Advantages of a Cruise Vacation

Advantages of a cruise vacation include the following:

Are you one of the many who commute to work back and forth every day, sitting in the traffic for hours? Not only that, if you take a driving vacation, there’s always the question of where to stop to eat. This is just one of the advantages of a cruise vacation, you don’t have to drive anywhere for the whole period you are on holiday. When going on a cruise, the price of the meals are included in your cruise and great food is one of the main attractions of going on a cruise.

More advantages of a cruise vacation is that, you check your luggage when you check in and it magically appears in your cabin. You unpack once, feeling at home for the duration of the cruise, while the cruise staff will tell you when to place your bags outside your accommodations at the end of the cruise. At the end of the cruise, your luggage will be waiting for you on shore at a designated pick-up point.

As many people will know, there is a varied and plentiful breakfast and lunch buffet, or you can eat breakfast or lunch in one of the ship’s restaurants, ordering exactly what you want from the ample menu. Restaurants are usually open for meals for extended hours and buffets are generally open all day and into the night.

Dinner is an important event on a cruise ship, a tradition dating back to the late 1800’s when cruises were for royalty and the wealthy who expected elegant formal dinners. In today’s modern era the elegant dinner is optional, and for those who prefer to dine casually, the dinner buffet is available usually until 8 or 9 pm. Most cruise ships offer excellent cuisine, especially at dinner, in the main dining room as well as meals at upscale specialty restaurants at an additional cost.

Most Cruise lines base a huge part of their reputation on their food and service. Terms such as “world class cuisine” and “gourmet meals” are combined with “impeccable service” to insure that the onboard dining experience is truly memorable. Many cruises still offer one or more optional formal dinners where ladies where long formal gowns or other evening dresses and gentlemen wear tuxedos or dark suits.

Modern cruise ships boast state-of-the-art 700 plus seat theatres for quality shows and entertainment (all included in the cruise price). Most ships also have a number of themed bars, lounges, and discos with live entertainment that are open into the early morning hours. Be informed that alcoholic beverages and soft drinks are seldom included in the cruise price. Most ships also provide a casino that is open while the ship is in international waters.

If you don't consider yourself a night owl,  you can enjoy the onboard pool, spa, library, fitness center, and other amenities. Many cruises now offer instructional classes on a variety of topics during the day. If you have children on the cruise, there are usually play areas and programs in place for all the different age groups.

Don't forget about the cruise destinations - cruises typically stop at a different port of call each day or every other day, obviously depending upon distances and sailing time between points of interest. You are free to explore each destination on your own as long as you return to the ship by the designated time.

Other advantages of a cruise vacation include off shore excursions at additional cost, off course. These adventures are geared toward the unique features of the destination, for example, Caribbean cruises offer snorkeling, diving or beach excursions while Alaskan cruises offer helicopter tours or dogsled trips.

There are bus tours or supervised shopping excursions for the less adventurous in the local port. Everything (including meal stops)  is prearranged, all you need to do is find the correct line onshore and an experienced guide handles the rest of your tour.

With all these great advantages of a cruise vacation, compared to a beach holiday or even one inland, don't you think it's time to change your routine and go on a cruise!

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