FEBRUARY IS PERFECT FOR A CRUISE
There are still plenty of deals for last-minute winter getaway
Years ago, long before I started writing about cruises, I would always book myself a winter getaway cruise to escape the cold temperatures, the snow or the incessant rain on the West Coast. I always liked to choose February to sail somewhere warm, and usually picked the Caribbean or the Mexican Riviera.
February cruises are a great value. If you wait until March or April to take a cruise, you get hit by spring break, which tends to send airfares, hotel costs and cruise prices into the stratosphere, particularly on departures out of Florida. But January is too early for many of us to take time off, which makes February the ideal time to steal away somewhere warm for a week.
The good news is that, even now, it’s not too late to book a last-minute cruise getaway. There are still deals to be had on plenty of weeklong departures in February, even ones departing at the start of the month.
I’m enamoured with Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com) and its great week-long cruise to South America aboard the Norwegian Sun. This isn’t Norwegian’s newest or biggest ship, but it is a cosy, comfortable vessel that debuted back in 2001 and carries just 1,936 guests. It’s perfect for this quick cruise through South America that departs on Feb. 5 from Buenos Aires and calls on Montevideo, Uruguay; Punta del Este, Uruguay; Santos, Brazil; and Ilha Grande, Brazil, before ending in Rio de Janeiro. The price? It starts at less than $900 per person (prices subject to change), for an inside stateroom.
Not everyone can fly to Buenos Aires. Closer to home, there are plenty of winter options from ports that can be reached in just a few hours by air. Norwegian Cruise Line’s fantastic Norwegian Breakaway sails weekly from New York to the Bahamas on something of a “fire-and-ice” itinerary that takes guests from the wintry chill of the Big Apple to the warmth of Port Canaveral, Fla. (for Orlando); the Bahamian capital of Nassau; and Norwegian’s own private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay. At this time, there are still staterooms available on the ship’s Feb. 12, 19, and Feb. 26 departures. This is also a great ship to pick if you’re looking to cruise solo, as Norwegian Breakaway includes a number of Studio Staterooms designed just for one.
Over in California, Princess Cruises (cruise.center/princess), has its graceful, 3,084-guest Ruby Princess on seven-day runs to the Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles’ San Pedro Cruise Terminal.
Don’t let that 3,000 passenger number put you off; Ruby Princess is so well designed that there always seems to be a quiet spot to relax in, from reading in a deck chair out on the wraparound Promenade Deck to enjoying a glass of wine with a cheese pairing at Vines.
This voyage calls on Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, with another three days at sea. Some oceanview staterooms can still be had on the Feb. 4 and 11 departures, while balcony lovers will want to look at the Feb. 18 and 25 sailings.
One of my favourite cruise lines is Carnival (cruise.center/carnival), for the simple reason that it delivers a fantastic cruise for very little money. But this itinerary escaped me: did you know that Carnival Fascination is doing weeklong Southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan, Puerto Rico? Departing Feb. 12, 19, and 26, with calls on St. Thomas, USVI; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; Basseterre, St. Kitts; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Pricing starts at $818, subject to change.
Amazingly, you can even cross the Atlantic Ocean by ship in February if you’d like to. Viking Ocean Cruises (cruise.center/ vikingsea), is sending its classy Viking Star on a 14-night repositioning cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Barcelona, Spain on Feb. 25. This one isn’t cheap (it’s nearly sold out, in fact), but the itinerary is unique enough that it is most definitely worth mentioning here if you have the time and the money to partake, especially if you haven’t had the chance to experience a Viking cruise yet.
Having something to look forward to is always a good way to start off the new year.
Happy cruising.