Cruising 101 – Itineraries for a great vacation

You want a vacation, you need a vacation, and you think “I’ll book a cruise”. And just like that, you book a cruise that is embarking next week/month, from wherever, to wherever, and it’s done. This post, Cruising 101 – Itineraries, lets you know what you should consider first!

What are you, lazy?! You can spend a day surfing Instagram and Facebook, but OMG, heaven forbid that you take a look at a couple cruise lines or even take a look at Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships (latest version, highly recommended!) to see what might suit you.

We are planners, if you can’t tell already! We plan most of our cruises well in advance (up to 1.5-2 years in some cases) to take advantage of lower prices and deals on specific cruises and rooms. If a better deal comes up, most cruise lines we deal with will give you the better deal.

Some of the easy questions to ask yourself before you book a cruise and sample answers, are noted below.

Where do I want to go?

Mediterranean

What is the weather like there this time of year?

It’s Spring so starting to warm up!

What cruise ships are in that area of the world when I want to go?

Hmmm…a quick look at a few cruise sites shows me A, B, C ships are in the area then.

Are any of the cities/town where I want to go somewhere I would like to stay for longer than a day?

Yes! I’d like to be in Barcelona for a while so I can see the Sagrada Familia.

Do you want to add on a land stay to your cruise?

We have found it best to do the land stay first – that way, we can enjoy the pampering right up to the end of our vacation!

And there you go, you are on your way to selecting the right itinerary to suit you!

Some additional questions that will help you:

How long do I want to be away for?

This is a pretty important question as there is a wide variety in cruise durations. 7, 9 10, 11, 14 day long cruises may all be options for the Mediterranean, for example, so you will narrow it down by being clear about how long you want to be on the cruise. Some ships overnight in ports, and some do 2-3 nights in one port.

How long are the flights?

It is an overnight flight to your embarkation point? Will you be tired or do you sleep well on planes? The flight there is important if you want to be well rested and raring to go on embarkation day. If you think you’ll need a couple days to relax pre-cruise, figure that into your number of days away. In addition, do you want to stick around the port or area you disembark? Or, do you want to fly home the same day?

What type of experience do I want to have through this cruise?

It’s important to understand if you are hoping to get something out of the cruise. For example, more in-depth knowledge, better understanding, great experiences, even if you just want to not think about work for the time you are on the cruise.

Figuring out your itinerary is one crucial step for selecting a cruise. In addition to this Cruising 101 – Itineraries, also check out Ships and Shore Excursions!