Of course, seniors are no longer people who have retired at 65 and are now looking ahead to a few years of retirement bliss. They may be only fifty years old and may still be employed in regular work, with a yearning for travel and adventure. Also, they might be people who like to cruise with plenty of activities to keep them interested, both off and on the ship. They may also prefer peace and quiet and a more relaxing, cruise environment.

Of course, each has their own personal favourites, and that means that there is a whole load reasons seniors will choose certain cruise itineraries and ships.

“The definition of seniors is changing. Now they are more active, more daring,” said Carolyn Brown, who is the editor of Cruise Critic, which is an independent online magazine.

That is just one reason, for example, that Seabourn, which is a luxury line long a popular choice with older passengers who favour a more traditional  European Cruises, is putting more emphasis on active itineraries on its three newest ships.

“Seniors are looking for more things to do, to explore,” Nancy Parode,  senior travel guide for About.com, was quoted to say.

If you are looking for a great seniors choice cruise, Holland America and Celebrity are renowned as the best premium lines offering excellent choices, Royal Caribbean and Princess are best for active seniors, Cunard are great for ocean crossings, with Carnival for seniors on a tighter budget, Disney for inter-generational family cruises at sea, or Cruise West for best light adventure programmes and finally Silversea as best luxury small ship cruise operator for seniors.

The Marriages at Sea experience will allow lucky couples to celebrate the most special day of their lives in style and start their honeymoon immediately on a very romantic and extremely unforgettable cruise. The experience begins with flowers and champagne in your stateroom and continues on with the services of a personal wedding arranger.

The private wedding ceremony is conducted by the Captain, or if the Captain is unavailable the Staff Captain will step in,  in one of a number of indoor wedding venues, which are able to accommodate all types of wedding party sizes, small or large . The wine, champagne, music, cake, flowers and photography can all be choosen to suit individual needs and are also offered reception options for groups of all sizes too – from intimate meals to more grandiose affairs.

This means you can enjoy all the variety but have none of the stress to endure! The added luxury is that you will not have to choose between a honeymoon in Venice or Rome – you could see both wonderful cities, as well as many more! Whatever way an on board wedding is arranged, this is for sure, it will most definitely be an occasion to remember forever.

How better a way can you think of to start off married life? The most basic wedding package starts from £1,050 (applicable from April 2010 to April 2011).  More details, see www.pocruises.co.uk/wedding

On a Europe cruise the focus is much more on what is not on the ship itself but whats going on ashore. You will normally be going  ashore at roughly 8:30 a.m in the morning and you are driving or walking until late afternoon. In the Caribbean though,  there are many more days spent at sea and the focuses are on the ship and all its activities, facilities and entertainment. On European cruises, many passengers simply miss the floor shows and head for bed earlier, tired out and in need of rest for the next early morning start.

Here are three very important criteria in choosing the right ship for a European cruise:  1) Itinerary, 2) Time in spent port and 3) dress policy.

When comparing boats, check the length of stay in each port — you will want as much time as possible in sightseeing-orientated destinations, after all how many times in your life will you visit cities like Rome and Florence?

On a Baltic cruise, the two best ports are St. Petersburg and Stockholm.  In the first city, aim for a ship that stays in port three days instead of two.  Believe me, there is so much to see that you’ll want a longer visit to get the most out of the city!

These days, however more and more cruise lines are removing or greatly reducing nights when formal wear is necessary.  If you don’t want to bring along a suitcase full of nice clothes, check the suggested dress codes of ships.

On a European cruise, you may want to not choose the extra cost of a balcony cabin since the ship is in port nearly every day. It is much better to spend the money you will save on shore excursions and shopping. Another critical area is shore excursions.  Princess is the pick for the best excursions available at the moment. They just have the edge over other cruise lines because of the volume of passengers they carry every year.  They have first shot at the best guides, and can demand special treatment and have the ground arrangements perfected.

To conclude; the perfect European ship will offer casual dining in the Lido restaurant at night, important when you are worn out from sightseeing to get dressed up and dine for several hours. Oceania, Princess and Norwegian Cruise Line offer the best casual dining options.

If you’ve previously this summer, been cruising the Caribbean, then choosing a ship for European waters is a whole different kettle of fish!

On a European cruise, you will find that spending time aboard ship is not one of the main activities, its the shore excursions that count. This is totally different from a Caribbean cruise experience. For example, if you have been on the atypical Caribbean cruise you will remember that you will have spent far more days at sea, so therefore the crux of you enjoyment aboard ship is what facilities and entertainments it has to offer. This differs somewhat to the European Cruise where passengers can expect to spend much less time at sea and more time travelling and touring the ports of call.

This, of course means that the criteria for picking the ideal European cruise, in my opinion should be as follows; The Itinerary, Your stay in Port and finally the expected Dress Code.

When it comes to ships, try and compare the length of time that each will be docked at port, especially if you are visiting a destinations that’s got lots too see and do, for example Venice in Italy. That way you will make the most of the time you have ashore.

Check the dress code of the ships you are looking at too, make sure that you don’t end up packing loads of formal wear and suites when the expected attire is casual, equally the opposite is true, if there lots of evening functions you will need to have enough suitable outfits for the entire cruise.

Another good tip is to not bother with getting a cabin with a sea view, since most of your travelling is overnight and you spend each day in port, there’s not much point really. Much better to save some money and get and internal cabin leaving more money to spend on the critical shore excursions and day tours. After all there not alot of point having a room with a view that you are not spending a great deal of time in.

If you are looking for casual dining options then Norwegian cruise line, Princess and Oceania are you best bets, this is a great option if you intend to spend all your time out and about each day, after all who wants to get dressed up every night when your all worn out for having some much fun exploring those European destinations!

If exploring the nooks and crannies of Italy, with a number of islands and inland waterways to visit, you can quite easily combine the sea with the land to create yourself a unique holiday experience where you will get plenty of time to take photographs and take home memories of this wonderful place.

With regard to the times of year that are most suitable for river cruises in Italy you should probably choose sometime between May and August, for an optimal weather conditions, consider the extreme heat of the Summer months however, because Italy can get quite hot during this time.

Getting a one or two week river cruise in Italy is really easy, simply search on the Internet to find respectable tour operators that will be able to line you up with a vacation package that meets your needs. Prices will vary depending on the levels of accommodation that you want as well as the duration of your stays. If you want to have pre-arranged tours for shore excursions that this will be usually included in teh package you choose, or if you are more adventurous, you can arrange all your own trips.

Making sure that Venice is one of the destinations that’s included in your River cruise is a must. With its winding waterways steeped in architecture and history its breathtaking an unmissable.

Overall Italy as a destination for a River cruise is highly recommended with much to do a see you can have a wonderful vacation here no matter the weather.

When you are choosing a cruise, they will usually come in packages, and in each case usually but not always, will encompass trips to various regions or countries that are close together.

For example, if you want to take a Eastern Mediterranean cruise, then you will most likely be interested in visiting Italy, Turkey, Greece and the Greek Isles. In this case the main ports of call be be for Turkey, Istanbul, Greece, Athens or Italy which is Rome or perhaps Venice. depending on which cruise package you choose the direction that you travel will mean the order in which you visit each of these places. Most definitely there will be other ports of call on a cruise like this so you will have plenty of chances to take on some interesting shore excursions. With many place of archaeological interest in this part of the world whether it be art galleries or ruins there’s something for everyone whatever their interests.

An alternative to the eastern Med cruise would be one that is more focused on the western reaches of the Mediterranean. In this case you be visiting countries such as Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal and Monte Carlo to mention but a few. You can pick and choose your favourite destinations then match this up with a cruise package that meets your requirements. With so much culture to take in all of these places are worthy of any Mediterranean European cruise vacation.

Once you got an idea in your head as to how much you want to spend, you can start to consider what options are open to you. It worthwhile considering whether you think you might take a cruise of some kind in the future, if this is the case you might want to work out how to split the budgets so you can experience some things this time and different things on the next cruise you take. In fact, you can effectively make the cruise cost a lot less if you are planning to take further cruise vacations in Europe or perhaps the Caribbean later on.

You should definitely start by looking at all the potential European cruises destinations and ports of call available, start by making a list, using the internet or using a cruise line brochure that you can get from a local tour operator or get them sent to you by the cruise lines themselves. Use these sources to work out where you want to go, make a small note of prices too, and what pages or websites you got the information from so you can easily get back to them at a later date.

When you have your list, identify 3-4 cruises that you particularly like, once you’ve done this you can start looking at comparative prices from different cruise lines. At this stage look into the amenities and extras that each cruise provides so you can make you mind up as to which is best for you.

With the final line up you can then make an informed choice as the best deals available, you can perhaps visit a tour operation in you high street, and if you have all this information that can quickly identify any great cruise bargains that you might be interested in.

Hopefully there’s some good cruise advice here, have a great cruise and good luck.

Start off with knowing what the climates will be like on your vacation, will it be hot, cold, or somewhere in between. Also consider that if you are travelling some distances, the temperatures in different ports may vary, also don’t forget that night time temperatures can be considerably colder that those in the day time, so you need to plan for this eventuality.

You should also think about what kind of events and activities will be part of your European cruise ship time. In general, however, most situations that you will encounter on your cruise come under the following three headings. These are; Casual, Semi-casual and Formal wear( or evening wear).

Casual wear is important, although you don’t want to be too scruffy, also don’t forget a swim suit, you can buy these on board ship, but you won’t necessarily get a great choice so your own is better.

Semi-Casual might be the kind of outfit you would be comfortable wearing on a night or day out back home, you will be using this style when you are on shore excursions as well as enjoying the evening entertainmenta on board ship, like live shows etc.

Formal wear is important too, at least one night of many cruises involve a dinner and dance, usually called the Captains dinner, for men this would be a formal dinner jacket, possibly with a bow i.e., but not essential.

Don’t try to take your whole wardrobe with you on the cruise, even though you can fit alot in your suitcases ( more than on a traditional vacation due to air freight limitations), try and select clothes that you can mix and match and that are comfortable, new shoes can be nice, but you don’t want to be uncomfortable on the best cruise vacation ever!

Also don’t forget to pack those little things that you think you might need, if you need to make a list of all the things you want to take, this can help you decide and also make sure that you don’t forget to pack anything important.

If you are taking a European river cruise, for example, there are so many wonder sights to see as you pass through the capitals of Europe such as London’s River Thames or the Seine River in Paris, France. To this end you may want to make sure that you get a room with a view, in this case a wonderful balcony stateroom that will let you take in the majestic countryside and townscapes on a London river cruise.

You may think that having a cabin with views isn’t all that important because you will hardly be spending any time there at all, but in fact you might prefer to relax on your own so this should be part of the considerations when choosing a room.

Outside Cabins
The ships cabins that on the outside of this ship will all have windows, you should however take into consideration what kind they are. This will of course largely depending the type of cruise ship that you are on, if it’s a large cruise liner travelling the Mediterranean, then you will most likely have balcony areas, if however, it’s a smaller vessel traversing the waterways of the Rhine or Danube in Germany, then you might in fact have a smaller port hole window. The other thing to consideration is the location of the cabin, you might have a window but it may well be facing some superstructure of the ship that blocks the view. All this can be found out by examining the plans of the ship which you will be presented with in the cruise brochure whilst you are choosing which cabins and their locations when you buy you cruise package.

Inside Cabins
An inside cabin is just this; it is usually entered from a corridor on the inside of the ship, as most rooms are. In this case there are no windows in this type of cabin. This doesn’t mean that it will be any less luxurious and well fitted out with all the modern amenities expected from a modern cruise ship, but not having a window may be important to you so it’s good to remember this if you decide to opt for an inner cabin.

If you are looking for real luxury then you can get a suite. Here you will get separate bedrooms and living accommodation, some even have private deck space.

In general the price difference between inner cabins, cabins with windows and balconies or suite rooms are as to be expected incremental, it’s worth noting however, that you may initially choose an inside cabin without a view and as the time for the cruise departure closes in, the cruise operator may actually contact you, in fact this is usual practice for most, to see if you will be interested in upgrading to an outside cabin for a small cost that will quite often be a good bargain. This is due to the companies finding it easier to sell the inner cheaper cabins and also means if you want a room with a view you can.

Imagine the feeling of getting all settled on board you cruise ship, but having that nagging feeling that you have forgotten something or left something behind. This is a not a nice feeling to have, as we all know, so this post is a quick guide to some of the thing you should try and do before leaving on your cruise to make sure this doesn’t happen to you

A really good idea is to make a checklist of all the thing that’s you think that you might need, make sure you start this early on in the planning cycle, try and keep the list handy at all times, that way if something pops into your head that you really must take with you, you can write it down straight away. A quick tip is to keep the least neat, that way you won’t get confused, also make sure you have a nice neat column where you can tick things off as you start to pack your cases and hand luggage.

Another really good idea is to have a check list for every person going on the European cruise, each person may have something that are different which might make a single list you are putting together overly complicated and that might mean you will leave something out that’s very important.

To get you started, here a few essentials that you should immediately right down at the top of the list. Passport, cruise tickets, and medical documents that might be relevant. Make sure you have some other personal id and also your home telephone numbers and contact numbers. It’s a good idea to leave the contact numbers of the local doctor’s surgery that you use, that way if anything bad happens then the local doctors can easily get access to your medical records which could be vital. Also make sure you leave contact numbers for the cruise lines operator with someone back home in case they need to contact you.

If you have medications or special dietary requirements that are essential make sure you pack enough of these to last the entire cruise time, with regards to medical supplies like tablets or inhalers take extra or a spare ( especially with inhalers for asthma ) since it would be hard to get replacements.

When it comes to clothing, you should identify what kind of weather you will be expecting. Packing for a Northern European Cruise is entirely different from a Southern Mediterranean cruise, so choose wisely. Bear in mind also how long you are travelling for, 1 or 2 weeks and pack accordingly. Work out which outfits you require and try and figure out in advance what you want to wear with what, if you choose carefully you can reduce the total amount of clothes you will pack. There are limits to what you can take; you should check your itinerary paper from the tour operator to see what the limits are.

So in general pack early and pack carefully this way you will have a European cruise to remember without any worries, which is always nice.