Cruises have one major feature over most traditional holidays the fact that everything (except alcoholic drinks, tips, and shore excursions) are all-inclusive. This means that once you have paid for your cruise, you get your meals, activities, entertainment, and much more available at no extra charge. You can keep busy all day and all night. You can eat at all times of the day and evening between the scheduled meals, snacks, and midnight buffets. The excellent cuisine in a variety of restaurants is a mouth-watering experience.

There is a daily itinerary of scheduled events that you can take advantage of with all types of sports including unusual ones such as rock climbing, the nightly shows and dancing, and much more. If you want to do your own thing, there is always swimming, sunbathing, the spa, gym, shopping, a casino, or just relaxing and people watching.

Royal Caribbean and Princess cruises are excellent examples of lines that give wonderful customer service long before you go as well as all the time you are on their ships.

You can start with a cruise search online where you can compare the various offerings for destinations throughout the world, length of days (from a weekend to a month), size of ship, the innovations that make each ship special, prices for which accommodations, what land tours are offered at an additional cost, and whatever else you want to know. If you are taking the children, find out which ships offer many areas and activities specifically for the younger ones in order to keep them busy.

You can also order brochures to pour over to have a further look at different cruises to decide which one you definitely want to go on.

A land adventure at various ports can fulfill a lifetime desire to experience the wonders of the world. The ship can schedule the tours for you.

Since both Royal Caribbean and Princess ships depart from many different ports, you can learn where the nearest one is to you. If you need transportation because it is a distance away, arrangements can be made for you if you cannot arrange your own.

Royal Caribbean International was founded in Norway but is now based in Miami, Florida, has 42 ships in service and one under construction, and enjoys 24.8% of the world’s cruise market. Its Allure of the Seas, for instance, has 2,700 staterooms and 28 ultra-modern suites. It’s sixteen decks contain different “neighborhoods” such as Boardwalk and Central Park, the Aqua Theater which is the first amphitheater at sea, an adults-only Solarium, a Youth zone for the kids, and endless other delights.

Princess Cruises is a cruise line that is British-American owned and is based in Santa Clarita, California. Remember their Island Princess and Pacific Princess in “The Love Boat” TV series? Even though their current ships are amazing, in May, 2010, a contract was finalized for two new ships that are expected to enter service in Spring of 2013 and Spring of 2014 with an evolutionary design, new innovations, and with 100% of its outside staterooms having balconies.