8 Reasons Why You Should Go on a Cruise Now
Cruising: it seems as if everyone has an opinion on it.
Some people refuse to go on anything else, while others refuse to even consider the idea. I fall in between--I've been on several cruises and enjoyed them, but like to vary my travel methods.
Variety is the spice of life, after all!
If you're one of those people who can't understand why anyone would spend a week or more aboard the same ship, this post is for you...and you might be surprised at what you find.
Here are my top 8 reasons why you should go on a cruise.
1) There is a wide variety of activities on board.
I went on my first cruise when I was 11.
Being a kid, I had no clue what I was getting myself into other than I was sailing around on a boat for 5 days. Imagine my surprise when my family and I boarded and there were so many things to do that we needed to get a newspaper delivered to our room each night!
One of the biggest things I hear from other travelers who haven't been on a cruise is: "Oh, I'd never go because I know I'd be bored."
I cannot refute this emphatically enough, as you will only be bored if you choose to be bored. (And there's plenty of room for that on the pool decks if you'd prefer to wile away your time in the sun with a drink in your hand!)
On past cruises, I've often enjoyed my at-sea days as much as the port days since there are so many options on board.
I've taken a Zumba class, attended an art auction, watched karaoke (I'm way too chicken to join in), browsed in the library, attended a silent disco (which was possibly the greatest thing ever), shopped for souvenirs, had a makeover, taken a towel animal folding lesson, and joined a conga line during one of the evening parades.
Cruising is basically like going to summer camp for adults--arts and crafts and movie night included!
Watching the hilarity that was "Battle of the Sexes" one night
2) You get to visit multiple countries on one trip.
My slow travel buddies will absolutely hate this aspect of a cruise, but I love being able to get little tastes of several places within a short time span.
Think of a cruise as a beer flight: you get to try multiple new things in order to decide which you'd like to experience more completely.
In a Mediterranean cruise, for example, you might get to see Italy, Croatia, and Turkey within a week or so, while a Caribbean cruise will hop between Puerto Rico and several of the Virgin Islands.
Walking around Cozumel, Mexico
Approaching travel this way has really helped my husband and I figure out where we'd like to spend our money on a longer land-based vacation in the future. And I'm guilty of loving all the new stamps on my passport!
3) There's so much included in the base price.
Unlike traditional vacations where you pay a la carte for your hotel, food, tours, and entertainment, cruises pack in a massive bang for your buck.
Without spending any additional money (for shore excursions and the like), you will have a room for the duration of your cruise, 3 meals a day, all the snacks you can eat, evening entertainment options, poolside music and events, the vast majority of the on-board activities, and access to all of the ports (where, if you're really cheap like me, you can just wander around on your own!).
Add all of this into the fact that cruise companies are constantly offering discounts and on-board credit, and you can score a fantastic deal for your vacation.
4) The dining experience is fantastic.
Having cruised with three different companies in the past, I can tell you this: the food can vary greatly depending on what you order and where you order it. The daily buffet is expansive but probably won't rock your socks too much, but there is something to say about the sheer number of options you've got there.
That being said, I've had some truly spectacular dishes on cruises, and I even bought the cookbook being offered during the cruise we took for our honeymoon. What can I say? The Toffee, Caramel, and Banana Mousse Parfait had to come home with me one way or the other!
Whether you love formal dining or not, definitely plan to spend a few of your nights in the main dining room. The wait staff is usually incredibly attentive (even figuring out your favorite drinks and bringing them to you before you order!), and the atmosphere is fun, lively, and entertaining. Best of all, it's included in your cruise price.
The main dining room aboard the ship we took for our honeymoon (Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas)
5) A cruise has the ability to appeal to many different generations/ travel groups.
Of all of the reasons to go on a cruise, this is the one that I love the most.
Whenever I book a cruise, I know that there is something to do for everyone on-board, and, since everything is in close proximity, it's not a big deal for me to go read by the pool while my husband spends a little time in the casino.
I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I think it would be so much fun to take my kids, my parents, and my husband all on a cruise.
We've done multigenerational trips before, and they've worked out very well, and I imagine that the flexibility that comes along with a cruise would give us all the space to do what interested us while allowing us to come back together for meals.
6) Kids' clubs are fun for the entire family.
A former kid myself, I've attended a few of these kids' clubs and had a blast. When I was 16, I went on a Disney cruise with two of my friends and one of their families, and we gladly went to the teenagers' club.
There are separate activities for different age groups throughout the day (and even night for the older kids), and there's no extra charge to drop your child off for a few hours while you go to the spa or gym or just hang out by the pool without getting splashed.
7) You don't have to pack and unpack constantly.
While I love going on a long road trip, the whole new-room-every-night thing can get old quickly. On a cruise, you settle into your room for the duration of the trip, unpack everything you brought once, and then leave the driving to the captain and crew. Pretty sweet.
Don’t forget anything with our list of must-haves for a cruise!
Our home away from home on our most recent cruise
8) Variety of destinations available
Where I've grown up, cruising is often synonymous with the Caribbean since we can get cruises from nearby ports for very inexpensive prices. If you're thinking about why you should go on a cruise, don't think that sunny, sandy destinations are your only option!
You can do a river cruise through Germany, a tour of Northern Europe, a trip through the Mediterranean, a cruise through the Panama Canal, or an overview of China, to name a few.
If there's water in or near your destination, there's probably a cruise there!
So, where have you cruised? What's your favorite part of a cruise?
