SO MANY CRUISES TO CHOOSE FROM
TO THE FIRST-TIME CRUISER and even many veterans, the number of cruise lines, ships, and itineraries is staggering. Travel agencies that sell only cruises ease their customers into the array of choices by comparing cruise lines with well-known hotel chains, and such comparisons are useful. They might see Carnival, for example, as the Holiday Inn of cruises. Holland America and Celebrity Cruise Line are up a notch, perhaps at the Hyatt level.
Ritz-Carlton–type cruises might appeal to the most discriminating cruisers and are at the upper end of price, service, and amenities. Large and medium ships in this class include those of Crystal Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (which also has a small ship in Tahiti). Boutique cruises overlap the luxury category and include the smaller, all-suite ships of Silversea and Seabourn, as well as the cruise/sail ships of Windstar.
Be aware that none of the hotel chains mentioned (except Radisson and Hyatt) have anything to do with cruising, and these are only a handful of the lines available. Although the foregoing comparison may help you see where you fit into the general scheme, you must dig much deeper to find your perfect cruise.
GETTING YOUR ACT TOGETHER
CRUISES VARY WIDELY. To pinpoint your requirements and preferences in a cruise, you need to ask yourself dozens of questions. Once you settle on what you want, it’s easier to match your demands and budget with the appropriate line and ship.
1. What Is My Vacation Budget? Unless price is no object, one place to start planning is your general budget. How much can you afford, and what are you willing to spend for your cruise? Consider what you must or may add to the cruise price: port charges and taxes, shore excursions, shopping, drinks and dinner wine (on most ships), gambling in the casino, spa services, laundry, and tips for crew members. Once you figure a range within your uppermost limit for all costs, you can begin to explore what kind of cruise you can buy. A good travel agent may tell you about a special promotion that provides value or added perks on a cruise you may think is beyond your price range. In the end, it may cost less, and if it does cost more, you may decide it is the best choice due to “extras” you receive. In other words, use your budget as a starting point.
Although we will revisit this issue in “How to Get the Best Deal on a Cruise,” let’s say three-day cruises start at about $295 a person, assuming two people to a cabin. Seven-day cruises begin at about $650, and ten-day cruises are about $920 and up. These prices are deeply discounted and represent the least you would expect to pay, usually for a cabin without windows.
2. How Many Days Do I Want to Cruise? Your available vacation time and budget are among the factors in your ultimate cruise selection. Generally, the larger your budget, the more cruise days you can buy. That is, the longer the cruise, the more it will cost. If your budget isn’t up to the number of days you have your heart set on, you still have options. First, trade luxury for cruise days; consider a cruise on a less-luxurious ship. The fee for a week on an upscale ship will easily buy two weeks on a midrange vessel. Second, cruise during the off-season, when prices are lowest. Third, consider the least expensive cabin. Once aboard, all passengers have the same privileges, eat the same meals, and enjoy the same entertainment. Unless you plan to spend an extraordinary amount of time in your cabin, you might select less-expensive accommodations. We’re not talking about special suites, just the difference between the highest deck outside cabin (with a window or veranda) and the lowest deck inside cabin (no window). For example, on a seven-day Celebrity Cruise Line itinerary to Bermuda, the upper-deck outside cabin costs more than twice as much as the lower-deck inside cabin.
In the Caribbean and Mexico, a seven-day cruise is about right for your first trip, but a three- or four-night cruise will give you a good enough overview of ship life that you can determine whether cruising is something you’ll enjoy again in the future.
3. Where Do I Want to Go? You can cruise just about anywhere there is enough water to float a ship. This includes all of the world’s oceans and seas and many rivers.
unofficial T I P
Don’t veer too far from your lifestyle or interests, or you will be disappointed with your cruise.
Where you want to cruise depends primarily on your own “wild goose.” It also hinges on your preferred style of cruising and whether you enjoy the destinations or the ship more.
Some destinations, including Alaska and Europe, are seasonal. Others, like the Caribbean and Mexico, are year-round. Almost all cruises worldwide are tailored to the market and the weather. Many to the Caribbean and Mexico, for example, are festive and high-spirited, emphasizing activity and fun. Mild temperatures allow time outdoors, and passengers tend to be younger. By contrast, Alaskan, Canadian, North Atlantic, Scandinavian, and Baltic Sea cruises are more passive, focusing on the beauty of the forests, islands, fjords, and glaciers. Still, Alaska cruises can have very active shore trips. For these northerly venues, longer cruises and colder temperatures contribute to a more sedate experience and attract families or older passengers. Mediterranean itineraries generally revolve around antiquities and port cities of southern
Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. Most ships visit a port each day, and sightseeing is the backbone of the vacation. On ships where English is spoken and the majority aboard are Americans, the passengers are likely to be 50 years of age or older, and affluent. On cruise ships where Europeans predominate, passengers are often younger, and sun and fun are emphasized, like in the Caribbean. Hawaiian cruises occupy the middle, emphasizing both festivity and scenery, though passengers are, at times, older on average than those in the Caribbean. For other North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian Ocean, and South China Sea settings, the distance of the cruise areas and home ports from the United States ensures an older, wealthier market. As with Mediterranean cruises, sightseeing and cultural attractions are the focus.
Though a great way to see exotic places without shuffling among hotels, cruises allow only a cursory glimpse of the countries visited. Ten hours in Venice on a cruise is no substitute for visiting Italy. Even in the Caribbean, short stopovers on small islands leave much undiscovered. Yet, many guests will enjoy seeing something new, and probably would never travel to all these destinations on their own.
If you are interested in further exploring a destination, consider the add-ons most lines offer at the beginning and end of cruises. Two- or three-night packages include a hotel and some sightseeing. They are usually well priced and can be booked at the time you buy your cruise. Also consider picking an itinerary that offers “overnights” in certain high-profile ports such as St. Petersburg, Russia, or Venice, Italy. These cruises offer more intense destination time ashore.
DEFINING THE CARIBBEAN On a map with the arm of the compass pointing north, the islands closest to the United States are the Greater
unofficial T I P
Some travelers use cruising to sample cities and countries to determine whether they might want to return later for a more prolonged visit.
Antilles; they include Cuba, the Caymans, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. All but Cuba are visited by ships from U.S. ports and have daily, direct air service from major U.S. cities. The Bahamas and the British colony of the Turks and Caicos lie north of the Greater Antilles and southeast of Florida. They are entirely in the Atlantic Ocean, but because their tropical environment is similar to that of the Caribbean, they are viewed as part of the region. The Bahamas, and occasionally the Turks and Caicos, are cruise stops; both have air service from the United States mainland. In the eastern Caribbean are the Lesser Antilles, starting with the Virgin Islands in the north and curving south to Grenada. The northern of these many small islands are called the Leewards and comprise the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St. Maarten, St. Barts, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, and Guadeloupe. The south islands, called the Windwards, include Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.
The Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, and Barbados are frequent cruise stops and have direct air service from the United States mainland or via Puerto Rico. The others are reached through local airlines, and most are stops for small ships, particularly during winter cruise season. In the south are Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, and Trinidad and Tobago, which lie off Venezuela. Aruba and Curaçao are major ports on southern Caribbean and Panama Canal cruises. In the western Caribbean are Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, and off the Yucatán Peninsula are the Mexican islands of Cancún and Cozumel. All are major cruise destinations.
Along the 2,000-mile Caribbean chain, nature has been extravagant with its color, variety, and beauty. Verdant mountains rise from sun-bleached shores. Between towering peaks and the sea, rivers and streams cascade over rocks and hillsides and disappear into mangrove swamps and deserts. Fields of flowers, trees with brilliant blossoms, and a multitude of birds and butterflies fill the landscape. The air, refreshed by tropical showers, is scented with spices and fruit. Yet what makes the Caribbean islands unique is their combination of exotic scenery and the kaleidoscope of diverse cultures. The cultures have evolved from traditions, music, dance, art, architecture, and religions from around the world.
To be fair, we should warn you that the exponential growth of cruising in the Caribbean has had a tremendous, and many would say negative, impact on some islands. Cruise ships disgorging thousands of passengers a day on a tiny island disrupt the normal rhythms, changing a quaint, sleepy, laid-back port into a frenetic, artificial tourist attraction. Sprawling malls have sprung up like ragweed around the docks, and whole local populations have abandoned their scandanavia and northern europe lifelong vocations to cater to tourists. Some Caribbean islands have become the equivalent of private islands owned by several cruise lines: plastic, idealized versions more familiar to fans of Gilligan’s Island than to veteran Caribbean travelers.
Click Here To Purchase This Book