[Stories & Tips]

Journal Entry # 5
Day 5

Goodbye to Paris and hello to Barcelona! We arrived to the airport and went straight to the Port of Barcelona to board the Norwegian Jade. The cruise ship was beautiful, filled with all sorts of tropical designs (which didn't really make sense for a Mediterranean cruise, but hey). The day was extremely sunny, approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit and perfect for setting sail. In general, the day was extremely relaxing. Food was available everywhere you walked and alcohol was being pushed to no degree. This was a day that would make a boring read for a journal entry, but is a day that taught me a valuable life lesson: ALWAYS USE CRUISE CRITIC! And there stands the moral of the story.

If you are big into seeing the world by cruising, or just into relaxation and think a cruise ship is the ideal vacation for you then sign up for Cruise Critic. It is a free website available for all people, and enables people to post on message boards about meet and greets, planning activities and the possibility of sharing shore excursions. In general, cruise lines charge an arm and a leg for the ship's shore excursions, and with a little research individuals can book their own shore excursions that are catered to the customers needs and have the ability to be flexible. Did I add that the shore excursions can sometimes be HUNDREDS of dollars cheaper? Once a shore excursion is booked by the little researcher, the researcher can post on cruise critic the details of the booked shore excursion and can find other cruise critic members to join and split the cost with. It is amazing what a little research can do, and it is even more amazing what cruise critic can do.

So... if you plan to go on a cruise, check out cruise critic. It won't disappoint!