Are You Really Fit?

One of the hot topics being discussed in various gatherings nowadays is physical fitness and healthy habits. A lot of emphasis is laid on morning walks and going to the Gym. Friendly neighbourhood parks are being equipped with Air Walkers and Mini-Gyms. Yoga clubs are brimming with new members and started working out in shifts in these parks. Publication of varied views on use of Coconut oil and Olive oil on the one side and consuming Millets on the other, can be found in all reading mediums and videos. Some of these grains were uncared for two years ago, but have reached their life time high prices now. Multi-Millet Dosas and Bisi Bele Bath have caught the imagination of fitness freaks. Coconut oil was considered as villain some time back but has now come back into circulation with a vengeance. A half litre bottle of "VIRGIN Coconut Oil" now costs Rs. 375 and yet is in great demand. 

Diagnostic units have started coming to houses, collect blood samples etc. and dispense reports online. Preliminary checkup camps are seen in public parks frequently. Ayurveda and home medicine aids have found acceptance once again. Tablets and tonics are available at great discounts when bought on the net. Charges for Annual Health Checkup packages are being revised upwards every year. Anything can sell now under the name of fitness aids. Overall, it is a wonderful time for reviewing one's own fitness, whatever fitness may mean. Today fitness finds similarity with The Supreme, as each one sees it in his/her different way.

It is in this background that two recent news items draw our attention. One is indeed alarming while the other is a success story of a startup. Both are interesting for different reasons and deserve some discussion in the context of fitness programs.

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EduSports is a Bengaluru-based organisation working for implementation of programs on physical education and sports in schools. A recent study conducted by this organisation has brought out that the present generation of schoolchildren in India seem heading towards an unhealthy future. This is so among all age groups and no gender bias in this. The study covered more than 100,000 children aged between 7 to 17 years in 287 schools across the country, in 85 cities and 23 states. The fitness levels were indeed alarming at all levels. The assessment included anaerobic exercise capacity, flexibility, lower and upper body strength and body mass index (BMI). Nearly half the children lacked a healthy BMI and endurance which is attributed to lack of physical activity and outdoor games.

Children in all the regions of the country were found equally unfit with average BMI of about 40 per cent. Children in rural areas were slightly better off than their counterparts in cities. Modren amenities are taking its tolls in cities as it seems. Nevertheless, such high unfitness levels are indeed a serious cause of concern. Addiction to video and mobile games and lack of outdoor activity is identified as the prime reason for this state of affairs. There are also reports of diabetic cases from the younger age groups as well. Fit India Movement has indeed a daunting task before it. 

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Fitbit is a 12-year old San Francisco based company dealing in health and fitness based  products. Started in 2007, the company announced last month (November 2019) of it being acquired by Google for 2.1 billion US Dollars. The company's two founders realised that the tremendous advancement in sensors and wireless technology can be used to bring in amazing experiences in fitness and health. A wearable product coupled with modren technology can produce fantastic results, they thought and worked in that direction. Today more than 28 million users of Fitbit products allover the world have made the company grow to such levels. The company manufactures various products for monitoring fitness activities and provide multi-dimensional data to users about their fitness activities and analysis. It has so far sold over 100 million such products.

There are many other companies selling similar fitness monitoring products. The cost of such wearable product, most of them replacing wrist watches, varies from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 15,000 (US Dollars 30 to 200+) and can be purchased online as well. These devices provide many streams of data to the user on a continuous basis. The devices are connected generally to a mobile and data can also be accessed on laptops. Wireless technology provides for real time updating the user's activities for reading and arriving action points. The devices also provide links to articles and blogs that give enhanced learning points and assist in understanding and analysing one's physical activities. 

While these devices draw and process data from the user on their own in respect of certain parameters, they also provide for manual feeding of certain types of data which the devices cannot measure on their own. The devices are expected to be used round the clock but allow manual feeding of data if it is not on the body of the user for some reason. Data relating to consumption of liquids (volume), food items (calorie values), weight gain or loss etc. can be fed manually as the devices would not be able to measure these parameters. However, data relating to number of steps walked or distance covered, number of floors climbed, calories burnt during the day, number of active minutes, pulse or heart beat rate (not BP) etc. are measured by the device itself.

These devices have readymade fitness parameter programs a user can choose from. They also provide for a user to customise one's own fitness programs suiting individual requirements. Devices provide encouraging inputs when some goal is in sight even if the user loses sight of due to other preoccupations. "Only 120 steps to go!", "You have conquered one more frontier", "Overachieved your goal!" are examples of such messages. A weekly summary of the activities and comparing the data with the previous week's achievements is also available. For further encouraging the users, companies send badges for crossing some milestone under each parameter. Users can also form their own groups and share the data to encourage each other which may find fancy with the younger age group users.

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What are the measurable data that help in evaluating a fitness program? What are the basic goals suggested by these devices? How would it help the user?  Are these plans really practically possible or wishful thinking? Is it not possible to go through a fitness program without using such devices? Are not these devices only money making tools for those manufacturers? Is it not possible to be disciplined without use of such tools? These are the most likely questions that may emerge out of fitness device discussions. 

The following points give an insight into these queries:

1. Number of steps traveled in a day is a major parameter. 10,000 steps a day is the suggested minimum as this translates to about 5 miles for most of the people. The steps also depend on the occupation of the person. A waiter or a nurse takes many more steps in a day than an office worker or at home person. The average steps for a person in India is said to be about 5,000. A program with 10,000 steps gives a fillip to fitness initiatives. 
2. Number of stairs climbed during a day is another indicator. The devices track such movements on their own. This goal helps in avoiding waiting for elevators even for one floor and improves blood circulation in the legs.
3. Distance covered by walk is another goal. This happens simultaneously with the number of steps. 5 miles a day is the normal suggestion.
4. Number of calories burnt during the day is another major goal. A person burns about 1,500 calories a day even when remaining inactive due to functioning various organs and activities like breathing, eating, digesting etc. A goal of 2,500 calories per day would improve the fitness level. This can be increased further according to individual requirement.
5. Number of continuous active minutes is another major parameter. A minimum of 30 active minutes a day like walking, running or outdoor play etc. is suggested.
6. The devices also recommend taking some 250 steps each hour for periods ranging from six to nine hours each day. This provides movement on regular basis especially for office workers and those spending long hours before computers.

All the above goals can be modified according to individual needs. Device manuals and websites provide many more activities and suggestions to choose from.  

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One important watchword in any management jargon is "Anything that cannot be measured cannot be improved". Are there any real benefits in using such devices? There certainly is if they are regularly used and not thrown in a corner after initial euphoria of the first few days. Regular usage brings lot more discipline in managing one's fitness. Many users have benefited by reducing blood sugar levels from 30 to 80 points as well. 

What are the deficiencies in such devices? There are many. One common observation is that steps taken when the hand wearing the device is not moving are not counted. Similarly, mere swinging of hands also count as a step even if the person is actually sitting in one place. Travelling in a fast moving vehicles or rough roads also runs up step count or stairs climbed. There are other objections as well. 

While there are certainly some merits in the objections to the usage of devices due to such events, the benefits of their use far outweighs the drawbacks. One can use the device on trial for a few days (may be by borrowing from an understanding or obliging friend or relative!) if necessary.

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An interesting piece of information that came out while preparing for this blog post is about Cardio Fitness Score. It is an estimate of VO2 Max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen one's body can use during exercise.

A VO2 score of around 40 to 45 is considered excellent for a normal person. This of course depends on the age, height and weight of a person. Trained athletes have much more VO2 scores. The devices suggest the likely improvements in this score with reduction in weight for overweight persons. Ryan Hall, US Marathon Record Holder has a VO2 score of 81. How does Rafael Nadal muster strength even while fighting in the 4th and 5th sets of a Grand Slam event? Many top sportsmen, and tennis players included, have wonderful VO2 scores. Constant training improves and enlarges their hearts so that they can hold and pump more blood to meet the needs of heightened activities.

Nadal has a VO2 Max score of 85 and his pulse rate can go up to over 200 as against an average of 60 to 70 and a maximum of 150 for most people. Thus he can still hold the energy to win a point from hopeless situations and finish longer rallies when his opponents are gasping for breath. This is not a surprise when you watch him on the court!

Inside Passage to Alaska

Most of the cruise ships making trips to Alaska from Seattle or Vancouver take the "The Inside Passage" route. The Inside Passage refers to a coastal route for ships and boats along the network of passage which weave through the islands on the Pacific North West coast of North America. 

This route extends from the North-Western Washington State in USA and through Western British Columbia of Canada and proceeds to South-Western Alaska (USA). The route is used by ships and boats to take advantage of the web of many islands to avoid the bad weather in the open ocean and also enable visit to some of the isolated places and communities along the route. The route also provides good scenery though most of the travelling happens in the night. 

The major centres covered while travelling by The Inside Passage are Skagway, Glacier Bay, Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria. While the first four are parts of Alaska, Victoria is a part of British Columbia, Canada. There are many other places which can be covered in a longer private trip on a yacht.  

The first action on the ship after all the guests checkin and freshen up in their cabins is to move into the auditoriums in the main part of the ship for safety briefing. This is also a requirement as per law. The briefing is held in two or three groups depending on the need. The auditoriums are bigger than an average theatre in present day malls. Neatly dressed staff members guide the guests to their seats in the auditorium. The briefing about the various safety aids on the ship as well as the tips for staying healthy during the trip is done professionally using audio visual aids and demonstrations. As any infections can spread fast on the ship, special mention is made about the use of rest rooms and cleaning of hands properly before taking food in the restaurants. Guests are advised to use the toilets in their own rooms as far as possible. Hand cleaning solutions are available at the entry of food outlets and dining rooms.

All guest rooms are provided with neatly prepared and printed reading material each day giving details of the sailing program for the next day, details of excursions available and other allied issues. Experts from the respective fields board the ship when she moves in the Glacier Bay to give details of the surroundings and spotting of various attractions and sea animals like whales, sea lions etc. 

The total distance traveled during the voyage period is a little over 2200 Nautical Miles or 4000 Kilometres. At the end of the trip, a summary of the tour movements is given to the guests with a farewell message from the Commodore of the ship.

The first 40 hours is spent on travel from Seattle to Juneau, capital city of Alaska, covering a distance of 1600 Kilometres. The guests are entertained during this period through on board attractions like stage shows, music and dance programs etc. Swimming pools and casinos find much use during this period. Art auctions and Movies under the Stars are other attractions. Those worried about the wrinkles on their faces can have a Complimentary Facial Rejuvenation consultation from an expert. Sail away celebration with cocktails is also available. There are other attractions for children, youth and other age groups as well.

Most of the guests spend their time on the first day of the seven day trip in watching the ship sail through the blue waters of the sea and family get-togethers. It is time to catch up with past events and remember the important happenings amidst the beautiful blue waters of the sea and some whale watching as well!

On Board the "Ruby Princess"

Princess Cruises is one among the popular cruise liner companies. With 16 cruise ships and new ships being added from time to time, this company runs cruises all over the globe. Princess Cruises cover all the seven continents.  Ships of princess cruises use the famous "Sea Witch" logo and run cruise trips to Caribbean, Canada, South America, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Europe etc. besides Alaska specials. The conduct of cruise trips from on-boarding the travellers till they are disembarked at conclusion of the trip has to go like clock-work and coordinated between various agencies throughout the tour. Picture given above is taken as the ship is leaving Seattle harbour and shows the Seattle downtown skyline.

S.S. Pacific Princess, a ship of the Princess Cruises family, was used for making the famous serial for ABC Television series "The Love Boat" telecast between 1977 and 1986. The show's 249 episodes spread over 9 seasons and 5 specials was hugely popular.

How does a modern cruise ship look like? What are the facts about its size, facilities available and safety aspects? These would be interesting questions for someone who has not travelled aboard a modern luxury cruise liner. The answers to these questions also encourage an attempt to take a vacation on a cruise ship. Modern cruise ships are provided with various amenities and the facilities available to the travellers are to be experienced to have a first hand knowledge about them. This is also a testimony about evolving of sea travel and vacation on seas.

Our Seattle-Alaska-Seattle roundtrip in July, 2019 was scheduled on the ship "Ruby Princess". The following facts about "Ruby Princess" may give an idea about the size, facilities and overall physical contours of the ship:

• Built in 2008 and refurbished in 2018, Ruby Princess cost 400 million USD (about Rs. 2,800 crores at current exchange rates). In comparison, the cost of a standard Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet now is about 250 million USD.
• It can carry 3,100 travellers along with 1,200 crew and staff members.
• It has 19 Decks with 1500 guest cabins.
• It is 951 feet long and 195 feet wide. The area is more than the size of three football fields.
• The total area is bigger than many modern malls and hotels.
• There are many types of rooms; inside rooms on lower decks, sea-facing rooms, rooms with balconies, suites etc. 900 rooms are with balconies to provide an uninterrupted view of the sea to the guests.
• The rooms provide comforts comparable to a room in a star hotel.
• 24 hours Room Service is available.
• There are many dining halls with anytime dining as well as special dining rooms with reservations.
• A wide choice of Wine and Liquor is available against payment. The liner has secured the "Best Wine Bars at Sea" award by USA Today.
• Vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is available. The number of dishes and variety of non-vegetarian food is a treat to non-vegetarians.
• There are shops, coffee bars, cafeteria, pizzeria, bars, casino, library, spa, theatres, swimming pools, night clubs, a 9-hole putting course, art gallery etc.
• There is a Las Vegas type Casino to gamble, where lessons on Roulette and BlackJack are given to first time gamblers!
• Stage shows, movies and music program provide entertainment to guests who stay back on the ship instead of going out during day time.
• There are programs for children of different age groups, youth and teen programs, and programs of interest to any age group of guests.

In short, all facilities that can be expected by the travelling public in a modern star hotel is available on the ship. Use of some of these facilities comes with booking a tour while for some other facilities payment has to be made as and when used, depending on the usage.

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How much luggage one can carry on such a trip? There are no restrictions on weight and number like air travel and any reasonable quantity of luggage can be taken abroad. The luggage would be scanned, checked and handled as in airports. The only restriction is about carrying liquor. A traveler is permitted a maximum of two bottles of wine for personal consumption. Other types of liquor is not permitted, but available on the ship against payment. The larger pieces of luggage are received at the pier by the representatives of the ship and tagged. They would be available at the cabin doors by the time the guests complete other checkin formalities and reach their cabins. The checkin formalities include identification of the guest with appropriate documents, copying of their passports and visas etc. 

Keeping a count and control over the guests during the voyage as well as during the day time when the guests leave for excursions on the land is indeed a big challenge for the crew members. Technology has solved this problem admirably. At the time of checkin, each guest is given a chip card which he is required to carry with him always. This card serves multi purposes; it acts as an identification tool, a key to lock and open the cabins, and also for making payments for all purchases and services on the ship. Guests need not carry their debit or credit cards or cash etc. All payments are accounted through this card and final aggregate amount is debited to the registered credit card once on the last day before disembarking from the ship. guests will be able to view their expenses on the net, of course. Wi-fi facility is available in the cabins and ship during the voyage, on payment of prescribed charges.

These cards are scanned as and when the guests leave the ship for going out during the daytime and again scanned while they return to the ship in the evening. This process gives the ships crew actual head count of the guests at any point in time.

The infrastructure and facilities at the pier for on-boarding the guests is excellent and the process is smooth. The staff are very cooperative and guide the guests wherever required. The charges for the cruise trip include tips for the staff as well and hence separate tipping is not required, unless the guests so desire.

Exploring Alaska by Cruise

In the earlier two posts, "Vacations on Cruise" (Click Here to read) and "Cruise Vacations: Costs and Conveniences" (Click here to read), there was a brief discussion on the advantages of taking a vacation on cruise ships and the relative costs vis-a-vis conveniences of such a trip as compared to other modes of vacations. As Cruise trips to Alaska are very popular and also provide one of the two alternatives to visit this wonderful geographical region, taking a look at exploring Alaska by Cruise would be interesting. 

Why is Alaska special as a tourist destination? Why should one take an Alaska  cruise tip or why it should become a preferred vacation area? The answers to these questions are indeed fascinating both from the geographical as well as historical perspectives.  

Where is Alaska? It is well known that it is one of the 50 states that comprise the United States of America. Yet it is separated from the other mainland states of USA. It is a part of the North American Continent and yet it is very close to Asia. Alaska is very valuable due to its enormous natural resources and strategic location. It has abundant mineral wealth, marine wealth and tourist attraction. It's long coast line and wild forests provide for a variety of adventure activities. Alaska has something to offer to tourists of all age groups and varied interests.

The following facts give an idea about Alaska:

• Alaska is nicknamed as "The Last Frontier".
• It is the 49th state of the USA and became a state on 3rd January 1959. It was followed later by Hawaii (a state only made of islands and another vacation destination) as the 50th state on 21st August 1959.
• It was purchased from Russian Empire on 30th March 1867 for 7.2 million dollars (not 1,000 dollars as sometimes quoted). It was one of the cheapest and grandest real estate purchases!
• It is a strategically important geographical area for various reasons.
• It is on the Pacific coast and 500 miles away from the nearest state of USA, Washington (Seattle area).
• The distance between USA and Russia is only 3 miles! Last Alaskan Island of "Little Diomede" is just three miles from the Russian island of "Big Diomede".
• The Diomede Islands are called as the Yesterday Island and Tomorrow Island because even though they are only three miles apart, international time line separates them by 21 hours!
• The Diamode islands get their names from the Greek hero and commander of 80 Argive ships that took part in Trojan War.
• When territorial water area is included, Alaska is larger than the next three large states of Texas, California and Montana put together.
• Adjoining Canada, it is the largest state of USA by area.
• Its length is 1420 miles and breadth is 2261 miles and is spread over 6,63,000 square miles.
• But its population is only 7,40,000 and hence the least densely populated state.
• Juneau, capital of Alaska, cannot be reached from other parts of USA by land (unless pass through Canada). It can be reached either by Air or Sea.
• Its Denali National Park alone comprises six million acres of wild land and has the 20,310 feet high Denali peak, which is one of the popular tourist destinations.

Alaska is thus a very important geographical region due to its natural resources, marine wealth and tourist attractions.

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What are the requirements for making a trip to Alaska? The first requirement is the desire to get there and explore. The second is to make time and ear mark funds for the same. This is true of all tourist destinations as well. In addition to these, there are some documents required to make a trip to Alaska. What are the documents required for visiting Alaska?

• As Alaska is a part of USA, a valid Visa for visit to USA is required (except for the citizen of countries for whom USA waives a visa to visit the country).
• Alaska can be visited in two ways from mainland USA; either by Air or by Cruise. 
• For visit by Air, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau are the main airports of entry. Anchorage is the most popular airport of arrival and is well connected to other parts of the world.
• For visiting Alaska from USA by cruise, valid Canada visa is also required as the ships stay in the Canada territorial waters for a considerable time. Besides, cruise trips to Alaska usually include a halt at Victoria island which is a part of Canada.

Other preparations depend on the season and weather conditions. Though there are many cruise options from other cities to Alaska, cruises from Seattle, USA and Vancouver, BC, Canada are very popular. These cruises are generally roundtrips and start on the afternoon of Saturday and return to the same place on the early morning of the next Saturday. A duty leave of five working days would be enough for working people to take such cruises. These cruises cover the highlights of Alaska excluding the Denali. The peak season for these cruises is during the months of April to September. June, July and August are the warmest months and have maximum cruises and attract most of the visitors.

The one week's cruise time is covered by sailing in the nights, arriving at a port in the morning, providing land excursions during the day and resuming next lap of the journey again in the night. Even during the summer months, warm clothing will always be required to be kept handy as the weather changes very fast and sunny days have rainy or cold interludes. While on the ship, there would be gusty winds when the ships sail in the pacific and one feels colder than what the temperatures are actually are. While on day excursions one should have a kit bag or backpack with warm clothing which can be used when required or stored away in the bags when the sun comes out and it is hot. A foldable umbrella will be a good friend as showers can visit us any time. 4 or 5 layers of dress with warm sweaters would be advisable. It is important to cover the legs and feet as well with warm pants and socks and wear comfortable shoes. Proper caps/monkey caps, neck covers and mufflers should be available in the bags. Carrying some types of snacks for munching at times of leisure during such excursions is also advisable as the items may not be easily available when you are hungry.

As mentioned earlier, while the ships anchor at the port in the morning, the entire day is allowed for exploring the land areas around the port and return to the ship in the evening. In the summer months sunrise is early and sunset is mostly after 8 PM. In July and August months the sun sets after 9 PM. This gives enough time for the tourists to explore both outdoor and indoor attractions around the port. The cruise ships provide voluminous literature on the attractions available in the area. They also provide a number of alternatives or combination of activities to gainfully spend the day time on the land. One should carefully  study these literature and choose the trip for the day to suit budget, time, physical activity and interests. There are helicopter tours, boat rides, coverage by buses and also adventure sports and hiking etc. The activity chosen should be according to the age group and capacity to walk long distances or enjoy with least physical activity. These plans should be in place before the sailing of the ship and booked well in advance so that disappointment of not getting seats on the last minute approaches is avoided.

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A cruise trip to Alaska is not just one trip. It is a combination of many excursions within a vacation trip. One who plans for each leg of the tour diligently and in advance will derive the best experience with least expenditure. Make full use of the available time, get the best experience and spend the least will be the key guiding factors for an enjoyable Alaska Cruise Trip. Of course, it is the same for other cruise trips as well!

Cruise Vacations: Costs and Conveniences

In the previous post titled "Vacation on Cruise" (Click here to read it), we have seen growth of cruise vacations in leisure travel market, and evolution of the concept of vacation in the Indian context. The next pertinent questions are naturally relate to comparison of a cruise vacation with other forms of vacation tours, and costs and conveniences of cruise vacations. Are cruise vacations available only for those capable of spending substantial amounts or is it within the reach of an average budget traveler? What are the cruise options available at different parts of the world? What are the advantages in a cruise vacation and what conveniences are available to the tourist? What would be the cost implication for planning cruise trips? These questions are to be answered satisfactorily before one thinks of taking a vacation on a cruise trip.

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Cruise trips are available allover the world, from many centres. The spread of cruise trips is naturally more from countries having long coast lines. There are some river cruise trips as well. Ocean cruise trips provide more variety to the traveler. Among all the cruise trips available presently, the approximate coverage is as under:

• Carribean and Bahama Cruises:      35%
• Mediterranean Cruises:                    15%  
• South America Cruises:                    10%
• Australia-NewZealand Cruises:        10%
• Alaska Cruises:                                   8%
• Other Cruises:                                   22%

Among the popular cruises from India are the ones to Mauritius, Maldives and Dubai.

Average age of cruise going passengers is 47 years, indicating that the spread is almost even among different age groups. Alaska cruises have shown a higher growth (about 16%) in recent years as against overall growth (8% to 10%) in the cruise travel market. Growth of Asian cruise travellers including Indians, was the highest at 20% last year. 

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There are two options for planning vacation travel; arranging all the components by the traveler directly or availing the services of a reputed travel agency. Choosing the first alternative is costlier as well as involves lot of efforts on working on various minute details of the entire journey. The second option gives the convenience of entrusting all responsibilities for the arrangement to a trusted travel agent, paying a stipulated amount and then hope for the best. Cruise vacations belong to the second type.

Many travel agencies in India have their own arrangements for offering conducted tours from end to end basis. Some of them source travellers to a designated foreign location and then handover the remaining part of the tour to their care. More and more people are availing the services of such tour operators for their vacation tours. With the advent of professionalism and competition being very stiff, offers by such operators are both at reasonable costs and good quality service. While one cannot expect every detail of such tours to be up to their own satisfaction, overall experiences are encouraging. In the present times there are many operators offering such tours to cover destinations all over the world.

For a cost of about 5,000 US dollars an Indian traveler can even embark on a near three weeks tour of Europe covering 10 to 12 countries. While it is not possible to cover all the destinations in all these countries, these tours offer a reasonably wonderful experience within the available limitations. Thus the average cost per day of such a travel works out to about 250 US Dollars per day per person. A cruise vacation trip also would cost around the same level. Thus there is no difference between the costs of a cruise trip and other arranged tours. This is applicable to the basic cost of a trip. The cost would increase depending on the nature of accommodation chosen and other amenities requested, as is the case with other arranged tours. However, before booking any cruise trip one should work out the total costs and satisfy himself about the various aspects of the trip.

What is the ideal length of a cruise vacation trip? A definite answer to this question cannot be given. There are short cruise trips of 3 days as well as those that last for two months! A 3 day trip to Bahamas from Florida costs from USD 200 to USD 500. Similar trip of one week from New York would cost USD 500 to USD 800. A two month long South America Circle Cruise Trip from Florida costs upwards of USD 10,000. Again the low fares are for rooms in inside cabins. Costs for ocean view cabins and balcony cabins are naturally higher. Mini-Suites and Suites cost much more. It is, therefore, necessary to study the amenities vis-a-vis costs and then decide on the cruise trip destinations, length of the trip as well as the type of rooms one wants to book. 

The summary of the above discussion is only to drive home the point that one need not have a feeling that cruise trips are very costly and should not be dismissed on cost aspect alone. 

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The next part relates to the conveniences available on cruise tours. Some of the features available on cruise vacation trips are:

• Members of the family/group can converge at the port of departure of the cruise ship, start the trip and again disperse to their own places after conclusion of the trip. This arrangement provides a continuous togetherness during the entire cruise trip without wastage of time on journeys. As the entire group is on the ship and everyone in the group is free from the routine responsibilities, full enjoyment of the vacation is available to all members.
• As the days of cruise is fixed on booking of the trip, travel arrangements to and from the port of departure/arrival can be made by individual members of the group as per their convenience.
• Cruise trips provide for airport/railway station pickup and drop facility.
• A leave of absence of 5 days from work would suffice to take a week long cruise trip.
• Baggage rules are not as strict as in the case of air travel.
• A cruise trip is like being in a floating hotel. In case of other tours, checking in and checking out of hotel rooms, packing and unpacking, luggage movement from/to the bus or train consume much time and cause tension. Cruise trips are like checking into a hotel room once. The traveler is free from these hassles. You go to sleep in one city and get up in another and yet retain the same room!
• Though it is one cruise, there are various options for sight-seeing during the day time. Members of the same group can choose different day time activities according to their own interests. For example, younger members can choose to go on a hiking trip whereas the elder ones can take a train or bus trip involving less walking.
• It is a 24-hour activity driven tour. Even after coming back to the ship in the evening, there are many activities on the ship. There are music  and stage shows, games and even casinos for gambling.
• If some members of the group do not want to go out on a given day, they can stay back on the ship and yet engage themselves in other entertainment activities.
• All cruise trips are inclusive of food while on ship. There are facilities for round the clock dining and coffee shops etc.
• Multiple varieties of cuisine is available on the ships. It is a feast especially for non-vegetarians. Ship bars provide a variety of alcoholic beverages against payment.
• Room service is also available for those who do not want to go the dining rooms.
• There are different activities for different age groups; for children, youth, adults and the aged as well.
• If balcony rooms are chosen, one can enjoy the scenery from the comforts of their own rooms.
• There are libraries, art galleries as well as art auctions. 

Cruise vacations are chosen by many families for celebration of events such as Birthdays, Anniversaries etc. Princess Cruises, one of the popular cruises  and the one we used for our Alaska tour, gives away as many as 800 chocolate birthday cakes every day on their ships on different cruises! Their website informs that they have so far hosted over 20 million birthdays on their voyages! Over 25 million anniversaries have been celebrated on their ships from inception.

Cruise ships also offer facilities for celebrating  wedding functions on their cruises. In case of non-availability of marriage halls, this option can also be explored. Those who are already married need not be disappointed. This facility is available for remarriage after divorce as well.

A cruise trip may perhaps be a novel gift that can be given to someone special or to one's own self. 

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That brings us to a very important question about safety of cruise travel on vacation. it is said that the chances of death on cruise ships is 1 in 6.25 million. It is safer than driving a car as there are more deaths in automobile accidents!