In our Cruising 101 series, you've selected an ocean cruise line and cruise ship, as well as a destination, but which exact itinerary will you embark on? The Caribbean alone offers a cornucopia of choices, so let's dive right in and take a look at the options.
Region
Expanding upon the Caribbean example, there are Western, Eastern and Southern (also known as deep) Caribbean routes to choose from and each are different with occasional overlapping ports of call. An Eastern one visits islands exclusively, but a Western one can take you to the Yucatan Peninsula mainland of Mexico. Meanwhile, Southern Caribbean itineraries can include the likes of Aruba. Elsewhere in the world, other large destinations are divided into separate regions as well.
Back-to-Back
If you have the time, some cruise ships alternate itineraries week after week, so you could stay onboard, say, Disney Cruise Line's Disney Fantasy for two weeks and see both the Western and Eastern Caribbean. Or you could embark on Holland America Line from San Diego and visit the Mexican Riviera and the Hawaiian islands on a 21-day total sailing.
Repositionings
If Europe is more your speed, you'll almost always have to leave to and from a foreign port unless it's a repositioning cruise. These are the ones that transition ships between seasonal destinations like Alaska to the Caribbean or the Caribbean to Europe. So, a departure from New York, for example, could take you across the Atlantic Ocean to the Baltic or Mediterranean. Another fringe benefit of repositionings are canal transits, particularly the Panama Canal (pictured above) between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, which provide fascinating looks at engineering marvels.
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