Top Things to Consider When Booking A Cruise
First up is the itinerary.
Are you looking for something port intensive, where each stop offers a new place to explore and immerse yourself in local cultures, see iconic sights and tick places off your bucket list? Itineraries such as the Baltic & Scandinavia, experience entirely different cultures and stunning architecture. This being one of my favourite itineraries, particularly St Petersburg with its culture or Tallinn for its stunning medieval old town. Maybe you would love to see iconic sights and be soaking up the sunshine? A Mediterranean itinerary could be for you, with stops in beautiful Italian ports, such as Rome and Florence. The Mediterranean itineraries often include my personal favourites Barcelona and Lisbon, where you can explore the incredible food markets and vibrant cities. You must try a pastéis de Nata, in Lisbon, they are mouth-watering custard tarts and famous around the city. Your idea could be tropical sunshine of the Caribbean, visiting beautiful islands where you can discover the beaches and choose which one is most like paradise and which island makes the best rum punch. Personal experience, all of them is the answer and most of the time you wont remember!
These itineraries to name a few, can give an idea of what the perfect cruise is for you, remembering that even when the ship is in port, you are free to stay on board and enjoy all the luxuries the ship has to offer.
Next up is choosing your Cabin; Each cruise line will offer their own variation on cabin types; Inside Cabin – No window or balcony, perfect type of cabin if you don’t plan to spend much time there, using mainly for a place to sleep and change before the next day or activity. Outside Cabin – Offering a picture window (large rectangle or square window) or a porthole (smaller round window), sometimes obstructed by ship equipment but the option to have a full clear view is available on most ships. Balcony Cabin – This will give full sliding window doors out to a private balcony from your cabin, head out to enjoy the epic sun rises and sunsets, the chance to watch the ship as she sails in and out of ports or even for some quiet time on those days at sea. Sitting watching the horizon and listening to the waves I have to say, this is the most amazing feeling. Perfect if you are on an itinerary with great views, you get to experience them without having to rush up to the open decks and can even stay in your pyjamas and watch while breakfast is delivered to your cabin! Suite – As you would expect this is the largest cabin type on board, often at the forward or aft (front or back) of the ship and will often have a balcony wrapping around the side of the ship, giving maximum viewing opportunities. The suite itself, will often have a separate bedroom and living room space and the bathroom will be larger, many featuring a bath and if you’re looking for something special, some will come with a whirlpool bathtub!
It is also worth noting that some of the 5* luxury cruise lines offer balcony or suite accommodation as a standard on their ships and the ultimate luxury of having a mini hot tub on your private balcony!
Keeping with the cabin choice, once you have chosen the type of cabin, next comes the location. You will often see a range of prices for each cabin type, this is because the location on the ship. The three main locations are as follows;
Forward (front of the ship) – this is where you would feel most movement on the ship, not that you often would, but when the ship is out on the open seas it will of course create some movement and this is where it is at its most sensitive. Aft (back of the ship) – this is the part I describe as the ships bum and yes sometimes she does like to wiggle her bottom! The movement would be less noticeable than at the forward of the ship, if any at all. It is one of my favourite spots, it is so peaceful listening to the waves and watching the wake of the ship as you sail to your next port. Mid-Ship – This is exactly as it describes, in the middle of the ship and the perfect location for if you are looking to be close to most areas onboard and is the most stable area, should there be any movement.
Finally I am going to talk about dining options.
Some cruise lines will offer a "traditional" dining option, known as first or second seating, around 6pm or 8pm. This is where at the time of booking, you will chose one of the two and that is the time you would dine each evening, usually the same table with the same waiter, they will get to know you and your likes or dislikes. Having your favourite bottle of wine ready to pour and knows to put that extra bread roll on the plate to have with your soup starter! The alternative is often referred to as Freedom dining, this means you are free to dine at any time and this can be a different time each night. Bear in mind, if lots of people on freedom dining have chosen the same time to head for the restaurant there could be a little wait, great excuse to find a spot in one of the bars and enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail.
Food is a huge part of the cruise experience, so there are many other dining options to enjoy on board, including a 24 hour buffet on most ships. The buffets are a great way to experience a variety of cuisines and often the ship will plan the dishes around the ports visited throughout the cruise, to include local dishes. The speciality dining venues are a must try, with a huge variety of cuisines and experiences to choose from. I always say you must try the speciality dining venues early on in the cruise, as I am certain you will want to go back again before the cruise is over.
So there we are, my top three things to consider when making your cruise booking, a few tips and favourites of mine, to help with the decision making. It truly is an experience like no other, seeing the beautiful ship docked, gangways down and the amazing team waiting to greet you. Until you experience it for yourself, you wont quite know just how incredible it is, but once you have you won’t be able to stop talking about it. If you have heard of a cruise addict? Trust me, it is a real thing!