When you're planning a cruise vacation, just the number of cruise ship lines to choose from can make you dizzy. Some lines specialize in destinations in specific areas of the world, while others tend to run seasonal cruises to a variety of locations. Your best bet when trying to decide which cruise ship you want to sail on, is to first sit down and decide where you want to go, before looking for the line whose itinerary has the closest match.

This is your vacation, and you should get just as much or as little as you want from taking it onboard a cruise ship. In other words, if you're looking to travel to several different locations and are more interested in the shore trips than the onboard life, you may want to select an itinerary with more ports of call. The shipboard life is there to enjoy when you want, and you'll have the best of both worlds.

Other vacationers revel in the special activities offered onboard by the different cruise lines. While some things are common to all of them, such as fine dining, entertainment lounges, cafes, theatres, gyms and spas, there are often little touches to each, that can make a difference for those who are truly selective. One way to make sure you get a full picture of what each line has to offer, is to visit their websites, where most cruise ship lines offer virtual tours of their main facilities and different accommodations, if not the whole ship.

After visiting their websites, you might like to have “hard copy” at hand, so feel free to call their toll free numbers and request brochures on the packages or destinations that appeal to you. That way, you can sit down with visuals of the most appealing vacation itineraries, and their cruise consultants are just a call away for more details.