Admit it. Before you took that first cruise, your thoughts about cruise ships and cruise vacations consisted of flashbacks to Love Boat re-runs. Cruising was all about sunny, tropical destinations like Bermuda, Mexico and Hawaii.
Since traveling by cruise ship is more popular than ever before, thanks to its affordability, you can not only go to those sunny destinations but also to more unusual ports like Hong Kong, Alaska, Norway and the Amazon River.
Still, a lot of cruising is done in warm weather. The Caribbean is one of the most popular places for first-time cruisers to go. Among the places to choose from are the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. There is also the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Usually, cruise ships heading for the Caribbean set sail from ports along the Eastern United States coast as well as Florida. The same applies to beautiful Bermuda.
People who live on the West Coast of the United States often cruise to Hawaii and its islands. The main goal of some vacationers is simply to see the black sandy beaches of Punaluu. Cool Alaskan cruises are a big deal not only because of the sights but also because...