Six Months Of Travel

When I joined my first cruise ship, I had no idea exactly where I would be going for the next 6 months. It would prove to be a long ride. I started out my contract on Celebrity Cruise Lines GTS Summit, in February of 2003 in Fort Lauderdale Florida. I quickly found out that for the first 8 or 9 weeks we would be sailing the Caribbean. My ship was doing 10 and 11 day runs. One run went to St. Thomas, St. Martin, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Aruba and Barbados. On the other run we went to places like Crand Caymen, Jamica, Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica.

Once my ship had finished up the winter season in the Caribbean, we would be heading through the Panama Canal. This was a two week cruise, with many sea days. We started out going to Mexico, then to Aruba and then to Colon, Panama. Going through the Panama Canal was mostly very boring. Heading through the canal is a long ordeal. It took the Summit all day to get through. There was not really much to see, and it was very hot and humid outside. I remember taking the lens cap off my camera for a couple of shots and my lens had fogged up.

Once through the canal, we stopped for another day in Panama. By then winter was almost gone and it was time to head north. We made lots of stops in some great places in Mexico like Acapulco, Ixtapa, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. After that we headed up the coast of the U.S. stopping in San Diego, San Fran, L.A., Catalina Island, Seattle. We had one day in Victoria Canada, and finished that leg of our journey in Vancouver.

The whole trip from Florida to Vancouver had taken about 4 weeks. At this point I had 3 months left on my contract, and I would be spending them in Alaska. I had a great time on my first trip to Alaska. There is a lot to do if you like the outdoors. In Alaska that season I traveled to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Valdez and Seward.

I Finished my first contract after 6 long months, and many ports. It is sometimes hard to remember now the places and the times of that contract, but the experience somehow stays with me.

How To Find The Right Cruise

As more and more vacationers are choosing a cruise for their next holiday, the market has become larger and larger. The Caribbean is flooded with ships, and in places like Cozumel Mexico there are days when more than 8 or 9 ships are in port. Also in recent years cruise companies have really made an effort to bring their guests anywhere in the world they want to go, and cater to their every need while on the way there.

Two of the most important factors when choosing a vacation are where you should go, and how long you should go for. There is a cruise to fit your schedule, no matter if you have five or six hours, or a whole month to play with. There are gambling cruises that leave from places like Miami that last about six hours, often referred to as "the dailys" that can be great for an afternoon or evening getaway, or if that's a little to short, three and four day cruises are great. With proper planning you may not even have to take a day off work. From there you can go anywhere up to fifteen or thirty days. For a good rule of thumb, "the longer the cruise, the older crowd".

Where you decide to cruise can be a very tough choice, as there are a million amazing destinations to choose from. Bermuda has some of the most beautiful beaches, while in Mexico you can find a party 24/7 at places like Carlos and Charlies. For shopping, the Caribbean is unbeatable, especially if you are looking for diamonds or electronics. Quite often diamonds and jewelry are sold at a fraction of the price they would be at your local retailer. Just be sure to declare what you bring into the country when you go through customs.

Pricing can be one of the determining factors for many of us when choosing a cruise, but luckily there are deals to be found. If you live in a port city like L.A. or Miami, last minute deals are unbeatable. Companies will reduce prices to less than $20 a day in order to fill their ship last minute and when you add in the benefit of free meals, a cruise is could be your cheapest vacation choice. Otherwise the best bet is to check with your local travel agent, and do some research online.

Keep these factors in mind when shopping for your next cruise and you should have a vacation that will provide memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.