How Should I Go About Picking a Cruise?

Now that you have decided that you are ready to try a cruise vacation, the next questions is how to go about picking the best cruise to fit your needs and desires. We will outline a few of the best ways to go about it in this article.

• Pick a travel agent to assist you. While it may be OK to "go it on your own" after your first cruise, you will need someone to guide you through the waters, so to speak, for the first one, in order to ensure that you make the best decision. It is best to pick either a cruise-only agent from a "brick and mortar" agency, or at least one of the cruise only online agencies. With these professionals, you will get the best knowledge base as well as access to the best price specials.
• Decide where and when you want to go, and where you would like to leave from. If your profession limits you to travel in only certain parts of the year, you may have fewer destinations to choose from than if you can leave anytime or on short notice, because a number of destinations--like Alaska, for example--have a limited cruising season. The warmer climes, such as the Caribbean and Hawaii are generally available year round; while Europe and Antartica have shorter seasons.
• Who all will be going? Do any of them have special needs? The vast majority of ships (but not all) have activity programs for the younger set that will help to keep them occupied during at sea days. Most of the larger ships have accessible cabins for those who need them, and excellent medical staffs to assist with any health related issues that may arise during the course of the cruise; but it is important to know that any special needs can be met prior to putting your money down for the cruise passage.
• Having chosen a general destination, get down to specifics. Which ports within the area do you want to see? Which of the shore excursions offered by either the cruise line or outside providers might you want to partake of? What size ship are you interested in, and what sort of onboard facilities and amenities might you want or need? Are you a "party animal" or do you go on vacation to rest and read a book?
• Figure out your cruise budget. The earlier you can book your cruise, the more of a price break you are likely to get. The season in which you travel, the itinerary you choose, the length of the cruise, and the type of stateroom that you are interested in all factor into the price. You also need to budget for: shore excursions, alcoholic or specialty beverages/dining programs, gratuities, port fees and taxes, air fare if not using a cruise line's air inclusive program, shopping if you are so inclined, and just plain unforeseen expenses.
• Does it matter to you what types of fellow passengers you will be traveling with? Some destinations and cruise lines cater to the middle aged to senior set, others to younger. If you are a young single, couple or family and are used to being within your own age group, you may not be particularly happy on a cruise where most of your fellow travelers remind you of your parents (and the reverse is equally true). Cruising is all about having fun, and it can be difficult to do that if you are either bored or uncomfortable with those around you.
• How "laid back" do you want to be? Almost every ship has at least one formal night per sailing, but on some ships they are mandatory, while on others they are strictly voluntary. If you think getting dressed to the nines and strutting your stuff sounds like great fun, then look for one of the cruise lines that does formal night up right. If you are like me, and think that the extent of formal night is to get dressed up and get your formal picture taken, then head right back to the cabin to change and go to one of the specialty dining rooms, you may want to go with one of the cruise lines that has "freestyle" (Norwegian Cruise Lines) or "personal choice" (Princess Cruises) type dining. Bear in mind, though, that ALL ships have a dress code of one sort or another, and you will want to find out what it is before making a final decision on your cruise vacation.
• Watch one or more cruise videos/DVD's before making a final decision. Almost all of the cruise lines put out videos (shot aboard ship during actual cruises) that will give you an idea if the amenities and destinations of that particular itinerary will really be of interest to you. Most "brick and mortar" travel agencies have videos that they will be happy to loan to you to assist in your decision making. If you are using an internet agency, your local public library is also likely to have these videos. You can also obtain them directly from the cruise line.

If there are any other questions that you would like to have answered about the decision making process, feel free to leave them in a comment here, or go to the online chat room at my website, and I will be happy to assist you (or direct you to someone who can). Happy Cruising, my friends!