After 3 days at sea, your cruise ship arrives in Acapulco. You are met by musicians, serenading you as you first step foot in Mexico. Or maybe you're setting sail from Honolulu, watching the sun set over Waikiki. Or cruising off an Alaskan glacier.Wherever you plan to take your next cruise, your first stop should be the Internet.
About.com: Cruises can answer nearly every question you have about cruises. Particularly helpful is a step-by-step planning guide. You also can subscribe to a free e-news letter that will brighten up your Mondays. About.com is loaded with information.
If you're looking for opinions, check out the Frommer's web site. One of the best-known names in travel guides, it gives the pro's and con's of each cruise line and even individual ships. Once you've determined where you're going, I highly recommended their printed books; "Alaska Cruises and Ports of Call" was invaluable for planning port visits even on our third trip, and I passed it along to two other couples who took the same cruise. Costs less than $15 at Amazon, and is well worth it. Frommer's also has a weekly newsletter.
For a more populist look at cruises, you can check CruiseReviews.com. I found these mostly unhelpful, as you could get widely differing opinions of the same cruise - from gushing to whining. However, they do provide helpful trivia, such as how much Internet connections cost on-board ship and which restaurants serve food that won't break the diet.
One of the best (though not unbiased) source of information is from the cruise lines themselves, conveniently listed here by a cruise enthusiast. Register at each site, and you can receive brochures about different cruise destinations. Better, once you're on their mailing lists, they will send you discounted offers.
Ask your friends for recommendations. We were so excited about our most-recent Alaska cruise, that our friends Robbi and Dave decided to take the same one - right down to the excursion aboard a crab boat in Ketchikan. (An absolute must-see!)
Finally, if you want to get lost on the web, check out Top 10 Cruise Websites.
When it comes to booking your cruise, there are several options.
- Travel agent. We used Parker Cruise and Tours for our first cruise. They were extremely helpful walking us through the process of selecting and booking the tour. And in the information age, their prices have to be somewhat competitive. If you don't have a travel agent, try My Best Fare Finder. Enter information on your desired cruise, and travel agents from across the country will bid for your business.
- High-volume travel agents, like Costco and AAA.
- Online travel sites like Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, Expedia, or Hotwire. One advantage with these - as with a traditional travel agent - is that you can book airfare and hotels for extra nights at the same time.
- The cruise lines themselves. Once you're on their mailing lists, you will receive offers unavailable to the general public. Many lines also have their own loyalty plans, as well as credit cards that earn credit for future cruises.
- Finally, if you like adventure, consider one of the last-minute cruise options, internet-based services that connect you with unsold cabins. They include: Vacations to Go, Cruises Only, and Cruise Deals. However, remember that you'll also be booking airfare at the last minute, so the extra costs could negate the cruise savings - unless you have frequent-flyer miles or the site offers discounted airfare as well.
- A cruise packing list.
- Tourist boards from your destination country.
- A buyers guide for digital cameras, so you can save all your happy memories.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
