Holiday Cruises
With the major holidays coming up in a few months have you ever thought of going on a cruise instead of your traditional holiday gatherings? I did last year and it was fantastic!
Holidays can certainly be the most stressful and most fun time of year. You’re surrounded with family, friends, good food, etc. All of that can be really fun seeing family members that you haven’t seen, interacting with nieces and nephews that have grown during the year and hanging out with friends, however there can be a certain amount of stress that comes along with the holidays.
Some of the stress is caused by lack of money, too many people in your house with not enough places to sleep, cooking for 20 when you normally cook for 4 and the list goes on. Since I don’t have small children and all of my siblings have their own families I decided to do something different last year with my significant other. We decided to take a cruise to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving!
That was such an unusual choice for us but we loved it! We paid one price and sailed for 4 nights and 3 days and had a wonderful time. We didn’t hesitate to go to the Bahamas and this year we are going to the Virgin Islands for Thanksgiving and are taking a Cozumel cruise during Christmas. I hear that Cozumel cruises are really nice especially around Christmas time so if you want to do something new this year for the holidays and don’t mind breaking tradition consider a cruise.
Everyone on the cruise, staff and other guests, were all so very happy and it’s so nice to have someone else pamper you especially at a time of year when it’s normally very hectic and busy. Of course if you have young kids that believe in Santa Claus you may opt to wait until they are older but for those without kids or with teens it’s a really nice way to spend the holidays.
Affordable Mini Cruises
For a great alternative to a full-on ocean cruise, consider a mini cruise. If you are trying to book a regular cruise for a family of 4, as an example, you will find that it will be very expensive. You can still experience the fun of a full cruise but at a shorter duration. Here’s a couple benefits of mini cruises for you to consider.
Affordable
First, you don’t have to pay for a dedicated flight to get to where your cruise is leaving from. Simply find a mini cruise that is departing from a location near where you are already vacationing. From there you will slowly sail to another lovely location with its sights for you to explore. If you add up the cost of accommodation, food and travel, you will find that a mini cruise is surprisingly affordable and may not actually add much expense to your existing trip.
Add a Cruise to Your Vacation
If you have a regular land vacation planned, for instance a tropical vacation, you can simply add a mini cruise to it at some point. For instance if you are in Cancun you can hop on a ship and sail to Cuba for a few days. At that point you can explore, go back to Mexico or finish your trip and go home. You’ll get a feel for some cruise ship life without having to book a separate vacation.
You can, in this case, have it all without having to wait until next year’s vacation. Some actually prefer the shortened cruise because they find that full length cruise has an excess of food, activity and ocean. A shorter form is often a great option. You can move from one location to another while getting a taste of shipboard life.
Look online, check with a travel agent or directly with cruise lines for mini cruises that would work for you. You’ll find them wherever there are regular cruises, whether it’s England to Spain or Mexico to Caribbean destinations. These short cruises of 2-4 days are an easy and cost effective way to experience some ocean voyaging on your vacation.
See this travel tips and gear site for more on mini cruises and other travel related topics.
