Departure ports

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.

Florida and the Gulf

The short Caribbean cruises depart from these ports. A cruise that departs from Florida spends more nights in port than a cruise of the same length that departs from New York.

Florida

Miami

Sailing regions: Bahamas, eastern Caribbean, and western Caribbean, on the large ships. The three- and four-night Bahamas sailings leave from here. A seven-night cruise from Miami usually includes Cozumel and Grand Cayman, or St. Thomas and St. Maarten, and more nights at sea than a cruise of that length from San Juan. MSC’s largest ships start here. Explora and Silversea sometimes sail one way between Miami and San Juan.

Flight access: Miami International. American, Delta, United, JetBlue, and Southwest, plus European long-haul lines.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

Before you sail: A day or two before the ship sails is enough time for South Beach. That night is a separate booking from the cruise.

See Caribbean Cruises

Florida

Fort Lauderdale

Sailing regions: Caribbean and Bahamas, including longer southern routes. Spring and fall repositioning crosses to Europe.

Flight access: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood. JetBlue, Spirit, Southwest, Delta, United, and American. Many travelers also fly Miami.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

Before you sail: The port is built for boarding. Miami is the easier city if you want a day before or after the cruise.

See Caribbean Cruises

Florida

Port Canaveral

Sailing regions: Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean. Disney, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, and MSC use this port.

Flight access: The port has no major airport. Fly Orlando: American, Delta, United, Southwest, JetBlue, Spirit, and Frontier. Orlando is about an hour away by car.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Caribbean Cruises

Florida

Tampa

Sailing regions: Western Caribbean: Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica more often than the eastern islands.

Flight access: Southwest, Delta, American, United, JetBlue, Spirit, and Frontier.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Caribbean Cruises

Texas

Galveston

Sailing regions: Western Caribbean and the Mexican coast.

Flight access: Fly Houston. Hobby is about an hour away. Bush Intercontinental is closer to an hour and a half.

Time: 3:11 AM local · GMT-05:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Caribbean Cruises

Louisiana

New Orleans

Sailing regions: Ocean ships leave for a Western Caribbean cruise. River ships leave the same city and go up the Mississippi.

Flight access: Southwest, Delta, American, United, Spirit, and JetBlue.

Time: 3:11 AM local · GMT-05:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Caribbean Cruises

Charleston harbor, one of the Southeast departure ports

Southeast coast

Jacksonville, Charleston, and Norfolk

Sailing regions: Bahamas and shorter Eastern Caribbean sailings. Norfolk and Charleston also send some ships to Bermuda.

Flight access: All three are served by American, Delta, Southwest, and United. Charleston also has Breeze.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Caribbean Cruises

Cruises that start in the islands

Cruises start in San Juan through the year. A cruise starts in Fort-de-France only in the seasons a ship is based there. On a cruise that starts in San Juan, more of the nights are in a port, because the ship is already in the islands.

Puerto Rico

San Juan

Sailing regions: Southern and eastern Caribbean. Royal Caribbean starts mid-size ships here year-round, including Rhapsody of the Seas and Vision of the Seas. Celebrity and Norwegian sail some weeks. Viking sails a 10-night round trip from here. Silversea starts some cruises here. Explora more often sails one way to or from Miami. Carnival stops here. A Carnival cruise rarely starts here. A seven-night cruise from San Juan usually includes four or five ports and one or two nights at sea. Old San Juan is beside the dock.

Flight access: American, JetBlue, Delta, United, and Southwest.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Caribbean Cruises

Martinique

Fort-de-France

Sailing regions: Eastern and southern Caribbean, in the seasons a ship is based here. MSC Opera, the smaller MSC ship, uses Fort-de-France after a season that starts in La Romana. Ponant and other smaller French ships use it too. MSC’s largest ships start in Miami, not here.

Flight access: Air France, Air Caraïbes, and American. Many trips connect in Miami or San Juan.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: Euro. Cards are accepted in town. US dollars are not the local currency.

See Caribbean Cruises

Northeast United States

These ports are closer to home for much of the East Coast. The islands are farther away, so the sailing has more sea days.

Manhattan

New York

Sailing regions: Bermuda, Canada and New England, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. A Caribbean cruise that departs from here is longer, with sea days each way. Transatlantic crossings leave in spring and fall.

Flight access: Kennedy, Newark, and LaGuardia. American, Delta, JetBlue, and United, plus almost every long-haul airline.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

Before you sail: A night in Manhattan is easy to add before or after the cruise.

See Caribbean Cruises

Bayonne, New Jersey

Cape Liberty

Sailing regions: The same pattern as New York: Bermuda, the Bahamas, Canada and New England, and Caribbean cruises with extra sea days. Royal Caribbean uses this port for Northeast sailings.

Flight access: Newark is the closest airport, about 25 minutes away. Kennedy and LaGuardia also work.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

Before you sail: A night in Manhattan still works from here. The terminal itself is in Bayonne, not in the city.

See Caribbean Cruises

Maryland

Baltimore

Sailing regions: Bermuda, the Bahamas, Canada and New England, and Caribbean sailings with extra sea days.

Flight access: Southwest has the most flights. American, Delta, and United also serve BWI.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Bermuda Cruises

Massachusetts

Boston

Sailing regions: Bermuda, and Canada and New England. Boston is not a regular departure port for a Caribbean cruise. A Bermuda cruise that departs from Boston still has a sea day each way.

Flight access: JetBlue, Delta, American, and United, plus British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Aer Lingus.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Bermuda Cruises

Alaska, the West Coast, and Hawaii

Alaska cruises start and end in the Pacific Northwest. Hawaii and Mexico cruises start and end in California. Honolulu is where an inter-island cruise starts, not where a crossing from the mainland starts.

Washington

Seattle

Sailing regions: Round-trip Inside Passage cruises usually leave from here, and so do some one-way cruises to Seward or Whittier.

Flight access: Seattle-Tacoma. Alaska Airlines and Delta have the most flights. American, United, and Southwest also serve it.

Time: 1:11 AM local · GMT-07:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

Before you sail: A round-trip Inside Passage cruise uses this one airport. A one-way cruise still needs a flight at the Alaska end.

See Alaskan Cruises

Alaska

Seward

Sailing regions: One-way Alaska, including the Gulf. Big ships rarely round-trip from here.

Flight access: Fly Anchorage. Alaska, Delta, United, and American. Then about 2.5 hours down the Seward Highway.

Time: 12:11 AM local · GMT-08:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Alaskan Cruises

Alaska

Whittier

Sailing regions: The port for Anchorage and for a one-way cruise across the Gulf of Alaska. Round-trip cruises do not start and end here.

Flight access: Fly Anchorage, then about 1.5 hours, including the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.

Time: 12:11 AM local · GMT-08:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Alaskan Cruises

California

San Diego

Sailing regions: Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, and Panama Canal repositioning.

Flight access: Southwest, Alaska, Delta, American, and United.

Time: 1:11 AM local · GMT-07:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Hawaii Cruises

San Pedro, California

Los Angeles

Sailing regions: Mexico, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and coastal Pacific sailings. The berth is in San Pedro, about 30 minutes from LAX.

Flight access: American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, and JetBlue, plus the international lines.

Time: 1:11 AM local · GMT-07:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Hawaii Cruises

California

San Francisco

Sailing regions: Fewer sailings than Los Angeles. Coastal California, Hawaii, and Alaska repositioning.

Flight access: United has the hub. Alaska, Delta, American, and Southwest also fly it.

Time: 1:11 AM local · GMT-07:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Alaskan Cruises

Oahu

Honolulu

Sailing regions: Inter-island Hawaii, year-round on Norwegian's Pride of America. Mainland ships stop here. Those cruises usually started in California.

Flight access: Hawaiian, Southwest, Alaska, United, Delta, and American.

Time: 10:11 PM local · GMT-10:00

Currency: US dollar. Cards are accepted. Cash is dollars.

See Hawaii Cruises

Canada

Vancouver is a departure port for an Alaska cruise. Quebec and Montreal are fall ports for a Canada and New England cruise. Halifax is usually a stop. Cruises rarely start and end there.

British Columbia

Vancouver

Sailing regions: A one-way cruise to Seward or Whittier often leaves from here, and so do some round-trip Inside Passage cruises. You need a passport.

Flight access: Vancouver International. Air Canada and WestJet, plus United, Alaska, and Delta.

Time: 1:11 AM local · GMT-07:00

Currency: Canadian dollar. Order it from your bank before you travel, or use a card with no international transaction fee. Shops that take US bills usually give a worse rate.

Before you sail: A passport is required for a cruise that starts here, including a one-way Alaska cruise.

See Alaskan Cruises

Quebec

Quebec City

Sailing regions: Canada and New England in the fall, on ships that come up the St. Lawrence.

Flight access: Air Canada and WestJet. Many itineraries connect in Montreal or Toronto.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: Canadian dollar. Order it from your bank before you travel, or use a card with no international transaction fee. Shops that take US bills usually give a worse rate.

See Canada & New England Cruises

Quebec

Montreal

Sailing regions: Some Canada and New England sailings stop here in the fall.

Flight access: Air Canada has the hub. WestJet, Air Transat, Porter, and the US majors also fly it.

Time: 4:11 AM local · GMT-04:00

Currency: Canadian dollar. Order it from your bank before you travel, or use a card with no international transaction fee. Shops that take US bills usually give a worse rate.

See Canada & New England Cruises

Nova Scotia

Halifax

Sailing regions: Usually a stop. A few Canada and New England cruises start and end here.

Flight access: Air Canada, WestJet, and Porter.

Time: 5:11 AM local · GMT-03:00

Currency: Canadian dollar. Order it from your bank before you travel, or use a card with no international transaction fee. Shops that take US bills usually give a worse rate.

See Canada & New England Cruises

The cruise fare is usually billed in US dollars. On shore, prices are in the currency named on that city’s card. US cash works in the United States and Puerto Rico. Elsewhere, including Canada, a shop that takes US bills usually sets a worse rate than your bank. If you want cash, order the local currency from your bank before you leave. A travel card with no international transaction fee is the other way to pay.

Cabin 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.

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