CELEBRITY STARS AT PLEASING MIX OF QUALITY, PRICE
Happy-medium Caribbean cruises scheduled from Florida, Puerto Rico
At this time of year, when temperatures drop, it reminds me to book my getaway from the Canadian winter — a cruise to the Caribbean. It’s easier to face if I have my escape already planned.
I really like what Celebrity Cruises (celebritycruises.com) is doing in the Caribbean this year. Renowned for their stunning megaships, excellent cuisine and high-quality on-board features, Celebrity has carved up a great mix of sailings this year that range from just a few days to a few weeks.
Celebrity is a great happy medium cruise line. They’re more upscale than, say, Royal Caribbean, but they’re still priced a lot more competitively than luxury or upper-premium cruise lines. Celebrity’s ships are also a great choice for those who want all the benefits of a big cruise ship (multiple lounges, nightly entertainment, large open deck spaces) but with an on-board atmosphere that’s a little bit more cerebral than some of the other mainstream lines that sail the Caribbean. Kids and families are still welcome; things just don’t get quite as zany.
This fall, Celebrity has Caribbean cruises sailing out of three ports: Miami and Fort Lauderdale, in Florida, and San Juan, in Puerto Rico. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Celebrity Summit’s winter sailings from San Juan. These weeklong cruises have some of the best ports of call in the Caribbean, with stops in St. Thomas, Saint Kitts, Dominica and Martinique.
But Celebrity has some great cruises leaving out of Fort Lauderdale aboard Celebrity Silhouette, including the Dec. 11 departure that explores the Western Caribbean for a week. This one stops at Key West, Fla.; Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Falmouth, Jamaica. That Celebrity has it advertised as starting at $619 per person (prices subject to change) is the icing on the cake.
If you have less time (or if you just happen to be in Florida in January and want a little escape), Celebrity Silhouette is operating a quick, three-day run from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau on Jan. 19, 2017. There’s also a fourday jaunt to Cozumel and back departing on Jan. 8. I don’t know that I’d advise flying all the way to Florida to take a four-day cruise (I did it once, about six years ago, and found it to be a lot of flying for such a quick trip), but these short voyages can be a great option for those who would have difficulty taking a full week off work. And a quick cruise is better than no cruise.
If you’re going to dip into the vacation time, I’d recommend this one: an 11-day voyage aboard the 2,850-guest Celebrity Equinox on Feb. 20. This one is particularly noteworthy for its unique three-day overnight stay in New Orleans that coincides with Mardi Gras. The ship arrives at 6:30 p.m. (local time) on Feb. 26 and stays in New Orleans until the evening of Feb. 28. Other ports of call on this sailing are George Town, Grand Cayman; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Cozumel, Mexico.
Also worthy of your vacation time: the 11-night “Ultimate Caribbean Cruise” on Celebrity Equinox that swings all the way down to Colón, Panama. Two departure dates are offered (Jan. 9 and Jan. 30, 2017) on this voyage, which also visits Cozumel for an overnight stay (perfect for doing longer tours out to nearby Playa del Carmen, Cancun, or the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza); George Town; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; and Cartagena, Colombia.
Most cruises to the Caribbean on other lines simply leave from Miami and stop at what I like to call “the usual suspects:” St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Nassau, Bahamas. And once you’ve done that run a few times, it can be far more rewarding to branch out and see just how diverse the Caribbean is. The eastern, western and southern parts of this region may all be sun-splashed slices of paradise, but the local food, culture, and heritage varies greatly from place to place. And it’s that history and local culture that keeps me coming back to sail the Caribbean time and time again.
Happy cruising.
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