Tips For Your Next Travel Cruise

With so many different cruise lines, ships and destinations to choose from, finding the right cruise can be daunting and confusing. It's been interesting what I've discovered over the years: one client will take a particular cruise and love it while another will take the same cruise and not like it at all. True enough you can talk to family and friends, but it is also a good idea to seek the advice of a travel expert who can give you the nitty-gritty facts about each and every ship and cruise line out there to help you determine whether or not you're making the right choice to meet your needs.

Several issues factor into selecting a cruise. You have to decide what is most important to you. Below is a list of some of the issues you might consider before making your decision about a cruise.

• How much time do you have for your trip?


• What's your budget? What's the most you'd like to spend? The least?


• Would you consider flying or would you prefer that the port be within driving distance of home?


• Is there any place special that you would like to visit?


• Are there certain activities that you would like to be able to participate in during your trip like scuba diving, hiking or shopping?


• Do you want to experience history or another culture while on your trip?


• Do you have a particular interest or a passion such as art, architecture, wildlife or cuisine that you would like to explore during your trip?


• Will you be traveling with children? Are you going to need family friendly activities?


• What quality accommodations are you accustomed to? W hotels? The Four Seasons? Marriott or Hilton? Perhaps a Comfort Suites or Residence Inn? Do you prefer to book a regular room or a suite with concierge services?

Once you've answered these questions thoroughly, consider your top priorities. I worked with clients recently who were celebrating their 10th Anniversary and wanted to book an upscale cabin. While a suite on a seven day cruise was beyond their budget they were able to book a suite for four nights. Nor were they interested in compromising on the quality of their accommodations just so they could have a longer stay on this very special occasion. Lots of seniors have traveled to the Caribbean 10 times or more on various ships. Since they would like to be able to gamble at the casinos on the various islands they prefer accommodations more modest accommodations. The least expensive inside cabins suit these clients perfectly since they usually travel in groups and so plan to spend little time in their cabins, unlike the couple on their anniversary who wanted to spend as much time alone together as possible and be pampered. What it boils down to is this: everyone's idea of perfect is different. Getting expert advice can help you to make your cruise memorable for the right reasons.