Cruise ships have been a byword for luxury since the mid nineteenth century, and have to this day largely maintained a reputation for being an expensive holiday option for the wealthy.  While there are still expensive cruise ship options out there, the ongoing development and increasing diversification of the holiday industry has lead to an increase in the number of cruise deals offered by established operators like Thomas Cook.  As with many modern holiday choices, the sheer number of cruise deals now on the market can make it seem difficult to know how to start narrowing down the options.  As with most things, the best idea is to start with the basics, and work on from there.  In this case, the first decision when it comes to selecting cruise deals is whether you will opt for an ocean cruise, or a river cruise.

The modern cruise ship holiday market was established by ocean cruising.  Ocean going cruise ships are naturally the bigger vessels, since river cruise ships are limited in scope by the size of navigable inland waterways.  Since there are many relatively deep water ports around the world, ocean cruise ships do not really need to adhere to much of an upper limit when it comes to size, and so it is common for these vessels to be large enough to take between 2,500 and 3,500 passengers.  Facilities tend to be extensive, often including swimming pools, gyms, sporting facilities such as Tennis courts, and even multiplex cinemas.  The larger vessels are basically floating resorts, and as such can be ideal for family holidays.  Multiple restaurants and evening entertainment mean that most if not all of the holiday can be spent onboard.  Ocean cruise ships tend to travel by night, and dock by day, allowing passengers to explore new ports.

River cruise ships have understandably fewer facilities, although cabins can be just as luxurious as those offered on the larger ocean going ships.  The number of passengers can be as few as 90, and depending on the rivers comprising the cruise route can be up to around 250, with 150 – 180 passengers quite common on many European river cruises.  Travel tends to be by day, and this often presents excellent opportunities for some relaxed sight-seeing, since the river banks offer a lot more to see than is generally available when under passage at sea.  Indeed, given the more basic entertainment facilities that can be accommodated on board, the passing sights and sounds are basically the main daytime attractions of a river cruise.  While remote historical sites of interest such as castles and monasteries, or wine tasting sessions at vineyards can provide some day time stop-offs, the ships most often dock in the late afternoon and evening, where they will generally stay overnight.  This presents ample opportunities for eating out and exploring local bars, so in general river cruises suits adult passengers, or those with older children.