If you’ve vacationed with your children you know the feeling - you and your spouse look and feel like a couple of bleary-eyed, bedraggled parents returning back to the hotel at 6 p.m.. In tow, are your hyper-active offspring wearing sweaty t-shirts and sporting cotton candy hair extensions.
"We sailed aboard a cruise ship, which had one of those cruise-ship names, like the Majestic Vagabond Restaurant of the Seas. She is a fine vessel, a tad larger than Connecticut, boasting (really) an onboard shopping mall. Leaving port, she weighed 75,000 tons, at least half of which was food. Here's a log of our voyage:
Day One: We arrive at the ship and meet our fellow voyagers, most of whom are wearing brand-new sneakers, as though they're about to compete in the decathlon, as opposed to spending the next five days chewing."
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/06/2031855/cruising-all-the-way-to-the-buffet.html#ixzz1MXLqy7xW
"Deanna and Nathan Kitzke, from Kennewick, Wash., were married in front of 50 friends and family members last March onboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas before pulling out of port for a seven-day cruise to Mexico. By opting for the most basic wedding package, which included the venue (a lounge aboard the ship), an officiant from the local port of call, flowers, music while the couple walked down the aisle, a strawberry and Champagne toast and an hour at a bar, the couple paid just $1,500. They paid an additional $5,000 for the cruise, staying in a balcony room. Guests who chose to sail with them paid their own way, with some sharing rooms, for less than $1,000 each. Others came onboard for the ceremony alone."
Just like cars, houses and universities, the cruise deal you choose for your vacation is as much a reflection of your lifestyle and expectations as it is of your budget. Thirty years ago, cruising was more or less a one-size-fits-all proposition, but now, it's a $30 billion-a-year industry within the travel deal industry, with various lines jockeying to command its particular niche.
Experienced cruisers know that the line you choose can define the quality of your holiday. So which one should you pick? Here are 10 considerations a vacationer might have, paired with the line that answers them best.
