New to Cruise

An increasing number of people are deciding to try a cruise for their next holiday. In fact, cruising is the fastest growing segment of the holiday market today. There are many reasons for this. Cruising is one of the best holiday values, and it is also one of the easiest types of holiday to organise.

Sometimes people new to cruising make serious mistakes when they plan their first cruise, including giving little or no consideration to the ship or the type of cruise they will take. All cruises are definitely not the same, and it is often wise to avail oneself of the services of a knowledgeable travel agent when planning a first cruise.

First of all, you need to know what kind of a holidaymaker you are. Do you prefer quiet, relaxing holidays or do you like to be on the go at all times? Do you like to stay to yourself while on the ship, enjoying lots of quiet time with a significant other, or do you like to be in the middle of the action, meeting new people and partying until the wee small hours of the morning? Do you like long leisurely days at sea, or do you prefer exploring as many ports as possible, preferably just about one each day? These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself, and your answers will determine the type of cruise and cruise ship that would be best for you.

For example, if you are the “party” type, you may prefer one of the larger cruise ships sailing the UK these days, such as the ships of Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) or Royal Caribbean International. These ships are packed with amenities, such as ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, bowling alleys, wave pools, surfing simulators and other such diversions. They also offer many options in terms of entertainment, including an onboard disco, various lounges and bars all featuring different types of music and entertainment, as well as multiple stage shows and comedy performances, and even sometimes huge outdoor movie screens on which various concerts and movies are shown just about around-the-clock. They also have large onboard casinos where the action rarely stops. They will also usually have a high-energy cruise staff who will keep the action going with a never-ending spate of activities, including something to please just about everybody.

If you are more of the quiet type, however, and see your cruise holiday as a chance to spend some quality time reconnecting with those you love, maybe a large ship isn’t the answer for you. Perhaps you would prefer one of the smaller, luxury brands, such as Silversea or the Yachts of Seabourn, or even one of the elegant ships of Holland America, a premium (as opposed to luxury) cruise line. There are also several European speciality brands that could provide what you are looking for and a good travel agent can point you in the right direction. While these ships will not contain all of the high energy amenities of the large Carnival vessel, they will provide a certain onboard ambience that is very conducive to quality time for couples or family time, including plenty of quiet lounges and bars, lots of out-of-the-way outdoor lounge space, spacious accommodation (many with private balconies), and a host of other features.

Also, it is important to carefully select your itinerary (where the ship will sail), the length of your cruise (four, seven, ten days, or even longer) and the time of year you will sail. All of these factors will determine the type of cruise experience you will have. Shorter cruises tend to bring out the party crowd, longer ones the more sedate, older passenger. Caribbean itineraries tend to be populated by more young people intent on partying and having a good time, while Alaska draws families. European cruises tend to draw a mix of families and couples. River cruises and other small ship luxury cruises tend to draw the older passenger demographic and usually few, if any children, unless they take place over school holiday periods. And that brings us to time of the year to cruise. If you are looking for a high quality family cruising experience, and will have the children with you, be sure to select a cruise sailing over school holiday periods. The boat will likely have lots of families with kids onboard, and the children’s programme of activities will be running at full swing. Babysitting services may also be available on many ships and this means that everyone in the family will have a good time, with plenty of quiet “us” time thrown in for mum and dad.

Lastly, let’s talk about budget. It’s often the item most overlooked when planning a first cruise. True, most items are included on the typical cruise holiday, including your food, some non-alcoholic beverages, shipboard accommodation, children’s programmes, and most activities. However, there are also a lot of “hidden” costs, and these need to be taken into consideration when deciding on how much cruise holiday you can afford. For example, items not included in your cruise fare will often include gratuities for the shipboard staff, alcoholic beverages, gambling, shore tours, purchases both onshore and in the onboard shops, speciality restaurant surcharges, and various little “nickel and dime” items.

Because most ships operate on a “cashless” society model, all you have to do is show your room card to acquire anything onboard that your heart desires, including additional cash for casino gaming. Because you are not reaching into your pocket to pay for these things, it is very easy to lose track of what has been spent each day, and it is not until disembarkation day when the terrible truth hits: you’ve taken a major hit to the credit card. The savvy and experienced cruiser has already learned the hard way the importance of checking the onboard spending balance every day or so, and adjusting spending habits accordingly. Unless you are sailing an all-inclusive luxury cruise ship, you will have to consider these added expenses in determining just how much you want to spend for your basic cruise holiday. You may have thought you could afford luxury accommodation onboard your cruise ship, but when you consider these extra charges, you might realize that you have to scale back to more a more reasonably-priced stateroom.

There is a lot for first time cruisers to consider when planning their first voyage. Whether that first voyage will be a luxury experience on a small ship, or a more traditional sailing on a large ship operated by one of the mass market cruise lines, you can have an unforgettable experience if you just take the time to properly plan your holiday. An experienced travel professional can make this process easy, but only you can determine just what you are looking for in your cruise holiday and help her get you on just the right ship to deliver that.

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