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| Cruising Royal Caribbean |
When comparing the cost of a cruise to other vacation options, people question whether cruising is worth the investment. Answering the question is actually a bit complicated. It goes back to the questions of where you want to go and what you want to do.
The traveler wanting to relax and unwind could certainly accomplish this on a cruise. After all, every meal is provided — snacks too. Entertainment abounds, shows, magicians, comedians, and more. For those not interested in Broadway style shows, the pool and sun deck offer places to snooze and tan. However, when not attending shows remember cruise vacations include the cost of entertainment so this might be an expensive way to relax.
The adventurer, wanting to explore the world and see new places, can certainly accomplish this on a cruise. Itineraries visit destinations all over the world: Greece, China, Hawaii, the Caribbean, New England and Alaska. Stopping at various ports, cruisers get a taste of different cultures everywhere they go.
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| The Forbidden City, Beijing, China |
On one cruise trip that included the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin, we rented a car and drove the outer ring of the island. We visited beaches north, west, south and east. We saw rural schools with chickens running wild on the playgrounds, homes made from scrap metal and mansions. We stopped in at the Butterfly Farm (La Ferme des Papillons)We tasted the cuisine from different towns on both sides of the island. Certainly, we enjoyed our day. However, there’s so much more to the island than just the little taste we got. For the adventurer who wants to embrace a culture, one day might not be satisfying.
The social butterfly, who enjoys meeting new people and sharing time and space, is perfectly suited to cruising. Spending consecutive evenings at the same table with the same people provides an opportunity to meet people from around the globe. The social vibe of evening shows, dancing lessons, and karaoke provides entertainment is perfect for those with outgoing personalities.
Family cruises, particularly those offered by Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line, offer something for everyone. Their children’s programming allows kids of various ages to play, explore, do crafts and watch movies with peers… like a summer camp at sea. Royal Caribbean offers excellent teen programming, especially for those who enjoy sports!
On their first cruise, our sons were three and six. They each loved the activities and adventures the Disney program offered. On our last cruise, our daughter – seven years younger than her nearest sibling – enjoyed a day of planned activities while we went zip lining in Cabo. Too young and small to go zip lining, she had fun while our teen boys experienced the adventure they most wanted.
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| The oldest, ziplining |
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| The second, concentrating on the climb to the next line |
Tips to decide on the best cruise for you
- Do the activities and atmosphere on a cruise ship meet your goals?
- Are you traveling with a number of people of different ages and interests?
- Does having your dining decisions made for you help you relax?
- Are you ready to get a taste of other cultures?
It's great that you know your “style”! Especially with cruising. It seems people love it or they don't. We love cruising, but it's not the best choice for every vacation.
The Caymans are my absolute favorite. The people are so friendly there. My short list includes Aruba (great beach houses available through homeaway.com for $1,500 or less for the week). Sunny days, temperate. Rarely rains! I haven't been yet, but Trinidad and Tobago are my next Caribbean dream spots! Lush greenery, wonderful beaches. It's a little more expensive than Aruba generally. To me it's the Caribbean Hawaii — though I need to go and prove it's true! For all inclusives, the Dominican Republic is a great value and it's a short flight.
Not sure that answers your question, but I hope it helps you as you plan.
Happy Travels!
Paula, check out this post to see how you can save money on that cruise!!! http://familytravelsonabudget.blogspot.com/2012/05/maximizing-travel-card-rewards.html. We paid all our RCI gratuities and shore excursions with rewards certificates. Saved us $1,000 on the total trip. Our next RCI cruise is FREE — seven days for my hubby and me!
Great post (as always) 😉 I have been on one cruise… I was told to try a short one before going on a 7+ day-er. Great piece of advise. Being that I got sea sick.. I high recommend the pressure point bracelets.. they WORK!!! Anyways.. I would go on another but with a huge group of friends or family… as far as the Disney cruise… I have had two different friends go on this.. and they felt ripped off. They told me it was not worth the money and very unorganized.. Disney, unorganized? Yes, apparently it was.
Carla,
Great point about Disney! While the Disney company is usually QUITE organized, there are those seasons when all is not bliss in Disney”world”. I've noticed that September/early October is a less satisfying experience in the parks because they have a huge turn-over of staff at that time and must train the new people to be soooo amazingly Disney-awesome. Slower bus routes, less friendly answers to questions, a little disorganized (I saw a pile of empty boxes behind an ice cream stand in the Magic Kingdom…. horror!!!!) I wonder when the cruise ship training season is. Does anyone know?
Happy travels! (BTW, those wrist bands work great to stave off pregnancy nausea too)
I have never been on a cruise but there are two I'd like to take: 1) a Disney cruise because I just think it would be so darn cute and 2) a cruise through the Mediterranean. 🙂
We've never done a cruise and I'm not sure that's our style. We are trying to come up with a trip to the caribbean for spring break next year and your mention of St. Martin made me think of all the options there. Any other islands you've visited in the Caribbean that you would recommend? We've been to St. Thomas, St. John, and Caymans. Kids will be going with us too (14 and 11)
Shannon,
Our Disney cruise was AWESOME!!! Ben (my second) got seasick and missed the character dinner. He was soooo sad! I was too. Our server arranged a private meet and greet with Pluto. Ben was so excited — and yet so shy — having Pluto all to himself. The rec staff was awesome with him and such an encouragement to us. Hard to leave your baby when he's feeling a little woozy. Once he got his sea legs, there was no stopping him!
Happy travels.
Great post! We are considering a Disney cruise…. didn't realize that Royal Caribbean does family cruises. I'm kind of a newbie at this. 🙂 Anyway, thanks for the information!
Maybe one day . . .
I would love to go on a cruise but I'm so scared that I'll be sick the entire time and then it would've been a waste of money. I've never been on an airplane and I've never been on a boat in the ocean, I've never even actually seen the ocean for that matter.