Travel By Numbers: Caribbean cruising

Desperate to drift away this winter? Hannah Capella counts up the opportunities

8

The number of rivers that gives the main Jamaican cruise port, Ocho Rios, its name. Attractions include Columbus Park, said to be where the explorer stepped ashore for the first time. A favourite excursion is an all-day downhill cycling trip with Blue Mountain Bicycle Tours: US$98 (£65), including transport from Ocho Rios, bike hire, and meals. bmtoursja.com

-4

The time difference in hours from GMT on the island of Barbados. For those who prefer to avoid jet lag, a 15-night cruise aboard P&O's Ventura , which leaves from Southampton on 22 October, could be the answer. Homeward flights (jet lag included) to Manchester are included in the online price of £1,358 per person for an outside stateroom. pocruises.com

360

Length in metres of the Oasis of the Seas , the largest passenger ship ever built. This behemoth can accommodate a total of 5,400 passengers on 16 decks. If you fancy being one of them, then the Oasis offers seven-night Caribbean tours from her home port at Fort Lauderdale in Florida throughout the winter from £516 per person, excluding flights. royalcaribbean.co.uk

6

The number of months for which cruise ships are banned from US waters after they have called at a Cuban port. This has not deterred Thomson from basing several itineraries for the Thomson Dream on the Cuban capital, Havana. A two-week trip departing 10 March includes flights from Gatwick, with calls at the US Virgin Islands, Barbados and Aruba, for £1,480 per person. thomson.co.uk/cruise

18

The date in November on which Mickey Mouse celebrates his birthday (making him a Scorpio). As luck would have it, Disney Cruise Line's one-week Western Caribbean itinerary departing 13 November is among the cheapest all year. About £600 per person (excluding flights) takes you from Port Canaveral in Florida, including calls at Castaway Cay, Disney's private Bahamian island. disneycruise.disney.go.com

1,199

The starting price in pounds of the 14-night "Puerto Rico Stay and Caribbean Cruise" offered by Virgin Holidays Cruises. The trip includes one night in the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan, followed by a week on board the Caribbean Princess, which calls at St Thomas, Tortola, Antigua, St Lucia and Barbados before returning passengers to Puerto Rico for a further six nights in four-star accommodation. The first departure of the season takes place on 6 November. virginholidayscruises.co.uk