16 W E S T W O R L D A L B E R T A | F A L L 2 0 1 5 royal caribbean, holland america line, norwegian cruise line, princess cruises
cruises, featuring big-name musical acts like The
Band Perry and Jewel.
e onboard experience. Mainstream cruise lines
claim to be all-inclusive, but there are usually extra
fees for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (you
can purchase a beverage package instead of paying
per drink), certain meals, spa services and gratuities.
An agent will break it all down for you so there are no
surprises later. They'll also help you book shore
excursions in advance and select your stateroom – a
complex undertaking with choices of size, amenities,
location, view and price.
Headache-free travel. You'll probably fly in and
out of your departure port. An agent can line up
the connections like clockwork, and help in a
heartbeat should problems occur. Cruisers often
need more buffer time than they think; for exam-
ple, it's a roughly one-hour drive from New York's
LaGuardia Airport to the Manhattan cruise termi-
nal, or New Jersey Cape Liberty Cruise Port, but
AMA cruise specialists recommend allowing a
minimum of three hours for transit. With an agent
handling those details, you can say bon voyage to
your worries. W
(clockwise from top left) Royal
Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas
pool deck; Holland America
Pinnacle Grill's New York strip
steak; Norwegian Cruise Line's
Epic near the Miami skyline;
Princess Cruises' Princess Royal
Tea Tower on the piazza.
