As I sit here on the computer with Jimmy Buffet playing in the background, it seems I finally have some time to get caught up on the Beachcomber Pete Travel website and answer e-mails from readers.

One of the e-mails I received was directed towards my recent post, “Is a Cruise Vacation in your Future?” The question asked was one that I also am asked often, where is your favorite vacation spot? In this case, the question asked was how I decide from the many discount cruises out there. And where should we go? If you are looking for a way to save money, you may want to try a cruise travel agency such as discountcruises.com. If they don’t have a cruise package that interests you, you could consider other travel agencies.

Well usually, my first response is how much time do you have? No sense talking about somewhere half way around the world when you only have 4 days to travel. Time is usually the limiting factor on traveling; a lot of people think it is money. I find that time is usually my restraint, money can be worked out. I mean, I know of many places that you could stay in Costa Rica for 5 dollars a night and others that will cost you 200 to 300 dollars a night. It’s really comes down to your comfort level.

Ok, so after asking the time frame question, I will often ask, are we talking in country? Out of the country? Some place exotic? Or someplace fun?

In regards to this e-mail I had received the writer said they had 5 days maybe and they lived here in Florida, Pete what would you do? We were thinking about a cruise, but we are not sure where to go. To me this is an open book with many opportunities available. It also asks more questions, Are you single? Will kids be going? Is this a romantic getaway?

When you come down to it I really think that if you have only a few days to travel, in this case the writer said 5 days, I think you are going to get the biggest bang for your time and money with a cruise.

If you are living in the United States and are talking about taking one of many cruises available out of Florida or maybe even New Orleans and are limited to 5 to 7 days, your cruise is going to be traveling through the Caribbean. Once again you have many choices.

If you have kids, one of the Disney or Carnival Cruises will provide a lot of entertainment for the whole family; they offer 3, 4, 5 and 7 day family oriented trips mainly throughout the Bahamas and eastern Caribbean. Sun, great water activities and stops at their own private islands, this is a great way to spend time with the family and see the Bahamas.

Heading out of Miami, Tampa or New Orleans, with again 3, 4, 5, 7 days available, take one of the many western Caribbean cruises leaving these ports and you could find yourself in fun filled places like Key West, Cozumel, Rotan, Grand Cayman, and Costa Maya. With bigger ports such as Miami, Tampa and New Orleans you have several more choices of cruise lines. Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Norwegian are just a few that come to mind that offer great deals and fantastic destinations.

Looking for a more romantic cruise? Think about one of the eastern Caribbean cruises with stops in the Virgin Islands, Ocho Rios in Jamaica and Grand Turks. Both an eastern and western Caribbean cruise will usually let you experience a couple different countries in a matter of days.

Back to the original question, “Where would you go Pete?” I have my favorite spots, and I know I would have a good time where ever I choose. The real question is where would you choose for your cruise? For those who need a little help there are several good internet based cruise sites that offer great deals on all the different cruises out there, one that comes to mind is Discountcruises.com, like most sites on the internet they have specialist that can help with those question we talked about, fun, sun, romantic or exotic cruises.

Enjoy your cruise, take in some sun, enjoy the ship, see some exciting ports of call, and have a margarita for me while you relax.