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Cruises at Priceline
 
Travelocity
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 As
cruising has increased in popularity in the last decade, there are more and more options available for those looking
to cruise. This is both good and bad--good, because there is a wide variety of cruise lines, itineraries and cruise
ships. Bad, because there IS so much availability of cruise lines, itineraries and cruise ships and that can sometimes
mean confusion.
Matching your personality with the cruise is crucial. Nothing is more frustrating than to find that the cruise
you have booked is nothing like your vacation personality (and is very different from the cruise you expected!)
Here are some of the major considerations you will want to acquaint yourself with before you cruise:
- Size of ship
- Cruise line "personality" and fellow cruisers
- Itinerary
- Length of cruise
- Sailing time of year
Size of ship
There is a good bit of difference between the experience of sailing on one of the megaliners and cruising on a
much smaller ship. The larger ships will offer many more amenities--ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, speciality
restaurants and more are not uncommon--than can be found on smaller ships. In contrast, the smaller ships frequently
offer a more intimate experience as well as closer--and more frequent--contact with staff and crew.
Cruise line personality
Although all of the cruise lines will be able to take you from Point A to
Point B, the experience onboard can vary a great deal. Cruise lines do have personalities when it comes to things
like dress codes, entertainment, dining and more. It makes sense to match the cruise line's personality (and the
personalities of your fellow cruisers) with your own as closely as possible. You can find more information in the
section devoted to choosing a cruise line.
Itinerary
Choose an itinerary to match the type of vacation you desire. For example, if your goal is to "vegetate"
for a week, you probably will be less pleased with an itinerary with that visits a new port every day. Likewise,
if you are an active vacationer and want to see lots of new places, an itinerary with numerous days at sea will
most likely not be a good fit.
Length of cruise
Just as cruise lines tend to have a personality, cruises of different lengths will also have varying personalities.
Nothing is written in stone, but frequently shorter (less than 7 day) cruises will attract a younger, more active
crowd while on longer cruises (11 days or more) you will often find older and more frequently traveled cruisers.
Sailing time of year
You will find that there is a good deal of variance between cruises depending on the time of year of the sailing.
For example, cruises during the summer months and during school breaks will be geared mostly to families, since
there will be a good many children sailing at this time. In contrast, cruises that sail in mid-winter will frequently
be more adult-oriented.
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