Here's our top recommendations for cruises to Alaska, Bermuda, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii and Mexico.
Right now is the time for buying cruises to anywhere, but the closer in the better, because the prices are currently incredibly low for cruises to anywhere as long as they are sailing soon. To help you find the best cruise bargains available right now, we present our top picks for cruises to several destinations.
The current economic climate is offering unprecedented bargain cruises to almost everywhere. First of all, we are looking for cruise lengths that are appropriate for the destinations you want your cruises to visit. For example, if you are going to pay the airfare to get to Europe, you want to spend at least ten days there, if not more. You might even consider one of the several cruises to Europe where you sail trans-Atlantic. You can save a lot of money not paying airfare when your ship cruises to your vacation region. On the other hand, if you are looking for cruises to the Caribbean you probably do not want to spend more than a week. Either way, let's get started ...
Cruises to Alaska We recommend Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas seven-night cruises to Alaska from Vancouver to Icy Straight, Tracy Arm, Skagway and Juneau.
This particular class of Royal Caribbean, Radiance-class ships, we refer to in our ship reviews as the "right-sized" ships. These ships are fairly new, with Serenade entering service in 2003. Although they are not as big as the line's mega-ships, Serenade is just 2500 passengers in 90,000-tons displacement, they have most of amenities with fewer passengers and crowding.
The itinerary of Serenade includes one less Alaska town (Ketchikan is skipped) but the ship cruises to the Tongas National Forest where you are more likely to spot whales and bears along the shore. Both Icy Strait and Tracy Arm include actively calving glaciers and floating iridescent blue mini-icebergs weighing several tons.
Rates for balcony cabins start at $1049 for late May, 2009 and are $1749 in the peak season of August 1st. We recommend getting a balcony cabin so you can watch the land going by, and be sure to take a good pair of binoculars.
Nota Bene: When considering cruises to Alaska it is worth splurging on a small adventure ship that can take advantage of spontaneous wildlife encounters. American Safari, Cruise West or the luxury cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas and Silversea may cost four times as much, but you see that much more.
