal landscapes near Marseilles, and Barcelona’s Gaudi glories, without the high season crush or sky-high prices.BOOK IT: A nine-night sailing aboard Oceania Sirena from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Lisbon, departing January 4, has been reduced from £5,029pp to £2,515pp. This includes gratuities, wifi and selected drinks or shore excursion credit. Flights extra (oceaniacruises.com).SMILE ON THE NILE Tui’s Bahareya Nile cruise is among the most coveted journeysDemand for Nile cruises has rocketed in recent years, prompting many lines to add more river boats to explore the antiquities along this waterway, most notably between Luxor and Aswan in Egypt.This Tui River Cruises voyage, reduced by nearly £800pp, evokes the spirits of the Ancient Egyptians on a sailing as timeless as the Nile itself where temples stand in tribute to the ancient gods and claret-coloured sunsets cast haunting shadows across the Valley of the Kings where the tomb of boy king Tutankhamun lies.BOOK IT: A one-week round-trip Legends of the Nile voyage from Luxor aboard Tui Bahareya, departing October 20, starts at £1,279pp. Based on all-inclusive, and including flights (tui.co.uk/river-cruises).SVALBARD FOR A SONG Head through the Svalbard Archipelago on an expedition cruiseExpedition cruises don’t come cheap, but there are still competitive deals to be had. The Arctic’s proximity means sailings to the top of the world are not only more accessible, but can be more cost-effective, especially on this voyage with Polar Latitudes Expeditions, which has a 25 per cent saving. It ventures through the Svalbard Archipelago deep in the Arctic Circle during high summer when seabird cliffs teem with life and polar bears prowl the pack ice, surrounded by waters rich in marine life.BOOK IT: A six-night voyage Svalbard Express next May starts from $6,881 (£5,198) (polar-latitudes.com).ANTARCTIC ACE DEAL Visiting Antartica is a bucket-list journey for many travellersThe White Continent remains an ultimate travel bucket list draw, and a 24 per cent saving on this Atlas Ocean Voyages adventure could bring it more within reach. After sailing across Drake Passage, guests spend five days exploring this untamed icy wilderness that is like nowhere else on earth, patrolled by roaring elephant seals and thousands-strong colonies of honking penguins. The landscape of snow-topped glaciers and giant icebergs carved by the elements adds to the drama.BOOK IT: An 11-night round-trip voyage from Ushuaia in Argentina departs on March 2. It has been reduced from £9,599pp to £7,299pp, based on all-inclusive. International flights cost extra (atlasoceanvoyagesuk.com).ADRIATIC SAVING Budget-friendly breaks are available along the Adriatic coastlineEarly summer in the Adriatic will be all the sweeter on this luxury voyage with Crystal that comes with a £500 saving. Starting amid Italy’s pretty Neapolitan Riviera at Amalfi, it follows dramatic rocky cliffs round the heel of Italy to arrive at the deep inlets of the Adriatic coastline, where centuries of Venetian rule have left a legacy of glorious honey-coloured stone settlements under a blanket of red ochre roofs and statuesque churches. Dubrovnik on the Croatian side of the Adriatic is a prime example, while the beautiful walled town of Kotor is another, basking in its dramatic fjord-like setting.BOOK IT: A one-week voyage from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Malta departing May 20, also includes Corfu and Catania in Sicily. It has been reduced to £3,100pp based on all-inclusive and also comes with butler service and a £375 ($500) shipboard credit per suite (crystalcruises.com).ALASKA BENEFITS Rounding out the list is an Alaskan cruise through incredible sceneryAmerica’s 49th state is the country’s most inaccessible, which makes it ideal cruising territory with a 6,640-mile coastline that showcases this vast wilderness where bears roam and bald eagles soar.Cruises have become increasingly popular, drawn by bountiful waters where whales come to feed and rivers brim with migrating salmon. The savings on this Holland America Line voyage along the Inside Passage to Glacier Bay are not due to a price reduction, but the amount of free added extras.BOOK IT: A seven-night round-trip voyage from Vancouver, calling at Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway, departs on September 25, 2027. It costs from £1,349pp and includes drinks, a £74 ($100) shore excursion credit, speciality restaurant dinner, wifi, gratuities and £74 ($100) on-board credit. Flights are extra (hollandamerica.com).