Cruises are very popular for kicking back while letting the boat take you to your destination. Enjoy the cruise, the festivities, and the meals. And then you disembark at your destination to take in the sights and the people.

Cruises will take you almost anywhere you want to go, including Alaska, Australia, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, South America, and more.

Before going on a cruise, be sure to ask your friends which cruiseline they have used and how they liked it. There is a wide range of prices that cover a wide range of services and a lot of competition for passengers.

Some of the larger cruiselines include Carnival Cruises and Celebrity Cruises. Here are direct links to their websites and the websites of other major cruise lines:

But there are many to choose from, depending on where you want to leave and where you want to go. While many cruiselines offer the longer more popular cruises, there are many more that are more regional or local.

Making reservations for a cruise well ahead of time can often provide a cost savings on the price of a cruise. Likewise, if a cruise is not selling well due to any of a number of circumstances, you may save by purchasing a cruise much later.

Cruise ships don't dock everywhere. Some ports in the United States are Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Fort Lauderdale, Galveston, Gulfport, Houston, Jacksonville, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Port Canaveral, Port Manatee, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tampa. Since the cruiseships ports are usually associated with their main cruise destinations, you may need to travel by car or air to reach a particular port before leaving on your cruise destination. For a cruise in the Mediterranean or other destination, you may even fly across the globe before embarking on the cruise from a more local port. Likewise, when you reach your destination you may find yourself in ports in the Bahamas, Italy, France, or wherever else you may be going.

Cruise Ship Consumer Fact Sheet - provided by the US Coast Guard