Cruise vacations can look completely different from one ship and itinerary to the next. Some are built around beaches and easy days in the Caribbean. Others are about glaciers in Alaska, exploring Europe, seeing Iceland, keeping the kids entertained, or simply finding a ship where you can unpack once and let the vacation come to you.
That's part of what I can help with. A Royal Caribbean ship packed with activities, a more relaxed Celebrity sailing, a Disney Cruise Line vacation with the family, or an itinerary where the ports matter more than the ship can all be great vacations — for completely different travelers.
You don't have to choose anything yet. These are just a few of the directions a cruise can go — and why I would rather learn a little about you before telling you which ship to book.
Big pools, water slides, shows, restaurants, activities and enough going on that a sea day doesn't feel like a day with nothing to do.
Alaska, Iceland, the Mediterranean and other itineraries where waking up somewhere new is a big reason you're taking the cruise.
Kids clubs, pools, activities and entertainment for them — with enough happening that the adults can enjoy their vacation too.
Good food, drinks, ocean views, comfortable spaces and a trip that doesn't require planning every hour of every day.
A more refined ship, stronger dining, thoughtful service or a quieter experience without giving up interesting places to visit.
Not necessarily the lowest advertised fare — a cruise that makes sense once the cabin, itinerary, extras and overall vacation are considered.
I'm going to ask you for just enough to start looking at real cruise possibilities. You don't need to figure out cabins, drink packages, excursions, transportation and every other detail right now. If we get to that point, we'll deal with those things when they actually matter.
A couple, a family with kids, a few friends, or several cabins traveling together can end up looking at completely different ships and cruise options. Give me the quick version first.
Pick the one that best describes the group. If you change your mind, tap the selected choice again to remove it.
Cruise pricing and cabin rules depend heavily on exactly how many adults and children are traveling, so this is one of the few numbers I really do need.
Cruise lines group kids and teens differently, and cabin occupancy rules can vary, so ages actually matter here.
Forget cruise lines for a minute. Tell me what you actually want the vacation to feel like. This helps me decide whether I should be looking harder at the ship, the itinerary, the onboard experience — or a combination of all three.
That's completely fine. Sometimes it is easier to react to a few real cruise possibilities than to describe the perfect cruise before you've seen them.
Maybe you already know exactly where you want to cruise. Maybe you're deciding between a warm-weather escape and something completely different. Pick anything you'd realistically consider and I'll use it as a starting point.
You can explore the routes, ports and different ways an Iceland cruise can work without losing anything you've selected here. It opens in a new tab, so your Cruise Starter stays right where you left it.
Explore My Iceland Cruise Guide →That's okay too. Your dates, travelers, budget and the kind of cruise experience you want may point us toward something you haven't considered yet.
Exact dates are great if you have them, but you don't need to invent dates just to keep going. A month or general time of year can be enough for me to start comparing sailings.
Pick the version that matches where you are in the planning process. Tap the selected choice again if you want to clear it.
Choose the earliest day the overall trip could begin and the day you need to be home. This can include a hotel night before or after the cruise.
Month and year is plenty. If you only know the season, use the closest fit.
A little flexibility can sometimes open up a better itinerary, ship or price.
Pick more than one if you're open to comparing lengths.
A cruise fare can look great until airfare turns it into a completely different trip. Knowing where you're leaving from helps me compare the whole vacation instead of just the cabin price.
If you have more than one airport you'd realistically use, include them both. Sometimes that changes which sailing makes the most sense.
No point in me finding a cheaper flight from an airport you'd never drive to.
Sometimes booking flights yourself can be cheaper or easier to manage. I just need to know whether you want airfare included in the overall research.
Next we'll cover what happens before and after the cruise — including whether arriving early, staying afterward or having me look at hotels and transfers would make the trip easier.
The cruise itself may only be part of the trip. Depending on where the ship leaves from, it can make sense to arrive early, stay near the port, or even spend a little extra time in the area after the cruise.
When flying to the cruise port, arriving before embarkation day can give you some breathing room if flights are delayed or plans change. How much extra time makes sense depends on the sailing, port, flights and your schedule.
This doesn't lock you into anything. It just tells me whether I can consider flights and hotels that get you there before embarkation day.
One night is common, but sometimes two or more nights make sense if the embarkation city is somewhere you'd like to enjoy too.
No need to tell me hotel style yet. If you want help, I'll look for something appropriate for the trip, location and group.
Sometimes everybody is ready to head home. Other times it makes sense to add a night or two rather than racing straight from the ship to the airport.
Depending on the trip, that could mean airport to hotel, hotel to cruise port, cruise port back to the airport, or the reverse if you're staying afterward. I don't need the exact route from you right now.
I don't need every cruise decision right now. But price, any cruise line ideas already in your head, and how you feel about the cabin can keep me from spending time on options that were never going to work.
Cruise pricing gets messy once cabins, taxes, flights, hotels and extras are involved. Pick the approach that sounds most like you.
Optional. If you already know roughly what you'd like the whole trip to cost, give me the total amount you're thinking about. If you don't know yet, leave it blank.
It's completely fine if you don't. I would rather match you to the right cruise than force you onto a cruise line just because its commercials looked good.
Cruise line, ship name, something a friend recommended, or even one you'd rather avoid — short and simple is fine.
This is only a starting point. Once I find actual sailings, the price difference between cabin types may change what makes sense.
You've given me the part I actually need first: who's traveling, what kind of cruise sounds good, where you might go, when you can travel, where you're leaving from, and how you want me to think about the trip. I can start with that.
There will eventually be other decisions — exact cabin, dining, cruise packages, excursions, travel protection and plenty of little details. Those are much easier to work through after I have actual ships and sailings worth showing you.
Take a quick look. If something important is still missing, I'll take you directly back to that question before anything is sent.
You already gave me your name and email when you started this vacation, so I won't make you enter them again.
If you came straight to my Cruises page, I just need your name and email so I can attach everything above to one Cruise trip and know how to get back to you.
Your information stays focused on this trip. I'll use your name and email to keep your Cruise connected and to communicate with you about the travel planning you asked me to research.
When you send this, I'll save the Cruise Starter with your trip and get a copy of everything you've told me so I can begin looking at real cruise possibilities.
You don't need to finish planning the cruise today. I'll start with what you gave me and narrow down the possibilities. Once there are actual cruise options worth discussing, the next part can happen on your own private Cruise planning page instead of another giant questionnaire.