Sherman's Travel

?If you adore the turquoise surf, tangerine sunsets, and dreamy steel drum tempo of the Caribbean, but you get bored after a single day in a beach chaise, sampling four or five different islands on a cruise might be the right romantic getaway for you. Just remember that cruise ships are pretty much floating resorts, each with their own ambience (from intimate to expansive) and clientele (from couple-centric to multi-generational). Here are four great ship options (all of which I have cruised on over the past two years) offering very different cruise experiences for couples. Each is sailing a Caribbean itinerary through early spring and last-minute fares are still available. Or, if you prefer to stay on dry land, check out last week’s blog on “Five Easy Caribbean Island Combos.” Read more

Some cruise ships are designed with couples in mind – and Celebrity’s newest addition, the Celebrity Silhouette, is one of the great ones. The fourth installment in Celebrity’s two-year-old Solstice class of ships, Silhouette combines size (at 122,000 tons and 2,886 passengers, there’s room to roam) with the style-savvy design and extra amenities of a sleek boutique hotel (that’s the popular Martini Bar, shown at left). While some ships’ decor is garish and others’ mundane, Silhouette’s is chic, sophisticated, and, at times, even cozy. Sailing from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, on 12-night alternating itineraries to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean through early April, Silhouette then heads to Europe for the summer of 2012 for 12- and 13-night cruises through the Mediterranean and Adriatic. I recently had a chance to sail aboard Silhouette for a few nights, and am happy to report back on some of my favorite aspects for couples seeking a decidedly grown-up cruise vacation: Read more