The cruise ship of a generation ago has all but disappeared. In its place is something closer to a floating resort - a self-contained world of spas, specialty restaurants, theatres, and suites that rival anything on land, with the added luxury of waking up somewhere new each morning.
What has changed most is the range of choice. Today a traveler can pick the intimacy of a small luxury ship or the abundance of a floating city, sail the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, and tailor the experience to any pace.
For the Arizona traveler used to wide-open space, the appeal is a familiar one in an unfamiliar setting: room to roam, everything looked after, and the horizon always just ahead. The only real decision left is where to point the bow.
Originally published in View AZ Highlife Magazine, Feb / Mar 2008.