If you’re like most people, at some point you planned to go on a cruise, or at least thought about a cruise vacation. As you probably know, cruise ships provide all the features you can find in the best hotels and even more. Cruise ships often have things like piano bars, dance halls, nightclubs, restaurants, onboard jewelry and clothing shopping, live entertainment, full casinos, children’s recreation areas (arcades, game rooms, water slides), spas, coffee shops, beauty salons, gyms, etc. And all this for the same price per night as a good hotel.
There are always organized activities that range from playing bingo to taking any of the classes offered by the cruise ship. You can take special cooking classes, dance classes, learn to scuba dive, and even learn to program computers. All ships now have high-speed Internet connection, so you won’t have to leave without your email.
You’ll want to research what shore excursions, activities, and tours are available at the various stops on your cruise. Cruise lines offer a wide variety of shore excursions and tours, and many independent tours are available as well. You can often find better prices from independents than cruise lines offer, but there are also risks involved.
Do your homework. Visit online forums and message boards like the Cruise Critics. In many cases, you may end up with a string of new friends before you even get on board the ship. It’s often more fun to join activities when you feel familiar with your friends on the message boards. Go swim with the dolphins, learn to scuba dive, go tubing down underground rivers and more!
Cruise ship stops are usually long enough to spend at least most of the day in each port. They typically range from half a day to several days on longer cruises. While the ship is docked in port, you can enter the city and take the tours and activities that you would most like to experience in that destination. There are cruises you can easily arrange to see the pyramids in Egypt, Red Square in Moscow, the Colosseum in Rome, and even the Great Wall of China, just to name a few.
Cruise ship food is famous for its elegant presentation and excellent preparation. You will never run out of food while on board. There is always an open buffet somewhere, and most ships today have multiple restaurants and cafes. And there’s always room service, which is free, by the way. Some cruise lines have fresh baked cookies available throughout the day, and for coffee addicts, coffee is available 24 hours a day and it’s free! And what deserts!
Cruises are about having fun. Get as many comments as possible from as many sources as you can and then go see the world!
