Why do people choose to go on cruises, instead of booking a plane flight? One thing that attracts people to these large boats and cruises is the food. Not only does a cruise offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, they also offer midnight buffets, afternoon snack buffets, ice cream bars and 24-hour room service! There is a veritable open bar on food. You can eat casually or formally. You can have a large meal or a small meal. You can eat with hundreds of people or privately. Keep in mind, of course, that the quality of the cruise line determines the quality of the food. Also remember that many of the cruise ships are feeding approximately 2000 people 10 meals per day!

A cruise offers everything you could possibly want from a getaway: entertainment, relaxation, great food, and variety. Next time, don’t overlook that great big boat out in the harbor.

Entertainment is another attraction. Most cruise lines run full-scale production shows, have live bands, and/or add other specials for the children. The Disney Cruise line offers meals with Disney characters and special entertainment geared towards the younger crowd. Floating casinos adorn most cruise ships to the delight of many adults who use this as their evening entertainment. Having activities planned throughout the entire day, some cruise lines are like floating day camps. You can be as active or inactive as you choose to be.

Cruises offer one-stop-shopping. Variety. One flight plus one boat equals lots of different locations. It would be impossible to attempt to visit each port individually outside of a cruise line. It would be very expensive and much too time consuming. There would be no time for fun. Once aboard the ship, you leave only to visit the places of port. No need to pack and unpack. No need for unnecessary travel. On the ship, you have any number of things to keep you entertained while waiting for the next docking.

Carnival Cruises is great for the first time cruiser. It has many departure sites around the country. Land and sea prices are available for those who need to fly to a port of departure. Just a few of the destinations to which Carnival Cruise Lines will take you include: the Bahamas, Aruba, St. Thomas, St. John, San Juan Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the Keys, Cozumel, Hawaii, Alaska, Martinique and Barbados.

Celebrity Cruises is higher-end. It has a sophisticated AquaSpa on board and sports a unique art collection on the Galaxy ship as well. Celebrity has received a 5-star rating for its cuisine (not food but cuisine). If all of that is not impressive enough, it also includes an in-cabin entertainment and information center.

Radisson Seven Seas, Seaborn Cruises and Windstar Cruises offer even more luxury than the Celebrity line. The Radisson offers the ultimate luxurious experience by managing suites only. It also offers unique destinations such as Tahiti, French Polynesia, Antarctica, the Mediterranean, and Europe. The Windstar line has romantic trimasted ships and sail to the Caribbean, The Americas, the Greek Isles and Europe.

As you can see, there are cruise lines for everyone. These lines are just a few of the many options of cruises. But every line has something which makes it unique, so you might want to do some research to make sure you find the cruise you were looking for.

Joe Goertz
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/reasons-why-people-choose-to-cruise-travel-62006.html

If so, what did you think? I will be doing that very cruise with my boyfriend and his family June 15th – 23rd. Also, how were the shore excursions at the different ports of call?

Please share any opinions and/or advice. Thank you!

Yes- last year 2006 June 29 through July 7th

Skagway – train ride up the mountain – relaxing and fun
Juneau- Heli-mush THE BEST EVER! a helicopter ride up over snow filled mountains to a dog sled camp – sled rides, a chance to mush the dogs. Wild and absolutely worth EVERY penny they charged. Nice people too! www.alaskahelimush.com
Ketchican- sea plane into the mountainous forest reserves of Alaska. noisy plane but what a view. But you do get to wear headsets to talk back and forth so not too bad. We landed the seaplane on a hidden lake to watch a mother bear and her two cubs for a while. The lake was at the base of a 40-story waterfall.

You cant go wrong with ANY of these excursions!

Have fun!

I have two twin sons who will be 1 year, 10 months, and 8 days old. I’m wondering… will it be free? Or will it be just cheap… or an outrageous price? Thanks to everyone who answers! (BTW, I tried to figure it out on princess cruises’ website, but it was confusing and i couldn’t find it.)

The twins will not be free. The first two people are charged the regular price and then the 3rd and 4th person are cheaper. You also may have to get a cabin suitable for 3 or 4 persons. Like a regular balcony will not due, but a ocean view is most likely the best bet. They have rooms for 4 that have fold down beds and all of these are the ocean view ones. If there is just the 3 of you, then a mini suite will do nicely too. You will need to talk to a travel agent for your booking because of the kids.

Any scams I should be aware of?

Others have recommended shoulder-season travel (May, September) and I agree. Bring an extra warm layer, but everything will be less crowded, cheaper, and a few freezing nights really knock down the bugs.

I’d add:

Consider "re-positioning" cruises. The ones in May that get the ships to Alaska (from Mexico or Japan, etc) and ones in September that get them back. They don’t do as many touristy stops, but they do stop in places few people get to (the Aleutians islands, for instance). Therefore they tend to attract more experienced travellers and nature-study types looking to get to less travelled places.

Also consider the Alaska State Ferry system. A whole lot cheaper and more flexible than the cruise lines. If you want a cabin, you’ll be fixed on the sailing dates you select, just like the cruise ship. It won’t have 5 swimming pools and 7 sqaure meals a day, but will stop in the same towns. And cruise past the same fjords, eagles and whales. The State Ferry is at its best if you’re willing to bring a sleeping bag, sleep in the covered, heated Solarium with all the locals and if you want to step off one ship and spend 3 days or two weeks in Juneau, or Ketchikan or Sitka or Haines, etc, you can board the next ferry travelling in your direction at no additional cost.

We’ve considered doing what friends have done and going free on a smaller ship by being the ship’s physician. But paying full fare is probably cheaper for most people than going to medical school <g>.

Not too cold, maybe the best time to see iceburgs calving off the glaciers or to see the wildflowers in bloom? THANKS!

We went in the middle of August, temps were about 75 degrees everyday. Never had a rainy day the whole 7 days .
It was a wonderful cruise on the Sapphire Princess and want to do it again. We had an aft balcony, that was also great, never had any wind at the back of the ship. Not to mention watching the dolphins following in the wake of the ship, it was fantastic. Scenery was the best, the ports were all great.
Seen eagles every where, they were gorgeous.
I have heard that sometimes July is quite cool.

I am south Floridan not use to the cold never lived in the north. I am going in July any specific jackets.

I have been to Alaska twice, once in June and then on a cruise inside passage and land tour in May. What you need to pack is not that much different from any other cruise or trip. The weather in Alaska on land can be very pleasant; maybe in the 70′s during the day, in July. It will likely be rainy in a couple of your port stops like Juneau and Ketchkan. Not a downpour but like showers.

It will be pleasant on ship while you are in inside area but breezy and chilly on open decks. When you get near the icebergs and glaciers it will be cold. And I mean like hat, coat and gloves cold. But the way to dress is layer your clothes so you will be warm enough when its cold but not too hot when you are in warmer areas. Instead of a ski jacket, take a lighter one that you can wear comfortably over a sweater or hoodie. Take some long sleeved shirts and slacks. Take a cap or hat and even gloves. plan to dress in layers each day: underclothes, shirt, sweater, jacket.

It will probably be enough for you to buy a light jacket that is large enough for you to wear over a sweater, hooded sweat shirt (hoodie), or warmup suit.

Most ships that do the Alaska cruises have areas where you can see things without being outside. They also generally have a solarium, a glass covered pool and hot tub area. And of course the ship will have a gym. So you can take clothes and things to enjoy these activities on ship.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00 PM and most people will be in jeans/slacks, sweat suits, shirts, sweaters, and/or a light jacket. They will wear these on the ship and off the ship for tours. So take:
-sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, good walking shoes, swim wear,
-a warmup suit or sweats to relax on ship in,
- a hoodie and a jacket that you can wear over it,
- a hat and gloves for when you get near the glaciers and ice fields,
- a rain poncho because it will likely rain in Ketchakan and/or Juneau,
-a book if you are a reader, your music player, your camera, extra batteries and/or your charger and binoculars,
-sun glasses and sun screen, lotions,
-other personal toiletries.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool towels. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand. They do not provide tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions. They DO provide a hair dryer.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That’s attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc. Don’t over pack , take clothes that you can mix and match tops and bottoms and plan to wear each piece twice.

Your cruise will have a formal night when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ships Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. You will not be denied entry to the main dining room if you decide not to dress up, as long as you are at least sports casual. But most people do dress up; a suit or tux for men and a gown or party dress for women. Women should take a shawl or other wrap for the formal dress.

Some other packing tips:

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage.

-Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- If you want to use the pool, hot tub, or gym as soon as you get on the ship, take clothes for these in your carry on bag because your checked luggage will likely not get to your room until much later in the afternoon, maybe by @ 6:00 PM.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer and/or hand wipes. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

- Take a can of air freshener for your cabin bathroom; it has no exhaust fan.

Any suggestions on who to deal with? We are thinking Princess Cruise followed with a 4 or 5 day land tour but are wondering if booking a separate land tour would be better than the cruise ship offers. We’re also looking for a great deal, money-wise. I’d like to fish the last day and bring fish home to the San Francisco bay area.

Either way you choose you will have a great experience here! Take a camera and a journal. Make lots of fun memories. We are open 24/7!

I went on the Carnival Spirit northbound cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage in June of 2005 and had the best time of my life.

So i’m going on an Alaska Cruise with my family in July-August time frame. I understand that on most cruise ships the drinking age is 21. Everyone except for one person is older than 21 in my party (my little brother is 20). We are from a place where the drinking age is 18+, so we’re quite used to having the entire family out for social drinks. Just curious if anyone was able to bend these rules on cruise lines, primarily the Princess and/or Holland America cruise line.

You know everyone is kinda right. I was on NCL with my cousin when we were both 20 and they didnt care b/c St Martin’s drinking age was 16. and Carib is international waters. but they stopped serving us once we got within distance of Miami. You wouldn’t have a problem with that if you were truly getting to international waters but when you are off the coast of Alaska (as opposed to Carib islands) you will still be in US waters. However, you can sneak a bottle of vodka on in your luggage (as long as you are over 21). You bring a water bottle and keep refilling. If he gets a soda fountain card, he can mix and match. And the last night of the cruise you get back all the alcohol you have bought on the ship. We ended up having 2 bottles extra (which meant we would have to wake up at 5:30 to declare with customs) so instead our group stayed up all night and drank those 2 bottles and saw Miami come into view. Now as far as wine with dinner, they dont care at all. At dinner, we all alternated who bought the wine (including the underage ones) and no one cared b/c the parents are present.

That was Carnival and NCL though. Don’t know about Holland America but since everyone on Holland is 60+ I doubt they would even notice if he carried around the water bottle filled with rum.

We usually cruise Royal and have completed 16 cruises, 45 yr olds & no children are going. Which ship is better for food, activities, & price does matter. Any good ideas of how to add an economical land portion too
We are willing to try another cruise line!

I have taken over 20 cruises cruise/tours to Alaska. Hands down go with Princess. Not only Travel Channel’s choice for best cruise line to Alaska but, many travel magazines. Princess puts ( & only Princess) puts you up in 5 star lodges. When booking be sure your land tour includes Denali National Park with free tour inside park & on to Fairbanks and a real stern wheeler cruise. Try to get at least 2 days at Denali. Worth every cent. From your cruise to land tour you have a choice of a train or bus. Both great ways to see more of the natural beauty of Alaska. With the bus you will make afew stops. On the train you eat on board & sit in a glass doomed car.
Too many great things to say about Alaska.
You made a GREAT choice.
Enjoy.