So You Want to Give Cruising a Try . . .

An all-inclusive sure fire way to disconnect and see more of the world, what’s not to love?  And yet, if you have never been on a cruise before, you may not know where to start.  What cruise line should you choose? Where should you cruise to? What kind of stateroom or group of staterooms is best for you and the group that you are cruising with? What if you get sea sick? There’s a lot to consider.

A good travel agent can help guide you through all of the options and help you to figure out what will work best for you and your family or traveling party.  A travel agent can not only get all of the details of your cruise ironed out to ensure a wonderful cruising experience, but also they can offer you a variety of perks at no cost to you.  Getting a good travel agent to help book your cruising vacations is a no-brainer.

Since this is your first cruise, you might want to consider a shorter (3 or 4-nights) cruise.  There are variety of weekend cruises available leaving out from all of the different ports in the United States. On the East Coast of the United States, you can choose from a number of ports in Florida, as well as 5 or 6 ports all the way up to New York (Newark is a convenient location).  There are 5 or 6 along the Gulf (Galveston is a great port for those living in or near Texas) as well as 4 or 5 along the West Coast (We found Port Los Angeles nice, as well).  Not every cruise line goes to every port so the port that you go out of affects which cruise line you can go on.

What is your budget? There are around 8 major cruise lines that range from economical to ultra luxury.  If you have a good idea of what you are wanting to spend, then that will help you to make an appropriate choice.

Who will you be traveling with? If you are traveling solo, some cruise lines are known for accommodating solo cruisers more than others. If you are traveling with your family, then there are cruise lines that operate with families in mind.  If you are traveling with just your partner or other adults, then there are recommended options there as well.

Where do you want to cruise to? Not every ship can go to every port.  Some ports require that the ship be smaller so if you are set on going through the Panama Canal or through certain areas in Alaska, for example, then that helps to limit your choices.  Your answers to these questions will help your travel agent to plan the perfect cruise for you.

Maybe you would like to give river cruising a try.  For a luxury, more intimate experience with very little worry of sea sickness, river cruising can be an excellent option.  There are a variety of itineraries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States.  In order to plan the perfect river cruise, you will need to consider many of the same questions as with an ocean cruise.  Let your travel agent know that you are curious about a river cruise and she can guide you in that direction as well.

Once you go on that first cruise, if you are like us, you will be hooked.  You’ll find that the daunting task of figuring out all of these options will soon become an exciting way to cruise in a variety of different ways.