Planning An Awesome Cruise Vacation

If you’re thinking about taking a cruise, you’re probably in for an exciting high-seas adventure. Or, depending on the decisions you make, you could experience an extremely relaxing voyage during which you’ll be pampered, well fed and thoroughly entertained.

It’s important to understand that not all cruise lines or individual cruise ships are alike. Each offers a vastly different experience aboard the ship, plus its own itinerary, amenities and unique vacation experience. Thus, it’s important to choose the right ship that will cater to your vacation wants and needs. At the same time, you’ll want to select a sailing that offers an itinerary and destinations that interest you.

Some cruise lines cater to families, while others are geared more for adventure travelers, honeymooners, seniors, singles or people with special interests, for example. Even among individual ships within a cruise line’s fleet, you’ll find vast differences that will impact your vacation and the type of experience you’ll have.

Instead of booking a cruise based just on its sailing dates and price, focus on what you’re looking to experience during the cruise, and then research what types of vacationers the various cruise lines and each individual ship caters to. Next, focus on destinations and itineraries.

Performing online research and working with a travel agent that specializes in cruises will help you pinpoint the most suitable cruise line, individual ship and specific sailing that’s most appropriate for the type of vacation experience you’re looking for.

Some people book a cruise specifically for the onboard experience – the all-you-can-eat dining, the shows and entertainment, the casino, the activities, the spa and/or the cabin accommodations, for example. Others, however, utilize a cruise to get to specific destinations and find it much more convenient to settle into a cabin once at the start of a voyage, but have the opportunity to visit multiple ports-of-call (destinations) during their vacation.

If the sailing itinerary you choose includes several ports-of-call, plus multiple days at sea, make sure the places you’ll be visiting offer the activities you’re interested in experiencing. Plus, make sure what’s available aboard the ship itself is what you’re looking for.

Again, figure out what you’re looking to experience, keeping in mind that the newer and larger ships in a cruise line’s fleet are more apt to offer a broader range of activities and amenities.

Also, when shopping for cruise opportunities, don’t get tricked by extremely low price offerings. Often, while these low prices do exist, they’re for the smallest cabins located on the inside of the ship (with no windows or balconies), and airfare to the ship’s departure location is not included.

Regardless of how much you pay for your cruise package, expect to pay extra once aboard the ship for the following:

• Upgraded dining at certain onboard restaurants
• All drinks (including non-alcoholic beverages)

• Certain activities aboard the ship, including spa treatments, gambling in the casino and bingo
• All land-based excursions at the various ports-of-call
• Laundry/dry cleaning
• Telephone and Internet services
• Onboard shopping
• Tips for your cabin attendant, waiter, etc.

On a typical five to seven-day cruise, even the basic extras (drinks, limited activities, tips, etc.) can wind up costing each passenger an additional $200.00 to $400.00 (beyond the initial cruise price), or significantly more based on the land excursions and/or onboard activities you choose to participate in.

While you can often find lower prices by booking your own tours and activities at each port-of-call, it’s a good idea to book your tours and activities through the cruise line – and to do this as far in advance as possible. Popular tours often sell out and available spa appointments book up quickly.

Booking tours through the cruise line insures you’ll work with reputable tour operators and that the activities you book will adhere to the ship’s schedule. Also, all transportation to and from the ship will usually be provided, potentially saving you a fortune in taxi fares at each destination.

Another thing to consider is the size of the cabin you’re reserving and the people you’ll be traveling with. Keep in mind that cruise ship cabins are much smaller than traditional hotel rooms (and offer minimal storage space for luggage). Thus, a family of four will be very crowded within a basic cabin. (Plus, small cabins offer very limited privacy.)

Especially if you have specific wants or needs, consider booking a cruise that caters to your interests. You’ll find many of the popular cruise lines have special sailings throughout the year specifically for singles, families, seniors, the gay/lesbian community, or people with special interests.

Some of the most popular cruise lines to research include:

• Disney Cruise Lines
  
• Royal Caribbean
  
• Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL)
  
• Carnival Cruise Lines
  
• Celebrity Cruise Lines
  
• Princess Cruise Lines
  
• Holland America Line
  
• Cunard
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

While you can book a cruise through a travel agent or directly with a cruise line, discounted pricing is available from online travel services, like Hotwire, Kayak and Travelocity. You can also learn about special discounts from TravelZoo. 

Cruise lines offer their biggest discounts for advance bookings (30, 60, 90 or 120+ days in advance), while the online travel services typically offer their best discounts for last-minute bookings. Regardless of where you cruise to from the U.S., a valid passport is almost always required, so plan accordingly.

Princess Cruise To Alaska..A Truly Breathtaking Experience!

In mid-August, I had the opportunity to travel with Princess Cruise Lines (800-774-6237) to Alaska. It was a truly memorable 12-day journey, four of which were spent touring on land and visiting several of Princess' lodges, while the remainder of the trip took place aboard the luxurious Coral Princess ship.

If you're looking to experience a one-in-a-lifetime experience, book an Alaska cruise aboard Princess Cruise Lines! It's that simple. What will really make your journey memorable, however, are the hundreds of different (optional) land excursions you can participate in when the ship stops at the various ports-of-call. From dog sled rides and ATV tours, to taking a helicopter tour and landing on a glacier, you can experience one exciting activity after the next....Or, when visiting the various ports-of-call, you can shop for unique souvenirs and duty-free merchandise.

When booking your cruise, Princess Cruise Lines will provide you with brochures describing all of your land excursion opportunities. This information is also available online at the Princess Cruise Lines website. It's best to book these excursions as far in advance as possible, as the most popular tours and activities book up quickly. Trust me, you don't want to be shut out.

Keep in mind, some of the land excursions that involve flight (such as helicopter tours or "flight seeing" aboard a small aircraft) could get cancelled due to bad weather, so have a back-up plan in-place. If one tour gets cancelled, you might be able to join a different tour later in the day, or work with the Tour Desk attendant aboard the ship to book a similar adventure during a stop at another port-of-call. 

Keep in mind, the optional land excursions are not included in the price of the cruise itself, so plan your travel budget accordingly. Most of the optional tours cost under $100.00 per person, however, some of the more extravagant land excursions, like the helicopter tours, can cost upwards of $400.00 per person, but are well worth it. Whatever you do, don't forget to bring a camera! As you'll see from the slideshow below, the views are spectacular. 

Almost everything aboard the ship itself is included, except for spa treatments, items from the gift shops, gambling in the onboard casino, portraits taken by the ship's photographer, and drinks (soda, alcohol, etc.).

Even if you don't consider yourself to be an overly active or adventurous person, there are plenty of exciting and breathtaking activities (both on land and at sea) that you can participate in, regardless of your age or physical abilities. While aboard the ship itself, you can be as relaxed or active as you wish. For example, you can pamper yourself at the spa, play bingo or experience the fun shows presented each evening. (If you only have time to see one show during your cruise, don't miss Dance!) Of course, you can tempt your taste buds in any of the ship's dining rooms, where an amazing selection of mouthwatering and all-you-can-eat meals await.

The seven-day cruise aboard the Coral Princess kicks off in Whittier, and includes stops at Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and ends in Vancouver. Alternate itineraries are available. 

To plan and book your cruise, you can work directly with Princess Cruise Lines, a local travel agent, or make your reservations through one of the online travel services. (When traveling, you will need a valid U.S. Passport, so plan accordingly!)

The Coral Princess carries more than 1,970 passengers and has Alaska sailings in May, June, July, August and September 2009. Princess Cruise Lines offers seven, 10 and 14-day cruises,  which can be combined with three to eight-night land tours (which include land travel aboard Princess-owned railcars) and accommodations at the various Princess lodges.

A trip to Alaska aboard a Princess ship is ideal for families, honeymooners, couples celebrating an anniversary, and even single travelers. If you'll be traveling with kids or teens, aboard the ship there are a wide range of activities that cater just to them. For adults, there's also a potpourri of activities available - both day and night. 

Several different cabin configurations are available to accommodate travelers with varying needs, but if you can afford it, be sure to upgrade to a cabin with a balcony. You'll really enjoy the views of glaciers and snow covered mountains, plus the sunrises and sunsets. 

Below is a small sampling of photos from my mid-August trip. While I've cruised numerous times to and around the Caribbean with other cruise lines, this was my first trip to Alaska, and I must say the experience was both memorable and extremely enjoyable. I can't recommend this trip highly enough!