{"id":214824,"date":"2026-01-05T14:00:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T14:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/05\/is-a-cruise-right-for-you-ask-yourself-these-7-questions-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T14:00:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T14:00:43","slug":"is-a-cruise-right-for-you-ask-yourself-these-7-questions-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/05\/is-a-cruise-right-for-you-ask-yourself-these-7-questions-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a cruise right for you? Ask yourself these 7 questions – The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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If you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019re probably thinking about taking a cruise<\/a> for the first time. But you\u2019re probably also wondering if a cruise is really right for you.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve landed in a precarious position \u2014 one where you might be unduly influenced by friends, family or even strangers who have thoughts on cruising that might not necessarily be helpful.<\/p>\n

If you ask a cruising fan whether you should go on a cruise, the chances are she or he is going to tell you just one thing: \u201cAll cruises are stupendous. There\u2019s no way you won\u2019t love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The world of cruise fans is like that. It\u2019s a bit of a cult.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, if you ask a noncruiser whether you should try a cruise, you might get the opposite response: \u201cWhy would anyone want to go on a cruise?\u201d<\/p>\n

Noncruisers are noncruisers for a reason.<\/p>\n

The truth is, neither response is what you need to make an informed decision.<\/p>\n

The answer to whether a cruise is right for you is much more nuanced. It depends a lot on what sort of traveler you are. Do you like trips that are well planned out in advance or trips that start with no plan at all? Are you a fan of resort environments? Do you like group travel? Do you love being pampered above all else?<\/p>\n

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Some cruise ships are like floating versions of giant resorts on land with all sorts of deck-top amusements, including surfing simulators, basketball courts and miniature golf courses. MICHEL VERDURE\/ROYAL CARIBBEAN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And, perhaps most important: What do you like to eat when you\u2019re away from home?<\/p>\n

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The answer to whether you will like a cruise depends on stuff like that \u2014 and much more.<\/p>\n

As a travel writer who has specialized in cruising for more than two decades, I\u2019ve been on a lot of cruises (well over 200), and I\u2019ve met thousands of cruisers. I\u2019ve talked to many of them about what they like and don\u2019t like about cruising.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019ve learned during all these conversations is that, even though it can be a wonderful experience for many people, a cruise is not for everyone.<\/p>\n

Related: The 5 best cruise lines for families<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

When people ask me personally whether they should try a cruise, I tell them that it depends. I then advise them to ask themselves the seven questions below. It’s like my \u201cshould-I-cruise\u201d litmus test.<\/p>\n

In answering such questions, people start to get a sense of whether they are ready to join the ever-growing cruising cult \u2014 or if they’d rather leave the high seas (and rolling rivers) behind.<\/p>\n

Do I prefer trips that are heavily planned out in advance or left up to serendipity?<\/h2>\n

There are some people who like to head on vacation with no idea of where they will visit or what they will be doing from day to day. They like the flexibility that comes with not having too much planned ahead of time. Others like to have their travel schedules much more mapped out in advance.<\/p>\n

Cruising is best suited to the latter group.<\/p>\n

Sure, you will have some flexibility in what you can do on any given day of a cruise. But the broad outline of your trip is preplanned and set in stone. As with motorcoach tours<\/a>, it\u2019s an \u201cif it\u2019s Tuesday, it must be Belgium\u201d kind of vacation.<\/p>\n

Related: A beginner\u2019s guide to picking a cruise line<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019re sailing for a week in the Western Mediterranean<\/a>, you\u2019ll probably get eight hours in Rome (after docking in the nearby port of Civitavecchia). If you\u2019re so blown away by the city that you want to stay over an extra night (and we bet you will be), you\u2019re out of luck. You\u2019ll be due back at the ship by the late afternoon for the sail-away to the next port \u2014 probably Livorno (the gateway to Florence and Pisa) or Naples, Italy.<\/p>\n

Once at that next port, you\u2019ll get another eight hours to explore before you need to be back on board for the sailing to the next destination. It has all been arranged in advance.<\/p>\n

The advantage of such a preplanned vacation, of course, is that it takes away a lot of the hassle that comes with traveling. Your cruise line has done all the heavy lifting of figuring out an ideal multiday getaway for you. The cruise line is selling you a complete package of travel needs, including a room, food and entertainment, and it\u2019ll deliver you almost daily to someplace new to explore. On some cruises \u2014 particularly river cruises<\/a> and expedition cruises<\/a> (voyages to very remote places on small, hardy ships) \u2014 the lines even prearrange all your daily tours. You basically just show up.<\/p>\n

Do I enjoy travel experiences that revolve around a single resort that offers lodging, meals and activities?<\/h2>\n

Cruise ships will take you to multiple destinations on a single trip. But at their core, what they offer is closer to what you\u2019ll find at an all-inclusive resort on land than any other sort of travel experience. At least, this is the case for the bigger cruise ships<\/a> that account for the majority of all cruise travel.<\/p>\n

Even during a very port-intensive itinerary on most ships, you likely will spend the vast majority of your vacation hours on board your vessel. Unless you book a rare overnight excursion, you will spend all of your nights on board your ship, and you\u2019ll probably eat most of your meals on the vessel, too. On most ships, all or almost all of your evening entertainment also will be ship-based.<\/p>\n

Many people just love this sort of vacation. It\u2019s a lot like going to Disney World<\/a> or to an all-inclusive Sandals resort, where you can spend a wonderful week without ever leaving the property.<\/p>\n

For others, it\u2019s too much vacation time devoted to a single, contained resort environment that doesn\u2019t leave enough time for exploring the outside world.<\/p>\n

Am I OK with crowds?<\/h2>\n
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Cruisers at Royal Caribbean’s private beach resort, Perfect Day at CocoCay. ROYAL CARIBBEAN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are plenty of small cruise vessels that are like boutique hotels, with just 50 or 100 rooms. But the ships that the vast majority of cruisers sail on today are far bigger than that, and they generally are packed with a lot<\/em> of people.<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s biggest cruise ships, like the Icon Class and Oasis Class vessels<\/a> operated by Royal Caribbean<\/a>, often sail with more than 6,000 passengers onboard. And that\u2019s not including the 2,000 or so crew members that work on the biggest cruise ships. If you book one of these vessels, you could be sharing your vacation with more than 8,000 other people.<\/p>\n

These are very big ships, mind you, with lots of room to spread out. Royal Caribbean\u2019s Icon of the Seas<\/a> and Star of the Seas \u2014 the world\u2019s largest cruise ships \u2014 have 18 passenger decks, quite a few of which are devoted to a seemingly endless array of family-friendly attractions, restaurants, lounges, bars and other venues that can absorb huge numbers of vacationers.<\/p>\n

Related: The 7 classes of Royal Caribbean ships, explained<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

But if the idea of vacationing at a resort where you are one of thousands doesn\u2019t appeal to you, you probably should stay away from most of the vessels operated by the major cruise lines. You might be better off with a land-based trip \u2014 or a sailing on one of the ships operated by a small-ship specialist such as Windstar Cruises<\/a> or Ponant Explorations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Am I comfortable touring as part of a group?<\/h2>\n

In some respects, cruises are very similar to group tours on land<\/a>. You will be traveling for your entire voyage with one (very big) group of people, and you may find yourself in a group setting for some or all of your touring in ports.<\/p>\n

Just how much of a group-tour feel your cruise has will depend a lot on which ship you are on and how you arrange your port activities. On river cruises and expedition cruises, in particular, off-ship activities are often done as a group. Group tours in ports are part of the package for which you have paid in advance. On traditional oceangoing ships, you generally have more flexibility to tour on your own in ports versus joining a group.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong>Which cruise brand is best for you? A line-by-line guide<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

On traditional oceangoing ships, many ship-organized shore excursions will be group outings where you will join as many as 30 or 40 of your fellow cruisers with a guide. Often, these tours involve traveling with your group on a motor coach to reach whatever sites you are touring. In short, they often have the feel of a bus tour.<\/p>\n

This is the case even with some upscale and luxury lines, though they sometimes put fewer people on a single motor coach for tours.<\/p>\n

That said, when sailing on many traditional oceangoing vessels, you can arrange for private port tours with a guide for just you and your family. (Sometimes the ship will do this for you; other times, you will have to find an outside vendor.) You also can just head out into a port on your own and do your own exploring \u2014 at least in most cases.<\/p>\n

Is \u2018eating local\u2019 critical to me when traveling?<\/h2>\n

For some people, eating local is the most important part of the travel experience. Whether it\u2019s the locally famous pesto over trofie pasta in the trattorias of Genoa, Italy, or the pad Thai on the street corners of Bangkok, they want to savor the local flavors as often as they can. For others, having access to the familiar dishes of home when traveling is just as (or more) important.<\/p>\n

Cruises appeal more to the second category of people.<\/p>\n

Ships typically have onboard restaurants<\/a> that offer dishes similar to what their customers will find at home. You\u2019ll find American-style steakhouses on many bigger ships as well as Italian restaurants, usually serving an Americanized style of Italian food. There are also American-friendly Asian eateries and main restaurants that offer a mix of classic international cuisine. Plus, there are usually fast-food options, including burgers and pizza.<\/p>\n

Often, these eateries and the dishes they offer have little to do with the destination to which the ship is sailing. But they do offer a lot of things that you probably know and love.<\/p>\n

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Pacific Rim, an Asian eatery, can be found on the three newest Regent Seven Seas Cruises ships. REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If that sounds just right to you, a cruise is probably a good choice for a vacation. If you\u2019re such a foodie that you couldn\u2019t imagine visiting Barcelona without spending a night hopping between tapas eateries or visiting Rome without a dinner at La Pergola, a cruise might not be the best choice.<\/p>\n

Related: The 10 best restaurants at sea<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

You can try out the local foods in the destinations your ship visits during port calls, of course. But the reality of cruising is that many ships only visit ports during the daytime and sail away to their next destination before dinnertime. That means that your opportunities to eat locally will be restricted on many itineraries to lunchtime outings.<\/p>\n

When it comes to dinners \u2014 the main sit-down meal for many travelers \u2014 your options on many cruises will be limited to what\u2019s available on your ship.<\/p>\n

How important is being pampered on vacation to me?<\/h2>\n

Are you all about being pampered on vacation? A cruise might be a great choice. One reason that people who cruise once often get hooked, and do it again and again, is that cruise ships offer a level of pampering that you just don\u2019t often see at comparably priced land-based resorts.<\/p>\n

Even on the most mass-market, lowest-cost cruises, you\u2019ll have a room attendant who is likely to get to know you by name and to offer help with anything you need. They will typically also make up and clean your room at least once and sometimes twice daily \u2014 unless you request otherwise. There are no longer many land hotels with entry-level pricing where you can expect that kind of service, as many land hotels have stopped daily room cleaning.<\/p>\n

Cruise ship restaurants also are known for waitstaff who will get to know you by name within a day or two of your arrival (if you dine at the same table every night); they will make a real effort to go above and beyond to meet your every need. They\u2019ll often get to know your favorite drink or dessert and have it ready to go before you even say anything.<\/p>\n

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Top-notch service is one of the big appeals of cruises. PRINCESS CRUISES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even on low-cost, mass-market ships, you\u2019ll probably have more than one waiter serving your table, with a third person on call just to handle your drinks. Plus, a restaurant manager and often deputy managers will hover in the background to make sure everything is just right. It\u2019s like a small army of service staff there to make sure you have a perfect experience.<\/p>\n

In short, there is a level of service on cruise ships that is relatively rare in the travel world \u2014 at least if you look at like-for-like land properties and ships at similar price points. An entry-level cruise ship is likely to have a higher level of service than an entry-level hotel. A luxury cruise ship is likely to be even more over-the-top than a luxury hotel.<\/p>\n

Do I worry a lot about costs when traveling?<\/h2>\n

A cruise is also a great option if you\u2019re the type of person who wants or needs to know how much your vacation will cost long before it occurs.<\/p>\n

As we mentioned above, cruises are a little bit like all-inclusive resorts. Your ship will be providing a big chunk of all the services you will need on your vacation, including your room, your meals, your evening entertainment and part of your transportation (aka they\u2019ll get you from place to place on your trip at no extra charge). If you\u2019re traveling with kids, the ship also often will offer all-day kids programs for no extra charge.<\/p>\n

For all of this, you pay one price far in advance of when you travel. You thus know what it\u2019s going to cost you and have already paid it off long before you leave your home. That provides a wonderful peace of mind for many people.<\/p>\n

Of course, not everything on your cruise will be included in the prepaid fare. On mass-market ships, you\u2019ll often pay extra for drinks with your meals, to dine at some higher-end restaurants, for shore excursions and for the automatic gratuities that many lines add to final bills. These things can add up and result in some hefty extra charges on your credit card before you leave your ship.<\/p>\n

But the good news is that, even here, more lines are bundling things like drink packages<\/a> and gratuities<\/a> into a booking package as part of promotions. You often can find a package deal from even mass-market lines where many of the \u201cextras\u201d on your cruise are included in the price you pay upfront.<\/p>\n

Bottom line<\/h2>\n

Cruising isn\u2019t for everyone. But there are a lot of reasons why you might like it. Before you commit to giving it a try, you should ask yourself the questions above to find out if cruising is right for you.<\/p>\n

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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