Cruise Vacations part one

Today more and more people are looking for value when they invest their travel dollars and many me included have discovered the pleasures of a cruise vacation. These mostly inclusive voyages are enjoyed by singles, families, couples, honeymooners, second honeymooners and groups of friends. Even the corporate boardroom has taken to sea mixing business with pleasure. Last year nearly seven million people enjoyed this vacation style. When you add up what all is included in a cruise vacation I’m sure you’ll see why it’s a great travel value and want to get onboard.

The price of your cruise ticket includes an exciting voyage to some of the most enchanting and culturally-enriching places and ports in the world as most major destinations are easily reached via deep blue oceans or inland waterways. Once onboard the vessel normally all of your meals and in-between snacks on-board; your stateroom, activities, parties and entertainment are included. Carnival Cruise Lines even offers a 24 hour pizzeria and their pies are free; Royal Caribbean offers a rock climbing and ice skating rink.

There are some exceptions that will have you reaching for your sign and sail (on board charge card). Items you’ll have to purchase onboard include soft drinks, alcohol, shore excursion, spa treatments, nominal fees for reservations only specialty restaurants, gratuities and other items of a personal nature. This reason is why I consideration most cruises to be fairly inclusive not an all inclusive package. Even with these additional fees tacked on to your total trip costs I still strongly believe that a vacation at sea is a great value when compared to comparable land based touring vacations.

Ok I hope you have a better idea of what a cruise vacation is so next time I’ll talk more about the ship and more on the benefits of cruising.

Happy travels! Email your cruise questions to thetravelprofessor@gmail.com or call 800.626.0513 ext. 4559.