Where Do I Begin?
Are you considering a cruise vacation but you really don't know where to start? Have you started shoping for a cruise vacation? Did you do your cruise shopping online? Were you successful in getting the best cruise vacation for your money? Have you booked your cruise or do you have too many questions to make the committment?
How to Shop for Cruises
You can find information about cruise vacations everywhere - from friends, travel agents, newspapers, magazines, and online cruise specialists to name just a few. While cruise information abounds, your best bet is to begin the research process on your own.
Plan Your Destination
Think about where you would like to cruise... Should it be a tropical vacation to escape cold weather, maybe a fascinating Alaskan cruise, perhaps a European cultural cruise, or maybe even a high seas adventure cruise? Search the web and you'll find merchant links, articles about cruises, sample itineraries, etc. which will help you focus your wish list down to one or two options.
Pick Your Itinerary
Once you have decided on your cruise destination, it's time to start defining your itinerary. The nice thing about doing this online is that you will not have a sales agent pushing a particular cruise for commission. You can investigate this yourself, looking for cruise lines that travel to your dream destination.
Choose Your Cruise Line
This question requires you to look inward at your own particular lifestyle. What would you like and expect a cruise vacation to be? Remember that different cruise lines offer different break points on pricing, different levels of luxury, even different styles.The higher priced cruise lines usually offer a higher level of service (cuisine, excursions, and staff members per passenger). That doesn't mean that you should automatically chose a higher priced cruise line however - just something to consider. In fact, you may want a more "freestyling" tupe of cruise that is offered by Norwegian Cruise Lines or Carnival Cruises. Their cruises tend to be more fun and relaxed than the more formal choices like Radisson Seven Seas. Your cruise line choice becomes a matter of personal preference at this point.
Pick Your Stateroom
Choosing your level of stateroom is a matter of taste as well as budget. If you don't plan to spend much time in your room, you might consider an interior room to save some money. "Ocean view" rooms provide passengers with a window to the ocean which can be kind of nice. My preference is a stateroom with a private deck where I can sit in privacy to enjoy the fresh sea air. I will mention that all staterooms are comfy, and you will surely enjoy your room regardless of choice.
Recommended Reading
Read the Intelligent Cruiser eBook - "an absolute treasure chest of cruise savings. We learned so much about cruise ship discounts and as a result were able to get our cruise fare reduced by $400 without any effort at all."
- Last Minute Cruise Specials Blog
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