BeforeYouGo.com

A cruise is a great way to travel.  Some of our favorite things about a cruise include:

• A cruise let’s you unpack once and keep your room while travelling from one destination to the next. 
• A cruise can let you visit multiple highlights that you normally couldn’t combine in one trip.
• A cruise includes your food (which is usually excellent), making it easier to budget and giving you one less thing to worry about.
• Cruises can have built in days to relax if the itinerary has a day at sea.
• In the evenings, cruises have built in entertainment with shows on board and lots of activities throughout each day.

A cruise, however, isn’t for everyone and it isn’t the best for every location.  Consider the following:

• A cruise limits your freedom:  Although you get to see more places, you get to see less of those places than on a normal vacation.  You have a limited amount of time in port so you can’t always see and do what you want.
• Shore excursions can be expensive and they add up fast, further limiting what you can do in each port.

Before you decide on a cruise, think about what you want to see and how you want to see it.  If you prefer to experience a location in depth, you may want to stay there.  If you are more concerned about seeing more places and just seeing some highlights, then a cruise is probably the way to go.

I personally love cruises, but I also really enjoy having a rental car and being able to go around and explore on my own, so I can be torn when it comes to deciding which one is the best way to travel.

If you are going on a cruise there are some things to do Before You Go that will save you time and money, and help you get the most out of your vacation: 

What shore excursions will you want to go on?
Are there local operators that you can book with in advance?  If so, they will almost always save you a lot of money over booking directly with the cruise line.
We have some great excursions that work with cruises here.  We have a lot more info on our shore excursions page.

How will you get to the cruise port?
Many ports are not easily accessible from the airport.  Cruiselines almost always offer to take you to the port and back to the airport, but there is usually a far less expensive way of doing it.  We’ll offer details on some ports in the specific cruise location guides.

What type of room will you get?
The cost of a cruise can change significantly depending on what type of room you book.  There are four main types of rooms, listed from cheapest to most expensive:

Inside:  I am personally fine with inside rooms.  Some people feel claustrophobic in them because there are no windows and that can make it feel like you are in a closet.  They do put curtains where there would normally be a window so it doesn't feel to closed in.  Cruises offer so much to see and do, between the restaurants, shows, activities, pools, and just standing or sitting on deck, that I only use my stateroom as a place to sleep, not a place to hang out, so I do not see the point in spending a lot of extra money on a better room.

Obstructed Oceanview:  To call these rooms "oceanview" tends to be a bit deceiving.  While you will have a window where you can see the ocean, seeing that view may require certain angles and it will be a very small part of your window that you can actually see through.  There will usually be some big obstruction, like a life boat hanging over your window.  These rooms are basically useless as far as the quality of the view. 

Oceanview:  These rooms have a window or just a small porthole, but they will have a view.  What they don't have is a great way to enjoy the view.  You're better off sitting on deck.

Balcony:  If you really like to sit on deck but also really want privacy while you do, then a balcony may be for you.  You'll be paying a lot for that privacy, so it's really just personal preference determining if that is worth it or not.