By Lynn Houghton
Not only is the USA a great cruising base for destinations ranging from the Caribbean to Canada, Alaska to Bermuda and Mexico to Hawaii, but its cruise ports tempt you to linger, learn and luxuriate before you get on board or after you return. Prior to sailing off to the delights of coastal Alaska, why not zip up Seattle’s Space Needle or enjoy a few hours in the buzzy waterfront Pike Place Market? And it would be a shame to jump on or off a Caribbean cruise from Florida’s Port Everglades without taking an airboat tour through the nearby Everglades National Park. Here are more suggestions for some excellent Cruise & Stay holidays in the USA:
FLORIDA – EAST COAST
Port Canaveral – Located south of NASA’s John F Kennedy Space Center and east of the popular Orlando theme parks, Port Canaveral has reputedly now unseated Miami as the world’s busiest cruise port. Now home to six cruise lines – Carnival, Disney, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian, MSC Cruises, and the latest, TUI’s Marella Discovery – it will add Princess and Celebrity Cruises in 2024. On offer: itineraries to the Caribbean islands and eastern Mexico.
Not only is the port easy to access from international flights – it is just one hour east of Orlando International Airport and about three hours north of Miami International Airport – but there also is much to explore in the area. Take a tour of the fascinating Kennedy Space Center, buy a $15 daily pass to Jetty Park, which offers surfing and bike riding as well as views of space launches from its fishing pier, or kayak through bioluminescent lagoons where light emanates from living organism. Then check out the city of Cape Canaveral which offers a wide range of restaurants, bars, and live music venues.
Port Miami – Located on Biscayne Bay just east of downtown Miami and a 20-minute ride from Miami International Airport, vibrant PortMiami is home to ten terminals and 20 cruise lines. Added to them in 2024 will be Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship ever built. Cruise lines include Virgin Voyages, P&O, Celebrity, Carnival, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, and Azamara serving such destinations as the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal, California, Costa Rica, Columbia, Peru and even Barcelona and Canada.
The city of Miami reinforced itself on the international style map when the hip Miami Vice TV show was filmed there in the 1980s. These days, it is probably best-known for its varied and exciting cultural scene, the profound influence of Latin countries and cultures and the pastel colours and stunning art deco architecture of South Beach.
Port Everglades – Only minutes from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, this is the newly-refurbished Terminal 4 home-port for Disney Cruise Lines. The other cruise lines serving the port are Crystal, Royal Caribbean, Azamara, Celebrity, Silversea and Princess, plus the Baleària Caribbean ferry, which sails to Grand Bahama Island. Newly-rebranded luxury line Crystal recently announced that its Crystal Serenity will home-port from Port Everglades in November 2024.
For pre- and post-cruise stays, the port is ideal as it’s a short drive to world-famous beaches, restaurants, craft breweries, shopping and, most importantly – and only a 20-minute taxi ride away – the vast Everglades National Park offering thrilling airboat rides past alligators and other swamp creatures.
GULF COAST
Port Tampa Bay – Centrally located in the channel side district of its bay side namesake west Florida City, this port is only a 15-minute drive from Tampa International Airport, with its twice daily flights to the UK. From there, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Carnival Cruise lines offer four- to 14-day itineraries to Cuba, the Caribbean and South and Central America.
Upon arrival, beach lovers may want to head straight for the white sand beaches of Clearwater, only a 30-minute taxi transfer from the airport and 45 minutes from Port Tampa Bay. Or they might prefer to head north about an equal distance to Busch Gardens, renowned for its fascinating African animal-focused Serengeti Safari Park. Downtown’s 2.6-mile, attraction-lined Riverwalk, also easily accessible from the port, is linked via free streetcar transport to the city’s diverse cultural and foodie scene and other attractions include the colourful Cuban neighbourhood of Ybor City.
Galveston Port, Texas – Set on a Gulf of Mexico island an hour-and-a-half south of Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, this port encompasses three cruise terminals, the third opening in November 2022 as Royal Caribbean International’s state-of-the-art Terminal 10. This is also a home-port for Carnival, Disney, Norwegian and Princess lines, offering cruises to Caribbean and Mexican destinations.
Galveston Island has been a major tourist destination for decades, with its miles of beaches, surfing, kitesurfing, body boarding, bird watching, and a pier lined with attractions. There’s also a historic downtown with blocks of fine dining and casual restaurants, shops, art galleries and Victorian-era architecture. Many international visitors also like to include a visit to Houston’s NASA Johnson Space Center, which is located a half an hour from the port.
NORTHEAST COAST
Boston’s Flynn Cruiseport, located in the south side of the city and only a 15- minute drive from Logan International Airport, has certainly rebounded since the pandemic, according to Massport Director Joseph Morris. “We are thrilled to see that the demand for cruising continues to be strong as we work to support the recovery of travel and tourism in New England,” he said, adding that Cruiseport’s single terminal was refurbished in 2010 to double passenger capacity.
Cruise lines that home-port there include Holland America, Royal Caribbean, NCL, Oceania, Princess and Celebrity Cruises, visiting such destinations as Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada and New England, as well as Iceland, Greenland and Scandinavia. The port has also recently welcomed its first hybrid battery-supported vessel, Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen. And the port is within easy reach of such major attractions as Faneuil Hall, the Freedom Trail, the New England Aquarium, Old State House and the Boston Public Gardens.
The Manhattan Cruise Terminal, based on the Hudson River’s Piers 88 and 90, benefitted from New York City’s 2004 decision to invest $200 million in ensuring that its terminals could serve the world’s largest ships. Norwegian is the only all-year-round home-ported vessel, but the cruise terminal is also used seasonally by Carnival, Cunard, Disney, Holland America and both Princess and Crystal Cruises, serving such destinations as Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Linked to Europe and other destinations by two international airports, John F Kennedy to the east and Newark Liberty to the west, the city’s terminals are a few blocks from such attractions as the Lincoln Center performing arts hub and The Top of the Rock (the top three stories of Rockefeller Center with 360 degree views of Manhattan). Central Park is only a 20-minue walk away and, throbbing with life, theatre-surrounded Times Square is another must-visit.
The Brooklyn Terminal, at 210 Clinton Wharf in Brooklyn’s Red Hook district, is not only the USA home of the transatlantic Cunard Ocean Liner Queen Mary 2 but MSC offers Western Caribbean cruises as well as sailing to Iceland, Greenland and Australia, while Princess Cruises has cruises to New England and Canada in August, September and October.
Those lingering in the borough will discover that Brooklyn Heights provides spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, while its attractions include Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. And as you sail back across the Atlantic you will get fabulous views of the city skyline, the Verrazano Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
WEST COAST
The Los Angeles World Cruise Center is based in the city’s San Pedro area, which is within a half-hour drive of Los Angeles International Airport. It is home-port to Norwegian, Royal Caribbean International, Princess and Celebrity Cruises, and offers three-, four- and seven-day trips to Mexico, including Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta as well as to San Francisco and the Panama Canal.
With its celebrity cachet and recent star-studded centenaries for the erection of the HOLLYWOOD sign, the birth of the Walt Disney Company and the opening of the Warner Bros Studios, Los Angeles is a superlative place to begin and end a cruise. There are also many attractions around the port, among them the 45 shops and more in the Crafted at the Port of LA centre, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and helicopter flights and boat trips to historic and scenic Catalina Island.
San Francisco’s James R Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27 and also Pier 35 on The Embarcadero are home-ports for Princess and Carnival cruises and are also served by such lines as Celebrity, Norwegian, Holland America, Oceania, MSC Cruises, Viking, Royal Caribbean and Scenic, who offer trips to Alaska, Hawaii and, via the Panama Canal, the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera.
San Francisco International Airport is about a 25-minute drive via taxi or BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport) and the ‘City by the Bay’s’ waterfront attractions also include Fisherman’s Wharf, which offers excursions to the former prison island of Alcatraz, now a National Park; attraction-lined Pier 39, famous for its nearby sea lion colony, and the 125-year-old Ferry Building, which serves as both a transit hub for ferries and sea-going vessels and a food market. And that, of course, is not to forget visits to the famous Golden Gate Bridge, a cable car ride and perhaps a guided bus tour of the city’s numerous iconic film sites.
Seattle’s Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal (Pier 66) and Smith Cove Cruise Terminal (Pier 91) are home-ports for such major cruise lines as Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. Alaska is their key destination but they also serve Asia, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, Central America and the South Pacific. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a 25-minute drive from the port, is accessible via the city’s light-rail service.
Pier 66, on Seattle’s colourful downtown waterfront, is close to the landmark nine-acre Pike Place Market, which is considered to be the soul of the city and encompasses the original Starbucks. America’s oldest continuously-operated farmers’ market (particularly famous for its fish stalls), it is full of restaurants specialising in local cuisine and artisan crafts stalls. And the landmark Space Needle and surrounding tourist attractions are only a ten-minute walk away.
The Port of San Diego’s two cruise ship terminals are located on San Diego Bay’s Embarcadero, a two-mile stretch of downtown waterfront only ten minutes from the city’s international airport. There are two home-port cruise lines. Disney Cruise Line offers Pacific Coast and Mexican Riviera cruises and Holland America’s itineraries include the Pacific Coast of California and, farther afield, Mexico and the Sea of Cortez, Hawaii, Tahiti, New Zealand and the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.
Located only a 20-minute drive from the Mexican border, it’s no surprise that San Diego has long been influenced by Hispanic culture. Hop on the Old Town Trolley Tour to the nearby Mexican-influenced Old Town, and explore the modern city around the port area where the US Naval fleet is based and where you can visit the USS Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier, docked at Navy Pier on the Embarcadero. Also near the cruise terminal, the ever-popular 14-acre bayfront Seaport Village is full of themed shops.
SAMPLE CRUISE ITINERARIES
Port Canaveral to Bahamas and Ocean Cay – Departing on November 5, 2024, and, from just £399 per person (cruise only), MSC’s Seaside sets sail for four nights with ports of call including Nassau, Bahamas and Ocean Cay’s MSC Marine Reserve.
Miami into the Southern Caribbean – 14 days on Holland America’s Zaandam departing on February 3, 2024, includes Florida’s Key West, the Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Cayman Island, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and Half Moon Cay. From £2,119 per person exclusive of flights.
Fort Lauderdale to Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean – 11 days on Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity departing on December 18, 2024, includes St Kitts, Marigot Bay, St Lucia and Dominica. From £3,900 per person, flights and excursions extra.
Galveston to Eastern Mexico – 5 days on Carnival Cruises’ Carnival Breeze departing August 26, 2024, visits the island of Cozumel and Progresso on the Yucatan peninsula. From £401 per person.
Seattle to Alaska’s Inside Passage – 7 nights on Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess departing May 11, 2024, with ports of call at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. From £799 per person.
Boston to Canada – 11 nights from September 2, 2024, include the return flights from the UK, a stay in Boston and the following Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Norwegian Jade Canadian destinations: Halifax, Sydney on Cape Breton Island and Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island. From £1,999 per person, including flights from the UK.
