Miami is one of the home ports for many cruise companies including amongst others, Carnival, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Caribbean, Crystal and Oceania. Cruises from Miami can vary in length from a short 2 day cruise up to one lasting 24 days. Destinations can include the Bahamas, Caribbean, the Amazon, the Panama Canal and Transatlantic crossings to Europe.
Out of the vast array of cruises from Miami, how are you going to choose the one that is best for you? There are three major factors to consider.
One is where you want to visit whilst on the cruise, another how long you can be away and the last, perhaps more crucial, is how large or small is your budget.
Once you have decided upon these issues, you can then start to introduce other criteria to limit the amount of choices you have.
If you only have a weekend available then a 2 or 3 day Bahamas cruise is really your only option but if you are able to manage an extra day then one visiting Key West and the island of Cozumel is possible. Seven day Caribbean cruises from Miami, which normally depart on a Saturday or Sunday, have traditionally been split in to an east or west designation. Generally east will include the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas whilst the west will include Jamaica, Cozumel and the Cayman Islands. Each cruise line has its own itinerary and some lines include Honduras as part of their western routing and the Dominican Republic as part of their eastern.
If you want to include more ports of call or visit the more southerly of the Caribbean islands then you will need to extend your voyage. There are 9, 10, 11 and 12 day Caribbean cruises from Miami, which again follow the east/west split but with the additional choice of a southerly routing which gives you the chance to visit, amongst others places Barbados, St. Kitts and Dominica.
If you wish to traverse the Panama Canal, you will be looking at cruise duration of between 14 and 18 days and for a Transatlantic crossing you will need to allow between 10 and 19 days depending on which cruise line you pick. You will also have to take into account that both of these are one way cruises from Miami and you will need to fly back to your departure point and that both have select departure dates. Additionally, remember that both of these cruises have a significant number of days whilst the ship is at sea, so if you require a different port of call on every day of your cruise, then these are not for you.
Once you have picked a time frame and have decided upon your budget you can then select which of these cruises from Miami you would like to join and compare the cruise lines and ships which operate. Picking the right ship for you is not only vital to the costing but critical to the enjoyment of your holiday. The larger ships are all floating resorts and have many choices of restaurants and bars and myriad facilities but remember that if the ship is too large to get into a harbour then it takes a long while to disembark 2500+ passengers by boat! If you want peace and quiet then this type of ship probably will not suit you but conversely if you want loads to do and plenty to keep the children occupied then this type of cruise is ideal for you.
For the most part, the type and positioning of the cabin you choose will play a major part in defining the cost you will pay. Historically, inside cabins (i.e. those that have no outside light) and those on the lowermost decks, cost less, as do cabins that sleep more than two people. So if you don’t mind not having a view or if a group of you can travel together you will save money.
Also take into account the extras. By this I mean the cost of sightseeing tours, the cost of drinks on board, the tipping requirements and if you need to pay extra to eat at certain restaurants. These items can all mount up and greatly increase the total cost of your cruise. Remember to budget for them.
With cruises from Miami there is plenty choice. Do your research carefully and compare like with like until you find exactly what you are looking for.