Best Cruise Tips
Best Tips on Cruising to the Bahamas from Los Angeles
The Panama Canal might allow cruise ships to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean with relative easy, but most cruise trips from the west coastline to the east coast will have to follow a set itinerary along the Mexican coastline, through this canal, up Central America and then on directly Florida. To be able to reach the Bahamas from Los Angeles on one vessel, you will have pretty limited choices regarding cruise companies or schedules. Splitting the Panama Canal leg as well as the Caribbean leg into separate cruise trips will provide a lot more choices as well as flexibility.
Step 1
Sail directly to the Bahamas from Los Angeles and finish your cruise in Ft. Lauderdale. Holland provides one single option to the Bahamas with a departure from Los Angeles. This itinerary will follow the normal Panama Canal cruise itinerary to Ft. Lauderdale, and mainly tacks on an extension to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, as well as the United States Virgin Islands. If the L.A. departures don`t fit into your schedule, Holland operates another itinerary through the Bahamas on their 17th-night, 22nd-night, 31st-night cruise trips from the San Diego port to Ft. Lauderdale.
Step 2
Get on board one complete Panama Canal cruise trip to Florida or other Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas. Seabourn and Princess end their Panama Canal cruise trips in Ft. Lauderdale, while NCL and Oceania finish in Miami. Carnival also provides various options from Long Beach to Tampa, Fl. You should add an extra Caribbean excursion from Ft. Lauderdale, like the MSC Cruises or Royal Caribbean seven-night routes or fourteen-day Celebrity X Cruise. Get on board a short trip like a Norwegian three-day Bahamas round-trip cruise, Carnival five-night Caribbean circuit or four-night Bahamas round-trip from Miami.
Step 3
Get off from a Panama Canal cruise trip in the Caribbean islands and head on to the Bahamas. This choice will allow you to spend a few extra days of your vacation in the Caribbean islands, even if not the Bahamas. Try to line up a Panama Canal cruise that will include a major Caribbean stopover. For example, Princess, which provides around 4 eastbound excursions from L.A. every year, will allows stop in Aruba. You may reserve your first cruise only as far as this particular cruise port. Let your travel agent know you want to get off there. Try to find an adjoining Caribbean cruise, normally on the Southern Caribbean circuit, which will pass through the very same port, like Holland`s southern Caribbean cruise route through Aruba. Join a 2nd cruise at this particular cruise port.
