Cruise Choices

Cruises: Enjoy A World Of Choice!

Cruises are an enjoyable and convenient way to travel the world and see the most amazing sights. There is nothing quite like a relaxing cruise to make you forget all about your problems and live life to the fullest. You can enjoy all the luxuries of home, while traveling to exciting ports of call and exploring a wide choice of entertainment options and culinary delights.

CRUISE DEMOGRAPHICS

Age Groups

Cruises remain popular with travelers of all ages from small children or middle-aged parents to retired seniors and teenagers. Although you are likely to enjoy any cruise, you may want to contact certain cruise lines to find out their typical age bracket. For example, Holland America and Celebrity Cruises tends to cater to older individuals with more medical facilities, special menu options and activities geared specifically for seniors. Some cruise lines such as the Cunard Line and Orient Lines even provide unescorted female senior travelers called gentleman hosts! On the other hand, Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean are catering to a younger crowd of passengers. They are offering a greater number of action-packed activities geared to younger individuals, including young professionals and teenagers.

Income Brackets

Regardless of your annual income, you’re sure to find a suitable cruise. You can book a standard inside cabin on a short 3-day cruise to a luxury 20-day international cruise with a luxury suite and large balcony. Many cruise lines offer very affordable cruise vacation packages, whereas other cruise lines such as the Radisson Seven Seas, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line and Crystal Cruises are luxury cruise lines that cater more to the higher-income travelers.

POPULAR CRUISE TYPES

There is an almost endless list of cruise lines from which to choose, and each has its particular charm. To help with your decision, we have compiled a list of some of the most popular cruises and cruise lines.

Luxury Cruises

Luxury cruise lines cater to travelers with a higher income bracket who are looking for the ultimate in comfort and luxury on their cruise vacation. Guests can experience the finest in activities, gourmet food, personal service and first-class amenities on a luxury cruise ship. Many luxury cruise lines also offer complete all-inclusive packages where everything from food and activities to tips and drinks are included for one set price.

Cruise Lines: Regent Seven Seas, Crystal, Silversea, Oceania, Seabourn, SeaDream

Premium Cruises

Premium cruise lines offer the same wide range of restaurants, amenities and activities as other companies. The difference is they also provide additional features for the upscale traveler such as art collections, gourmet-style cuisine, additional guest space and more personalized service.

Cruise Lines: Celebrity, Azamara, Cunard, Holland America

Popular Cruises

Many cruise lines such as the above remain popular with travelers of all ages, thanks to their wide variety of activities and amenities. Guests can enjoy a wide range of age-specific activities, supervised children’s programs and exciting off-shore excursions.

Cruise Lines: Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean

River Cruises

Most river cruises are offered in Europe where passengers can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the most famous waterways in Europe such as the Main, Elbe, Rhone, Seine, Po, Douro and Danube Rivers. They can relax as they travel scenic rivers on a comfortable floating hotel. Certain companies such as Uniworld River Cruises travel to exciting destinations worldwide including Egypt, China and Russia. Many river cruises are also available to the world’s three largest rivers – the mighty Nile in Egypt, the Amazon River in Brazil and China’s historic Yangtze River.

Cruise Lines: Amadeus Waterways, Peter Dielmann, Jewel, Uniworld and Viking River Cruises

Adventure Cruises

A greater number of cruise lines are catering to the adventure-oriented traveler. You can visit the South Pole at one of the world’s most remote locations on an Antarctica cruise, explore the mighty Yangtze River on a China river cruise, cruise the dense jungle on an Amazon River cruise or experience unique wildlife on Ecuador’s famous Galapagos Islands. Lindblad Expeditions has partnered with the National Geographic Society to offer adventure cruises where travelers can experience the ultimate in awe-inspiring nature. Many adventure cruise lines enable passengers to experience the true culture of remote destinations and travel to hidden gems located off the beaten path.

Cruise Lines: Hurtigruten, Lindblad Expeditions, Voyages of Discovery

Family-Oriented Cruises

A greater number of families are deciding to spend an enjoyable and hassle-free vacation together on a cruise. Family-oriented cruises offer great activities geared for children of all ages, babysitting services and nurseries so parents and grandparents can also enjoy some quality alone time. Smaller children can enjoy activities such as face painting, storytelling, games and puppet shows, whereas older teenagers can enjoy exciting theme parties, movie nights, karaoke and video arcades. The entire family can spend quality time together on family-oriented ships and during memorable off-shore excursions.

Cruise Lines: Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Crystal, Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line