Cruising on a budget - cheap cruises

Many people pass up going on a cruise for their vacation because of the myth that it is expensive. However, cruising has become a fun and economical way to vacation for young and old alike. It could be considered a downright bargain compared to staying at a resort, hotel, or private villa.

Cruising is not bound to any particular age group either. There are fun activities for all ages aboard a ship, catering to small children, their parents, singles, middle-aged groups to elderly grandparents. However, a cruise that is longer than a week or that has destination ports further north will typically have an older crowd.

The first thing people think of when cruising is mentioned is of course food. A person on a cruise is typically assigned a dining room, dinner time and specific table companions to sit with for the duration of the cruise. There they are treated to extraordinary culinary delights and fine wines. If it is a week long cruise there will be probably be one or two formal nights where people dress in suits and cocktail dresses.

There are more choices on where to dine than the dining room. Many ships have smaller bistro-like restaurants, buffets many times during the day, snack bars, in-cabin service and many now have 24- hour pizzerias on board. Included in the price of the cruise are usually fruit juices, coffee, hot chocolate, water and teas. A slight downfall for cruising is soft-drinks and alcoholic beverages are at extra cost.

After eating all of the food that a cruise has to offer there are numerous activities, physical and social to do. Most cruises have fully equipped gyms and exercise classes. Many even have rock walls, rollerblade tracks, and jogging runs. There are always people playing games of volleyball, basketball and on a warmer cruise they can work off the calories by taking a swim.

There is more fun to be had aboard a cruise than just eating and exercising. As previously mentioned there are usually many pools. Some pools even have water slides. Days and nights can be spent gambling in casinos, drinking at the numerous bars and lounges, attending one of the Las Vegas-like shows, shopping, or sitting in the video and book libraries or reading rooms.

Pampering oneself can also be a part of the cruising experience. Most shipboard spas rival spas on land. There are many options for obtaining facials, manicure, pedicures, hair salon treatments and massages. Appointments go fast so they must be booked early. Usually free are the steam rooms, saunas and hot tubs.

Unless it is a cruise to nowhere, the ship will be stopping at exciting ports of call. If the ship is docked cruisers can just walk off the gangway. ff the ship is too large, motorized launches, called tenders, are used as ferries to get cruisers ashore. Each ship has organized excursions at each port of call that are available for sign up for before landing at the destination. They range in price from cheap to expensive depending on the type of activity desired. They can be a day at the beach to horseback riding, jeep excursions, shopping trips to nighttime clubbing. If a cruiser is not interested in hanging out with a group from the ship they can always opt to explore the port of call on their own.

As shown in this article, cruising is a great way to enjoy a vacation. Along with its affordability, it is extremely exciting with many fun activities available to enjoy.