Can you take a cruise ship from the US to the Philippines?

Answer 1

The term 'cruise' in relation to a journey from the US to the Philippines is a bit of a misnomer.

Cruising is typically a journey which takes holiday-makers from an originating point and terminates at at its point of origin. It may, or may not, have intermediate stop-points along the way, or could, as is becoming more popular, simply have no stop-points, ie., a cruise to nowhere.

A 'sailing,' on the other hand is a journey where you depart from one point have have an ultimate destination. Throughout the year there are numerous sailings which accommodate this desire. I can either be via a luxurious vessel, such as the Ocean Liner, Queen Mary II, which, in every sense of the word, is an ocean liner designed for long journeys and any type of seas. Or it can be among some of the modern flat-hull cruise ships, which tend not to offer continual trans-Atlantic, or trans-Pacific travel due to a number of factors, such as the expectation that a vessel designed to carry several thousand souls on board, cannot reasonably be filled for such extended journeys. And there is always the important factor of overall sea-worthiness during exceptional sea conditions.

Throughout the year there are numerous vessels circumnavigating the earth. The challenge for you would most likely be to find a sailing which matches your interest, such as embarkation point, i.e., Do you wish to sail from the West Coast, travelling westwardly towards the Philippines, or do you have interest in embarking upon a journey which departs from the East Coast, perhaps clearing the African Cape, then around Australia, and ultimately disembarking in the Philippines. A journey of this type could either be part of that vessel being part of a scheduled Round-The-World journey, where passengers may purchase various sectors. Or, it could possibly be via what is called a 'positioning' sailing, where the vessel is being moved from one hemisphere to another, in preparation the commencement of a series of seasonal cruises, where the ship will commence and terminate at the same point, for a number of weeks or months, then return to a different pattern schedule.

Positioning sailings can often be had at substantially reduced rates than the average per-diem price you would normally pay during a typical cruise experience. This is because fewer people are able to either invest or find time for a journey of this experience.

As an alternative, there also still exists a number of, albeit fewer, freighter sailings, which you can book to take you on your chosen destination. Freighter travel often caters to the unique individual who is content with a degree of solitude and is content to keep themselves self-entertained. Accommodation is modest, if not austere at times, where common areas are shared with crew members, you dine with crew members, and entertainment may be limited to little more than card games, videos, and the occasional impromptu soirée, such as when crossing the Equator, or International Date Line.

It's important to understand, if you're on any time constraints, Freighter travel may not be advisable. Sailing dates and times are always subject to change, due to cargo taking priority over passengers. And even intermediate stops may occur, should the freighter company obtain a last-minute consignment.

A relatively easy way to find journeys for the next twelve months, you may consider looking, for scheduling purposes and general retail price information, companies such as Vacations-To-Go, where you can select sailing and cruise details by anything from region to sailing dates.

Don't dismiss the opportunity to travel a portion of the journey by sea, such as to a point near to your ultimate destination, as convenient connections can always be obtained.