When it comes to planning a vacation, many families are concerned with the cost. Whether you consider yourself to be middle class, lower class, or upper class, the cost of your vacation is often of great importance. If you are spending your next vacation aboard a cruises ship, there are a number of different ways that you can estimate the total cost of your vacation. The first step in estimating the cost of travel is to select a particular cruise line and cruise ship. The cruise ship you select is vital to estimating your vacation costs. This is because a number of cruise ships offer all-inclusive vacation packages. All-inclusive cruise ship packages may seem high priced, but you often do not have to worry about carrying along excessive amounts of money. In addition to the type of cruise ship package you select, you will also need to consider where your cruise ship will depart from and what its destination is. If you are unable to book a vacation aboard a cruise ship with a departure port located near your home, you will have to include the cost of reaching your the port into your cruise. If you are planning a cruise ship vacation, on a budget, the method of travel you select could have a significant impact on the overall cost of your vacation. For long distance travel you may want to compare the cost of airline tickets, bus tickets, or train tickets. Air travel is often considered the most preferred method of travel, but it is the most expensive. In addition to purchasing a bus ticket, airplane ticket, or train ticket, you may want to examine the cost of driving your own vehicle. As previously mentioned, all-inclusive cruise ship packages help to eliminate the cost of food, drinks, and entertainment. While all-inclusive packages are nice, they are often hard to come by. If you are unable to book an all-inclusive cruise, will have to estimate the amount of money you will spend onboard. This estimate is not only important to estimating the cost of your vacation, but it should also be used to make sure you bring along enough spending money. Estimating the cost of onboard entertainment is often easier than estimating the cost of your food and drinks. Most cruise lines have websites that offer detailed information on all of their ships. This information is also likely to include the cost of using a particular entertainment facility. You will find that many cruise ships charge their passengers to watch a movie, view a performance, or participate in many onboard activities. These onboard activities may include, but are not limited to, rock climbing, onboard surfing, gambling lessons, dance lessons, and swimming lessons. Speaking of gambling, if you are interested in gambling on a cruise ship casino, you will need to keep this in mind when estimating the cost of your vacation. As with most land-based casinos, you can gamble with different amounts of money. If you are planning to estimate the cost of your vacation, you are encouraged to estimate the amount of money you will spend gambling. Since estimating money spent on gambling is difficult, you will want to aim your estimate high. As previously mentioned, estimating the cost of your food and drinks can also be a difficult task. You can estimate the number of meals and drink you will have in a day, but it is important to remember that it is only an estimate. It is also difficult to estimate the cost of your onboard food and drinks because cruise ship menus are often difficult or impossible to obtain online. As with cruise ship gambling, it is advised that you overestimate the cost of food and drinks. In addition to the cost of food, child care, travel, entertainment, and gambling it is advised that you consider the cost of obtaining items or souvenirs at the ports your ship plans on docking at. Whether you need to know if you can afford a cruise ship vacation or youd just like to know where your money is going, there are an unlimited number of ways to estimate the total cost of your vacation. PPPPP Word Count 696

In todays society, we live for deals, discounts, and other savings. If given the opportunity to save money, just about everyone would take it. The need to save may be apparent in your daily shopping habits. Many shoppers, maybe even yourself included, shop at discount stores or use multiple coupons. These actions may save you thousands of dollars each year. Do you know that in addition to saving money on your groceries, you could be saving money on your next cruise? Discount cruise ship vacations are often viewed as a myth by many individuals. These individuals are most likely infrequent travelers. If you are interested in scheduling your next vacation aboard a cruise ship, you are encouraged not to believe this popular myth. Automatically assuming that cruise ship discounts do not exist can cost you a large amount of money and it may even prevent you from making a reservation. When it comes to booking a discount cruise ship vacation, you have a number of different options. These options vary; therefore, you are encouraged to examine each and every one of them. You never know where cruise ship discounts may be found, that is until you begin searching for them. To get started, you are encouraged to visit a number of online discount travel websites. Discount travel websites are a popular and easy way to obtain discounts on a wide range of vacations, including cruises. With a simple click of the mouse, you could easily compare prices and make your reservations. Expedia, Obitz, Travelocity, and Yahoo Travel are just a few of the many online discount travel websites. If you happen to come across additional discount websites, you are encouraged to fully research the website before providing them with your personal information. In addition to viewing the discounts obtainable through an online travel website, you are also urged to contact cruise lines directly. In the event that you decide to take a last minute cruise, you may find a number of deals and discounts offered to last minute travelers. Last minute cruise ship discounts are often offered in a final attempt to fill empty cabins. These deals and discounts can easily be found online or by directly contacting a cruise ship representative. It is also advised that you considered any membership clubs that you belong to. Triple A is a well-known travel agency. In addition to providing roadside vehicle assistance, they also offer valuable discounts on a wide range of vacations. AARP is another membership club that regularly offer travel discounts to its senior members. These discounts often include airline tickets and cruise ship reservations. Additional membership clubs may offer discounts. The only way to determine if discounts are available is to ask a club representative. One alternative to researching cruise ship discounts yourself is to obtain the services of a professional travel agent. Travel agents operate online and locally. You may be able to obtain the services of a low-cost travel agent. Travel agents are popular. In addition to researching and suggesting particular cruise ships, they are often offered discounts that are not available to the general public. With a small amount of time and research or professional assistance, you can easily obtain discount cruise ship tickets. Why avoid cruises altogether or pay full price for a reservation that can be obtained for a discount? PPPPP Word Count 556

Cruising With a Celebrity: Are Celebrity Cruises Worth the Money? You may have seen advertisements on the television, the radio, or online. Your celebrity is vacationing aboard a cruise ship and they want you to join them. The advertisement you heard is for a celebrity cruise. Celebrity cruises are gaining popularity in the Untied States and all around the world. The question that many want answered is, are they worth the money? Celebrity cruises are not to be confused with the popular Celebrity Cruise Lines. Celebrity cruises are cruises that are offered by a wide range of different cruise line companies. The intention of a celebrity cruise is to attract travelers. To do this, celebrity cruises are booked with well-known television stars, movie stars, and musicians. For some reason, and they are right, cruises lines know that fans follow their idols. If you are interested in determining whether or not a celebrity cruise is worth the money, there are a number of factors that you should first consider. One of the most important factors is the purpose of the cruise. A number of well-known musicians, television stars, and movie stars are compensated for their appearance. While this may not have a direct impact your reservation, it may be in your best interest to know. In addition to being compensated for their appearance, a large number of movie stars, television stars, and musicians use a celebrity cruise to promote one of their upcoming shows, movies, or music albums. It is not guaranteed, but you may be granted behind the scenes information and footage. To many fans, this information makes a celebrity cruise worth it. Promoting a charity or another good cause is another reason why a number of well-know celebrities make the decision to participate in a cruise ship voyage. If you are interested in promoting a specific charity or cause, you may find it beneficial, in more ways than one, to attend the cruise. In addition to being able to meet one of your favorite celebrities, you could be helping to bring awareness to one of the many world charities that need assistance. Another important factor to consider when deciding on a celebrity cruise is the amount of time the celebrity will be onboard. Due to busy schedules, celebrities may be unable to stay onboard for the whole length of the cruise. To determine whether or not a celebrity cruise is worth the money, you will want to know how long each celebrity will be on board. If they will only be onboard one or two days, you may find that the cruise is not worth your time or money. In addition to the length of a celebritys stay, you will want to know when certain promotional events are scheduled. These events should be established ahead of time. To determine when you may be able to dine with, meet, or get an autograph from your favorite movie star, musician, or television star, you should check the ships itinerary. This will enable you to determine if you will even get a chance to meet the celebrity onboard. It is also important to estimate how many passengers will be the celebrity cruise you wish to take. The number of onboard passengers may have an impact on how much time you get to spend with the cruise ship celebrity. If there are a large number of onboard passengers and the celebrity will only be on the ship for a short period of time you may be unable to meet with them. This is something that should be closely examined when determining if a celebrity cruise is worth any value to you or your family. Finally, the cost of the celebrity cruise should be closely examined. The cost of a celebrity cruise is often higher than other traditional cruises. This is because you are often paying to meet the person who is onboard. That is why it is important to take the above mentioned factors into consideration. Celebrity cruises are nice, but a celebrity is not the only reason why you should plan a vacation on a cruise ship. You can still enjoy a cruise, with or without a celebrity. PPPPP Word Count 686