The appeal of cruising is obvious. You unpack once and get to explore with ease — no trains, planes or rental cars to slow you down. Fortunately, the New York area has three ports — Manhattan’s Midtown West; Red Hook, Brooklyn, and Cape Liberty, in Bayonne, NJ — called on by several glamorous ships. Think about it: you can drive right to the port, without worrying about packing light or downsizing that sunscreen bottle for the flight there. Here, three of our favorites taking off from NYC this summer.
Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Symphony
12-night transatlantic from New York to Reykjavik, Iceland; June 1.
This repositioning cruise offers a rare opportunity to cruise from Manhattan to Iceland, where you can soak in the country’s Blue Lagoon. En route, the ship stops in such ports as Boston and Bar Harbor, Maine, before calling on the Canadian islands of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. What really sets the Crystal Symphony apart are the specialty restaurants: Nobu Matsuhisa’s Japanese-themed Silk Road and Prego, helmed by Piero Selvaggio of LA’s Valentino restaurant.
Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2
7-night transatlantic from Brooklyn to Southampton, England; May 16, June 13, July 6.
With its transatlantic crossings, the QM2 harkens back to the golden age of ocean liners. It offers plenty of what most New Yorkers lack: time. Spend it sleeping late in your duvet-topped bed, pampering yourself at the Canyon Ranch Spa Club and having long lunches that lead into afternoon tea. The ship has a proper pub (fish and chips, pints of ale), but the highlight is a formal night in the Queens Room. Pack your tux and ball gown.
Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Summit
7-night to Bermuda from Cape Liberty; weekly, May through August.
After a massive overhaul in 2012, the Celebrity Summit has all the luxe amenities that have made the line’s Solstice-class ships so famous, from the Martini Bar, where you can sample rare vodkas and caviar, to the cutting-edge Qsine restaurant, for interactive dishes including grill-your-own meat and decorate-your-own cupcakes. The ship offers more than a dozen chances to escape the summer heat on weekly sailings to Bermuda.