Today I’m sharing some more about our Caribbean cruise that we went on last month. All the good, the bad, and the ugly. Okay, let’s get real, there was no bad or ugly. However, like anything in life, there are pros and cons of cruising. So whether you’re on the fence about going or have been before and are trying to decide if it’s worth going again, check out this blog post. I’m sharing some of the pros and cons so you can think about whether cruising is right for you.

pros and cons of cruising

Pro: cruising is a great value because it’s all-inclusive

One of the best things about cruising is that once the cruise is paid for you don’t have to worry about much else. All your meals, entertainment, activities, use of the gym, everything is built into the cost of the cruise. Try breaking down the total cost of your cruise by day and then calculating how much you’ll be spending on your meals, shows, and everything else each day. In my experience the food is delicious, the on-board activities are great, and the shows are usually pretty good. So cruising really does provide you an excellent vacation for the price!

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Con: there are extra fees that aren’t built into the cost

Except–not absolutely everything is included. Before you book your cruise you should be aware that you need to factor in taxes, port fees, and gratuities. Those are the extra fees you’re not going to be able to get away from. Although most cruise lines will let you change the automatic gratuity if they add one on. There are plenty of “extras” that you could spend a small fortune on. Shore excursions are probably the first thing that people think of when they think of the costs of cruising. Personally, I always book through the cruise line since they are backed by the company. This means they come with the extra peace of mind in case something did go wrong. You’ll likely also have lots of options for dining on board that cost extra. There are also drink packages and other extras like Wi-Fi, spa treatments, casino play, etc.

Insider Tip: Many of the “extra” packages are less expensive if you buy them before you’re onboard. It’s best to decide ahead of time if there’s something that you really want to add and take care of it before your trip. Plus, you’ll avoid having to worry about it that first day onboard and you can get right to having fun!

Pro: you get to travel to a lot of destinations

These next two points might be some of the pros and cons of cruising that gets mentioned the most. One of my favorite things about cruising is that you get to see so many different locations. There’s something special about going to sleep, and then waking up in a completely different country. And the view of the ocean while traveling isn’t bad either. Plus, I’d much rather see different places from a comfortable cruise ship than from a cramped airplane seat! Since the transportation is all part of the experience, you don’t have to worry about transport from port to port.

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Con: you typically don’t get a lot of time at any one port

When you’re picking your cruise it’s always best to carefully check the times you’ll be in port. Often you’re not in port very long, sometimes not docking until late morning or leaving in the early afternoon. There are some cruise itineraries where you’ll be in port longer. You can even find some that are in port overnight. However, that’s not generally common. If you really want to have a “full” experience somewhere and not just the tourist highlights you might want to consider traditional travel. That way you can have more time to explore a destination.

Insider Tip: Trying to decide which shore excursion(s) to book? Think about if it’s unique for that location. Will you be seeing historical sights? Could you do a dolphin swim at another port? Would the snorkeling maybe be better at one beach over another?

Pro: there is so much to do on the ship you’ll never be bored

I have cruised on a variety of ship models and sizes. I can personally say that I have never been bored on a cruise ship. In fact, often we don’t have time to fit in everything that we want to see and do! For example, some ships have mini waterparks. Others may have a mini golf course, or even a zipline. There are even ships that offer FlowRider wave simulators, rock climbing walls, carousels, ice skating rinks, and many other activities you wouldn’t even believe. So whether you want to spend some time at the spa getting pampered, or you want some adrenaline-filled fun, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

| Read: How to Save Money on your Family Vacation |

Con: there is so much to do on the ship you might not be able to relax

This one really just depends on you. When Mike and I went on a little four day Mexico cruise for a babymoon before our son was born we were perfectly content to spend the majority of our time either eating, lounging poolside, or napping in our room. However, some of these newer ships have so many fun things to do onboard and such a full activity calendar that it can actually be pretty challenging to fit everything in. Definitely utilize the cruise planner so you can schedule things out to some extent, you may be on vacation but you don’t want to be kicking yourself on the last day because you didn’t get to do something you’d been looking forward to.

Insider Tip: Don’t wait until the last day to realize that you haven’t done anything fun on the ship. What’s the most important activity to you? Make sure and check that out first. For example, on this latest cruise Mike and I made sure to take advantage of the FlowRider. However, we didn’t end up having time to do mini golfing. We like mini golfing and it would have been fun, but we can technically go anytime.

Have you been cruising before? What’s your favorite part about it?

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