How to choose your cruise
Start with the destination and season, then the experience you want. The Caribbean is the easy, fun, year-round choice — short flights, warm beaches and great for first-timers and families. The Mediterranean is for travellers who want history, culture and iconic cities, unpacking once while seeing many. Alaska is the scenery-and-wildlife trip of a lifetime. Then comes the line: the big, activity-packed family ships feel very different from refined adults-focused lines or intimate luxury small ships.
There's no single best cruise — only the best one for who's travelling and what you want. Matching destination, line, ship and cabin is genuinely complex, and exactly where a specialist saves you from an expensive mismatch. Lisa turns the variables into the right sailing for you.
Cruise destinations compared
An honest at-a-glance look at the destinations Canadians cruise most. See Lisa's cruises service for lines and ships.
Cruise destinations at a glance
| Destination | Season | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caribbean | Year-round (winter peak) | First-timers, families, sun | Short flights; hurricane season Jun–Nov |
| Mediterranean | May – October | History, culture, iconic cities | Spring/fall most comfortable; book early |
| Alaska | May – September | Scenery, wildlife, glaciers | Bucket-list; pair with a land tour |
| Europe rivers | Spring – December | Culture, scenery, Christmas markets | Smaller ships; unpack once |
| Mexican Riviera | Year-round | Sun, value, short sailings | Easy from the US West Coast |
| Northern Europe / Baltic | Summer | Capitals, fjords, history | Long summer days; cooler weather |
The Caribbean: the best first cruise
If it's your first cruise, the Caribbean is the forgiving, fun choice: warm year-round, short flights from Canada, a huge range of ships and itineraries (Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean each visit different islands), and lines for every budget and style. Many sailings include a cruise line's private island, a relaxed highlight.
The main decisions are which itinerary, which line and ship, and which cabin — and whether to add a pre-cruise night near the port so a flight delay doesn't cost you the sailing. Lisa handles all of it and matches the right first cruise to you.
The Mediterranean: history without unpacking
A Mediterranean cruise lets you wake up in Rome, Santorini, Barcelona or Dubrovnik on consecutive days, seeing the icons of southern Europe while unpacking only once. It's ideal for travellers who want culture and variety without the logistics of moving hotels and trains. Spring and fall are the most comfortable; high summer is hot and busy.
The shore excursions make or break a Med cruise — the right tours in each port, balanced with time to wander. Lisa matches you to the right itinerary and ship and advises on excursions, and can add land days in a gateway city. See her cruises and Europe hubs.
Alaska: the scenery trip of a lifetime
Alaska is a bucket-list cruise: glaciers calving into the sea, whales and bears, and the Inside Passage's dramatic scenery, all from the comfort of the ship. The season is May to September, with summer warmest and best for wildlife. A key choice is the route — the round-trip Inside Passage versus a one-way Gulf of Alaska sailing that pairs with a land tour into Denali.
Cabin choice matters more here than anywhere: a balcony is genuinely worth it for the scenery. Lisa advises on the route, the cruise-plus-land option and the right cabin so you don't miss the views. See her cruises service.
Picking the line, ship and cabin
The destination is only half the decision. Cruise lines vary enormously: some are floating resorts packed with water slides and kids' clubs, others are refined and adults-focused, and luxury small ships offer all-inclusive intimacy. Within a line, the specific ship (its age, size and amenities) shapes the experience, and the cabin category — inside, ocean-view, balcony or suite — shapes your comfort and budget.
This is where booking blind goes wrong, and where a specialist's first-hand knowledge pays off. Lisa knows the lines and ships, matches them to your style and budget, and books the cabin in the right location on the right deck. See her full cruises service.
Practical tips & why a cruise specialist is free
- A cruise specialist usually costs you nothing extra and often secures onboard credit, perks or better cabins than booking direct.
- Book early for the best cabin choice and price, especially for Alaska, the Mediterranean and holiday sailings.
- Add a pre-cruise night near the departure port so a flight delay can't cost you the sailing — a mistake Lisa helps you avoid.
- Canadians need a valid passport for cruises (six months' validity beyond your trip is safest), even for round-trip US sailings.
- Travel insurance with medical and trip-interruption coverage matters; missing the ship or falling ill at sea is costly.
- Stay connected in port with a travel eSIM instead of pricey ship Wi-Fi or roaming — set it up before you go.
Why book your cruise with a Montreal travel agent
Cruise pricing looks simple online but hides a lot: the wrong ship for your family, a cabin under the nightclub, a port-day with no good excursions, or a flight that lands too late to board. A cruise line's website sells you a cabin; it won't steer you to the right line, the right ship, the right cabin or the right itinerary — and it won't add the pre-night that protects your sailing.
Lisa Salter does this for a living. A Montreal-based, IATA-compliant advisor with 20+ years of experience and a proud partner of Voyages Cap Evasion, she matches you to the right destination, line, ship and cabin, books onboard credits and perks, arranges flights, pre-nights and transfers, and is reachable if anything changes. It usually costs the same as booking direct — and it's the difference between a cruise you settle for and the one you'd do again.
