Psychologically, a cruise vacation doesn't start until you're aboard ship, so even in the best of times, the idea of trucking to the airport, getting on a plane, and flying a thousand miles just to get your vacation rolling can sometimes be a little, well, annoying. And face it, these days a lot of people want to stick close to home, within their perceived comfort zone.
Enter the dual concepts of "alternate homeports" and "homeland cruising."
Alternative homeports are nothing new, as cruise lines have been trying for years to put their ships closer to major population centers. This year, though, cruise lines are positioning even more of their ships in the friendly waters off the East Coast and in the Caribbean, with sailings departing from ten alternative cities as well as the usual Florida ports of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, and Tampa.
From Baltimore, MD: A relatively new cruise homeport, Baltimore hosts Celebrity Cruises' Galaxy (www.celebritycruises.com) this spring, summer, and fall, offering 10- and 11-night roundtrip Caribbean sailings. A pair of New England cruises spice up the ship's schedule in September. Norwegian's Norwegian Crown offers 11-night New England/Canada sailings from here in September and October.
From Boston, MA: Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Majesty (www.ncl.com) has been a Boston fixture for years, sailing 7-night Bermuda itineraries May-October. In fall, you can catch Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas (www.royalcaribbean.com), Norwegian's Norwegian Dream(www.ncl.com), and Holland America's Rotterdam (www.hal.com) here for New England/Canada coastal cruises.
From Charleston, SC: Norwegian's Norwegian Majesty is homeported in Charleston November-April, offering 7-night western Caribbean itineraries.
From Galveston, TX: Year-round, you can sail 4- and 5-night Mexican coastal cruises on Carnival's Jubilee and Celebration (www.carnival.com) and 7-night western Caribbean cruises on Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas.
From Houston, TX: Norwegian's Norwegian Sea will be homeported in Houston starting in November, offering 7-night "Texicaribbean" cruises to ports in Mexico, Honduras, and Belize.
From Jacksonville, FL: This fall, Celebrity Cruises becomes the first line ever to use Jacksonville as a homeport, basing Zenith here from late October through April, sailing 11- to 14-night "Exotic Caribbean" cruises.
From New Orleans, LA: Carnival's Carnival Conquest sails 7-night itineraries in April from New Orleans to the western Caribbean. The line's older Holiday offers 4- and 5-night Mexican coastal cruises during the same period. Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas offers 7-night western Caribbean cruises from the Big Easy in April, November, and December.
From New York, NY: Norwegian Cruise Line has really taken the Big Apple to heart in 2003, homeporting the funky new Norwegian Dawn here year-round, with roundtrip itineraries that sail down the coast to Cape Canaveral (for the Space Coast attractions and Orlando theme parks), Miami, Nassau, and the line's private Bahamian island. Carnival has also placed a ship on the New York-Caribbean route, with Carnival Legend sailing 8-night eastern Caribbean itineraries May-October this year.
In summer, New York is a major hub for weeklong Bermuda cruises, offered aboard Royal Caribbean's Nordic Empress, Celebrity's Zenith and Horizon, Norwegian's Norwegian Sea, and Radisson Seven Seas Cruises' luxury Seven Seas Navigator (www.rssc.com). Radisson's package this summer includes some nice perks: a complimentary 2-night stay at the Waldorf Astoria, tickets to selected Broadway shows (including Aida, 42nd Street, and Beauty and the Beast), a free tour of Colonial Williamsburg on your way south, and free roundtrip car service for guests living within 50 miles of the NYC Cruise Terminal.
In fall, a number of ships sail north from New York along the New England/Canada coast, including Carnival's Carnival Victory, Crystal Cruises' Crystal Symphony (www.crystalcruises.com), Holland America's Rotterdam, Norwegian's Norwegian Sea, and Princess's Golden Princess and Regal Princess (www.princess.com).
From Norfolk, VA: This year, Carnival's Carnival Victory sails from Norfolk on 6-night Bahamas cruises and 2-night cruises to nowhere, in June and October.
From Philadelphia, PA: From August to October, Celebrity's Horizon and Norwegian's Norwegian Sea offer weeklong Bermuda cruises from Philly. Carnival's Carnival Legend also offers a pair of Bermuda itineraries in May and October.
Radisson Seven Seas debuts Seven Seas Voyager
On March 31, Radisson's newest ship, the 700-passenger, all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Voyager, was christened in Monte Carlo as Monaco's Crown Prince Albert looked on. A sister ship to 2001's Seven Seas Mariner, the new vessel's spacious accommodations include private oceanview balconies, walk-in closets, and duplicates of the wonderful marble bathrooms found on the line's earlier Seven Seas Navigator, with separate glass shower stalls and full bathtubs. Twenty-nine suites are located in the stern of the ship for romantic wake views, while six larger "Seven Seas Suites" have balconies that wrap around the stern, offering views rearward and sideward.
Four main restaurants include the 110-seat Signatures, which debuted on the Mariner as the first shipboard restaurant directed by chefs from Le Cordon Bleu. Five sailings in 2003 (four in Europe, one in the U.S.) offer a workshop with Le Cordon Bleu chefs. Another standout restaurant is Latitudes, serving rotating menus that highlight different U.S. regional cuisines: Northwest one night, California or Texas the next, Illinois, Florida, New York, or Hawaii the next, with wine and music to match. An open galley allows passengers to watch as items are prepared.
As aboard all Radisson ships, service is exceptional and amenities first-rate. Cabins come with interactive TVs with free movie channels and movies on demand; there's a library of 400 DVDs aboard for free in-cabin use; and butler service is standard in the top 88 suites (category B and above).
Voyager will spend her inaugural season (April-October) sailing 7- to 11-night itineraries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, and the Baltic. Following a transatlantic crossing, she'll offer a November-December series of 7-night western Caribbean cruises from Ft. Lauderdale. For more info, see the Radisson website at www.rssc.com.
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