Know The Ins And Outs Of A Cruise Vacation, Part 1
Michael C. Podlesny
tell you, that if you haven`t gone on one yet, you really need to. They are
without a doubt a great time. For me I ventured on 5 cruises in my life, my
wife even more. She is the one who got me into them in the first place.
What cruises do is give you the adventure of stopping in multiple places on
the same location. I personally have always looked at cruises as a way to
get to know each island stop, just a little bit, and then if I really liked
one of them, my wife and I can go back for a longer stay at a later date.
There are a ton of choices when it comes to cruising. How long you should
go, where you should go, what excursions should you go on and a slew of
other questions. I will do my best to answer these questions for you from
my own experience.
First things first, where ya goin`. For this you just need to ask a few
more questions. Is it just you and your spouse or significant other, are
there kids going, how about the in-laws or grandparents. Once you know who
is going, then you can tailor your cruise after the party involved. For
example, if it is an adult only cruise, you could do something in the
Mediterranean, or Alaska (great cruise by the way). The Caribbean of course
is always fun.
If there will be kids, Disney now offers cruises, and although I personally
I have not been on a Disney cruise, I understand they are a great time,
especially for the kids.
When you think of cruising, most people think of warm destinations, the
Caribbean, Hawaii and so on. Don`t rule out European cruises, as they have
a lot to offer as well.
Once you choose your destination, which may or may not dictate the next
question, you need to figure out, just how long you want to go for. I have
gone on 4 and 7 days cruises. For me, 4 days is just way, I am mean way to
short. A 7 seven day cruise is the norm, and perfect if you are a first
time cruiser. I am looking forward to doing a 9 to 15 day cruise. At the
end of 7 days, I am always feeling like there should be just one more day.
If you are new to cruising, I suggest 7 days. its a perfect amount of time
to get you acclimated to this fun past time. Any longer on your first trip
and you just might burn yourself out. Give yourself a reason to go back for
more.
OK, so you know where you are going, who you are going with and for how
long. But which cruise line should you pick. Honestly, it doesn`t matter,
but you should check to see which ones are better suited for kids, how big
are the ships going to the destination you have chosen and so on. Remember
bigger isn`t always better. More people on a ship could translate into
longer lines at the buffet or shows, and ugh, no seats by the pool! So if
you aren`t much of a crowd person, stay away from the bigger mammoth ships.
In my next article I will discuss, what to do while on a cruise ship, and
how to maximize your time, so you don`t miss a thing. So keep an eye out
for that.
By: Bruce A. Tucker
About the Author:
Bruce A. Tucker is the Associate Director of Indocquent.com, an online
resource that allows travel agents, cruise lines, and vacation desitnation
businesses to post their products and services for sale and in 20,000 cities
throughout 200 countries around the world.