Thanksgiving is a great time to travel.  The crowds are less hectic than they are at Christmas.  The weather is better in many places.  And for many workers, two paid holidays can really help extend vacation time.

Plus, if Mom’s cooked turkey dinner for the last twenty years, maybe it’s time to give her a break and let someone else do the cooking — and the clean up.  Trust us, there will be plenty of leftovers for all.

Repositioning cruises are always some of the best cruise bargains, and this year, late November sailings are especially well priced.

On Wednesday, November 18, Costa Cruises’ Costa Magica departs Savona, Italy bound for Brazil.  This is a great itinerary that augments seven sea days with eleven port calls, including Malaga, Casablanca, Tenerife, the Cape Verde Islands, and six ports in Brazil, including Rio and Sao Paolo.  Costa is known for their Italian hospitality and warm service.  And guests will enjoy the modern fitness center and spa.  Ocean-view cabins start at $899. for 18 nights.

Royal Caribbean’s 2,400-passenger Vision of the Seas sails from Lisbon on Thursday, November 19.  Passengers on this 14-night itinerary will visit Funchal, Madeira and Tenerife in the Canary Islands before calling at Recife, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paolo, Brazil.   Ocean-view cabins start at just $788, making this one of the least expensive trans-Atlantic repositioning cruises.

If you can get away for nearly three weeks, Costa Cruises’ 18-night voyage aboard the Costa Concordia has one of the lowest per diems ever.  With ocean view cabins as low as $899, rates are under $50 per night, per person.

The itinerary begins in Savona, Italy on Sunday, November 22, and calls at several ports in Spain and Portugal before arriving at Funchal, Madeira.  The ship spends five days at sea before arriving in Recife, Brazil and stops in four Brazilian ports, including Rio de Janeiro, before disembarking passengers in Sao Paolo on Thursday, December 10.

Those with less time can sail from Southampton on Monday, November 23, aboard Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas.  Passengers will visit Le Havre and Cherbourg in France, and Vigo, Spain before arriving in Funchal.  There are six sea days before the ship docks in Fort Lauderdale.  And with a water park, FlowRider surf simulator, cantilevered whirlpools, and a full-size boxing ring, you’ll have plenty to keep you occupied.  Ocean-view staterooms start at $937.

Oceania Cruise Lines is one of our favorites.  Their roughly 700-passenger ships are small enough to call at off-the-beaten path ports, and service and dining are first rate.  Their Insignia sails from Barcelona on Wednesday, November 25, and visits Gibraltar and Porto Grande in the Cape Verde Islands.  After several days at sea, Insignia calls at Recife and Salvador before arriving in Rio de Janeiro.  Passengers enjoy an overnight in Rio before disembarking.

Seabourn Spirit sails from Fort Lauderdale the day after Thanksgiving bound for St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  The Yachts of Seabourn are some of the nicest ships at sea and with capacity for just 208 passengers, the Spirit is no exception.  Port calls on this 5-night sailing include Grand Turk in Turks & Caicos, and Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands.

2 Comments »

The Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is the first cruise liner in 35 years to be built specifically for trans-Atlantic cruises.  It combines the elegance of the golden age of cruising with state-of-the-art technology.   And with ten restaurants, 14 bars, and a 20,000-square-foot Canyon Ranch spa, it offers plenty of ways to enjoy long, leisurely days at sea.

Trans-Atlantic cruises are just a part of QM2’s repertoire.  She also does several repositioning cruises that take passengers to some of the world’s most exotic ports.  Cunard lets passengers embark and disembark in a variety of port cities, so you can cruise for as few as six nights or as many as 108.

In November, QM2 sails from Southampton to New York and then heads for the Caribbean.  She calls at ports in Panama, Curacao, Grenada, Barbados, St. Kitts, and the British Virgin Islands before returning to New York.

Passengers can choose to do the trans-Atlantic crossing, or the whole 19-day cruise.

On January 4, 2010, QM2 leaves New York for Dubai.  The first leg of the voyage features six days at sea before the ship arrives in Southampton.  Passengers can embark in Southampton instead of New York, if they prefer.

From Southampton, QM2 calls at Lisbon, cruises the Strait of Gibraltar, stops in Rome and Cairo, transits the Suez Canal, and then visits Luxor and Muscat before arriving in Dubai.  Fares for this cruise are currently discounted about 50%.

The next leg is a 10-day voyage that leaves Dubai on January 27 and sails to Singapore with stops in Mumbai, India, Phuket, Thailand, and Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.   With balcony cabins going for as little as $1,599 per person, this is a fantastic cruise bargain.

Passengers who want to visit Bangkok and Viet Nam can stay on for another week and disembark in Hong Kong on  February 13.

From Hong Kong, QM2 spends 23 days sailing to Sydney, Australia, stopping in Japan, Guam, Papua New Guinea, the Whitsunday Islands, and New Zealand en route.  Fares for this leg are also about half off the rack rate.

Those who have the time, and the money, can continue on from Sydney to Capetown, South Africa.  That voyage stops in Adelaide, Perth, and Mauritius before arriving in Durban, South Africa.   This itinerary includes 12 sea days.

From Capetown, QM2 sails on March 25 to New York, via Rio de Janeiro, Barbados, and Ft. Lauderdale.

In August, the ships sails from Hamburg, Germany to New York and then visits Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec City before returning to New York.  This 17-night cruise visit New England and the southeastern coast of Canada at a lovely time of year.   This voyage also operates in reverse in early September.

Find out more about Seabourn Cruise repositioning cruises here.

1 Comment »

The Alaska cruising season isn’t very long.  By September, the weather starts to change and many of the ships leave Alaska bound for the Caribbean, where they’ll spend the fall and winter.  These repositioning cruises, which typically leave from Vancouver or Southern California, use the Panama Canal as a shortcut on their way to the Caribbean.

If you’ve never been through the Canal, it truly is an engineering marvel.  And there’s plenty to see from the ship, especially if you have a balcony stateroom.

In mid September, the Island Princess sails from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale in 17 nights.  This leisurely voyage has an equal number of port calls and sea days, and balcony staterooms are a little over $100 per night.  With lots of dining options and a big spa, the Island Princess is an attractive home away from home.

You can also join the cruise two days later in San Francisco.

The Norwegian Pearl sails from Los Angeles in late September and calls at three Mexican ports, Guatemala and Costa Rica before transiting the canal.  This two-week itinerary stops in Cartagena, Columbia before arriving in Miami.

With six sea days, there’s a nice balance of sightseeing and free time.  But amenities like a bowling alley, sports bar, and cigar bar provides lots to do on board.  Fares are currently about 50% off.

The Coral Princess sails from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale, calling at Cabo, Acapulco, Aruba, and six other ports.   Balcony staterooms are running right around $100 a night.

Bay-area residents can take the Sea Princess from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale on a 15-night cruise.  Or stay aboard for another week and disembark in Barbados.  The longer cruise includes the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Antigua, and St. Lucia.  You’ll save as much as 60% on the shorter cruise, but you’ll pay rack rates for the longer cruise.

Celebrity offers a 16-night sailing in early October aboard their Millennium that leaves Los Angeles and visits several Mexican ports, Costa Rica, Panama, and Aruba before arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  This innovative ship has Champagne and martini bars, an MP3 music library with listening stations, and one of the largest spas at sea.  Balcony cabins are running less than $100 per person, per night.

In May, the repositioning cruises transit the canal in the opposite direction in order to be in Alaska for the summer.

Regent’s Seven Seas Navigator has a 20-night sailing from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco.  This luxurious 450-passenger ship boasts all suite accommodations, and one of the highest crew-to-passenger ratios at sea.  Discounts up to 60% off are available.

Another six-star ship, Silversea’s Silver Shadow, pampers its 388 passengers with a Relais & Chateaux restaurant, a Davidoff Humidor room for cigars, and a Champagne bar.  The ship leaves Fort Lauderdale, calls at ports in Columbia, transits the Panama Canal, and then stops in Acapulco and Cabo before disembarking passengers in Los Angeles.

Find out more about trans-Atlantic repositioning cruises here.

No comments »