Cruise Travel
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Cruise travel: Just the phrase evokes thoughts of tropical breezes, elegant dining, and attentive service. Once reserved for the wealthy, cruise travel today is affordable, fun, and encompasses a variety of vacations. Are you looking to relax and be pampered? Cruise travel is for you. Are you looking for a convenient way to see Hawaii or perhaps the capitals of Europe without all that packing and unpacking? Again, cruise travel is the answer. Cruising also offers the advantage of knowing what you are going to spend before you depart – no surprises with exchange rates, expensive (and mediocre) meals, and high-priced sightseeing. With a cruise vacation, it’s all included.
Sailing the World
Cruises today go pretty much wherever there is water. From the Inside Passage of Alaska to the shores of Antarctica, a cruise will take you there. Popular destinations include the Caribbean, with most ships sailing from south Florida; Alaska and Europe during the summer months; and the Panama Canal and the Mexican Riviera, generally departing from southern California. With exotic ports of call such as Jamaica, Puerto Vallarta, Aruba and Bermuda, vacationers often experience numerous destinations on just one voyage.
Although air travel has replaced ocean liners as a means of transportation, a few cruise ships sail across the Atlantic, usually as a means of repositioning their ships from one part of the world to another.
Other seasonal destinations include South America, the northeast United States and the St. Lawrence Seaway (for fall foliage cruises), Asia, and that most deluxe of cruises, the Around the World voyage.
What’s Included?
A cruise vacation generally includes accommodations, all meals on board, a variety of entertainment and activities, and all taxes and service charges. Some cruises also include alcoholic beverages (usually only the most deluxe cruise lines), sightseeing, and gratuities, though these are additional charges for most voyages.
Accommodations vary from small “inside” staterooms – comfortable, but generally small rooms with no windows – to lavish multi-room suites (some have separate dining rooms, grand pianos, and even Jacuzzi tubs overlooking the water). Increasingly popular are verandah suites – deluxe staterooms with a private balcony, ideal for watching the scenery, sunning, or sipping your morning coffee. In general, cruise ship staterooms are smaller than comparable hotel rooms, but are cozy and cleverly designed for guests’ comfort.
Dining on a cruise ship is legendary. Beautiful dining rooms feature attentive service and a lavish menu of traditional favorites and regional items. Since food is included, you may try more than one entrée or ask for something different if your first choice isn’t appealing. Where else can you do that? Formal nights are a cruise staple and couples dress in their best finery. Most cruises also offer a casual option on these nights if you don’t choose to dress up.
Entertainment and activities are a big advantage to cruise travel. Passengers can take advantage of nightly live shows, casino gambling, a movie theater with first run movies, and dance clubs open to the wee hours of the morning. Newer ships even offer such activities as a rock climbing wall, a surf rider, and an ice-skating rink. Less active passengers can take advantage of lectures, tours, a library, and even a cooking school on some lines.
How’s It Different?
Many vacationers question why cruise travel is better than a land-based vacation. Unlike traditional vacations, cruises offer the ease and convenience of being all-inclusive: no dining reservations to make, taxies to hail, entertainment tickets to purchase, or customs regulations to decipher. The ease and romance of being at sea is perfect for honeymooners and other individuals interested in a relaxing getaway without the hassle of arranging every detail.
Wherever you choose to go and whenever you choose to travel, cruise travel is sure to fit into your plans. From Alaska to Zambia, a cruise vacation offers excitement, value, intrigue, and a vacation of a lifetime.
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