Destination: Cruising

You work hard all year, so when you go on vacation, it’s to get away from it all – ideally in comfort and style. You wistfully dream of a vacation where you’ll be wined and dined, pampered and spoiled. . . one where you can indulge your every whim and come home rejuvenated, refreshed and floating on top of the world. . . and in true Web Guides fashion, you expect to get the most for your money.

Take a cruise and you’ll get all that and more. Whether you’re into tropical sunshine or icebergs, there’s a cruise for you. While the most popular destinations are in the Caribbean (leaving from south Florida), you can find trips to Alaska, Antarctica or even nowhere at all.

Although cruising is popular year round, there are definite seasons. Here are the most popular seasons:

Caribbean - November to April, mid-June to Labor Day for families
Bermuda - late April to early October
Mexican Riviera - October to mid-May
South America - early December to early March
Panama Canal - September-October, December-March and May
Hawaii - June to August and holidays
Alaska - mid-May to late September
Canada/NE US coast - June to mid-October
Antarctica - December to February
Holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Carnival time in South America.

When you talk to people just returning from a cruise, what’s the first thing they just have to tell you about? That’s right, the food. Lots of really, really good food. Here’s a typical schedule:

-Early risers’ coffee or tea
-Full breakfast (up to 6 courses and 60 different items)
-Mid-morning bouillon
-Lunch(hot, cold or buffet-style)
-Afternoon tea (with sandwiches and pastries)
-Dinner
-Midnight buffet (did someone just ask what time it’s served?)

If that’s not enough, throw in room service 24 hours a day on some ships. Bar service usually runs from about 10:00 AM until the wee, small hours.

Of course, you won’t spend all your time eating. On-board entertainment runs the gamut from a quiet read in a sunny deck chair to dancing the night away or trying your luck in the casino. You can either amuse yourself or take part in organized activities, from aerobics classes to lectures on cooking, financial planning or dozens of other subjects.

On most cruises, you’ll have one or more chances to go ashore. Once ashore, your choices are usually sightseeing or shopping. For sightseeing, you can either join one of the ship’s excursions or strike out on your own. One thing to keep in mind, most excursions organized by the cruise line tend to be somewhat superficial. They have to be. They’re planned in advance, and must cater to the broadest possible range of tastes. If you plan to strike out on your own, pick up a good guide to the area and study it in advance. As for shopping, it’s usually “buyer beware”. The only time you want your local souvenirs to say “made in Taiwan” is if your cruise stops there. Make sure to check out the duty-free shops, including the one on the ship.

I know you’re wondering what all this is going to cost. My honest answer is - it depends. Ask ten people with similar bookings, and you’ll likely get ten different answers. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to about $360,000 per person for a world cruise on the QE2 in the penthouse suite. I saw a magazine ad recently for a cruise ship that was going condo. For only $250,000 per month, you could live the life of a luxury cruise passenger.

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