We all travel differently. Some people like to stay stimulated 24-7, others basically like to lose consciousness for a week. After umpteen cruises in the past eight years, I've got a pretty good idea of what traveling by sea means to me, and it's not all hot tubs and dancing girls. Now of course, these are just my preferences -- but since I'm a professional travel writer and am paid to expound, here goes . . .
- Appreciating the art of sailing: Ships are amazing things, whether they're great, hulking megaships or small, graceful schooners. Human civilization would never have gotten where it is today without them, and without the people who pilot them. Take some time to appreciate the work and dedication that goes into designing and building your vessel, into guiding it across the ocean, and into making it run smoothly and safely. Think of all the people who have sailed before you. That sense of history is why there's a romance to ocean travel that you'll never get by just flying everywhere.
- Walking the ports of call: Sure, shore excursions can be fun, and sometimes they really are the best way to see the sights, but if your cruise takes you to a walkable historic town -- whether it be New York, Barcelona, Mazatlan, San Juan, Bordeaux, Sitka, or any one of a thousand others, large and small -- there's no better way of getting acquainted than by just stepping off your ship and walking around. You'll see and smell things from ground level, at a human pace rather than a bus-view fly-by, and you'll get a much better sense of the town's character. Try to get beyond the typical tourist areas, too, out to where people live, and try to find some of the local oddities that give a place its character -- little local museums, community gardens, well-kept residential streets. The people who maintain them are your neighbors on this planet. Go say hello.
- Reading on deck: It's a classic image of onboard life from back in the Golden Age of ocean liners: well-dressed passengers lounging in deck chairs, blankets pulled up over them as they use the long sea-days to catch up on their reading. These days you don't often need blankets, but the deck chairs and the long sea-days are still there for the taking. Sun or shade? Up to you. You could even opt to read out on your private balcony, if you've booked a cabin that comes with one. I tend to like reading on the promenade deck, where it's usually quiet save for people walking laps. Sometimes, if you poke your head out the stern doorways on some passenger decks, you can also find a small patch of wake-view deck that few other passengers have discovered, and have it all to yourself.
- Sailing Alaska by small ship: Personal prejudice here: I think small ships are a far better option than large cruisers for sailing Alaska. Why? Fewer things to distract you from the scenery; an ability to sail into narrower, shallow waters and ports; a low-key vibe that's just more in tune with the Alaskan character; and fellow passengers who want to keep the focus on nature, history, and culture. Sure, the small ships are more expensive, but doing a cost-benefit analysis often makes that pill easier to swallow.
- Seeing the stars: This is a particular delight for me and anyone else who lives in a big city, where ambient light tends to obscure our celestial neighbors. Favorite time is late at night, when most other passengers are asleep. Go up to the top deck and just bathe 'em all in. The first time I went out on deck at midnight in Alaska, far from any towns, I could hardly believe it. It gives you perspective.
- Seeking out traditional culture: Cruise passengers have to work within a few limitations when really trying to learn about the place they're visiting. For one thing, they're usually only able to visit the coast, and we all know that the culture of port towns is usually different that that in the heartland. For another thing, you're usually only in port for eight or ten hours. Still, with a little effort you can learn at least a few things about the local culture and traditions that'll give you something more to take home than just a miniature made-in-China totem pole. In Alaska, many ports have Native community houses where local tribes put on shows of traditional dance and music. In the Yucatan you can visit ruins that show the complexity of Mayan culture. In Honduras you can visit with local Indian tribes and learn how they live. In Europe you can visit wineries that have been in business for centuries. Know how they say travel broadens the mind? This is what they're talking about.
- Sipping brews on ship and shore: One of the ways I judge a ship is by its beer selection. Ditto for port towns and, hell, whole countries for that matter. Some ships have bars that are particularly well-stocked -- NCL's Norwegian Jewel and Cunard's QM2 and QE2, for example, as well as the British P&O ships. In some ports (Juneau, Halifax, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, etc.) you can tour the local breweries, some of them world-famous. At the very least, most cities have at least a few great bars. Mark this down as another opportunity to get a "taste" of the local culture.
- Exploring the smaller, more niche-oriented cruise lines: Ask people to name a cruise line and you'll mostly hear Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and maybe NCL, Cunard, and Celebrity. They're hardly the only passenger-ship companies in existence, though. All told, there are probably thousands of operations around the world that could be called "cruises," from sailing-ship operators like the Maine Windjammer Association (www.sailmainecoast.com) and Arabella Cruises (www.cruisearabella.com) to small-ship cruises that explore the Great Lakes (Great Lakes Cruise Company, www.greatlakescruising.com) and the Erie Canal (Mid-Lakes Cruises, www.midlakesnav.com), to river ships that sail up the Nile (Abercromie & Kent, www.abercrombiekent.com). If you get into traveling by ship, start exploring the depth and breadth of the industry. There are gems sprinkled around out there.
- Putting the massage staff through their paces: I'm a fairly big guy, and I spend most days holed up in my office accumulating stress, stress, and more stress. So, when I'm on a ship with a good spa, I like to sign up for the most intense, pummel-me-with-knees-fists-and-elbows massage they offer, then tell the masseuse to let 'er rip. A deep-tissue sports massage usually does the trick, but if you really want it to be intense, you'll have to ask. Most cruise-spa therapists are used to working on people who want things a little more genteel.
- Holing up: And then there comes the time, after all the walking around ports, reading on deck, seeking out beer and cultural stimulation, and getting pummeled by Romanian masseuses, that I just want to hole up in my cabin. If I'm lucky, I'm on a ship that has DVD players in its cabin and a library of films to choose from. If not, almost every cruise line offers recent-release films as part of their regular in-cabin TV programming. Find one you'll enjoy, order room service, open a drink from the minibar (or bring one back from one of the ship's bars), and put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. It's called re-lax-a-tion. Enjoy.
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