Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Overnight Cruise Port Stays

Locations in this article:  Cape Town, South Africa Melbourne, Australia Miami, FL Seattle, WA Stockholm, Sweden

If you thought visiting a cruise port meant having just enough time to buy a T-shirt, think again.

More and more cruise lines are extending their ports of call so you can have time to really experience the local scene.

This year, Azamara Club Cruises has overnight stays in different 38 cities; and in other ports, they offer nighttime departures, as in 10 p.m. or later.

Crystal Cruise has overnight calls in 27 ports, from Melbourne to Monte Carlo. They’ve even got two-night stays in cities like Cape Town and Stockholm.

That means you actually get to have dinner, check out the nightlife, or head off the beaten path without having to rush.

We’re also seeing more cruise lines offer pre- and post-cruise land packages. I’m a fan of arriving to your cruise port a day early anyway.

As an added bonus, those packages will include details like luggage storage and transfers.

Of course, if you want to plan your pre- or post-cruise tour independently, major port cities like Seattle, Vancouver and Miami have several hotels that offer perks like transportation and luggage storage.

Learn more in our Cruise Travel section.

And check out the rest of our Daily Travel Tips here