Vacation Planning: Are Cruises Worth it?

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If you’re looking forward to your vacation and want to get plenty of fun in the sun, you might be looking at some cruise lines. Is it worth your money to hop on a ship and travel to a region like the Caribbean, or should you just book travel directly to an island destination instead?

Travelers have mixed opinions on cruises, and it largely boils down to personal taste. Here are some tips to help you decide whether a cruise is for you or if you’d be better off taking a plane to your favorite vacation destination.

Floating Hotel

A cruise ship is a giant, floating resort hotel. This is great for people who don’t like to deal with things like airports, travel back and forth from bars and restaurants to their hotel rooms, or need to check into multiple places to visit more than one vacation destination.

If you like the idea of not having to book travel accommodations at all during your next trip, you might love the ease and flexibility of cruising. However, if you don’t like the idea of being stuck on one boat for a week at a time, you might not enjoy the experience.

Everything’s Covered

Another interesting element of a cruise vacation is that your meals and drinks are covered in the cost of your ticket. You get your room and meals outside of premium options like alcoholic drinks or high-end restaurants, and you don’t need to worry about going anywhere to find the best options. Head to the dining room when it’s time to eat and enjoy some top-notch food from your latest port of call!

This “everything’s covered” experience isn’t for everyone, though. Some people like finding hole-in-the-wall restaurants, local watering holes, and “best-kept-secret” shopping spots. 

Variety of Destinations

If you book a cruise, you’ll get to see lots of great vacation spots. A common example is a Caribbean cruise, which allows you to visit numerous stunning beaches and sunny islands in the Atlantic. If you wanted to visit these on your own, you’d need to set up a lot of travel accommodations and plan to be on numerous airplanes.

If you’d rather just sail around and enjoy top-notch foods and not worry about where you need to be, a cruise is perfect for you. On the other hand, if you chafe at the idea of being “on rails,” you probably wouldn’t enjoy a more curated vacation experience like cruising.