Top 5 reasons I love to cruise.

Whether you are a cruise addict like myself or a newbie who is brand new to cruising, I hope this list will get you thinking about all the great things a cruise has to offer.

1. Options – Most likely you have heard someone say, “don’t you get bored being stuck on the ship”. The reality is that that statement couldn’t be farther from the truth.  I think I realized the amount of options available on a cruise early on, mostly because of the different demographics I often sailed with.  There really is something for everyone, and on vacation this is important.   Getting everyone to want to do the same thing on a vacation is near impossible.  On a cruise a whole family or group of friends can be on the same vacation and yet do what is enjoyable to them.  As they say on Norwegian Cruise Line, “you’re free to do what you want”.  You will see this theme in some of the other reasons I love to cruise.

2. Food – Food, and the amount of it, is usually a keyword when someone is thinking about a cruise vacation. However, my reason here is more around the quality and number of choices versus quantity.  The buffet and main dining room offerings are usually in line with “sit down, chain” restaurants.  Service is generally on point, but you also have to remember that they are serving thousands of people.  In addition to the complementary venues, specialty or up-charge restaurants have become very popular in the industry.  For the extra cost you can experience what I would categorize, in most cases, as fine dining.  Most new ship builds are including numerous specialty dining options and even older ships are having them added during dry docks(refurbishment).  To this day, the best steak I have ever had was at Chops Steakhouse on board Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas.  Who’s hungry now?

3. Cost – I have not found another vacation option where you can get a better “bang for your buck”. With so many cruise ports in the U.S. you can often find sailings you can drive to and not have a need for airfare.  If you have flexibility to sail during non-peak times (non-holiday and non-school breaks) you can even find deals where I believe you would spend more money to be at home living your usual daily grind.  Book early and re-price often to find the best prices.

4. Activities – As I mentioned earlier there are so many things to do on board a cruise ship. Whether you want to be adventurous and try things like ropes courses, water slides, and simulated surfing or you want to relax and spend time in the spa, people watch by the pool, and enjoy personal balcony views there is something for everyone.  Night time brings out even more choices from theater productions to karaoke to dancing the night away.  With all this said, please be sure to do research and find the right ship for you.  Certain activities such as the simulated surfing or ropes courses can only be found on certain ships.

5. Friendships – This is truly a case of saving the best for last. Over the last 13 years of cruising I have made countless lasting friendships.  There is just something about being at sea and meeting new people that is special.  It is almost hard to explain, but I can tell you I have some great stories with great friends at sea!

If you have cruised before you can most likely relate to these. If I have missed any of your favorite reasons to cruise please share them in the comments below.  If you have not cruised before I hope you can use my reasons to cruise to get you on board a ship forming your own opinions.