Destinations

When you think about whether or not you want to take a cruise you may find yourself pondering where these cruise lines actually go. Some people seem to have an idea in their head that cruise ships really only depart from Florida, head around the Florida Keys and the Caribbean, make a stop in Bermuda, and then come home. But people with this impression are entirely mistaken. Any big city on the sea that you can think of likely has cruise ships regularly making stops at its ports. If it's a big city that's somewhere hot and if it's a popular tourist destination then it's even more likely that the city will be a cruise destination that you can enjoy.

Of course, the most popular destinations are the Caribbean islands. The classic picture you'll see of a cruise ship is shot from the shores of one of these perfect white sandy beaches, with the cruise ship on the horizon, docked and waiting for its passengers who have perhaps departed for a day out on the island of Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, or Bermuda. The Bahamas and Mexican ports are of course on the list, but destinations that cruise ships visit are not restricted even to the area around the equator. There are Antarctic cruises, and ones on the other side of the world up in Sweden and Norway where you can explore Viking rivers and fjords, drinking a lot, eating a lot of fish, and if you are very lucky, checking out the Northern Lights.

On a world cruises you can expect to also visit destinations like China, India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. If the sea is deep enough and the city is somewhere that the operators think might be interesting to the sea-goers, then it's likely that it's somewhere that's on the list of destinations that cruise liners will head to. There are of course some more esoteric destinations. For people who aren't so interested in basking in the sun all day, or don't want to spend their holiday lounging in a swimming pool sipping cocktails, there is the option to head to a cruise into the Arctic. But if you're on the west coast of the United States then you be might likely to want to take a cruise towards Alaska. For people who want something a little different and want to visit a dozen countries in a short time, then a Mediterranean cruise should be perfect.