"Cruising" is an excellent way to enjoy retirement! I highly recommend it to anybody within earshot on every chance possible.

When I retired I got into several different things and was enjoying myself with all the free time I now had. Then we took a week long trip on Holland America to Alaska. We saw glaciers, enjoyed excellent food, saw tons of wild life and had great table mates to talk with. Boy, howdy! Did that change my way of thinking!

After that excursion, we have been to Mexico, the Panama Canal, back to Alaska 2 more times and other trips. I try to get away twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. I find those times to be enough for me and the wife per year. We have grandchildren, friends and ground travel that takes up the rest of the time.

The advantages of cruising are many and you should really experience them rather than hearing about them from me. The food is beyond good, its top quality and served by an experienced staff able to meet your every need. If you want steak and lobster every night, just put it on a card and pass it along to the kitchen staff - it'll be there!

I have never felt that our personal safety was compromised at any point. At some of the Central and South American ports they have soldiers with machine guns at key points, but they are protecting us, not seeking to harm us! Our ships were escorted in and out of their harbors for our safety.

You should vary the line you cruise on. I love Holland America as they have the mid-size boats with 1200 to 1500 passengers. You feel much less like you're in a crowd on the smaller boats. However, we had a perfectly good time on larger boats with 2000+ passengers. Norwegian Cruise Lines is another favorite. Princess and other lines provide a good experience and you will find one that seems to fit your needs if you move about and try a few of them.

The cost of cruising is the same cost, or a tiny bit less, than you and the spouse out on the road in your car. The motel, dining, gas and other expenses are climbing so high these days! There are 30 brand new boats being launched over the next 10 years and these new boats will keep the prices competitive for decades to come. Some of the older boats are being retired, but for the most part the new boats are being built to keep up with demand. The safety of todays highways for our senior citizens is not as good as your safety on board a cruiser!

I recommend paying for a room on a cruiser with an ocean view, at least. I have a wee bit of fear for cramped places and inside rooms with no exterior view bother me. My all time favorite rooms are those with a balcony, but they come at a premium price. Don't kill the budget and get a suite - you don't spend enough time in the rooms to justify the expense.

Dress casually throughout the cruise and have one good outfit consisting of slacks, shirt, tie and coat for the formal nights of dining. Your gals will enjoy getting dressed up for the formal nights. Rest of time eat at the Lido deck restaurants and enjoy the casual atmos-phere.

You could write a book about all the pluses of cruising, but 1-2 days on one of those big ships will answer all your questions. I strongly recommend it!

Learn more about this author, Fred Tolleson.
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