A Cruise is Whatever you want it to be

Having enjoyed over a dozen cruises you can tell we think cruising is a great way to travel. Many people THINK they would dislike cruising, but "A Cruise can be whatever you decide to make it." Our criteria for good travel include 1. unpacking only once 2. experiencing as much of the area as possible 3. eating a great deal of great food 4. above all, having new adventures (but comfortable, safe adventures). We are not the type cruisers who stay on board playing trivia games, going to art auctions and eating large quantities at the buffets at every meal, but that is possible if that is what you choose. We love SHORE EXCURSIONS and are finally learning to "do it yourself" sometimes by walking, taking trains (ScotRail in photo) and HOHO buses (hop on hop off). The advantage to the ship sponsored excursions is that they will not sail if a large group from the ship is not onboard; if you are on your own, you could miss the ship and have to find your way to the next port (at your expense) to catch up with the ship. FOOD is everywhere on a ship, but our favorites are the specialty restaurants (up-charge of course) that serve multi course meals in elegant settings and the hidden cafes. From experience we now know we prefer medium sized cruise ships (2,000 passengers or less); they aren't as crowded, but still have those wonderful, huge stabilizers that we love. We always plan to arrive at our departure city two or three days before the cruise sails to make sure we don't miss the boat and we seem to have some of our best ADVENTURES this way. We have learned to explore the side streets and back roads and of course, our very best adventures happen when we cruise with our family, Krista, Mike, Jess and Hannah. We love to talk cruising, so if ever someone has a question just call us. MA