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Cruise-Travel-Vacations:  Planning Your First Cruise

Who is going on the cruise?

This should be the easiest question, so let's start with it. All age groups are welcome and planned for. You will be able to find a cruise that will give any age group from toddler to great grandmother a memorable vacation. Friends of mine with teenagers often say they have found it to be the best family vacation yet. If you don't have kids or don't want to be around them while on vacation, there are some cruise ships that are adult only.

How much are you prepared to spend?

I'll discuss minimums here. There are NO maximums. There used to be a "rule of thumb" that you needed to budget about $100/day/person (exclusive of airfare). That rule still seems fairly reasonable. You can decrease that some by shopping around or by (1) having more than two persons per cabin, (2) being conservative and booking early [more than six months in advance], (3) being a risk-taker and booking late [less than 2 months in advance]. The minimum price on a "mainstream" cruise line seems to average about $500 per week.

How long is your vacation?

If you have less than a week, you are probably restricted to the Bahamas, Mexico, or a "cruise to nowhere". A week's vacation will open up the Caribbean to you, and depending on where you live you can even get to Europe, Hawaii, or the South Pacific. If you can squeeze out ten days to two weeks, you will have many more options.