What is a Cruise Vacation?">What is a Cruise Vacation?

Posted by cruisevacationsexpert on July 5, 2009 under general cruise vacation information | Be the First to Comment

Cruise vacations are an exciting and cost effective way to see the world without breaking your budget.  This website is dedicated to providing a beginner’s guide to “getting your feet wet” when planning and preparing for your first cruise vacation.  Obviously, if you’ve already been on a cruise, this guide won’t be as useful to you. However, even if you are an expert cruise vacation planner, this is a great source to brush up on current cruise ships and features for 2009.

So let’s get started!

Here are some common questions that many novices ask me when planning their trips:

1.  What size cruise ship should I go on?

2. What should my budget be?

3. What is included with the price of the cruise package?

4.  How much more money should I bring for the additional activities?

5.  What destinations are included in the cruise package?

6.  What type of accommodations are on board and will they suit my needs?

7. What is the ship’s on board atmosphere?

8.  What type of facilities and amenities does the ship have?

9.  What kind of food and service is there?

10.  Are all foods and beverages included? What kind of all inclusive cruise packages are offered? If not, how much should I budget for additional food?

11.  What type of entertainment can I expect?

Any travel agent that plans cruises should be able to answer all of these questions for you.  These are really good questions to start your vacation planning process.

So let’s start from the basics…what is a cruise?

A cruise IS the vacation.  It’s an escape away from home, work, stress and all the anxiety from the everyday city life.  Being on a boat is your chance to sit back and relax with a virtually worry free, hassle free and most importantly crime free vacation.  People sometimes call cruises the “adult” Disneyland as all amenities, entertainment and facilities are just a few feet away.  Nothing is unattainable and very courteous staff are willing to cater to your every whim.  Cruises provide great value and include a large choie of entertainment, food, travel destinations, activities and on-board night life.   It’s a way to become close with your loved ones, make new best friends and meet romantic interests.

Currently there are over 350 cruise ships that have a capacity of 40 to over 6,000 passengers.  These cruise ships serve over 2,000 destinations all over the world.  There is a flavor for every taste as the atmosphere can be extremely casual to ultra laid-back.

How long does a cruise last?

Due to the speed of the cruise boats, a standard cruise will last around 7 days (on-average).  However, there are ships that serve 3-day destinations.  The longer you stay on the cruise, the less expensive it gets and the more experience you’ll receive.  If you are newbie to cruising, you should try a short excursion.  The most important factor of cruise length is how much time  money and time that you can afford to spend away from “reality”.

Many people think that cruising is for “old” and”retired” people and that it’s not “hip” to take a vacation on a boat.  This is not the case!  As time goes by, the average age of each passenger is decreasing rapidly.  Many college students are finding out that cruising is a great way to vacation on a budget.   It’s true that a lot of retirees take cruises as they feel more secure than they would planning their own vacation or to an exotic place.

It really depends on what type of cruise that you choose and more importantly, the time of year and the capacity of the boat.   On an average cruise, you will meet singles, retirees, students, families, children of all ages, honey honeymooners, college students and possibly your next door neighbor!

You may think that being on a boat for a long duration will become tedious and boring.  There are so many activities on board that by the end of your trip you will not have finished a third of the activities!  Again, it depends on what type of vacation that you want to go on and how active you are.  There are cruises that serve more towards an active and water sports crowd and there are cruises that serve the “lay on the patio and tan crowd”.  Many people have a fear that they will be cut off from all contact from the real world.  Large resort ships carry over 1,600 passengers and have internet access, fax machines and ship-wide wi-fi.

More information to come on how to plan and experience the best cruise vacations for beginners.