CRUISING OPTIONS ARE ABUNDANT IN THE CARIBBEAN
Holland America, Carnival among many lines offering late-fall, winter incentives
The Caribbean has always been the quintessential cruise destination, but this might be the best time to take a cruise there in recent memory. Repairs have been made quickly to many of the affected islands following this summer’s unusually active hurricane season. And it’s not just good news for travellers: Many of these islands depend heavily on cruise and land-based tourism, and the faster they can get those tourists back, the better.
One of my favourite lines, Holland America, has some great deals on right now in the Caribbean — especially if you can cruise between the time you read this and January. Eastern Caribbean cruises aboard the elegant Eurodam are running just over $500 per person for an inside cabin for select week-long sailings from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in December and January (though these prices are highly subject to change), and there are still some spaces open on the Nov. 29 departure of the Koningsdam. The latter is a 10-night Southern Caribbean Wayfarer voyage with onboard wine experts and is one of Holland America’s Adventure of Your Life cruises, featuring special activities, events and speakers curated by the people behind O, The Oprah Magazine.
Next year also marks an important milestone for Holland America. In the new year, the line’s private island, Half Moon Cay, will celebrate its
20th anniversary. It’s worth it to book a Holland America cruise just to visit this pristine wonderland. The waters are impossibly beautiful, and there are endless onshore activity options, from horseback rides along the beach to cycling tours of the island, snorkelling excursions and of course, the option to do absolutely nothing but kick back with a cocktail and a good book.
Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Line reopened Grand Turk on Nov. 1, with Carnival Ecstasy inaugurating the event during a daylong call. The $60-million cruise facility in the Turks & Caicos was opened by Carnival Corporation back in 2006, and has become one of the most popular spots in the Eastern Caribbean thanks to its sprawling sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and abundance of activities within Grand Turk itself, and in nearby Cockburn Town.
Almost the entirety of Carnival’s fleet is positioned in the Caribbean this winter, and Carnival president Christine Duffy noted that the Fun Ships will resume sailings to San Juan on Nov. 30, and St. Thomas and St. Maarten in January. In the
meantime, however, there are great deals to be had for the rest of the Caribbean, including voyages on Carnival’s newest vessel, Carnival Vista, which is operating some really fantastic eightday voyages from Miami to the Southern Caribbean this winter.
Also noteworthy is the recently refitted Carnival Elation, which has been given a complete makeover that includes an entirely new deck of balcony staterooms, refitted interiors, and redesigned cabins. I’ll be checking out this exciting new refit in January but for now, you can find Carnival Elation sailing quick cruises to the Bahamas out of Jacksonville, Fla.
Other lines, including Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean are also rolling out the special deals and incentives right now. These can be in the form of reduced deposits, added amenities like complimentary gratuities and drink packages, or both. Celebrity Cruises even has some rare, quick itineraries to the Caribbean and the Bahamas aboard Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Reflection in the coming months; a great chance to try out Celebrity’s coolest new ships
for a fraction of what it normally costs.
If you need more reasons to cruise the Caribbean, consider this: MSC Cruises is launching its largest, newest, and most exciting ship to date in Miami this December. This high-tech, 4,140-guest ship is the first of an entirely new class of vessel for MSC, and promises to be unlike anything afloat. Although it’s plenty big, the indoor and outdoor spaces are designed to reconnect guests with the sea. To that end, it has plenty of floor-to-ceiling glass windows, sweeping promenades, and terraced decks to provide every guest with more of what any good cruise should: sweeping views of the ocean.
MSC Seaside will be christened in Miami on Dec. 21, and it sets sail on alternating week-long Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises shortly after that.
Happy Caribbean cruising. Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800-707-7327, www.cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Aaron