The popularity of the cruise holiday has grown massively in recent years and for us that eat, sleep and breathe cruising, we really aren’t surprised. A cruise is one of the most cost-effective ways to travel, and I can prove it! It’s great value for money, offers superb dining options, is fun for the entire family and best of all, you can visit numerous destinations in one holiday. Cruising blends a mixture of relaxing sea days with exciting and adventurous shore days across a large selection of cruise ships. Let’s find out why cruises are so popular…

Value For Money

Cruises offer outstanding value for money, especially those that are completely all-inclusive, such as Regent Seven Seas. Your onboard accommodation and food is always included in the cost of your fare, but with some cruise lines, your fare can also include drinks, gratuities, flights, transfers, shore excursions and even pre-or-post-cruise hotel stays. Whatever you want, you can literally have. I think the best value for money all-inclusive option out there right now is with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. You can upgrade for just £15 per person per day!

Incredible Food Choices

Food has always been a big part of cruising and some of the finest dishes in the world are waiting for you at sea. There really is so much choice when it comes to onboard dining. You can have everything from a formal, fine dining experience to a quick burger and fries by the pool. There is an option to suit everyone. Many lines that offer children’s facilities also offer an earlier buffet dinner option for the kids, like P&O Cruises for example, which means you can dine as a couple later in the evening and they can continue to enjoy the kids club.

Perfect For The Whole Family

Cruising is a great option for the entire family, even the youngest kids can usually be catered for. If you are travelling with young children, then the onboard kids’ clubs are your saviour. They are led be a dedicated team of qualified and highly trained members of staff and specific age groups often have their own designated areas. Sometimes, the baby care options do incur an additional cost, but for toddlers through to teens, the clubs are all incorporated in the cost of your fare. Many cruise lines also offer varied excursion options that can include the whole family. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises offer a selection of family-aimed voyages aboard EUROPA 2 that include shore excursions exclusively for kids – no parents allowed.

Several Destinations In One Holiday

A cruise allows you to unpack once and see several amazing destinations all in one holiday. Imagine boarding a luxurious cruise ship, unpacking and waking up the following day in Venice, and then the next day in Dubrovnik. It really is seamless and it’s a great way to uncover destinations that you may decide you want to spend a longer amount of time exploring on another holiday, or maybe even on another cruise by adding a pre-or-post-cruise land stay. For those with more time on their hands, you could even embark on a world cruise and circumnavigate the globe!

Sail from UK ports

There are many options to sail directly from UK shores, cutting out the need to fly which is ideal for those who would rather not have to even look at an airport. In the last 3 years, destinations have become more exotic and further afield, making a cruise directly from the UK even more tempting. You can choose anything from 2-weeks in the Mediterranean to a breath-taking 140+ night sailing taking in just about every destination you could imagine. I don’t like to fly, so sailing from the UK is the ideal choice for me.

This is just a tiny snippet of why cruises are so popular, there are a hundred other things I could add to this list, but we can’t sit here all day, can we?! Have anything to add? Don’t forget to leave a comment. 🙂