Special offer

Time to take a cruise?

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with R & D Art

If you have never done this in your life time, it is now time to start planning to do it. Cruising might be one of the funniest adventures one can embark on. And it takes planning to make sure that it is done right. There are so many different companies that provided cruises, you are bound to find a theme that is right for you. From children friendly to adult only cruises, there is one to fit your life style.

In my opinion there are several factors that you need to take into accountability. From cost to ship size to food accommodations to entertainment to destinations, the choices are vast. Once you start making the choices then you can make the choices that best fit you.

I think for me the first and foremost is going to be the destinations. I would base purchasing a cruise based on the ports that the cruise is going to stop in. I also take into account the fact that some of the posts might not be open due to civil unrest or weather issues.

My next feature that I look for is adult entertainment. I for one am not much for a cruise that has a ton of children on it. I like it even better if there is seperated facilities for the adults. This way if I want to get in some peaceful rest, I typically can in the adult pools or hot tubs.

Another feature for me is the ship size. I like the bigger ships typically because they have more to do on them than the smaller ones. Casinos tend to be larger and restaurants seem to have better food. The entertainment and night life seem to be more vast on the bigger ships also.

Cruising is what you make of it. If you want to spend a lot of time on the water and little time in ports, they have those types of cruises too. It is all based on what you are looking for today.

Heather the Realtor Orlando, Lake Mary
LemonTree Realty - Orlando, FL
First Time Home Buyers, Bank Owned Homes

My boyfriend and I did a week cruise last thansgiving. We had a great time and went to some ports I would never go to otherwise. I would say cruising isnt for me. I much rather fly and rent a car, but will say I still had a great time.

Jul 12, 2008 07:29 AM
Vickie McCartney
Maverick Realty - Owensboro, KY
Broker, Real Estate Agent Owensboro KY

Danny~  I have only been on one cruise in 1988 and it was to Alaska.  I enjoyed it and Alaska was beautiful, scenery like you have never seen, but I too would rather fly somewhere and get to my own destinations and be on land more! 

Jul 12, 2008 07:54 AM
Greg Fox
Realty World Wichita - Wichita, KS
Techy Broker in Wichita Kansas

I've been on many Cruises, and for me it's about the ports.  My favorite was a 10 day around Northern Europe with my mother.  Great time, and BEST ports ever.  BUT, I've been to Hawaii 10 times, and the Carribean 4 or 5 times, so getting to the tropics wasn't my priority.

Jul 12, 2008 08:02 AM
Danny Thornton
R & D Art - Knoxville, TN
WordPress Guru

Heather, they are not for everyone.

Vickie, part of the enjoyment is the ability to witness the beauty of the ocean.

Greg, the longer cruises are the ones that I enjoy more often myself too.

Jul 12, 2008 10:59 AM
Debbie Malone
Londeree's Real Estate & Property Management - Lynchburg, VA
From Lynchburg To The Lake (434) 546-0369

Danny, I took an overnight cruise on the Bluenose from Maine to Nova Scotia and couldn't get past the seasickness. My mom goes on a few cruises every year and loves them.

Jul 12, 2008 04:15 PM
Danny Thornton
R & D Art - Knoxville, TN
WordPress Guru

Debbie, they make a patch that you put right behind your ear and it helps.

Jul 13, 2008 01:10 AM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Good post. . The best vacation I have had is when we went on a cruise.

Jul 13, 2008 01:17 AM
Kathy Passarette
Creative Home Expressions - Mount Sinai, NY
L.I. Staging/Decorating

Danny ~ I've been on two - one for a week and the other for a 3-day weekend.  I like the idea of cruises because I went to places I had never been, and although the visits to ports are short, I thought it was great to get an idea for if you liked that particular port, you could make it an actual vacation destination in the future.  The only thing I hate about cruises is the disembarking and going through the whole deal with waiting to be allowed to disembark and then locating your luggage. 

Jul 13, 2008 01:28 AM
Danny Thornton
R & D Art - Knoxville, TN
WordPress Guru

Gita, they are way too fun.

Kathy, no more detracking than that of having to wait around in an airport and having to locate your luggage once you have changed planes multiple times.

Jul 13, 2008 02:03 AM
Mirela Monte
Buyers' Choice Realty - North Myrtle Beach, SC
Myrtle Beach Real Estate

Danny, I love cruises and take at least one per year.  What do I look for?  How much time we spent on shore and how many places we'll actually visit.  The quality and newness of the ship come next, with the food a close second. 

My favorite so far?  Royal Caribbean's Navigator of The Seas.  I've taken it twice.  I love their salsa dancing place and spent most of my evenings there. 

My least favorite?  Carnival's Glory of the Seas.  I hated it so much that I actually disembarked in Belize.  Carnival was really good about it:  they have a guarantee that if you don't like the cruise they refund you the rest of the money (for the unused portion of it).

My nightmare:  Being left behind by Royal Caribbean in St. Martin, with no money, and a credit card that stopped working.  Can you say Murphy's law?  I actually wrote two blogs about that adventure and posted them right here on TravelingRainers.

 

Jul 14, 2008 11:21 AM
Danny Thornton
R & D Art - Knoxville, TN
WordPress Guru

Mirela, they is always fun to be had and unfortunately, sometimes there is disaster.

Jul 14, 2008 11:25 AM