Benefits of Traveling by Cruise
Posted on | December 10, 2009 | 9 Comments
With thousands of vacation options around the world, it can be difficult to narrow down your options to just a single destination. However, one of the most popular choices for leisure travel is the cruise. Cruises leave from ports all over the world, and for many vacationers, this is the best travel choice. Could a cruise work for you? Consider the many benefits to this kind of trip.
Primarily, with a cruise, you are not going to have many extra expenses, so it is easy to fit into a budget. Some cruises are all-inclusive, and while others are not, most include all of the basics you need for a great vacation. If you work with a travel agent, you can combine a cruise and flight for even bigger savings. You will find that most cruises include meals and entertainment, but on some, you have to pay for drinks and shore excursions.
Beyond budgeting, a cruise is super easy to plan. Instead of having to put together an itinerary yourself, you just “cruise” along, literally. The company running the cruise determines the entertainment, as well as set the course, taking you to various ports of interest. While some may find this a bit limiting, most enjoy the stress-free idea of not having to plan a vacation – they do the planning for you!
Cruises come in all shapes and sizes, giving you tons of variety. One of the best features of a cruise is the flexibility it offers. You can literally go to a local travel agent and name your port, or at least a general area from which you want to leave. In the United States alone, cruises leave from Alaska, Florida, California, and a number of other states. Caribbean cruises are popular, of course, but you can also find cruises in Europe, Africa and other countries throughout the world.
Location is not the only thing that is flexible. With a cruise, you can also be flexible about the amount of time you want to spend on vacation. Some cruises are very long, lasting 10 to 14 days. On the other hand, most cruise lines offer shorter 3-day cruises for those with lower budgets or those who do not want to spend their entire vacation on a ship. You can also find short day cruises, so if you are going on vacation near a coast, you might want to look into an evening casino cruise, daylong sightseeing cruise, or other short tourist option.
Another great aspect of cruising is your ability to see so many different places in such a short amount of time. Most cruises, even short 3-day cruises, allow you to see at least two ports. On a longer cruise, you might dock at a different port almost every night. What is great about this is the fact that you do not have to worry about spending time traveling to all of these locations. Your travel arrangement is the ship itself, so if you are afraid to fly or simply want to try something new, a cruise is the perfect way to travel. A cruise ship is a very comfortable travel option with everything you need available to you.
Do not forget that cruises also offer opportunities you would not get elsewhere. For example, if the cruise goes out deep into open waters, you might see some marine life that you could never see from land. Of course, this depends on your overall location.
Cruises are also available in themes allowing you to find the best option for your vacation. You can find cruises sponsored by certain organizations, but some of the most popular are the singles and couples cruises offered by most major cruise lines. On a single’s cruise, you must be traveling alone or, at least, romantically unattached. The whole point is to meet people! Couples cruises usually have romantic activities and more privacy. You can also find family cruises, Like Disney cruises, which include meet and greet options with all of the Disney characters.
Lastly, cruises are extremely safe. While you are on a cruise ship, you can enjoy your vacation without having to worry much about crime. In addition, ships have fewer accidents than other travel options, and even when you get to port, cruise lines take great care to ensure that you are docking in safe parts of the city you are visiting.
Booking a cruise is extremely easy. You can find out about cruise options, or you can call a travel agent to discuss your cruising wishes. By working with a travel agent or company, you can choose a great cruise that works for you and your travel companions. A cruise is available in many different themes such as a family cruise or a singles cruise. These are all great options and your travel agent can help you choose the best option for you.
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Tags: cruise > Cruises > holiday > leisure > Recreation > travel > Travel deals > Travel Tips > vacation
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9 Responses to “Benefits of Traveling by Cruise”
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December 10th, 2009 @ 10:05 am
Keep in mind that the Spas are open while on port, so you do have to work. The spa manager makes the work rotation.
You have to share a cabin on that postion. Only officers and management have individual cabins and sometimes the performers, but they tend to hire performers in doubles and/or if having individual performers make 2 of them share a cabin.
Also, since both Spa and Artistic dept are concession, it would be impossible to get both jobs and end up going to the same ship, the odds are not good.
They money can be good, depending on what kind of ship, what nacionality of passengers etc.
Formal ships make good money at the Spa.
Ships with UK passengers tend not to make any money at the SPA. Depends a lot.
I had a friend who was a massage therapist on a ship with UK pax and she made strictly the salary the company paid, the Brits, specially older ones, didn't like to be touched.
http://www.hardingbros.co.uk
and http://www.steinerleisure.com/
are the concessions of Spas on ships.
you'´ll need a medical and an STCW-95 (basic sea survival, fire fighting, first aid and crowd management)
good luck
December 10th, 2009 @ 10:40 am
It's better to book with a travel agent.
1. Many times travel agencies belong to consortiums to help get better prices or get overrides to get better prices because of how many cruises they book with a particular company. We can also get you perks (free stuff, extra money to spend on board) and upgrades more often.
2. We can answer all of your questions for you about cruising and give you a bunch of tips to make your trip more enjoyable. Maybe they've been on the ship, experienced the shore excursions you're looking to go to, or know of a better time to travel to help save you some money.
3. Because cruise lines still pay commissions to travel agencies – you will most likely not pay any service fee like you would with buying an airline ticket.
4. You have the same person to talk to. Booking a cruise is an experience and having a person who knows what you're needs/wants are of your trip is important to make sure you're really getting the cruise you want/need. Calling a cruise line company your self you'll be waiting on hold and every time you call you're going to get someone different. You don't have that rapore with that person. And you sure can't go back to that person if you have any problems/questions. You'll be stuck going from one dept or supervisor to another. See the question posted by a guy who booked thru a cruise line and then the bill came and it was a different price. Now he's looking for the Bob Dickerson's (President of Carnival) because he hasn't gotten anywhere with customer service. Now had you booked with a travel agency you could go see them and it's their responsibility to straighten that out.
These are things that just pop into my head. But I know that I can give my clients a ton more tips and tricks to save money on the cruise than any agent in some call center can give. And 90% of my clients book another cruise when they get back!
December 10th, 2009 @ 7:25 pm
Hospitality Management
December 10th, 2009 @ 7:32 pm
Your friend is NOT correct. Being in the middle of the ocean does not change drinking rules. It is 21 on all ships except for some that start in Europe. Then your parent or guardian can sign a waver to allow you to drink. Now, of course people do break the rules, but because you buy everything on the ship using your cruise card, there is no way you could possibly buy yourself a drink if your not 21. Someone that is 21 would have to buy it for you, but, don't get caught. A cruise company can restrict you to your cabin for breaking the rules. You will see that in the fine print of your cruise contract.
December 10th, 2009 @ 9:54 pm
Go to this site. Its free to sign up and theres several places you can transfer your miles too.
December 11th, 2009 @ 6:43 am
I did it for three years and it was G R E A T !!!
1. Yes, you have time to see the countries, but not days off. Also, sometimes you can even go along with shore excursions (tours) to get pics of the pax (passengers) at whatever cool place it is.
2. You might eat food from the passenger mess or the crew mess depending on the contract that your company has with the cruise line. Pax food is better of course.
3. Dunno, didn't have any then.
4. If you use the time to develop or expand a portfolio it helps a lot. Also, you get tons of shooting experience and at working with the public.
My time off was up to me, when I got I burned out I requested a replacement and could stay ashore two weeks or two months; it was up to me. Sometimes, when you're off you might get asked to fill in in an emergency. I did once for a cruise leaving San Diego for Sydney…via Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, and more! I went.
December 11th, 2009 @ 8:18 am
I have a business for overseas surgery referal http://www.meditravel.com.au I also work for a travel compnay that enables me to legally sell travel to my clients. I work in travel for http://www.gotours.com.au who have a system for home based travel agents workig from home on commison have a look at thier webisite there is information about it on there. The only other way to work from home is to get your own licence
December 12th, 2009 @ 1:10 am
that would be good..
on cruise ships people spend soo much many and they dont even keep track of it..so you will make alot of money & free trips
December 12th, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
what does disability benefits have to do with travel?