Let’s face it: Not all vacations are created equal. While the annual trip to the in-laws may make for some decent R&R, only certain vacations offer the chance to truly experience some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. If this year is the year that you and your family are considering throwing some real money down to take an epic vacation, you can’t go wrong with either an exciting trip to New York City, or thrilling-yet-also-relaxing cruise. If those are what your choices are narrowed down to, then the obvious question comes why not do both?
New York City Cruise Options
Most probably wouldn’t peg New York as a cruise town. Yet the city’s access to the Atlantic via the Hudson River makes it the ideal spot for any cruise ship to embark from. Indeed, every year countless cruisers come to New York to begin their voyages out of any of the city’s three cruise terminals. Each of the world’s largest cruise lines use local ports as staging points, including Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, Celebrity, Carnival and Disney Cruise Line.
Carnival and Norwegian have long utilized the Manhattan terminal, while Princess cruises set sail from Brooklyn. Royal Caribbean and Princess, on the other hand, uses the nearby port at Bayonne as their staging point. Recently, Disney announced that they will begin staging cruises from New York in 2016.
Where can you cruise to from New York? 3-day cruises to Nova Scotia often originate from here. If you and your family have always wanted to see New England, what better way than with a 4- or 5-night cruise starting in NYC? Or, if you’re looking to really get away, 7- and 8-night Bahamian and Caribbean cruises also sail from New York. You can even hop on a boat to traverse the Atlantic from here.
Why Make NYC Your Port?
Yet why would you want to start your cruise from New York when there are so many other ports to choose from? Well, a better question may be to ask yourself if any of those other ports have what New York can offer. A trip to New York is a terrific vacation all on its own. The many attractions that the city has to offer can keep you and your family occupied for days, if not weeks. Imagine the fun and excitement to be had by making NYC the warmup party for your cruise.
You really can’t go wrong by making New York City the staging point for your cruise vacation. Combining all the sights, sounds, and fun things to do in NYC with the excitement inherent with any cruise makes for an outstanding vacation full of memorable moments. Make this year’s vacation one that will go down in annals of your family’s history.