Sure, you can fly to Honolulu, New York, or even Southampton, England, to take a cruise. But why spend money flying to an expensive city when you can drive to your cruise ship port?

More and more cruise ships are departing from ports that are close to home. Baltimore, Maryland, has more than just great crab cakes.

Norwegian Cruise Lines sails to Bermuda from there, while Carnival travels to the Caribbean.

Instead of dealing with New York City traffic, why not head to the Cape Liberty port in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Even if you’re flying, you can skip JFK and fly into Newark or Islip airports and spend the night in New Jersey, which is bound to be cheaper than a Manhattan hotel.

Also on the East Coast, Boston is a popular secondary port, where you can sail on Norwegian or Holland America to Bermuda, Canada, and even across the Atlantic to Europe.

And down south, skip the busy port in Miami and take off instead from New Orleans—and you can rest assured that some of your travel dollars will go to support the still-struggling city.

Want more cruising tips? Check out Cruising 101: How to Choose, Book and Enjoy Your Perfect Cruise.

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