Destination idea: Cruise the Caribbean

I'm stuck up here in freezing cold London and wondering about where to go for a winter break. I came across the cruise website of Direct Line Cruises and looked into some options.

Sun, sea and tropical islands

Caribbean cruises come in a number of options. There's your typical luxury cruise, like those from Royal Caribbean, but you can also find more budget friendly cruises where not everything is included and the ship's more basic.

Basically, if you look around, you can find something which suits your travel budget.

What does look appealing is the Caribbean climate, nice and hot, and the calm of slowly traveling between the tropical islands aboard a ship. Sometimes, chilling out on a sun chair with a book sounds pretty good when the sleet is coming down outside my living room window. That, and going ashore and eating chicken jerky in actual Jamaica beats the corner store version by a wide margin.

If you, like me, are worried about getting stuck on a ship for two weeks with dozens upon dozens of retirees, there are cruises especially for younger travelers too. While many of these are singles-oriented, there are options for young couples too, many of these are budget-friendly - essentially, you get a cabin, all food catered, and longer periods in port. At times overnight (you sleep on the cruise ship), which lets you explore the islands more thoroughly. Prices tend to be lower on these as well.

Other cruise locations

If you're not hot for the Caribbean, there are plenty of cruises to the Bahamas, Bermuda, Panama, Hawaii, or South America too. For something less tropical, head off to Alaska or a Trans-Atlantic cruise. Then you can take a Mediterranean cruise, bouncing around exploring cultural hotspots such as Rome, Athens, Venice, or Alexandria.

Tell me about your experiences with cruises

If you've been on a cruise, I'd love to hear your experience. This may be how the wife and I break up the winter blues next year and we'd like to have a successful trip if we opt for a cruise, so spill the beans!

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