Just on a whim, we decided on the weekend to see what you'd be looking at if you decided — on a whim — to escape the anticipated (and certain) blahs of winter and go on a Caribbean cruise.
We discovered four cruise lines with almost the same cruises, so that we're not comparing apples and anchors.
The criteria was mid-January as a good time to escape, south Florida as an appropriate embarkation port, Eastern Caribbean as a travel route, and a week in the sunshine as a time frame.
Here's what we found…
Celebrity Reflection
Departure: Miami
Ports: Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St. Kitts
Starting price: $799
Norwegian Epic
Departure: Miami
Ports: St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Nassau
Starting price: $529
Grand Princess
Departure: Fort Lauderdale
Ports: Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Princess Cays
Starting price: $549
Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas (8 days)
Departure: Fort Lauderdale
Ports: St. Kitts, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Labadee
Starting price: $799
For seasoned cruisers, that's probably pretty much what you expected…Celebrity is slightly upscale and Reflection's a brand new ship; the 4,000-passenger Epic likely has plenty of space; passengers put Princess and Norwegian in about the same class of line; and Independence of the Seas is more because it's an 8-day trip with an extra port.
So if your budget isn't a huge issue, it comes down to which cruise line you like the best.
Carnival Valor
7 nights
January 13, 2013
Miami (return): Cozumel, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman
Inside: $399
Cost per day: $57
www.carnival.com