Somewhere between hackneyed definitions of premium and luxury cruise lines lurk disrupters like Azamara, Oceania, Viking and Windstar that confront traditional self-proclaimed luxury brands with what they promote as better food, better port experiences, and a more relaxed environment.
The Wall Street Journal attempted to tackle these distinctions in a March 28, 2018, piece on
"7 Cruise Lines that Don’t Nickel-and-Dime You at Sea." It suggests how to avoid "sticker-shock" at the end of a cruise on "bargain" cruise lines that pitch up-sells throughout a cruise and present a formidable bill for all those bar tabs, trinkets, portraits, and "fine dining" experiences you could and should have done without.
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| Cathedral, Havana |
Here are our own suggestions for partly- to mostly-inclusive good-value cruises this summer on small and medium sized ships. Promotions, discounts and/or on-board credits are being offered for all these sailings. Press your travel agent or the cruise lines directly for the best deals. Some pricing expires this week, so ask the agent to block a cabin for a day or two until you make a final decision. Taxes, gratuities and port fees may be added to the fares advertised; ask before booking.
Intriguing Ports Of Call, Including Havana
Oceania Insignia, 684 passengers, built 1998, refurbished 2014.
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| Oceania Insignia |
July 1, 2018, 14 nights Miami to New York Brooklyn. $2,899 Deluxe Ocean-view, about 165 sq. ft. Also available at $3,599 including round-trip airfare & free internet plus one of these per cabin: eight shore excursions, beverage package, or $800 shipboard credit.
Itinerary
- Miami
- Havana
- At Sea
- At Sea
- Aruba
- Bonaire
- Grenada
- St. Lucia
- Dominica
- At Sea
- At Sea
- Bermuda overnight
- At Sea
- New York (Brooklyn)
English Channel, Lisbon To London
Azamara Journey, 690 passengers, built 2000, refurbished 2016
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| Azamara Journey |
June 7, 2018, 10 nights Lisbon to London, $2,205 Ocean-view Stateroom, about 143 sq. ft. Includes gratuities and non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks.
Itinerary
- Lisbon
- Porto, Portugal, one of our favorite destinations
- At Sea
- St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands
- Cherbourg and the D-Day landing beaches
- Honfleur, a mirror into 19th Century French holidays at the beach
- Oostende, Belgium
- Amsterdam overnight, a vacation in itself
- Greenwich overnight for London
Small Ship Alaska Inside Passage
Windstar Star Legend, 212 passengers, built 1995, refurbished 2015.
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| Windstar Star Legend |
May 31, 2018, 12 nights Vancouver, B.C, to Anchorage, Alaska. $2,999 Ocean-View Suite, 277 sq. ft. plus $918 taxes
Itinerary
- Thursday, May 31 Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Friday, June 1 At Sea
- Saturday, June 2 Ketchikan, AK
- Sunday, June 3 Misty Fjords National Monument, AK (Cruising)
- Monday, June 4 Wrangell, AK
- Tuesday, June 5 Sitka, AK
- Wednesday, June 6 Icy Strait Point, AK
- Thursday, June 7 Juneau, AK
- Friday, June 8 Haines, AK
- Saturday, June 9 Tracy Arm (Twin Sawyer Glaciers), AK (Cruising)
- Sunday, June 10 At Sea
- Monday, June 11 Kenai, AK (Cruising)
- Tuesday, June 12 Anchorage (Seward), AK
Passage To India, 6 Countries, 9 Guided Tours
Viking Orion, 930 passengers, built 2018
August 19, 2018, 21 Nights Athens to Mumbai. $7,299 Deluxe Veranda 270 sq ft. limited availability. Discounted air available.
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| Mumbai |
Itinerary
- Sunday, August 19 Athens (Piraeus), Greece
- Monday, August 20 Athens (Piraeus), Greece
- Tuesday, August 21 At Sea
- Wednesday, August 22 Haifa, Israel
- Thursday, August 23 Haifa, Israel
- Friday, August 24 Cairo (Port Said), Egypt
- Saturday, August 25 Suez Canal (Cruising)
- Sunday, August 26 Luxor (Safaga), Egypt
- Monday, August 27 Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt
- Tuesday, August 28 Petra (Aqaba), Jordan
- Wednesday, August 29 At Sea
- Thursday, August 30 At Sea
- Friday, August 31 At Sea
- Saturday, September 1 At Sea
- Sunday, September 2 Salalah, Oman
- Monday, September 3 At Sea
- Tuesday, September 4 Muscat, Oman
- Wednesday, Sept 5 At Sea
- Thursday, September 6 At Sea
- Friday, September 7 Bombay (Mumbai), India
- Saturday, September 8 Bombay (Mumbai), India
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