Thursday, April 11, 2024

What It's Like to Go on a Cruise: Tips and What to Watch Out for

go on a cruise

On traditional ocean-going ships, many ship-organized shore excursions will be group outings where you will join as many as 30 or 40 of your fellow cruisers with a guide. Often, these tours involve traveling with your group on a motorcoach to reach whatever sight or sights you are touring. These are very big ships, mind you, with lots of room to spread out.

Insider Tips To Saving Money On A Family Cruise Vacation

Whether you're a couple, a family or a solo traveler, weekend cruises from Florida make a fabulous quick break full of sun and sand. After you’ve booked your cruise, follow the checklist below to ensure a smooth sailing. Nothing fuels bolder bonding like an epic adventure with your squad. We found nearly 50 giant barrel sponges off the coast of Disney Lookout Cay. These important invertebrates are the largest species of water-filtering sponge and are sometimes called “Redwoods of the Reef” due to their size and long lifespans.

Another Reason to Book Early: Price Protection If Prices Fall

Meanwhile, you’ll see the highest fares during summer, Spring Break, and the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. In our experience, there isn’t much difference in the time of year that you book. For example, the same cruise isn’t automatically cheaper if you buy in January versus if you buy in July.

✔ Your Travel Crew

go on a cruise

We started a bird monitoring program to help us identify where the island’s resident flyers call home, and we purposefully designed the destination to avoid these sensitive areas. We continue to monitor the island’s bird species to this day through a tagging and tracking program so we can help protect these feathered friends. Taking a deep dive into Alaska’s coastal regions Book a small ship cruise between Sitka, Ketchikan, and Juneau for a week or longer in the nooks and crannies of southeast Alaska. You’ll hike where there are no trails, paddle without another human in sight, and get to know the traditional lands of Alaska’s Coastal Native tribes. We like Alaskan Dream Cruises, UnCruise Adventures and Lindblad Expeditions for smaller, more sustainable cruises. Large cruise companies sail Alaska's Inside Passage from Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, and on through the Gulf of Alaska to Seward or Whittier.

As a seasoned traveler but cruising newbie, a lot surprised me during this week. If you have a warrant, don’t think about taking your first cruise. It’s a well-known tactic by law enforcement to check the passenger manifest against those with outstanding warrants. They often let the passengers sail on the cruise, and bust them when they come back. Get it cleared up before and you won’t have anything to worry about.

Southern Caribbean

Still, if something goes wrong at sea, it’s a great thing to have. Travel insurance can help cover costs of getting sick or injured in a foreign country, as well as compensate you for travel delays, lost baggage and more. If you’re on the fence about buying insurance, we’d suggest doing so. You can read more about travel insurance and what it covers here.

The waters also are largely calm, keeping seasickness to a minimum. If you're looking to leverage new cruise deals, the best way to book a cruise is by starting early since prices continue to be robust. People haven’t traveled for a year or more, so they’re spending more money on the trips they’re going on—upgrading to a nicer suite, perhaps,” says Spencer Brown. This could make it harder to secure the cabin you want on the sailing you want.

go on a cruise

Be Prepared for Hundreds in Port Fees and Gratuities

Whether you want to have a summer vacation or a winter getaway, the weather somewhere in the Caribbean is always warm and welcoming. If you’re flying in for your cruise, then you’re going to need a ride to the cruise port. All the cruise lines will offer a shuttle that runs from the airport to the cruise port, but the catch is they are expensive.

Venture outside of these spots, however, and it’s just like any other place. There are good parts of town and places where you don’t want to venture. There’s no real cut-off on what is a considered a boat, versus a ship — other than ships are known as large ocean-going vessels.

Best times to go on a cruise: Alaska, Caribbean, Mediterranean - USA TODAY

Best times to go on a cruise: Alaska, Caribbean, Mediterranean.

Posted: Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

While every cabin has air conditioning, they don’t have fans of any kind. That’s not an issue if you have a balcony and open your door, but any interior room is going to get a little stuffy — especially if you’re the sort of person that’s used to airflow. Luckily, you can bring aboard a portable fan like this one. As a bonus, a fan makes a great white-noise machine to help drown out any sounds from neighboring cabins. For example, Carnival offers a ride from Miami International to the port for about $23 per person, one way. The trip is only about 15 minutes and an Uber costs about $25 for the trip.

Yes, prices for trips can vary but are usually similar whether you book early or not. When you book early, you can often get price protection included in your fare. Below, we’ll explain exactly the best time to buy your vacation.

Cruises to the Bahamas or the Caribbean tend to be more affordable than those to places like Europe or Alaska. If the budget leans more toward the $100 per-day price point, try one of the newer mega-ships from Norwegian Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean. These newer ships can have a bustling resort vibe that will keep you busy no matter what your cabin type. South Pacific cruises are the perfect way to embrace exotic island life. And immerse yourself in the diverse cultures and untamed fauna that make each island so unique. A land of rugged mountains, coastal forests and diverse wildlife, Alaska is the ultimate cruise destination for intrepid explorers.

Do you want to learn more about a destination or cruise line? Learn all about cruising from the comfort of your own home with our live complimentary Virtual Cruise Lectures. Enjoy a thrilling night out at the casino or a leisurely afternoon shopping in the onboard boutiques. Sip on artisanal cocktails and dance under the stars at the Magic Carpet or the Rooftop Garden. Pamper yourself at The Spa, or squeeze in some exercise at The Fitness Center.

Just keep in mind that when taking an independent excursion, the ship won’t wait for you if you’re late. Staying with the cruise line’s jaunts may be more expensive, but is a safer bet if you are not sure of a new destination. Due to weather conditions and other unforeseen factors like medical emergencies or mechanical failures, port stops can be changed or canceled.

Don’t be surprised if you see the ghost crab, black crab or the black-backed crab like the ones pictured above scurrying across the sand or on walkways. To help these fish and other sea creatures, just keep swimming around Lighthouse Point, we added some special features under our open-trestle pier. Go from taking in fjords in Norway to biking through Copenhagen. Finally, experience another natural marvel — the other-worldly geothermal seawater at The Blue Lagoon in Iceland before stopping in New York and Perfect Day at CocoCay on your way back to Miami. For others, it's too much vacation time devoted to a single, contained resort environment that doesn't leave enough time for exploring the outside world.

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