It’s Thursday October 24, 2013 and there are 18 cruise ships departing today on voyages ranging from the Caribbean to New Zealand, including:

• 4-night cruises on Carnival Elation (to the western Caribbean from New Orleans), Carnival Fascination (Bahamas from Jacksonville) and Carnival Paradise (western Caribbean from Tampa), all visiting various parts of the Caribbean.  More 4-day cruises are being offered as travelers look for short getaways;
• Celebrity Infinity leaves Harwich, England today, beginning a 14-day trip to Miami that includes stops in France, Spain, Portugal and Nassau.  It’s one leg of a series of cruises that will see Infinity go from Harwich to Miami to San Diego to Fort Lauderdale to Valparaiso, Chile to Buenos Aires – from where it will spend the (North American) winter bouncing around South America.

Looking ahead three months, 17 cruises will begin on Friday January 24, 2014, including a 3-night trip from Miami to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas.