Right now, we’re riding the crest of cruise wave season, the heaviest time of year for cruise bookings and prime time to find steals and deals on ships both large and small. When you factor in that all your meals and much of your onboard entertainment is included in the cruise price, it truly is one of the best bargains in vacationing today.

Now I know there are a lot of people out there who think “cruise” and roll their eyes (are you one of them?), but as someone who previously doubted she’d ever be able to find anything to like about sea legs, I’ve been proven wrong again and again.

Case in point. My first emotion upon hearing that I was being sent on a press trip on the Disney Wonder cruise ship was raw fear. I pictured a floating happy-land, where wild children ran amok and everyone wore mouse ears and sat around all bug-eyed singing songs from the Lion King. And, yes, there was some of that, but there were also quiet moments with champagne and strawberries on a moonlit balcony watching dolphins jump out of the Caribbean Sea. There were unhurried gourmet meals and mind-numbing massages followed by relaxing, sun-lit soaks in outdoor, adults-only hot tubs.

On another ship, the Adventure of the Seas (pictured above), I went to a guided coffee tasting, splashed through a water park, watched wanna-be surfers take to The FlowRider, egged on some very heartfelt karaoke singers, ate myself silly, played mini-golf, visited the ice rink, and--perhaps my crowning achievement--went to each and every one of the ship’s 22 bars and lounges (just to make sure they were okay, of course. I take my job as travel writer very seriously).

Jaunts on other cruise ships have yielded similar results. The appeal of cruising is that it’s really an escape. In the absence of land, you’re forced to relax and go with the flow. Fun is for the taking--like so much buffet food--and there’s a natural sense of camaraderie with fellow cruisers that evolves from a “we’re all in this together” mentality. When I travel, I often scramble to explore the places I visit from top to bottom, but cruising provides a surprisingly necessary reminder to just slow down, sit still, and watch the world and its waves go by.