Cruise Vacation

If the question is, “where can I go on a cruise vacation”, the answer would be anywhere under the sun almost, provided of course there is water there. There are cruises galore for you to pick up from. You can take a boat to Australia to see the coral reef or visit the Mediterranean to taste a bit of Europe. If I were you, I would have preferred a voyage through the Nile and ask the sphinx what they had been doing all through the millenniums sitting smug among the pyramids. Or better still, sail through the Amazon and have a twist with an Anaconda for a change. Yes, a cruise holiday can be on the sea or it can be on the river too. Cruising can be great fun when you have carefully selected from the many cruise packages that are out there.

But first of all, ask yourself if you have adequate time in your hand for a cruise through the open sea. This is no drive through the freeway at 100 mph or over to reach a destination which you know would not take more than a few hours. Besides, you can always take a U-turn to go back home if the person on the other end of your cell phone tells you to do so. But you can’t persuade the captain of your luxury liner to take you back to your port of embarkation when the ship hits the high seas. So, before you consider about ‘where can I go on a cruise vacation’, devote some time to find out how much time you may be able to spare on a cruise because your entire itinerary depends on that.

And of course the cruise destination you select will depend a lot on the kind of place you want to visit. Perhaps you have always wanted to visit Alaska or the Mediterranean. You are in luck because there are many hugely popular cruise lines that take people to many ports of call in these places. There are off shore expeditions too in these vacations. If you are going to Alaska then you can take a sled ride or visit the Denali National Park to come close with Mt. McKinley. On the other hand if you are on your Mediterranean cruise, then you can visit Greece and Rome. There are many other cruising attractions as well. The where to go decision is your and it is best taken based on your preferences.

The next significant issue does not concern the climate of your preference but the amount of money that you intend to spend or rather you can afford to pay for the cruise. You need not have to be specific but think in terms of a reasonable range. The fact is, your budget for the cruise may be just a few hundred dollars or it may runs up to even $4000 or more. In that case, take 25% off as overhead costs that cover visas, taxes and onboard expenses. Take note, some of the extras on your cruise vacation may be quite costly.

That much settled, hunt for the cabin next. But beforehand, feel the pulse or the purse first. Smaller, no-balcony, innermost cabins cost less but they are mostly decorated dungeons meant for spending the night at a minimum cost on board a ship. Next come cabins with balcony and on an upper deck where you can just sit in your privacy and enjoy the sea even if you do not want to be a part of the activities on the ship. Of course, the best cabins are located outside providing a 24-hour sea view. And then there are the state rooms with large windows and almost all the privileges that a cruiser can ever hope to enjoy.

Now that you know your parameters, check online with various cruise sites to find out if any off-season rebate or discount is available with short-term cruises. In the event of any cruise line offering the same, register your name and ask for a free quote (in many places you will find the price mentioned). If this is your first cruise, go for a Caribbean voyage that may prove interesting as well as cost-effective from all points of view.

Most Caribbean cruises are 7-night affairs departing from the East Coast and sailing to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Southern Caribbean Cruises are port-intensive ‘island-hopping’ types that spend more moments in port than at sea. Departing usually from Puerto Rico, they visit exotic ports of the deep Caribbean. Western Caribbean Cruises on the other hand, depart from Florida and the Gulf States, visiting Mexico, Caymans and Jamaica, providing a rich admixture of culture with a Mayan touch. These cruises are perfectly balanced in the sense that they spend as much time in ports as on the sea. Caribbean Cruises are best known for the innumerable beaches they lead into and the Duty Free shopping which is almost a part of the deal.

But this is just one option among many. There are so many cruise vacation options that it can become difficult to select one from them.