Departure ports
Ships leave from these cities.
Choose a region. Each page names where the ships go, which airlines serve the city, the local time, and the currency. A resort is a place you fly to and stay. The flight needs to land before you board, and the flight home needs to leave after the ship is back.
Ship size and a general price range are on the cruise line comparison.
United States and Canada
Large ships on a Caribbean cruise, including the short Bahamas trips, depart from Florida. Cruises that start in the islands depart from San Juan through the year, and from Fort-de-France in some seasons. Northeast ports are the choice when you would rather not fly, and those sailings have more nights at sea. California and Vancouver are the departure ports for Alaska, Mexico, and Hawaii.
Open the portsEurope
Barcelona, Rome, and Athens are where Mediterranean cruises start. Southampton, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen are where the northern cruises start. River cruises start in Budapest, Vienna, Amsterdam, Basel, Paris, and Porto.
Open the portsAsia
Singapore and Tokyo are the ports most of these cruises start from. Many of the other ports are stops in the middle of the sailing, not the city where you board.
Open the portsAustralia and New Zealand
Most cruises in this season start in Sydney or Auckland. Brisbane and Melbourne have fewer departures. Hobart and Fremantle are stops on many of those sailings, not the ports they start from.
Open the portsMiddle East, Africa, and South America
Ships depart from these ports in certain seasons, for a cruise in the Arabian Gulf, along the Brazilian coast, or to Antarctica. They are not departure ports for a Caribbean cruise.
Open the portsCabin categories
The fare is for a category, not always for a specific cabin number. A balcony on one line is not the same size, or the same inclusion, as a balcony on another.
- Inside
- No window. This is usually the lowest fare.
- Oceanview
- A window or a porthole. It does not open onto a balcony.
- Balcony
- A private outdoor space. Some lines call the same category a veranda.
- Suite
- A larger room, often with a sitting area. Drinks, a butler, or priority boarding depend on the line. Read the fare.
- Guarantee
- You book the category. The line assigns the cabin number later, and it can be a better cabin in that same category.