What’s It Like?

One of the easiest things about cruising is the convenience of being able to sign for all your expenses and have them charged to your account. Simply register your credit card at the beginning of your trip or put down a cash deposit and you’re away. Hand over your card every time you want to make a purchase onboard - be it drinks, excursions or a treat in the spa. An itemised receipt is delivered to your cabin the night before you disembark.

Cabins, or staterooms, are the terms used for your room on the ship. Generally speaking, newer and larger cruise ships have large staterooms that can be likened to a hotel room, but you will pay more for them. In fact, a hotel-like stateroom may be well out of reach for most cruise passengers.
If you want a sitting area or a balcony in your cabin, you're going to pay more. However, if you're going on a long trip, or if you get claustrophobic, it's probably worth paying the extra money.

The most common, affordable staterooms are about 150 sq. feet in size, which is fairly small when comparing to a hotel room but is certainly not too cramped to bear. Most rooms feature single beds that can be pushed together to create a double. Others have single beds that are bolted to the floor and additional sleeping space that can be pulled out of the walls in the form of bunk beds. Cabins have a TV and en suite facilities and, for an extra fee, you can have a sitting area or balcony in your stateroom which will give that extra feeling of space. A feature on newer ships that makes a real difference is the full-size window. Older ships still have portholes with a very limited view and some grades of cabin may be partially or fully obstructed by lifeboats. It’s most likely you will not want to hang out in your room but will want to take advantage of all the ship and ports of call have to offer.

All ships have numerous public places that you are free to visit during the majority of the times that you are at sea. These spaces are usually large and lavishly decorated giving the ship the luxurious feel that most people associate with cruises. Onboard you will find quiet, intimate spots for reading; lounge areas for visiting and watching TV; outdoor areas for playing games and sunbathing; gyms for keeping up with your fitness routine; internet cafes for browsing online; and numerous attractions that will keep you busier than you can imagine.

One of the things that may surprise you about cruise ships is the shopping that you can do while on board. Most cruise ships have several duty-free shops that can keep you occupied for a great deal of your time at sea. These shops generally accept credit/debit cards as well as cash. You can also set up an onboard spending account with most cruise lines.

Cruise ships also have several restaurants, cafes, and snack bars to choose from. Some are formal, others are casual. On any given night you can choose to take advantage of onboard babysitting services to have a romantic dinner with your partner or you can choose to take the whole family down to casual family-oriented café. Free entertainment is usually provided nightly in several of the restaurants.

In addition to dining, most ships offer entertainment such as casinos, Broadway style shows, nightclubs, movies, talent shows, comedians, and live bands. All of the entertainment, with the exception of gambling, is free and scheduled at differing times during your voyage to ensure that you always have something to keep you occupied.

During the day, you can absorb some sunshine as you take part in many of the ship’s day-time activities. Common activities include art auctions, singers, shuffleboard, sunbathing and bridge tournaments. Other activities that you might not expect can include rock climbing wall, ice skating, films and computer classes. Some cruise lines even schedule celebrities and guest speakers to give educational lectures and seminars throughout the trip.

While there is a lot to keep you out of your stateroom for the majority of the voyage, there are several in-room facilities that you can take advantage of. The amount of service that is available for your particular stateroom depends largely on the type of stateroom that you book, but most rooms have room service and are equipped with a TV and a phone.

As you can see, there is enough to do aboard ship that you may never have to leave your cruise ship at all to have a great holiday. But eventually you will dock, and it will be up to you how you spend your time in the several exotic locations that your cruise will deliver you to. It is this part of the cruise adventure, not the ship, which makes cruising so popular.