For instance, luxury cruise liners often have a lot of things that you can do. The very largest liners may have casinos, shuffleboard courts, a number of restaurants, salons, libraries and other activities that most adults would find pleasant. But, what about people traveling with kids? Consider checking with your cruise line before booking your cruise to see what activities may be available for children. On a short trip lasting a couple of hours most children will be relatively entertained simply by the novelty of the trip. On longer trips, kids will grow bored if there is nothing specifically for them to do. So consider checking with your cruise line to see what activities may be available on board for children. Some of the very largest liners may offer playgrounds and babysitting services, these same services may not be available on very many small ship cruises, so it is definitely worth finding out in advance.

A day cruise may be a good idea for anyone who hasn’t been on a cruise before because this gives you an opportunity to decide if you like cruising while committing no more than a couple of hours of your time and perhaps $40 or $50 of your money. For this small sum you will often wind up with an exciting tour or a very nice meal. If you take your kids along on such a short trip you will have an opportunity to discover how they take to cruising. Do they get sea sick? Do they get bored? These are both questions that you can answer for just a few dollars rather than the many dollars that you might have to commit for a longer cruise.

First-time cruisers and even some veterans sometimes talk about a certain level of disorientation that they experience when they first get onboard ship. The environment is different than you are used to living in, it may be much more congested than you are used to, and it is nearly certain that most of us are not used to walking around on something that is moving under our feet. A day cruise can give you an opportunity to test yourself and see how you enjoy that type of an environment. Even if you have cruise many of times before, it is a good idea to get a map of the cruise ship when you board, and use this to help you navigate around the ship for the first few days. It can make moving through hallways that all look relatively the same much easier.

A Great Lakes cruise can provide the experience of a lifetime. To get the most of it you only need a few slight precautions.

Sturgeon Bay is located on a canal that runs between Lake Michigan and Green Bay, and connects the two bodies of water. This puts Bay in a good position to provide many types of water sports including tours and cruises. The harbor at Sturgeon Bay is large enough to accept large freighters, and many smaller ships tie up here.

For those interested in Great Lakes cruises and tours, the historic Chicago Fireboat docks at the Maritime Museum and gives narrated tours along the lake shore. Painted, (what else?) fire engine red, the Fireboat is pet friendly so cruisers don’t have to leave their furry friends in the car. The company operating the Fireboat offers several different types of cruises including morning and afternoon trips.

Another opportunity available in Sturgeon Bay is a cruise on the Harbor Lady. The Harbor Lady is a 149 passenger yacht that offers sightseeing and dinner tours. They also offer several specialty tours over the year including fireworks cruises and theme parties such as a ‘Jimmy Buffett’ party.

For those seeking something unique for their wedding venue, the Harbor Lady is available for charter to handle events such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthday parties. The Harbor Lady has complete catering available.

The area around Sturgeon Bay offers some of the finest scenery in northern Wisconsin, with spectacular bluffs, rocky outcroppings, emerald green shorelines, and magical beaches. The downtown area offers visitors a series of specialty shops, fine art stores, restaurants, museums, and parks. There also beautiful lighthouses and the historic waterfront area. Sturgeon Bay claims to have the widest selection of specialty shops on the peninsula. All of them are within walking distance of water, making this a fun place to spend some time.

For those who take their Great Lakes cruises on their own boats, some of the shops in Sturgeon Bay are close enough you can sail up to them. Making this a truly friendly port for those with their own pleasure boats.

The Bay area is unique in that it accesses Lake Michigan through a narrow canal on one end and opens naturally into Green Bay on the other. Along the waterfront between Lake Michigan and Green Bay is where the harbor is located.

Sturgeon Bay also offers several charter boats that are available for an afternoon of fishing. If your holiday vacation plans involve any type of Great Lakes cruise, then Sturgeon Bay may be a destination you want to consider.

2. Layers of clothing. The weather on the Lakes can change quickly from hot and balmy to chilly. Bring a couple of extra layers of clothes so you can add or subtract a layer to warm up or cool down. Pack your clothes in soft sided luggage (on many cruise lines, this is a requirement.) You will want jeans, shorts, maybe a dinner dress or jacket and tie.

3. Bring a couple pairs of shoes, one pair for onboard the ship and another pair of walking shoes for on shore. Great Lakes cruise ships stop at a number of beautiful and interesting places. You will want to walk around. For onboard shoes you want something with soles that have enough grip to hold the deck and keep you from slipping if there is dampness. For onshore, you will want comfortable shoes that are sturdy enough for walking, but comfortable enough to let you be on your feet all day.

4. A good book. What better way to spend your vacation than sitting in a lounge chair reading a good book and enjoying the sunshine and the gentle sounds of shipboard life? There are a number of electronic book readers available that can hold many thousands of books and might be a good choice to bring along. On the other hand paperback books are inexpensive and if you lose one on the trip it probably won’t be a financial hardship.

5. Anything like medications, contact lens fluid, sun block or tanning fluid. While you can purchase many items on onboard many cruise ships, you may be limited in selection, and you may be unable to get prescription medications. Please remember that all prescription medications need to be in an original bottle with the original label that shows the name of the person that the prescription belongs to. Without this label many cruise lines will not allow you to bring the medication on board.

6. A power strip to add extra outlets in you cabin (if the cruise line allows it), an air freshener for your cabin, your own bottled water or soft drinks. Power strips are handy guide to bring, but you must be absolutely certain that your cruise line allows it. Many cruise lines do not allow you to bring extra electrical appliances such as electric ears or electric irons. So please be certain before you pack your bags the things you’re trying to bring our allowed on board.

7. Your companion, spouse or significant other. Great Lakes cruises are much more fun when shared.

Now is the time to start planning if you want to take one of these cruises in the summer of 2010. Many of the cruise lines are already taking reservations, or will begin shortly, and it is wise to start thinking about the particular cruise you might like to take and what part of the Great Lakes you would like to see.

Cruises on the Lakes tend to fall into one of several categories. For starters, there are the day and dinner cruises. These may last most of one day or only part of it. Dinner cruises usually last only a couple of hours, during which time you are treated not only to a cruise, but also to a scrumptious dinner. Chicago, Ilinois is famous for party cruises with live music, dancing and cocktails. Traverse City, Michigan is known for the tall ship that offers ice cream socials around the beautiful Traverse Bay area. Toronto, Ontario is also known for its own fleet of tall ships. Lake Erie has the Goodtime cruise ship. All of these offer short dinner cruises or day excursions.

The second category of cruises falls under the adventure heading. Chicago steps up again to offer cruises on the Schooner Red Witch or high speed thrills on the speedboat Seadog. Traverse City has its own tall ship, the Manitou which makes some trips every year that are several days long. If you want one of these, you had better speak up early because they sell these highly desirable berths fast.

The third category is in the luxury class. Tours on ships like the Clelia II which offer weeks long excursions on state-of-the-art cruise ships. These tours are offered both as regular sightseeing tours and with themes like golf and color tours.

The small ship cruises offered on the Great Lakes are fun, educational and best of all close to home. You are never out of U.S. or Canadian waters. European cruises and Caribbean cruises are fun and most people think of them when you mention the word “cruising,” but Great Lakes cruises are about home. The Lakes are the largest resource on the face of the planet and most of the people in the United states and Canada have never toured them, maybe never even had the chance to stand on the beach and look at this natural wonder.

Consider a Great Lakes cruise next year. Even if you can’t afford the luxury kind, day cruises, dinner cruises and sightseeing tours often can be had for around $30, which is about one tank of gas for the family car.