Cruise – Your Dream Vacation
A cruise can easily be your dream vacation. There is however, some effort needed on your part to make sure that your selected cruise destination, cruise line, ship, and accommodations suit your needs well. Fortunately, VacationSpirit makes it a breeze by providing detailed information on every cruise line, ship, and destinations. You can easily see the specifications and accommodations of each ship. Reading this guide will also help you understand what to expect on a cruise.

Picking a Specific Cruise Line
Like many other industries, cruise lines "target" their product or cruise ship experience to hit certain markets. They can be subjectively divided into 5 basic categories: 1) The ultra-luxury market . These are upscale ships (often much smaller than the mega-liners) that generally cater to wealthy people. Silver Seas would be one example. Service and food is truly gourmet. 2) The upscale mass market. These do a wonderful job and provide a cruise experience on a larger ship and, of course, at a higher price than any category, except for the previous one. 3) The Middle of the Road Mass Market . All of the big lines are in this category, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Holland American, Princess, etc. These offer a great deal of value. 4) The Bargain/Smaller Lines . This is the most varied category. 5) Specialized Lines . These include a wide variety also, including barge cruises in Europe and smaller ships (150 passengers or so) that ply the inside passage to and from Alaska , as well as "adventure" cruising that lines like Renaissance targets. Of course, every one has individual tastes and budget. So it is important to research the available options of cruise lines and their offerings.

Ports of Call
Ports that you visit offer an opportunity to stretch your legs and get off the ship for a change of pace. In general, it is important to realize that you will only get a tiny sampling of the port or country that you'll visit. Most often (particularly in the Caribbean ), you may be bombarded with hordes of people who will be lined up to take you around the city or island, or to sell you something. Some ports offer world-class opportunities to see things worthwhile (e.g., New York , Singapore , etc.); others are so pedestrian, there is little there of interest. Sometimes there are a multitude of ship-sponsored shore excursions. At others, you will have to explore by yourself. Sometimes it is even preferable. It gives you an opportunity to get out and encounter the local culture. After all, it is disheartening, for example, to have a fantasy about seeing Rome or some wonderful sights, only to find that you are on a drive-by tourist bus with your shipmates, and that if you're lucky, you may stop for 15 minutes to take pictures.

Pick Your Cabin Wisely
Generally, the more desirable cabins (also more expensive ones) are on the top decks of a ship - and they almost always sell out first. The old adage used to be, don't worry about your cabin; you won't spend much time there to begin with. Actually, that's not true. Since cruise lines have shifted to the concept of thinking of a ship as a self-contained resort, more emphasis has been placed on making your cabin as comfortable (and as large) as possible. Of course the cabin selection depends largely on personal taste, budget, length of cruise, and weather. For example, getting an outside cabin with a balcony is great (albeit expensive) if the weather is nice. You can sit outside and enjoy splendid scenery. On the other hand, if it is blustery weather, you probably will think that a balcony is a waste of money. Selection of your cabin may also affect whether you feel the ship “rock & roll”. The cabins in the center of the ship enjoy much less movement.

Sea Sickness
In general, this concern is overdone, perhaps more among first time cruisers. The larger ships have several stabilizers that even out the pitch and roll of the ship - but in rough seas you can certainly feel some discomfort. If you have a predisposition to sea sickness, ask for a cabin near the center part of the ship, away from the bow (front), or the stern (rear) of the ship. You'll get relatively less movement in the center sections. One downside to this is to be sure you get a cabin away from elevators, stairs (which are often near the center of the ship) or other high traffic areas if you value a more quiet night's sleep. Finally, if you are prone to motion sickness, the ship's doctor can give you something for a nominal charge - or you may choose to get an over the counter product from your pharmacist before you leave.

Advantages of a Cruise
Since you came to VacationSpirit, it is possible that cruise is not the only option you are considering for your vacation. So what are advantages and disadvantages of going on a cruise as opposed to a vacation? Cruises can represent one of the most memorable and high value-added vacations today. You can party up a storm or curl up with a good book and just chill out, or do a little of each. You can eat yourself from one of end the ship to another, or go for nutritious or even vegetarian menus while working out daily at state-of-the-art on board spas. If you consider the cost of hotels, airfare, meals, rental cars, the hassles of packing and unpacking, getting caught in traffic and all the other things that can tarnish that "big vacation," it is easy to understand why so many people choose to go on a cruise. However, cruises have disadvantages as well. You are pretty much limited to the destinations that are on course of the cruise. So you do not have much control over what you will see and experience. The ship, although the size of a small town, is also a limitation. You spend majority of your time on the ship, while on a vacation you can fully dedicate yourself to exploring your destination. Nevertheless, a cruise is the best way to see a lot of places and have a lot of experiences in a short period of time, and with very high level of comfort. How important is each upside and downside to you depends only on your tastes.

Quick F.A.Q.
Hopefully this general description helped to get a better idea what a cruise is and what you can expect. Now to get more specific about cruises, please check out the following short FAQ.