If you are thinking an escorted cruise is anything like an escorted land tour, please think again. Escorted cruises give you the best of both worlds – independence but assistance when or if you need it.

Here are the advantages of an escorted cruise:

• For the first timer or the more timid traveler, an escort is like a security blanket.

• An escort is usually a seasoned traveler, often knows the ship and the destinations. Hence great advice and tips are just a question away.

• Quite often the escort is a travel agent so it is like taking your travel professional with you.

• An escort works in the background to smooth any wrinkles in your cruise but remains fairly unobtrusive.

• If one encounters any trouble with the cruise, with illness, with flights, excursions, and so on, the escort is there with valuable advice and can lend a helping hand.

• You can have as little contact with your escort and the rest of the “group” as you like: there is no suggestion of “herding” with escorted cruises – everyone can remain quite independent in their chosen activities.

• Escorted groups often have perks such as fare savings, private cocktail parties, amenities, etc. that you would not get booking independently.

• If you are the amiable type that likes to make new friends, a group provides the perfect opportunity to do so.

In conclusion, he next time you see “escorted”, know it is a special, added value to any cruise, and so desirable that you better book early in order to avoid the disappointment that comes with hearing “sorry, we have no more availability, we just booked the last stateroom in our group”.

 Illustrations courtesy canstockphoto.com. Feature image courtesy of Bigstock. See also our video on All You Need to Know About Escorted Cruises.

Check out our featured escorted cruises and tours, escorted or hosted by a Real Travel Expert. There’s a wide variety of destinations and hosts so there is probably one escorted by a travel professional near you!