Only
about 7 percent of North Americans have
ever taken a cruise. Why so few? Ask yourself.
Maybe you feel cruising is too expensive
or that it's too confining. You may worry
about seasickness or that cruises aren't
for families.
These
are, in fact, the top four "perceived
obstacles" to cruising, according to a
survey by the Cruise Lines International
Association. "Almost a third site
price as an obstacle," says CLIA President
Jim Godsman. "But compared
to a land-based vacation, cruises are
inexpensive. You can get into a cruise
for as little as $60 a day [airfare and
port charges are extra]."
And
today's megaships not only offer a variety
of accommodations for families but baby-sitting
programs as well and extensive children's
activity centers. There's no shortage
of entertainment for adults, and with
several ports of call on an itinerary,
there's plenty to see.
Today's
ships also are stabilized to cut down
on motion. "Some people have visions of
the old destroyer ships of World War II,"
Godsman says. "But this isn't the case.
The new ships, with their stability systems,
are a vast, vast improvement over the
vessels of yesteryear."
7-NIGHT
CARIBBEAN RESORT (per person, per day)
$85 hotel (includes room, health
club activities and sports), $96 round trip airfare
(prorated), $5 room
tax, $2 hotel energy
surcharge, $3 hotel
service, $17 drinks
(four), $20 snacks, $14 breakfast, $20 lunch, $50 dinner, $28 nightclub shows, $21 tips, $3 airport transfers.
(all prorated)
7-NIGHT
CARIBBEAN CRUISE (per person, per day)
Includes
outside cabin,
round-trip airfare and airport
transfers, port taxes, breakfast,
lunch, dinner, snacks, health
club, all activities, sports,
entertainment plus the opportunity
to visit multiple destinations
in one vacation.
(all prorated)
