Your Cruise Should Feel Like a Vacation
Even Before You Board
There are hundreds of ships, thousands of itineraries and seemingly endless choices. You don’t have to figure it all out alone.
Royal Caribbean or Disney? Princess or Celebrity? A mega-ship filled with activities or something quieter and more relaxed?
And that’s just the beginning.
When is the best time to cruise? How far ahead should you book? Which cabin should you choose? Do you need a passport? Are meals included? What about drinks? Can you make payments? And exactly how worried should you be about getting seasick?
If you’ve been researching cruises and somehow ended up with more questions than when you started, you’re in the right place.
There Isn’t One “Best” Cruise Line. There’s a Best Fit for You.
One of the questions we hear most often is:
“What’s the best cruise line?”
The answer depends entirely on who’s traveling.
A family with young children may need something very different from a couple celebrating an anniversary. A multi-generational family may care about activities for several age groups, while another traveler wants great food, quiet spaces and a beautiful itinerary.
Even ships within the same cruise line can offer dramatically different experiences.
That’s why we don’t begin with a ship.
We begin with you.
These Are Exactly the Questions We Help Travelers Answer
Maybe you’ve wondered…
The newest or biggest ship isn’t automatically the right one. We’ll look at who is traveling, what you enjoy, your budget and what you want your vacation to feel like.
Weather, school calendars, crowds, hurricane season, destination seasonality and price can all matter. “Best” depends on where you’re going and what matters most to you.
Sometimes waiting works. Sometimes it means losing the stateroom, itinerary or price you wanted. We’ll help you understand the difference.
Requirements can vary depending on the itinerary, citizenship and type of cruise. This is something you want to know before you’re standing at the terminal.
Cruise lines have specific age and occupancy requirements, and those rules aren’t identical across every cruise line.
Do the windows open? Where is it quietest? Which areas may have more motion? What’s above and below the room? These little details can make a surprisingly big difference.
Ship size, itinerary, season and even stateroom location can matter. If motion is a concern, tell us. We’ll take it into consideration while helping you choose.
Plenty of food is included on most cruises, but exactly what’s complimentary and what costs extra varies by cruise line and ship.
It depends. Before spending hundreds of dollars on a package, let’s talk about what’s included, what isn’t and how you actually vacation.
Usually, no. Most cruises begin with a deposit and have a final-payment deadline. In many situations, additional payments can be made toward your balance along the way.
This is one of those questions where experienced planning really matters. Your flight schedule, embarkation port and available alternatives all deserve consideration before airfare is booked.
Cruise fare is only part of the picture. We’ll help you think through gratuities, transportation, hotels, excursions, specialty dining, beverages and other expenses so there are fewer surprises later.
And Then There Are the Questions You Don’t Know to Ask Yet.
Which dining time should you choose?
Should you prepay gratuities?
Is a guarantee stateroom a good idea?
Should you book excursions through the cruise line?
How early should you arrive at the port?
Can your family have connecting or nearby staterooms?
Which airport should you use?
Do you need a hotel the night before?
What happens if plans change?
What should you reserve before you sail?
That’s where an experienced travel advisor can make all the difference.
We Don’t Want to Sell You A Cruise.
We want to help you choose the right cruise.
Happily Ever After Travel has been helping travelers plan vacations since 2008.
Our job isn’t to steer every traveler toward the same cruise line, the newest ship or the most expensive stateroom.
Our job is to listen.
We’ll learn who is traveling, what matters to you, what you want to spend and what you’re imagining for this vacation. Then we’ll help narrow an overwhelming number of possibilities into choices that actually make sense for you.
From choosing your cruise through preparing to sail, your Storywriter is here to help you navigate the details.
Tell Us What You’re Dreaming About
You don’t need to know the cruise line.
You don’t need to know the ship.
You don’t even need to know exactly where you want to go.
That’s what we’re here to help you figure out.
Ready When You Are
You don’t need to know the cruise line, ship or even exactly where you want to go. Tell us what you’re considering, and your Happily Ever After Travel Storywriter will help you figure out what comes next.
Prefer to talk?
Call Happily Ever After Travel at 855-939-HEAT
We Plan the Magic. You Make the Memories.