Best Cruise Deals Online

Stewart Chiron, The Cruise Guy®, shares the best cruise deals and tips for NBC Washington DC’s viewers. Highlighted 1st year ’round departures from Baltimore aboard Carnival Pride.

Cruise vacations are one of the most exciting and fun vacations you and your family will ever have. Planning your cruise vacation is the key to making the most of the cruise experience.

Cruise ships are floating hotels that sail through ocean while you enjoy all the hotel’s amenities provided. They have casinos, swimming pools, theaters, restaurants, shopping centers or boutiques, spas, gyms and more.

As great as taking a vacation on cruise ships may seem, you still need to know how to plan a cruise ship vacation properly so you have the perfect cruise experience. You need to know about the different types of packages the cruise lines offer.

When planning a cruise ship vacation you need to know how to choose one that will meet your expectation or tailor to your needs. Here are some guidelines that you can follow to plan your cruise travel and enjoy the perfect cruise experience:

Think of who you want to take with you on your cruise vacation. There are many different packages offered by cruise lines. There are packages for the whole family and there are packages for single travelers.

Will you be taking the cruise vacation with children? Maybe you will take your significant other for a romantic getaway. There are cruise ships that are tailored for children and there are cruise lines that cater to single cruisers and honeymooners. There are even some ships that offer wedding services. What could be better than to get married on the ship and have your honeymoon built in?

Decide how long you want to cruise. If you just want to try it out, opt for a three day cruise. Normally, cruises start at three nights and can go anywhere from seven to fourteen days. But there are also world cruises that can last as long as three months. My advice is if you are going to cruise in Europe you should pick a fourteen day cruise because of the expense and long plane rides to get to your port of embarkation. If you live near a port and you just want to take a long weekend choose of three or four day cruise. Decide what cruise travel is best for you.

Choose the perfect destination for you and your family. Alaska is beautiful but can only be cruised in the summer months. If you live in the colder climes you may want to take a mid winter cruise to the Caribbean or even South America. If you want your cruise travel to be in the Caribbean and you want to spend two weeks on your cruise vacation, choose a line that alternates between the Eastern and Western Caribbean. This cruise vacation takes you to many different islands.

The cruise lines have a variety of destinations to choose from. Visit your cruise travel agent to go over the different itineraries or check out the individual websites of the cruise lines.

Consider the port of departure. Since 9/11 cruises have been emphasizing home port cruising. Now there are many cruises that depart from Bayonne, New Jersey, Galveston, Texas, or Seattle, Washington, not just Miami and Fort Lauderdale.. Depart from the one closest to you and you will save money on expensive airfare.

Speak to a knowledgeable cruise travel agent. Make sure they have personally sailed on many different cruise ships so they can give you an honest opinion on what each cruise line has to offer and which would give you the perfect cruise experience.
A cruise travel agent will also be able to supply you with cruise tips. Scour the cruise reviews for additional cruise tips.

Large cruise lines have a variety of activities and facilities that you can use on the ship. If you like to gamble then choosing a cruise ship with casinos is probably right for you. Or if you are taking your kids with you, a cruise ship that offers activities and facilities for children would be the best choice for your cruise travel. For instance, Disney is, of course, geared toward children but they do not have casinos. So if you are taking the family but you want to gamble steer away from Disney and choose one of the other major cruise lines. Almost all of them have children’s programs. If you don’t want to be on a ship with children sail on one of the fancier lines that don’t cater to children. Here, again, it pays to read as many cruise reviews as you can to pick up additional cruise tips.

Cruise vacations do not necessarily mean that you have to spend all your vacation time onboard. All the cruise ships offer land and shore excursions. The cruise lines offer pre and post cruise land vacations usually for two or three days.

Land excursions are a great way to explore different cultures and destinations when taking a cruise vacation. You can choose from many activities once you reach a port of call. You can go kayaking, scuba diving or go shopping in the markets of the ports of call.

Following these guidelines will give you some ideas on planning your cruise vacation properly. Proper planning will give you a more exciting cruise experience.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Copyright (c) 2009 Matt Moore

In these tough economic times, who wants to waste their time lodging in expensive hotel accommodations where you’re confined to a small room with little privacy and independence of your own. That’s why vacation rentals by owner make so much sense. When you travel, you want to experience a place as it was meant to be. You want to live like you belong there. You want to feel like you’re in control of your own surroundings. Why not stay in a house with a yard, a barbecue, access to the beach, a sports court, your own private hot tub? With a vacation rental by owner you can have essentially everything you could ever want, right in one place, at half the cost.

If you’re looking for a vacation rental by owner, you may not have given much consideration towards a Northwest Puget Sound vacation by the sea. The Seattle area is filled with culture, unique experiences, and you’ll find good people there who have a great appreciation for the environment with good reason; why would anyone ever want to spoil beauty this great? The activities and entertainment possibilities are endless. I highly recommend renting a place by the ocean on Camano Island. It’s only 45 minutes north of Seattle, yet it seems like a world away. It truly is island life at its finest; Washington style. With glistening waters, green surroundings, majestic mountains, and incredible wildlife, you’d be crazy not to see it for yourself. If you really want to convene with nature and invigorate your connection with the great outdoors than Camano Island is for you! Camano Island sits in the rain shadow produced by the Olympic mountain range. It enjoys a drier climate with less rain fall and more sunshine. Driving onto the island coming from Seattle is an experience in itself. One minute you’re driving along in overcast weather surrounded by Evergreen tress, then the next minute the skies clear up and there’re Madronas hanging out over gorgeous seaside cliffs. Scenic overviews of the Puget Sound with the mountains in the distance surround you from all angles. Even the air seems to change; a deep breath in and you’re senses are engulfed with the fresh aroma of the seaside ocean wrapping around you from every direction.

The best way to experience Camano Island is to do a vacation rental by owner. The place I stayed provided all the fixings for a truly great vacation. It sits high above an ocean bay looking out over the water with the Cascade Mountain Range in the distance. Eagles frequently fly through the air and perch in the tops of the trees right before your eyes. I never thought I’d ever end up so close to eagles as they glide with outstretched wings. The way that this wonderful seaside cabin sits, you get some of the most spectacular views on the planet. There is no doubt it’ll leave you breathless.

This particular vacation rental by owner had wonderful charm and character. You’ll find that to be the truth with most vacation rentals by owner, but always be selective in your accommodations in order to find the best places – where you stay makes a big difference. It was decorated with everything you’d expect from a northwest coastal home. From the wood burning stove in the corner, to gorgeous paintings, and wooden interiors; it’s a feeling no lodge or hotel could ever replicate. There’s tons of space as the cabin is deceptively large. There were three stories with a main floor, a loft, and a downstairs with yet two more bedrooms and a games room. All of which have incredible views looking out over the ocean with large expansive windows allowing you to sit for hours on end just taking it in.

With a vacation rental by owner, you have the whole place to yourself too. The freedom and joy you experience being able to unwind uninterruptedly really allows you to get back in touch with yourself. After being far too engulfed in the daily grind that too often consumes us, this is the type of vacation that makes you feel complete again after leaving. I’ve traveled half way across the world, have been to multiple countries, and I’ve stayed in numerous accommodations, yet I’ve never felt quite as connected to my surroundings as I did in this place.

As someone who loves to travel and experience things for myself, I think I’ll always look into vacation rentals by owner. Camano Island in Washington State is probably one of the most overlooked vacation destinations I can think of. I highly suggest you discover it for yourself. You will not be disappointed!