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Florida has more cruise ports than any other U.S. state including Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa and Port Canaveral. Yet, alternative ports are attractive to cruisers who are looking to save some money without sacrificing their vacation. From New York, Baltimore, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Mobile, Alabama, and more there are new cruise vacations waiting to be discovered. In fact, according to the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA), there are more than 30 ports in the U.S. This not only adds significantly to the convenience factor of a cruise vacation driving to the ship and leaving the car a short walking distance away but can also represent significant savings during times of economic uncertainty, even allowing for the high price of gasoline, CLIA reports.

"No other type of vacation offers the variety of experiences worldwide destinations, diverse itineraries, varying cruise lengths, types of ships, different onboard experiences, and shore side activities that the CLIA fleet provides," said Terry Dale, president and CEO of CLIA. "The aim is to enable every vacationer to choose the cruise that is exactly right for individual tastes, interests and budget. A big part of that for millions of travelers is having a departure port close to home."

Writing this post, I am aboard a Carnival cruise ship which sailed from Mobile, Alabama. This is our first cruise out of this southern state and has been a pleasant experience. We selected this particular cruise because a group of more than 20 of our colleagues (most of whom live in Alabama) decided to take a long weekend together. In addition, it has been a new adventure to try something different. Also, you could not beat the price for three of us, an ocean-view cabin for a 4-night cruise was under $900.

Despite the 9-hour drive from Florida, the cruise port is easily accessible off of I-10; however, be sure to pay attention to where the cruise ship is located as there are no signs for the actual port, but it's very visible. The parking garage is attached to the port entry so it is an easy drop off for luggage and then parking the vehicle and entering the secure area. Going through the embarkation process was painless and these Alabama Carnival workers welcomed all of the travelers with pure southern hospitality.

Our only port of call on this cruise itinerary was Cozumel, Mexico, which has some of the most gorgeous turquoise waters we've seen (other than Tahiti). We spent the day in a family-friendly beach club titled Nachi Cocom, which provided beach and pool access, lunch and unlimited beverages for $49.00 (USD) per adult a great deal. This Cozumel beach is soft white sand with picturesque views.

Now, we look forward to another day at sea and smooth sailing only to arrive during the possible simultaneous arrival of Tropical Storm Fay. We are fortunate that this storm did not interrupt our cruise and we hope our drive back to sunny Florida is as easy as our cruise has been this voyage. When is Fay going away?

Learn more about this author, JQ Adams.
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