Cruisin'

If you’ve never been on a cruise you’re missing out on a really great vacation. I always ask people who tell me they’ve never been on a cruise, why not? I’m always amused when they tell me that they think they’d feel too confined or get bored. I’m telling you cruise ships now days are floating cities. Take the Allure of the Seas for example, it’s the newest ship of the Royal Caribbean’s fleet its 1,187 feet long and can accommodate 5,400 people, currently the largest cruise ship afloat. They have an ice rink, two surf pools and a Zip Line, the ship has seven "neighborhoods". The inside staterooms have balconies overlooking the park so you don’t get that ‘closed in‘ feeling. Disney’s newest ship, the Dream has a thrilling flume ride called the AquaDuck, the first-ever shipboard water coaster. There are many dining options from the chic to the family style the entertainment is Broadway caliber and the shops, don’t even get me started on them. There is so much to do and see on ships now days that you’ll never get bored and unless you spend a month on one I doubt you’d see everything either.



Florida has five different cruise ports and three Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and the Port of Miami are among the busiest cruise ports in the world, if not the busiest. From one of our ports you can easily reach anywhere in the world really but the Caribbean, being so close, is a popular choice. Cozumel, St. Thomas, San Juan, George Town, Belize City, Grenada and Barbados are just of few of the exotic destinations and or ports of call offered. A port of call is a place you cruise into for a day or just a few fun filled hours. Nassau has a great straw market, which is a place where you can purchase trinkets for the folks back home; when you come into Port Canaveral you’ll find it has a whole row of restaurants that offer some the best seafood you’ll ever eat and they’ve started a market place of their own. Key West is another popular port of call that has a little shopping area called Key West Bite, you come in on lower Duval Street which is the heart of everything fun going on in Key West. While in port you can also go on shore excursions which normally highlight the local sites like churches and museums but also include tours of harbors, diving and snorkeling trips. Then, after a day of shopping and or sight seeing, head back to the ship and on to more places and more adventures.
So, I hope you’d agree, on and off the ship cruises are a great vacation and one, I feel, everyone should experience at least once in their lives.