7 steps to Plan a Dream Cruise

Cruising for a select few may be an old style of travel but now more than ever there is a great increase of Indians on cruises ships.

Planning your dream cruise is a lot fun but can also be stressful. just like any other product, marketing is so powerful that you just don’t call the shots – the Ad and offer does. So I recommend that before you get carried away, define what you want.

1- Decide your destination-

Today you have cruises all around the planet. Whether you need to go to Caribbean, Alaska, Greece or Australia, Europe, Baltic or even the Artic – the world is readily available. Let me help you out here-

• Adventurous Cruises consider Alaska, the Polar Cruises, Northern Europe(Norway Iceland), New Zealand, Australia. Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises have a lot of options.
• Cultural Cruises – Baltic, Western Med, South America. Consider Cruise brands like Oceania Cruises, Regent and Norwegian Cruise Lines.
• Leisure cruises – Caribbean, French Polynesia, Eastern Med and actually any destination on a cruise (cruises are a relaxed style of travel)

The list could keep going on but top 3 interests are the primary reason for travel

2- Plan the Spend –

If planned well a cruise would work out much cheaper than a land tour, however it is vital to plan your spend.

3- Length of cruise –

You can plan a cruise from 5 days to 180 days (world cruises on Oceania Cruises) depending on the time you have. However a personal recommendation is that a 5 day cruise on a good cruise line is too short. I would recommend a minimum of 10 days cruise.

4- Pick a Cruise line –

Today there are numerous options available in the market customized to a travelers style of travel. “Disney cruises” is best for Kids, “Norwegian Cruise Lines” is a big hit with the Indian Market and is a lot of fun and perfect for generational and group cruisers, “Regent Seven Seas Cruises” is all about Luxury and inclusions and my personal favorite “Oceania Cruises” is a perfect foodie ship which is destination focused and includes a lot at a great price.

5- Season of Travel –

If you are travelling with kids I guess you don’t have much of a choice here, you are stuck with school vacations. However if you have option to select your month of travel you may find great deals and crowd free destinations if planned well. Will be coming up with a blog to “Cheat the travel Mania and win” so don’t miss out to subscribe Click Here”

6- Plan your Activities –

Figure out what exercises you need to partake in on your dream cruise as well as at the port of calls that the cruise will stop at. Ensure you budget additional cash for booze, shore excursions and gratuities (Auto tipping) on your voyage as they are usually excluded in the cruise fare. unless if you are travelling with Regent Seven seas Cruises – the most inclusive cruise line.

7- Get Protected –

a few cruise lines offer you insurances for medical and cancellation and are around 10-11% of your cruise fare. which is expensive, however there are select insurance companies who can offer a more affordable and better insurance plan. but the bottom line is – insure your dream cruise.

now that you have it all sorted out, I would recommend speaking to a cruise specialist. yes yes yes agents charge a commission but they also provide expertise so their charge is for their expertise and trust me, a mere 6-7% add on to your cost is totally worth the services your agent provides.

Watch this video which will help you understand why cruising as a vacation is better