Cruises and romance. Thoughts of wonderful romantic movies like Now Voyager and Titanic found a instant audience.. These movies showed how romantic a cruise can be for honeymooners and those just looking for romance. The choices are abundant, the Caribbean, Panama Canal and South America, Hawaii, Tahiti, Greece, Alaska and around the world. The diversity of small ship cruises to California Wine country, the Mississippi, Canada, French Barges and many more choices. There is a cruise for every age and budget. Waking up in the morning walking on the deck, clean sea air, or at night drinking champage with your loved one looking at the stars. These are moments you will always remember.

You ask what do cruises offer. Entertainment, gourmet dining, the chance to explore a different area each day. You might decide to come back to your favorite spot on another cruise or vacation. Casinos are on many ships, and there is shopping and activities from dawn to midnight like wine tasting to art auctions and shore excursions in each port (which are a extra charge on most cruises). The shore excursions give you a real feel for the destination since they offer historic and city tours where you learn more about the island or town from the local people. Excursions are as varied as visiting a turtle farm, exploring old forts, visiting Mayan or Greek ruins. There are also many other options such as watersports, horseback riding etc.

Remember the excitement of dressing up for your senior prom in that beautiful prom dress or your tux and seeing your beautiful date? Here on the cruise you have the opportunity to dress up with that formal wear sitting in your closet for that special occasion, this is it. The Captains evening starts with a cocktail party, have your photo with the Captain and slow dance to a live orchestra with that special person in your life. On to fine dining after that with polished service from the wait staff. Is this formal night a requirement? No but the majority of people do really enjoy this festive night to look their best. Many ships have chapels where you can get married before the cruise does depart and you can share this wonderful, most important day with your family before the ship departs. Some islands like Grand Cayman you can get married on the day that you are there with prior planning and the help of your travel agent who can help you with this. Food is always available from dawn to midnight and the variety is good for all tastes. Some cruise lines now offer the freedom of eatting where and with whoever you wish. More traditional is the dinner times for early/late dining where you can meet other couples and make life long friends and really know your waiter by the end of the cruise. The scenery can be as unique as the variety of cruises being offered. In Alaska there are glaciers and much wildlife. A Mexican cruise to the Baja or Sea of Cortez highlights whale watching.

Being on the Mississippi having children wave from riverbanks is always one of my favorite memories as the riverboat navigates you to the small towns that make you think of Mark Twain and his stories. Many cruises have themes such as 50's music, country, history cooking etc. There are special cruises also for people that are kosher.

I haven't yet discussed the value of a cruise. Your meals, entertainment are included. You have the opportunity to visit more than 1 country. Yes there are extras alcoholic drinlks, shore excursions and tips but the majority of the things you do on board are included. I can think of nothing more romantic and a great way to start a new life.

In future artciles I will go into details about many romantic destinations and will talk about cruises again in more detail. Look for me in 2 weeks when I will be discussing the Yucatan.

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