SEA DAYS OR PORT STAYS? CHOOSE YOUR TYPE OF CRUISE HOLIDAY

For many people, a cruise is a golden opportunity to see a lot of exciting, far away places in what amounts to a relatively short space of time. But don't fall into the mistake of thinking that this will be a relaxing adventure, whatever the brochures may say. Days on end of getting off and on even the finest ship to see the sights- often in the heat of summer- can gradually wear down even the best of constitutions.

If you truly want to relax on a cruise- and there are few things more delightful- then you need to consider booking a voyage that features a few sea days, and preferably consecutive ones at that. In that case, the ship itself becomes the main focus of your holiday time, with the odd port of call simply an occasional welcome interruption along the way,

But there will always be those that find several days confined to even the most luxurious ship to be frustrating, to say the least. Though the larger resort ships in particular offer a wealth of time killing diversions, many of these also come at an extra cost to the original ticket price. Over the couse of five to seven days spent at sea, these can begin to mount up quite spectacularly.

On the other hand, port intensive cruises can introduce you to a whole conga line of new and exhilarating cultures. And, truth is, the great bulk of us cruise passengers do travel to see these incredible, world famous sights, with the knowledge that, for many of us, this might well be a literal once in a lifetime experience. So the urge to try and do/see everything becomes almost an obsession. The trick is to try and balance this with some quality down time. In other words, try not to overdo it. Easier said than done, to be sure.

Bear in mind that there is no 'right' or 'wrong' here; there is simply what works best for you. If you're doing a port intensive cruise, you could take at least one day off from your exploring to simply chill out on board. It's surprising how much even one day off from the touring regime can recharge the batteries.

If pricing is an issue, bear in mind that you'll often get far better deals on voyages that feature lots of sea days. But the prices of an open jaw air return might negate any price savings on board.

In either event, choose wisely, and enjoy to the maximum.