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Planning your first cruise can be a challenge for those who either haven't traveled much or who haven't taken an organized tour or vacation. The cruises guide gets lots of letters, and I enjoy reading them and answering questions or directing readers to the answer--whether it be on my site, elsewhere on About, or on the Web. Probably one of the most frequently asked questions comes from people planning their first cruise. They have been sitting around the dinner table and have had a discussion about where they want to travel or vacation next. They have heard cruise tales from and seen (or been subjected to) cruise vacation pictures taken by their family and friends, or read in magazines and the Web about how much fun (and economical) cruising can be. They want to "take the plunge" and go on their first cruise, but where to start?
If the future-cruisers are Internet active, they might post questions to a forum or bulletin board, or send an inquiry
to us.
The question usually reads something like this, "My family is planning our next vacation trip. We are ages 75 to 5 and want to go someplace where we will all have a fun vacation. We have never been on a cruise. Where do we start?"
Since the future-cruisers have already decided on the type of vacation they want to take (a cruise), I won't spend time here describing the wonders of cruising. However, before the future-cruisers can get an answer to their question, they will need to be prepared to provide some answers of their own. So, here are the questions for the future-cruisers.
1) Who is going on the cruise?
This should be the easiest question, so let's start with it. All age groups are welcome and planned for. You will be able to find a cruise that will give any age group from toddler to great grandmother a memorable vacation. Friends of mine with teenagers often say they have found it to be the best family vacation yet. If you don't have kids or don't want to be around them while on vacation, there are some cruise ships that are adult only.
2) How much are you prepared to spend?
I'll discuss minimums here. There are NO maximums. There used to be a "rule of thumb" that you needed to budget about $100/day/person (exclusive of airfare). That rule still seems fairly reasonable. You can decrease that some by shopping around or by (1) having more than two persons per cabin, (2) being conservative and booking early [more than six months in advance], (3) being a risk-taker and booking late [less than 2 months in advance]. The minimum price on a "mainstream" cruise line seems to average about $500 per week.
3) How long is your vacation?
If you have less than a week, you are probably restricted to the Bahamas, Mexico, or a "cruise to nowhere". A week's vacation will open up the Caribbean to you, and depending on where you live you can even get to Europe, Hawaii, or the South Pacific. If you can squeeze out ten days to two weeks, you will have many more options.
4) When do you want to travel?
Cruises are usually a little cheaper in the spring or fall. Students of economics will know that this is entirely due to supply and demand. Kids are in school, and weather can sometimes be uncertain. Winter used to be considered the only "high" season for tropical locations like the Caribbean. However, summertime costs are not far behind due to the large numbers of families with children, college students, and others who have "forced summer vacations" who must choose to cruise in the summer.
Of course, where you want to go (next question) also factors into this decision. Some locations have short cruising seasons. For example, if you are going to Alaska or northern Europe, you will have to cruise between May and September. If you go at the beginning or end of the cruise season, you will save a little and avoid the crowds if either of these is your destination.
Going to the tropics is a little easier. The temperature will not vary much with the seasons. What does vary is the rainfall. The dry season for most tropical locations like the Caribbean and Hawaii is in the summer, and the rainy season is in the winter. This does NOT mean it will rain all of the time. You just need to be prepared for more rain. Afternoon showers are more common. Of course, if you are coming from Canada or the northern U.S., some warm rainfall is not a problem if you have left piles of snow at home!
If you are going to the Mediterranean, summer is the high season, but some ships cruise there year-round. Some people are fearful of fall hurricanes, but cruise ships can deal with those by altering their itinerary, although you may see different destinations than what you planned.
5) Where do you want to go on your cruise?
Choosing a cruise destination is often the most difficult decision for future-cruisers. Let me briefly go over some of the most popular choices for American travelers. Remember that the earth is over 3/4 covered with water. This means that you can reach every continent and many countries via cruise ship. Even land locked locations such as central Europe, Russia, or the Yangtze River in China can often be reached on a river cruise.
Alaska
Most Alaskan cruises are one to two weeks. Seeing the wonders of nature and viewing wildlife are the main features of an
Alaskan cruise. They usually leave from Seattle or Vancouver, although some of the longer ones depart from California. Some ships go one way (north or south), others do a round-trip.
Many ships sail the "inside passage" along the coast of Canada and southeastern Alaska, stopping at small towns along the way. Many people add a land excursion to their cruise, enabling them to see Denali National Park and some of the interior of the state.
Australia and Asia
These 2 locations are becoming more and more popular for those seeking a longer cruise. Both are exotic and interesting cruise destinations. Many cruise lines frequent Asia and/or Australia during the winter months, and others include these 2 continents as part of a round-the-world cruise.
Bahamas
The Bahamas can be reached via a long weekend cruise, and are often included as a stop on an eastern Caribbean itinerary. Natives will tell you that these islands located in the Atlantic Ocean are NOT part of the Caribbean, but they will give you a good flavor of what you will find in the Caribbean. The Bahamas are a good place to go if your funds are limited, you don't have much time, or are uncertain as to whether you will enjoy the cruise experience.
Bermuda
Most cruises to Bermuda last a week, leaving from the east coast of the U.S. (Boston or New York). Since you are only visiting one island, your ship serves more as a floating hotel than as a means of transportation between islands/cities. (Some cruise ships actually dock at both of Bermuda's major ports). You also get to have at least one day at sea sailing to and from Bermuda, so you get a good opportunity to have sea days. Bermuda is a beautiful island with a moderate climate.
Caribbean
Most one-week Caribbean cruises are lumped into three destination categories: eastern Caribbean, western Caribbean, and southern Caribbean. Ships usually leave from Florida, New Orleans, Texas, or San Juan. If you haven't visited the Caribbean, all of the islands have some similarities and some differences. Most islands have spectacular beaches, good hiking, and gorgeous vistas. Some ports have great nightclubs. You will probably only spend one day on each island, so if you haven't cruised before and are interested in the Caribbean, you might want to use other factors such as cost or ship environment to narrow your selection. All Caribbean cruises give you an opportunity to check out several islands during the week. You usually sail at night between the different islands.
Europe
Most European cruises last one to two weeks. Ships sail the Mediterranean year-round, and northern Europe is available in the summer. The embarkation points differ among cruise lines, depending on the itinerary. There are also many more major airports than there are in the Caribbean. If your idea of a cruise is to spend a lot of time on the beach or doing water sports, then Europe may not be for you. European ports are usually near major cities or significant historical locations.
Hawaii
Cruises to Hawaii last one to two weeks, depending on if you fly to Hawaii and then cruise or if you leave from the west coast of the U.S. A cruise will give you a good overview of Hawaii, but you will not spend but one or two days on each island, just enough to make you want to return! NCL is the only cruise line that sails Hawaii year-round, so if you want to fly to Hawaii and then cruise, your ship choices are limited.
Mexico
There are actually two parts of Mexico available to cruisers. The Caribbean coast of Mexico (the Yucatan) is included as part of many western Caribbean itineraries. There are also ships that leave from New Orleans and Texas that sail to Cancun and Cozumel. The Pacific coast of Mexico, made famous by the TV show "The Love Boat", is reached most often from cruise ships leaving California. Some ships transiting the Panama Canal will include stopovers in Mexico.
South Pacific Islands
Tahiti and French Polynesia make for wonderful cruise destinations. Three cruise lines, Windstar, Princess, and Radisson Seven Seas cruise there year round. Other cruise lines stopover in French Polynesia while sailing the South Seas or on world cruises.
Have I confused you enough? Here are four more questions you'll need to answer before you cruise.
6) What types of things do you like to do?
One of the best things about a cruise is the wide variety of activities available.
You can do everything from sit on the deck and enjoy the view to more strenuous activities like hiking, scuba diving, or other water sports. European cruises often feature city or museum tours and other cultural opportunities. Caribbean and South Pacific cruises feature island tours and beach and ocean sports. Many cruise lines' will provide you a list of shore activities offered before you book, either via the Internet or from your travel agent. You normally do not have to decide on the shore activities before you sail, but you may be asked to book the shore excursions not long after embarkation. Some shore excursions have a limited number of slots, so if you absolutely MUST have a private tour of the Vatican, a helicopter ride over a volcano, or go scuba diving over a Caribbean shipwreck, ask if you can book space in advance. The activities director will give passenger briefings on the shore excursions available after you get onboard, but I like to have a general idea of what I want to do in each port before I sail.
7) Do you like to dress-up?
Mainstream cruise lines used to always have one or two dress-up nights where passengers would wear formal or semi-formal attire. Along with the general trend towards more relaxed dress, some cruise lines have started to feature "resort casual" or "country club casual" dress every night. On these ships, they probably won't care if you want to be more formal, but you might feel awkward if you showed up without a tie for a semi-formal dinner on a more traditional ship! Look at the brochure and Web Site pictures and read the brochures/schedules carefully on ships that you are considering. If all of the pictures of people dining show everyone in semi-formal wear, then you will want to take along either your black suit, tux or white dinner jacket. Ladies will need either a silky suit, cocktail dress, or something "glittery." If you want to leave that tie and other semi-formal wear at home, then look for cruise ships with more relaxed dress for dinner.
8) What type of cabin do you want/need?
Cabin selection is normally a function of how much you want to spend. However, many cruisers will book the cheapest room available at the time of booking, preferring to save their money for shopping or shore excursions. Deck plans for most ships are available in hard copy from the cruise line, travel agent, or you can view many of them online. If you book early enough, you will sometimes get an upgrade to a better cabin. You might also note that on some ships a cabin mid-ship and on a lower deck will "ride better" in rough seas than one near the bow or on a higher deck.
If you are on a one-way Alaskan cruise, you might want to select a cabin on the shore side. I personally am a little claustrophobic and like to be able to peer out my window in the morning to see the weather, so I normally like to get the cheapest room I can book with a window or porthole, although now that I have discovered balconied-cabins, I may never want to cruise again without one! Many of the newer ships feature private verandahs or balconies on most cabins, so they are getting less expensive. When determining your cruise budget, be sure to check to see how much more one of these cabins might be. It might be worth your money!
Let's look at the final two questions you must answer before booking your cruise.
9) When do you like to eat dinner?
This also varies with the cruise line or ship. There are three possibilities--early seating (about 6:00 pm), late seating (about 8:00-8:30 pm) or open seating (anytime within a given time frame like 6:30-9:30). Most ships will give you a choice of either early or late seatings. There are advantages to both. Early seating might mean you have to get up earlier (although more ships are moving to open seating for breakfast and lunch). It also means that you might have to rush for dinner if you are on a shore excursion that lasts until the late afternoon, or can't tear yourself away from the beach or pool. The advantage to early seating is that you can then go to the shows after dinner and have more time for nightlife before bed. Late seating allows you to sleep in and have plenty of time to get ready for dinner.
However, if you don't finish dinner until 9:30 or 10:00 pm, you might either miss the show or part of the night life.
Open seating is available on more and more cruise lines such as Norwegian Cruise Lines, Princess, Radisson Seven Seas, and Silversea.
Another note about dining. On a ship with assigned seating, you will also be asked what table size you prefer. Most ships have tables for two, four, six, or eight (and sometimes ten). Oftentimes, the numbers of "two-tables" are limited, so if you "want to be alone", be sure to tell
us in advance.
10) How do you plan to get to the cruise ship?
Flying or driving are the two most popular modes of transportation to the ship's embarkation point. Driving is under your control, but might not be reasonable unless you live within a day's drive of an embarkation point. Most cruise lines will sell you a combination "fly-cruise" package. Be sure to check when you book to see what the price difference is if you book your own plane reservation.
Many times I have found it is much easier to let the cruise line book your flight. The "fly-cruise" price will usually include transfers to and from the airport to the ship which can sometimes be a problem. In addition, the cruise line will usually transfer your luggage directly to your cabin. For cruisers who over-pack (you know who you are!), this can be a big help. The other reason it is a good idea to let the cruise line take care of your flight is that SOMETIMES the ship will be held up for late arriving flights. If you are on a cruise line-booked flight, there will probably be other cruisers on your plane. The more of you who are "in the same boat", the more likely the ship's departure will be delayed if your flight is late arriving.
If you do choose to use frequent-flyer miles for a flight or want to book independently, you might want to get to the departure city a day early to avoid the stress of worrying about flight problems, whether they be weather or mechanical. You don't want to be left behind.
Sit down with your traveling companions and discuss these ten questions. Once you have a general idea of your answers, this should enable you to focus your cruise line/cruise ship selection.
Call us once you've got some answers and we'll help you
book the vacation you've dreamed about!
Have a great trip and Bon Voyage!
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