Freighter cruises are not fancy. They are not jam packed with activities, or people. Freighters offer you a cabin, meals, a chance to get to know the crew, a lounge or recreation room, visits to various ports of call, and lots of time to just relax and unwind. Freighter cruises can be as short as a week or two, or as long as 18 weeks around the world sailing. Your choices for freighter cruises, destinations, durations and costs are nearly unlimited. They have got the cruise lines beat hands down on prices. In short, there is a freighter cruise for everyone. Freighter ships, sometimes called tramp freighters or tramp vessels, transport goods from one country to another. You'll find freighter ships and, therefore freighter cruises, in nearly every major port in the world.
- The cabins of freighter cruises tend to be outstanding because they were designed for the ship's officers and members of the shipping company.
- Typically they are very well furnished.
- Both regular freighter cruises and tramp cruises tend to last between 40 to 50 days, though the shortest voyage is about a week.
- However, while both tramp freighters and regular freighter ships often provide freighter cruises, tramp freighters don't have standard routes or schedules. Freighter ships do.
- Typically tramp freighters stay in port longer and leave more quickly than freighter ships.
- The challenge of taking a freighter cruise aboard tramp vessels is that by their very nature planning in advance is far less possible.
You'll have plenty of time to get to know your fellow travelers because you'll be aboard a working ship rather than a hotel on water. And since there's rarely any entertainment, other than DVDs and conversation, you'll probably want to bring along at least a good book or two. Of course you'll go ashore when you arrive at port. But because these are working vessels the time between ports is usually greater than it is on the more traditional cruises that people usually think of.
However, freighter cruises can be a lot more affordable, they can take you to far away ports, and they will give you a taste of another way of life. It's an adventure that will give you a lifetime of memories. Freighter cruising may not be for everyone. It is not a glamorous or glitzy way to travel.