Cruise vacations - why you should take one

This year over five million people will enjoy a cruise vacation.
Do you know why discount cruises are so popular?

1. Cruises - Great Vacation Value
   Cruises are excellent value for your money. Your cruise fare includes all meals, your cabin, daytime activities onboard the cruise ship, nighttime parties, and nightly entertainment. Use our chart to compare a cruise vacation to a land vacation.
   
   
2. So Many Things To Do (or Not Do) - Cruise at your own pace
   On your cruise you can do as much or as little as you like. You set your own pace, there is no pressure. The Cruise Staff on the ships are there to make sure you have a wonderful vacation.
   To see some samples of Daily Activity Newsletters, click here:
                   Carnival's Fun Ships
                   Royal Caribbean
   
   
3. Cruise Ships Don't Stay Still
   On a cruise vacation you will be taken from one exotic destination to the next, while you are asleep in your cabin (or perhaps while you dance the night away). When you wake up in the morning a new port-of-call will be there for you to explore.
   On those days when your ship is "cruising" you will discover the true meaning of the word "cruise". You will love the feeling of freedom during these days at sea, away from the rest of the world.
   
   
4. Your Fellow Cruisers
   You will soon find that people are so very friendly when on a cruise. If your first cruise is to the Caribbean, you will find that all kinds of people take cruises: singles, couples, and families of all ages. You will make new friends and have all kinds of things in common to talk about.
   
   
5. Cruise Ship Food
   Fine dining is an important part of you cruise experience. Let's take a look at some samples of your five course dinner menus:
                   Carnival Cruises Fun Ships Menu
                   Celebrity Cruises Four Star Menu
                   Royal Caribbean Menu
   
   On many cruise ships you will also have the option of either more casual and/or intimate dining in a "bistro" or "cafe" style restaurant.
   
   For breakfast and lunch you can choose between the dining room and a buffet style restaurant. The choice is yours - maybe for breakfast you just like to go to the buffet, and then have lunch in the dining room. Breakfast can also be "continental style" in you cabin.
   
   Don't miss the afternoon snacks and ice-cream; or the traditional "afternoon tea" (or coffee) with a selection of the pastry chef's favorites.
   
   
6. Birthdays, Honeymoons and Anniversaries on your cruise
   The atmosphere on a cruise is a perfect setting for romantic honeymoons as well as for festive celebrations. For all those special occasions to celebrate, a cruise vacation has all the right ingredients.
   Honeymooners especially appreciate those cruise ships with Sunday or Monday departures.
   
   
7. Reunion Cruises
   Families, Friends, Clubs, Corporations, Churches and Organizations - all kinds of reunion groups of all sizes can be found on a cruise ship. The opportunity to spend time together in the atmosphere of a cruise ship is the most important reason for these reunions. The second reason is the fact that very little organizing is needed by the group leader, since everything is arranged by the cruise agency and the ship's staff. Meeting rooms and special parties can be easily arranged, and there are also additional discounts for groups.
   
   
8. Cruise Ship Service
   On a cruise ship service is an art form. From the moment you step aboard, the ship's friendly staff seems to always be there for you. They know that service is their profession and they are proud of it. It is a service that is attentive yet never intrusive. First-time cruisers are always amazed at this high level of personal attention.
   
   
9. Shopping in the cruise ports
   For those U.S. passengers who want to do some shopping, a Caribbean cruise offers a chance to use a higher duty-free allowance. While the normal customs allowance is $ 400 per person, a person returning from a Caribbean Basin country has an allowance of $ 600 and a person returning from the U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John) has $ 1,200. For details see U.S. Customs. These high allowances has lead to the presence of a multitude of shopping possibilities, especially in St. Thomas and San Juan.
   
   
10. "Your Ship Is In" - A cruise ship for everyone
    With more than 200 cruise ships of every type and size, there is today a ship for every taste and every budget. Primarily all the "major" cruise lines - Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Holland America Line - are building new cruise ships, but also several other cruise lines are having more and more added to their fleet.