Cruise vacations are a great way to travel. You can experience numerous cities in one trip for a decently low price. However, with so many cruise lines such as Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises, Uniworld River Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line, out there, the number of options can be daunting. Which cruise line should you choose? What are the best cruise ships for you? Here are a few things to consider during your cruise search.
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Who you are taking a cruise with
Are you taking a family cruise? Are you planning on going with kids or grandkids? If so, you should look into cruise lines that will have activities for them or you will have bored kids on your hands. Which is never good. Research cruise lines that have a basketball court, mini golf, rock climbing or surfing. Some cruise lines even offer babysitting or kids programs that will have them occupied all day long. Make sure there are programs for the age groups your kids are in.
Dining Options
Do you want the ability to have free style dining? If so, make sure to research which cruise lines have no set dinner start times. Some cruise lines make you pick what time you have dinner every night. If that’s important to you, choose a cruise line that allows you to eat dinner anytime you want. Some cruise lines also make you sit with other people at dinner instead of only sitting with your party.
Activities On-Board
What types of activities do you want to on the ship? Research what types of bars, restaurants, clubs, shopping and shows they offer. Some ships have Blue Man Group, Dancing with the Stars, ice skating shows, or comedians. Make sure the boat you choose has what you want to do! When there are days at sea, you want to make sure you are still happy and not bored. Some people are happy sitting at the casino all day long, other people like to sit by the pool. Either way, make sure your ship offers what you want!
Activities Off the Ship
What types of activities do you want to do while you are off the ship? Although you can just take a cab and do your own tour of the port city, sometimes a nice guided tour is fun. Look into the excursions they offer to make sure there are options you are interested in. Some cruise lines offer less excursion options than others. Excursions are great because the cruise line plans all of it for you so you just have to show up in the designated area and they take you to a bus, boat or other vehicle to get to your destination. They usually hire local tour guides to bring you around so you learn a lot!
Solo Cruising
Are you looking to cruise by yourself? Some cruises offer a singles floor where all of the rooms sleep one person and offer singles events and cocktail hours to help you meet other friends while on the cruise. Every cruise I have been on has single travelers. It is a great way to go on vacation by yourself without feeling unsafe in a foreign destination.
Luggage Shipping
Sometimes getting to the cruise port is an interesting journey. Planes are delayed, luggage is lost and you are not happy. To avoid worrying about lost luggage, checked baggage fees or hauling your bags through the airport, hotel and port, ship your luggage directly to the port! Your bags can be picked up from home and waiting for you at your stateroom. Learn more about our cruise baggage shipping service.