Archive for the ‘Cruising’ Category
Every day more people booking cruise holidays are adding time on shore to their time spent at sea.
Cruise and stay packages are becoming the preferred option because of the growing number of exciting ports of embarkation combined with a broader choice of hotels available for these packages. Cruise lines are working together with the hotels to emphasize this option and even offering the service of arranging tours in port before and after the cruise. These holidays add another dimension to your exsisting cruise package.
Your cruise arrangements may often require that you fly to some interesting sought after port city like Miami, New York, or Juneau, Alaska in the U.S. or European cities like London, Venice, Athens, Monte Carlo, Istanbul or the town of Civitavecchia near Rome.
The normal cruise and hotel package is basically another level of all-inclusive cruise.
For instance, besides the cruise itself, a cruise and stay may include a seven-day stay split between the days before the cruise and the days after the cruise in a hotel in the port city. These cruise holidays allow you time to spend exploring those places that have magnificent historical sights, breathtaking scenery, or some of each. You can get a little of both worlds – soaking up the sun on the deck of the ship, enjoying all the activities on board, and spending time in a city that you’ve never had the chance to visit before.
Some ports may not be suitable as far as adding on holiday time to explore new and exciting places since not all port cities have the attractions of those mentioned above. But for the convenience of arriving in your port city the day before a cruise to ensure being at the pier in plenty of time, a stay and cruise can be the way to go. You can make it just a one-night hotel stay on both ends of the cruise. This type of cruise package may include:
· Overnight accommodations at either a hotel selected by the cruise lines or one of your choice
· Transportation to and from the airport if you fly to the port city
· Parking while on your cruise if you drive to the port city
· Round trip transportation to the cruise terminal
Travel agents and cruise line employees that do the booking are more than anxious to extend your cruise holiday since they will earn more commission not only from the cruise line but from the hotels.
There is another version of a cruise and stay that is particularly popular in the U.S. for cruises out of Florida to places like the Bahamas. Small cruise lines like Discovery offer a variety of their version of cruise and stay packages that include:
· The 4 hours cruise from either Miamior Fort Lauderdale to Freeport or Nassau
· Either breakfast, lunch, or dinner on board, depending on departure time
· A one or two night stay at one of a variety of hotels on the island
· The return cruise to Florida.
You can also choose a fun mini-holiday by booking a one or two night cruise off the coast of Florida with all the amenities of a traditional cruise. Make it a cruise and stayby including pre- and post-cruise hotel accommodations in South Florida.
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Celebrity Cruise Adventure in Alaska! A Celebrity Cruise adventure in Alaska will add excitement to your memorable sea voyage. The exhilarating experience is integral to the land tours that will also showcase the magnificent panoramic views of Alaska. Some of these land tours are designed to have an approximate of duration of 3 hours.
A Celebrity Cruise land tour that doesn’t fail to impress is the ATV Expedition… which will allow you to see the magnificent mountains on Chicago Island. To get there, a bus ride will be provided into the village of Tlingit at Hoonah. Before you are allowed to embark on your wild ride, a brief safety reminder is given. After which, you will then be endorsed to your guides who will subsequently accompany you as you get on a 4X4 Kawasaki mule. You will then be led through valleys, mountains and forests.
All drivers will be given the opportunity to have a change in driving duty.
The estimated time for the ATV Expedition is fairly 2 hours and 30 minutes. Minimum age requirement in order to be able to partake in this exciting adventure is 10 years old. Drivers must have a valid driver’s license. As this is a remote trail travel – the ride is bumpy due to the rugged terrain. That is why people who have back and neck issues similar with pregnant women are not allowed to undergo this excursion.
In addition to the ATV Expedition, a similar thrilling land tour provided by Celebrity Cruise is the ZipRider, which is considered to be the world’s longest ride at 5,330 feet long. It has a vertical drop of 1,300 feet. The ZipRider has a maximum speed limit of 60 mph that will take you to the bottom of a wooded area. After a while, it will eventually even up to an altitude of 300 feet above the ground.
From the ZipRider, you will see Port Frederick, the Icy Strait and your cruise ship.
A participant for the ZipRider celebrity cruise land tour must be at least 10 years old and should not be afraid of heights. Weight requirement is from 90 pounds to 275 pounds. Clothing should be warm and layered. Just like the ATV Expedition, guests with neck and back problems as well as pregnant women will not be allowed to get on the ZipRider. Of course, since this is a remote trail adventure, all guests or participants will be guided properly before they commence.
If you are considering going on a vacation in the near future you may want to look into the cruise ship ratings of the cruise line you have your eye on. This is a simple precaution that we recommend everyone take in order to ensure you have the best experience you can find for the money you are spending. This information is typically gathered by averaging the rating of the cruise lines accommodations, restaurants, activity centers and over all service. This is most likely the best way to find an honest and accurate rating because it is usually provided by other people who have been on the ship.
Cruise ship ratings use a number scale or percentage system, depending on which vacation line you are investigating. The higher the number, usually on a one to ten scale, the better the service and experience. If a ship is rated nine for service, but only a three for their dining facilities then you know the employees on the liner will provide you with great service but you may want to consider bringing a paper bagged lunch. If the rating is gauged by percentages, then you will obviously want to look for liners with the highest number as well. Following with this guideline, one hundred percent on an accommodation rating would indicate that that specific ship has the most superb hotel rooms and in room service a person could ever ask for! All though this would be ideal, such high numbers should not be expected as anyone may have a bad experience anywhere at anytime and this does not mean it was necessarily the liners fault.
Finding this information is as easy as typing “cruise ship ratings” into your favorite search engine online. Most liners will post a guestbook on their website as well which allows previous guests of the ship to add their comments in reference to their personal experiences and the opinions they have about the service. This is typically the best way to get a fair judgment on a cruise ship, however keep an open mind when reading other vacationer’s posts. Sometimes, if one tiny event happened that did not please the traveler, they may blow it out of proportion and give the liner horrible feedback.
After you have found a reputable cruise ship and decided this is your best option, go ahead and book your trip to ensure your place on the liner is reserved. Your next step is to pack your bags, go on your vacation and enjoy yourself! If you have time, feel free to visit the liners website yourself when you return home and add your input as well!
Traveling in cruise ships can be a great experience. Many people should really consider taking their vacation by cruise ships. It can offer relaxing trips while traveling to exotic locations around the world, taste different world cuisines and experience fun on vacations wherever your cruise take you.
Just try to imagine yourself waking up on a cruise ship with a freshly brewed coffee and delicious breakfast, waiting for you in your own breakfast table. After having your breakfast you go outside and just bask in the sun or enjoy the beautiful scenery on your way to your destination. You then decide to take a dip in the cruise ship’s onboard swimming pool and Jacuzzi. After having that refreshing dip in the pool, you then decide to get a relaxing massage with their onboard professional masseuse. At night, you can attend parties or play on their onboard casinos, and you can have luxurious dinner in their dining room.
After that you then go relax in your room and think of what activity you will do tomorrow.
Cruise ships offer endless activities that will enable you to relax and have fun. You will be thinking of nothing but relaxing under the sun for days and even weeks.
One of the most popular cruise lines is the Carnival Cruise Lines. They offer one of the most enjoyable floating resorts available in the cruise ships vacation packages today. They have Carnival Fun Ships, a floating resort full of fun activities that everyone, no matter how old, can enjoy.
Carnival Cruise Ships offers a wide variety of destinations that you can choose from. They have cruises available in the Americas and Europe. Here is a list of their cruise destinations:
• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Mexico
• Panama Canal
• Caribbean
• Bermuda
• Transatlantic
• Canada/New England
• Europe
With so many destinations to choose from, you will surely have the best vacation that you will ever have.
Carnival Fun Ships have a lot of different activities that you can enjoy. You will surely not get bored by the variety of activities they offer. They conduct parties every night with different themes. They have parties that would attract older guests with classic music and they also have parties for teens.
Here are some of the activities and facilities that you can enjoy in a Carnival Fun Ship:
• Daytime Activities – Daytime activities in a Carnival Fun Ship will include golf instruction, using their onboard swimming pool and Jacuzzis, and trying your luck in their casinos or you can simply bask under the sun and enjoy the view.
• Dining – Carnival Fun Ships offers first-class dining experience. They will serve you with fresh lobsters, first class wines and other exquisite meals that you will surely enjoy. They also have casual dining where they serve buffets and other meals such as pizzas, sushi bars, European style cafés, and other meals that would suit your taste.
• Spas – Carnival Fun Ships have onboard spas and gyms. If you think that you’re overindulging yourself by relaxing too much and in need of an exercise, Carnival Fun Ships have facilities and professional trainers that can assist you on your workout.
They have gym equipments like weights and weight machines and they even have a jogging track and an aerobics class. They also have spas with professional masseuse for that relaxing massage. The spas also have beauty treatments for men and women to enable you to always look your best as you walk around the ship.
• Casinos – Feeling lucky? Carnival Fun Ships have onboard casinos where you can try your luck. They offer casino facilities like that of a first class casino found in land. Try your luck in slot machines, blackjacks, pokers, craps, and roulettes and maybe you’ll win enough to get back what you paid for in the cruise.
• Camp Carnival – Carnival Fun Ships also offer activities that youngsters can enjoy. They have activities that toddlers can enjoy like bingo, cartoon time, face painting, playtime, coloring and drawing contests. For juniors they have activities like t-shirt painting, puppet shoes, outdoor games and more.
For intermediates they have ping pong, video games, dance classes, talent shows, and more. For teens they have parties, games, swimming, dinners, late night movies. And, for older teens they have the Club O2 where they can enjoy hip music, great movies, video games, teen shore excursions, teens-only lounges and other great ways to hang out.
If you are planning a cruise vacation, booking in Carnival Cruise Ships will ensure you fun and enjoyment.
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With seven ships in its fleet, P&O Cruises is traditional British-style cruising at its best. Choose from fun and action-packed superliners Azura and Ventura, family-friendly mid-sized ships Oceana, Aurora and Oriana or the Adults-only Arcadia and the new Adonia. All very different but all offering the service, excellent food and entertainment that P&O Cruises are famous for. Relax in the spa, explore ashore, top up your tan, take a stroll around deck or pump it up in the gym, the choice is yours with P&O Cruises. From tots to teens they won’t be bored with their own clubs and play areas onboard. Dining options won’t disappoint with everything from casual dining alfresco or buffet-style, to traditional two sitting formal dining in the main restaurants and a la carte gourmet fare in speciality venues. The fun continues when the sun sets with Broadway-style shows, cabaret, live music and dancing until the early hours. What’s more in the Summer, there’s no-flying as the ships sail from their home-port of Southampton on cruises around the Mediterranean, Iberia, Scandinavia and the Baltic, Canaries and Around Britain. In the Winter the P&O Cruises fleet heads to the warm waters of the Caribbean for two-week cruises around the islands. January 2012 marks the start of P&O Cruises 175th Anniversary year and also the Round the World cruises for Arcadia and Aurora and Adonia also sets sail on her South American Adventure. Hays Travel feature offer P&O Cruises, and are ABTA’s largest independent travel agent with many cruise lines to choose from. Hays Travel dedicated cruise section provides an extensive selection of cruise holidays to worldwide destinations including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltics, Canary Islands, North America, Far East, Middle East, Alaska and the Red Sea. Hays Travel’s longstanding relationship with all the cruise lines – both large and small – gives them access to the best prices, the latest deals and the widest choice of cruises. Hays travel can also book your hotels, insurance, transfers, car hire and airport parking. Hays cruise advisers are specialists in their field and offer a personal, friendly service ensuring that you get the right kind of cruise holiday for you. Cruising is the travel industry’s fastest growing market with approximately 1.5million people from the UK taking to the seas on a cruise each year. Out of the first-time cruisers it’s worth noting that nearly 80% of them make repeat bookings – so beware once you’ve taken a cruise you may well become hooked on the shipboard life!