If you are planning to go on your first cruise holidays, there are several vital points you should think about before choosing one of the many different packages that are offered by numerous travel agencies and cruise holiday specialists.

Believe it or not, but there are really big differences in quality between the various packages you can find on the market. When I went on my first cruise holidays, I thought I had found a real bargain for a quality package. Unfortunately, as it turned out, this couldn't have been any further from the truth.

My mistake was that I didn't do enough research myself and that I blindly trusted a scrupulous travel agent who lured me into something that looked great on the surface; but turned out to be anything else but great in reality.

Now, to help you avoid any bad surprises, let's have a look at some of the points I consider absolutely crucial when booking your first cruise holidays.

• Entertainment:

Make sure, the right kind of entertainment is offered and that it corresponds with what you are looking for. On certain cruises, you may get more or less the same show on every evening, whereas other cruise lines propose a true monster package of entertainment including various activities throughout the day, shows, dancing, cabarets... on the evening, blockbuster movies, disco at night, games and activities for your kids and so on.

Clarify with your travel agent what activities are included with your package and if all of them are free or if an additional fee needs to be paid on the cruise line for certain activities.

• Food and Drinks:

More or less the same holds true here. Some cruise packages promise you the best food on earth, but once on the boat you realize that all you get everyday is a cheap McDonalds kind of meal and if you want something a bit more fancy you have to go to the restaurant where you have to pay for your lunch and dinner like in any other restaurant.

Ask your travel agent if all the meals and drinks are included and for what kind of food and beverages you will have to pay. Also ask if there is a buffet for lunch and dinner, if you can choose from variety of different foods or if there is only a very limited choice.

My first cruise holidays turned into a nightmare, because no entertainment and activities were proposed and because the food was so bad that I had to eat in the restaurant every day. With all the extra money I had to spend on the ship, these cruise holidays finally turned out to be more expansive than what I would have paid for an all-inclusive luxury cruise. I hope the tips I mentioned above help you to avoid making the same mistakes I did and allow you to find the perfect cruise holiday package.