Top 10 Reasons to Cruise
Let's talk. So, why not cruise? You'll have a ball-believe me, I know.
I've been on a bazillion of them. In fact, my initials are even shippy:
H.M.S. It's destiny--I'm a cruise prophet. What can I say? Just this:
You want to know why cruising is so great? Here you go, in black and
white:
1.
The Smorgasbord.
Ok, we're Americans. We like to eat. As much as possible. Or at least
we like to have the option. Well, there's no better place to stuff
yourself silly than on cruise ships, which, as you may have heard,
offer no end of chowing-down opportunities. Everywhere you turn
there's something to shove in your mouth, tickle your palette, whet
your whistle. From breakfast buffets to high-tea sandwiches, pizza all
day, soft ice cream at 4, sushi before dinner, hors d'oeuvres in the
bar, five-course dinners, and midnight buffets, it's a nonstop feeding
frenzy. Did I mention 24-hour room service? Don't forget to pack your
elasticized pants! And, all you health nuts out there needn't worry,
since most ships offer a vegetarian and a low-fat, low-cal dish at
lunch and dinner-you don't have to blow your diet!
No one will force you to participate if you're an old
stick-in-the-mud, but if you're game, there's always something to do,
even on the smallest ships. From wine-tasting to swing lessons,
movies, relay races in the pool, and-you guessed it-that all time
cruise favorite: Bingo!! Don't roll your eyes, either. I won $300
smackaroonies on a recent cruise. We can all guess what my new
favorite game is! Hey, you never know.
Ok, so maybe they have their TV on too loud just when you're trying to
hit the sack, but they're probably wonderful people. Cruises are a
great way to meet people from all over America, and depending where
you cruise, from all over the world. They're like great big summer
camps for adults, where you're bound to make new friends, or at least
have fun trying.
And the facials, manicures, seaweed wraps, foot rubs, scalp massages,
up-doos. You can be kneaded, rubbed, patted and wrapped to your
heart's content. Spas on ships are big deals these days, and the
newest ships are pulling out all the stops when it comes to offering
gorgeous, soothing spas, not to mention sprawling spaces and dozens of
treatments available all day long. Ionithermie Superdetox treatment
anyone?
They're all over the place: at the piano, dancing across stage,
juggling bowling balls, sawing assistants in half, singing a song,
playing in a band, spinning a record, bwanging a steal drum or telling
a joke. Take your pick, there are professionals entertaining you
everywhere you turn.
You'll only have to unpack it once. How great is that!? You'll visit
three or four or five or even six different islands or countries on a
typical 7-night cruise, and will never have to lug your suitcase
anywhere else once you get on board-just shove it under your bed and
fahgetaboudit; the ports come to YOU! Now that's service.
You may forget since you'll be having so much fun on board, but a
cruise actually takes you places, exciting, exotic, bustling, barren,
old, and new places where you can join the throngs shopping or
touring, or venture off on your own to a quiet part of town or a
remote corner of the island, armed with nothing more than a sense of
serendipity. (And a watch, so you make it back to the ship before it
departs for the next port!)
Helloooo, people, you're floating in it. These babies don't have
wheels, you know, they have fins (well, sort of). Anyway, it's the sea
that makes a cruise so special. That great big body of water
surrounding the ship, swooshing past, reflecting the moon, carrying
you to far-flung places, making you feel oh so away-from-it all. It's
romantic. It's nature at its purest and most powerful. And, it's your
home for the week!
What better way to end the day than to come back to your cozy cabin
and find your bed turned down, your pillow fluffed, your socks picked
up, your shoes aligned, and a nice piece of chocolate placed
ever-so-carefully on your pillow. Sweet dreams.
I don't care who you are. Old, young, married, single, gay, straight
or somewhere in between. Officers in uniforms-I'm talking eye candy.
They may be shlumpy in their own clothes, but in those white uniforms
with those gold stripes and epaulettes, smiling at all who pass them,
you'll be drawn. Their mere presence and the tradition they represent
sets a cruise apart from any other type of vacation. On the night of
the captain's cocktail party, they're everywhere, like ants, dressed
to the nines. And, hey, you never know. I've heard more than one story
of love at sea.
Written by Heidi Sarna.
Heidi Sarna, a veteran travel writer who's been on nearly 100 cruises
in the past 10 years, is the author of Frommer's Caribbean Cruises and
Ports of Call, and contributes articles on cruising to many national
magazines and newspapers.
Ok, we're Americans. We like to eat. As much as possible. Or at least
we like to have the option. Well, there's no better place to stuff
yourself silly than on cruise ships, which, as you may have heard,
offer no end of chowing-down opportunities. Everywhere you turn
there's something to shove in your mouth, tickle your palette, whet
your whistle. From breakfast buffets to high-tea sandwiches, pizza all
day, soft ice cream at 4, sushi before dinner, hors d'oeuvres in the
bar, five-course dinners, and midnight buffets, it's a nonstop feeding
frenzy. Did I mention 24-hour room service? Don't forget to pack your
elasticized pants! And, all you health nuts out there needn't worry,
since most ships offer a vegetarian and a low-fat, low-cal dish at
lunch and dinner-you don't have to blow your diet! 
No one will force you to participate if you're an old
stick-in-the-mud, but if you're game, there's always something to do,
even on the smallest ships. From wine-tasting to swing lessons,
movies, relay races in the pool, and-you guessed it-that all time
cruise favorite: Bingo!! Don't roll your eyes, either. I won $300
smackaroonies on a recent cruise. We can all guess what my new
favorite game is! Hey, you never know.
Ok, so maybe they have their TV on too loud just when you're trying to
hit the sack, but they're probably wonderful people. Cruises are a
great way to meet people from all over America, and depending where
you cruise, from all over the world. They're like great big summer
camps for adults, where you're bound to make new friends, or at least
have fun trying.
And the facials, manicures, seaweed wraps, foot rubs, scalp massages,
up-doos. You can be kneaded, rubbed, patted and wrapped to your
heart's content. Spas on ships are big deals these days, and the
newest ships are pulling out all the stops when it comes to offering
gorgeous, soothing spas, not to mention sprawling spaces and dozens of
treatments available all day long. Ionithermie Superdetox treatment
anyone?
They're all over the place: at the piano, dancing across stage,
juggling bowling balls, sawing assistants in half, singing a song,
playing in a band, spinning a record, bwanging a steal drum or telling
a joke. Take your pick, there are professionals entertaining you
everywhere you turn.
You'll only have to unpack it once. How great is that!? You'll visit
three or four or five or even six different islands or countries on a
typical 7-night cruise, and will never have to lug your suitcase
anywhere else once you get on board-just shove it under your bed and
fahgetaboudit; the ports come to YOU! Now that's service.
You may forget since you'll be having so much fun on board, but a
cruise actually takes you places, exciting, exotic, bustling, barren,
old, and new places where you can join the throngs shopping or
touring, or venture off on your own to a quiet part of town or a
remote corner of the island, armed with nothing more than a sense of
serendipity. (And a watch, so you make it back to the ship before it
departs for the next port!)
Helloooo, people, you're floating in it. These babies don't have
wheels, you know, they have fins (well, sort of). Anyway, it's the sea
that makes a cruise so special. That great big body of water
surrounding the ship, swooshing past, reflecting the moon, carrying
you to far-flung places, making you feel oh so away-from-it all. It's
romantic. It's nature at its purest and most powerful. And, it's your
home for the week!
What better way to end the day than to come back to your cozy cabin
and find your bed turned down, your pillow fluffed, your socks picked
up, your shoes aligned, and a nice piece of chocolate placed
ever-so-carefully on your pillow. Sweet dreams.
I don't care who you are. Old, young, married, single, gay, straight
or somewhere in between. Officers in uniforms-I'm talking eye candy.
They may be shlumpy in their own clothes, but in those white uniforms
with those gold stripes and epaulettes, smiling at all who pass them,
you'll be drawn. Their mere presence and the tradition they represent
sets a cruise apart from any other type of vacation. On the night of
the captain's cocktail party, they're everywhere, like ants, dressed
to the nines. And, hey, you never know. I've heard more than one story
of love at sea.