Planes, trains, automobiles – there are lots of ways to get where you’re going on vacation. But some trips are best experienced by cruise ship.
Cruises offer unique ways to see destinations – think scenic sailing through Norwegian fjords or passing the Statue of Liberty before docking in New York. They also boast a hard-to-beat combination of amenities, from a wide range of restaurants and bars to water slides, roller coasters and ice skating rinks. Plus, when you’ve got a large group traveling together, there are plenty of options for each guest to choose their own travel adventures.
Here are seven scenarios when travelers should consider taking a cruise. (Conversely, click here for the 5 scenarios when you should not take a cruise.)
Many mainstream cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean International or Norwegian Cruise Line, take a something-for-everyone approach to building out their ships and programming. That can be especially nice for families traveling together, who can take advantage of adults-only spaces, kids clubs and more.
“With that type of a scenario, everyone in the party would be able to have their desired type of entertainment or experience, including, maybe the grandparents all the way down to the kids who might want to spend some time in the youth centers, and the the parents could go have a romantic dinner while the grandparents are hanging out with the kids,” said Sheri Griffiths, founder of CruiseTipsTV.
Cruises can offer access to remote destinations like Alaska or Antarctica, allowing guests to see them from a vantage point they can’t get on land. “Most of the time when you’re sailing through Alaska, you are seeing uninhabited, untouched coastline, little tiny, tree-lined islands that have absolutely no humans on them,” Griffiths said. “These are things that you would not see unless you owned a boat and you were cruising through Alaska on your own.”
Cruises also allow guests to reach far-flung ports without long-haul flights. “There’s an entire segment of people who might take a transatlantic (crossing), for example, just to get to Europe without having to fly,” Griffiths said. “And you can actually do the same thing with Hawaii. You can cruise to and from Hawaii from the Pacific coast.”
Some cruise lines even offer months-long voyages visiting many countries that sail round-trip from the U.S. Pro tip: repositioning voyages, when cruise lines move their ships from one part of the world to another between seasons, can also offer significantly cheaper fares – if you don’t mind the extra sea days.
Despite how they’re sometimes pitched, most cruises are not truly all-inclusive. Mainstream brands typically charge extra for a number of amenities, from specialty coffees to Wi-Fi.
However, it’s possible to take a cruise without spending more than the fare – and the taxes and fees – as a wide range of meals, drinks and activities are bundled in.
Cruise ships can be among the most accessible modes of transportation for those with mobility limitations, offering accessible staterooms, pool lifts and more to accommodate guests’ needs. 
That said, some may be more accessible than others. You can find USA TODAY’s guide to taking a cruise with a wheelchair or scooter here.
Land-based travel can involve unpacking and re-packing a suitcase multiple times if you’re trying to hit more than one destination – not to mention the potential stress of losing your luggage in transit.
Once you board a cruise ship, unpack your suitcase and slide it under the stateroom bed, you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the trip. That’s one less obstacle between you and your vacation.
Taking a cruise eliminates the need for much of the planning that goes into land-based vacations: the ship offers accommodations, transportation, food and entertainment all in one. That can lighten the burden in places like Europe, where guests can see many places in a short amount of time (and you still have the freedom to customize your booking with add-ons like shore excursions).
“For example, when you go on a Mediterranean cruise, in most cases, you visit a new country every single day,” Griffiths said. “So not just a new city, but oftentimes you’re in a new country. So you might be in Rome one day, and then you might be in France the next day, and the island nation of Malta another day. That’s a very complex thing to have to plan if you’re doing it on land, and doing it on a cruise ship certainly eliminates a lot of the planning stress.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

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