One of the confusing factors about alcohol and cruise holidays is that the ship will be moving from one country to another, and often the laws in each country will vary as far as age limits are concerned. Yet at sea, the ship's own rules apply. This can mean that during the course of your cruise, if you are lucky enough to be 21 years old or younger, you may find that on some days you are able to buy and drink alcohol, whilst on other days you are not. This can all be very confusing, and it is important that, if you are aged between 18 and 21, you asked the stewards or other relevant staff what the current rules are, and if they are aware of any imminent changes to these.Some cruise lines have a standard policy of no alcoholic consumption for anyone under 21 whilst on board. Of course, this can mean that when the ship docks at port, you can disembark and go off into the local town where you are free to drink. Of course, this can result in some cases of drinking to excess to take advantage of the opportunity. You need to be very careful about this, especially since the local drinks may be stronger than you are used to, the hot climate may have made you more dehydrated and therefore more susceptible to the effects of alcohol, and with a relaxed, carefree environment it is easy to drink for longer than you intended. All these points need to be borne in mind carefully, as you do not want to end up ruining your own holiday, and those of your fellow passengers.Other cruise lines have a standard age limit of 18 which is easier to work with, although it is still important to bear in mind that when you arrive at a port the rules for that country will apply, and there will be instances when the age limit will have to be raised to 21 to comply with local restrictions. You will normally be given this information, but make sure you look out for this advice - the consequences of not heeding it and falling foul of local law are not to be considered!Another issue as far as alcohol on board cruise ships is concerned is that you are not normally allowed to take your own drinks on board. If you do buy alcohol whilst stopping off at a port, once you return to the ship this will be taken from you and stored carefully until the end of the cruise when it will then be returned to you. The same is true for any alcoholic drinks you buy in the duty free shops which may be on board. You can certainly enjoy buying the cheap drinks, but they will not be made available to you until the end of your voyage.There are occasional exceptions, perhaps a special celebration party or other event, and in this case prior approval must be obtained from the ship's staff. Almost certainly they will only allow you to open your drinks if you pay a corkage fee, which is a price of between ten and fifteen dollars per bottle opened. Obviously the ship earns some of its money from the sale of drinks on board, and if everyone brought their own drinks with them this would represent a substantial loss, which is why this extra fee is charged.
Taking a cruise vacation is more popular than ever and if you are ready to move cruising off the "to-do" list and into reality, then you should take some time to review the various information about cruises before making those reservations. Sometimes, all of the available choices can be bewildering because there are so many to consider. You will need to choose the cruise line, the size of the ship you prefer, the category of cabin, and the duration of your voyage. Then you will need to determine if your finances will keep you afloat.The major lines visit about 1,800 different ports that span the globe, and not all of these ports will be places that you'll be interested in visiting. Because there are so many destinations, the first thing to do is decide which ones hold the most interest. For instance, you can focus on Caribbean or Mexican cruises if you are looking for warmth and sunshine, or you can go for the scenery and whale watching possibilities of an Alaskan or Antarctic cruise. Once you have narrowed down the general area that you want to cruise to, then you can more easily make your final decision.The cruise lines have a wide variety of offers for different lengths of cruises. You can get away for a long weekend for a 3- or 4-day voyage, for a week, or choose an itinerary of ten days that usually encompasses two weekends. These shorter trips are very popular and are well-suited for couples and for families.The major ones also offer longer voyages, with itineraries that span anywhere from three weeks to several months. Often these longer voyages provide opportunities to visit ports-of-call in several countries and sometimes more than one continent. Most of these longer itineraries are especially geared toward the affluent or retirees who have the time and financial freedom to be voyaging for weeks or months at a time.Some ships are referred to as "megaliners" and are so large that a person can actually get lost onboard. In fact, they are so large that they cannot even go through the Panama Canal. Cruises on megaliners can accommodate up to 2,000 passengers and provide a plethora of activities to keep passengers of all ages entertained and active.The mid-size ships are the most common and usually have up to 900 passengers, but still provide a nice variety of activities. The smaller ships are more intimate and usually accommodate less than 400 passengers.There is also a class of cruise ships called "boutique ships," which could be compared to luxury boutique hotels. They offer exceptional attention to service and usually have an even higher standard of gourmet food, which is saying something considering that these floating hotels are well-known for the quality and selection of fine foods.The vast majority of cabins onboard ship are considered to be standard-size and are generally quite cozy, which helps encourage people to take advantage of the many amenities during their time aboard. Cabins with ocean views and verandas are very popular, but will cost more than an interior cabin.Many of the newer ships are being designed so that virtually all of the cabins have at least a minimal exterior view and some even boast that every cabin has a veranda, albeit small ones. For cruisers with the cash, there are spacious suites, but the cost of these puts them well out of reach for the average person.You can learn a great deal about the cruises available to the area you are interested in visiting by spending some time on the travel websites, especially those that specialize in cruise travel vacation packages. Many times there are hot deals and discount cruise travel packages that you can find on these websites, which can help you maximize your vacation budget.By: MIKE SELVON
