By: Cruises-N-More 
The inaugural cruise experience ranks very high on most travelers’ cruising wish list, say the cruise experts at Cruises-N-More. There is something undeniably exciting about being one of the first guests aboard a brand new ship on one of its maiden voyages.
If you are considering an inaugural voyage, Cruises-N-More offers 7 reasons why it’s a great idea:
1. The inauguration ceremony and sailing of a ship often becomes a local or international event. Take, for example, the pomp-and-circumstance-filled Viking River inaugural ceremony in the Netherlands earlier this year. In a large and well-orchestrated ceremony, the line christened four of the six world-class river-cruise longships they have scheduled to debut this year. Honored guests from all over the world were present for the groundbreaking ceremony.
2. Bragging rights. Inaugural passengers are part of the ships’ history, the elite group present for the very first sailing.
3. The cruise lines know that positive word-of-mouth is an excellent marketing tool. The better the buzz, the better the bookings will be on future voyages. The line may take this opportunity to impress passengers on a maiden voyage with extra special food, entertainment and activities.
4. The lines frequently offer special inaugural events and keepsake tokens, which are a great way to remember your voyage. Sometimes the lines even give each cabin a present worth $50 or more. For example, on the inaugural sailing of the Ruby Princes, Princess Cruises provided a specially engraved, ruby red bowl to her passengers.
5. In order to generate interest in the ship, some maiden voyages offer “introductory pricing,” which can be significantly lower than future sailings.
6. Because the shipboard routine has not been established, and the ship’s staff is still finding out what guests want and need, they tend to be quite flexible with things like on-board activities, menus and seating arrangements.
7. The ship is pristine and brand new. It’s a lovely feeling to experience accommodations that have no wear and tear, no sign of passengers who have come before.
Inaugural cruises are a very popular sailing choice, and they fill up early.
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