Water World: Cruising the Globe by Sea

Okay, taking a cruise ship vacation, pros and cons – go.

Cons first: choppy seas, touristy ports of call, no real sense of place, someone else micromanaging your travel options, too much food, being in the middle of the ocean, being uncool.

Some of the pros: being in the middle of the ocean, all-you-can-eat culinary adventures, handing your travel arrangements over to experts in service and entertainment, an adventurous sense of nomadic travel, great bargains, scenic destinations, endless activities, free room service, free ice cream (look it up!), walking around with a drink in your hand, ballroom dancing, endless options for amusement, being free to be uncool!

Boiled down to what many real-getaway seekers are, well, seeking, cruise ship travel stacks up pretty well. Bucket-list-worthy, in fact – especially when you consider all today’s swanky, hip, practically limitless cruise options in addition to the list of traditional reasons travellers choose these fun, ease-and-comfort getaway packages.

The stereotypes are mostly true: lots of people on board and so many things to do it’s sometimes dizzying. But when did you last get to enjoy a sweet game of bingo with interesting strangers and enjoy a conversation-friendly round of Henry VIII’s beloved shuffleboard in the same day, sipping free-flowing mai tai’s all the while and punctuating each random activity with a dip in a beautiful pool as you look out at the majestic open sea. Plus, you can learn to ballroom dance!

Cruise ship lines have been charting some pretty spectacular travel routes since they started ferrying passengers around in the 1800s. You can choose from Nordic fjords to the tropics of the South Pacific to just about anywhere in between – including intimate wine-soaked river cruises through Bordeaux. Nary a stretch of water is uncharted, from Africa to Australia, Antarctica to Alaska, the Mexican and Caribbean Riviera, the Far East, Hawaii, The Iberian Peninsula – the entire globe is there for the cruising.

And while land-based travel has its flexibility perks, there’s certainly something to be said for traversing the seas of this ocean planet, while also getting opportunities to disembark in beautiful cities. Plus, you only have to pack once!

There are, of course, ships that cater to just about any demographic experience you’re looking for: family cruises, singles cruises, gay cruises, gambling cruises, art cruises – you name it and it’s probably there among the five hundred types of ocean cruise adventures

Whichever version of this uniquely pampering mode of travel you choose, pick one and go for it – put it on, then check it off, that bucket list of yours.

Ahoy, and enjoy!