Cruise: Tips : Top Ten : QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOUR FIRST CRUISE

1. How long can you be away? Cruises can be three-day weekend sailings, seven-day cruises, 14 days or even longer. First-timers usually opt for three to seven days.

2. Where do you want to go? Weekend and mid-week mini-cruises from Los Angeles usually visit Ensenada, with calls at Catalina Island and/or San Diego. Seven-day cruises from L.A. sail the Mexican Riviera, and fly/sail packages let you go farther afield to Hawaii, the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska or Asia.

3. Are you traveling as a single, one of a pair or with children? Some ships offer “guaranteed share” rates for singles, and several cruise lines emphasize their full activity programs for children.

4. Do you want a large, medium-sized or small ship? Big ships (generally those more than 30,000 gross registered tons) have more entertainment, bigger casinos and spas and longer lines for everything from the captain’s cocktail party to shore excursions; medium-sized ships have scaled-down versions of the same. Small ships (those carrying 200 or fewer passengers) are more apt to be free of regimentation and rigid dress codes, but you’re often on your own for entertainment.

5. Do you want an older or a newer ship? Purists may prefer older vessels that look like ocean liners, since many new ships look more like hotels with their soaring glass atriums and glass elevators. Newer ships have identical modular cabins while older ships have individually constructed cabins that come in all shapes and sizes. Plumbing and air conditioning problems occur most often on ships more than 20 years old or on brand-new vessels during shakedown cruises. Some older ships with deeper drafts may ride more smoothly in the water than shallow-draft newer ships.

6. What do you want in the way of shipboard life-style? Decide what you think are the most important elements of a good vacation, jot them down and have them handy when you make your initial call to a travel agent. Small to mid-sized vessels usually provide a more relaxed ambiance, while glittering mega-liners throb with music and bright lights most of the night.

7. How much do you want to learn about the places you’ll visit? While most ships provide port and shore-excursion lectures, the emphasis is often on shopping. Expedition-style vessels will give you the most in-depth information about history and flora and fauna, with slide lectures, reference libraries and specialized excursions ashore.

8. Do you want frequent opportunities to wear your nicest party clothes, or would you prefer to stay casual day and night? Super-deluxe small ships are quite dressy, expedition and sailing ships casual. Big ships usually have two dress-up evenings a week where men are expected to wear a tuxedo, a suit, or jacket and tie, and women to dress in cocktail attire.

9. Do you want to go island-hopping on a ship that stops at a lot of ports or spend your time relaxing aboard ship? If relaxing is more important, look for one or two days at sea on a week-long itinerary. You’ll still have ports to visit but you will get some rest in between.

10. Do you need to worry about getting seasick? Generally, fewer than 5% of passengers complain about seasickness. Modern ships are equipped with stabilizers that smooth out the rolling motion and shipboard doctors ready with prescription or over-the-counter remedies. If motion sickness is a problem, avoid transatlantic and transpacific sailings, as well as mid-winter sailings between Ensenada and Los Angeles. Smoother seas can be found in Alaska’s Inside Passage, along the great rivers of the world and around the islands of Hawaii or the Caribbean.