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Cruises to Nowhere

Where's the best place to spend a short vacation? Nowhere! A Cruise-To-Nowhere is the perfect getaway for a couple of days. The ships sail out into the ocean and back without stopping at any other ports. A cruise to nowhere is an excellent introduction to cruising for first-time cruise passengers.

Cruises to nowhere include all the fun of a cruise without big expense or a long time commitment. Pools, a spa, casino, bars, lounges and more food than you can imagine are available on-board.

Some cruise lines have "weekend cruises" that are two-night trips.

Read cruise to nowhere reviews . Find out what other passengers thought of these voyages.

All ships have programs and activities for different age groups of kids. Now the whole family is going nowhere!

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Cruises to Nowhere

What is "Cruise To Nowhere" and does it mean that a cruise ship is going nowhere? We give you the ultimate list of all cruise ships sailing the always very special "cruises to Nowhere" with departures from ports in the USA, Australia / New Zealand, Europe / England UK, Asia, South America. This review is integrated with Party Cruises .

Here you will find information on Cruise To Nowhere deals as itineraries/departure dates, prices, and ports. Itineraries are always roundtrips, without any call ports on the route. This internal link goes directly to the cruise schedule - if you wanna skip the intro info.

"Cruise to Nowhere" - what is, where to find it, why Nowhere cruise deals

What is a Cruise to Nowhere? Well, strangely enough, by definition, it's a unique itinerary on which a cruise ship is going to absolutely Nowhere! However, it will definitely not stay in the port all the time, instead, it will sail without any destination to a specific point at sea to allow its passengers to experience a very short but most romantic, exciting, and not always cheap cruise vacation on a floating resort at sea.

What are Cruises to Nowhere (the definition)? As a concise overview - it's an always round-trip special cruise itinerary with no other call ports than your disembarkation port, which happens to be the same as your embarkation port (the cruise ship port of departure).

Why take a Cruise to Nowhere? Three very big reasons - and the first one is that it is very short as duration (its cruise length is 1 or 2 night, rarely 3- or 4-night), so by this variable is more like mini cruise deals (but not all of them are round-trips, and they usually visit other ports). Being a short cruise is an important issue, considering your business schedule, right? The second one is it's from the category of very cheap cruise deals - the no-call-ports itinerary and the duration are major determinants of cruise prices - port charges, fuel consumption, etc. The third one is it's one of the very special types of cruises - rare to be found (as a number of sailings per year), offered by a very limited number of passenger ships (excluding trips by smaller boats and floating hotel-casino ship deals), extremely popular, departures only from the world's biggest cruise ports of the world's most developed countries - like USA, UK, Australia.

What is a Cruise to Nowhere as length and prices?

And finally, about the real deals - what is from where, when, and for how much. As to the cost of cruises to Nowhere, the prices are always per person (based on double occupancy), we will give you only the cheapest cruise rates in US dollars on the lowest cabin category by ship (it's usually an Inside stateroom), all prices are indicative and may change due to availability. So, compare sailing dates and prices, pick your port of departure, book it! Be aware, that availability is a strong issue on this one - early booking is a must! It really goes to Nowhere, but it is a so so so special deal - and we all like "special" very much!

It's usually 1- or 2 nights (2-3-day cruise deals), but some lines (like P&O, for example) offer longer itineraries of 3-4-nights, on which you'll have a themed program pre-scheduled for your voyage (more often "Food & Wine", but also "Lifestyle", "Comedy", "Art", etc).

As to the price, one thing is absolutely sure - it's a cheap deal. Nowhere cruises are always cheaper than all other trips with itineraries including stops in ports of call. One of the main reasons for that is the sort length. The price really depends online and ship, but also on the time of booking (availability), cabin grades, departure port, and mostly on how much are you willing to spend while on board. What does the last statement mean? Well, your ship will have - absolutely for sure - a big Casino, a specialty (reservations only) fancy restaurant, lots of bars and lounges to buy expensive drinks and whatnot, and of course - a whole district of pretty lined-up duty-free shopping boutiques, where, as far the money spending is concerned, only the sky is the limit! As to all the rest on-board activities and amenities - they are all included in your rates (remember, all rates are based on double occupancy). But as a general rule, cruise prices on cruises to Nowhere rarely exceed the amount of US $200 per night per person. And this is a great deal, considering the type of your short cruise ship vacation and all that's included (plus the cabin, open-seating dining in the Main Dining Rooms, 24-hour room service, etc, etc).

What do you do on Cruises to Nowhere?

Remember these six words - "you spend money to have fun"! It could be your special romantic short cruise break or a weekend getaway dinner cruise to dining with your beloved one in a classy restaurant at sea, it could be your "gambling night" at sea, it could be your best "party cruise deal" ever to spend some quality fun time with your friends or colleges, or it could be simply your "me and the sea" special time to relax and enjoy the vastness of the ocean and the beauty of the modern cruise ship man-made miracle.

The long list of onboard activities includes also the trivia of games and contests, both fine and casual dining options (themed buffets), big and top-fun pools and pool contests (including kids-only pools), sports contests, fine art auctions, music and dancing experiences, huge-theatre excitement with nightly grand-style live show productions, movies, revues, comedians and magicians, Casino gambling tournaments and gambling lessons, ship tours (bridge, galley, etc), dance lessons, educational lectures, shopping sales promotions with special offers, and absolutely not the last are the fitness (and Yoga) classes and the Spa treatments in a huge wellness center on board.

Who goes on Nowhere cruises and what the ships look like?

This type of cruise is perfect for first-time cruise travelers to sample the "life on board" - to get a sense of what a cruise and a cruise ship is like avoiding the big-money spending on a long and expensive trip. It's the perfect opportunity to sample new cruise ships (no matter new-built or newly refit/refurbished).

As to the "Nowhere ships" - they all are BIG. All cruise ships for Cruises to Nowhere are from very big to hugely-big - their owners and crew know best how to gather huge crowds and are absolutely the best in keeping these crowds happy. Still, most of the departures are from New York City - with its unlimited capacity to keep the ships full of passengers. Prior to 2017, the major player in the NYC market was NCL - with 2 new ships (launched in 2013 and 2014).

Why cruise ship lines offer Nowhere deals?

The very itinerary explains it all - on its short cruise break itinerary, the cruise ship will leave its port to sails on an ocean (or on a river, by smaller ships and river cruise boats), then will return to the same port. And all this for what reason.

I mentioned earlier something about a special "point at sea". This location allows the boat to open its duty-free stores and casinos for passengers to spend their time and mostly their money enjoying all there is to be enjoyed on a very big ship without being obstructed by the "law of the land" or distracted by ports of call.

At the same time, your ship will sail calmly on a looping course to take you back to your embarkation port, offering you the chance to have an unforgettable night (or two or three or four) of the best fun and special memories from a special vacation.

Cruises to Nowhere 2021-2022 schedule

Most of these special roundtrip itineraries are offered as departures from some of the world's largest cruise ports. Just follow the ship links from the table to see regularly updated indicative prices per person (with double occupancy) to compare. These CruiseMapper links will show you the boat's individual "itinerary-schedule-current position" page, also listing the cheapest rates on the lowest cabin category currently available for booking.

Note: Due to COVID -related international travel restrictions, in 2021 several major companies started their passenger shipping operations with "nowhere cruises" available for booking by the country's residents only. Those included AIDA Cruises ( AIDAsol and AIDAprima from Kiel Germany ), Princess Cruises ( Regal Princess and Sky Princess , from Southampton ), DCL-Disney Cruise Line ( Disney Magic from Southampton, London-Tilbury , Liverpool , Newcastle ), RCI-Royal Caribbean International ( Quantum of the Seas from Singapore , Spectrum of the Seas from Hong Kong China ).

Cruise to Nowhere USA

Cruises to Nowhere from US ports by major cruise companies and on larger ships will not be offered anytime soon. The news became fact in 2016 when the few passenger shipping companies offering such deals canceled all scheduled voyages which itineraries didn't include a foreign port of call. This new policy was implemented after a change made in the enforcement of the US embarkation law.

Under an act passed over 100 years ago, foreign-flagged vessels are not allowed to operate voyages leaving roundtrip from US ports without at least one port call in a foreign country. In a June 2015 statement, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency announced the reasons for the changes. D-1 visa holders (crew visas) were not eligible for working on "Cruises to Nowhere" as they are eligible to serve as crewmembers only if they intend to land in a US port (temporarily) and to depart from a US port with the cruise vessel. Although nowhere cruises do enter international waters, CBP maintains that crewmembers don't actually depart from the USA because "they don't land in a foreign port or territory".

Among the canceled sailings were Carnival's 2-night cruises from Norfolk Virginia (2016, on Carnival Sunshine ) and NCL's 2-night cruises from NYC New York (2017, on Norwegian Breakaway ). Still, the change applies only to foreign-flagged cruise ships, most of which have as flag states countries like Bahamas, Panama, Bermuda. By the new regulations, the only way for "Cruises to Nowhere" to be permitted is for the companies to employ an all-American crew for the vessel. Otherwise, each itinerary (long or short) must include at least 1 foreign port of call before the ship returns to the USA with the crew who are not American citizens. Currently, the only large-sized ocean cruise ship with an entirely American crew is NCL's Pride of America .

Cruise to Nowhere NYC

Operated as special voyages until 2017, the 1-2 night cruise to Nowhere NYC deals were inclusive of shipboard dining, entertainment, numerous activities, and modern amenities. The "nowhere" ships made their special itinerary out of New York City calling on no other ports. Ships simply sailed far enough from the US shore to start providing duty-free shopping and gambling for their party-loving passengers.

Package deals included pre- and post-cruise hotel stays and airport-ship transportation. These deals were perfect for first-timers to sample the onboard fun, including dining, Spa, Casino, staterooms, lounges and bars, activities, amenities, etc. Most NYC Nowhere cruises were by NCL's Norwegian Gem ship - offered when the liner adjusted its Bermuda schedule for the summer. Then joined Norwegian Breakaway, and just before closing the market - the Royal Caribbean "WOW ship" Quantum of the Seas (leaving from Bayonne NJ). Quantum's prices were comparatively high ($300 pp per day), but the ship is truly unique and new (launched 2014).

China Cruises to Nowhere

On May 8, 2019, China's Ministry of Transport officially approved nowhere cruises leaving roundtrip from homeports Sanya and Haikou (Haidian Island) . The deal allows China-based liners to operate on itineraries not visiting a foreign port.

However, the Ministry imposed as requirements that the cruise company must include a Chinese investor (with majority stake), the vessel to be not older than 30 years, and onboard gambling is forbidden. China-flagged ships are treated on an exclusive basis. Passengers' boarding documents and customs clearance on these voyages are simplified - only national identification cards (or entry/exit documents) are required, and travel agents can submit group customers' documents.

Singapore Cruises to Nowhere

In early-October 2020, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) began to develop new health and safety protocols that are expected to allow cruises to nowhere leaving roundtrip from Singapore.

The new proposal came after Singapore Airlines announced in September that they would offer 3-hour "flights to nowhere" (sightseeing roundtrips) from Singapore's Changi Airport. However, Singapore Airlines later canceled the program due to active criticism from local environmental campaigners.

STB hired DNV-GL (Hovic Norway-based risk management company and accredited registrar and classification society) to create a compliance and certification scheme ("benchmarked against global health, safety and hygiene standards") to help shipping companies who want to restart voyages out of Port Singapore as the country was still in lockdown due to the pandemic/Coronavirus crisis.

STB's Regional Director of the Americas (Rachel Loh) advised that cruise shipping companies would need to pass an audit for certification to return to cruising. His report added that ships would only be allowed to accommodate ~50% of their max passenger capacity for the first 3 months of operation.

There is no official date for when "Singapore cruises to nowhere" will commence but all operators homeporting in Singapore were eager to restart operations after voluntarily ceasing voyages since March 2020.

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8 Night Cruise to the Caribbean

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Cruises to Nowhere Cruises

UPDATE: As of 2016, cruises to nowhere are no longer available from US ports of call. To learn about alternative cruise vacations, please call 1-800-377-9383.

A cruise to nowhere may seem a little crazy, but it’s actually a great opportunity to get away for a quick time and to really experience cruising and all that cruise ships offer. It’s also a chance for first time cruisers to find out what cruising is all about, go to a show and experience the myriad of dining options. And for the more experienced cruisers, a cruise to nowhere is a great opportunity to get a taste of a new ship, or a new cruise brand. Lastly, it gives people with hectic schedules a chance to unplug and make their couple of days really count. It’s a stress free vacation: you’re meals are made for you, you have a fun schedule of activities to choose from and someone is even there to make your bed.   

Things to Do on a Cruise to Nowhere

You may not be getting off the ship, but trust us when we tell you that you can have just as much fun onboard your ship. You can go from breakfast to a trivia game to the pool deck or mini golf course, and follow that up with a spa visit – and before you know it, it’s time for dinner.

• Sleep in and enjoy breakfast in bed. On a cruise ship, most room service is complimentary, and sometimes available 24 hours a day - so you'll always have a plethora of delicious options to choose from.  
• Work it out. You could head to the ship’s gym for a run on the treadmill, or you could feel that sea breeze if you run on the outdoor track. Some ships even feature outdoor basketball courts, golf simulators, putting greens and more.  

• A cruise to nowhere is short so make sure to try lots of the food onboard – have fun and try a bit of everything. You'll find several specialty restaurants, each offering a unique dining experience. And remember, on a cruise, dessert is always included!  
• When on board, make sure to spend some time on you . This is your vacation after all, so be sure to indulge in something like a spa service, sauna cleanse, a gift from the gift shop or a tropical drink (or two).  

• Hit the theater. After dinner you can probably catch a great show featuring Broadway-style performances.  
• Have fun at night by dancing to a live band, gambling at the casino or singing your heart out at the karaoke bar.  

Top 10 Cruises to Nowhere Cruises

Cruises to nowhere: cruise lines.

Popular cruise lines will schedule a few cruise to nowhere itineraries into their yearly cruise calendars. These are great opportunities to have a fun couple of days away from home without a care in the world. 

Cruises to Nowhere: Departure Ports

Cruises to nowhere take place in ports all over the world, but vary greatly. For instance, you could get a cruise out of New York or Sydney, or you could find a cruise out of a smaller port like Cape Liberty in New Jersey. Each of these ports offer easy accessibility to the terminal and you can usually find some interesting sites to see if you want to extend your vacation with a couple days in the port city before or after your cruise. For instance, in New York you could see a Broadway show or visit the Statue of Liberty. In Cape Town, South Africa you could take a day trip to the wine country or climb to the top of Table Mountain. 

Photo Gallery for Cruises to Nowhere Cruises

Check out these pictures of all the activities you can do while on a cruise to nowhere. As you can see, zero ports of call doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. 

Enjoy breakfast in bed

Hit the dance floor

Put your feet up and relax

Relax at the cruise ship spa

Romantic gourmet dinner for two

Spinning in the onboard gym

Win big at the casino

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6 - Day The Bahamas from Norfolk, VA

Cruise itinerary.

Day 1: Norfolk

Day 2: Fun Day at Sea

Day 3: bimini, day 4: nassau, day 5: freeport.

Day 6: Fun Day at Sea

Day 7: norfolk.

Get to Know Carnival Sunshine

Everything the sunlight touches on Carnival Sunshine has been doused with an extra dose of fun. There's plenty to find atop this ship, where you can spend your days being kissed by the warm rays of the sun. Visit the biggest Serenity area ever, featuring three decks, plenty of recliners... and even a waterfall. Carnival WaterWorks ™ , our onboard waterpark, doesn't just deliver the favorites... this one debuted the slick Speedway Splash slide. There's also SportSquare ™ , where you can let your inner champion run free (around the jogging track), traverse the Ropes Course high up above, or even engage in a little one-on-one, from ping pong to foosball to giant chess. When you're on your Carnival Sunshine cruise, step out of the sun and try out some shade (and it's some pretty cool shade, at that). The first thing you'll see is the Sunshine Atrium... and let's just say first impressions count. From there, check out dining options — this ship has everything under the Carnival sun — like Guy's Burger Joint ™ , BlueIguana Cantina ™ , Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse ™ and JiJi Asian Kitchen ® . Some of the greatest Carnival bars are here: RedFrog Pub ® , BlueIguana Tequila Bar ™ , SkyBox ™ Sports Bar and Alchemy Bar ® ... plus the already-classic Havana Bar ™ ! You'll enjoy musical revues from Playlist Productions ™ , where songs you know and love come to life on stage. When you find yourself between the Carnival Sunshine and some actual sunshine, fun at sea is guaranteed.

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Virginia Beach (Norfolk) boasts the world's largest naval base, a busy international port and beautiful historic districts. Waterways abound in this city, with stretches of lake, river and bay fronts you'll have endless sight seeing to do. The battleship U.S.S. Wisconsin and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum gives visitors insight into the cities long navy history. The pedestrian-centric downtown waterfront area is a nice place to stroll and see docked ships, sailboats and tugboats.

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City Politics | Norfolk cruise center getting multiple upgrades…

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City politics | norfolk cruise center getting multiple upgrades ahead of year-round traffic.

NORFOLK — City Council voted Tuesday to approve enhancements to the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in anticipation of becoming a year-round cruise destination in 2025.

The changes are huge, said Stephen Kirkland, who runs the cruise terminal as the executive director of Nauticus.

“A cruise ship will be here every single week, embarking and debarking passengers, and we need to be prepared for that heightened activity,” Kirkland said.

Starting Feb. 15, Carnival Sunshine will begin its weekly cruises leaving from Norfolk. The 12-deck ship is 893 feet long and can carry over 3,000 passengers — leading to a turnover of more than 6,000 people when the ship is at full capacity, setting sail and returning in a single day.

Modifications to the terminal include expanding the walkway from Waterside Drive , adding a circular drop-off lane, a revised bus lane and canopies for passengers — changes that will enhance pedestrian and vehicle circulation downtown. The city earmarked $12 million for the project.

The most advantageous change, according to Kirkland, is a sloped walkway from the first to second floor that will allow guests exiting the ship to move quickly downstairs to go through customs, collect their luggage and make their way to the ground transportation loop.

“The quicker and more efficient we can be with that process, the better the whole day is,” Kirkland said. “That allows us to embark sooner which allows that ship to set sail on time.”

Currently, there’s one elevator, one escalator and a set of stairs connecting the first and second floor.

Construction on the enhancements is due to begin in June, but additional cruise traffic from ships diverted by the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in Baltimore has added complications: the terminal was supposed to be closed for 14 months at the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Those ships originally bound for Baltimore will not delay the construction schedule, Kirkland said. Half Moone cruise terminal had a “window” during which it was able to support Royal Caribbean and Carnival with diverted ships, but those ships will not continue to arrive after construction begins in June.

With Norfolk set to become a year-round home port for the world’s largest cruise line, passengers are anticipated to travel from across the country to catch their ship. That brings economic impact in the form of more flights to Norfolk, hotel stays the night before and after the voyage, restaurants, transportation and more.

“That’s a big deal for us as a community. It’s a game changer,” Kirkland said.

Cianna Morales, 757-957-1304, [email protected]

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Norfolk has designs on $12M cruise terminal renovation project

N ORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — With year-round cruising from the Carnival Sunshine coming next year, Norfolk’s cruise terminal is about to see an influx of traffic.

But with that increased traffic comes the need for updates, renovations and additions at Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, and Norfolk’s City Council took another step this week toward making those upgrades after approving designs for the $12 million project.

Among other things, they will add two more buses to help shuttle passengers from parking garages, and they will also enclose an outdoor terrace allowing passengers to sit outside in any weather.

However, the biggest addition will be a circular ramp that will help move passengers from the second floor down to their luggage on the first floor. Nauticus’ Executive Director Stephen Kirkland said it’ll be a huge improvement on what they have now.

“We’ve got one small escalator,” Kirkland said. “We’ve got a staircase and we’ve got a tiny elevator and it’s just not efficient. And getting people off that ship, particularly as these ships get larger, and so, sort of museum design 101 now is, why worry about things that might break down? Why deal with all that when you can simply do a sort of a sloped ramp system just like you might do at an SEC football game, for instance?”

Kirkland said they will not be able to accommodate any ships detoured from Baltimore once construction begins in June. They’re hoping to be finished by January 2025, with the Sunshine arriving in February.

“It’s one thing to get these ships,” Kirkland said. “It’s another thing to be ready for them. And so, we have to be ready here onsite, and, as importantly, we as a community have to be ready for this year-round weekly traffic.”

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