Why Take a
Cruise Vacation?
--By Colin
Hartness
Have you considered taking a cruise vacation but just aren’t sure if
it would be right for you? With all the cruise lines available, all
the cruise destinations, the range of prices, there is a cruise for
just about everyone.
Do you commute to work every day, sitting in traffic for perhaps
hours? Think about it, on a cruise you don’t drive anywhere for 7,
10, 14 days or more. Now, even if you were on a bus tour with no
driving yourself, you haul your luggage or at least pack and unpack
it at each stop. On a cruise, you check your luggage when you check
in and it magically appears in your cabin, stateroom, or suite. You
unpack once, feeling at home for the duration of the cruise. The
cruise staff will tell you when to place your bags outside your
accommodations at the end of the cruise and, just a magically, your
luggage will be waiting for you on shore at a designated pick-up
point. Taking a cruise vacation frees you from some of the hassles
of traveling.
If you take a driving vacation, there’s always the question of where
to stop to eat. All meals are included in the price of your cruise
and great food is one of the main attractions of taking a cruise.
Most contemporary cruises take into account the modern casual
lifestyle and provide a variety of restaurants and snack bars on
board. Typically, there is a varied and plentiful breakfast and
lunch buffet similar to what you find in Las Vegas. Or you can eat
breakfast or lunch in one of the ship’s restaurants, ordering
exactly what you want from the ample menu, prepared fresh for you.
Restaurants are usually open for meals for extended hours and
buffets are generally open all day and into the night. Have you
heard of the midnight buffet available on some cruises?
Dinner is an important event on a cruise ship, a tradition dating
back to the late 1800’s when cruises were for royalty and the
wealthy who expected elegant formal dinners. Again, in today’s
lifestyle the elegant dinner is optional, and for those who prefer
to dine casually, the dinner buffet is available usually until 9 pm.
Most cruise ships offer excellent cuisine, especially at dinner, in
the main dining room or rooms plus offer meals at upscale specialty
restaurants at additional cost. Cruise lines base much of their
reputation on their food service, and terms such as “world class
cuisine” and “gourmet meals” are combined with “impeccable service”
to insure that the onboard dining experience is truly memorable.
Many cruises still offer one or more optional formal dinners where
ladies where long formal gowns or other evening dresses and
gentlemen wear tuxedos or dark suits.
Once onboard your cruise vessel, there are activities 24 hours a
day. Modern cruise ships boast state-of-the-art 700 plus seat
theatres for quality shows and entertainment, all included in the
cruise price. There is unique entertainment in the theatre every
evening of the cruise. Most ships also have a number of themed bars,
lounges, and discos with live entertainment that are open into the
early morning hours. Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks are seldom
included in the cruise price. Most ships also provide a casino that
is open while the ship is in international waters.
If night life isn’t your style, you can enjoy the onboard pool, spa,
library, fitness center, and other amenities. Many cruises now offer
instructional classes on a variety of topics during the day. If you
have children on the cruise, there are usually play areas and
programs geared to different age groups.
Did we forget about the cruise destination itself? Cruises typically
stop at a different port of call each day or every other day,
depending upon distances and sailing time between points of
interest. You may stay aboard the ship all day or disembark at any
stop. You are free to explore each destination on your own as long
as you return to the ship by the designated time.
Also cruise lines offer a variety of shore excursions at additional
cost. These adventures are geared toward the unique features of the
destination. For example, Caribbean cruises offer snorkeling, diving
or beach excursions while Alaskan cruises offer helicopter tours or
dogsled trips. For the less adventuresome, normally there are bus
tours or supervised shopping excursions in the local port.
Everything, including meal stops, is prearranged. All you need to do
is find the correct line onshore and an experienced guide handles
the rest of your tour.
With all these great services available at a reasonable cost, why
not take a cruise vacation? This article is reprinted with
permission of www.whatcruises.com
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