Canary Island Cruises that Don't Start from England

[donaldsc]

I am looking for a Canary Island cruise that does not start and end in England as I want to spend my time in the Canaries and not getting to and from the Canaries.  There are lots of Canary lie-on-the-beach cruises designed for Brits who want a warm weather winter vacation.  I don't want that.  I am looking for something that is more immersive. I would prefer a smaller ship and want a cruise that gives me a longer time in port than the typical 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM port time.  

 

I did find a Hurtigruten cruise that would work perfectly doing 11 days Lisbon to Gran Canaria but it goes in March 2024 and is sold out and we will be on another cruise at that time.  I can't find any other Hurtigruten cruises that do the Canaries at a later date.  I would love to do a dedicated Canary cruise on Viking but Viking does not appear to have a cruise that is mostly at the Canaries.

 

Any thoughts?  Have I missed any other options?  I even thought of booking a cruise or tour through a local Canary tour agency but I have no idea whom to contact there.

 

DON

[edinburgher]

19 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I even thought of booking a cruise or tour through a local Canary tour agency but I have no idea whom to contact there.

May be your best option as they are more likely to know which cruiselines depart from and return to Spanish ports.  I think though, but others may know better, that TUI (A well known international brand)may have travel agencies in Spain. Or ask a US based travel agent for suggestions.

Pullmantur used to cater to mostly Spanish citizens althought I believe they ceased to exist during the pandemic, but you could  maybe try googling for any Spanish based cruiseline in case there is another?

 

Or consider flying  (or arriving by ferry) to one island on a land based trip and visiting the others in turn, either for day trips or for stays of a few days.  My understanding is that the Canary Islands are well connected by ferries so getting around should not be difficult.

Edited November 25, 2023 by edinburgher

[rhiannon84]

Have you looked at cruisemapper to see which ships are in which ports, and when?

 

I found a French line CroisiEurope, which is currently doing a fairly (?) intensive itinerary, by looking up the schedule for Arrecife port

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/ms-La-Belle-des-Oceans-806

 

Azamara also style themselves as a port-intensive line, and have a Canaries cruise from Lisbon next spring.

 

Good luck finding what you’re looking for!

 

 

[alserrod]

I bet the best way would be a DIY trip among all Canary islands.

 

There are, by far, enough connections among all islands. However, western islands are linked to Tenerife, eastern islands are connected to Gran Canaria. They could have to Tenerife too.... but less quantity.

 

You can search on

- Binter if you want to move by plane (or Canaryfly, a local company)

- Naviera Armas or Fred Olsen if you want to move by ferry

 

As an example, from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria port to Santa Cruz de Tenerife port, a ferry just takes 1h40m. I know there are some cruises among the islands.... but if that is travelling time, the rest would be stopping anywhere to reach early morning.

 

Rent a car is extremely easy in the Canary islands. All main companies plus "cicar", a local company that could have the greatest number of cars and offices.

 

Some hints

- all islands are "different" between them. Each one is known after something the rest of them doesn't have

- Fuerteventura - Lanzarote can be done only by ferry (they are just 11 km)

- Cicar will allow you to change from one island to another with the car providing you will return it to the same island (the rest of companies will forbid to change of island)

 

[windycpa]

On 11/24/2023 at 2:44 PM, donaldsc said:

I am looking for a Canary Island cruise that does not start and end in England as I want to spend my time in the Canaries and not getting to and from the Canaries.  There are lots of Canary lie-on-the-beach cruises designed for Brits who want a warm weather winter vacation.  I don't want that.  I am looking for something that is more immersive. I would prefer a smaller ship and want a cruise that gives me a longer time in port than the typical 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM port time.  

 

I did find a Hurtigruten cruise that would work perfectly doing 11 days Lisbon to Gran Canaria but it goes in March 2024 and is sold out and we will be on another cruise at that time.  I can't find any other Hurtigruten cruises that do the Canaries at a later date.  I would love to do a dedicated Canary cruise on Viking but Viking does not appear to have a cruise that is mostly at the Canaries.

 

Any thoughts?  Have I missed any other options?  I even thought of booking a cruise or tour through a local Canary tour agency but I have no idea whom to contact there.

 

DON

Check out Celebrity Infinity  We just booked a12/2024 cruise round trip Barcelona

[marazul]

1 hour ago, windycpa said:

Check out Celebrity Infinity  We just booked a12/2024 cruise round trip Barcelona

That would take just as long as starting and ending in England. But the OP was considering a cruise out of Lisbon so maybe this one would be appealing. 

[Harters]

Last September, we did a Canaries cruise, from/to Barcelona, on Oceania's Nautica. I have it mind Oceania operates this cruise a few times a year. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves - particularly seeing Mt Teide from the sea, as opposed to seeing from the air on our annual Tenerife holidays over the last 25+ years.