Our March 1 Recommendation Now $100 Less: April 3 Florida-Barcelona $749 Obstructed Or Better Oceanview

April in Paris? Make that Barcelona. Spring is the time we watch for the confluence of cruise line "Wave" promotions and their need to fill remaining cabins on transatlantic re-positioning cruises.

Value Update

And so today you can book a jet-lag-free trip from Fort Lauderdale to Spain for $849 $749, or about $1,180 $1,080 per person including all gratuities, taxes, fees, and port charges in an outside cabin with an obstructed or better ocean view. Veranda? Still only $100 more. This is a guarantee cabin, so Holland America will chose your cabin location.

If you are considering this sailing, immediately ask your travel agent or the cruise line to hold one of these last few cabins for a day or two while you make your final decision.

Mid-Sized Holland America Oosterdam, 1,964 passengers, built 2003, refurbished 2016.

Oosterdam

Popular Ports Of Call That We Always Enjoy Visiting

There are eight sea days to explore the ship's facilities followed by some of our favorite ports of call:

Funchal Toboggan

• Funchal, where you can ride the notorious toboggan down the mountain
• Sea day
• Lisbon, a world class city of unique attractions
• Huelva of which Lonely Planet says 
• "Despite its unpromising approaches and slightly grimy feel, central Huelva is a lively enough place, and the city's people – called choqueros because of their supposed preference for the locally abundant chocos (cuttlefish) – are noted for their warmth."
• Malaga, likely with an excursion offered to Alhambra
• Cartagena, archaeological treasures
• Barcelona, Gaudi architecture, good food

Equally Important: Easy Return Flight To The United States At Low Economy Or Premium Fares

Norwegian Premium Economy

A week after arriving in Barcelona, you can find a one-way return to Miami using Google Flights from about $250 economy, $1,222 business on Tap Air Portugal. Or return to Newark on Norwegian Air Shuttle 787 Dreamliner for $196 economy, $660 premium economy, which is often reviewed as comparable to business class on some major airlines; seats are roomy, but do not "lie-flat."