The great thing about a cruise vacation is that you can design a trip that is absolutely perfect for you and your family in terms of activities, destinations and sightseeing.

Choosing Your Destination

With a cruise vacation, literally the whole world is open to you. Your first step is deciding the overall experience you want: a social experience, a learning experience, a relaxing experience, an opportunity to see new parts of the world, an escape from the winter cold—all these and more are possible.

The Caribbean offers great year-round weather, and a wide range of cruise options in terms of length of cruise and cost. But cruises to the Pacific Coast of Mexico offer the same tropical experiences and are more convenient for people on the West Coast. Cruises to Hawaii allow you to experience spectacular scenery, as do Alaska cruises, which are also good choices for those interested in seeing wildlife in its natural, unspoiled habitat. An Alaskan cruise is truly a photographer’s dream.

Though the cruising season is shorter, Northern Europe as well as Canada are popular choices for those who want to learn about the history and culture of those regions as well as experience breathtaking scenery.

For those who want to get away from it all, South Pacific cruises offer the opportunity for ultimate relaxation. The gorgeous seas and tranquil islands, with their fascinating culture also make these cruises memorable.

While a trip from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand involves a lengthy plane ride, these countries offer fabulous cruise experiences, with the advantage that their summer months are the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere, so you can plan a warm vacation during the darkest and coldest months up north.

Length of Cruise

If you can’t get much time off work, cruises as short as three day “weekend” adventures are available. These are popular with younger families, singles and couples, and sometimes tend to be more lively party-oriented cruises.

If you are new to cruising, you might want to book a shorter weekend cruise of three to four days to see if you enjoy the experience before making the financial commitment for a the more typical seven day cruise. Shorter cruises also allow you to try out more than one cruise line to see which one best meets your expectations and offers the type of fun you want to have on board.

Another choice is a midweek cruise of four days. These can be less expensive and perhaps quieter experiences, and are popular choices with the somewhat older segment of the population.

Seven day cruises are still the most popular. They work well into most people’s vacation schedules, and allow enough time for a true feeling of getting away from it all, and sufficient time to visit and experience several ports without feeling rushed.

Up to two week cruises are available, too. If you want to have enough time to experience the culture of the area you are visiting, this length cruise, though more expensive, can offer the richest experience, including the opportunity to visit a number of different ports and enjoy land excursions. Cruises to sample the culture and history of Europe or the Mediterranean, for example, can be of this duration.

Activities You Want to Enjoy

Some people love cruises because of the social experience, meeting and interacting with their fellow passengers. There are even singles cruises for those seeking a romantic experience. You can find cruise lines that have high energy nightclubs featuring live music and dancing on board.

Large ships such as Royal Caribbean have also every imaginable form of sports activities and other entertainment; they offer ice skating, mini-golf and rock climbing walls. But, the sheer size of some of these ships can be intimidating to someone new to cruising—they are almost like small floating cities.  When you travel if you tend to gravitate toward the personalized service and tranquil atmosphere of a boutique hotel versus a mega-resort, then a smaller cruise ship may be right for you. Smaller ships can sometimes give you more opportunities to socialize, simply because it is easier to meet people.

Fun for the Kids

Cruise lines have increasingly tried to cater to the needs of families and children.

The Carnival line offers a “Camp Carnival” program of younger kids’ activities, including their own facilities separate from the adults. There are teen areas as well.

Variety, Price and Quality of Food

Cruises are synonymous with great food, and great variety. The idea of the gigantic all-you-can-eat buffet is no longer accurate. Increasingly, quality is emphasized. Prior to booking your trip, check out how many different restaurants the ship has, and what styles or themes of cuisine. You can find Tex-Mex restaurants, Japanese food, fine Italian dishes—almost any cuisine you can find on land. Be aware that some ships, particularly the most upscale ones, still have formal nights when diners are asked to dress up, and if you do not want to have to dine at a table with strangers, make sure you find cruises with informal, open seating restaurants.

Dee Power is a freelance writer who writes about traveling and cruise vacations.

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