Here are just a few reasons why cruising is the ideal vacation choice for seniors:

Cruising is all-inclusive, with costs known in advance. When you add the cost of your cruise and the availability of excellent cruise bargains (if you know where to look), cruising is the best vacation value available. And there's a cruise to fit every budget.

Cruising is stress-free and relaxing. You can travel to several distinct destinations without the hassle of packing and unpacking and without the stress of making multiple plane connections. When you cruise, service is the number one priority. You will be treated like royalty and pampered from beginning to end.

Cruising offers nonstop activities. You can do as much or as little as you want. Many ships offer special lectures or enrichment programs. Bridge, bingo and big band dancing are mainstays. For the more active and mature cruiser, golf, tennis and a wide variety of shore excursions are available.

Cruising is safe. You travel and dine in safety and comfort while visiting even the most remote ports of call. Shore excursions include escorts and knowledgeable hosts and travel on shore is usually in air-conditioned or modern transportation. Most ships have modern medical facilities on board. And all ships have ship-to-shore or satellite communications equipment. Finally, cruise ship construction includes state-of-the-art navigational equipment.

An All-Inclusive Vacation

Here is what is typically included in the cost of your cruise at a price that is generally lower than a comparable land-based vacation:

1. Round-trip airfare.
2. Transfers from airport to ship and from ship to airport.
3. Three main meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Special children's menus are available if you are cruising with a grandchild.
4. Three buffet meals per day (breakfast, lunch and midnight). Some ships add a fourth buffet for late-nighters at around 1:30 a.m. Many ships also have afternoon snacks or traditional high teas.
5. 24-hour room service is available on many ships. Some new ships are adding 24-hour pizzerias.
6. All shipboard facilities, including casino, pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, gym, on-board lectures, card rooms, an unending variety of organized games and contests and more.
7. Supervised children's activities, offered on a daily basis. Good to know if you are bringing along a grandchild.
8. All types of entertainment, including Broadway and Las Vegas-style shows, lounges, nightclubs, movies, dancing and more.
9. Visits to three or more ports of call (depending on length of cruise).

There are a number of expenses that are not generally included in the cost of your cruise. These include gratuities (suggested amount is $7 per day per person, or $50 per passenger per week for a 7-day cruise,paid at the end of the cruise); port charges and government fees (approximately $125 per passenger for a typical 7-day Caribbean cruise but varying on length of cruise and destination), (but varying on length of cruise and destination); shore excursions (average price of $18-$39 per passenger for escorted activities such as city or island tours, snorkeling, beach parties and glass bottom boat rides); items of a personal nature such as beverages, casino, bingo, boutiques and laundry.

Where do you want to go and for how long?

There are different ways to determine where you would like to go. How long depends, of course, on your schedule, your personal or family obligations and your budget. Cruises come in virtually every length, from 2 days to more than 100 days. The most popular cruises are 3, 4, 7, 10, 12 and 14 days in length.

There are many resources to help you decide where you would like to go. The local library is an excellent resource. In the reference section you will find atlases and maps. The travel section will have guidebooks (cruise guidebooks by Frommer, Fielding, Fodor, Stern, Stapen and Showker may also be available in your local bookstore).The geography section will have descriptions of countries and cultures. And the history section will provide backgrounds of the places that you might like to visit.

By examining cruise brochures, you will get a feel for where different ships go, what special features a ship may have and how the ships are laid out. Keep in mind that it is rarely necessary to pay the price listed in a cruise brochure.

Talk to friends and associates about where they've been and which places they enjoyed the most. As the popularity of cruising continues to increase, more and more of your acquaintances will have been on a cruise and can provide you with their first-hand experience of different ships and destinations. You can also take inventory of the places you have traveled to, remembering that seeing them again from the vantage point of a cruise ship may bring you an entirely new experience.

Consulting a qualified cruise expert is one of the best ways to gather the information you need to choose the right cruise. For example, Our staff has collectively sailed on hundreds of cruise ships. A good cruise expert can give you practical and invaluable information about cruise ships and cruise destinations.

Fit a cruise to your budget

Before you choose your cruise, determine how much your budget will allow and what you want to receive in return for the money spent. Remember that the best cruise bargain is no bargain if it does not suit your needs.

What distinguishes a "budget" cruise from a more expensive cruise? This is not an easy question because cruising is known for its emphasis on quality and service. Generally speaking, the difference between a "budget" ship and a more expensive cruise is not always easy to determine. We might call it "ambiance." Ambiance refers to the quality of service, the attitude of the crew and staff, the difference between good food and haute cuisine and the "feeling" created on board. It may also refer to the ship's amenities and decor.

The above distinctions aren't always obvious with cruising because even a so-called "budget" cruise may have some of the amenities of a more expensive ship with excellent food and service, good entertainment and interesting ports of call.

How will you decide how much to spend on your cruise? If this is your one week during the year to travel, you might have set aside more funds because you want something extra special. Or, perhaps you will be celebrating some special occasion like a honeymoon or anniversary where you don't mind spending the extra dollars. If you are traveling with your children or grandchildren, perhaps it is most important to find the least expensive cruise. Perhaps you are used to only the best and want a cruise experience that meets your high expectations. How do you like to travel? There is a cruise to fit every passenger.

Choosing a cruise ship can be like choosing a hotel.When you travel, are you more comfortable in a budget, moderate, or deluxe hotel? There are five basic categories in cruising: the budget/"Motel 6" cruise; the moderate/ "Holiday Inn" cruise; the deluxe/"Hyatt" cruise; the ultra-deluxe/"Ritz-Carlton" cruise; and the 'boutique" or "niche" cruise. This last category includes all- suite ships as well as "expedition" ships, ranging from moderate to deluxe. Please keep in mind that these classifications are subjective, at best, and are meant only to serve as a general guide to choosing a cruise.

"Holiday Inn" cruises include Norwegian Cruise Line and Costa. "Hyatt" cruises include Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Disney Cruise Line and Celebrity. Carnival may be in a class by itself. As the largest cruise line in the world, it caters to the "average" American on ships that rival the finest Las Vegas hotels.

"Ritz Carlton" cruises appeal to the most discriminating cruise goers and are at the upper end of the spectrum in terms of expense, quality of service and amenities. Lines in this "ultra-deluxe" or "six-star" class include Crystal, Cunard, Radisson Seven Seas, Silver Sea and Seabourn. "Boutique" cruises overlap the above categories and include the cruise/sail ships of Windstar and Star Clipper, and destination-oriented lines like Orient Lines.

How to read a cruise line brochure

You've heard the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words." Your first key to effectively using a cruise brochure is to look carefully at the photographs. Do the pictures represent mature travelers or young adults? Some cruise lines intentionally target their cruises to a more mature audience while others target families. Is the tone festive and high-spirited, or more sedate and refined? Do the photographs emphasize destinations? How are the people dressed? If everyone you see is dressed in a tuxedo, then that will tell you something about the ambiance of that particular ship. Does the brochure use words like "ultra-deluxe," "casual elegance" or "informal?"

Deck plans are easier to read than they look and can tell you a lot about a ship. By reading the deck plan, you can decide where you would like to stay on the ship and what amenities the ship has to offer.

Remember that you rarely have to pay the price listed in the cruise brochure!

Choosing a cruise best suited to your desires and needs

Like the old saying, "one man's floor is another man's ceiling," analyzing a cruise ship is, at best, a subjective experience. Someone who does not feel comfortable in a suit will have a miserable time on a formal ship that requires jacket and tie every evening - even though that ship might be rated highly.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine which cruise will best suit your tastes. Rank your answers to the questions below:

Interested primarily in destinations?
Want to party, or like a party atmosphere?
Want peace and quiet?
Want to be with older / younger people (circle one)
Entertainment most important?
Food most important?
Service most important?
Price most important?
Enjoy dressing formally / informally? (circle one)
Like guest lecturers?
Need special facilities? (example - wheelchair access)

Generally, we find that if a client knows when they would like to travel, where they would like to go, for how long, and how much their budget will allow, we can suggest two or three cruises that are appropriate for that individual and feel confident that we are booking them on a cruise that they'll find both enjoyable and memorable.

A shore excursion is a sure thing

For many cruise goers, shore excursions are the highlight of the cruise vacation. Even in an age when the cruise ship is becoming its own destination, shore excursions add a rich dimension to the experience that can be both fun and educational.

Whether you want to just relax on the beach or get an in-depth historical or cultural perspective of the island or port you are visiting, there is a shore excursion for you. And since the average tour lasts only 2 to 3-1/2 hours, you still have ample time to return to the ship for some rest and relaxation.

Shore excursions are varied in both content and price and can be classified into three categories; party fun (example - beach party or party cruise), sightseeing (example - island tour, city tour, cultural tour); or theme/attraction-oriented (example - scuba, touring a specific site such as the Mayan ruins of Tulum or the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg).

While cruise ship brochures do not list tour options, many cruise lines send a descriptive brochure along with documents so that by the time you board the ship, you have had the opportunity to plan your activities on shore. Some of the more popular shore excursions have limited space and sell out. To reserve the ones you want, plan on signing up at the Shore Excursion Desk when you first board the ship. The shore excursion staff will also be able to advise you how strenuous a tour is so you can be prepared.

To assist in planning your shore activities, special lectures are offered during the week by the Cruise Director, the Shore Excursion Director or guest lecturers. Topics might include the best places to shop or dine, the best sites to see or a cultural and/or historical overview of the port. These lectures can sometimes be seen from one's cabin via closed-circuit television.

The price of shore excursions varies widely depending on the port visited and the cruise line. An average price is $15-$30 per person for escorted activities such as city or island tours, snorkeling, beach parties, and glass bottom boat rides.

Special shore activities may have higher prices. These include golf ($40-$110 per person), scuba trips ($40-$55 per person), seaplane or helicopter rides ($65-$98 per person), submarine rides ($58-$74 per person), horseback riding ($50 per person), sailboat rides ($30-$59 per person), or extended land tours (example - a 7-1/2 hour tour to the Tulum Mayan ruins from Playa del Carmen - $55 per person).

Outside of the Caribbean and Mexico, shore excursions may be slightly higher with 3 - 4 hour tours costing around $30-$40 per person in Europe and $40-$50 per person in the Far East. A full day tour of St. Petersburg (including a visit to the Hermitage) with evening entertainment costs around $122 per person. A 12 hour tour of Paris runs around $90 per person. A 9-1/2 hour tour of Bangkok costs about $79 per person.

In Alaska, you can enjoy a salmon bake for $24 per person, go salmon fishing for a half day for $139 per person, take a 2 hour motorcoach tour for around $34 per person, canoe a mountain lake for $83 per person, or fly over Glacier Bay for 1-1/2 hours for $124 per person.

One of the advantages of taking an escorted shore excursion is that it allows you to become better acquainted with your shipmates. You are likely to run into fellow passengers again on board the ship and feel a sense of familiarity. The warmth and friendliness fostered by the cruise experience is just one of the many reasons that people enjoy cruising so much.

Another advantage of signing up for a tour or shore excursion is safety. Excursions are led by professionals who are usually natives of the destination you are visiting. They know where it's safe and not safe. In addition, traveling in a group gives you safety in numbers. Cruise lines spend a great deal of time and effort to secure the safety of their passengers both on ship and on shore. They carefully screen and monitor their shore-side tour operators to make sure that the highest safety standards are maintained at all times.

Going independent

If you're the type of traveler who likes to blaze your own trail, you'll be happy to know that escorted shore excursions are not a requirement on any cruise. When the ship lets you off in port, you are free to do as you please until it's time to leave.

In many ports, you can arrange your own private tour with an entrepreneurial taxi driver who can take you to the same sights as the tour busses for the same price or even less. What you get is a personalized tour with more freedom and flexibility.

Whether escorted or taken independently, shore excursions allow you to have a brief glimpse into another land and its culture.

Gentleman host program

Gentleman host programs were first introduced to enhance the cruise experience for unescorted female senior travelers. The program is now available on all sailings of Crystal and most Orient Lines' cruises.

Gentleman hosts are carefully screened and follow a strict code of ethics. Each one has been an acknowledged leader in his career. They are available for dancing, assisting with on-board activities, accompanying shore excursions and dining.

Enrichment lectures

All cruise ships have a port lecture program on board to inform passengers about the destinations they will visit. Some cruise lines also feature prominent celebrities or speakers on a regular basis to enhance the cruise experience.

Crystal Cruises', "Crystal Visions Lectures Series," has included culinary expert Wolfgang Puck, journalists Walter Cronkite and Pierre Salinger, television news commentator Howard K. Smith, anthropologist Jack Weatherford, writer Judith Krantz, relationship expert Barbara De Angelis, celebrity make-up artist Michael Maron and Hollywood film critic Bill Harris. They appear on select sailings for formal and informal talks.

Sports fanatics will enjoy Norwegian Cruise Line's line-up of past and present celebrities from football, basketball, golf, racing, skiing and more.

Longer cruises to destinations such as Europe or the Orient almost always feature an expert who can lecture on the history, art, culture, geography, anthropology, archeology or politics of the destination. Alaska cruises usually feature a naturalist lecturer.

On the luxury expedition ship, Explorer II, which frequents Antarctica and off-the-beaten-sea-lane destinations, a team of guest lecturers speak on board, accompany the shore excursions and then lead an informal recap of the day's events

Medical facilities

All cruise ships have medical facilities. Doctor's hours are posted and passengers are charged per visit whether it's in the infirmary or in one's cabin. Charges may be paid in cash or posted to your shipboard account. There is no provision to accept health insurance or Medicare on board. Passengers with specific medical conditions should notify their cruise consultant at the time of booking so that the ship can be prepared and stock appropriate medications, if necessary.

If a medical emergency cannot be handled on board, provisions will be made to transport the passenger to the nearest port’s medical facilities. Check with your own health insurance company to see what coverage you have while overseas. In addition, many trip cancellation and interruption policies have provisions for medical emergencies.

Finally, always be sure to have enough of your required medication before your cruise, as specific medications may not be available on the ship or in the destinations you will be visiting. And always carry your medication with you rather than checking it in with your baggage.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance never seems necessary unless you have to use it. There are two types of travel insurance commonly issued for cruise travelers. The first type, offered by waiver protection, allows cancellation for any reason up to 72 hours before a cruise (policies vary by cruise company). It does not provide coverage for cancellation while on board.

The second type of insurance is trip cancellation and interruption insurance, which covers you with medical emergencies for you and your immediate family from prior to the cruise to the return home. We highly recommend this coverage because it offers you the maximum protection. Be sure to inquire about what your travel insurance does and does not cover, especially if you have a preexisting medical condition.

Facilities for the disabled

Most cruise ships have provisions for wheelchair travelers, with wheelchair accessible cabins, ramp access to public areas, elevators, etc.

Princess Cruises is an industry leader and recently published a brochure called "Love Boat Access." The line has the highest number of wheelchair accessible cabins, and a special wheelchair transportation gangway mechanism for boarding on most of its ships. For the visually impaired, seeing eye dogs are welcome and elevators have Braille call buttons. For the hearing impaired, hearing-ear dogs are welcome and ADA kits are available with telephone amplifiers, visual smoke detectors, doorknocker sensors and text telephones.

Your cruise consultant will be able to help you determine the cruise ship best suited to your individual needs. If you use a wheelchair, be sure to inquire about embarking and disembarking in ports of call as this can be a difficult procedure when the ship anchors off shore.

Special diets

Cruising is known for its legendary cuisine. On board, you will find the dining room staff ready to assist you with a wide variety of well-prepared and sumptuous culinary alternatives to fit your dietary needs. These include low sodium, low fat, low cholesterol, vegetarian, Kosher (most Kosher foods onboard cruise ships are frozen) and sugar-free entrees and deserts.

Most menus offer a choice of meat, fish, poultry or "light" cuisine entrees. On board buffets always have an ample selection of fresh salads, fruits and vegetables. Be sure to speak with the maitre'd at the beginning of your cruise so that your needs can be met.

Traveling solo*

The single cruise traveler must usually pay a single supplement ranging from 110% to 200% of the double occupancy rate. Crystal Cruises is an exception, with select sailings at only a 15 percent single supplement.**

Many cruise lines have a limited number of cabins available on a "single share" basis. On this program, you agree to share a stateroom with another guest of the same sex and you pay only the per person double occupancy rate. If the cruise company does not find a cabin-mate for you, you cruise solo at the agreed upon double occupancy rate. Single shares are offered on the following lines: Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Orient Lines, Princess, and Royal Caribbean.

Some cruise lines offer cabins specifically designated for single travelers. Some lines that offer designated single cabins are Cunard, Holland America, and Orient Lines.

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