These are the times when it seems as if you hold the fate of the world in your hands. So what will it be? How can you possibly choose between tropical beaches and Mickey Mouse? Last year was a disaster and you know that you only have one more year to redeem yourself before the decision making is taken out of your hands forever. You can feel the weight of defeat pressing down on your shoulders. How can you possibly please everyone? Someone is bound to rebel; there’s just no way around it.

Where in the world are you going to take your family on vacation? The choices are obvious. The kids want to go to Disney Land, and your partner is not opposed. There are golf courses nearby, right? You would really love to lounge on a brilliant, white tropical beach, cool drink in hand. Maybe tour ancient ruins and see a little bit of the world. There is always Vegas and the strip. And you have been talking about a casino vacation for quite sometime. The options are endless, but you can’t possibly book the vacation of everyone’s dreams on your budget and during your timeframe; can you?

Actually there is a way that you can do everything on your family’s vacation wish list without breaking the bank and taking the next six months off of work. The answer lies in a floating hotel paradise, otherwise called a cruise ship.

If you book a cruise vacation with a popular cruise line such as Princess Cruise Lines, you will be able to squeeze a whole lot of vacation into a small time frame. And there’s no repacking and traveling from destination to destination as is required in many multi-faceted vacations. All you have to do is board, unpack, and let the vacation of a lifetime unfurl before your very eyes.

One of the main reasons that people decide to spend their vacation this way is that they can do so much in a small time amount of time. On just one, one-week trip, it is possible to enjoy fine dining and entertainment nightly, try your luck at casino gambling, lie on the beach for hours, tour great ancient ruins, golf on world-famous greens, shop in the open markets of the world, and give the kids an amazing vacation that will blow the amusement park right out of the water.

In addition to all of this, you never have to unpack. Your luxurious, floating palace will provide you with all of the amenities of a five-star hotel plus some. There will be several restaurants to choose from, (Plus 24 hour room service!) and on-board activities that will keep you entertained and make you wish that you never had to leave the ship. But you will be able to leave the ship if you choose, and believe me, you’ll want to. The shore excursions offer you fabulous adventures at exotic locales.

Maybe, just maybe, you will be able to rouse yourself from sunning on the decks just long enough to dip your toes into the sapphire waters of the Caribbean. Or you might trade an afternoon of on-board spa treatments for a breathtaking, underwater view of a nearby coral reef. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it?

Cruises are also very affordable if you book in advance and know where to look for great deals. Granted, the price tag per head might seem a little hefty at first. But after you take into consideration the cost of flying to the numerous locations that your cruise will visit, hotel accommodations once you get there, money for food and entertainment, and added costs for each activity that you do, a cruise is a great deal.

When you book a cruise for the family, the only cost that you pay is the price of the cruise ticket. Meals and entertainment are included as well as many amenities aboard ship. In many cases, the cost of the cruise also includes excursions and scheduled activities at exotic ports. The truth of the matter is this: If you paid for each individual item that is included in a cruise package, you would have to cancel your next five vacations to pay for it.

Regardless of the latest media frenzy, cruises are also extremely safe. Sadly, many hot tourist locations all over the world are home to ruthless thieves that are just waiting to prey on an unsuspecting traveler. A cruise ship can shelter you from crime by providing you with a safe haven and vehicle of travel while at the same time providing you with a support group to travel with while docked. As you can imagine, touring the local markets with a large group of people is much safer than going it alone.

So why take a cruise? Because there is no other vacation that can encompass so many different activities and please the whole family like a voyage with Princess Cruise Lines can. It’s inexpensive and it is safe. So, if you want to book a dream vacation that will please the whole family, maybe you should think about taking a cruise this year. I can hear the warm, pristine beaches calling, can you? Oh, and I think I saw a martini at the bar with your name on it.

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If your answer is “yes,” as mine invariably is, have you revisited? Perhaps.

But more than likely, not.

Well, no more. I recently discovered Royal Caribbean’s Cruisetours — billed as an addendum “designed to make a vacation for clients a complete vacation.” Offered in conjunction with cruises in Alaska, South America, Asia, Australia/New Zealand and Europe, it’s a pre- or post- multi-day escorted land segment that will immerse you into the land and its lore.

A Cruisetour is optional and it takes your on-water adventure inland for 3 to 7 additional days through a transportation combo of luxury motorcoaches and/or trains.

It’s simply the best way to minimize the hassles and maximize being there.

I speak from experience. Prior to a Mediterranean sailing from Rome, I opted for the Cruisetour — it commenced in Venice (2 nights), continued to Florence (1 night) and concluded in Rome (2 nights).

Highlights: A professor of art’s lecture on the work of Michelangelo at the base of sculptor’s famous statue of David in Florence’s Accademia Gallery; an insider’s visit to the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, again guided by an historian insider (additional perk: we were ushered to the front of the admission line that wrapped around the perimeter of Vatican City) and a private dinner in the cellar of a Tuscan winery after a personal vineyard tour.

The best part: I didn’t deal with luggage (my eternal Achilles travel heel); I made no hotel arrangements (they were pre-made, prepaid, upscale and centrally located); local transportation, transfers, city tours, some meals and tickets to famous sites were handled (as were VIP admissions); tips were included; free time was ample and an escort (and acting concierge when requested) was ever-present.