With more people than ever cruising the choices of ship, location, and pricing is improving.  Not that cruising has ever been shabby!  The industry has become more appealing to a wider range of consumers from young to old, lower incomes to the wealthy.  Almost anyone now can save for a cruise within their budget.  For those who dream of cruising and think it’s impossible, think again.  If your budget allows you to get on a cruise ship but the pocket book is just too tightly squeezed to pay for shore excursions, get creative!  At each port of call, there are activities and sites to see.  Touring on foot or local transportation can be a relatively inexpensive way to see a “little bit of countryside.”  Enjoying a walk along the beach looking for shells or just sitting in a sandy far away country daydreaming can be a highlight all to its own.  Hey, not punching someone else’s time clock would be vacation enough!  A cruise would be the cherry on top.

With the launching of EasyCruise Line (see photos), a low cost French cruising experience, here’s the chance to experience a cruise when on a tight budget.  With www.easyCruise.com  you are responsible for getting to the embarkation port and are charged for your cabin per night, this includes port taxes.  Two people could realistically sail for under $600 excluding meals and drinks.  EasyCruise Line is for those between 20-50 who are independent travelers and creative thinkers!   

Those who want lots of people around them, Royal Caribbean is gearing up for the début of the largest ship in the world “Freedom of the Seas.”  This grand ship will host 3600 passengers and hopes to be ready by April 2006.  Cruisers will be expecting this ship to have all the amenities of a private resort.  In fact many of the large cruise ships are a destination within themselves.  Perhaps you would like to save longer to take a cruise on one of these girls!  With rock climbing walls, miniature golf courses, theatre size movie screens, spas, fitness gyms, dancing lessons, crafting and computer classes, as well as the nightly shows, some find all they need for entertainment onboard.  Those who travel and cruise frequently have rated 80 ships to be among the top in the industry.  These ships range from the small cruise lines which carry fewer than 500 people up to the largest cruise line ships which carry 1500 and above.  The old adage “bigger is not always better” certainly applies in the instance of cruise ships.  The smaller vessels are more capable of fitting into tight ports. 

This enables a completely different itinerary than the larger vessels.  Among these ports of call are the French Polynesia and Tripoli, Africa, Europe, Mediterranean, and South America.  This list includes cruise vessels:   Seabourn Spirit, Seabourn Legend, Seabourn Pride, Paul Gauguin of Radisson Seven Seas, Seven Seas Navigator, Radisson Diamond, Silver Cloud, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, Yorktown Clipper, Clipper Odyssey, Windsurf, Wind Spirit, Wind Star, Polaris, Endeavour of the Lindblad Expeditions, Mozart by Peter Deilmann Cruise Lines, Royal Clipper, Star Clipper by Star Clippers Cruise Line (left photo),

Steamboats such as American West’s Queen of the West, and Delta Queen’s American Queen, Cruise West Lines include Spirit of  Endeavour, Spirit of ’98, Windjammer cruises owns the Yankee Clipper which sails St. Vincent and the Grenadines throughout the year, Lindblad Expeditions hosts Sea Lion, Polaris, and Endeavor,  Oberoi Nile Cruises owns Oberoi Philae which sails 4 and 6 night cruises on the Nile (photo to right).   Sound exotic?  Cruises just exude exoticness!

Medium size vessels (between 500-1500 passengers) are perfect for their intimacy (no vast throngs of people) and the amenities provided.  Seven Seas Voyager tops the list of medium sized ships cruising around the world.  With capacity for 700 passengers, this beautiful vessel ranked highest among those polled by Conde’ Nast Traveler.  Princess, Oceania Cruises, and Crystal Cruise lines rated best in itineraries with countries of Asia, Europe, South Pacific, the Americas, Australia, South Africa, and Central America.  Ships listed in the medium size range include Seven Seas Voyager, Crystal Harmony, Tahitian Princess, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Zaandam, Ryndam, Veendam,

Maasdam, Regatta, Pacific Princess,  Volendam, Royal

Princess, Horizon, Zenith, and Statendam of Holland America.

The grandest of all, the large ships carrying over 1500 passengers is probably what most people think of when contemplating the word “cruise.”  The beautiful destination ships are becoming more grandiose.  Each trying to capture their segment of the financial market.   People who cruise these lines demand higher standards and increasing amenities. 

Onboard these vessels you’ll find golfing clinics, computer courses, personalized fitness trainers, ballroom dancing lessons, any host of crafts and games, children’s services, casinos, and cuisine to quench anyone’s appetite.  Twenty-four hour room service isn’t too bad either!  You could lose yourself on these ships.  Interior design fit for royalty and all yours for one package pricing.  Excursions may be included in some ports while others are booked online from the cruise’s website.  For procrastinators excursion bookings may also be done when boarding.  The only other amenity you could ask for is someone to dress and feed you!  Cruise line vessels in this category include Celebrity’s Infinity, Constellation, Mercury, Summit, Galaxy, and Century; Princess’s Coral, Dawn, Grand, Sun, Regal, and Star Princess; Holland America’s Oosterdam (picture to left); Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas, Radiance, Legend, Serenade, Adventure, Mariner, Navigator, Voyager, Brilliance, Rhapsody, and Splendour of the Seas; Disney’s Wonder and Disney Magic; and Carnival’s Legend. 

How to decide?  You’ll need to determine your budget and where you’d like to visit, after that begin searching for the cruise line of your choice.  Here are websites to assist you in your search for the perfect cruise:  www.ambercrombiekent.com, www.americanweststeamboat.com , www.carnival.com , www.celebrity.com , www.clippercruise.com, www.cruisewest.com, www.crystalcruises.com, www.deltaqueen.com, www.disneycruise.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.expeditions.com, www.oberoihotels.com, www.oceancruises.com, www.deilmann-cruises.com, www.princess.com, www.rssc.com, www.seabourn.com, www.silversea.com, www.starclippers.com, www.vikingrivercruises.com, www.windjammer.com, and www.windstarcruises.com.  Happy Traveling!

(resources:  Conde’ Nast Traveler, all photos courtesy of Google Images)