Cruise from New York or Baltimore, snow storms and all
By David G. Molyneaux, editor, TheTravelMavens.com
As airline prices, delays and travel hassles increase, cruise lines are adding new home ports so passengers can drive to their voyage instead of flying.
Home ports for large cruise ships now dot the shores along the coasts of the United States, from Alaska to Massachusetts.
Depending on the season, you may cruise from Seward (Alaska), Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles/Long Beach and San Diego on the West Coast; from Galveston/Houston, New Orleans, Mobile (Ala.) and Tampa on the Gulf Coast; from Boston, New York/Bayonne (N.J.), Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk (Va.), Charleston (S.C.), Jacksonville, Port Canaveral (Fla.), Ft. Lauderdale and Miami on the East Coast.
La Cucina Italian Restaurant on the Norwegian Gem
East Coast home port choices for winter keep inching north. Even though this means the first winter day at sea usually is sweater weather -- at best -- the popularity of driving to the port, and letting the ship take you south, is rising swiftly.
This winter (2009-2010), ships will be operating regularly, snow storms and all, from New York and Baltimore.
Here’s a sampling of cruises available in northeastern markets, which also are within a 500-mile drive from Ohio, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia:
New York area
The Norwegian Gem cruises on seven-night trips to the Bahamas and Florida in December, February and March, with 10-night trips to the Caribbean in January and early February.
Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas cruises out of Bayonne, N.J. -- near the Statue of Liberty -- on nine-night and 10-night trips into the Caribbean. The first two days are at sea.
Starting in April, Norwegian will have two ships cruising out of New York, summer and winter.
Baltimore
The Carnival Pride, now based fulltime in Baltimore, will cruise each Sunday this winter, on seven-night trips to Florida and the Bahamas. Itineraries repeat every two weeks, so passengers could do a back-to-back trip, though that would require returning to Baltimore's winter on the seventh day.
In December and January, Celebrity Mercury will cruise out of Baltimore on nine-night trips to Florida and the Bahamas.
Charleston, S.C.
In February, March and April, the Celebrity Mercury will sail into the Caribbean for 10 nights and 11 nights out of Charleston, S.C.
Starting May 18, 2010, Carnival will base a ship year round in Charleston. The Carnival Fantasy will operate voyages of five, six and seven nights to the Bahamas and Key West, Fla.
Carnival offers the most cruises from home ports scattered around the country. In 1993, the cruise line used four home ports. Now there are 19 in North America.
Norwegian says that 80 percent of its passengers cruising out of New York, Philadelphia,Boston and Baltimore drive to the port.
Planning a winter cruise from a cold weather port
David Molyneaux writes a monthly column about cruising tips and trends for newspapers and web sites. He is editor of TheTravelMavens.com
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