By Melina Gibbins of Melina's Travel Tales

You will often hear that the best part of cruising is, “I only have to unpack once”, or even “each morning, I wake up in a new port”.

While these are perfectly true statements, there are so many more reasons to love cruising … Here are some of mine.

5 Reasons to Love Cruising

1. The Crew

Friendly greetings in the mornings until late into the night, you can count on a big smile and a “good morning mam” or “good evening mam” whilst walking to and from your cabin. Having my stateroom cleaned twice a day. Such a luxury! My bed is made, towels are changed, amenities are refilled, and then again in the evening, my bed is turned down with a little towel animal surprise. Your cabin steward will, of course, refill your ice bucket daily. I love to let my ice melt and drink the cool ice water.

2. Other Cruisers

Meeting other travelers from around the world and making new friends is definitely one of the things I love about cruising. I love to have a chat over a drink whilst sitting in one of the Adult Only areas, or even better whilst sitting in the hot tub and watching the ocean roll on past. It’s really enjoyable to find out where people are from and to hang out with like-minded travelers. After a port day, it’s fun to hear about their excursions and swapping stories about the day’s expedition.

3. Trying New Things

With such a variety of activities on board, there is always something going on. Whether a lecture on the internal workings of the ship, cooking demonstrations, Trivia games, gift shop sale days, having a sing-along at the piano bar, or maybe entering into the “Celebrity dance-off” competition and cutting some moves on the atrium’s dance floor. I love how there are heaps of new things to try whilst keeping yourself entertained on-board.

Talking about dancing, one of my favorite parts of cruising is dancing in the Bliss Lounge! I have an absolute blast dancing with either the entertainment team who patiently show me a few new steps, as well as the other dancing travelers. It’s a good way to burn off those calories after bellying up to the buffet or indulging in one of the specialty restaurants. It’s great, as I can dance for hours and I don’t have to worry about how I’m getting home! I know that my cabin is only an elevator ride away, no matter how late it gets.

4. Exceptional Dining

Oh, how can I forget to mention the specialty restaurants? They too are another one of the things I love about cruising. It’s great to be able to get a bit dressed up and head off to one of the specialty restaurants and be well looked after with an extra tasty meal. The menus are always top notch and designed to impress, the service is extra attentive too.

The food is plentiful and there are always lots of choices whether at the buffet or in one of the dining rooms. I love the flexibility of being able to order a couple of appetizers and a dessert. There are no rules, and the staff is happy to swap one dish for another if that is your request. I love being able to head off from dinner to enjoy one of the onboard shows. The Broadway shows are so well done and a great way to while away the evening.

5. Sunsets

To me, cruising is all about enjoying those gorgeous sunsets whilst sailing towards the next port. There is something really special about watching the sun set on another day, over the sea. The fresh sea breezes as you stroll around the decks catching the dramatic sky color changes. Such natural beauty really caps off each cruise day. There are so many things, in which I love about cruising, and I’m looking forward to planning my next one!

Thanks so much to Melina Gibbins for shedding new light on cruising! To learn more about Melina, be sure to read her blog Melina’s Travel Tales. You can keep up with her adventures on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Photo credit: Header image courtesy of Melina Gibbins.