If the dark nights, cooler temperatures and overcast weather have left you dreaming of holidays spent in brighter places this time next year, how about a Halloween cruise?
Add in the fun of spooky costumes, decorations and Halloween-themed parties and a Halloween cruise can be a great way to spend the autumn season.
But where do Halloween cruises sail to? If you’d like to know how to find the best Halloween cruise destinations, read on below as we’ve sought out some of the scariest.
Where should I cruise to for Halloween?
From ocean to river cruises, the hot Caribbean to the cooler climes of Northern Europe, we’ve looked all around for the best destinations for a Halloween cruise. Here’s a spine-tingling whirlwind tour of the most eerily exciting places.
Caribbean ports for Halloween cruises
The Caribbean is known for its warm, sunny paradise islands and welcoming vibe, so it might not appear to be one of the best destinations for a Halloween cruise. However, take a closer look; there are plenty of scary stories and haunted histories on these islands.
In Jamaica, there’s the stately Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay. Stories tell that it is haunted by the White Witch, who tortured and killed enslaved people in her basement.
In Barbados, the mysterious movements of Chase Crypt are enough to give anyone goosebumps. Found in Christ Church Cemetery, these coffins do not want to stay buried. Attempts have resulted in them being thrown up incredibly against the crypt wall.
The island of Chacachacare is regarded as one of the scariest in the Caribbean. Part of Trinidad & Tobago, it was home to a convent and a former leper colony. Now, locals claim to see ghosts of nuns roaming the cemetery, lighting the way with their haunting lanterns.
Almost all leading cruise lines offer Caribbean cruise holidays, so you’ll be spoilt for choice if you want to learn more about these chilling stories. Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are three cruise lines that also offer Halloween themes onboard at this time of year, so you can continue the spooktastic scenes when you step back onboard.
American ports for Halloween cruises
San Francisco
One of the best destinations for a Halloween cruise to America has to be San Francisco. Here, you can visit one of the most notorious prisons in the world, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
This former maximum-security jail once held world-renowned criminals, such as Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Robert “Birdman” Stroud. With so much sinister history surrounding the prison and the island on which it is located, it is sure to create a dose of the heebie-jeebies when visiting at Halloween.
Cruise lines that include the Port of San Francisco in their cruise itineraries include Regent Seven Seas, Silversea Cruises, Cunard and Disney Cruise Line.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles may be home to all things on the silver screen, but it also holds some darker stories. Standing retired and permanently moored in Long Beach port, RMS Queen Mary has seen some dastardly goings-on. In 1934, over 230 crew drowned at sea when the ship collided with HMS Curacoa.
It later became known as ‘The Grey Ghost’, with its many returning shadowy visitors making it one of the most haunted places in the world.
However, the ghost stories don’t end there. At the Hollywood Pacific Theatre, originally the Warner Brothers Theatre, there have also been regular reports of ghost sightings, apparitions and poltergeist disturbances.
Cruise lines sailing from the Port of Los Angeles include Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises.
Mediterranean ports for Halloween cruises
Barcelona
Barcelona is a great Halloween cruise destination if you like the idea of a Western Mediterranean cruise with a spooky theme. From its port, book an excursion to PortAventura theme park, just an hour or so further west along the Spanish coast.
During the Halloween season, the park transforms to deliver the most frightful fun. With petrifying passages guarded by ‘Horror Staff’ and Halloween-themed musicals with incredible stage design and technical set-up, it is devised to thrill and chill in equal measures.
Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise and Tui are just three cruise lines offering cruise itineraries that stop at the Port of Barcelona.
Civitavecchia / Rome
Numerous cruises in the Mediterranean take in Italy. Opt for one that stops in Civitavecchia, and you’ll discover one of the best Italian ports for a Halloween cruise.
Cruise ships visit the Port of Civitavecchia to offer guests excursions to Rome. In this spectacular Italian city, you’ll find the Catacombs of Rome, which have a decidedly more eerie feel. It’s where Christians used this labyrinth of ancient underground tunnels as cemeteries to bury their dead between the 2nd and 5th centuries.
Many leading cruise lines include Rome in their itineraries, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruises, NCL and MSC Cruises.
European ports for Halloween cruises
One of the most infamous haunted places to visit in Northern Europe is undoubtedly Dracula’s Castle. Found in Transylvania in Romania, Dracula’s Castle, or Bran Castle, is home to the legendary vampire created by Bram Stoker.
Poised on a rock overlooking the green valley of Transylvania, its foreboding presence makes it one of the best destinations for a Halloween cruise.
River cruise lines, such as Saga Cruises and Amawaterways, offer cruises on the River Danube with tours to Bran Castle.
