• No carrying luggage. Once you’ve boarded, you unpack one time, and the cruise ship is your floating hotel. This provides a very different experience from travel that involves a lot of unpacking and repacking and maybe even carrying luggage on cobbled streets. The more you want to see, the harder this part of travel can be, which leads me to my next point.
• Visiting many different locations. By definition, cruising takes you to different ports of call. You get the benefit of visiting different locations, cities, even countries. I have heard an analogy to fine dining: if you travel to one city, Rome, and stay for several days, that’s like visiting a restaurant and selecting one terrific, well-prepared meal. If you cruise to several ports, that’s more like choosing a restaurant known for its diverse, varied tasting menu. While the analogy isn’t perfect, it does feel right to me. Cruising involves small “portions” but is focused on providing you with variety. And remember that in this case, if there is an item on the cruise’s “tasting menu” that you want more of, you can choose to do more of that in the future. 🙂 I value visiting a variety of locations without the hassle of transportation in between those spots. For me, there is not much better than going to sleep at night and waking up the next day in a new, gorgeous spot on the planet.

Waking up to “rosy-fingered dawn” shining over Mykonos was a magical way to start a sailing in Greece and Croatia

• Exploring different locations without making all the hotel reservations. It’s remarkable to get the benefits of different ports (maybe different countries) without having to manage the logistics of all the lodging reservations. And, let’s face it, there is some risk involved with making hotel reservations in places that you don’t know well.
• Great food available without wasting time looking for/finding a place to eat. While I love to dine out, the time involved in hunting down a suitable restaurant can eat into your day – and while on vacation, I really don’t need to miss happy hour because I walked around for an hour in a new city reading restaurant menus. Is that just me? On a cruise, the main dining room (which displays menus ahead of time) is the default, and you can always upgrade to specialty dining if you feel inclined. All of these photos are from meals in the (included) main dining room of a ship.

• Value: Cruising provides excellent value for your vacation dollars (or Euros, or…). As I write this in early 2025, the costs of travel have risen, in some cases dramatically. Cruising is also more expensive than it ever was. However, when you compare the costs of cruising to its closest competition, which is an all-inclusive resort, I believe cruising comes out ahead, as a better value. Remember to factor in the cost of transportation between all the places you visit. You are probably already way ahead by choosing a cruise. And see below about included entertainment!
• Flexibility in Pricing: There is not one set price for cruising. Of course there are mainstream, premium, and luxury lines to choose from. Within those categories, you have a range of cabin styles and prices to choose from based on a budget that works for you. Then, if you make intelligent decisions about beverage packages and other add-ons, you can choose to pay extra for only the upgrades that are important to you.
• Entertainment: I enjoy having entertainment included in my vacation, especially the evening music and shows. The included, no-extra cost offerings are varied and can range from a soloist in a bar, a Silent Disco – our favorite!, a small band on a stage in an intimate venue, a production show in a large theatre with singers, dancers, and aerialists, to a full-blown Broadway show. There will be a variety of entertainment, and you’ll very likely find something that suits your tastes, or expands your horizons. It enhances my vacations, and I hope it does yours!

I have heard two common stereotypes from people who think that cruising is not for them, and they are: 1) “I don’t want to be trapped on the ship!”, and, 2) “I won’t get to really know a place that I only visit for a day.”

I would like to respond to stereotype #1 by saying that in the first place, you likely will be getting off the ship at multiple ports of call, and also, the ship is likely glamorous and comfortable enough that you will be glad to get back on at the end of a busy, full day. On sea days, the rhythm is different and is much more relaxed. Cruise lines want you to enjoy the sea days, and generally offer a wide variety of activities, (you do not have to be on a mega-ship to have this), and I cannot imagine that you would run out of things to do and explore. You can enjoy the fitness center for a workout or class, enjoy a spa treatment, join a sing-along, go to a wine tasting, read a book that you brought or borrowed from the ship’s library, attend a concert, or go to a cooking demonstration or class. And those are just MY favorites.

The criticism that cruise travel is merely superficial should be taken seriously – but, I want to suggest that time in port can instead be a satisfying, deep dive, however brief the time spent. Planning ahead and reading about the ports of call can help you either to carefully choose a shore excursion or to plan your own outing. If I do not know the language at all (in Croatia, for example), I am likely to opt for an excursion purchased through the cruise line. Consider that the cruise lines use vetted, local vendors for excursions. We have consistently had native, local tour guides with profound knowledge and a clear plan to share that with us efficiently in the few hours we have together. I know that on my own, it might take me days or weeks in a location to glean the knowledge I can get on a well-organized tour with guided, expert commentary. We have had great guides who could relate historical knowledge and orient us to an appreciation of natural or cultural treasures.

Top row: Our tour guide in Mykonos took us to out of-the-way eateries for delicious bites; Visiting Mayan ruins (Port of Costa Maya); Eco-park in Roatán, Honduras with a guide whose knowledge of botany was enriching and inspiring.

Bottom row: Tour of Lunch Creek Trail in Ketchikan, Alaska; Tour of Ernest Hemingway’s home in Key West; Guided tour of sea caves in Corfu, Greece.

Conclusion: Cruising is an efficient way to explore multiple locations without the hassle involved in making and managing difficult logistics for each separate place, and cruising includes the added benefits of fine dining, entertainment, activities, and curated, guided exploration. And I didn’t even mention the assistance of a fabulous room attendant and twice-daily housekeeping!

What are your thoughts?