Caribbean cruises are the most popular of all cruise destinations. And there are good reasons that they are the cruise destination of choice. Caribbean cruises offer you intriguing ports of call, beautiful white sandy beaches with azure blue water, all while enjoying the supreme service aboard your magnificent cruise ship. Caribbean cruises offer many activities for all age groups, so it makes a great family cruise vacation. And don't worry about cruise terms, we've included it here.
During family cruise vacations there are activities all day long and they're free. You have already paid for it in the price of Caribbean cruise. You get all your meals, your cabin, and entertainment included in the price of you family cruise vacation. This is one of the many reasons Caribbean cruises are such a great value.
The best aspect of Caribbean cruises is that once you board your ship you unpack once for the entire trip. No schlepping bags from airport to hotel over and over again. You will be in a new island almost every day with the travel between each port done at night, while you sleep. What could be easier?
Most of the top cruise lines offer Caribbean cruises. Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America and Carnival all offer a great variety of Caribbean cruise vacations. There are very formal Caribbean cruises or the fun and casual party cruise. Caribbean cruises are good if you are looking for adventure, golf or scuba cruises. Or maybe you would like to go on a relaxing cruise to enjoy the sea on a sailing cruise. You could plan a Caribbean cruise as a second honeymoon, even the first honeymoon, or a family reunion, or a special anniversary. You don't even need an excuse to take a Caribbean cruise, do it just for fun. Or do it because there is five feet of snow and you need to see the sun and the sand.
Be sure to inquire about any discounted cruises for special groups, like teachers, police or fireman, or nurses. Many times a cruise line sees a certain cruise at a certain time of the year is filling up slowly so they offer special discounts to these groups. And if you belong to one of these groups band together, says as teachers from Pennsylvania and get additional discounts.
Now that you have decided to take a Caribbean cruise here is a glossary of terms used on Cruise ships. It's the cruise terms or cruise lingo.
* Aft is the rear or near the rear of the ship
* Amidships is the middle of the ship
* Bow is the very front of the ship
* Bridge is the navigational control center
* Colors are the national flag flown by the ship
* Deck Plan is an overhead diagram of the cabins and the public rooms
* Dock is where your ship will “park” when in port
* Forward faces the front of the boat
* Gangway allows you access on and off the ship
* Knot is a nautical mile
* Leeward means out of the wind
* Pitch is how much the ship will roll (not very much, if at all)
* PAX is cruise terms for passengers
* Book a cruise is to make a cruise reservation
* A Cruiser is you, the passenger
* Port is the left hand side of the ship while facing forward (bow).
Easy to remember since port and left have four letters
* Stack (sometimes called smoke stack) is the ships “chimney”
* Starboard is the right side of the ship while facing forward (bow).
* Stateroom or berth is your cabin
* Steward’s are personnel on the ship for your cabin and dining room
* Stern is the very back of the ship
* Daily Activity Log lists the various activities on board
Now that you can know your Cruise terms, all you have to do is call your cruise travel agent and book one of the many Caribbean cruises that are offered. Book as a family cruise vacation, your honeymoon or anniversary or just because you want to experience Caribbean cruises.
Happy Cruising!
This summer may be the best time in years to take a well deserved vacation because the travel industry is having financial difficulties in these tough economic times. You now can find incredibly cheap airfares and last minute flights, exclusive hotels and cheap hotels, family resorts and all inclusive resorts, as well as discount cruises and last minute cruises on the web, or at your local travel agency. It stands to reason that if any airplane, hotel, resort, or cruise ship is not fully booked, that represents a significant loss of income that can not be recouped, so this is your time to grab the best possible travel deals in years.
When you search for holiday air flights on the internet you should first look at sites that have ticket price listings for multiple airlines. That way you can compare airfare prices side by side. If you search for air consolidators you’ll find that they have secured blocks of discount airline fares from a number of airlines. One of the well-known major discount airlines you should also look up is Southwest Airlines which is not usually included in the air consolidator or multiple commercial airline websites.
If you are planning air travel to Europe there are a number of European airlines that offer incredibly low fares, some as low as $60 U.S., when you fly between countries within Europe. Ryanair is the top low cost airline in Europe. It also flies to and from the United States.
Choice hotels, luxury resorts, including all inclusive resorts are now offering amazing bargains as they try to maintain full occupancy. On the internet you can search the words, hotels, or hotel finder to locate multiple discount hotel rates. The same also applies to resorts. If you want to take your pet on vacation with you, just search pet friendly hotels.
Another great source for reasonable accommodations are vacation rentals. These can include home owners who own recreational property such as holiday homes, cottages, or condos and now need to rent them because of the slow economy. There are also beach vacation rentals available at substantial discounts.
Luxury cruises at really great discounts abound. One of the major advantages that Americans have is that the cruise lines are increasing their presence by adding a few more ports and increasing some sailings on both the East and West coasts of the United States. Cruise tours are generally comprised of both a cruise and land tour. You can opt for taking the cruise first to a destination port and then continue with the land portion of the tour. Or, vice versa. You can take the land excursion first and then board your ship for the luxury cruise. If this is your first cruise, or you’re not really sure what you want in a cruise, it may be advantageous to deal with a travel agency that specializes in cheap cruises like a cruise consolidator, by searching that phrase, or by booking with a local travel agency that has extensive experience in booking cruises.
Cruises are more complicated then booking cheap flights or cheap hotel rooms because there are numerous options which can be confusing to many first time cruisers. Some items to consider are the choice of state rooms (inside, ocean view, and balcony), deck location of the state rooms, and dinner sitting options except on ships that have anytime dining, etc. Keep in mind that it doesn’t matter if you opt for the least expensive accommodation, you are always entitled to use all the standard amenities on the cruise ship. All quoted prices are usually based on double occupancy. Always make sure that you are aware of the total cost of your cruise including all government fees and port charges.
When you book any vacation travel deals or holiday travel packages, it’s always best to pay with a credit card. That way you will have a record of all your trip transactions just in case a dispute arises with a bill, or a travel supplier runs into financial difficulty. It’s highly unlikely the latter would happenScience Articles, but if it does you’ll have a better chance of being reimbursed or rebooked.