Florida Cruise Ports Take You to the Caribbean and Beyond

Taking a cruise, even the mention of it is fun and relaxing. You can take cruises all over the world; to the Mediterranean, in the Baltic Sea, you can cruise to Alaska. If you live near Florida you are particularly lucky with Key West and all over the Caribbean. We have two of the busiest cruise ports right here, Cape Canaveral and one in Ft. Lauderdale, you can also cruise from Miami.

If you've never been on a cruise I highly recommend you plan to go as soon as you can. These days cruise ship are like little, or should I say big, floating cities with decks and decks of things to do and see. The typical cruise ship has many amenities. The workout rooms, have all the bikes and weights but now days there are saunas, steamrooms and any yoga or Pilate's class you can think of. Day spas that offer massages, chemical peels and mud baths. If you prefer to shop you can find anything from touristy t-shirts and mugs to fancy boutiques that have high end fashions, name brand perfumes and fabulous jewelry, often at discounted prices, many ships have full liquor stores too and most of the time there is no tax but you have to declare what you've bought when you come through customs so keep that in mind as well.

There is so much to do when you cruise too and while relaxing at the pools is nice there are always activities going on. The Cruise Directors on most ships have things going almost 24/7; there is family fun such as bingo, the hokie pokie and maybe even charades. They have dance contests for the kids and hoolahoop contests, limbo, crafts everything you can imagine. If you have older kids some ships even have special lounges for the older kids who aren't quite old enough for the dance clubs but a little to old for hoolahooping.

When the sun goes down and it's time for Mom and Dad to have a little fun there is plenty to keep you out way past midnight. If you are planning a night of it and have younger children most ships offer babysitting services, you can check when you book. All ships offer Broadway type shows and most have Vegas type casinos with the usual Blackjack, craps, roulette wheels, slots, all kinds of poker and sometimes you can get in on a tournament like Texas Hold 'em or five card stud. Some have karaoke bars, dueling piano bars, stand up comedians or if you're not in the mood for a crowd they have just nice relaxing piano bars or cigar bars where you can meet people and talk while sipping on some wine or an after dinner cordial.

One of my favorite parts of cruising is the food. You can get anything you want at almost any time of the day or night. When I was on my cruise we were there in the casino, enjoying the slot machines, there was this wonderful person walking around serving these huge chocolate covered strawberries and it was midnight. Dinner on a cruise ship isn't just a meal it's an event. Some cruises have assigned seating and you sit with the same people for meals the whole trip but others don't so you sit wherever you want, with whomever you want and most offer an early and later seating. The Captains Dinner is normally the last or second to last night of your trip and is a formal dinner, you get dressed up and have your picture taken with the captain. Breakfast and lunch are served either buffet style or in the dinning room and all are prepared by master chefs and served by the highest most well trained servers you'll find anywhere. If you taste something you like don't hesitate to ask for seconds, most ships offer several entree selections and the desserts are spectacular. Snacks and munchies are provided all day long and depending on the day they sometimes offer special treats such as a sundae bar in the afternoons you're docked and people are coming back from shore excursions.

Speaking of shore excursions you can either decided what you want to do and make reservations when you book your cruise or wait until you dock and see what else there is to do when you go on shore in port, but don't wait too long most places require reservations and some things fill up fast. Depending on where you dock there are all sorts of opportunities to be taken advantage of everything from snorkeling and diving to zip lining and exploring caves or ruins. You can tour most places by land or water or you can visit a local museum or cathedral. Most port cities have a tourist shopping area with many souvenirs to buy and local restaurants are not to be missed. If you don't feel like going out of the town, you can walk the streets and soak up the native flavor. Be sure you check where it's safe to go, however most of the time it's not a problem. Some ship offer discounts packages on board that can be used in the port stores with 2 for 1 or coupon offers.

There are all kinds of different cruises you can book once you've chosen your destination. There are singles cruises, couples cruises; organizations such as churches and clubs often book them. You can go on a cruise for Christmas, New Years Eve or even Valentine's Day; book one for a honeymoon or graduation. There are all sorts of reasons to take a cruise just take one. When you book it you can get a room with a view or one on the hall, you can book a room for two or a suite for your whole family with not only a window but an entire balcony, this is what I recommend.

So go, have fun, take your family or make it just you and your Sweetie but once you do go on a cruise I'll bet you this, you'll want to go again.

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