Planning an itinerary, shopping for low prices on hotels and outings, getting up early to beat the crowds, struggling with directions ... sometimes a vacation just isn’t the blissful break from work that it should be. The beauty of vacationing on a cruise ship is that much of the planning is already done! The itinerary is pre-determined; the hotel is the ship; all meals are provided; there’s entertainment on and off-board. All that’s left to do is enjoy.
Places to Go
Cruise ships offer a number of itineraries. In fact, there aren’t many places cruise ships don’t go! Alaska, Europe, Hawaii, the Caribbean, the list goes on. Once a destination is picked, the length of time to go can vary as well. Want to chill in the Caribbean only for two days? No problem. Want to stay in the Mediterranean for a week? It’s possible.
Things to Do
Something cruise ships offer that make exploring new locations easy is excursions. Cruise ships offer a wide variety of excursions for each destination on the itinerary. The amount of time each excursion lasts, as well as a description of how strenuous or family-friendly it is, is listed on the cruise website. What about meeting for the excursion once at the location though? Easy! Tour guides wait outside the docks holding a sign for the excursion they are leading.
One thing to keep in mind when choosing which ship-line to cruise on is debarkation and embarkation times. Some ships don’t let passengers off until an hour after they’ve arrived in port, and then require passengers to be on board more than an hour before the ship leaves for the next port. Carnival has one of the best port requirements: as soon as the ship is docked passengers may leave. They don’t need to be back on the ship until half an hour before departure.
What to Eat
Cruise ships offer a lot of meal options. There are set times for the ship dinners (Carnival offers an early and a late dinner, perfect for families with young children) but one doesn’t have to go to these. The buffet is open during normal breakfast, lunch and dinner hours, and there are always a number of “specialty” restaurants on any cruise ship. The specialty restaurants are not included in the cruise fee though. In addition, there are usually one or two 24-hour stands on a cruise ship.
Family Friendly Vacations
Carnival and Norwegian cruises are geared for family vacations. Both ships have childcare for babies and while it’s not 24 hours, it covers significant chunks of time. There are kids’ programs designed for age groups from kindergarten through highschool. Activities include crafts, games, and even a dance for highschoolers. The pools and water slides on board are fun for the whole family, and the 24-hour pizza and burger bar make food time a breeze. There’s even an arcade.
Summing Up the Cruise Experience
One cruise ticket covers transportation to desired destination, lodging and all meals. This is a pretty good deal, considering that for less than $400, one can take a 5-day excursion to the Western Caribbean. For a vacation where all there is to worry about is what beach to relax on next, it almost seems like paradise.
Cheryl Metzger - Cheryl Metzger is a professional pianist who enjoys moonlighting as a writer. She is currently working on a fantasy story for young ...
