The warm weather season is finally approaching and many travelers are starting to plan summer vacations. From family-friendly beach getaways to adventurous voyages into remote coves, there are tons of choices out there — an estimated 25.3 million people will take a cruise this year.
The Cruise Lines International Association, the world's largest cruise industry trade association, has released its list of the top five destinations for summer 2017 travel, and we'll add additional details and specific options for cruisers below.
From sun and sand to adventure and arctic temperatures, here are the top five destinations for cruise travel in the 2017 summer season.
Explore historic Havana & coastal Cuba
A sought-after only recently opened to U.S. visitors, Cuba offers historic beauty, culture and music like almost nowhere else. Cuba is a hot summer destination as travelers to the Caribbean's largest island can learn to dance to live salsa at the famous Cabaret Tropicana Night Club, puff cigars, view famous Spanish-inspired architecture, and visit eclectic museums and art galleries in Havana and elsewhere.
A number of cruise lines now offer shore excursions such checking out UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Cienfuegos or Trinidad and touring "the place untouched by time," Havana's Malecón, in a vintage car.
The top options:
- Royal Caribbean: Empress of the Seas (5, 6 and 7 nights)
- Norwegian Cruise Line: Norwegian Sky (4 nights)
- Oceania Cruises: Insignia (7, 10, and 11 nights), Sirena (7, 8, 9, 10 and 18 nights), Regatta (16, 18 and 24 nights),
- Azamara Club Cruises: Azamara Quest (7 nights)
- MSC Cruises: MSC Opera, MSC Armonia
- Carnival Paradise (4 and 5 nights)
- Tauck: Le Ponant (11 nights)
- Regent Seven Seas: Seven Seas Voyager (16 nights)
- Lindblad Expeditions: Panorama II (11 night)
- Fathom, which is ending its Cuba program this summer.
- Viking Sun has two cruises to Havana in November with a special 2-for-1 cruise deal and free air; the offer expires April 30.
Booking
Contact a Cruiseable travel expert at 1-877-322-3773 or email us for more information.
Visit the gorgeous Galapagos
The spectacular Galapagos Islands are a destination unlike any other teeming with diverse wildlife — which Charles Darwin famously studied — and lush greenery, perfect for the modern explorer. Cruisers who visit these famous islands are engulfed in nature, with chances to photograph unique species that inhabit this archipelago both on land and sea and explore the landscape of this living museum of natural history. From excursions including catamaran tours and snorkeling to hiking and photography, the Galapagos Islands are a top destination for nature lovers.
Booking
See Cruiseable's Galapagos travel guide for information on which cruise lines sail to the islands. Contact a Cruiseable travel expert at 1-877-322-3773 or email us for more information.
Explore the Northwest Passage
Looking for a wintery destination in the heart of summer? The Northwest Passage is perfect for travelers looking to find polar adventure in the warm summer months and beyond. Passage cruises lend themselves to bird watching, kayaking, and polar bear sightings while sailing this famed passage that connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Cruisers on many Northwest Passage-bound ships can follow in the footsteps of icy explorers sailing to pockets of the Earth like Pond Inlet above the Arctic Circle in Nunavut, Canada where there may be a once-in-a-lifetime narwhal sighting.
Some options for 2017: Crystal Serenity, Hurtigruten's ms Fram, with additional arctic cruises aboard ms Spitsbergen, as well as Lindblad Expeditions and G Adventures. Ponant's Le Soleal sails the Northwest Passage in summer 2018.
In 2018, two new state-of-the-art expedition ships will also ply these waters: Crystal Endeavor and Scenic Eclipse.
Booking
Contact a Cruiseable travel expert at 1-877-322-3773 or email us for more information.
Take that bucket-list trip to Africa
Travelers to Africa can bask in the urban beauty and shopping that Cape Town has to offer, take part in stunning safaris in the savannah, check out the famous Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, and become immerse in storied culture. Excursions on Africa-bound cruise ships may even include game drives that reveal leopards and elephants as well as trips to Manibia's famous dunes and tastings of Africa's famously varied cuisine.
Booking
Contact a Cruiseable travel expert at 1-877-322-3773 or email us for more information.
Enjoy Belize's world-class reefs
Cruise travelers with the tropical paradise of Belize on the itinerary will be surrounded by beach beauty and ancient culture as well as some of the most famed diving spots in the world. This coastal spot offers nearly unbroken lines of reefs and cayes that make for excellent diving views, as well as a high concentration of ancient Mayan ruins to explore. Cruisers can take part in excursions both onshore and off with hikes through lowland jungles full of impressive wildlife and crystalline rivers, snorkeling off of silk-sand beaches, and mountain biking through vast rainforests.
Booking
Contact a Cruiseable travel expert at 1-877-322-3773 or email us for more information.
