Mediterranean an alternative to Caribbean for warm-weather trips
Quiet-season voyages only a fraction of the cost of busy summer itineraries
There is a lot of talk right now about cruises to the Caribbean, and rightly so. Always the quintessential winter cruise destination, the Caribbean as a region is working hard to call travellers back to its sun-splashed islands for some fun in the sun.
For those looking for a warmweather getaway, however, the Caribbean is just one of many great destinations to help beat the snow and the cold. That brings me to one of my favourite winter getaways: the quiet season Mediterranean.
Although most of us think about cruising to the Mediterranean during the summer months, now is a great time to take a cruise to the Med. Temperatures are warm, without being overly hot (as I write this, Barcelona is hovering around the 20 C mark). Airfares and hotels are less expensive right now than during the high-season months of summer, and lines for attractions — from Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence — are a fraction of what they would be in the summer.
The result is a Mediterranean cruise experience that really is quiet, devoid of the lines, the heat, and the extra costs associated with summer travel.
Not every cruise line offers quiet season Mediterranean sailings, but Norwegian Cruise Line (cruise.center/Norwegian) sure does. The line has based the pretty, 2,018-guest Norwegian Spirit to the region for the past several years, and in 2018 she will once again spend the entire year cruising the historic waters of Europe.
Between now and the end of March, Norwegian Spirit sails a 10-day quiet Mediterranean itinerary that features calls on ports in Spain, Morocco and the Canary Islands. Norwegian even offers guests the ability to embark round-trip in Barcelona, or round-trip from the Spanish port city of Malaga.
These 10-day runs are the perfect length for a Mediterranean cruise: long enough that you feel like you’ve seen something, yet short enough that it doesn’t eat up all your vacation time. Over the course of a week and a half, Norwegian Spirit sails from Barcelona to Casablanca, Morocco; Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands; the gorgeous seaside town of Funchal, Madeira; Malaga, Spain; and Alicante, Spain, before returning to Barcelona.
If the duration of these cruises won’t break the bank, neither will the price.
Most sailings are selling at — or just under — $1,000 per person for an inside cabin. At the time of this writing, the Feb. 3 departure from Barcelona is listed at $755 per person, including taxes (all prices subject to change and based on availability).
We’re also in the middle of Wave Season, the promotional blitz put on by the cruise lines to stimulate bookings during the first few months of the year. Norwegian always offers up some pretty incredible incentives during this period, like inclusive beverage or dining packages, stateroom upgrades and other perks.
These are dependent on the sailing you choose, but chances are good that you can squeeze even more value from these quiet-season Mediterranean departures.
It’s also worth talking about the Norwegian Spirit. Built in 1998 and refitted extensively last year, this is one of Norwegian’s smallest and most intimate ships. Originally constructed for Hong Kong-based Star Cruises as SuperStar Leo, she has an entirely different feel from the rest of the Norwegian fleet, with public rooms decorated with elegant woods and accented by bold coloured furniture and carpeting.
Since she’s smaller and holds fewer guests than most of the other ships in the Norwegian fleet, she’s perfectly suited to diverse itineraries like the ones she operates in the Mediterranean.
Although fun and busy, she never feels overly crowded but still manages to offer all of the diverse bars, entertainment and dining options that Norwegian is known for. In fact, there are 12 different bars and lounges on board, 14 dining options and plenty of open deck space to enjoy the warm winds of the Mediterranean.
If you’ve done the Caribbean so many times that you could start giving guided tours, try escaping to the Mediterranean this winter. Relaxed, unhurried and warm, these off-season cruises just might become your favourite European voyages, too.
Happy 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 Saunders may be contacted directly at portsandbowsaaron@gmail.com.