Cruising is a great vacation value! There are cruise vacations to suit every budget. Your cruise fare includes all meals, your stateroom, onboard activities and entertainment, plus transportation from port to port. Typically, your only extra expenses will be drinks, optional shore excursions, and personal services such as massage or hairstyling.

Hardly! Being at sea gives you a feeling of total freedom that no land-based resort can offer. There's plenty of room. And it will probably take you two or three days just to discover everything that's on board. Plus, you get the added adventure of exploring many exciting ports of call. Cruise ships are floating resorts with all the choices fine resorts have to offer. You can lie back in a lounge chair, breathe in the sea air, soak up the sun, read good books, or watch the ever-changing seascape. If you're more active, join in exercise or dance classes, and sports contests. Practice your tennis stroke or golf swing, or take some fresh air on the jogging deck. Or you can swim, stretch out in the sauna or work out in the gym.

Size of Cruise Ships vs. Aircraft Carriers	USS Enterprise (CV-6) WWII	USS Harry S. Truman	RCCL Freedom of the Seas	RCCL Voyager of the Seas	Carnival Conquest	Carnival Ecstasy
Displacement	32,060 tons	97,000 tons	160,000 tons	138,000 tons	110,000 tons	70,367 tons
Length	827-ft	1,092-ft	1,112-ft	1020-ft	953-ft	855-ft
Width	114-ft	134-ft	184-ft	156-ft	116-ft	103-ft

So much you'll have a hard time choosing! You can explore on your own or take a guided tour (referred to as shore excursions). Search ancient ruins or hunt for shopping bargains. Ride a raft over river rapids, or a horse across miles of hills and beaches. Climb a waterfall or pyramid. Follow the footsteps of history or the wake of a waterskiing boat. If there's still time, play golf or tennis. Learn how to windsurf. Sun and swim at some of the world's best beaches. Catch a record marlin. Sail, snorkel, or scuba dive. Take a cable car to the top of a mountain. Explore dark catacombs. In short, cruising is the perfect way to sample a number of new destinations and try all the things you've ever dreamed of doing, while never having to pack and unpack!

On a cruise, you do what you want, when you want. You can do everything or do absolutely nothing. It's your vacation!

More and more cruise vacations are booked by families with children. Most cruise lines provide plenty of supervised activities for youngsters, especially during school holidays. If your children enjoy swimming, sports, games, movies, and the adventure of new places, they'll love a family cruise. You'll find that children adapt to shipboard life with ease, and you won't have to wonder what they're up to every minute. The youth counselors will help keep them busy and entertained. Ships even offer different types of age-appropriate activities, suitable for toddlers to teens.

When the stars come out, a cruise ship really turns on. There's dancing, live entertainment, nightclubs and lounges, feature films, and parties with all your new friends. Most ships also have casinos. What's more, there are many special events like the Captain's Cocktail Party, Passenger Talent Night, Broadway-style shopws and Las Vegas-type revues.

There are 3 major types of accommodations on a ship—suites, ocean-view staterooms and inside staterooms. Within these are some options—mini-suites, family suites and outside cabins with private balconies. Not all types are available on all ships.

• SUITES: The most spacious accommodations, suites range from less than 300 square feet to the size of a large townhouse on two floors. They usually include a separate living area, large private balcony, mini-bar, refrigerator, oversized whirlpool bath, and in-room stereo and DVD. Some suites feature a dining area, a baby grand piano and the services of a private butler or concierge. The most expensive accommodations, they’re also the first to sell out, so it’s important to reserve well in advance.
• FAMILY SUITES: Designed for the large family, these feature two or more bedrooms and two or more bathrooms, plus a living area with a sofa bed and usually a private balcony. Most can accommodate up to 8 passengers in comfort. Limited to only 2 or 3 per ship and not available on many ships, it's usually necessary to reserve a family suite a year in advance.
• MINI-SUITES: These offer more space than a standard ocean-view stateroom and include a small sitting area, some suite amenities, and often have private balconies.
• OCEAN-VIEW/BALCONY: Standard “outside” staterooms with balconies are becoming increasingly available on new ships. Not as spacious (and not as expensive) as a suite, these are the most popular.
• OCEAN-VIEW/WINDOW: These staterooms offer a view of the outside world, and most newer ships have picture windows. There may be portholes on older vessels. Some cabins may have obstructed views (such as a lifeboat or steel girder outside the window). These categories are available at less cost than an unobstructed view.
• INSIDE/NO WINDOWS: The most economical accommodations, these are usually located on an interior hallway. Providing the same space & amenities as standard ocean -view cabins, these are a frequent choice of cruisers on a limited budget.

Also worth mentioning are triple and quad accommodations. Most staterooms are designed for two people, (cruise pricing is based on double occupancy), but there are some staterooms with additional beds for a third and/or fourth passenger. These are either "upper berths" which either fold down from the wall or drop from the ceiling above the other beds, while some ships offer a sofa bed for the third and/or fourth passengers. These can be economical for families or persons traveling together on a budget.

If taking a Caribbean cruise, a drive license and birth certificate is all that is needed until June 1, 2009. After that point a passport or the new Passport Card will be required. For exact requirements its best to visit the US State Department passport site. As any good travel agency would, Its Your Time Travel highly recommends a passport for any travel outside of the US.