Last week, my family and our friends took a week-long cruise to the Western Caribbean ports of Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel. My family and I absolutely love cruises. Ever since I went on my first cruise in eighth grade, cruising has become our annual vacation.

Maybe I’m a little biased, and maybe because I don’t get seasick, but now I will try to convince you why a cruise should be your next vacation.

1. It’s actually relaxing.

I love Disney and don’t get me wrong, but nothing about Disney is a vacation. It’s not relaxing! The same can be said for road trips or sightseeing. While I love those types of vacations and always enjoy my time away, it’s not necessarily relaxing. That is definitely not the case for cruises. You have no worries in the world while you’re on the ship. Nothing is rushed, nothing is time-sensitive and you can do whatever you want.

2. It’s like an all-inclusive resort, but better.

As all the food and drinks flow, cruises definitely have that all-inclusive feel. Sure, you have to pay extra for the drink package, but once you do, you can get any drinks that you want, whenever you want. Bartenders come around the pool and into lounges to offer you drinks, and the buffet is always open for food.

3. Food, food and more food.

Speaking of food, cruises are definitely full of it. I have never been on a cruise where I didn’t enjoy the food. The chefs are amazing and there are so many good options. The buffet is open for pretty much the whole day, and we always eat breakfast and lunch there. Of course, there’s also unlimited soft serve ice cream either in the buffet or outside near the pools. Also, the dining room for dinner never disappoints with their endless options for appetizers and desserts. I have tried things in the dining room that I would never get to try anywhere at home: escargot, alligator, shark, baked Alaska and more. While some cruises have set dining times, others are freestyle dining, but I enjoy either option.

4. The staff is amazing.

You really get to form personal relationships with the staff on the cruise. Your room steward or cabin attendant is the same for the entire length of the cruise, so when they come in to make your bed and change your towels, you actually get to have conversations with them. Their service is definitely better than any hotel that I’ve ever been in. You also get to form a similar relationship with the waiters and waitresses if you have set dining times, and with the entertainment staff.

5. There’s beautiful scenery wherever you go.

No matter the destination, the scenery will be absolutely breathtaking. I’m not even talking about the islands or ports of call. The sunsets at sea are stunning and just climbing to the top deck and looking out at the ocean is awesome. During my most recent cruise, we saw about 50 dolphins in the middle of the Caribbean Sea just playing and doing flips.

6. There are so many things to do on the ship.

Cruises have countless options to meet a bunch of different peoples’ interests. If you like to lie out in the sun, there are tons of lounge chairs and really nice pools. For kids, they have water slides and mini golf. For adventure seekers, most cruises have an option like a ropes course, surfing simulator, zipline or rock climbing wall. There’s the casino, shopping and trivia for those who like the stay indoors. Additionally, every night they have world-class entertainment, like comedians, magicians, and Broadway-style plays and game-shows with the cruise-goers, like the Newlywed Game and Battle of the Sexes.

7. You have countless options when booking.

There are many different ways to customize your cruise vacation. We’ve gone out of New York and New Jersey, but we’ve also gone out of Florida a handful of times. Cruises go out of Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston and other places around the world. You can choose your destination as well. There are the typical cruises that go to the Caribbean, but there are also cruises that go to Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, Europe, eastern Canada and the list goes on and on. Even within the Caribbean, you can choose different islands to go to. The cruise we took last week went to four ports that we’ve never visited. You can also choose the length of the cruise, from overnights up to two weeks and more.

8. You get to see places in the world that you normally wouldn’t.

I’ve been to Haiti, Belize and Honduras, places that I probably would not have gone to were it not for the cruise stopping there. Thankfully, it did because Haiti and Honduras are two are my favorite ports. Some cruise lines go to Cuba now. A lot of people may never have seen Alaska or different places in Europe if it weren’t for the cruises that they took.

9. No internet means that you can actually enjoy the vacation.

OK, so that may not be a selling point for some people, but hear me out. There’s no Wi-Fi or internet on the ships unless you pay for it. Honestly, though, not having to worry about texting people or Snapchat streaks or scrolling through Instagram or adding pictures to Facebook is actually relaxing for me. I get to put my phone on airplane mode for the week and just use it to take pictures. I feel like I get to enjoy the vacation more and live in the moment more easily without the distraction of my phone and the internet. You also get to bond more with the people you’ve come with because no one is on their phones during dinner or downtime.