Cruising 101 - My guide on how to get the most out of your cruise

          After recently booking my 5th cruise in 4 years, I feel it necessary to look back on my previous experience with planning a cruise and share what knowledge I have gained to remind myself and help others to get the most out of their cruise experience. Sometimes cruises aren't for everyone, but sometimes people just aren't doing it right. If you do not have a relaxing, fun and INEXPENSIVE vacation, chances are you are doing something wrong.

• Why Take a Cruise?

Why take a cruise when you could just go to Florida or whatever beach is closest to you? Why not fly to a resort and stay 4 or 5 nights? These are all good questions and are most likely the alternative for those who choose not to cruise.

Advantages to taking a Cruise instead of renting a condo or staying at a resort

• COST - I love all vacations and I consider them all fun in their own ways, but the cost difference savings associated with cruises are too much to ignore. If you are booking your cruise correctly and follow my tips for saving money then you should spend HALF OR LESS on a 5 day cruise vacation than you would during a comparable time at a condo or resort. To me that is a big deal. That means you can do more things with the cost savings or you could even go on another vacation. When me and my wife went on a cruise it cost us $600 for 5 nights including all of our meals paid for. After excursions and other recreational spending we probably didn't spend over $1,200.  I spent that much in Daytona, Florida and my condo was FREE.

• DO MORE/ SEE MORE -  While cruises are a bit touristy and have a general pre-determined itinerary they still give you more options of things to do and see than most resorts or beaches. There is no other way to visit a few countries and see more than on a cruise. Even though it's only a 8-10 hour crash course of a particular destination, id still rather spend 8-10 hours in several locations than being in one place where the scenery doesn't change. Most resorts are so isolated that you are not even within walking distance of anything that's not owned by the resort. Some people enjoy this relaxing isolation, but I have never had a problem relaxing on the liddo deck in the  middle of the ocean.

• GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN -  As soon as you step on the cruise your vacation has begun. Live music and entertainment, hot tubs, water slides, casinos and incredible sunsets will most likely not accompany you on your road trip or flight to your condo or resort.

• HURRICANE? - If a hurricane or tropical storm hits one of your destinations on a cruise often times the captain will take you to another port. If the same happens at your resort, you are stuck with a rained out vacation. A very possible scenario on any beach.

• DO YOUR OWN THING - I have been to the beach with groups of people and it never fails whether its family or friends there is always the dilemma of where are we going to eat and who wants to do what. In my experience most of the time a large group will spend more time trying to decide on what they want to do than they will on actually doing something. The beach is pretty much mutual agreement to everyone , but other than that everyone has their own agenda and in most cases it will take the full group agreeing to do something for an excursion to take place. On a cruise everyone can pretty much do their own thing and their options are laid out in front of them on a convenient guide delivered to their room every morning. If you want to relax or go play in the casino you can do it without reaching a consensus from whatever group you are with.

Don't get me wrong beach vacations are great and I still take them from time to time when the opportunity is right, but there is not enough that you can do on a beach that you cant experience on a cruise that justifies paying double the price and doing less. I see great pictures from resort vacations of beautiful scenery and people laying around on the beach, that's just not exciting enough to me to justify paying double.

• CRUISING FAQ

• WHEN SHOULD I BOOK A CRUISE?

The best time to cruise is outside of the peak vacation months and during hurricane season . Prices are much cheaper during this time. You can find them for less than $300 a person! If you Book it for a typical summer month it could cost double. Be sure and book several months in advance, 6 months if possible. The tropical locations are close enough to the equator that they will be close to the same temperature as they are during the summer months. Ask yourself would you rather leave
hot, sweaty, humid conditions to go lay on the beach somewhere or would you rather leave cold, wet and windy to go somewhere warm? You may have to bring a light jacket for that first night on the cruise, but waking up the next morning to realize summer has came over night is pretty awesome.

• HOW SHOULD I BOOK A CRUISE?

Not through a travel agent. A travel agent is for people who do not know how to use the internet. You will not find a better price by adding a middle man, Book through the cruise line. I prefer carnival because I have had good experiences with them and they are generally less expensive and have younger people aboard.

• SHOULD I BOOK A CRUISE OUT OF GALVESTON OR NEW ORLEANS?

Would you rather spend your day before or morning of your cruise at a city that is a cultural hub with the greatest food known to man or a city known for the worst beaches on planet earth. This is a no brainer. The Cajun crowd is also a lot more fun, they know how to party. When I went on a cruise out of Galveston I had to teach people in the casino how to play black jack because they had never been to a casino. FYI - New Orleans cruise tickets are also usually at least $100 cheaper.

• SHOULD I BOOK A 5 DAY OR A 7 DAY?

I personally prefer a 5 day. To me 7 days is a little bit too much, and those extra 2 days end up costing, but the 5 day cruise itineraries are very limited and once you have done them all you really have no choice but to do the 7 days if you want to see more locations.

• EXCURSIONS OR NOT?

The answer to this question is yes and no. It really just depends on what port you are at. Some people like to go to every tourist trap and some people like to do their own thing. I fall somewhere in between. If I am somewhere like Cozumel I really want to do something water related because of the great snorkeling and clear water. Your not really going to get a good dose of Mexican culture in Cozumel because it is so Americanized, you might as well do an excursion. The opposite is true for Progresso. unless you are going to Chichen Itza, there is really no need to do an excursion, its still very Mexican and you can have a cultural experience riding around on a moped or walking the streets.

• SHOULD I CHOOSE EARLY DINING, LATE DINING, OR OPEN SEATING?

NEVER choose early dining. On days where the ship stops you will only have an hour or 45 minutes between the time you get back on the boat to when you have to get ready for dinner. You might also miss the sunset. As soon as your dining is over on the late dining, things are just starting to pick up...the casino, clubs, and karaoke bars will be rocking. Open seating is not a bad choic
e, but I like sitting with the same people every night. You will build a relationship with those people over the week.

• HOW DO I KEEP FROM GETTING SEA SICK AND RUINING MY TRIP?

Motion sickness is probably the most common cause for people not having fun on their cruise. There is however a method to preventing this unfortunate event from happening. To not get sick, you must get your "sea legs." The best way to do that is to take some Dramamine about 30 minutes before the ship takes off and then go to the top of the ship and just hang out and walk around outside on the liddo deck for the first couple of hours. Do not focus your eyes on anything close to you and keep your focus on the horizon. There is some pretty cool scenery cruising down the Mississippi River. People that spend the first couple of hours in their rooms or exploring the inside of the ship are usually the ones at high risk to get sick. If there is a night where the waves are bad, just have a couple of alcoholic beverages (even if you aren't a drinker) and it will help loosen you up and your body will flow better with the waves.

• TIPS & ADVICE

• Bring (sneak) your own alcoholic beverages - a clear beverage of choice is best hidden in  a scope bottle with green food coloring. Darker whiskey and liquor can be hidden in Listerine bottles. Alcohol cost on the ship is outrageous, Save where you can. Also take advantage of the cruise line allowing a bottler of wine per person.

• Go to the dinners - Going to dinner every night is optional, some people choose to just do the buffet. They are not that formal except for the captains dinner. The buffet's will be there in the morning and lunch.

• Don't eat dinner with the people you came with - Let the cruise line randomly assign you to a table. It's always interesting to see who they will group you with, and you still have good odds of being with the same people you signed up with if you are similar in age and marital status. Meeting new people is part of the experience.

• Avoid long lines at the excursion desk - If you book your excursion on the ship the best time to avoid lines is immediately after the safety drill on the first day.

• Don't miss the sunsets - The best photo opps of the cruise are not the cheesy back drops in the ship foyer, its the sunsets. They are amazing and look totally different everyday.

• Don't get to the cruise terminal too early - On embarkation day there is no advantage to getting to the cruise terminal early. You will just have to wait in line.

• Carry off your luggage when the cruise is over - If you are physically able, carry your luggage off yourself, it could save you hours when it comes to getting off the ship and back on the road towards home.

• Participate in on board activities - Try not to be too anti-social, some of the activities may be cheesy, but you will be glad you participated in the end.

• Bring lots of friends - The more the merrier. The more friends you have on your cruise the more fun you are likely to have; and its not like you are staying in the same room together. You will have plenty of time apart.

• Pay your gratuity up front -  When you book a cruise you will get the option to pay gratuity up front. There is no need in worrying about getting good service on a cruise. The service is top notch so you might as well pay it up front and get that expense out of the way.

• Pre-pay your ship card with cash - All purchases on a cruise are made with a ship card. this card can either be backed up by cash or a credit/debit card. If you really want to keep a handle on your spending give yourself a budget and use cash. If you run out you can always use your card to put more funds on.

• Keep your spending in check - An inexpensive vacation can get expensive really quick if you spend without paying attention. The front desk of the cruise will give you your balance of your ship card anytime you ask. Always be aware, overspending on a cruise is very easy and the cruise lines designed it that way for a reason.