Should the unsettling news of the Costa Cruise ship accident make you rethink plans for a family vacation cruise? Absolutely not. Cruising is one of the best family vacation option out there. No matter what age your children are, no matter who you're traveling with, no matter where you're traveling to, a cruise ship has something to offer everyone.

My 18 year-old son, who tends to be a homebody, can always be talked into taking a cruise. My 92-year-old father-in-law rarely travels with us these days because of some health issues that make it difficult for him to walk long distances and difficult to sleep at night. But both are excited about the possibility of taking a multi-generational family cruise this summer before my son heads off to college.

The biggest advantage of cruising over other forms of travel is the fact that the hotel room travels with you. You can see great swaths of the world without ever packing or unpacking. Last summer, my daughter and I sailed as guests of Royal Caribbean onboard a cruise around the Adriatic. We moved into our cozy room, unpacked, shoved the suitcases under the bed and enjoyed fine dining and ocean breezes while the ship did the traveling. Each morning, we awoke in a new port and spent the day exploring a new world--Ravenna and Bari Italy; Koper, Slovenia, and Dubrovnik and Cavtat, Croatia.

So don't let an unfortunate accident keep you from trying a cruise if you have never been on a ship, or booking a repeat visit if you have cruised before. If you wouldn't allow a traffic accident to keep you from a family road trip or a plane crash to keep you from flying, don't let a cruise ship accident keep you from cruising.

< Prev		Next >