Cruise Watch: Best Home Ports for Your Quick Cruise

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Photo by: Disney Cruise Lines

One of the things I like best about cruising is the utter lack of airplanes involved. It's not that I mind flying, it’s all the hassle before you board. Plus, I'm an unrepentant overpacker, so those baggage fees really add up. Luckily, I live in Florida, so I've long had my pick of ports that are an easy drive away—Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Port Canaveral, even Tampa. It’s a big convenience, and a money-saver as well. Parking fees are a fraction of what you’d pay for an airline ticket, and you can take as many bags as your car will hold. Not to mention that there’s no need to worry about a missed or delayed flight. And not having to add an overnight hotel stay more than makes up for any added travel time.

But for those not blessed with a residence in the Sunshine State, until recently the options have been few. Aside from a handful of Bermuda cruises sailing from New York—which only sail during the summer months—non-Floridians have been limited to braving the increasingly unfriendly skies. That’s why the growing trend of new homeports is, in my opinion, one of the savviest innovations in the cruise industry. With additional homeports all along the Eastern Seaboard and in several cities along the Gulf of Mexico, cruising has never been more accessible. So, is there a handy cruise near your hometown? Check out our (long) list of homeports and the cruise lines that love them:

Baltimore, Md.: Carnival, Royal Caribbean

Bayonne (Cape Liberty), N.J.: Celebrity, Royal Caribbean

Boston, Mass.: Norwegian

Charleston, S.C.: Carnival

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.: Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, MSC, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Silversea

Galveston, Tex.: Carnival, Disney, Princess, Royal Caribbean

Houston, Tex.: Princess

Jacksonville, Fla.: Carnival

Miami, Fla.: Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Crystal, Disney, MSC, Norwegian, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean

New Orleans, La.: Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean

Norfolk, Va.: Carnival

New York, N.Y.: Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, Norwegian, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Silversea

Port Canaveral, Fla.: Carnival, Disney, Royal Caribbean

Tampa, Fla.: Carnival, Holland America, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean