To enjoy great cruises you don't have to refinance your house

Ocean holidays are unforgettable experiences which allow you to escape to another place temporarily. You can do and experience so many activities aboard an ocean liner, and you can experience so many things on land that will surpass your average holiday expectations. There are so many options available on board various vessels. You can indulge in everything from personal trainers to herbal mud wraps to a game of tennis or an art lecture. Certain facilities are plusher than others, and certain vessels have varying levels of pampering. On MSC cruises all passengers have access to all of the amenities on board, making for a more equal on board experience. This is not essential, but if you want the sensation that you are having a house party on board, it may very well be essential. There are many different ports you can leave from. Fred Olsen cruises depart from Dover, Southampton, Liverpool, Newcastle, Greenock and Portsmouth, although Southampton is the most popular departure port in England. You can leave from foreign ports as well. Many companies offer great deals on cheap airfare to foreign ports as part of package incentives. You can tailor the experience to your time available, interests and budget very easily if you just take the time to hunt around for the perfect package. It is such an amazing way to vacation. You get incredible experiences at sea and on land without having to remortgage your house to pay for it.

"Overall for a touch over £200 pp for the cruise only it was amazing and well worth the short break I wanted for my birthday treat. Can't wait for the Independence in September." - Col, Essex on 3rd Jun 2009 (Royal Caribbean Cruises)

Finding the best ocean holiday deals

There are so many bargains and special offers constantly, as cruising has become such a popular holiday choice around the world. You can find amazing deals online directly through various companies or through online bargain consolidators. Your point of departure makes a difference in the price. You can find good deals on cruises from Southampton as it is the most popular departure port in England. There are lots of great deals for families. Many companies offer free child places which can really help curt down the cost of a family vacation. You can also find deals for themed packages such as football, tennis, garden, food and wine, singles, yoga and fitness and salsa, just to name a few. Many companies offer free onboard spending money and free parking with various packages. Large groups get great deals too such as wedding parties or business groups. P&O cruises are now offering twenty different Caribbean packages with twenty percent off. You can often find great deals to the Caribbean because it is such a popular destination. The Mediterranean, Mexico and Hawaii also have a lot of specials because of the amount of people visiting them on ocean liners. Celebrity cruises are now offering seven night Mediterranean packages for as low as 349 pounds. You can get deals for purchasing your tickets far in advance, or at the last minute. There are wonderful honeymoon specials too for the newlyweds. What could be more romantic than a honeymoon at sea sipping champagne under the stars?

"It was a fantastic holiday. Yes, the cabins are small and dated but you don't spend much time in them and the service, food and entertainment were first class." - Taylor, Desborough on 1st Jun 2009 (Thomson Cruises)

Lounging and living it up on board

Whether you are looking for a relaxing vacation with plenty of time sunbathing, reading, napping in hammocks and drinking pina coladas, or you want to gamble and dance and drink and indulge in rich food and chase away the hangover with a hard workout in the gym the next morning, you can find it on ocean liners. Royal Caribbean cruises has 22 ships, ranging from a super-yacht design to the enormous Freedom class vessels, which are some of the largest in the world and includes their most popular, the Independence of the Seas. There ships are so large that one even has an indoor surfing capacity and a rock climbing wall. If you want the most variety possible of food, entertainment, partying, shows and facilities you may want to consider them. If you want a more luxurious, elegant relaxing experience you may want to consider Princess cruises which sometimes offers free cabin upgrades with certain packages. Most ships these days have gyms, spas, saunas, basically anything you could need to feel pampered and relaxed. These ships pride themselves on offering many options for food and nightlife. They are renowned for their bars, clubs and tantalizing buffets. NCL cruises have particularly good food. There is a huge variety of entertainment as well such as comedy shows, plays, dance performances, musicals, circus acts, ice shows, cabarets, balls, and concerts. There are lots of companies offering extensive options for kids too, ensuring that the whole family has a good time.

"A great cruise on a stunning ship which was rather like a floating, high quality Pleasure Palace that is organised on US lines and which is based on the Celebrity formula of providing a high quality basic package with add on extra at the choice of the individual passenger." - Williams, ST Albans on 31st May 2009 (Celebrity Cruises)

Enjoying the bounty of the land

You can travel almost anywhere in the world on an ocean liner where there is water, from Alaska to New Zealand. Actually probably anywhere; I wouldn’t be surprised if you could take a trip to Antarctica. All companies offer wide varieties of shore excursions. Things such as shopping excursions, local dance and music performances, white water rafting, hiking, waterfall repelling and historical tours. Of course you can head out on your own as well. Some companies include the excursions as part of the package price, but others don’t so it is important to look at that detail when selecting a package. Caribbean cruises are one of the most popular destinations worldwide. There are so many incredible islands in the Caribbean like Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Bermuda and Biminy. You can go snorkeling and scuba diving or hike in the beautiful jungles, or just lounge on the beaches forgetting all about the need to refinance your house. The food and culture are unbelievable in the Caribbean also. Once you have pigeon peas and rice and stewed goat with fried plantains you will never want to go home. Cunard cruises are the only vessels with scheduled Trans-Atlantic crossings, so if your destination is the New World you may want to consider them. There are many great destinations in temperate climates as well. You can visit the castles of Ireland, soak in hot springs in Iceland, visit museums and cathedrals in Italy or take in a Butoh performance in Japan.

"The cruise was great, as was the ship, staff and food. The shows were brilliant." - Mcdougall, Welling on 9th Jun 2009 (NCL Cruises)