Published on 10/02/09

To maximize your vacation time and save money, too, you need to look no further than your own backyard! A great tip to enjoying a convenient and hassle-free cruise vacation is to take advantage of one of the many cruise ports that might be closer than you think.

Cruises offer great value and some of the most relaxing, all-inclusive vacations in the world, and with the added advantages of homeport cruising, traveling has never been easier. Let us show you how homeport cruising can be a win-win situation for your next dream vacation!

What is a homeport?

In case you’re not familiar with homeports, there is a large number of cruise departure ports in the U.S. that certain ships use as a home base for regular round-trip sailings. With more than 20 such locations around the coast of the U.S., there is a good chance that at least one of these ports is within driving distance.

Take a look at this list of U.S. cruise ports, and you might find a homeport you didn’t even know about:

• West Coast: Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver
• Gulf Coast: Galveston, Mobile, New Orleans, and Tampa
• East Coast: Baltimore, Bayonne, Boston, Charleston, Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, New York, Norfolk, and Port Canaveral

From these homeports, you can sail to countless major vacation destinations, including Alaska, Bahamas, Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, South America, and many more! Homeports may be nearby, and they offer passage to a world of exciting locations.

What are the advantages?

Primarily, with homeport cruising, you can skip the hassles of airports and checked luggage and enjoy a leisurely drive to the cruise port, park your car in a reserved parking lot, and walk onboard the ship to get your vacation started. In addition to this obvious perk of embarking from a port close to home, there are several other benefits to homeport cruising.

Take the chance to visit family or friends, who live between you and the port, and break-up your drive time in the process! If you don’t know anyone near the cruise port, then plan your route around a city or attraction and turn the drive into a memorable road-trip. (Consider visiting the Grand Canyon on your way to a West Coast port, Washington D.C. on your way to Baltimore, or Nashville on your way to Florida.) Even if the port is a day away, you can still avoid the hassles of air travel while maximizing your vacation experience.

Homeport cruising is just one of the many options that you have to enjoy the cruise vacation of your dreams while getting the most out of your time and money. Look into these popular departure ports and see if a homeport cruise sailing could be a win-win situation for you!

For more information on homeport cruising and exclusive offers for America’s Vacation Center’s guests, call a Personal Vacation Planner and begin planning your next dream cruise today!

For more information, call 1-888-447-8459 and mention Discount Code 9094# to speak with an AVC Personal Vacation Planner today!