Make new friendship
Today, cruise travel is no longer exclusively for retired seniors, but is becoming populated by young singles, couples, honeymooners and families. Because you are on the same ship for so many days, you can really become good friends with your fellow passengers. In fact, many people have made life-long friendships on cruise ships.

Travel and see the world
Cruising the high seas is one of the most relaxing ways to explore the world and every destination imaginable. Cruise lines echo the fact that one of the key attractions is that you can visit the globe's most famous destinations including intriguing world capitals and exotic tropical ports-of-call like Tahiti. Traveling on a cruise ship also provides for a stress-free experience since you don't have to worry about oddities and discrepancies with foreign hotel rooms and food.

You only unpack once
With cruising, you have everything with you; your "home" takes you wherever you go. The joy of cruising is that you have to unpack only once and you visit new destinations each day.

Great food
All the great things you've heard about dining on a cruise ship are true. Cruises are feasts for the eyes and stomach. Depending on your mood, most cruise lines allow you a choice of where to dine either in a traditional dining room, small romantic venue or in a casual eatery.You will wine and dine on gourmet meals. Even children have their own menus. The best part is that there is virtually no limit on what or how much you can order. If you have the late night munchies, check out the late night dining venues, or order room service. Most cruise ships offer 24-hour room service, which is included in the price

Entertainment on the board
Entertainment on a cruise is second to none. There is something to do around the clock. Fill your days with sightseeing, sports activities, cultural lectures, educational tours led by naturalists and historians or simply lounge by the pool and relax. At night, enjoy dance extravaganzas, musical revues or a quiet evening gazing at the stars. If you're into gambling, most cruise ships offer a wide variety of options. You can hone up on your Poker skills or play the slot machines.

Adventure awaits
There are cruises designed to suit virtually every interest and personal preference. Some cruises offer soft adventure expeditions to exotic places like the Galapagos Islands or Antarctica, while for some experienced vacationers, the cruise is focused on specialized culturally-rich ports of call like Athens or Venice with tours centered around history, treasures and antiquities.
On every cruise, shore excursions are offered and are the best way to enhance your vacation by allowing you to see and do more in the places you visit. Shore excursions are offered in most cruise ports and highlight the best local attractions, sight-seeing opportunities and high adventure activities like zip-lining along the tree tops, cave tubing, and dog sledding.

Stay in good condition
Cruise lines have incorporated more comprehensive fitness options into their shipboard offerings, including lappools, putting greens with golf simulators, and gyms with state-of-the-art equipment that offer popular workout programs like aerobics, Pilates, circuit training and yoga. You can easily use your cruise to get into far better shape than when you left home!

All-inclusive value
It's easy to see why cruises are so popular today. First off, the fare includes accommodations, m and all on-board activities and entertainment, and most meals -- you know what your cruise will cost before you go. Best of all you get to visit some of the most enchanting places on the planet.

High, high satisfaction
According to travel agents, cruise vacations have a much higher percentage of satisfied customers than other types of vacations. A cruise vacation is a better value for your money and there is a cruise package for every budget.

Cruising Advices – What To Wear

1. Formal Nights
Aboard the ship these nights are very exciting for men and women alike and even the children like it as most don't get this chance when at home. Also these times are a great chance to get a family picture taken as there are always photographers scattered throughout the ship who will take your photo and you don't have to pay for it unless you like it.
All of the ships I have been on have had two formal nights where you are expected to dress up a little more than usual. Women usually wear your typical long evening dress but you don't have to run out and buy the latest Christian Dior outfit to fit in as you will see a wide variety of dresses and styles including many off the shelf $40.00 dresses. For the men a dark suit with tie is perfectly acceptable but you will see some men wearing tuxedos which can usually be rented aboard the ship (that would have to be arranged before you set sail - don't go looking for a tux one hour before dinner).

2. Regular Evenings
For the nights that are not classified as formal you are not required to dress up but there is still some code that the ship would like you to adhere to for the evening meal. Shorts, tees, and jeans are not acceptable in the dining rooms for supper. This does not apply during the day as you can head to the same dining rooms for breakfast or dinner and the only restriction is that everyone must wear footwear and the men must wear a shirt and women must wear a coverup over their bathing suits. Now there is no need to be concerned about forgetting these rules as they are always posted just outside the door of any dining room that these rules apply to and if you forget then one of the dining room staff will very politely take you aside and explain the rules.

Daily Wear
During the days pretty much anything goes (as long as you are wearing something - and of course there are cruises available for those who might like to bend those rules). Treat being on deck in the daytime the same as heading to the beach, swim suits are the norm here. Make sure you bring sandals to wear on deck because in 30 degree weather the deck can get very hot to walk on barefoot. Please note that if you want to go to the dining room and even go to a buffet during the day you still have to wear a shirt and/or a coverup - hey it's only common courtousy.

FreeStyle Cruising
The last ship we vacationed on was the Norwegian Sun and Norwegian has a concept that they call FreeStyle Cruising which is designed to provide an option for those of us who don't want to get all gussied up. FreeStyle Cruising also allows you to eat in any dining room whenever you like - you don't have a set time that you have to get ready for. So if you are having a great time up on deck there isn't any need to stop at 5:00 pm and head to the cabin to get cleaned up for supper at 6:00. You can eat later if you like. Also they don't require you to dress up for formal nights but they still do have two formal nights where you can pull out the shirt and tie if you like and on those nights the majority of folks were wearing dresses, shirts and ties - even though it was optional.

First-Time Cruisers

If you have never been on a cruise before, it may be a good idea to visit a cruise specialist in the travel industry that can help you learn all you need to know about cruising. Obviously your budget is a big deciding factor and that may eliminate certain cruise lines right off that bat. The main thing to understand is what type of cruise vacation are you looking for? Are you more interested in a relaxing, smaller boat that stops in a lot of ports or are you ready to party away with a large boat that offers a lot of activities every minute of the day? Another great tip is to ask your relatives or friends that have gone on cruises what they liked and disliked about the lines they went on.
Another thing to consider is if you are just two adults traveling for a getaway or a family with younger children taking a trip. Some cruise lines are specifically geared towards families with young children like the Disney Cruise lines that offer child centered activities all around. This obviously, would not be a good pick for the couple wanting a romantic honeymoon trip. On the other hand you may not want to take your young children on a mostly senior citizen cruise line where everyone on board does not like the noise small children produce.
There are also theme specific special cruises that cruise for a specific group or activity. They have fitness and weight loss based cruises that are filled with nutritionists and trainers helping you get a head start to being more healthy. They even have cruises that are for gay and lesbian groups where they can be comfortable with who they are while on vacation. There are special cruises for everyone and it may be something you want to look into when choosing a cruise.
Once you pick a cruise, make sure to plan ahead and prepare as much as you can. Despite the large size of most cruise ships, there can be some motion sickness so having medicine for that is a good idea as well as booking a room higher on the ship versus lower will reduce sea sickness too. Pack wisely and research the ports where you will stop so you are ready for a great trip and experience all that you want to.

Where to go on Your Cruise Ship Vacation

So you have decided you would like to have a cruise ship vacation. The next thing you need to decide is where about in the world you would like to cruise, and what kind of activities you would like do, both on and off the cruise ship.
1. Tropical Cruises
Tropical cruises are very popular for cruise vacation travel If you enjoy the heat, then there are many cruises that are based in hot sunny, tropical areas. You can choose to enjoy the beaches of the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, or South America, for example, as well as many other tropical destinations.
2. Cultural Experiences
There are a number of different cruises that give you an option of experiencing different cultures. There are many cruises around Mexico and South America for instance. You can cruise around parts of Asia or even Europe and Africa. The world is full of possibilities when it comes to a cruise ship vacation. You have the opportunity to discover many interesting places that you can visit on these cruises as well.
3. Experience the Beauty of the North
On an Alaskan cruise you are very likely to spot native wildlife on the shore, and whales in the ocean. Cruising the Norwegian Fjords, is another popular option, and an opportunity to see some breath taking scenery.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

Don't think a cruise is for you?

Check out some of the most common questions we get asked about cruise holidays, and what the reality really is. You may be surprised!
Am I Too Young For a Cruise?
Cruises these days are aimed and regularly attract all age groups with a wide range of facilities to suit all needs - after all you would not normally catch grandma rock climbing!. You can see from our offers that a wide range of durations are available to fit in with one or two weeks holiday from work.

Will I have to dress formally?
During a standard seven night cruise only 2 nights are formal nights in the main restaurant for evening meal only. If you want to participate during these two nights then a regular business suit is acceptable. If you don't want to participate then simply eat in one of the other restaurants.
For the rest of the cruise attire is usually casual where Jeans and t shirts are acceptable.Cruises are no loner the stuffy palaces they used to be.

Aren't they very expensive?

If you compare what you would spend in the UK on hotel rooms, restaurant dinning for all meals, snacks, theatre tickets, night club entrances, fitness centres, travelling expenses to get around then throw in some flights - our cruise offers are a fraction of the cost.

Aren't they upper class?

The class structure days of the Titanic are over. Everyday people from all walks of life take a cruise mainly due to the incredibly low prices. Everyone on board ship has access to all passenger
areas of the ship regardless if you pay for a value for money interior stateroom or a plush suite.

Will I have something to do?

Just take a look at the range of facilities the cruiselines has to offer on the ships. With more facilities than your local town -how can you get bored? As for feeling confined these ships have 14 passenger decks and are four football pitches long with a wealth of activities, entertainments and shopping.

Are they suitable for kids?

Perfect - the utlimate holiday for families. Food/Entertainment and facitlities are included in the cost. The buffet restaurants on these ships are a bonus for children that are fussy eaters or uncomfortable sitting in a more formal environment at set dining times.
There are better children's facitlities on cruise ships than in the best land based resort hotels. Launderettes and baby sitting services are also available on the bigger ships.
Most ships have up to 4 different childrens clubs with very different activities to suit 4 distinct age groups.

Video arcades, arts and crafts, pirates adventures, burger bars, 24 hour pizza parlours, teen discos and internet cafes can all be found on a number of cruise ships.