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Who's going on the cruise: The whole family, teenagers, young children, someone with limited physical and or mental abilities? Knowing who's going will help you decide the type and size of cabin you'll need. What kind of activities do you like to do? All cruise lines have a look and feel of their own. Make sure you check into the cruise and cruise line you're considering, and that they Þt in with what you're looking for in a cruise. You certainly don't want to book a "spring break" college age type of cruise if you're retired or have young children with you. Do your
research BEFORE you book!
Where do you want to go? The Caribbean? Europe? the Far East? Which locations you want to see, for how long and how much you¼re willing to pay... will all be questions to ensure you enjoy the "absolute Þnest" cruise vacation you could imagine. What's included in a normal cruise price your receive? So you wont get sticker shock, here is what's included and NOT included in the quoted cruise price: Included: Everything that's on the cruise ship. Your cabin, recreation, food, entertainment, gym, etc. Not included: Alcohol, gratuity, port of call excursions, deluxe spa facilities, method of getting to and from the ship (unless you've booked a air/cruise package), government fees (about $50 per person). Port charges will addan additional $150 to $200 per person. First determine where in the world you would like to go The Caribbean is the most popular destination and includes the Bahamas, Jamaica and other popular tropical destinations. This area is especially popular with United States citizens because its close, warm and tropical and in seven days you're able to stop at many beautiful destinations. How long do you want to go? Cruises are available anywhere from 3 to 120 days and longer. Remember, if you're having to pay for airfare to and from the cruise port, your airfare could end
up being a large percentage of the total expenses for the cruise... especially if the cruise is of short duration. A point to consider is if you're able to drive to the departure cruise port: You can save a LOT of money by not having to pay for airfare. Instead, do a one-way auto rental. Will you have children traveling with you? If so, you'll deÞnitely want to Þnd a cruise line and a speciÞc cruise ship and cruise which caters to children. If you are taking children, check to see if the cruise has in-cabin babysitting services available... some cruise lines do. Important considerations if YOU DON'T want to be on a ship with children and college students! Generally the longer cruises (more than 14 days) will have older and retired couples because of school schedules. ASK the cruise ship line or your agent before booking how many children will be on this cruise? * Also, be sure to ask yourself... is it spring break? * Are the children still in school? Again, if you don't want children on your cruise... double check the time of year and whether it¼s during spring break or the holidays. These are busy times when children and college students will most likely be on board. Are you booking your cruise to relax? If so, don't pick a party cruise ship or a theme cruise. What's a theme cruise? These cruises provide more of what you want your cruise to be. Here are some examples: a certain type of food and nationality theme, Þtness theme cruises, wildlife cruises, etc. If interested to Þnd which theme cruises are available, check with your travel agent or type in "theme cruises" (with the quotations) in Google. Are you considering a kid's camp on your next cruise? If so, be sure to get the SPECIFICS about the camp¼s requirements, ages, and operating hours. You don't want to have ANY surprises when you get on board. We all like the newest possible for most everything we use
It's no different with cruise ships. Find out how old the ship is you¼re considering going on? How large or small is it?
The age of the ship can have a real impact on your comfort during the cruise. Newer ships will usually have less broken items and fewer problems. They'll have the latest in technology to give the smoothest ride and the latest in entertainment like water slides.
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