Cruise Vacations 101
Author: CatherineJ Brock
Author: CatherineJ Brock
Cruising is easy, fun and cost-efficient. It's easy because you only have to unpack once. It's fun because you can fill up your days with nonstop activity, or you can choose to do nothing at all. And it's cost-efficient because the same itinerary will cost you much more if you fly between destinations and sleep in hotel rooms. Let's delve into each of these points a little further.
Say you want to take a trip to the Caribbean. You have 10 days to spare and you want to split it up between a few different islands. If you plan out that trip by the conventional air-and-hotel method, you would have to spend time packing and unpacking (and checking in and checking out) at each location. You'd also spend some of your time hanging out in airports waiting for your flight to leave. And how about the time it takes to figure out where to eat dinner or where to have a cocktail? All that time spent means less time enjoying your vacation.
If you cruise, you get to the ship and move in to your cabin for a week and a half. The ship does most of its traveling at night, when you are either sleeping, gambling, partying, dancing, seeing shows, dining or just relaxing. When the ship's in port, you can hop off and explore the area to your heart's content. You may have a few days on the ocean, which you can use to relax and refuel before you get to the next destination.
So cruising is easy, and it's also fun. Activities are going on almost around the clock. Those activities include everything from wine tasting and cooking demonstrations to Carnival's famous Hairy Man Competition. The cruise lines are in the business of making sure you have a good time, and they know how to put together an itinerary that will please a diverse set of passengers.
You can understand the efficiency of cruising by picking a cruise vacation and pricing the same itinerary with hotels and airfare. Typically, a cruise will cost you about $100-130 per person, per day. That includes food (lots and lots of food) plus entertainment. A couple could easily spend that $200-260 per day just on a hotel room.
Common concerns about cruising
Will I get seasick? How's the food? Am I going to get bored or irritated?
Seasickness
Some people do get seasick when cruising. If you are prone to motion sickness, go get one of those handy patches that go behind your ear. While you're at it, pack a bottle of ginger ale and some gingersnaps. Then you won't have to worry about it.
Cruise Food
The quality of the food varies depending on the cruise line you select; sometimes it's good and sometimes it's excellent. If you are super picky about what you eat, talk to your travel agent about it. A knowledgeable travel agent can assist you in selecting the right cruise line for you.
Getting Bored
You won't get bored unless you or your cabin mate is chronically bored. Sorry, but it's the truth. Even on the weekend cruises (where drinking is often the primary activity) there are many, many things happening throughout the day and night.
Crowds
Again, you have to do a self-check to decide if your co-passengers on a ship are going to irritate you. If you feel uncomfortable being in close quarters with people you don't know, a cruise on a mega-ship isn't for you. You could be perfectly happy, however, on a smaller ship. This is another conversation you should have with your travel agent.About the Author:
Catherine Brock operates BrockComm Travel, an online travel agency specializing in
cruises from Long Beach and Las Vegas travel planning. The agency has access to high quality travel products, services and unpublished travel discounts. BrockComm Travel also produces online
travel destination guides including a
Las Vegas Strip information portal.
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