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From building up status as a cruise line loyalty member and reaping all the rewards that come with it, to experiencing the seemingly unending new ports and ships to explore, there are so many reasons why you should keep going on cruise after cruise. I've been on hundreds as a crew member and passenger, and I'll never give it up!
Here are 10 reasons why I continue to cruise, year after year, and why so many other avid cruisers do the same.
If you went on a cruise in the 1990s or even the 2000s or, yes, even the 2010s, your experience cruising was far, far different from the cruise experience you could have today.
Cruise ships just keep getting bigger and better, with "first at sea" features continuously rolled out from major lines like Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line.
Let's just look at a few of the first-at-sea features to debut in recent history.
The much-lauded Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas showed off the largest water park at sea, which also included the tallest waterslide at sea and the first open freefall waterslide at sea. Norwegian Cruise Line introduced its Aqua Slidecoaster, on Norwegian Aqua, which is the first hybrid rollercoaster and water slide at sea.
Beyond water features, several Carnival Cruise Line ships, including Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee, now feature BOLT, the first rollercoaster at sea. MSC Cruises' MSC World America, meanwhile, unveiled the only over-water swing ride at sea, dubbed "Cliffhanger."
Don't care for all of these adrenaline-pumping "firsts"? If you'd prefer a more luxurious record-setting feature, all you have to do is look to Princess Cruises. Again, Sun Princess stunned as it brought 25 retail brands to a cruise ship for the first time ever, for the ultimate in retail therapy.
And this just touches on the activities that you can expect on a cruise ship these days. The staterooms and suites likewise continue to get bigger and better (just look at the wealth of ultra-fancy suites coming out from lines like Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises), and the dining options -- from Utopia of the Seas' new Royal Railway immersive tech-heavy experience to Icon of the Seas' posh Empire Supper Club -- are much the same.
In short, whatever you like most about cruising, it's just getting better and better all the time. If you cruise often enough, with the proper planning, you'll be able to see and do it all.
There are thousands of cruise destinations that you could potentially visit. Even if you were to take an ultra-long cruise, like Celebrity Cruises' 110-night Grand Voyage on Celebrity Solstice, which sets sail in late 2026 and visits 15 countries and nearly 60 ports, you wouldn't see them all. As such, you're going to have a hard time convincing me that you've already been to all the places you'd like to cruise to.
Sure, you may've visited the big popular cruise destinations throughout the Caribbean, or even the Mediterranean or Northern Europe, but there's so much more to explore.
Over the past decade, cruises to more far-flung destinations have become more popular, like expedition cruises to Antarctica or the Galapagos, or river cruises down the Amazon.
Additionally, cruise lines continue to roll out exciting new itineraries to keep things fresh. As a few examples, recently, Viking Cruises announced six new itineraries throughout East Asia.
AmaWaterways is taking the river cruise experience to a brand-new destination, with itineraries along the Magdalena River in Colombia. Celebrity Cruises is adding new ports to its roster in Europe, including Bar, Montenegro; Trondheim, Norway and Djupivogur, Iceland.
If you have a preferred cruise line, chances are good that line will take you somewhere new, the very next season.
If you've yet to join a cruise line's loyalty rewards program, I would highly advise that you do so. For just taking a cruise, you'll earn points and greater loyalty tier status, which then translates to more perks and benefits during your next cruise. The more you cruise, the more perks you get.
Take Norwegian Cruise Line's Latitudes Rewards Program as an example. You earn points through cruising by getting 1 point for every cruise night, 1 additional point for every cruise night spent in a suite or The Haven and 1 additional point for every cruise night booked as part of a Latitudes Rewards Inside Offer.
Read Also: What is Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society?
As you gain more points, you'll move up the loyalty program's tiers. You start out as a Bronze member. After earning 20 points, you become a Silver member, then a Gold member after 45 points, a Platinum member after 75 points, a Sapphire member after 150 points, a Diamond member after 350 points and finally an Ambassador member after 700 points.
Depending on the amount of points you've accrued, you'll receive benefits such as discounts on open bars, shore excursions, spa treatments, WiFi and duty-free shopping. You'll get free laundry service, access to exclusive events, priority check-in and more.
So, the more you cruise, the better your cruising experience will be!
Even if you're not cruising on a new-to-you ship, even if you're not cruising to a new-to-you destination, you can still have a completely different experience than the last time you cruised.
There's so much to do on any given ship, that you can't possibly do it all. Add in differing fellow cruisers and the differences in how you spend your time become even more stark.
Let's say you take one Caribbean cruise on Icon of the Seas with your kids and parents, for a multi-generation vacation. You'll probably pick a stateroom or suite nearer the family-friendly amenities and spend your time having kid-friendly fun. Your dining experiences and shore experiences will likewise take the kiddos and grandparents into account.
Then, you take the same Caribbean cruise itinerary on Icon of the Seas, but just with your partner. Your cruise will probably, in this case, be dedicated to quality time and romance. You'll likely spend less time at the water park and more time at the spa, less meals at the buffet and more in fine dining restaurants.
You can even experience the difference between spending your port days actually in the port versus spending your port days on the ship. While the former is full of excitement and can be pretty hectic, the latter allows you to enjoy all the ship's amenities at a slower pace, with fewer crowds.
So, yes, even if you take the same ship to the same places, you can enjoy wildly different experiences.
As someone who once worked on a cruise ship, I may be biased, but the amazing crew members within the industry really make a cruise experience stand out.
Compared to just traveling to some hotel where you may or may not get that much in the way of customized service, cruising offers a level of hands-on attention that really goes above and beyond.
No, you don't need to stay in a suite with a butler in order to get spectacular service (though that is an experience I'd recommend every avid cruiser have at least once!).
Even if you're just staying in a standard stateroom, your attendant will be there to make your cruise all the more amazing. From tips and suggestions to help you get the most out of your vacation to handling special requests to keeping your cabin tidy, they do it all.
Then, of course, there's the cruise ship director, the one in charge of all the fun. Through their regular appearances at cruise ship events and ship-wide announcements, you'll get to know their personality and flair for fun over the days.
Worth Reading: How Much Do Cruise Ship Workers Make?
In fact, some cruisers find that they appreciate certain crews' work so much that they go out of their way to cruise on ships and itineraries where and when certain cruise directors and other crew members are working.
From the cruise directors to the attendants to the butlers and the concierges, you're just not going to find this level of service anywhere else in the travel industry, for this type of price.
And on the note of the price, one great reason to continue cruising overtaking another form of vacation is the mere fact that cruising continues to be affordable. As travel costs keep rising, cruising remains a budget-friendly way to see multiple destinations in an all-inclusive manner.
Of course, it is entirely possible to over-spend on a cruise and really blow your budget. However, if you avoid certain extra costs, you can easily cruise without spending a dollar more than your initial cruise fare and gratuities.
When you're traveling the "normal" way, it's easy to pack your itinerary with things to do. You can arrive at a destination and go-go-go the entire time. You want to see it all and do it all before your short trip ends. It feels like a total waste to just spend time at your hotel, no matter how nice that hotel might be.
Cruising eliminates this problem altogether thanks to the magic of sea days. On a sea day, you literally can't leave the ship. There's no pressure to go into port and explore. You can simply do whatever it is you love, at your leisure.
Read Also: Things New Cruisers Should Always Do on a Cruise
If that's spending the day by the pool, lounging in the sun, you can do it. If it's going to the spa, no problem. If it's staying in bed late, ordering room service and just chilling on your balcony, that's an option, too.
These low-pressure, low-energy sea days were made for self-care!
Have you ever really stopped to think how difficult it would be to see all the places that you do on a cruise, without the cruise ship?
If you were to plan a similar trip but rely on airfare to get you from island to island, to coastal town to coastal town, you'd not only spend so much time simply waiting around or flying in a cramped, small aircraft, but also so much money.
With cruising, you can see a handful of different, unique destinations in one trip, and you don't have to worry about traveling between those destinations at all.
You literally wake up and you're in a new place. All the while, as the ship maneuvers its way along its itinerary, you can have the time of your life, going to shows, fine dining and drinking, sitting by the pool and more.
If you've ever attempted to go on a trip and truly unplug -- no checking work emails, no doom scrolling -- you may've struggled. It's really hard to step away from the technology that consumes so much of our lives.
However, when you're on a cruise, it's so much easier to disconnect. Yes, cruise lines now offer a range of internet packages that allow you to stay in touch and stream, and even cell phone providers have sea-friendly plans, but if you don't buy them, you don't have them.
That means if you want to make a conscious effort to unplug during your trip, all you have to do is avoid this purchase. You completely remove the temptation and can really focus on enjoying yourself.
Finally, because the cruising experience can be so varied, even on a single ship, it's a great option for groups of travelers, whether friends or family members, who have differing preferences.
Let's say you want to go on a family vacation with your partner, children, parents and siblings. Your kids need family-friendly things to do.
Maybe your younger siblings are looking for more of a party getaway and want to spend their days beach bumming and their nights clubbing. Your parents want ultra-relaxation in the form of spa treatments and quiet poolside retreats.
Meanwhile, your partner wants adrenaline-pumping activities, both on the ship and on shore. A cruise delivers all this and more, ensuring that everyone is happy.