Making Your Cruise More Enjoyable

My wife and I love to cruise, in fact we take one every year. Sometimes we have gone on smaller ships like the Disney Cruise Line and other times we have been on much larger ships such as Royal Caribbean or Princess Cruise Lines. One thing that is constant across all types of ships are that there are a few things that we do without fail in order to have a more enjoyable cruise. These are not just things that work for us, but things that work for many people and I'm going to help you to be able to use them as well.

1. Pull up a chair - When you go on a cruise you have to remember that you are on a ship with hundreds of other people, all of whom are there to have a good time. Let's assume that there are 600 people on the ship, then it is a given that there will only be 400 chairs available around the pool and on deck. It is important that you get up early to reserve a good chair for you and your family. Try to make it so that you get the morning sun and the afternoon shade. Just be kind and take your towel if you are done for the day so that others can use the chairs.

2. Get a room with a view - My wife and I never travel on a cruise without having an outside room with a veranda. These rooms give you a lot of extras and are not really all that much more expensive than an inside room if you look for a good deal. I know that we have stayed in an outside room for under $600 each because we were willing to be flexible with our schedule. We really don't spend a lot of time outside the room because it is so nice to be able to stand and watch the ocean go by from our own private porch.

3. Choose the late seating - If you are like me you enjoy getting off the ship and going on some of the great excursions that are available at the ports. The one thing that you don't want to have happen is for the excursion to get over a little late and then you end up having to rush back to dinner, or miss it altogether. If you take the later seating for dinner you will be more relaxed and less rushed, and you still can take in the shows.

These are a few of my many cruise tips. I hope that they are something that will help you to enjoy your ultimate vacation even more.