Experienced Cruise Advisor

The Zaandam sure does have a Nice Aft!

Cruising - is there really a better way to travel the world and get many great experiences on one vacation? As with many vacations, you can choose to be as active and involved OR as laid back and relaxed as you wish when on a cruise ship. I always find it interesting when you chat with people who have been on the same ship at the same time as you have been - and each person can have a completely unique experience just based on what you chose to do on any given day. 

My first cruise ever was on the Celebrity Constellation back in 2005. I picked that specific cruise because at the time, the on board entertainment included Cirque Du Soleil. I had no idea what I would think about the cruise itself - but I knew that I would at least enjoy the entertainment since I was already very familiar with Cirque shows!

Maybe you're nervous about trying a cruise because of the motion of the ocean... I am one of the lucky ones - to this day, I have never been seasick on a cruise. And when you think about the motion you can feel when on a cruise - doesn't that make it even more impressive that entertainment can include such amazing performers? The balancing and acrobatics of Cirque performers, the dancing and singing of stage shows, the music and laughs of pub performers and magicians... It still blows my mind when I think about it all!

Anyway - fast forward to now more than TWENTY years later... My addiction to cruising has helped fuel my need to be on a ship! I have been on every size ship from riverboats which carry just 140 passengers, to small luxury ships that carry 300 to 900 passengers, and even some of those mega-ships that carry 5,000+ passengers. I have crossed the Atlantic Ocean, climbed through the locks of the Panama Canal, floated down the small rivers in Europe, traveled up and down the Fjords of Norway and Alaska - all that done while being on board a ship! Who knew you could do all that without even getting off the boat!?

Basically, I view a cruise ship as a resort on water. I get to walk onto the ship, unpack my bags, and visit multiple destinations all during one vacation. The convenience of staying in a "traveling resort" - perfection! 

There have been many changes over the past several years to the cruising industry! Especially if you are wanting to get into some of the smaller, more unique, ports of call. Many of the large cruise lines keep building larger and larger cruise ships. It's great for them to maximize capacity - and some of the new features on board those newer larger ships truly means the ship can be a destination all on its own! However, the down side to those larger ships - they are often unable to get into many of the older ports of call. Primarily because the newer ships are just too big for the docks available in some ports... But also, many smaller towns or islands are starting to put limitations on the number of cruise passengers they will allow into port on any given day. 

So, this is DEFINITELY something you need to pay attention to if you are looking to visit places like Santorini Greece, Bar Harbour Maine, Tahiti, Nice France, Barcelona Spain, Venice Italy, or Juneau Alaska just to name a few. There are many more considering some changes to their local ports as well. 

If you are looking for a way to explore the world, I highly recommend giving a cruise a try! I am always happy to discuss my experiences - and give you some recommendations based on your travel goals.