Where to Cruise in the Winter: Three Warm Cruise Destinations

For those of us who live in the northern latitudes, winter is upon us, and all that snow and rain can be quite dreary. And let's not forget the short days. It's pitch black outside as I write this at 5:30 pm. Ick.

A cruise to some place warm can be a great way to beat the winter blues--just last month, I took a cruise of the Mexican Riviera. The seven days of sun were fantastic--I just wish I were still down there.

If you're reading this in the winter months, you might be thinking to yourself that it's too late to book a cruise for this year. But you'd be wrong. As I've written about before, last minute sailings are not only a possibility, but booking a cruise last minute can even save you money. So, it's not too late to get yourself on board a ship sailing some place warm!

Here are three cruise destinations you might want to visit this winter:



Australia & New Zealand Cruises

If you don't mind the idea of a long plane ride, winter (in the northern hemisphere) can be a great time to visit the southern hemisphere, since it's summer down there!

While it's possible to find cruises that visit just one of these places, combination cruises that check out both countries are most common, and they can last anywhere from a week to four weeks, with 12-14 days being pretty common. I know I'd want to stay for more than a week if I flew all the way down there!

While itineraries change depending on the length of the cruise, some of the destinations you might visit are the Great Barrier Reef, Fjordland National Park, and beautiful Sydney, Australia.

Wondering just how warm it is down there during our dreary winters? Average summer (December 1st through February) temperatures in Sydney run around 26°C (79°F).


The Caribbean Islands

If you live in the United States, especially if you're on the east coast, it's not far at all to fly down to the Carribean Islands. Winter is past the hurricane season, so it can be a fabulous time to enjoy the tropical climate.

Cruises typically leave out of Florida, but it's possible to find other ports of call in Texas and up and down the Atlantic Coast. (Personally, I'd rather fly to some place that's already sunny and warm than have to sail a day or two to get to that weather.)

Typically, you'll sign up for an Eastern, Western, or Southern Caribbean cruise, which will spend about a week focusing on islands in their respective areas. The Southern Islands, such as Aruba, tend to be less overrun with tourists, since they're farther away (it's typical for a cruise of the southern Carribean to leave from an island instead of one of the states).

While week long cruises are pretty standard, you can also find longer and shorter sailings. You can even take 3- or 4- day "weekend" cruises leaving from Florida.


South America

For the same reason as Australia (it lies in the Southern Hemisphere), South America is a warm spot to visit when it's winter for all of us up north.

This can be a fabulous cruise experience if you've ever dreamed of seeing Inca ruins or traipsing through a real jungle (don't worry: I hear the machetes are provided). You can even find a ship that will take you down to see the scientifically important Galapagos Islands.

What to do?

"See the tallest waterfall in the world in Venezuela, take a tango lesson in Buenos Aires, visit the disputed Falkland Islands, follow in the path of famous explorers as you round Cape Horn." And, yes, there are some great beaches for lounging in the sun too.

Just check the different itineraries, because South America is a big place! Figure out where you want to go, and then find the cruise that will take you there.

7-Day "Mexican Riviera" Cruise to Mexico, Definitely Recommended

A few weeks ago, my mom and I took a 7-day cruise to Mexico. It was with the Norwegian Cruise Lines and left out of Los Angeles, sailing to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

Yes, those are all the tourist spots, and I'm not sure how much of an authentic Mexican vacation we got, but it sure was nice to leave the rainy Pacific Northwest winter behind for some sun.

We've both cruised before, but for the first time we sprung for a balcony room, and it was marvelous. Actually, it wasn't that much of a "spring" because we were doing a last minute cruise, and the prices were very affordable. Also airfare from SeaTac wasn't that expensive since it was only a flight of a couple hours (we were also thinking of the Caribbean as a destination but that entails a longer--and more expensive--flight).

Sitting out on the balcony in the sun, while sipping a margarita and reading a good book is great. Neither of us are big into the crowds that you can find around the pool and dining areas on a cruise ship, so we definitely dug our private balcony.


Our first stop was Cabo San Lucas where we kayaked across the bay (there were way more kayaks and boats and swimmers out there than you can see in this picture!), checked out the sea lion colony (warning: don't get downwind of those sea lions... they do their jobs on the rocks), and snorkeled around Neptune's Finger (a big finger-looking chunk of rock sticking out of the water). We saw a great variety of colorful tropical fish in the shadows of that big finger.


In Mazatlan I couldn't convince my mom to go zip-lining through the jungle canopy, so we did a boat ride bird sanctuary tour through the canals and mangroves. They have huge birds down there (the one in the picture is a Mexican Frigate). We saw herons of several colors. Now we have herons in Seattle, but they aren't nearly as big as those Mexican ones. I guess lots of available fish and sun to warm your feathers is a recipe to grow big. There were lots of birds that we don't have at home too, and those were fun to see (again, lots of big birds heh).

As a part of that tour, we also rode through a coconut plantation and up a long beach to a classic (think of the stuff you see in the movies) Mexican resort area with thatch umbrellas in the sand where you could lounge and look out at the brilliant Pacific Ocean. We had a Mexican-style lunch (your choice of chicken or seafood) and margaritas, of course, before heading back.



In Puerto Vallarta, we headed up into the hills to tour a tiny family-run tequila distillery on an old Hacienda. It was neat driving through the countryside and seeing real homes, not just touristy hotels.

After five sample shots of the local stuff, we were--of course!--ready to buy some. I came home with some authentic (no English on the label kind of authentic) bottles of tequila, a gold and a "peach" tequilia that I've been using as a marinade for grilling.

After the tequila sampling, my memory is a bit fuzzy for some reason... but I remember having a great dinner and sitting outside for dinner and a show. The show included music and several dance acts (including a dancing horse) interspersed with tequila drinking competitions (we had had enough at that point so passed on that front) and a chance to win prizes (hand-crafted goods from local merchants).

Overall, all of our shore excursions were fun, and I'd definitely recommend the Mexican Riviera cruise to anyone. It's particularly nice for us West Coast folks who don't want to fly across the country for some winter warmth.

The weather was sunny and perfect (we were there the first week of December), prices were affordable, and the ship itself was a pleasure to cruise on. Next time I visit Mexico, however, I do want to check out some of the out-of-the-way. less-touristy towns!

Winter Is a Great Time to Cruise to Hawaii

I'm heading to Mexico for my cruise this year, but last year I did a week-long cruise in Hawaii and really enjoyed it.

If you live somewhere cold and rainy/snowy, winter can be a fantastic time to escape to the Hawaiian Islands, and a cruise is a great way to do it. Usually when you visit Hawaii, you spend all your time on one island, but a cruise lets you visit four or five different ports (we did four separate islands on my NCL cruise) and see some of the less frequently traveled spots.

For fewer crowds, book your cruise when the kids are in school (avoid Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year's Eve when prices are higher and ports are more crowded).

This Hawaii Cruise FAQ can answer some of your questions on cruising the Hawaiian Islands, or you're already set to go, you can visit Travelocity to check rates on last minute cruises:

Search by Cruise Destination on Travelocity

Last Minute Cruises Offer Best Deals

Most people need to plan their vacations months in advance so they can get time off work and make other arrangements, but if you're retired or set your own schedule, you might want to look into last minute cruises.

With last minute cruises, you have an opportunity to get tremendous savings. This is because cruise lines don't want to sail with empty cabins. It's better for them to drop prices and get people on board (people on board who will spend money on drinks, casinos, shore excursions, etc.) than have empty rooms.

In my experience, the best place to find last minute cruise deals is Travelocity. I've compared the same cruise on Priceline, Travelocity, and the cruise line's home page, and always found Travelocity to be the cheapest.

Check them out if you're looking to book a last minute cruise and get a great deal.

Nile River Cruise Takes in the Sights

I'm starting to browse around online, deciding what my next vacation will be. Last year, I took a cruise to Hawaii, and it'd be nice to do another cruise (I love the whole idea of getting to visit several different places but only having to unpack once!). And I'm all about the warm destinations, so I'm scoping out Egypt.

You can book relaxing cruises along the Nile River that let you enjoy the desert sun while taking in the ancient sights.

Nile River boats range from small and cozy to spacious and luxurious (though even the big ships are small by the standards of ocean-going cruise vessels) with passengers complements running between 20 and 150 guests.

A typical Nile River cruise starts in Luxor or Aswan and runs up or downriver, stopping to visit historical sights such as...

• Karnak
• The Valley of the Kings (where tombs of Tutankhamen and other pharaohs are found)
• The Valley of the Queens
• The Tombs of the Nobles
  
• The Temple of Philae
• Kom Ombo, Edfu, and Esna (temple sites that date from the Greek period)

Longer cruises of six nights may also visit the Temples of Dendere and Abydos.

If you take a Nile River cruise, you'll find lots of art and history to appreciate.

What Happens if There's a Storm When You're on a Cruise?

With hurricane season in full force in the Caribbean, it might make you think twice about scheduling a cruise for that area. After all, you must be pretty vulnerable when you're at sea and there's a storm, right?

Well, yes and no. I certainly wouldn't want to be in a hurricane while in a ship, but cruise ships don't hang out in places where hurricanes are due. Just as the weather stations are predicting where hurricanes will touch down days before the event happens, cruise ships are up on the latest weather too. If there's a big storm coming, they can and do simply steer out of the danger area.

People on land don't have as much luck. We were down in Cancun for a major storm a few years back, and it was a bit scary. I think I'd rather be in a cruise ship that could sail away from the storm than in a high rise hotel on the beach!

The worst thing that is likely to happen if there's a big storm while you're on your cruise is that you might miss some of your ports or be diverted to other ports. This can be a bummer, of course, but there are usually so many things to do on board a big cruise ship that you will still have plenty of entertainment.

Want another reason not to worry?

Cruise rates (as well as hotels, time shares, etc.) tend to be lower priced during that time of year. People scheduling their trips months out can't predict the weather but often don't want to take a chance. But if you're willing to be brave, you can get some good deals during hurricane season!

Astronomy Cruises, Oh, Yeah!

I'm not an astronomy expert, and I can probably count the times I've looked through a telescope on my fingers, but it's always been one of those things I've wanted to take classes in or at least spend a little more time learning about. So I was delighted when I found out there were such things as astronomy cruises.

What better way to get away from city lights and really see the stars than by getting on a cruise ship and heading out into the middle of the ocean?

There are a number of lines (usually not the big mainstream ones) that offer astronomy-themed cruises that feature lectures, classes, and of course chances to actually look into the night sky and see what's out there. Often these cruises will be in ideal locations at ideal times to witness awesome events such as eclipses and other galactic phenomena.

Here are some of the sites you can check out for more information on astronomy cruises:

http://www.astronomyvacations.com/
http://www.eyeonthesky.com/astrocruises/index.html