Oh Cruise Ship, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

Let me start off by giving a (hopefully) brief sysnopsis of our routine come cruise day.

We normally finish our packing (we're terrible at fully packing the day/night before, especially if it's a cruise leaving out of our hometown of San Diego). After all the packing is done, we'll have a small breakfast (more on this later).

Even though most cruises don't depart until 4 or 5pm, we like to get to the cruise terminal between 11:30 and noon. This gives us plenty of time to get checked in and get onboard. If all goes well, we can be on the ship within an hour (depending on the crowds).

Normally, you can't access your room right away - but that's ok! It's LUNCH TIME! That's right - we hit the food lines pretty much right away. That's why we don't eat a big breakfast and/or stop to eat on the way to the cruise terminal. At this point, the ship isn't at full capacity (guests), so there aren't any lines to speak of in order to get our first meal onboard.

If it's the first time on this particular ship, we'll then venture off to familarize ourselves with the ship. Again, since the ship isn't at full capacity (yet), it's easy to get around and check things out. Ohhhh, that's where the casino is! Oops, look here honey - I found the dining room!

At or near departure time, there is the mandatory life boat drill - this usually lasts roughly 20 minutes. After that, when most everybody is on the top deck checking out the inport scenery and waving good-bye to all their family and friends on the pier, I use this time to unpack my suitcase in my cabin. Suit - hung up. Shorts, undies, jeans, slacks, t-shirts, etc - all put away nice and neat. Believe it or not - I am now DONE with ALL my mandatory "must do" stuff! I now have SEVEN DAYS of doing NOTHING but relaxing (if I so choose) - socializing (again, if I so choose) - hanging out with my family (do I have a choice here?) - basically, just doing whatever I want to do! I am on a CRUISE - which means I'm on vacation!

Ok, so why take a cruise?

I've taken a lot of vacations in my life time (the Navy gives you 30 days a year for vacation). I didn't take my first "civilian" cruise until after I retired from the Navy - so let me tell you now. Taking a cruise is probably the most economical vacation you can take.

Let's look at when it's just my wife and me taking a 7 day cruise (no kids this time... yes!).

On average, the cost of the cruise will run us in the neighborhood of $1000 - $1200, depending on the type of cabin we choose. Let's use the average and say $1100.

Ok, for $1100 we have 6 nights of berthing (our cabin), 7 days of (at least) three meals a day (should I tell you now that for breakfast and lunch - it's buffet style, so eat as much as you want!). I'm an early riser (5am), so it's not uncommon for me to eat breakfast TWICE each day. I'll eat at 6am'ish - and then again 3 hours or so later when my wife wakes up. Hey, I'm a gentleman - I can't let my wife eat alone. Ok, enough about food (eat as much as you want - pretty much throughout the whole day!).

Ok, so we now know that FOOD and BERTHING is taken care of. Let's talk about the entertainment onboard. Vegas style shows, comedians... all included! Most cruise ships also schedule a lot of activities throughout the day while out to sea. Things like (my wifes favorite) "Hairy Chest Contest", Ice carving demonstrations, dance classes (yes, I have a video of yours truly on stage learning a particular Austin Powers dance), scavenger hunts, Survivor style challenges, etc, etc. The cost of these forms of entertainment? It's INCLUDED!

There are at least 2 (usually 3) pools - take a swim or just sit by the pool and relax (while eating a hamburger or hot dog w/ fries, of course). Cost to use the pools? INCLUDED!

I could probably go on and on with everything that's included in the $1100 cost of the cruise - but let's take a minute to talk about what IS NOT included:

• Alcohol, soda (juices and tea are free)
• Pictures taken by the ships crew - they are everywhere.
• The casino - obviously.
• Items in the Duty Free shops.

As you can see, there aren't a whole lot of "things" that cost money on a cruise - but believe me, it's easy to get nickle and dimed to death, so be sure to track your room charges on a daily basis.

Ok, so you've got 7 days of fun and relaxation, all your meals are taken care of, your berthing is taken care of, your entertainment (should you choose to participate) is taken care of. All this for $1100 for TWO people? You bet! That's not $1100 each - that's $1100 for BOTH of you! C'mon now - can it be beat?

The $1100 average price for my wife and I? That can EASILY be lower. Choose an inside cabin on the lower deck - now you are probably talking about $900 versus $1100. The cabins are the same size (unless you want a suite) - you're just sleeping anyway, right?

As I said earlier, I could easily go on and on about why taking a cruise is economical - bottom line... it's FUN! I'll stop for now, so if you have ANY questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you. Either send us an email through our contact link (top of page), or visit our cruise forums and make a post to ask your question(s). Pretty simple!

Happy Sailing!