Why Take A Cruise - For First Time Cruisers : Everything you need to know about a Cruise Vacation|Cruise Reviews|Cruise Line And Cruise Ship Ratings

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Why Take A Cruise

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Never been on a cruise before?

Check out this section for First Time Cruisers.

1. Take a look at a typical day's activities:

Morning Afternoon Evening

2. Get answers to your most Frequently asked questions

or visit National Geographic's Choosing a Cruise guide.

3. Read : Inside Cruising: A Guide with facts and figures about the

cruise industry.

4. Here's 22 Reasons To Take A Cruise

5. Check out the Special Interest Guides.

6. When is the best time to cruise?

7. Where's the best place to stay onboard ship?

8. Read the Cruise Guide - What To Know Before You Go!

9. What to Pack For A Cruise.

10.Preview: cruise line video presentations.

So Much Fun. So Many Things To Do!

Check out a typical day onboard. Look at these video's of activities on a Carnival Cruise. Other cruise lines have similar plans

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Read on for more great reasons to take a cruise!

Cruise Direct Online is an active travel agency member of Cruise Lines International Association, an organization dedicated to educating the traveling public about the value and benefits of choosing a vacation by cruise ship.

You Haven't Lived Until You've Cruised!

Every day, more and more people are discovering the all-inclusive pleasures of a cruise vacation. More singles, families, couples, honeymooners, second honeymooners and groups of friends are sailing away on the vacations of their lives. When you add it all up, it's easy to see why.

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The price of your ticket includes all of your meals and in-between snacks as well as all your onboard daytime activities and fun, nighttime parties and entertainment. Plus, a relaxing voyage to some of the most exciting and exotic places in the world.

You'll find a cruise ship is a floating resort, with all the things a fine resort has to offer and more. You'll meet new friends, people like yourself who share the same tastes and interests. And, you can spend your days and nights being as lively or leisurely as you like.

The hassles of an ordinary vacation are completely eliminated in one convenient package. You don't have to worry about making dinner or nightclub reservations, running to make connections, packing and unpacking, or expensive charges at restaurants and nightclubs.

You can just lie back and be completely pampered. Or go non-stop. Dine like never before. Enjoy one great show after another. Let your cares float away.

It's no wonder that more people are taking cruise vacations than ever before. And it's no wonder that, once they get a taste of cruising, they come back for more. Again and again.

As a matter of fact, cruises have a higher percentage of satisfied customers than any other vacation experience.

If you have never been on a cruise you owe it to yourself to learn more about this exciting vacation choice.

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Note: Excerpts from CLIA Information.

When is The Best Time To Cruise?
Alaska	May-September
Bahamas	All Year
Bermuda	May-October
Canada/New England	June-October
Caribbean	All Year
Hawaii	All Year
Mediterranean	May-October
Mexico	All Year
Panama Canal	January-May, September-December
Baltics-Scandinavia	May-September
Trans Atlantic	May, June, July, August-October

What's Afloat?

A typical day's activities from a Carnival Cruise Line ship. Most cruise ships have similar activities, others somewhat different. Call us to find out what's happening on your cruise shop.

Onboard Activities - Morning


6:30 am	Coffee for early risers	Windows on the Sea & Poolside
7:00 - 8:00 am	Nautica Spa and Gymnasium opens	Sports Deck
7:45 am	Main seating for breakfast	Celebration and Jubilee Dining Rooms
8:00 - 10:00 am	Light breakfast served	Windows on the Sea & Poolside
8:00 am	Slot machines open	Club 21 Casino
8:00 am	Beginners’ step aerobics	Aerobics Studio
9:00 am	Late seating for breakfast	Celebration and Jubilee Dining Rooms
9:00 am - 6:00 pm	Shuffleboard and volleyball equipment available	Information Desk
9:00 am - 12:00 pm	Children’s morning activities	Playroom
9:30 - 10:30 am	Library opens	Pavilion
10:00 am	Ping Pong tournament	Verandah Deck
10:00 am - LATE	Full casino open	Club 21 Casino
10:30 am - 12:00 pm	Photo Gallery opens	Empress Deck
24 HOURS	Coffee, tea and bouillon served	Windows on the Sea
11:00 am	Horse racing -- cheer your favorite horses as they race down the track!	Lido Deck
12:00 - 12:30 pm	Salad bar opens	Windows on the Sea
12:00 - 2:30 pm	Sun Lovers luncheon served	Windows on the Sea

Onboard Activities - Afternoon Return to top


12:00 pm	Main lunch seating	Celebration and Jubilee Dining Rooms
12:00 - 2:00 pm	Children’s supervised Free Play	Playroom
1:00 pm	Talent show registration	Shore Excursions Desk (Empress Deck)
1:00 pm	Ice carving demonstration	Lido Deck
1:00 pm	The Slot Tournament	Club 21 Casino
1:30 pm	Late lunch seating	Celebration and Jubilee Dining Rooms
1:30 pm	Pillow fighting and pool games	Lido Deck
2:00 pm	Dance class	Universe Lounge
2:00 pm	Children’s Talent Show	Playroom
2:00 pm	Men’s “Hairy Chest” contest	Lido Deck
2:00 - 2:30 pm	Tour of the Bridge	Lido Deck
2:00 - 5:00 pm	Calypso music	Lido Deck
2:00 - 5:00 pm	Children’s afternoon activities	Playroom
2:30 pm	Newlywed and Not So Newlywed game	Universe Lounge
3:00 pm	Cooking lesson and food carving demonstration	Electricity Dance Club
3:30 pm	Jackpot bingo	Universe Lounge
4:30 pm	Debarkation briefing -- baggage handling, customs procedures, tipping, etc., covered by Cruise Director	Universe Lounge
4:45 - 5:00 pm	Coffee, tea, ice cream and treats	Windows on the Sea and Poolside

Onboard Activities - Evening Return to top


4:45 - 5:45 pm	Main seating “Fun Ship” party	Promenade Deck
5:00 - 6:00 pm	Children’s supervised Free Play	Playroom
6:00 pm	Main seating for American Dinner	Celebration and Jubilee Dining Rooms
6:00 - 7:00 pm	Children’s Playroom closed for dinner
7:00 - 10:00 pm	Children’s evening activities	Playroom
7:15 - 8:15 pm	Late seating for “Fun Ship” party	Promenade Deck
8:00 pm	(Main seating) Jackpot bingo	Universe Lounge
8:15 pm	Late seating for American Dinner	Celebration and Jubilee Dining Rooms
8:30 pm	Showtime for main seating	Universe Lounge
9:30 pm - 1:30 am	Party Music	Crystal Lounge
9:30 pm - 1:30 am	Rockin’ the Night Away	Promenade Deck
9:30 pm - 1:30 am	Visit the Spinning Piano Bar	Cleopatra’s Bar
9:45 pm - 1:30 am	Great music for listening and dancing	Cats Lounge
10:00 pm	Late seating “Monster Bingo”	Universe Lounge
10:00 pm	Dance Club opens	Electricity Dance Club
10:00 pm - 2:00 am	Children’s Pajama Party	Playroom
10:30 pm	An Ol’ English Story	Universe Lounge
12:00 am	Midnight special show	Crystal Lounge
12:30 - 1:30 am	Midnight Pasta Buffet	Celebration Dining Room
1:30 - 2:30 am	Mini Buffet	Promenade Deck

The CLIA has the answers. Be sure to use your back button to return to Cruise Direct Online.

Most Frequently Asked Questions

	Is cruising affordable and a good vacation value?
	How long are cruises?
	Where can I go?
	How do I book a cruise?
	Are all ships fairly similar?
	Are there different types of cruises?
	Are there any special educational programs on-board?
	What's an air/sea cruise?
	Do I need a passport?
	Are there different classes of service?
	Will I get bored? Feel confined?
	What can I do in port?
	Do I have to participate in the activities?
	Do cruise lines welcome families with kids?
	What's there to do at night?
	Is there a charge for entertainment?
	Will there be people like me?
	What should I pack?
	Will I need a tuxedo?
	Can singles have fun on a cruise?
	Can I use my hair dryer or shaver?
	What about meal times?
	Is cruise ship dining as good as I've been told?
	Can I get a special diet?
	What about dining companions - can I sit with my spouse and friends only, or will I have tablemates?
	Are there non-smoking areas?
	Can we celebrate a special occasion?
	Is cruising right for honeymooners?
	Can we stay in touch with the outside world?
	What about tipping?
	Are there medical services onboard?
	Are there laundry services aboard ship?
	Do cruise lines accept group bookings?
	Are there meeting rooms onboard?
	Can I extend my cruise vacation?
	Is motion discomfort a problem?
	It sounds too good to be true! Is it?
	Who should I see if I have questions that haven't been answered?

Check out National Geographic's Choosing a Cruise guide or cruise security, how to pay for shipboard activities and other frequently asked questions.

22 Reasons To Take A Cruise

There are cruises available for any budget.

From 3 to 100 days, cruises fit your schedule.

At a hotel you check-in, on a cruise you check-out.

One thing you'll never see on the menu is the price.

Cruising allows quality time with your family.

Visit 4 countries in a week.

The awe-inspiring view from the deck of a cruise ship is included.

Sailing in the Tropic of Capricorn beats sitting on the freeway.

Get trim in state-of-the-art fitness centers.

No packing-unpacking-packing-unpacking-packing.

Travel to over 1,800 ports around the world.

The world is 2/3 water. Until you go on a cruise, you really haven't visited earth.

Rejuvenate mind, body and spirit in the shipboard spa.

For the health conscious, low calorie, low sodium and heart-healthy meals are available.

A resort just sits there, but a cruise will move you.

Listen to interesting lectures by world-renowned experts.

On some cruise ships, kids sail free, and they'll love you for it.

On a cruise ship, your luggage arrives in your room before you do.

You don't need to make dinner reservations.

Live entertainment. Casinos. Spas. All within a short stroll.

No cover charge, ever.

Experience other cultures.

Do everything, or nothing at all.

You haven't lived until you've cruised.

Where's The Best Place To Stay Onboard Ship?

To the rear? or AFT

Engine noise is loudest in the aft end of the ship, although the noise is muted most of the time.

To the front? or FORWARD

Thrusters and clanging anchor chains are most audible forward--towards the bow, although the noise is intermittent.

The worst place to be?

Is a cabin near the disco, or theater or the lounge where live performances carry on through the night.

Are you're prone to seasickness?

The most stable cabins in rough seas are in midship or lower down in the hull.

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