With Spring officially beginning on Sunday, people may be making plans for a spring or summer cruise. Gene and I have only been on one 3-day 2-night cruise once, so we are definitely not seasoned cruisers. However, now that we are both officially in the 55+ club, it may be time to do some cruising. I did some research and there are wide selections of cruises available. Even after doing some research, picking the right one can seem overwhelming and a bit taxing. There are many things to consider when picking a cruise that doesn’t just include the destination. You also have to think about the duration of the cruise, activities aboard the ship, as well as activities on land.
Azamara Club Cruises
Amenities: Accommodates guests with special needs and medical conditions, Medical facility with onboard physicians, Wheelchair accessible staterooms for guests with special needs and limited mobility, Service animals are welcome aboard, Fantastic rates for singles, Fitness and nutrition classes, Spa services, and acupuncture therapy offered, Guest lecturers, Personal butler, Enrichment programs and classes (seminars, wine tasting, culinary demos, computer classes), Accommodates special dietary needs (to be arranged 40-80 days prior to sailing), and Complimentary onshore events to experience local culture (dance, cuisine, music, theater)
Holland America Line
Amenities: Shore excursions, new accessible cabins & amenities, wheelchair-accessible tender transfer system, and widely enhanced enrichment programs.
Royal Caribbean International
Canada/New England, Caribbean Hawaii, Pacific Northwest, and the Bahamas
Amenities: Wheelchair-accessible staterooms, Rock-climbing wall, Surf simulator, a Skydiving simulator, Observation tower – a glass-walled capsule that reaches up to 300 ft above sea level, Outdoor and indoor pools, Fitness center, Kids’ water park – wave pool, Multiple whirlpools, Indoor Solarium, Broadway-style, The Royal Theater, 2-story Royal Esplanade mall, Library and card room, Multi-purpose venues, Lounge that offers a panoramic ocean view, Large, indoor gym, Basketball court, Bumper cars, and roller-skating arena, Circus school, Casino and Music hall
Silversea Cruises
South America, and Transoceanic.
Amenities: All accommodations are suites (75% have private verandas), Butler service, Sails up narrow waterways, Open-seating dining, Enrichment programs including guest lecturers and culinary and wine voyages, Library, Spa and fitness center, Medical center onboard (doctor and nurse), as well as Contract and Duplicate Bridge sessions.
Oceania Cruises
Amenities: Spacious suites and staterooms, 85% with private verandas, Coffee Cafes, Latin art collections, Cooking classes, Art & craft lessons, Access to boutique ports and seaside villages which otherwise is impossible for large ships to get to, Open seating in all restaurants, Enrichment programs, The Culinary Center (cooking classes) – onboard, Culinary Discovery Tours – allows you to accompany the chef instructor to purchase fresh ingredients at markets in select ports, English-trained butlers for guests in suites (trained by members of the Guild of Professional English Butlers, and Shore excursions