Reasons to switch to a Cruise Holiday 
Over the past two years as we wallowed in recession, a new term entered the dictionary – “the staycation”, which as the phrase suggests, it describes people taking their vacation at home. The staycation was about the only holiday type that has showed significant growth in recent years, or was it? In fact cruise holidays also continued to grow with one and half million Brits taking one in 2009 with an estimated ten percent increase expected this year. Explaining the rise in staycations is easy to do during a recession and let’s be honest rather dull. But looking at why people are swtiching to cruising is far more interesting. 
Changes in perceptions 
Cruising always used to be associated with stuffiness, crustiness and for those with deep pockets. People used to imagine having to get dressed up in a tucceedo for dinner every night, and adhering to strict formal etiquettes. In fairness tis was not too far from the truth many years ago, but cruising has been turned on it’s head over the past 5 years, with many of the major cruise lines going out of their way to out boast each other how flexible their cruises are, how much fun you can have, how young will your fellow guests be, and how many different activities and facilities there are on board that you could never imagine being available on a ship.
Youthfulness 
Just as the number of British people taking a cruise holiday has grown over the past 5 years, so the avaerage age has declined. It is now around 53 years young! But as with all statistics they can hide a multitude of different things. The key point is less about the average age and more about the product differentiation that the cruise lines have created, ensuring that there is something to appeal to all types and age ranges. If you travel around the Med this summer during the school holidays on P&O, Royal Caribbean or NCL you will find the ships full of families. Other cruise lines, such as Celebrity are more suited to couples but again it’s a much younger crowd onboard than you would traditionally envisage. Cruising has become stylish not snobish, fashionable not frosty, aspirational not aristoctractic, fun and no longer formal. 
Your Flexible Friend 
No we’re not talking about credit cards, we’re talking about cruises! Flexibility certainly seems to be one of the drivers enticing first time cruise customers to the market. Firstly, there is a far more flexible approach when it comes to dining. If you look at Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) they have made “freestyle cruising” their key catch phrase but have followed this through by making it the centre piece of their customer proposition. They boast that that there’s only one thing to do with the rules, and that is rip them up! If you cruise “freestyle” with NCL you wont hear any dinner bells, you won’t need to dress for dinner, and they won’t force you to sit with strangers if you don’t want to. Even one of the most traditional cruise lines, Cunard, offers a fleible dining option with “The Lido” restaurant.What you will get is more restaurants and dining options than there are days of the week. This is more than just a marketing gimmick, this gets to the heart of while people are turning to cruising – eating in the same buffet style hotel restaurant on a half board holiday every night gets boring, but on a cruise there are so many restaurants offering so many different styles of cuisine. 

Innovation and Entertinment 
With new ships being launched every year, the competition is hotting up for who has the sexist, coolest, activity packed ship. Royal Caribbean, one of the largest operators in the cruise market, have been leading the product innovation programme, with onboard activities as diverse as rock climbing, ice-skating and on some ships their Flow-Rider surfing experience. Movies under the Stars is another fantastic experience on board many cruises, with a massive screen you sit back and relax on the top deck sipping a cocktail and watching a blockbuster movie as the ship glides towards the next day’s detsination. In the purpose built theatres on board most ships, the quality of entertinment (shows, musicals, singers, comedians) is generally of a very high standard and in total contrast to the often desperate quality that you get in your average four star hotel in the Med. 
Variety is the Spice of Life (on acruise) 
One of the real buzzes of cruising is waking up in the morning, drawing back the curtains (assuming you booked an outside or balcany cabin) looking out at the new port that you have just arrived at. Cruise itineraries are put together so that you generally sail in the evening and during the night, so that you can max your time in the destination during the day. You can simply never get bored on a cruise. Most days you’ll want to disembark and go explorring. There are always pre-organised excursions provided by the cruise lines, if you feel the need to be escored, but more often than not you’ll want to do your own thing. To be able to experience the different cultures of Italy, France, and Spain over three consecutive days is one of the unique features of a cruising holiday in the Med. Alternatively, if you don’t fancy a certain resort or have been there before, then you can always stay on board, and the ship will be semi deserted with all the facilities there for you to enjoy.
Value 
Let’s face it, price and value for money is a big determining factor when booking your holiday. Cruises aren’t cheap, if you consider the term cheap being associated with the bottom of the market, but they are often of really great value. When you consider that all your meals on board are taken care of (unless you want to select some of the preimium dining options) and most of the entertinament is also included. Also over the past two years more and more new ships are being launched (fourteen this year) which means more capacity, which keeps prices relatively low. So whilst demand for cruises is growing, it’s not outstripping the growth in capacity. It’s simple economics, and it means cruising represents good value for money. 
How to book your cruise
You are best to start off by asking yourself some basic questions, like what are the key criteria for you in a holiday, for example are you looking for something more activity driven or is relaxation that matters most? Which places and destinations do you want to visit? Do you prefer to fly to a destination from where your cruise will start or do you want to start from a UK port and avoid the hassle of flying? Are you the type that quite likes the discipline of set meal times and a more traditional style or do you prefer an flexible more informal approach? The internet is the best place to do your research, and if you would like some knowledgeable advice then it’s worth calling one of the cruise specialist agents, such as www.idealcruising.co.uk 
Book a Cruise Holiday with Ideal Cruising

Ed took a minute to give everyone his top five favorite movies about the holidays… enjoy!
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