Choosing your departure port

Choosing the correct departure port is one of the most important aspect of your cruise. It could be even more important than choosing your cruise line, cabin, and itinerary.

Getting to your port

Where your departure port is and how you get there can affect your cruise and budget more than you might realize.

If you need to fly to your port, you will have the added expenses of the airfare, parking and taxis. There will parking fees at a port you drive to as well, and potentially a large gas bill. Check the rates of both the airport and cruise terminal parking when budgeting, and do you best to estimate the rest.

If you choose to fly, I highly recommend always flying in the night before your cruise rather than the morning of, even though this adds the expense of a hotel to your trip. If the last time to board the ship is 3pm, you want to get there no later than 2pm. Taking into account potential travel delays and traffic getting from the airport to the cruise terminal, you are not giving yourself much wiggle room. A summer cruise leaving on a Sunday could get very tricky with timing, as finding a flight after Shabbos might not be very easy.

Luggage

Unlike airlines, cruise lines do not put the same limits on your bags, so by driving to your port you could bring more stuff, or just a bigger suitcase to leave extra room for souvenirs.  Just keep in mind your staterooms are small, so do not go overboard on packing, but if you decide to drive you could easily bring multiple suitcases should you chose to.

Alcohol may be cheaper in counties you may be visiting and you will want to bring something back. Flying makes this very difficult, but driving makes it much simpler. A couple bottles of Caribbean rum will use up your airline checked bag weight limit quickly, and you cannot have them in your carry-on luggage. If you drive however, you can bring back as much as you can carry (and as much as customs will allow).

Itinerary

When doing a cruise that goes to the Caribbean, Mexico or South America, doing a cruise from southern United States will allow you to visit more ports than a cruise from northern US. A Caribbean cruise from Florida will often visit 4 ports during a 7 day cruise. A Caribbean cruise from New York however will only make it to 3 ports during those same 7 days. The extra day is spent doing the travel you otherwise would be doing by air. The reverse is true as well; an Alaskan cruise will get you more ports for you buck by starting in Seattle than San Francisco.

Extending vacations

Your cruise may only be 4 days or 7 days, but your vacation does not need to be only the cruise. For example, if you find a cruise from Port Canaveral, you could come in a few days early, or stay a few extra, and make it into a Disney World vacation as well.