Are you wondering right now “What kind of cruise should I take?” How do you pick a vacation when there’s a dizzying choice of cruise ships, destinations, onboard activities, and shore excursions?
Answer the following questions to uncover what customized cruise vacation is best for you based on your travel personality. Cruising with family? Have them answer the questions below and find the cruise that’ll satisfy everyone’s vacation itch.
What Waters Do You Want to Explore?
Do you want to stay comfortably close on familiar waters, or do you prefer adventuring over to a new continent by sea? Or maybe you just want to be surrounded by warm waters regardless of location.
- North American waters: Cruise to the east coast of Canada and New England, or a little more distant to Alaska.
- Exotic waters: Cruise to Hawaii, the Panama Canal, or throughout the ports of Europe.
- Warm waters: Cruise to the Caribbean, The Bahamas, Mexico or Bermuda.
Start general with your explorations by deciding how far you really want to cruise.
What Cuisine Do You Enjoy Most?
Luckily, you don’t need to choose one cuisine while on board your cruise ship. All your favorite foods can be found on board, from Blue Iguana Cantina to Guy’s Burger Joint.
Think about your favorite food, or what cuisine you’d like to embrace, and it’ll offer you ideas of what types of shore excursions may be right for you:
- Cruise to Mexico for A Taste of Mexico.
- Cruise to Hawaii for a traditional Luau
What’s Your Favorite Season to Travel?
Depending on your travel personality, you may have a favorite time of year (or two) when you like to get away from it all on vacation.
Do you prefer heading to warmer waters in the winter, cooler waters in the summer, or celebrating holidays away from home? Or, maybe it doesn’t matter when you take time off during the year.
If you’re hoping for a fun holiday getaway, consider the Funtastic Thanksgiving or Funtastic Christmas cruise and bypass the holiday prepping and cooking. Or for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve on the high seas, take a Funtastic New Year’s Cruise to warm weather locales like Grand Cayman and Mexico.
What Animals Fascinate You?
Your answers tell a lot about your travel personality and offer further clues about appealing destinations. Here are a few cruise destinations and shore excursion ideas that’ll inspire you to go to the wild side:
- Cruise to the Caribbean to swim with the dolphins in La Romana in Dominican Republic.
- Cruise to The Bahamas to ride horses high above sea level while visiting the port of Half Moon Cay.
- Cruise to Alaska for the Alaska Bear Adventure. You’ll head to Tongass National Forest and experience a three-hour guided tour where you’ll see black bears, bald eagles, minks, and martens.
What’s on Your Vacation Bucket List?
The next two questions require you to let loose and get creative. Bucket lists are guiding lights, especially when it comes to choosing a vacation destination. Here are four bucket list themes to inspire your own wanderlust:
- Be more adventurous: Find your inner athlete on a Carnival cruise. On board, play all the volleyball and basketball your heart desires and use SportSquare, your gym at sea. Or cruise to Jamaica and bobsled through the tropical forests of the island.
- Become a beach bum: Visit some of the world’s most spectacular, exclusive beaches on a cruise. Cruise to Curaçao and beach hop on the island’s stunning shores, or sail to Roatán in the Caribbean and spend a day on a secluded private tropical island.
- Feed your history buff side: Carnival makes it easy to delve into history around the world. In Mexico, visit Cozumel’s Xcaret Eco-Archaeological Park featuring an underwater Mayan archaeological site.
- Bond more with family: A cruise brings family members of all ages together to create memories like no other vacation can, especially with onboard activities.
You’ll be able to achieve all your travel dreams by crafting your Carnival cruise itinerary.
What Are You Doing in Your Dream Vacation?
Now, you’ll dig deeper to find more bucket list items. In the privacy of your own mind, what is your dream vacation and what are you doing while on it?
Maybe you’ve dreamt of dogsledding in Alaska, flying over a Hawaiian volcano or sailing a catamaran in the Virgin Islands. The answers here will give you insight into which cruise destinations, shore excursions, and onboard activities fit your personality.
- Traveling back in time: Visit Belize and explore ancient Mayan ruins, or head to Hawaii for a historical tour of Kona.
- Visiting breathtaking views: Go cave tubing in Belize or visit a volcano in Hawaii.
- Experiencing rare local life: Cruise to Martinique and learn the traditional island dance of Bele, visit local wineries in Ensenada, Mexico, and enjoy the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan.
- Participating in extreme adventures: On board, choose a ship with SkyRide®, an aerial bicycle over the ocean on a suspended course, or our ropes course, where you’ll safely challenge yourself on obstacles over sparkling blue waters. There are plenty of extreme shore excursions to get your adrenaline pumping, including canopy zip line adventures in Costa Rica, helicopter rides in Alaska, and off-road adventures in Hawaii.
- Soaking up the sun: Have a blast with WaterWorks, an onboard water park. There are plenty of shore excursions to gorgeous beaches around the world where you can snorkel and dive. For the ultimate relaxation, cruise to Mexico and discover a secluded tropical paradise in Las Caletas, Puerto Vallarta.
- Unwinding at a spa: Visit Carnival’s onboard oasis, the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat™ or Cloud 9 Spa™.
Dip into Carnival Cruises’ Shore Excursion list where you can browse destination and activity ideas to fulfill your visions for a dream vacation.
A vacation aboard a Carnival ship is designed to give you the most personalized experience you could ask for. Treat yourself and your family to memories of a lifetime with a Carnival cruise, and check some of those items off your dream vacation hopefuls and bucket list.
Note: Onboard activities, shore excursions, and dining options may vary by ship and destination.