Cruise vacations are great fun and great value, but they’re not for everyone, so I want to explore what to expect from a cruise vacation and help you determine what type of cruise is right for you. In fact, I think almost everyone will love a cruise vacation, but you need to determine what type of cruise is for you: a short 4-day cruise, a long 14-day cruise, a Caribbean cruise, a Mediterranean cruise… well, you get the picture. I must confess that at one time I was not a fan of cruise vacations. In fact, I couldn’t think of a worse way to spend a vacation than on a boat. But in the last few years, I became a fan of cruise vacations and have been on three very fabulous (and very different) cruises (mostly because I was looking for a cheap travel deal) and now I can honestly say that I love a vacation. on a cruise! But let’s go over some questions to ask yourself to determine whether or not a cruise is for you.

1. Do you get sea or motion sickness easily?

The number one reason many people think they won’t like a cruise vacation is because they are prone to motion sickness or motion sickness. I personally understand this because I can get very seasick when traveling on speedboats, small boats or catamarans if I don’t take the necessary precautions. For me, these precautions involve taking a motion sickness prevention product called Bonine (for adults and children) that you can buy at any pharmacy or department store like Target or Walmart (but use only as directed). Personally, I have not had any problems with seasickness on cruise ships (even when we have experienced very high winds or swells and the ship was really rocking).

2. Why do you want to take a cruise vacation?

A. Why do you want to experience a cruise?

PROS:

Cruises are like four-star floating resorts, and they’re so much more than a vacation. They are an experience like no other vacation you have ever had. Cruises are a great value as they are all-inclusive vacations that include your transportation to different ports (when you would otherwise have to book extra airfare), your hotel (since you always have your stateroom), and your meals (offered 24 hours a day). /7 on many cruises). They’re one of the best travel deals you can get for a cheap vacation when you add up what it would cost to take a similar vacation with additional airfare, hotels, and meals, not to mention the quality of accommodations.

You can make your cruise vacation whatever you want it to be. Your days on a ship can be packed with activities from morning to night or you can just relax, shop and sunbathe by the pool, or just hang out in your stateroom. And when you arrive at each port, there are dozens of shore and shore excursions for you to do, too.

CONS:

If you are single or have a couple with no children, you may want to avoid taking a cruise vacation during a non-school season (especially during spring break) or traveling on a cruise line that caters heavily to the families. If you have a family, be sure not to choose a cruise line that caters to older adults (including senior citizens) and is not suitable for children. Several cruise lines have programs for children who travel free (or offer this discount periodically, such as MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises) and these are good cruise lines for you to investigate.

B. Because you like the cruise itinerary and ports of call?

PROS:

One of my favorite things about a cruise vacation is that you can visit so many different destinations on one cruise, without having to repack, and all for one incredible price! On a recent 10-day Western Caribbean cruise, I had a balcony stateroom and went to the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico for a total of $535 per person (including port fees and taxes!) ! This cruise itinerary was perfect because I had just the right amount of time in each port city and country we visited.

CONS:

Now, from the good to the bad to the ugly when it comes to choosing a cruise vacation based on your cruise itinerary. I took an amazing 8 day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona with ports in Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice and Marseille. I had never been to Spain, Italy or the South of France, so this was a great itinerary to begin with. What I discovered, and what you need to be aware of, is how limited the time can be when porting. Usually the port time is not more than 10-12 hours. For example, when I arrived in Rome from the port (a 60-90 minute train ride), I only had seven hours to sightsee. You definitely need a lot more time than that to see all that the city of Rome has to offer and visit the highlights (Vatican, Sistine Chapel and Colosseum).

On cruise vacations, you should also be prepared that occasionally you won’t be able to board due to inclement weather. This is what happened with Florence, so I couldn’t get my proverbial photo holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa. All that being said, I had two weeks of incredible experiences packed and condensed into four days on the ground, including being wounded by the Pope in St. Peter’s Square in Rome and standing just 12 feet from him when he passed in the famous “Mobile Pope.”

C. Both A and B. Because you want to experience a cruise and like the cruise itinerary?

PROS CONS:

There is a difficult part of planning a cruise vacation if you want to experience a cruise and wonderful ports of call and that is where in the world do you want to go? With hundreds of different ports to choose from, you can find the cruise vacation of your dreams with cruises all over the world, including Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Bermuda, Hawaii, New England and Canada. But no matter where you decide to go, seeing the world on a cruise vacation is unlike any other trip.