Land Resort Or Cruise Vacation - Your Choice

We are in the depths of winter and thinking about ourof the ship are very well trained and highly
next vacation is both therapeutic and wise. With theexperienced in their work to avoid most problems
economy what it is at the present time and the priceduring the cruise.
of a holiday, that works to relax you and provide funThere are other solutions such as patches and
and excitement be it cruise or land resort, it just makesbracelets that have helped many people as well
a great deal of sense to compare these two majorproactively. To put the situation into perspective, the
types of getaways right now.cruise ship`s company of staff and officers would not
Having been on about a dozen cruises, which is awant to have to deal with a high percentage of 3000
small number compared to some true cruiseto 4000 passengers becoming ill at the same time
enthusiasts and to resorts in Barbados, St. Martin,while on the cruise.
Mexico, both the east and west coasts, Las VegasSome benefits of cruises are:
and Florida, it could be argued that there is a definite1. One of the first things that anyone thinks of about
appeal from both land resort and cruise on my behalfcruises is the food and with good reason. The food is
and I will be objective when discussing both.excellent and served to your personal tastes and
Land resorts, let`s start there.preferences. Lobster, filet mignon, roast beef and
Most people classify land resorts as all-inclusivethings such as smoked salmon and caesar salads are
resorts which means that the price of the holiday iscommon fare on all cruise these days. Also, there is
just that, all-inclusive, and includes all expenses of thefood available to you at various places on the ship
vacation included in the one price. This price mustalmost 24 hours a day. If you don`t feel like dining in the
include the air travel, the cost of lodging, the food, theevening, you don`t have to as other restaurants are
services which should include the transfers, theavailable to you.
amenities at the resort, all taxes and fees and, last but2. To go along with point no.1, you are assigned to the
certainly not least, the alcoholic beverages.Mysame table for every meal with the same guests,
preferences in land resorts begins with the ocean. Theserving staff and head waiter so the quality of service
resort must be on a warm, sunny beach with ais what you would expect from a high class restaurant
smooth sandy wading area, shade from beautiful palmand you should expect nothing less. You will certainly
trees and cooling breezes from off the deep blue sea.not just be eating but you will be dining and enjoying
Some benefits of land resorts are:every minute of the experience. There are also
1. Your holiday is all included in the one price and youchildren`s style meals available to your family on
should not be, what some people feel is being nickeledrequest. All you have to do is ask.
and dimed while at the resort.3. You will have the opportunity of visiting 3 or 4
2. The food is usually pretty good at all-inclusives andcountries on each 7 day cruise. Most stops are 9 to 10
the servings are what ever amount you want to eat.hours in length so you have the option of booking a
The meals are scheduled for certain times of the daytour or just getting off the ship to stretch your legs and
which means that snacking is limited. This can be gooddo some souvenir shopping and mingle with the local
or bad.people of the country. At some ports such as St.
3. The three, four and five star resorts usually alsoMartin, there is a very large gemstone trade and
have a large swimming pool as well as the beach,quality products are available at some very attractive
most with organized activities run by staff if you wishprices which, by the way, are negotiable.
to take part or just want to observe the activities.4.The cruise lines feel that the entertainment on board
4. There may be some sports activities also availableship must be of the highest quality and they do not
such as tennis or water sportsat the resort. Usuallydisappoint. Stage shows, of New York quality,
these types of activities are aimed at the children and,produced in an extremely comfortable theater, are so
to some degree, are supervised.well attended that you have to be there early to get in.
5. The scenery can be quite beautiful with the palmPiano bars and intimate lounges are provided for
trees swaying, warm sand under foot, sparkling sea,personal dancing and to get to know other people and
the beautiful music of the sound of the wavesrekindle the romance in your life.
splashing on the shore and the cooling breezes all of5. The overall level of service is excellent. Staff are
which do a great job of draining the stress that hasavailable at your fingertips for anything you may need
accumulated since you were last away.or want. If you feel you like to be pampered, try a
Some other things you may also want to considercruise. Pampering is a cruise ship specialty which isn't
about resorts:to be found at this level and with this consistency on
You are in one place in one country and any activitymany other vacations.
away from the resort, including evening entertainment,The down side, if you will, of a cruise is the fact that
is done so at your expense.alcoholic beverages are not included in the price of the
You may think that the term all-inclusive means the tipstrip. However, the price of the beverages are what
are included but the staff of the resort are alwaysyou would expect to see at any restaurant and are
looking for gratuities near the end of the week. It couldnot overly expensive for such things. It, also, tends to
tend to lead to an awkward feeling with the staff.provide a level of responsibility during your cruise.
- The service is not as good at most of the resorts asThere are, however, in most cases, two free cocktail
on a cruise. The fact that all the regular meals areparties provided by the ship to get acquainted with
served buffet style is not something that I enjoy.some other people on the cruise served in the theater
Cruises, let`s discuss them.area prior to the evening dining.
As huge as the modern day cruise ship is, it still mustWhen you started out reading this piece, we wanted
be stated that the fact is the ship is on water. Havingto warm up, release some stress and think about your
said that, some people seem to feel that there is thepossibilities for your next vacation. The jury is out as to
same motion on cruises that you would experience inwhether a decision has been made between land
a canoe. Well, that certainly just is not the case. Theseresorts or cruises, however, it is hoped that reading this
cruise ships have marvelous technology that limitshas whetted your appetite to look further into the
what some people would call motion to almost nothing.possibilities of getting away for an enjoyable
People who do experience some degree ofexperience even if it is just to make this winter a little
discomfort do have medical facilities on board witheasier to cope with and to have something to look
medication available to them if they did not pack anyforward to. Bon Voyage and don`t miss the boat.
for themselves. On top of that, the officers in charge