Category 8A

You have decided on a cruise vacation. What’s next? If you are reading this post then you are the type of person that likes to do a bit of research before you decide anything…others will have already decided when, where and how they are going to cruise and maybe well on to the way of booking by phone, on-line or visiting their Travel Agent.

Before we get started, please note that I use the word “generally” often because the cruise line pricing is affected by a number of variables and like the stock market prices can fluctuate from day to day, week to week based on popularity of a specific cruise date, itinerary, and the amount of staterooms left to be booked. Cruise lines like to “sail full” just as airlines try to sell out flights.

But what are the questions and considerations you should take into account when deciding on your cruise vacation. If you are like me, the whole research thing is only part of the fun leading up to the big day!

Unless you are independently wealthy and money is not a consideration, consider your budget. Generally speaking the longer the duration of the cruise the more the cruise fare will be. Impacting that bottom line are your choice of stateroom (cabin), location on the ship, and the itinerary can have some impact on the total cost of your cruise.

Let’s assume that you will want to utilize a travel agent to book your cruise. Please realize that you do not pay for the services of a travel agent. They are paid on commission. The agency they work for are offered special pricing by the cruise lines, so they may have better pricing on a given cruise than listed on a cruise lines web page.

Each travel agent will have their own way of assisting you with your decision, however, I suggest be prepared with knowing generally how much you can afford for your cruise fare, air fare and accommodation if needed. You should also have a general idea where you would like to travel. This generally has a direct bearing on the length of cruises available to you and the cost of your cruise.

Caribbean and Alaskan cruises are the most affordable for the North American market. Trans-Atlantic, Mediterranean, European and World cruises are generally more expensive. Often these cruises are not round trip itineraries starting and ending from the same port. For example a Trans Atlantic cruise may start from Miami and end in Rome or another European port.

The next consideration is to match your “cruise style” and budget to the cruise line. The most popular cruise lines, Carnival, Royal Caribbean International, Disney and Norwegian Cruise lines are considered to offer the more affordable cruises and provide great value for money.

Holland America, Princess, Celebrity and Cunard tend to be a bit more expensive and tend to be a bit more reserved in tone. The problem with trying to categorize these cruise lines is that you really can not totally pigeon hole them. For example, Carnival once had the moniker of being a “party ship”. This image has some folks afraid of booking a cruise on one their funships thinking that it is a floating bar. It isn’t and once on board it is truly amazing to see the age range of passengers from school aged kids, college kids, middle aged to the elderly – all cohabitating one ship enjoying their cruise their way. In fact this is the case with any cruise line…keep in mind the tone, venues, and activities are designed generally for their niche market.

They also offer a cruise experience that is relaxed, casual and with activities to suit all ages from line dancing, bingo, crosswords, golf putting tournaments, and vegas style entertainment in their main theatres. These ships offer all sorts of venues, like water slides, wave riders, rock climbing walls, ice rinks, basketball courts, running tracks. However, not all cruise lines offer the same venues, so if you have your heart set on rock climbing on a cruise ship….let your travel agent know. Oh also these cruise lines are known for their larger ship capacity – but don’t let that fool you. It is very easy to find a quiet place enjoy some sun, a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. Another word of encouragement here, if you want style and refinement these ships offer that too. Each have a Formal dining night where you can dress up to the nines if you wish or you can dress cruise casual. Your Travel Agent can advise the appropriate attire for these nights or check out the cruise lines web page for details. If you wish you can avoid the formal night altogether and dine elsewhere on the ship – or order in room service!

Also these four cruise lines are noted to have great children and teen programs to keep your kids happy and active on board. Carnival has one a number of awards for their programs, but all have of them have spent a great deal of time and money developing their programs, often staffed by crew that often have college or university training in child development, physical education and recreation.

If you feel that you would appreciate a more reserved atmosphere, you may want to consider Holland America, Princess, Celebrity, Cunard. Ships in this category can be large as well, but their focus is on more refinement and style. You will pay recognizably more. These lines, do offer child and teen programs as well.

So once you have an idea of how much you are willing to spend on a cruise vacation, the type of ship you would like to cruise on, the area you would like to visit  - you will now need to decide on the type of stateroom (cabin) and location on the ship.

Inside cabins are just that and are located on the inside of the ship and do not have a porthole (window). Outside or Ocean view cabins have either a window or a porthole. A balcony stateroom is a cabin that has a balcony and the last type of cabins are suites and penthouse suites which mean they have more than one room – some complete with your own butler!

The least expensive cabins are the insides followed by you guessed it, the ocean view, balconies, and suite cabins. Effecting your pricing will also be the category where these staterooms are located. Generally mid ship locations occupying the middle of the ship generally costs more as these cabins are desired more as they do not feel the pitch and roll of the seas as badly in poor weather ( more on this later – but today’s cruise ships are comfortable and less susceptible to the movement of the ocean). The aft (rear) and bow (front) of the ship locations in the lower decks tend to be less expensive. Becareful to ensure that the stateroom you are considering is not located above or below a public room such as the casino, lounge, crew areas or mechanical areas. Your Travel Agent should be able to confirm this.

There…this should get you started. If you do not want to use a Travel Agent, you can book on-line yourself, or call the cruise line directly and there own expert cruise agents that can give you personal assistance.

Please comment on this post and provide me your thoughts, experiences and questions. Thanks for reading!

Bon Voyage!