People in Britain enjoy more sea cruise holidays than any other nationality in Europe, with 1,028,936 British holidaymakers taking to the ocean in 2004 (a 7% rise on the previous year), spending a total of £1.24bn.

Cruises represent 5% of the UK holiday market, despite many much-publicised onboard disasters, like the seven days passengers were forced to spend walking through sewage aboard the Thomson Celebration liner.

Why choose a cruise?

Cruise ships are like floating hotels. In fact, the bigger liners are like entire holiday resorts on water. They offer sightseeing vacations that don’t require you to move from place to place, unpacking and repacking your luggage. You unpack once, and then the ship moves for you.

But you will have to take with you a lot of clothes – ones for swimming and sport, sightseeing, casual evenings, semi-formal events and formal evenings. And you and your wardrobe may very well have to live in a small cabin for several weeks.

The upside of this is that the cabin will be cleaned for you every day, and all your meals and entertainment will be provided, leaving you to concentrate on planning how to pass the time, using the onboard itinerary as a guide.

You’ll also get to meet lots of other likeminded people (which is only fun if you’re the sociable sort).

Options

The increase in the popularity of cruises is partly due to the rise of exotic new destinations such as Alaska and to the success of easyCruise (http://www.easycruise.com), the low-budget, limited-service option that is attracting younger people to the oceans for as little as £29 per night.

However, you may prefer a more traditionally luxurious journey – and you’ll find that there are almost countless choices available. You have to decide upon a destination, the ship and the entertainment available.

Take a look at our selection of Cruise Line sites to help you get started in finding a cruise that's right for you.

All cruise companies boast about how their trips offer the ‘best’ service, catering, activities and so on. Luckily, most cruises come under one or more categories to help you make an informed choice.

For example, ‘family’ cruises are child-friendly – which is great if you have kids of your own, but dreadful if your idea of hell is lots of screaming children being chased around by stressed parents. Then there are ‘upscale’ cruises that are popular with affluent middle-aged people and probably aren’t lively enough for most younger holidaymakers.

Then again, the lower budget options popular with young adults, who can be loud and oblivious to other passengers’ feelings, aren’t going to be fun if you expect to be pampered.

Decide what you want from your holiday, be it a relaxing time in the sun, lots of organised activities, sightseeing, a family-friendly environment or a romantic atmosphere. Then give your travel agent your list of requirements. He or she should be able to help pick a cruise that’s exactly right for you.

Ratings

Like hotels, cruises are rated by a system of stars, with the most luxurious choices being awarded the most stars. However, the highest rating won’t necessarily mean the most enjoyment.

A five-star cruise might be opulent, but you may find a three-star trip offers better value for money and pastimes better suited to your interests.

Price

Generally, higher rated cruises cost more. Larger cabins, fancier food and higher crew-to-passenger ratios all come at a price.

Luckily, trips are rarely sold at full fare. As is true when booking air tickets or package holidays, there are usually discounts for booking early or last-minute (if a cruise isn’t as popular as the operator hoped). Prices are lower off-season and outside of school holidays, and there are also one-off deals to be found on the internet and at travel agents.