What are Lisa Rusczyk’s favorite cruise destinations?

 

My favorite cruise destinations are not always the farthest away or the most expensive. For this season of my life, the best cruise destinations are the ones I do not have to fly to reach.

I love cruising because it is one of the easiest ways to truly relax while still seeing new places. You unpack your clothes once, settle into your cabin, and then wake up in a different location. You get to enjoy the ship, eat meals without planning every detail, and see amazing destinations without feeling like you have to pack and move every few days. For me, that is one of the best parts of cruising. It gives me the feeling of adventure without making the whole trip exhausting.

I have been lucky enough to cruise in Hawaii and Europe, and those trips were amazing. I loved seeing those places from the water and waking up somewhere new. But getting there and back was exhausting. The flights, the time change, the long travel days, and the recovery afterward were a lot. Right now, with my husband and kids, that kind of trip does not always fit into our lives. We need vacations that give us memories without completely wearing us out.

That is why I often recommend choosing the cruise port that is closest to where you live and fits your budget. The best cruise may not be the most dramatic one. It may be the one you can actually take more than once. If you can drive to the port, get on the ship, relax for a week, and come home without spending too much money or losing extra days to travel, that can be a beautiful thing.

For me, that has often meant cruising to Nassau and private islands in the Bahamas and Caribbean. I have probably been to Nassau and cruise line private island destinations the most because they are some of the most affordable and accessible options from where I live. At first, someone might think going back to the same place would get boring, but I have found the opposite to be true. When you return to a place more than once, you start to understand it differently. You learn what you like, what to avoid, where to slow down, and how to enjoy the day without pressure.

That is also why I care so much about talking to locals and learning from people who actually live in a place. I do not want to only see the tourist traps. I want to understand the culture, the food, the daily life, and the small details that make a destination feel real. When I travel, I want to bring something back with me that is more than a souvenir. I want to bring back a new way of seeing things, a new food to try at home, a slower pace, a different idea, or a memory that changes how I live my everyday life.

I like to talk to the people on the ship too. The passengers and the crew. You get to be around such a diverse group of people without traveling there. I have recently felt bad asking where people are from since of security recently. I don't want anyone to be sad or put into harms way because of my curiosity and love to travel and learning. 

So if someone asks me what my favorite cruise destination is, my honest answer is this: my favorite cruise destination is the one I can actually enjoy without making my life harder when I get home. Sometimes that is Nassau. Sometimes it is a private island. Sometimes it is a port I have already visited before, but this time I see it in a new way. The best cruise destination is the one that lets you relax, explore, spend time with the people you love, and come home feeling like the trip was worth it.