When it comes to cruise holidays, for many holidaymakers it’s the be-all and end-all of getaways. After all, what could be better than waking up to a new destination every day – with the chance to explore exciting new places? Not only that, cruising also promises the luxury treatment back onboard – complete with first-class cuisine and top-notch entertainment. It’s the ultimate holiday.
Well, almost.
Not everyone enjoys the thought of spending a week or two on a cruise ship, floating from one place to another. For some it’s a little too sedentary, with an over-abundance of rich calorific food and too many reasons to sit back and do nothing. Others find it quite the opposite. Cruise holidays typically offer a packed schedule of onshore excursions, designed to help visitors enjoy a whistle-stop tour of each destination and soak up a condensed version of the top sights, which can be exhausting in itself.
The solution for both of these is to combine a cruise with a stay in a hotel – also known as cruise and stay holidays. These holidays incorporate a week or two on a cruise followed by a further stay on land, in a hotel. For instance, you could take a two-week cruise around the Caribbean and follow-it up with a few days in New York. Naturally, it’s a great way to explore a specific destination in more detail – especially if it’s a long haul destination, something a bit different from your average run-of-the-mill holiday.
Cruise and stay holidays are like two holidays in one, and they’re usually pretty flexible too. Larger travel agents that provide both types of holidays will usually be able to bolt on as many nights as you wish to your cruise, and can help make things easier by arranging the return flights, accommodation and transfers too.
Where holidays are concerned, surely this is the ultimate getaway?
