Tourists who have been on a cruise, as a rule, are divided into loyal fans of this type of recreation and those who after the first trip decide that never again will go on such a trip. Indeed, sea cruises have both advantages and disadvantages.
Among their undoubted advantages is the ability to visit several countries in one trip. The versatility of rest and variety of impressions, which promises a cruise, become very attractive factors. Of course, the stay in the cities during the cruise is short (usually the liner is in port for a daylight hours), but even in this time you can see the main sights. Finally, some tourists like the frequent change of impressions.
The second advantage of cruises is respectability and exceptional comfort. Cruise service differs strikingly from hotel service. On the liners ideal cleanliness and “sea” order reigns: cabins are cleaned twice a day and the linen is changed every day. Hence an important feature – the class of cruise liners is always higher than that of hotels with the same number of stars. That is, four stars at sea roughly correspond to five stars on land.
So what are the disadvantages of cruising? Its main disadvantage is that the tourist sees the sea or the ocean every day, but cannot swim in it. The problem is partly solved by the availability of seawater pools on the liner. In order to enjoy a vacation to the fullest extent in travel agencies it is recommended to combine trip on a liner with beach rest in the country, from where starts or ends the cruise (usually it is Spain, Italy, Malta). If you are buying a long cruise for 2-3 weeks, then it is better to find out in advance where in the cities through which it goes, there are beaches and how to get to them.
Difficulties during the cruise can arise from the lack of knowledge of a foreign language. This is the second disadvantage of a sea voyage. But if a few years ago the language barrier was really a serious obstacle, today this problem is gradually leveled. The higher the class of the ship, the less awkward in terms of communication, because the staff literally guesses the desires of tourists. Again we are pleased with signs of recent years: the staff are actively learning Russian language. As our compatriots among cruisers become more and more every year there are Russian speaking guides on some liners.
The third disadvantage of cruises is that not everyone will be interested in such kind of rest. It is categorically not recommended to go on a cruise for single young women. One in a cruise is quite boring, because the trip on the liner is clearly positioned as a romantic voyage for two or as a family vacation (usually on the liners is very well developed infrastructure for children of all ages). Ideal cruise for couples “with experience”. There are cases where after the trip the relationship between spouses evens out. You should also take into account the time of the trip. If you are planning to go on a cruise in the fall or spring, note that at this time on the liner will be a lot of seniors: in the off-season there are discounts, which attracts older people. Younger companies on a cruise will be more interesting in July and August. This is the high season period, when the ships travel with a respectable middle-aged crowd.