Set your vacation to cruise control Get ready for the time of your life on the high seas
By Alison Elsner For DMHN
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ruise ships have always enchanted, but they have changed a bit since “Love Boat” days. Many people swear by cruises as the ultimate vacation, for good reason. They are available in all shapes and sizes, with wide ranging options in itinerary, length, ship size, onboard activities, excursions, cruise line and even fees. With so many choices out there, how do you know which is the best? First and foremost, it’s good to figure
out how long you want to travel and to where. Here are some examples of cruises you might want to consider: 3 Nights – Mexican Riviera: Carnival “Imagination” has a passenger load of 2,052, musical acts in most public spaces throughout the trip and a mostly all-inclusive experience for less than $100 per day. Departing from Long beach, and with ports o’call in Catalina and Ensenada, dining options include two main dining rooms with creative entrée, grill and dessert selections as well as the Taste Bar, the
Horizon Bar and Grill with themed buffet stations, Pizza Pirate, Carnival Deli, Guy’s Burger Joint, Blue Iguana Cantina, an espresso bar and room service. No dieting on this cruise. All day and night activities feature theater performances in the Dynasty Main Show, trivia, art auctions, spa seminars, digital scavenger hunts, bingo, events at the shops, arts, crafts and tournaments in the casino and a whopping ten cocktail bars. There’s an over-21 pool called Serenity, as well as water slides and pool games for the kids.
This cruise will run you around $199 per person (seriously). Gratuity is an additional $12.95 per person, per day, and a 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to bar bills. 7 Nights – Southern Caribbean: The Royal Caribbean “Adventure of the Seas” sails from Florida, New Jersey and Puerto Rico and carries 3,114 passengers. Ports include St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. This is a highly active onboard experience, with rollerblading and iceskating, a rock-climbing wall and the Continues on page 6 >>
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