Top 10 Reasons Why Cruises are the Best Vacation

Cruises have become one of the most popular vacations all over the world, with good reason. There are lots of reasons why cruises are the best vacation. It’s hard to beat the great food, many ports of calls, entertainment options, and adventure opportunities, especially when the cost of a cruise puts many other vacations to shame.

I’ve been cruising since I was 15 and introduced Nick to it for his 10th birthday. He was hooked immediately. Cruises are, however, the kind of vacation that people tend to either love completely or hate totally. Still, if you haven’t tried one, if you’re on the fence about taking one, if you’re struggling to convince your family why cruises are the best vacation, read on. These are my favorite benefits of cruises and the reasons why you should go on a cruise.

All-Inclusive Value

“Everything’s included!” Well, not quite, but close. Other than an all-inclusive resort (and isn’t a cruise just a floating resort?) or one of those super pricey guided tours, which other vacation includes transportation, hotel, food, entertainment, and activities? Try booking your own airfare, hotel, and car rental. Throw in money for food, shows, and activities like museums. Depending on the package or cruise line, the price of your cruise might include quite a bit.

Safety in Numbers

Safety can be a concern for many when traveling to other countries, especially when traveling on a budget, alone, or with small children. While solo travel has gained huge popularity recently, some folks just aren’t comfortable with that concept. And many don’t have the budget to travel extensively with a reputable tour company, many of which run into multiple thousands of dollars per person.  A cruise ship, however, offers a huge amount of safety. With the number of passengers and crew on each ship, crime is an unlikely occurrence.  Women can feel safe cruising alone.  Families can feel safe letting the children run off alone to play on the water slides, mingle in the kids club, or enjoy the many games like basketball or mini golf.  The phrase “safety in numbers” holds true with a cruise vacation and is a big reason why cruises are the best vacation for many people.

Specialty Cruises

Disney pioneered specialty cruises in the 1990s; it gave families across the US a reason to consider cruises the best vacation. Since then, cruise lines have popped up which specialize in different kinds of cruises. Viking specializes in river cruises. National Geographic’s Expedition cruises give passengers the opportunity to experience a more intimate and educational trip. Many of the top cruise lines also offer specialties cruises with different themes such as rock and roll, art or wine connoisseurs, or singles.  If you’re an enthusiast of any kind chances are you can find a cruise that caters to your specific tastes.  With this variety and specialization, there is no need for any two (or five or ten) cruises you take to ever be the same.

Make New Friends

Just like you, many people find there are many reasons why cruises are the best vacation, and meeting new people is one of those reasons. People from all walks of life and all over the world take cruise vacations. It’s easy to meet new people at meal times, particularly in the dining room where some cruise lines still assign tables to multiple parties. Shore excursions are another great way to make new friends as are the casino, bars, and pools. Another great way, just as in life, is through the kids activities. We love it when our kids make new friends and tend to hang out with those other parents as we watch the kids play. You and your children may end up with new lifelong friends.  Wherever new friends are met, passengers often leave the cruise with email addresses and phone numbers of other passengers to keep in touch after their vacation.  A cruise is a great place to meet other people. There are so many passengers and with the variety of activities, you are sure to meet others who share your interests.  Passengers who live in or near cruise port cities, such as Miami, will also likely meet other residents of that city or cities nearby.  Keep those contacts you make and you might have a cruise buddy for life.

Entertainment

Every cruise offers nightly entertainment in at least one location and usually in more than one.  From Vegas-style shows to comedians, DJs in the disco to jazz in the lounge, and of course the casino, there is some form of entertainment for everyone and for the most discriminating tastes.  Entertainers have often been recruited from Vegas and offer top-quality laughs, dance, and music.  In addition, the full casino is a great way to try your luck at slots or cards, and on a cruise ship the casino is open to anyone 18 years and older.

Shopping

If shopping is your thing, you can count that as a big reason why cruises are the best vacations.  I’ve purchased lovely jewelry on cruises, including some decent quality necklaces and bracelets. My favorite jeweler on the last cruise we took was the “by the inch” stall. They displayed an impressive variety, and it took nearly the whole week of the cruise to decide which ones to buy. The ship also offers duty-free shopping which can save you a little money. The shopping fun continues at ports of call. While some of the stores may be a bit touristy these days, you can usually find good deals and authentic items a short walk from the port. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and bargain. One last consideration comes on the ships which are relocating, something that happens between Alaska and tropical cruises as some lines use the same ships for tropical cruises in the winter and then relocate for Alaskan cruises in the summer. Our last cruise came on the Carnival Legends, and our cruise was the second to last one before the ship relocated to Australia. Everything in the ship stores was themed for Florida and the Caribbean, not suitable for Australia, so it was all 50% to 75% off.

24-Hour 5-Star Cuisine

Well, maybe not 5-star all the time, but it is pretty good. Plus most cruises have something to eat available 24 hours a day. If you like to eat, or just like to try lots of different kinds of food, a cruise will not disappoint.  The main dining rooms offer preset dining times for breakfast and dinner. The buffet restaurant offers food pretty much all day. The buffet  is usually divided into several different buffets. For example, you can have traditional breakfast or cereal or fruit or hit up the omelet station. Or do what many of us do and sample a bit from each of them. For lunch and dinner hours, the buffet often offers a variety of cuisines to choose from. There might be an Asian station, a Mexican line, traditional American, and something more exotic like Indian. Many ships these days also have specialty restaurants which require reservations and are not included in the price of your cruise. I have yet to try one of those, but they make for a great place to celebrate a special occasion. For us, the main dining room has always provided stellar service and amazing food.

Convenient Discoveries

I love cruises because you unpack your suitcase once yet you still see many different cities or countries.  Want to go to Key West, Jamaica and Cozumel?  No problem.  And no need to pack and unpack three different times. Just grab your ID, your camera, and your sense of adventure. Then head out to see what you new discoveries you make. Whether you take a guided excursion, like scuba diving in the Bahamas, or explore on your own, on a cruise you can see a lot of places in a short period of time. And if you really love one of those countries or cities, make plans to go back to that place and explore it more fully.

5-Star Service

Concierge service, maitre’d, housekeepers, activities director, wait staff, salon service, masseuse, and so on and on and on.  The services aboard a cruise ship exceed passenger expectations. Cruises keep delivering service above and beyond expectations.  If you have a question, someone on the ship will answer it.  If you need a service, you will be accommodated.  Want a haircut or massage?  Not a problem.  Photography to capture that special moment?  There’s one to serve your needs.  All you have to do is ask – the details will be taken care of.  It’s this kind of service that puts the 5-star in cruise vacations, and the romance or relaxation back into your vacation.  Many of these services are not included in the cruise price, but members of the staff are always willing to find a way to help.  Remember, just ask.

Exciting Experiences, New Hobbies

Trying out a new hobby can be expensive.  If you don’t live in the tropics, how do you know if you’ll like scuba diving?  If you live on flat lands with no gym, how do you know if you’ll like rock climbing?  If you live in a rural area with nary a golf course in sight, how do you know if you’ll like golf?  Cruise ships offer a large variety of onboard sporting experiences for their passengers.  Try one or all of them and you might find a new hobby to take home with you.  Some activities offered include golf, rock climbing, and skeet shooting. Many ships now have a water slides. Others offer PADI scuba diver certification or surf simulation pools.

Beyond the cruise ship, shore excursions offer even more opportunities to explore new hobbies. In Belize, we went cave tubing; in Honduras, zip lining. Alaska cruise excursion might take a tour onto a glacier while Caribbean cruises might offer excursions like sailing or kayaking. Just like the shipboard activities, one of these might turn into a new hobby when you return home.