As winter sets in, cruise lines are offering a variety of warm weather escapes to the Caribbean, Mexico and far-flung destinations in the South Pacific and the Persian Gulf. This winter will see the launches of new ships and itineraries aimed at attracting a broad demographic of cruisers, particularly young first-timers.
Here are some of the most anticipated trips to sunny spots.
Eastern Caribbean and the Bahamas
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest new cruise ship, with a capacity to carry more than 7,000 passengers, is scheduled to set sail in January, with a seven-night eastern Caribbean and Coco Cay cruise departing from Miami. While the 250,800-ton ship makes stops at St. Kitts, St. Thomas and Coco Cay (Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas), it may be hard to choose between land excursions and the countless onboard attractions, from the largest water park at sea to an immersive entertainment space where athletes will perform acrobatics under a cascading waterfall. With eight different “neighborhoods” — including “ Thrill Island” and “the Hideaway” — the cruise line says it will offer guests “everything they have ever loved about every vacation — all rolled into one.” Twenty-eight accommodation categories include family-friendly cabins that sleep four people or more, and a special three-story townhouse complete with an en-suite slide and a cinema room. Despite its size and features, Royal Caribbean says that the ship is the company’s most sustainable ship to date, powered by liquefied natural gas and energy-efficient technology to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Sailings from $1,577 per person.
Caribbean
The new luxury cruise line Explora Journeys invites passengers to discover an “ocean state of mind,” characterized by “calm, unity, elegance and joy.” The Explora I, which set sail on her maiden voyage in August and has a capacity of up to 922 passengers, resembles a superyacht with the interior of a high-end boutique hotel. It is decked out with more than 400 oceanfront suites, four swimming pools and nine culinary experiences. The all-inclusive voyages aim to bridge the gap between luxury and lifestyle travel, targeting people who enjoy high-end resorts but may not have previously considered ocean cruising. From December, the Explora I will set sail through warm destinations in the Caribbean and America, offering excursions to rainforests, cocoa plantations, pastel-hued villages and coral reefs. The “Yachtsman’s Caribbean of Remote Harborages” journey, one of many trips offered this winter, departs Bridgetown, Barbados, in January for a six-night sailing that will take guests to lesser-known hideaways that are usually reserved for yachts in St. Lucia, Deshaies, Guadeloupe, and St. Barts, before ending in San Juan, P. R.
Sailings from $3,600 per person.
Carnival Jubilee
Western Caribbean
Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship will set out from Galveston, Texas, in December, its first seven-day sailing through the western Caribbean, with stops in Mahogany Bay, Honduras, and Costa Naya and Cozumel in Mexico. The itinerary also includes two “fun days at sea” for guests to enjoy the ship’s attractions, which include a roller coaster and a three-story atrium full of dining options. The ship has 20 restaurants and 13 entertainment spaces in its “six zones of fun,” with activities for children, including a high ropes course, water park and mini golf course.
