Cruisin on a sunny afternoon.

I have touched on taking cruises before, so I thought I would go back and revisit this subject in more detail. I love the whole idea of taking a cruise. You get on the ship, unpack once, same room the whole vacation. No worries about food,(most of it is included (except alcohol and possibly soda on some ships). You get taken to the destinations without having to put much effort into it. You can even leave the preparations up to the activities desk. Bad weather ahead they usually steer the ship around it. Brilliant! Plus with so many different cruise companies out there you are most certain to find one that fits your desires. Are you a college student looking for a good party? Carnival Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean are your ships. Are you a senior looking to get a quiet getaway with people your age? Try Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity, Cunard, Viking, or Holland America. Want some adventure, try a South American cruise that visits the Galapagos Islands with ports near the Amazon rain forest, the Andes, or the southernmost tip of the continent and see the penguins, or take a ship that relies on sails to get from place to place. Are you a family with kids? Try Disney, Royal Caribbean, Princess, or even Carnival Cruise Lines all of which have kids clubs of some sort.

Even better than that there are also theme cruises. If you are a foodie, sports fan, wine connoisseur, murder mystery fan, sci-fi or comic book fan, or single looking to meet other singles they probably have a cruise for you. You can gamble, see shows that compare to Broadway’s best, comics, and live music all without getting off the ship. There are great amenities such as movie theaters, pools, dance clubs, basketball court, rock walls, gyms casinos, bars and lounges, and my personal favorite: the spa.

Cruise lines offer a ton of excursions for just about everyone’s tastes. Want to scuba or snorkel, hike, picnic, explore historic towns, walk on glaciers, dog sled, gamble, or shop. They will be able to assist you in doing that. Don’t want to do any of that, stay on the ship and take advantage of the ship being empty and most likely on ship services will be discounted.

You can cruise the tropics (Hawaii or Caribbean), the north (Alaska, New England/Canada, or Norway), Asia (China, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore) even river cruises (Thames, Rhine, Danube, Ganges, Yangtze), transitional cruises (from Pacific to Atlantic Oceans through the Panama Canal, or across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean), or the great lakes and smaller seas. I know several people who try to take a cruise every 2-3 years just because it is so much fun and they get to see much more than if they were to just go to a destination and stay there (although used a cruise to scout out places they really liked and took a longer vacation there later).

In these economically difficult times if you are able to take a vacation you want to make it a great deal for your dollar. I totally recommend cruises because they are a great get away and you can just relax and enjoy the surroundings. See you at the midnight buffet!