We change seasons every year in March. For cruise lines, the seasonal change is later 鈥� April and May 鈥� when an armada of ships starts the trek to Vancouver and Seattle for the Alaska season.
Their journeys traditionally offer a milieu of opportunities to take advantage of re-positioning cruises, depending on your time and budget. Some ships will make the trek in three or four days while others will take as long as a month.
If you followed the travel ads in this paper, I don鈥檛 have to tell you that going from Florida through the Panama Canal heading to Vancouver is one of the most popular cruises. Some cruise lines tie in hotel and air, some offer onboard perks, and some bring compelling speakers on the ship. Cruise lines know the Canal is on a lot of bucket lists and battles between carriers and agents can lead to favourable pricing.
On April 12, Holland America鈥檚 Statendam is taking 23 days to travel from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver and prices start at $1,357. That鈥檚 $59 a day, an excellent price for accommodation, food and entertainment.
Never tried cruising? Here is an appetizer leaving on May 6: Four days, one-stop cruise on Holland America鈥檚 Westerdam from San Diego to Vancouver for $143.64 鈥� less than $36 a day!
Some of the best values can be found when pairing cruises.
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Holland America
Holland America has paired a 14-day Asian cruise on the Volendam connected to a 17-day Transpacific itinerary to cruise for 31 days with a starting price of $1,745 per person departing Kobe Japan April 1. Included are overnights in Xingang (Beijing), Shanghai and Yokohama. The Alaska portion starts in Kodiak before reaching Vancouver.
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Royal Caribbean
This combo offers warm Australian and Hawaiian weather on the way to Vancouver on Radiance of the Seas. Starting April 19, the first leg is Sydney to Honolulu with stops at Picton and Wellington (New Zealand), Papeete, Moorea and Bora Bora (French Polynesia), then Lahaina and Honolulu. Stay on the same ship for the second leg and you'll tour the Hawaiian Islands before crossing the Pacific to Victoria and Vancouver. Leg one $2,475; leg two $1,119.
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Celebrity鈥檚 Wine Cruise
How does meandering up the coast while savouring Northern California wine from Napa, Sonoma and Monterey sound? The annual eight-day Wine Cruise on the Century leaving San Diego on April 27 stops in Santa Barbara and Monterey before spending two days in San Francisco, then another in Astoria and Victoria before arriving in Vancouver. Starting price: $818.
Some of these are hot sellers but those starting prices were available at time of writing and is based on per-person, double occupancy, not including fees and taxes. For more details go to the lines website at hollandamerica.com, princess.com, celebritycruises.com and royalcaribbean.com
The best part of trips like these is that you begin and end in great cities and sometimes see a few more along the way.
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Phil鈥檚 tip
Before Christmas, I was on a cruise with no luggage for five days. Whether flying or cruising, if you travel as a pair, mix your clothes between two suitcases. If one goes missing, you both have some clothes until the missing suitcase catches up. Everyone carries a camera or camera phone, so take picture of each suitcase and its contents. It helps if you have to make a claim.
