Celebrate with a cruise closer to home

Hosting the ultimate birthday bash, anniversary party, or family reunion could mean tons of fun. But managing the dizzying number of logistical headaches? Not so much. You’ll have to book the venue, make the guest list, order food, and on and on. The task list seems endless, and it could take a year just to plan.

Or you could simply arrange a cruise that is fun and convenient for everyone. Cruise vacations have everything needed to celebrate life's milestones. Ships are a floating resort with abundant resources and options to ensure your group has a wonderful vacation.

It’s even easier if you cruise closer to home because you’ll have many advantages and choices. You won't have to worry about visas; for some destinations you can even leave your passport at home. You can board cruises from either coast or the South. Your celebration can be weeks long or just a few nights. You can take a river cruise or explore new cultures and landscapes in Alaska and Hawai‘i.

Here are 5 cruise vacations to make your next celebration unforgettable.

The understated romance of an East Coast cruise is ideal for celebrating an anniversary. Cruises to New England and Canada offer plenty to enjoy in the region’s historic, quaint villages.

September, when most kids are in school, is a great time to sail from Boston on one of Celebrity Cruises’ leisurely 11-night itineraries. These include 7 ports and an overnight stay in Québec City. Shop the cobblestone streets of Old Québec or hike in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor for jaw-dropping views and foliage photos.

A bonus: The romance of the region might bring couples closer on land and aboard the ship.

Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Eclipse feature a range of fine-dining options. The Eclipse’s romantic Murano dining room serves contemporary French cuisine. Couples can toast their special day with inventive cocktails at the World Class Bar or daydream over the wake at the al fresco Sunset Bar.

For a spa-themed vacation, select an AquaClass cabin when booking your Celebrity cruise. You’ll have access to special amenities, a spa concierge, and a dedicated restaurant focused on fresh, healthful meals. You and your significant other will feel as young as the day you met. 

Princess Cruises, based in Santa Clarita, California, has been cruising along its home state’s stunning Pacific Coast for decades.

Book a weeklong voyage from Los Angeles aboard Discovery Princess. Then make merry along the coast, from laidback Los Angeles to Vancouver, Canada, with calls in San Francisco and Victoria, Canada. 

Considering a girls’ getaway? Tour the fabled wine country of the Pacific Coast for a weekend or a week. Ports of call include Santa Barbara, California, and Astoria, Oregon, where you can earn bragging rights for tasting flights in Willamette Valley.

Top-class wines start flowing once you embark. Master sommelier Doug Frost curated an award-winning wine list across the Princess Cruises fleet. At the Vines Wine Bar, connoisseurs and casual wine drinkers alike can enjoy wine by the glass with complimentary tapas.

Limited on time? No problem. Princess offers 2- and 3-night itineraries, sailing from Seattle or San Francisco to Vancouver. 

With American Queen Voyages (AQV), you can sail down the Mississippi or Ohio rivers aboard the American Queen, the largest steamboat ever built. Priscilla Presley is the godmother to this precious piece of Americana.

On the American Queen, savor the laid-back pleasures of slow travel, making your way to notable ports of call like Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans. 

An AQV voyage includes a pre-cruise hotel stay and shore excursions, which span antebellum mansions and small-town walking tours. 

An Alaska cruise with parents, grandparents, and kids could be a memorable way to mark a promotion, retirement, or graduation. The cruise season, May through September, times well with summer break.

What better way to make new memories than by cruising Alaska? It's an iconic, life-changing destination. You’ll want to witness the breathtaking beauty of Alaska’s landscapes and wildlife with every generation. Photos just don’t do justice to witnessing a whale breach or a glacier calve. These moments are better shared in person, not on a screen. 

Princess Cruises offers Alaska cruise tours, combining the best parts of land and sea. Cruise to the state capital of Juneau (where no roads lead). In Alaska’s interior, take a safari through Denali National Park and Preserve or hitch a panoramic ride on a train car.

All ages will appreciate our 49^th state and the chance to learn about Native Alaskan traditions. Princess Cruises’ partnership with Discovery offers Animal Planet-themed activities including shore excursions, lectures, stargazing, and a kids’ program. Toddlers up to teens won’t be bored, thanks to age-appropriate programs onboard. 

Ideal weather, lush surroundings, and some of the planet’s best beaches set the tone for a carefree honeymoon in the Aloha State. Maintain that blissed-out mindset as you don a fresh orchid lei and glide in and out of ports onboard a chic Celebrity Cruises ship.

Fly to Honolulu and live it up in Waikiki before visiting 2 other islands: Maui and Hawai'i Island. Cruise the islands’ coast while sipping a piña colada alongside your beloved with a backdrop of rainbows, waterfalls, and cinematic cliffs. 

Your honeymoon is the time to indulge. Book a suite with a balcony to take full advantage of each sherbet-hued sunset. Ashore, take a helicopter ride, spend a day snorkeling, and attend an evening luau lit by hypnotizing tiki torches.

Guests staying in select Celebrity suites can access the Retreat. This enclave encompasses an exclusive lounge, bar, restaurant, and—best of all—an intimate sun deck. Your team of butlers and concierge staff will arrange every dining reservation, spa appointment, and seats to a show. A private pool, blended cocktails, Wi-Fi as you browse what to do in the next port of call—the Retreat suite includes it all.