Best last minute Easter Holidays
The Easter break is a great time to travel and a cruise is one of the best ways to tick multiple cities and countries off of your list in one fell swoop! Maybe you’re after a scenic cruise along the western Mediterranean coast, wanting to sample the flavours of the Caribbean on a tropical cruise of the islands, or perhaps you’ve already got a prtty decent idea of where it is you’d like to travel, but just need a little bit more information on Easter cruises before you go.
Regardless of where you’re at in the planning stages, here are a few points to consider before you seal the deal and set sail this Easter.
Is booking just before Easter too late?
Absolutely not! While it’s often assumed that cruises are for those who have the luxury of splashing their spare cash or for those pedantic planners who have their holidays diarised a year or two in advance – it’s simply not the case.
Booking a last-minute cruise has its perks as there are usually some genuinely good last-minute deals to be snapped up. Even the most sceptical potential crusader will be surprised by the variety of affordable cruises.
Whether you opt for a family friendly or adult-only cruise, it’s worth noting that these great deals don’t stop at the European cities and countries, but expand far beyond into Asia, Central and South America, the Middle East and the Caribbean...yes, please!
Is Easter a good time to travel on a cruise?
Definitely. With prices of flights to one destination alone soaring as high as the planes themselves and hotels, guest houses and Airbnb’s getting fully booked during this period, there couldn’t be a better time to trade in the airport for a maritime port.
Not only this, April, especially from the second half onwards, is the month when the season of spring starts to really kick in, bringing more sunshine and less showers. This is especially true on the continent where average day temperatures range from the low to mid-20s. The weather is more positively predictable and, let’s face it, more bearable, than the first three months of the year.
The Caribbean climate needs no explanation!
Where can I go?
If you want to stay relatively close to home but still feel like you’re worlds away, have you considered being whisked away to the enchanting Baltic states? The popular Unesco-listed fjords embody the traditional and natural beauty of Norway that keeps the cruise ships coming! Although there are more than 1,000 to explore, there are a collection of particularly famous fjords that simply must be seen.
A city for self-confessed foodies and culture vultures, if your cruise entails a stop in the unique city of Oslo, modern art lovers are also in for a treat that includes the contemporary art gallery, Astrup Fearnley Museet. See if you can draw the similarities between London in the UK and the ‘Little London’ experience of the Swedish city of Gothenburg. Oh, and try to squeeze in the Unesco World Heritage Site of Tallinn in Estonia if you can!
Want to turn up the heat without losing out on the scenic beauty? With the distant sound of reggae in the air and excellent rum cocktails in hand, you could only be in one place – Jamaica! Imagine waking up to the palm-tree-lined northern coast of Montego Bay, with its beautiful waters and access to the Dunn’s River Falls. Or taking the 100ft dive in the Atlantis Submarine getting fantastic views of Grand Cayman’s Marine Park as well as the world-famous Cayman Wall.
Don’t forget that Cuba isn’t too far, so a trip to the nostalgic and colourful city of Havana is a possibility. Not to mention the long and uninterrupted shores of Cozumel in Mexico, where a visit to the Chichen Itza Mayan ruins, the country’s most visited Unesco World Heritage Site, is well within reach and well worth a visit.
In fact, speaking of ancient sites and cities, could you see yourself taking a dip in the buoyant Dead Sea, shopping in Tel Aviv or indeed visiting monuments straight from Bible scenes in Jerusalem and Bethlehem in one trip? A last-minute cruise might just be the answer!
How do I decide where to go?
By now you will have realised that when it comes to booking a last-minute cruise, you’re not only going to be spoilt in terms of pricing, but also when it comes to choice of destination.
Irrespective of whether you’re chasing the sun, sea and sand, wanting to be overwhelmed by natural beauty, interested in culture or architecture or wanting to take a step back in time to one of many ancient cities, there are cruise itineraries that encompass it all.
