Why I Keep Coming Back to Cruises
“I don’t want to be stuck on a boat.”
I hear this one a lot, and honestly, I get it.
If the picture in your head is a tiny cabin, a mediocre buffet and three days staring at open water, I would not be excited either.
But after cruises in the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe, I keep coming back to the format for one reason: certain trips become ridiculously easier by ship.
Not every trip. Certain trips. That distinction is the whole point.
You unpack once
This is still the killer feature.
A multi-city land trip can become:
hotel checkout taxi station or airport luggage transit new hotel new check-in
Then do it again.
On a cruise, you unpack once and the destination changes outside your window.
My 2026 Mediterranean trip made this especially obvious. Barcelona and Rome deserved land time on either side, but the cruise made moving through the middle of the trip dramatically easier.
The ship can be part of the vacation
Modern cruise ships are not just transportation.
Depending on the line, you may have:
- excellent restaurants
- pools
- nightlife
- live music
- shows
- spas
- kids clubs
- water attractions
- quiet adult spaces
- suite lounges
The important part is choosing the right ship.
A ship designed for families with giant entertainment venues is not automatically the right choice for a couple wanting quiet luxury.
Cruising is unusually good for groups
Groups are hard because everyone wants something different.
Cruises solve this surprisingly well.
One person can be at the spa.
One can be at trivia.
Kids can be at the club.
Someone else can be reading by the pool.
Then everyone meets for dinner.
That flexibility is one reason I like cruising for multigenerational travel.
It lets you sample destinations
A cruise is excellent for learning where you want to return.
You may discover that one Greek island deserves a future land trip, while another was perfect as a single port day.
That is valuable information.
Alaska makes the cruise format make sense
Alaska is one of the destinations where the cruise itself becomes part of the sightseeing.
The coastline, waterways and scenic cruising are not dead transit time.
They are part of what you came to see.
On my 2024 Alaska itinerary, I built in time in Seattle before the sailing and later had Victoria on the route before returning through Seattle. That reinforced how well a cruise can connect several very different experiences without turning the trip into constant luggage logistics.
Cruises are not truly all-inclusive
This is where the original version of this article was too generous.
Cruise fares generally include accommodation, core dining and entertainment.
They may not include:
- alcohol
- Wi-Fi
- specialty dining
- gratuities
- excursions
- spa
- premium experiences
Some luxury lines include much more.
The right comparison is total trip cost, not the advertised fare.
Food varies enormously
Cruise food is not one category.
I have had genuinely excellent meals at sea and some very forgettable ones.
On Sun Princess in 2026, the Sanctuary Restaurant and Umai Teppanyaki were standouts for me. Other dining experiences were much less impressive.
That is exactly why I do not tell someone "Princess has good food" or "Royal Caribbean has bad food."
Ship, venue and expectations matter.
The biggest downside: you are on the ship's clock
Cruising is convenient because the ship moves for you.
The tradeoff is that port time is limited.
If your dream is three leisurely days in Rome, a normal cruise call is not going to deliver that.
That is why I love pre- and post-cruise stays.
Cruise where cruising helps.
Stay on land where land travel is better.
Seasickness is real, but manageable for many travelers
Modern ships are large and stabilized, but they still move.
Cabin location, weather, itinerary and ship size can all affect how much you feel.
If motion sensitivity is a concern, we can account for it when choosing the ship and cabin.
Why I keep booking them
Cruising is strongest when you want:
- multiple destinations
- easy logistics
- group flexibility
- lots of onboard options
- a vacation where travel time is not wasted time
It is weaker when you want deep immersion in one place.
The best trips sometimes combine both.
Founder & Lead Travel Advisor at Immortal Vacations. Meet Aidan.