Skiing in Kashmir – Gulmarg
January 17, 2022When it comes to cruises, there is no one size fits all, and with the veritable buffet of available options.
I love cruises. I think they’re a great way to explore the world and visit places that you either don’t want to spend a lot of time in, or conversely don’t have much to offer that would take more than a few hours or a day to experience. It’s also a good way to discover places you may want to come back to and explore more thoroughly.
The appeal is not hard to see. You’re essentially aboard a huge floating hotel, and instead of packing up and moving from place to place, the hotel moves with you and each day, or maybe every couple of days you wake up in a brand new place for a whole new adventure. For someone like me who loves to travel but hates to pack, it’s the ideal situation!
When it comes to cruises, there is no one size fits all, and with the veritable buffet of available options, you are sure to find a cruise that suits your needs, no matter what you’re looking for.
From kid-friendly and themed cruises to ultra luxurious private yachts and everything in between, the diversity in cruises available is staggering, but no matter what you choose, there are some things that will remain the norm.
Typically, cruises follow a full-board or all-inclusive model with your accommodation, known at sea as a stateroom, all meals and on-board activities included in the cruise fare. Some higher end cruises may include alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, WiFi and gratuities to the crew in the price. Alternatively, different beverage and WiFi packages may be available to purchase for the duration of the voyage and gratuities are at your discretion.
Based on your cruise route and ports of call, excursions may include cultural tours or visits to historical sites, nature or wildlife safaris, adrenaline filled adventures or local specialities like cooking lessons.
CruiseCritic is a good place to compare the cruises on offer, and VacationsToGo is a great site for deals and discounts as well.
Excursions, or the activities you participate in at each port of call are typically at an additional cost although some cruise lines may include one excursion per port of call in the overall cruise fare.
PRO TIP: If your excursions are not included, it is worth doing some research into local companies at each port that offer the activities or tours you may be interested in as they may often be available at significantly lower rates than the ones offered by your cruise line. This way, you may even be able to fit in more than one activity without overshooting your budget.
Based on your cruise route and ports of call, excursions may include cultural tours or visits to historical sites, nature or wildlife safaris, adrenaline filled adventures or local specialities like cooking lessons.
Moving on to the cruise ship itself, just like a hotel, you check-in on arrival and will be shown to your stateroom. Ships have different decks and different classes of rooms including inside cabins, outward facing cabins, balcony cabins and suites. While things may vary slightly from ship to ship or cruise line to cruise line, typically, the higher up go you, the more expensive the room, with the least expensive being the inside cabins on lower decks. The topmost two or three decks are generally reserved for public areas including pools, bars, restaurants, lounges, fitness areas and spas.
PRO TIP: although a cabin with a balcony may seem like a great idea, I can tell you from experience, you’re highly unlikely to spend any time at all on your private balcony. Your time will be better served on an outside public deck or in a lounge and so an outside facing cabin with endless sea views on a mid/high deck is often your best bet!
Next up, the food. On most cruises you would be hard pressed to escape the near constant availability of delicious options ranging from exotic dishes to fresh fruits, snacks and ice cream on tap 24/7! It is pretty standard for breakfast on board to be a large buffet spread with hot and cold selections, live stations and even some specialities made to order. Cold choices will include fruit, yogurts, cereals, baked goods, cheeses and charcuteries while egg stations, pancakes and waffles and more make up the hot section. Some more luxurious cruises may offer an a la carte breakfast in a separate dining room if buffet style dining is not your thing. Breakfast served in the room is also an option aboard some ships with a room-service breakfast menu provided the evening before. However, this may incur an additional charge in some cases.
Lunch is also likely to be a buffet with all your typical fare like salads, cold cuts, antipasti and breads with a varied hot selection including meat, vegetarian, vegan and even gluten free options, so there is always something for everyone. Meals may be themed based on countries or regions with the dishes representing the chosen theme each day.
Dinner is where things can get exciting. Some larger ships offer a dinner buffet while many have restaurants with pre-set multi-course meals to choose from. Higher end cruises may even have speciality restaurants with renowned chefs which you can make a reservation for a set number of times during your cruise at no additional cost. Exceeding the included number of reservations (which are based on availability and first come first served) will attract an added payment, which is something to be aware of. (More on speciality dining aboard Crystal Cruises here)
Finally, the snacks! These vary again based on the type of cruise and size of ship you choose, but most will serve a version of teatime selections like sandwiches, pastries and cookies. I have also been on cruises that had a cafe offering small bites and drinks throughout the day, so you could always pop by for a mid-meal or even midnight snack. There was even an all-day ice cream parlour to satisfy any sweet tooth.
Tea, coffee and hot chocolate are generally self-serve and available all the time from machines scattered all through the ship and some bars or restaurants on board may have baristas on hand to prepare fresh drinks and cocktails at any time of day too.
It’s good to know that the crew on board any cruise ship is always extremely friendly and keen to do whatever they can to make your experience the best one possible. If you’re a fussy eater, craving something special or just want to try something that’s not on the menu, a great trick is to get friendly with the chef! They’re very eager to please and will try their best to accommodate any special requests and if you’re lucky, throw in a few extra treats as well!
Just like any hotel, your stateroom comes with housekeeping service, toiletries and a nightly turn down service, complete with a sweet treat on your pillow for those pre-bed sugar cravings, so when you board your cruise, all you need to do until you disembark is focus on having a great time.
SHARE ARTICLE
Disha
Disha is a former corporate lawyer with a flair for writing. As an avid traveller, she is always seeking new adventures and loves telling stories about her globe trotting.
