Best Spanish Mini Cruise Liners

1. • If you've never taken a cruise before and want to check one out, or if you don't have enough time for a traditional full-length cruise, a mini cruise of under a week can be a perfect choice. Mini cruises are typically booked during spring and autumn, on either end of the normal cruising timetable. Several mini cruises visit ports in Spain, if that's your desired destination.

   P&O Ferries to Bilbao

   • P&O Ferries sail from Portsmouth, England to Bilbao, Spain with three-night mini cruises. The ship docks in the village of Santurtzi, and cruisers are offered a choice of a visit to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, a walking tour of Bilbao, or a bus trip to a small Spanish fishing village. Prices begin at 56 pounds per person (as of September 2010).

     P&O Ferries

     Channel House

     Channel View Road

     Dover CT17 9TJ

     UNITED KINGDOM

     +011-44-08716-64-21-21

     poferries.com/

   Costa Cruises to Barcelona and Italy

   • Costa Cruises' "Short Breaks" mini cruise on its Costa Magica, Costa Concordia or Costa Luminosa ships begins and ends in Italy, with stops at Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca in Spain, as well as at Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. Prices are available upon request.

     Costa Cruises

     200 S. Park Road, Suite 200

     Hollywood, FL 33021

     800-247-7320

     costacruise.com

   Brittany Ferries to Santander

   • Brittany Ferries offers two-night mini cruises to the resort of Santander, the capital of the Cantabria region of Spain, leaving from either Portsmouth or Plymouth, England. Two ships make this cruise, the Pont-Aven and the Cap Finistère. Brittany Ferries also offers a two-night Whale and Dolphin Watching mini cruise that follows the same itinerary. Prices start at 75 pounds per person for the regular mini cruise, and 150 pounds per person for the Whale and Dolphin Watching mini cruise (as of September 2010).

     Brittany Ferries

     Millbay

     Plymouth

     Devon, England, PL1 3EW

     +011-44-0871-244-0744

     brittany-ferries.co.uk/home

   MSC Cruises from Barcelona

   • MSC Cruises offers a mini cruise that departs and returns to Barcelona, Spain. The Fantasia sails to Marseilles and Genoa for three nights, with shore excursions and city tours in both cities. Prices are available upon request.

     MSC Cruises

     MSC Cruises Main Center Naples

     Via A. Depretis, 31

     80133 Naples

     Italy

     msccruises.com

Posted in: Cruises and Ferries