From gourmet cuisine to thrilling entertainment, many cruises offer an amazing vacation experience—and it’s all included in the cost of your cruise! Sometimes, though, you want to elevate your cruise with extra special, VIP touches. If you’re looking to upgrade your next cruise escape, here’s how we recommend you do it:
Opt for private port excursions
If you want to get off the ship and explore, you could always choose to join one of your cruise’s port excursions. But that means shuffling along with the crowd on a pre-set itinerary that you get no say in. Instead, build in a few private port excursions—where private guides lead you on incredible adventures that can be designed around your particular interests and preferred pacing. You’ll get more one-on-one attention, you’ll never get lost in the crowd, and you’ll enjoy a day of feeling like a true VIP with private transport and guidance during every leg of your excursion! (Not sure how to book your own private excursions? This is something we help you with through our custom cruise itinerary planning service!)
Upgrade your dining experiences
One of the best things about a cruise is the all-inclusive dining, where everything from restaurants to buffets are there for you to enjoy without an additional cost. Some cruises, however, offer extra special dining experiences that aren’t included in your cruise fare—but are certainly worth the splurge if you’re a foodie! Think Michelin-star fine dining and chef’s table experiences that truly elevate your cruise vacation. For example, when we sailed on the Disney Cruise Line, we added on an incredible meal at Enchanté, DCL’s adult-only restaurant with an imaginative French bent inspired by The Beauty and the Beast—and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip!
Engage in local philanthropic initiatives
A cruise is all about relaxing and indulging—but you can certainly make your cruise experience more memorable by taking time out to give back to the local communities who welcome you. Many cruise lines offer the opportunity to participate in community service initiatives during certain port stops. While on a cruise with MSC, we opted to join a 5k walk-a-thon to benefit the restoration of the coral reef reserve off MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay, in the Bahamas. We loved it so much that our goal is to incorporate some sort of give-back activity in all of our escorted group cruise trips!
Add on a pre- or post-stay
Keep the vacation going before or after your cruise, with a custom land-based itinerary. This is a wonderful way to customize your vacation, since you get to choose your hotel, activities, private tours, and dining experiences all according to your preferences (or have a travel pro—like us!—book it all for you). We always recommend arriving the day before your cruise departs and staying overnight—so there’s no last-minute rush or potential to miss your cruise—but tacking on a longer stay allows you to explore at your leisure.
Ready to “upgrade” your cruise booking experience? Discover our custom cruise booking services, or complete our brief cruise inquiry form to schedule your complimentary consultation call with us soon.
