Lonely Planet - The Cruise Handbook (Lonely Planet)

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why cruise?

T ell a random selection of people that youre
going on a cruise, and we guarantee youll
get a mixed bag of responses. Some will
coo with jealousy; others will recoil with disgust.
Theres no travel category as polarising as the
cruise, but actually, this is one form of travel that
can accommodate all comers. Today, destinations
are more diverse than ever, onboard food and
entertainment have reached new heights and the
average cruiser keeps getting younger. Still, the
traditional image of a cruise vacation remains
outdated. This book aims to refresh those stale
perceptions. Well cover everything from full-on
leisure to nonstop action to show you how cruises
today are as diverse as the destinations they unlock
and as varied as the vacationers they attract.
With industry figures indicating that 27.2 million
passengers embark on cruises annually, to dismiss
them is to lose out on a range of great experiences.

So, is a cruise right for you, and if so, what type?
Maybe youre looking to get away from the daily grind
and have someone else deal with the cleaning and
cooking. The staff on an all-inclusive cruise is as close
to a genie in a lamp as it gets, while cruises outclass
typical land resorts with their assortment of dining
and activity options. On an oceangoing megaship,

would you like dim sum or pancakes for breakfast?
Tacos or sushi for lunch? You can watch a Broadway
style show, go ice skating or try to Escape the Room
after dinner. Or if its peace youre after, just unwind
poolside and have the sun melt away your cares.
Thats the beauty of cruise travel.

On the other hand, if the idea of unwinding
poolside sends shivers of boredom down your spine?
Dont run screaming from cruising because of that.
A cruise can reach landscapes and cultures that are
inaccessible by airplane or car remote destinations
of untouched beauty like the distant fjords of Norway
or the interior river systems of Southeast Asia.

Whats more, with cruising, you dont have to
restrict yourself to only one type of travel. You
can take one holiday thats deeply immersive and
culturally enriching, and then opt to completely
unplug your brain and lie in the sun on the next
one. Heck, a single trip can even mix and match
modes. In fact, a vacation that dabbles in a bit of
both will likely be the perfect recipe to ease the
stresses of daily life. Want to spend your days hiking
ancient trails or scouring contemporary art galleries,
then retreat to a relaxing all-inclusive dinner only
footsteps away from your bed? A cruise might be the
glass slipper youre missing.

JAVARMAN / SHUTTERSTOCK

a brief history
of adventure

C ruising brings you into
communion with one of
the most ancient modes
of transit. The annals of human
history are filled with daring
passages across the worlds
oceans that make Vasco da
Gamas voyage seem like nothing
more than a splash in the bathtub.

Carbon dating suggests that
ancient humans were crafting
seafaring tools from stone as
early as 130,000 BC. Things
really picked up around 4000
BC when Greeks, Egyptians and
Chinese began sailing the seas

in earnest. The Polynesians, too,
settled the quiet recesses of the
South Pacific at this time.

By around 600 BC the
Phoenicians had become master
seafarers, setting up colonies
all over the Mediterranean and
exploring the waters around
England, the Red Sea and the
Indian Ocean. While the rise and
fall of the Roman Empire led
to centuries of the Dark Ages in
Europe, the Vikings were busy
charting new continents with
their voyages beyond Iceland,
Greenland and eventually

FROM LEFT: ALAN CASH PICTURE LIBRARY / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, RAY EVANS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO