Tony's Cruise Truths

I'm Back! Happy Christmas, New Year & The Big 3 - 0

2012-01-05T01:12:00.000-08:00

Well folks its been a long time.........I have been on annual leave since 27th November 2011 and not been doing an awful lot I must say - I watched my wife decorate the house, watched the scales go up and last but not least watched Christmas drain my bank account - but it was all worth it!

I did on the 15th December travel on the Arcadia for 2 nights over to Bruges - what a fantastic ship and wonderful city - I have spent a night on the Arcadia before when she was launched and was very impressed then, but to sail on her was a great experience - the layout of Arcadia I found was one of the best I have seen, they have a British style pub near the centre of F deck which is very spacious - walking out of the pub will take you immediately to the theatre, casino, various bars and the restaurants.

The cabin I stayed in was a mini suite cabin with a large bathroom which I would recommend - not for a short cruise though as you wont get much time in the cabin.

I was very impressed overall with P&O and the whole package they had to offer on this cruise and would definitely recommend the Arcadia.

Christmas came and went very quickly this year and I'm happy that the snow stayed away, we all know that the kids love it but it does cause too many problems for us who like to travel at that time!

So onwards to 2012 - I not very happy to announce that i turn 30 on Friday the 13th January, but it happens to us all!!

Happy New Year To All!!

Cunard Is Not And Has Not Been "British" For A Long Time.............

2011-11-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

One of the many guests I speak to regularly on the phone said this to me recently, passengers who travel with Cunard go with the misconception that they are going to be on a traditionally British cruise -many many cruise guests do not regard Cunard as a British cruise anymore.

Just stepping on board and buying your first drink will back up the fact that Cunard has lost its "Britishness" you pay for your favourite tipple in Dollars - as well as everything else on board -and with your drink will come your bill with your very American style 15% service charge - something that is not found on other British cruise lines like P&O and Fred Olsen.

Cunard has recently registered all of its ships in Bermuda instead of Southampton - this is according to Cunard to be able to offer weddings at sea which they get many many enquiries for - or is it to get around many employment laws that are in force if your ship is registered in the UK? - The main law being that ships registered in Britain are required to pay all staff from European Union countries wages equal to those of British citizens. Registering the ship outside the EU will allow Cunard to avoid this law.

Cunard has been owned by Carnival Corporation since 1998 - the ships Queen Victoria - Queen Mary & Queen Elizabeth were not built in the UK - the staff on board are mainly Eastern European and the currency on board Dollars....................so what IS British about Cunard?....just the history of the company? the food on board?

There is no doubt that Cunard provides a fantastic cruise experience, but is it going to lose its core cruisers that go with them year on year, for the clients that hold them in high regard as a UK company this may be the final push to another line that they need........................

Are You Waiting To Book Your 2012 Cruise?

2011-10-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Its October, which is I think a month where passengers think about booking their 2012 cruise - well in my view its September to November when passengers like to think ahead before the madness that is Christmas but im wandering what the view out on the street is with regards to booking ahead.

This year more than ever I have had the age old question of shall I wait to book my cruise, it is as i say every time the holy grail of questions - the truth of the matter is that we dont know - we can give you our view based on our experience, and based on my experience this year has been full of "guaranteed" deals which means that the cruise line will not give you the cabin number but will tell you the cabin grade - this would mean that you get the cabin for cheaper but the cruise line have the control of where you will be.

My view is that this will happen more next year than ever before - why? because the cruise lines have to sell cabins - ships will not sail empty - this means deals galore..................BUT do not bank on this - cruise lines know which itineraries and which cabins sell well!

THE RULE

If you want a specific itinerary or a cabin which has to be near the life on C deck in the middle then spend the extra to get exactly what you want - it will be worth it - do not what ever happens book a guarantee deal and hope that you get your requirements - the best cabins get booked early - this is a fact!

If you can take it or leave it and dont care where you go or in what cabin then you could have access to some fantastic offers next year.

Gratuities - Do They End Up WIth The Staff?

2011-10-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

There is no better subject in cruising to cause so many different opinions than gratuities, for starters what is a gratuity?

Here is an explanation from Wikipedia of what a gratuity is:

A tip (also called a gratuity) is a voluntary extra payment made to certain service sector workers in addition to the advertised price of the transaction. Such payments and their size are a matter of social custom. Tipping varies among cultures and by service industry. Though by definition a tip is never legally required.

So leaving a tip is a voluntary extra payment made by the cruise guest to the members of staff who serve them during their cruise, that's agreed - So why are cruise ship companies so involved in this area of cruising by continually putting guests off paying them direct to the staff members?.

My parents have just completed a MSC cruise from Hamburg to New York and as regular P&O cruisers like to pay direct to cabin steward, waiter etc, when they approached the reception desk to arrange this the following was said:

Guest: Please could you remove the gratuity charge from our account so we can tip as we like:

Reception Staff: Why?

Guest: Because we want to make sure the staff who work the hardest for us get rewarded accordingly.

Reception Staff: You cant do that, tell me how much you can pay and we will add that to your on board account.

Guest: So i can not tip who i would like to tip?

Reception Staff: no, we will make sure it gets to the staff correctly and don't like to guests to give direct - how about 100 euros?

The MSC brochure states that you can increase or decrease the amount but does not say anything about taking them off altogether so is this what every guest comes up against when trying to do this?

NCL, who are quite tough when it comes to gratuities state in their brochure that a portion of the service charge collected by them is also used for "fleet-wide crew welfare programs"

So what exactly is going on in the cruise industry regarding tips??

I think it is fair to say that cruise lines could be using the tips from guests as an extra income stream for the cruise line, I would hazard a guess that on a Royal Caribbean cruise for example you would get 70 - 80% of guests have pre paid gratuities or them added to the account, if this was on one of their larger ships you are talking about 2500 guests paying £40 per person on a 7 night cruise, 100k in gratuities in the bank of the cruise line!!

This makes me wonder about P&O cruises, if they can do it without getting guests to pre pay then why cant others? - with P&O you get an envelope at the end of the cruise and you tip as you see fit.

Cruise lines must be using the gratuity charge to fund other aspects of the cruise ship, so why don't they put it in the price at the beginning when you book? or how about telling guests what they are doing with the gratuity that they receive?

I don't think either of these things are likely to happen - it would then seem that they are more expensive than their competitor and would lose business from the outset - if they tell guests what they are doing with the tips will most guests refuse to pay?

Whats the solution?

What Do You Wear On Your Formal Nights?

2011-09-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Lets face it, a formal night on a cruise is a special occasion - the first formal night on your cruise is a great night - most guests will get their frocks and dinner suits on and I think it raises the spirits and atmosphere of the staff and guests on board.

For a first time cruise guest it is quite an intimidating evening - what do I wear? do I have to wear a jacket or will a shirt and tie do?

To be honest it does depend on the cruise line - when I travelled with Fred Olsen in the Caribbean it was very much shirt and tie and not many jackets in sight - some guests didn't even bother!
P&O in the Caribbean was a different story - no jacket - no entrance to the restaurant, which i think is a bit harsh - not everyone wants to walk round wearing a DJ or suit jacket.

Cruising had generally always been known as a "formal holiday" where ladies will wear large gowns and gents will get their penguin suits on but this was days gone by where most cruise holidays were out of the reach of us mere mortal folk - this aint the Titanic anymore!! and times have changed - you can now go on some cruises without having to pack any suit at all like NCL.

The main cruise lines which I have found enforce the Jacket policy are Cunard & P&O, most other cruise lines will allow a toned down formal look, trousers, shirt & tie which a lot of guests now prefer - you will always find a ball gown or two on your travels though!

What have you seen on your travels? I cant bet a lot of you have seen guests trying to get away with shorts an t-shirt on a formal night!

Do Single Passengers Get A Raw Deal? (Fantastic Single Offer Attached!)

2011-08-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

Its no secret that cruise lines do not really have the interests of single passengers at heart when they build or sell cruise ship cabins - fair enough - single passengers I'm estimating do not make up a massive amount of their capacity but there is an ever growing market of passengers wanting single cabins.

Why Is There A Single Supplement?

Its purely a money thing!!! the cruise lines do not like to sell a cabin that can hold 2 paying passengers to 1 passenger without that passenger paying a hefty supplement - who will then only buy 1 drink at the bar and pay one set of gratuities. But in fairness to the cruise lines - they are running a business and most hotels charge a supplement on a double room when there is one guest so why should a cabin on a cruise line be any different?

Even when the cruise line has "single cabins" they are still priced in a way where there is still a supplement like my beloved Fred Olsen - yes they have single cabins but the single guest is still penalised for being on their own - but leaping to the defence of Fred Olsen they do organise single get togethers on board and make a very good effort for their single following.

The P&O new ship Azura does have a few single cabins which I believe a reasonably priced - but they sell out so fast! based on the success of these single cabins why don't they roll this out across the whole fleet - the good publicity they would get would be great.

Royal Caribbean have a strange single policy, many of their sailings they charge double single supplement but when they have a guaranteed offer (where the guest does not get to pick a cabin number or grade for a reduced fare) they will not allow single passengers to book into these cabins??? why?

Will This Change In The Future?

I doubt it, I have not seen a cruise lines policy on single passengers change to benefit the single guest - but what is happening is that more cruise lines are getting single cabins and I have seen more sailings with no single supplement - and for all of you single guests I have sourced one for you!!!!!!

MSC Magnifica - 14th January & 23rd January 2012 - 9 nights Eastern Mediterranean.

Venice - Bari - Rhodes - Haifa (Israel) overnight - Athens - Venice

Inside £699
Outside £699
Balcony £699

No its not a mistake! you do get an upgrade to a balcony from an inside and yes it includes flights from London & Transfers

Cruise.Co.Uk - Football Legends!!

2011-07-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

We also like to unwind here at cruise.co.uk and every week we play a mostly friendly game of 5 a side football on our local pitches, here is a run down of the players:

Andrew Adler

Head of Sales & Operations

Position - Midfield

AKA - Attilio Lomardo

Drew Wheddon

Cruise Specialist
Position - Hanging Around Near The Corner Of The Pitch
AKA-Lurch

Tony Andrews

Cruise Specialist
Position - Defence
AKA - Slim

Dylan David

Cruise Specialist
Position - Forward
AKA - Dilly

Mark Beaven

Online Manager
Position - Where ever he likes
AKA - Nopass

Simon Loveless

Graphic Designer

Position - Defence/Midfield

AKA - Messy

Nicholas Watts

Marketing Executive

Position - Defence

AKA - Watta

Faz Sidat

Cruise Specialist

Position - Goal/Defence

AKA - Fazzy

So there you have it, many mathmaticians out there will note that we only have the 8 players here as we have to rope in a couple of outsiders here and there, we look a talented bunch though im sure you would agree!!!

Fred Olsen Cruises - The Balmoral Cruise Review

2011-06-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

As many as you know I am a fan of the Fred Olsen way of life, the staff, ships and the fact that no service charge is added to your drinks! I had a chance to do a 2 night cruise on the Balmoral and thought the ship was fantastic - I believe that the Balmoral is the best ship in the Fred Olsen fleet.

Cabins

Balmoral has a total of 738 cabins (116 of which have private balconies) and 21 cabin grades. These range from insides (160 square feet) to Premier Suites (430 square feet), which feature separate bedrooms and living rooms. Additional stateroom configurations include balcony junior suites (200 square feet), superior and standard balcony cabins (180 to 190 square feet), and superior and standard outside cabins (165 to 200 square feet). Cabins located in the new section have twin beds that can be converted to queens; cabins in the old section may only come with one or the other.

Dining

There are three principal dining venues on Balmoral. Ballindalloch, on Deck 6, is a quintessentially traditional cruise-ship restaurant. The Spey and Avon restaurants, both on Deck 10, were added during the refit and feel considerably more sleek and sophisticated, with floor-to-ceiling windows in their mid-sections and giant portholes at either end. However, all serve the same menus and are set-seating at dinnertime (6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.); they're open-seating at breakfast and lunch. Balmoral does not offer an extra-fee alternative dining venue.
For an all-buffet option, check out the festively decorated Palms Cafe, the other primary dining venue on Balmoral. It's open for breakfast (7 to 9:30 a.m.) and lunch (12:30 to 2:30 p.m.).

Entertainment

Neptune Lounge, the principal entertainment venue, is the home of shows, comedy acts, classical concerts and talks. During sea days, the cruise line's enrichment programme offers talks on itinerary-influenced subjects like art in Spain (on Mediterranean sailings), the medical qualities of spices and other similar topics. As well, via Fred. Olsen's Arts Club, many sailings feature extra speakers on a particular subject.
A secondary entertainment venue is the Lido Bar and Lounge. The former affords a fantastic view over the aft pool deck and the stern of the vessel. Its floor-to-ceiling windows and glass ceiling make it a truly inviting room. The Lido Lounge adjacent to the Bar features live music -- either for dancing or jazz concerts. One Blackjack table and a roulette table are tucked away in the lounge; gaming is not focal on Balmoral, and the ship has no dedicated casino.

Balmoral has a good range of public rooms -- an important fact, given that the ship also undertakes long cruises, such as around-the-world voyages, which feature plenty of sea days. Most of the public spaces are located on the Lounge Deck.
Much activity centres on the two-deck-high atrium. There you will find the purser's office, shore excursion desk and future cruise sales offices, along with two shops that sell clothing, accessories, gifts and necessities.

Overall the Balmoral is a fantastic ship its mix of old and new works well. If you are looking for a well-run ship that offers peace and comfort while also featuring a nice range of entertainment, friendly service, solid cuisine, interesting itineraries and competitive rates, Balmoral is a great choice.

P&O Oceana.......Too Small Or Too Big?...Here Is My Review

2011-06-11T01:27:00.000-07:00

I think many cruise passengers who travel with P&O may overlook the Oceana for their cruising needs - even if it does do an itinerary they want i get the impression that the Oceana does not appeal to passengers who like small ships - because its slightly too big OR passengers who like big ships because she is slightly too small, kind of stuck in the middle of the P&O fleet, you have the charm and large public spaces of the Oriana & Aurora, the adult only aspect of the Arcadia, the larger more modern feel of the Ventura & Azura and then the small ship experience with the new Adonia.

I travelled on the Oceana for a mini/party cruise and thought she was a fantastic ship, very cruise ship looking!! sleek & white and still very modern in cruise ship terms, here are the stats to begin with:

Former Name - Ocean Princess
Built - 2000
Refit - 2002
Tonnage - 77000
Passengers - 2016
Crew - 900
Officers - British/Italian

As you embark you will see the main part of the ship is the Atrium which is open plan from decks 5 to 8 with sweeping staircases and glass lifts. This is the first part of ship you see as you embark which is very impressive. Here you will find many bars including Explorers with Wi-Fi, restaurants, reception, shops and the photographers on formal nights.

Dining
Dining on Oceana was fantastic, I opted for freedom dining, we ate our evening meals in the Ligurian Restaurant on deck 5. Because I did not mind sharing with other guests we were seated as soon as we decided to go for our evening meal but when I did want a table for 2 it was only a 20 minute wait at peak times.
Café Jardin and the Horizon Grill are speciality restaurants with a cover charge in the evening, but are both complementary for during the day. At the Horizon Grill at lunchtime they serve burgers, hotdogs, baked potatoes, chicken goujons and fish and chips
There is also the Plaza Buffet option which serves food throughout the day also teas and coffees, water etc - the good thing about the Plaza if you have kids is that they serve a children's tea at 5:15pm which helps top get the kids sorted and off the evening clubs.

Cabin
I had an outside cabin on the Oceana at the front of E deck, the cabins are not overly generous in size but do the job well enough, I don't really spend a lot of time in the cabin so it was perfect but if your a cruise guest that does then you may want to consider upgrading. The wardrobe space was adequate and i did not suffer from any noise from the above theatre.

Entertainment
The entertainment with P&O is pretty much the same fleet wide - I didn't find to much glitz and glamour involved but the singers they had were very good and the comedian did a good stand up routine, you did however have to get the the theatre well in advance for a good seat.

Overall
I do rate the Oceana, I think she was best served in the Caribbean as the embarkation and disembarkation process was very easy at the various Caribbean islands - definitely worth considering if you do want to move away from smaller ships - I will sum her up by saying she is not too big and not too small!!!

Too Many Commoners In The Cunard Grill Restaurants?

2011-06-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Am I allowed to say that? Is the Queens Grill & Princess Grill full of "Common" cruise guests now?

Alot of people certainly think so!! I have to personally admit that I have had guests say this to me over the past few weeks and I am desperate to ask exactly what makes a cruise guest common - I have lots of images flying around in my head of what guest they encountered on their table - I don't know why but every time that a common cruise guest in the grills gets mentioned I automatically think of that character from keeping up appearances called Onslow, with his white vest and cap!

So what exactly seems to be the problem in the famous grill restaurants?, I think we are all aware that Cunard have been reducing prices on all grades of cabins including the Princess & Queens Cabins - the issue with this is that guests who have cruised with Cunard for 20 years or more in the Grill restaurants are now sharing their tables with passengers who have got themselves a last minute bargain, this was never heard of a mere 5 years ago -there was no last minute deal on these type of cabins - so the upshot of this is that a guest who has paid £7000 per person for a Q4 is sitting across from a guest that paid £1999 per person for a Q7!

Obviously this is not the fault of the guest who managed to get himself a bargain, they may not be keeping the fact that the got the Queens grill cabin for a great price a secret - and why should they? .......but this can grate on the die hard grill passenger which leads to a lot of ill feeling.

Is It Cunard That Have Caused This?
This was always going to happen when you start to cut the price on your famous suites - I don't really know of another cruise line that has such famous exclusive restaurants on board which are as well known as these two grills - I would say its a tad unfair to say there are more common guests - I think it would be better to say that Cunard are making the grills less exclusive!

Did You Notice The P&O Mini Cruise Masterstroke??

2011-05-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

What do you do if your a cruise line that has a 14 night canary cruise in December that probably will not sell fantastically well, mainly due to the competition of cruise ships going to the Canaries at the same time.
As in previous years the cruise is likely to be reduced closer to the time - maybe £699 for an inside cabin?

Well..............you can see what P&O decided to do!!

Chop the cruise into 3 or 4 mini cruises - pop a celebrity on board for each one - create a panic situation where people have to pre register for their chosen sailing and KERRRRRCHING!!

One of the voyages sells out in less than 1 day and bookings are up for the other mini cruises, Combined P&O will take more money for the mini cruises than they would of done for the original Canary cruise AND spend less on fuel AND be pretty sure that guests will spend more on board as the Christmas spirit gets underway.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticising them for this but I am wandering if most other cruise lines will follow this pattern - its no secret that Cunard have extended transatlantic sailings from 6 to 7 nights to cruise at a slower pace which in turn saves money on fuel.

Is this a sign of the times - cruise lines need to save money also or maximise the money they can make to keep the standards high - but I am a betting man and I would bet that this "masterstroke" will get the likes of Fred Olsen, Cunard and Royal Caribbean interested!

Is Any Publicity Good Publicity For MSC Cruises?

2011-05-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

As you have probably heard from the Internet,paper and news - the MSC Opera has had a few engine problems on its recent European cruise, as it was sailing around the Baltic they lost power and the engines failed.

According to reports the ship was short of food, suffered blackouts on board and there was a mini mutiny - so in an order to keep passengers calm the ship decided to give them free drinks!!! what a gamble that was!!

But.......MSC have gained widespread praise from agents and press alike for offering a free 10 day cruise for the troubles guests suffered for 3 days of their 10 day cruise - so the guests had a trouble free 7 days - but were still given another cruise for free for the troubles they had for the 3 days of the cruise - Im willing to bet that if this was P&O, Cunard etc - guests would receive a future cruise credit for an event that was out of the cruise lines control. GOOD ON MSC!!

For the last few years MSC have been trying to raise their profile in the UK with various offers including all inclusive packages and various other drinks packages, this has been working as I have sent family members on MSC more than once and have booked many guests on their ships - but what will this incident do to their efforts??

Personally I think passengers will realise that this could happen on any cruise ship and see that MSC have treated guests fantastically in difficult circumstances.

Should Fred Olsen Follow The Freestlye Band Wagon?

2011-05-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Fred Olsen are the cruise line that you look to for a home from home cruise experience, fantastic ships which all have a certain character and charm and a wonderful atmosphere on board - they are the cruise line to travel with if your looking for a traditional cruise experience - but is this enough?

The concept of freestyle and informal cruising was alien to most guests 7 or 8 years ago - "it will never last" and "its not cruising" was comments that i regularly heard at the time, but just look at what has happened in that short space of time - most cruise lines have adopted this concept - and its working!

More and more guests must have the freedom dining option on their cruise as they can not accept being told what time they must go to dinner and then have to rush back on the ship - it puts the guest in control of their cruise holiday which has been a winner as the number of British passengers cruising is going up and up and up year on year.

So What Does This All Mean For Fred Olsen?

Well.....I have to pose the question - Are Fred Olsen being left behind?

Would they benefit from a shake up on board which includes giving guests more flexibility when it comes to their evening meal - are guests being put off because the cruises seems too traditional and stuck in their ways?

Or are they doing the right thing by staying traditional in the midst of so many others "selling out"?

How about letting 1 of the 4 ships adopt the freestyle cruising style?

We are in a age of cruising now where you have to wander what will happen next - I'm going to make a fun prediction now and say that in the not too distant future - a cruise line will allow a guest to pre book a certain table number in the dining room for their cruise - before they get on board.

Let me finish by saying that I do love Fred Olsen cruises, I have travelled on them many years and enjoyed all of their ships - what they do they do well.

Can Cunard Afford To Keep Upsetting Guests?

2011-05-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Its the 3rd day of a new month and already I have spoken to 4 guests who are unhappy that Cunard have massively dropped the price of the cruise that they had booked over a year earlier, in one case a guest of mine had booked 4 cabins and the price had reduced by 1200 per person.

The guest had booked over a year ago and had been given on board credit and an "early booking discount" but the difference was still 1000 per person and he was in a lower cabin!

We all understand that near to the departure of a cruise many cruise lines can offer whats called a guaranteed deal - this means that a guests can make a booking at a reduced rate - have no benefits like parking or on board credit - and not know their cabin number - so they could be next to the laundrette or below the pool etc etc...........early bookers who pay a higher rate can accept this really.......and it works well and is easy to explain as an agent..OTHER CRUISE LINES DO THIS WELL!..............HOWEVER Cunard are offering reduced rate cabins - with a cabin number!!

Have Cunard been over pricing their cruises from the start?

Would more on board credit be the answer? or making sure all early bookers get a little something before the offers go out?

Please don't get me wrong here - I love passengers getting a fantastic deal, but at a risk of annoying returning past guests that always book early? that's one huge risk to take by Cunard, their customer relations team must be inundated with upset clients.

What Do Cunard Have To Say About This?
My call to Cunard today about this matter went as follows - "unfortunately this is a new deal and the passengers will have to write into our guest relations department".

Lets not take anything away from the quality of the Cunard ships here, 3 top quality ships with fantastic service on board!

I would love to hear from guests who have written to Cunard and had a positive experience with their pricing issues.............................

Invited to Visit a Cunard Ship but have to pay?

2011-04-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

I returned home today from another interesting day at the cruise.co.uk HQ to find that Cunard have sent me an invite to visit one of their beautiful ships in Southampton, here is the days events if I choose to do one:

10:00 - 10:30 - Arrive Southampton Cruise Terminal

10:45 - Guided tour begins

12:30pm - Tour ends

12:30pm - 2:00pm - Lunch on board in the Britannia restaurant

2:30pm - Ship visit ends

What a wonderful way to visit one of Cunard's fantastic ships, with lunch and a guide to tell me whats what about the ships and in their eyes do enough to get me to go home and book a future Cunard cruise - but I have to pay a fee of £35 Per Person for this day out.

Now if I was a potential new customer to Cunard, I would have to wonder why they are charging me this fee - not so long ago you would be invited to visit a ship for free - and probably get a voucher to incentivize you to book a cruise with that cruise line that you have visited. Perhaps they are charging the customer for the food purchased on board? on the money for the tour guides?

This type of ship visit would be great if you live within 75 miles of Southampton but consider the people in the north of the country - travel expenses on top of a fee to visit the ship would turn in to a £200 day out.
What would be the harm in saying to guests - come and see what we have to offer - pay your fee and if you do go ahead and book within a month of your visit - you can have your £35 per person fee back.

I do know that the volume of passengers wanting to get on the ships is high, so maybe they are trying to combat this buy weeding out the passengers who are just looking for a free lunch.

Anyone else had an invite? What do you think about the fee? Is It worth it?

Cruise Port Parking...Southampton - What Are The Options?

2011-04-23T02:31:00.000-07:00

Lots and lots of cruises depart from Southampton & Dover - P&O, Cunard & Fred Olsen being the main cruise lines, but this year we also have increased presence with Princess, Royal Caribbean, MSC and even Oceania have sailings from Dover.

So who do you park your car with at these ports?

Southampton

C&PS Parking

The main car park company in Southampton is CPS (car park services), they offer parking next door to the cruise ship, you have to pre book your car with CPS either on the website or by phone - when you book they will take you car details and the details of the cruise ship you will be departing on, a parking pass and confirmation will then be send to you in to post or by email, depending on how you booked.

Website = http://www.candps.com/ or Phone = 02380 334 883

Prices:

2 night mini cruise £31.00

7 nights £85.00

14 nights £146.00

15 nights £157.00
16 nights £166.00

Cruise Parking Limited
This is an off site car park in Southampton which is safe and secure, the car park is 15-20 minutes from the cruise ship terminals, you would drive directly to the car park where you would hand in your keys and have a complimentary transfer to the ship. On your return there will be a representative from Cruise Parking Limited ready to take guests back to collect their cars.
When booking this car park we would usually book this for our guests, we would take the car details, book the car in and issue a voucher to take with you to the car park - this would have all the necessary directions on.

If you did want to contact them directly: Phone = 0845 270 7585

web http://www.parkbcp.co.uk/southampton/cruise-parking.html

Prices

7 Nights £55

14 Nights £105

15 Nights £112

16 Nights £119

17 Nights £126

ABP ParkingABP parking is a very similar set up to C&PS, they are the car park of choice for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity cruises, MSC and Fred Olsen.
If you have not got your parking as part of a free parking offer you would book in online or by phone, selecting your cruise ship and date of cruise, you would then have the information sent through to you by post or email. The car parks are situated close to the cruise ships so no need to be transferred to the ships.

Phone = 0844 880 6848 website = http://www.abparking.co.uk/

Prices

7 Nights £76 (Valet Parking)

10 Nights £93

14 Nights £130

These parking options are the main, secure parking options in Southampton, of course if you were to google car parking in Southampton you would find other options - you must make sure that the parking you choose is secure and that your car stays in a secure area whilst you enjoy your cruise!

All Inclusive Comeback Halted?

2011-04-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

So just last month Royal Caribbean had rolled out the all inclusive option on the Independence Of The Seas, fantastic news!, what with a bottle of beer costing $5.50 plus your service charge this could be great value at $29 per person per day for the package which covers house wine, beer, cider and lager - depending on how much you dfink of course!

Well it was short lived I'm afraid! Royal Caribbean have suspended the all inclusive option for the sailing on the 5th April from Southampton - why o why, well I don't know the specifics but could it be that the Brits love to have 1, 2 or 3 too many? the all inclusive option is still on other cruise ships that this was tested on ?

Perhaps Royal Caribbean lost money on this new venture by testing it on the Brits first, they have said that the package will be re-instated on the 16th April voyage but i would imagine that there will be a few conditions attached!

P&O And Cunard Cruises Launch 2012/2013.................

2011-04-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again, this is my eleventh year with the company and each year we have the "launch", which in a nutshell is P&O cruises and Cunard cruise line releasing their itineraries for 2012 and 2013 - passengers can plan 2 years ahead for the cruise of their choice and put the usual deposit down to secure the best available cabins on the most popular cruises on offer.

This launch is for P&O cruises 175th anniversary in 2012, all 7 P&O ships will sail out of Southampton on the 3rd July 2012 and then all stop in a line as they sail off,

WHO CARES?

Well a lot of people it seems!

These have been by far the most popular cruises that P&O have in their programme - its always a historic occasion when ships belonging to the same cruise line sail together - almost as if its a family reunion!

So if you want to be part of a special occasion with thousands of other guests and P&O cruises - get ready to book up quick - these go on sale on 6th April!!

What Can A River Cruise Offer You?

2011-03-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

More and more cruise ship passengers are trying out river cruises, isn't a river cruise vessel just a small cruise ship with less facilities? whats good about that?

First of all a ship that sails through the world many rivers cant be too big as the rivers would not be able to accommodate them, cabins on them can be just as luxurious of a large cruise ship cabin:

A river cruise is a different to a conventional cruise, for a start you would take a river cruise if you would like to see more of the ports that you visit - you can get closer to the heart of a country on a river cruise, on most itineraries you can make up to 3 stops a day - you can literally sight see all day long!

Many river cruise ships will carry less than 150 passengers, dining is single seating and there is an entertainments programme - clothing is casual and comfortable in the day and more formal on an evening.

A typical itinerary would be 4 - 7 days and would be as follows:

Day 1-Paris

Embark
Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées

Day 2-Paris
Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées

Day 3-Giverny
am
Claude Monet house and Water Gardens

Day 3-Vernon
pm
Notre Dame, Archives Towers, Castles, Monet Water Gardens

Day 4-Rouen
Paris, Gothic Cathedral, Art Museum

Day 5-Caudebec
Gothic church, Jumieges Abbey

Day 6-Les Andelys
am
Château Gaillard, Churches of Notre-Dame and Saint Sauveur, Colegiate of Ecouis

Day 6-Conflans Sainte Honorine
pm
Tower, Chateau, Museum of Shipping

Day 7-Paris
France
Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées

A river cruise is fantastic choice for you if you like being kept interested all day, if you like being out and about and taking in the sights then a river cruise would be the perfect choice

6 Star Cruising - Review Of The Regent Seven Seas Voyager

2011-03-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

My trip on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager took me from Monte Carlo to Barcelona, We were booked into an entry level suite on the ship - all cabins are suites on Regent - also an entry level suite with Regent is the same size (356 sq feet) as a mini suite with P&O and larger than a Superior Suite with Fred. Olsen:

All suites have private balconies, King size or twin beds, walk in closet, marble bathroom with bath and shower,Bathrobes, slippers, TV, safe, telephone, hair dryer AND a mini bar replenished daily with soft drinks, beer & bottles water - all free by the way.

THIS IS AN ENTRY LEVEL CABIN!!!!!!!!

When you first board the ship you are aware of the great atmosphere on board, you can say that for most cruise ships as I have done before but the difference with Regent is the staff, from the cabin steward to the

captain (on many occasions the captain would read poetry and weather reports on the tannoy system!) - they really do look after the guests - all gratuities are included in your fare so you dont have to worry about who to tip.

The main dining room on board is the Compass Rose restaurant, this is open dining from 6:30Pm to 9:00Pm, we found tables for 2 not a problem as there were plenty of them, I must admit to not being the most adventurous when it comes to food - its chicken all the way for me! but there is chicken and there is 6 star chicken - the chefs cook to perfection - other dishes include Sea Bass, Veal, Black angus rib eye steak.

Other restaurants on board are Signatures - which is classic Frech cuisine, staffed by chefs decked out in all the whites and blue ribend of Le Cordon Bleu - this is reservations required -BUT NO COVER CHARGE. Also Prime 7 steakhouse which is again reservations but no cover charge and Le Veranda which is Regents Italian trattoria with al fresco dining.

One other dining option that we very much enjoyed is the 24 hour - in room dining, now i dont call this room service because you litterally have a table moved from the restaurant and set up in your suite - you will then have the choice of the usual menu and the meal served course by course.

The Voyager is 50,000 tonnes, not a huge ship based on todays beasts, there does seem a lot of space on board though - she only carries just over 700 guests. On the top two decks you have the pool and open deck with lots of space. Down on deck 5 you will find the Atruim, Coffee Corner, reception desk & the travel concierge.

The theatre is located over decks 4 and 5, deck 4 also has a cigar lounge, a card and conference room, a small casino and Voyager Lounge, designated for smokers.

ITS ALL INCLUDED!! - Here Is What Regent include in their Price

Free Return Economy Flights
Free Unlimited Shore Excursion - Bookable 180 Days In Advance
Transfers
All Gratuities
All Fine Dining
All Drinks & Beverages - Including Premium Brands
24 Hour Room Service
Butler Service In Selected Suites
Daily Lectures

When you compare the cost of a trip with another cruise line where you pay for excursions and drinks you will find not much difference in the costs - sure when you compare the booking price Regent may appear more expensive - but you know that if you like a wine with your evening meal and a excurison at a port - that could be £100 per person per day on your price.

If you usually travel in a Suite or Mini Suite on other cruise lines then i would definately reccommend you have a look at what Regent can offer - i think you will be pleasantly suprised what a 6 star cruise could offer you!

Part 2........The Cruise Ship Beauty's

2011-03-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

So as you may already see from part 1 of my blog, I have covered the beasts of the sea - now lets move on to some rather better looking cruise ships:

Silversea Cruises
Fantastic and sleek, Silversea cruise ships are not huge so do not look like a block of flats - but still have plenty of balcony cabins.

Queen Victoria

The look of this ship is very classy, just the right size. I also like black on a cruise ship?

Celebrity Cruises

Although some Celebrity ships do have a lot of balconies and that " block of flats" look - they are great looking ships.

The Solstice Class ships in particular have fantastic interiors.

Holland America

Again something about the cruise ships with a black base that makes them look that bit more sophisticated! The Holland America ship the Noordam was docked next to me once in Grenada in the Caribbean and she was stunning.

The cruise ships I have chosen here have pretty much the same design, no balcony cabins hanging out the side or brightly coloured patterns on the side - this is just my opinion, the great thing about cruising and cruise ships is that there is so many that you will definitely find your favourite!

The Beauty & The Beast Of Cruise Ships...Part 1......The Beasts!

2011-03-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

So I'm looking through various cruise brochures, as I have done for 11 years now and my oh my have we got a few ugly ducklings among our cruise ships now - back in my first year the Aurora had just entered service and was very.........cruise ship like, by that I mean very white, no balcony cabins sticking out all over the place, no enormous bridge or child graffiti on the side - what I would call a normal cruise ship.

Fast forward to 2011 and i must say I'm noticing some beasts entering service, lets run through a couple of my favourites:

Only one place to start wasn't there! unreal - with a Frankenstein forehead and a gazillion balconies I give you the Norwegian Epic - a baby in cruise ship terms, built less than 2 years ago, i think the designer was going for a futuristic look.

The Island Escape

Some of the best deals around are on the Escape, the atmosphere on board I find very good but the ship is an ugly sister of the seas, it is widely known that the ship is a converted car ferry and does not look good, the child like painting on the side does not help either!

Allure Of The Seas

I know what your thinking......I have just been on this ship - and it is a marvel......but I did say they should re-name her the monster of the seas, NOT good to look at, every time I look at this ship a vision of Nelson Mandela Towers runs through my mind.

Pride Of America

Another NCL entry, Purely for all of the scribble on the cruise ship,most of the NCL fleet carry the different colour scrawl on the ships.

Costa Marina

Another older cruise ship, has a back end full of glass panels, a new addition to cruise ships that didn't catch on! .......sorry what was that?....it did catch on? who in there right mind would copy this?

oh right...errrmmm......I give you the Costa Allegra...........

In fairness to these ships, they are another two that entered service as container ships and were converted to cruise ships.

So there you have it, if you have any additions to the list please let me know.

I must add that whilst a cruise ship could be a sight for sore eyes it does not mean that there is not a fantastic cruise experience on board!

Book Your Cabin Quick - Latest Cruise Deals End 28th February!!!!

2011-02-24T15:35:00.000-08:00

What a fantastic month we have had for cruise bargains - Free flights with MSC, Free parking with Celebrity Cruises from Southampton and massively reduced Cunard and P&O cruises for the coming months. Most of these cruise deals could finish at the end of this month - so here is a reminder:

Celebrity Eclipse
£1339pp - 14nts - 2 Jul 2011
Southampton: Gibraltar: Provence (Toulon): Florence/pisa (Livorno),Rome (Civitavecchia): Cagliari: Cadiz: Lisbon: Vigo: Southampton
**Save over £240pp + up to $150 per cabin on board credit + FREE car parking**

MSC Orchestra
£499pp - 8nts - 7, 15 Oct 2011
Genoa: Malaga: Cadiz: Lisbon: Gibraltar: Alicante: Barcelona: Genoa
Includes FREE flights, FREE transfers + £50 on board spending money

Queen Victoria
£1299pp - 16nts - 24th April 2011
Southampton, England : Malaga : Olympia (Katakolon), Greece : Corfu, Greece : Dubrovnik, Croatia : Venice, Italy : Korcula, Croatia : Seville (Cadiz), Spain : Southampton, England

Crown Princess
£599pp - 7 nights - 9th July 2011
Southampton, Stavanger, Norway : Olden, Norway : Hellesylt (Cruising), Norway : Geiranger, Norway : Bergen, Norway, Southampton,
Up To $200 Free On Board Spend

Queen Victoria
£1099pp - 12 nights - 10th May 2011
Southampton, England : Barcelona, Spain : Monte Carlo, Monaco : Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy : Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy : Gibraltar, Great Britain : Southampton, England

These are just a few of the most popular offers that we have been selling this month, cruise lines generally review all of the offers at the end of every month so you may find an offer ends or the price will be creeping up on other offers - book your cabin while the offers are still valid!!, go to http://www.cruise.co.uk/ to see all of our offers.

Review Of The Norwegian Star - My Hawaiian Trip

2011-02-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

One of my first major experiences of a cruise holiday was a trip on the Norwegian Star, this was when Norwegian Cruise Lines had just rolled out their Freestyle cruise concept - suddenly you had the choice of dining in any restaurant on the cruise that you desire and not even having to dress up in your so called Penguin Suit.

My flight to Hawaii took me from London Gatwick to Atlanta to Los Angeles and finally to Honolulu! it was a pain to get to ( don't worry if your considering a Hawaii trip you can fly direct to Los Angeles have a night stay and then onto Honolulu if you wish). I finally arrived for a 3 night stay in Honolulu at the Sheraton Princess, during my stay we visited Pearl Harbour and Diamond head which are well worth a visit.

On my transfer to the ship I could see I was in for an entertaining time, the ship was brightly coloured up the sides with what looked like children's scribble!, once on board the interior didn't change - the cabins are very bright in decor - I had an inside cabin which was of adequate size, the outside and balcony cabins which I also visited were spacious with plenty of storage space.

There are 11 restaurants on board the Star, the 2 main dining rooms are called the Aqua and Versailles, you then have the choices of Asia, Steakhouse,Bistro,Garden cafe, Tex Mex, Le Trattoria, Bier Garten - the food I tried on board was not spectacular - the best food was in the Steakhouse, fantastically cooked to perfection and top quality.

The ship also has lots of public rooms which I remember being all close together, you have The Carousel Lounge, Pearl Martini Bar, Gatsby's Champagne Bar, The Wine Cellar, The Havana Club (Cigar Room) and the Star Club Casino. All of these areas lead nicely to the restaurants surrounding them and to the main showroom at the front of the ship, Stardust Theater. There is always something going on -from karaoke to dancing in the nightclub - there really was never a dull moment,

Overall, you would enjoy this cruise for a fun packed 7-10 night itinerary, you have to pay for some of the speciality restaurants which can add up if paying for 7 nights in a row. This ship is nearly 10 years old and does not generally have that wow factor anymore when compared to a Royal Caribbean ship BUT i would definitely recommend to give the Norwegian Star a try for an introduction to freestyle cruising if you fancy a change.

The Star is currently sailing 7 night Mexican Riviera cruises before moving to Alaska and then on to the Caribbean in October, November.

Do Last Minute Cruise Deals Exist?

2011-02-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

So I get this question alot - along with "what cruise deals have you got travelling tomorrow?". It really depends on your definition of last minute and what your own definition of a "deal" is.

On the 1 out if the 10 occasions - I can find a passenger a cruise deal which fits their last minute cruise deal criteria - I have never found a cruise for a passenger which has travelled the next day or even in the next week come to think of it!.

The main reason for this is that cruise lines generally do not like to be left with cabins right up to the departure date. Theoretically it should be easier to get a last minute deal from Southampton as no flights to contend with, but even then there are stringent manifest checks for heightened security reasons - I have heard stories of in years gone by passengers turning up when the ships in port and asking how much to get an empty cabin but never spoken to anybody who has done this in the last ten years!!

If your looking at a fly cruise last minute it will be even harder, flight prices tend to be higher at the very last minute and push the overall package price up - the only real last minute fly cruise deal I have seen is with Thomson cruises, the main reason for this is the charter flights - operated by Thomson - as they operate their own flights and cruise they have complete control over the deal that they can offer.

A last minute deal in my opinion would be 4-5 weeks before a cruise, that way if a cruise line does have a lot of cabins left they will cut the price to sell as many as they can - If there are 1 or 2 empty a few days before the cruise goes you will tend to see a higher price as the cruise lines may want to keep them back for any situations that arise on board......

Tables Size? Your Guide To 2 - 4 - 6 OR 8.....................

2011-02-03T14:36:00.000-08:00

Is this the dreaded question from your cruise agent? what to do................I personally like a table for 2 when I cruise, partly because I like to dine at my own pace and without the worry that other passengers can see food on my face....nom nom nom.

On a serious note now, It can be a tough decision when deciding what table you want - some passengers will always say 2 - to which the agents response will be "We can request this for you but it can not be guaranteed" WHY? well the main reason for this is that cruise lines do not like to have too many couples sitting on their own as most will constantly be waiting for their next course rather than conversing while the food prepares and is ready to be served.

Guide To Table Size Selection

Table For 2
So most passengers on their first cruise will go for this, easier option - do what they like at the table -seasoned cruisers may also prefer this as they know their cruise schedule, for example - Dinner until 7:15pm - short show until 8:15pm - couple of drinks until 9:15pm - Bed.
If you will only accept a table for 2 then your better option would be Personal Choice dining, go when you like and guarantee your table for 2.

Table For 4
If your are taking your first cruise - do not choose this option, the chances of you getting paired up with two other passengers on your wavelength are minimal, you would only really go for this option if you were going with friends. I have known passengers share a table for 4 and then not have the other passengers turn up for the rest of the cruise - one word - AWKWARD.

Table For 6
So now we are getting to the more popular table choices, a table for 6 is a popular choice - you will generally get a person out of the other 4 who you have something in common with. Tables for 6 work well when your take in to consideration the time it takes for the 6 diners to eat their meals - conversation works well also as you all tend to get involved in the conversation without shouting over the table.

Table For 8
A table for 8 with a good crowd can make your cruise, you will get a couple of characters on the table that will always keep the conversation going, great for laughs and great for getting tips on the next cruise port etc etc. A Round table is a must I believe for this table size, you don't want to be leaning over and talking round other guests. Conversation tends to get louder than a table for 6 as you would expect but wouldn't normally get to over the top (depending on the crown of course)

Table For 10
Could be a free for all! tends to be loud on a table of this size but again could be a good time to meet other guests, I would only usually recommend this when going as a group or with family. You could quite easily get swallowed up in the crowd of other conversations. It would also be difficult to get all dinners eating at the same pace so it could go on for a while!

So there you have it, obviously these are my opinions and experiences, I have known guests to go on to have a table for 4 not know the other guests and have a great time - and others to go on a table for 8 and have a very quiet 7 nights!

On Board Credit......A False Benefit?

2011-01-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Many years ago when i started selling cruises I wouldn't even know what on board credit was, even up to 2004/5 on board credit was still not widespread in the cruise industry....but now most cruise lines offer on board credit as an added bonus for booking - money to spend on board their cruise ship, buy drinks, shore excursions, gits etc.

I booked a Cunard cruise recently which has $390 per person for a Princess Grill Cabin on a 14 night cruise...fantastic ......yes?....or is it?................why not have the on board credit off the price of the cruise - wouldn't that be better for cruise passengers to save money at the outset rather than getting an amount which has to be spent on board - yes it would be better for the passenger but not for the cruise line!!

Maybe the cruise lines have offered on board credit instead of reducing the price of the cruise - it would be a great and easy way for them to make money off passengers from the outset as the on board credit has to be re-spent with the cruise line and can not be withdrawn or gambled (although people have tried!)

Many of my passengers have come back from cruises stating that they couldn't spend the on board credit and lost out as a result - some people don't drink alcohol or prefer to do their own thing when at a port -why couldn't they be offered an on board credit voucher for the remaining amount on a future cruise?

Is on board credit a great help or a false benefit?

What Happend To Ocean Village Passengers?

2011-01-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ocean Village was the place for first time cruisers, it was the place to start when you all used to go on a package holiday and fancied a change because all your friends had told you about their cruise experience,

Informal - open dining - no gratuities - 7 or 14 nights - regional flight departures.

I thought Ocean Village was a great stepping stone to the cruising world and was a fantastic alternative to a package holiday - but what now?

Whats The Best Cruise Line To Start Cruising With Now?

To be honest its more of an individuals requirements - do you like to wear a suit or get into formal wear? - if so then i would always recommend P&O cruises, geared for British passengers, pound Stirling on board - great mixture of ships from large like Azura or smaller like Adonia - my opinion is that you would not feel out of place on a P&O cruise. The only part that maybe would not appeal is the formal element of the cruise - you do have to wear a jacket to get into the restaurant on a formal night.

Not Want To Dress Up At All?
Then my recommendation would be Thomson Cruises or an American cruise line like Royal Caribbean - i have seen passengers not participate at all on both of these cruise lines in the formal element of the cruise, Thomson in particular are very popular for the Brits as they go from many airports in the UK and are very good value for money.

Want To Do What You Want - When You Want?
The main cruise line for informal-do as you please - freestyle cruising is Norwegian Cruise Line - this cruise line is probably the most natural replacement for ex - Ocean Village passengers, you would have no pressure to do what you didn't want to do like dress up or go to your evening meal at a certain time - BUT there are elements of this cruise that wont please Ocean Village fans trying out NCL which is the compulsory payment of gratuities at $12 per person per day and many of the restaurants carrying a cover charge.

So there are lots of choice out there, but I would be pleased to hear from passengers who travelled with Ocean Village and then either moved on to other cruise lines or just stopped cruising altogether because they didn't feel that there was another cruise that would suit them.

The Independence Of The Seas Review Is In From The Parents.....From On Board Thefts To The Captains Balls!

2011-01-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

Just returned from our Christmas and New Year cruise on Independence Of The Seas . This was our 4th sailing on this ship. I was dismayed at the new policy of not sending travel tickets (have to print your own now !) and having to request labels(what are you supposed to attach to your case if you don't?)

It was rather an anxious start to the holiday not knowing whether we would actually make it to Southampton due to the snow. We were assured that our inter cruises coach would arrive and it did ! Booking in at Southampton was a shambles as all the coaches arrived together resembled something like a bun fight! Our room was ready and we soon settled in. The ship as ever was stunning. Service in the restaurant (Macbeth) was excellent. Food was excellent and you have a choice to eat in the windjammer buffet as an alternative to the restaurant. Shows were very good especially the ice shows.

The weather was mixed which limited the opportunities to sit out on deck - I feel that if this ship is to continue winter cruises in the med it needs to have a cover for least one of its pool areas, there was nowhere to swim inside and the weather was too cold to sit on deck for the majority of the time. Sardinia was taken out of the itinerary without us being informed but there was fantastic carol singing along the royal prom on Xmas eve.

Naples New Year fireworks were very good and the celebration along the Royal promenade made the night - the ships plan was not to stay for the fireworks but there was a revolt by the passengers and i think the captain was scared of being hung over the bridge by his balls so he stayed in the bay at Naples to preserve his dignity.
Quite a few stories of people being put of the ship due to bad behaviour was doing the rounds on the ship and an 80 yr old pair of shoplifters with zimmers who filled their little bags with goodies (watches,rings etc) which were later discovered in the cabin were also turfed off!.

Trips were very expensive so we always do our own via hop on hop off buses which are available at most ports - Royal Caribbean charge quite a lot for shuttle transfers 15 euros for Lisbon! in Livorno you were not allowed off the ship if you didn't purchase their 11 euro shuttle then most of the drivers went to lunch at 12.30 and left us stranded in the town!

All in all another good cruise but felt 18 days too long at this time of the year in the Mediterranean.

Happy New Year! AND Happy Birthday To ME!

2011-01-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time my fellow cruise enthusiasts! I have been off for a long time visiting Royal Caribbean ships Majesty and Allure of the Seas whilst also visiting the private island owned by Royal Caribbean which is Coco Cay in the Bahamas - fantastic - especially for water sports. Once my visiting was done i was back to the UK for some rest and recuperation in time for it all to start again in 2011!

So what will this year have in store for us in the ever expanding world of cruises...............well....I fully expect there to be deals a plenty .....Its only been 4 days and Royal Caribbean are selling the 18 night Independence of the Seas in January and February for less than £1000 per person in a balcony cabin.........my parents are currently on this cruise which departed on the 21st December so check back in a couple of weeks and you will find the Independence review......from an honest Victor Meldrew like point of view***!........including what the cruise line does for Christmas Day and New Years Eve celebrations.

New Cruise Ships For 2011

So this year is maybe not as busy as previous years, we have the like of the Disney Dream, Celebrity Silhouette, Seabourn Quest, Costa Favolosa to name but a few - the number of passengers cruising will no doubt increase - especially for new cruisers, lots of calls I have already taken this year are for passengers who have found the fantastic value that cruising has to offer - package holidays are not offering the same value I believe with many of them increasing year on year.

2011 is the year of the Cruise!!

My birthday is 13th January by the way............pop it into your diary and book your cruise with me on that day!

***tony is not suggesting his parents are like Victor Meldrew!!!!

Allure Of The Seas......Is This The Future For Cruising?

2010-12-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

So as you may have read on my previous blog I have completed my trip of 3 cruise ships in 4 countries in 12 days.......what a trip - lots of food and too many fire drills!

My first blog on my trip will be a review of the Allure Of The Seas, or as I now like to call her the Monster Of The Seas - this ship is a technological marvel I assure you, I'm my 10 years or cruising I have never seen anything like it.

We travelled down to Fort Lauderdale from Miami airport which is a 40 minute coach trip, and the embarkation was smooth ( at this point i must say that there was only 2000 passengers on board not the usuall 5000 odd), we walked on board and walked right on to the promenade level at which point my wife and I said "are we actually on the ship?" you walk right into a shopping street on which you will find the karaoke bar, Pizza parlour, Cafe, Cupcake Shop, Starbucks, Boleros Smoking bar, English Pub and shops galore - it really is a strange feeling to walk on a cruise ship and be faced with a bar that moves up and down 3 decks!

We walked around open mouthed, the ship is the biggest ship in the world by 2 inches but it is the width of the ship which makes her so vast in size. We made our way to the 9th level to our Ocean View Balcony cabin - on the wall is an interactive touch screen where you can enter your cabin number or any attraction on the ship and it tells you exactly how to get there.

The cabins are of good size, have good wardrobe space and good size shower room -we also viewed a family suite which looks fantastic if you have 5 or more passengers in your party as they have 1 double room, 1 twin room with 2 upper berths all in one large cabin. The Junior Suite was a little disappointing as i did not think it was much larger than a normal balcony cabin, the inside and outside cabins were normal sizes with ample space for luggage.

We then took a tour of the ship and visited the boardwalk (back of deck 6) which has a fairground carousel on their along with Johnny Rockets Burger Diner, a large hot dog stand (with over 5 types of sausage), Ice cream parlour,Candy Shop,2 rock climbing walls, Aqua Theatre and a Mexican style eatery. Both the hot dog stand and Mexican style restaurant are exclusive to the Allure Of The Seas,Our tour then took us onto the Central Park which is very strange to see on a cruise ship but a fantastic addition.

Our evening meal was served in the main dining room which spans from deck 3 to deck 5, the food was fantastic - the best food that I have tasted on a cruise ship for years, but saying that - all of the food on the ship was top quality - from the Windjammer buffet to the Johnny Rockets Burgers and Hot Dogs - all are a very high standard.

On to the evening entertainment, wow..........the first show we watched was a ventriloquist/Comedian called Ron Lucass who has been around for a long time - a very funny show for all ages,we then visited the comedy club - a smaller venue which creates a great atmosphere for a comedy show, the best show by a million miles that i have ever seen on a cruise ship is the Aqua Theatre show, the Aqua Theatre has an 18ft deep pool - the show included diving, trampolining, unbelievable acrobatics and mesmerising dives that made you want to look away because of the danger and level of skill involved - once they dive into the pool they disappear and reappear again up top to start another dive, you do really have to see this show to appreciate it.
As we were only on for 3 nights we could not see all of the entertainment but you do really need 7 nights to see all of whats on offer.

What I did find with the Allure Of The Seas is the constant need to book things, unfortunately this does come with having such a large ship, you have to book your tickets to shows, you generally have to book to dine in the speciality venues like Johnny Rockets on the Mexican style eatery. We did turn up at the comedy club without booking and did get a seat but my worry is that on this 3 night trip we only had 2000 passengers on board - usually with 5000 guests I would say it would be alot more difficult to just turn up and get a seat.

Is this the future of cruising? well, my personal view is a sit on the fence one I'm afraid - if this was your first cruise you would be amazed - you would not believe that this type of cruise existed and you would then of raised the bar so high you would not be satisfied with a Carnival cruise for example - if you are a seasoned cruiser you would go on this ship thinking wow...look how far cruising has come....but the Allure Of The Seas is more like a city at sea, the ship is designed and is geared up to get you spending on board - you would be very hard pressed to not spend $100 per person per day on this cruise ......at least............!

Overall, as Royal Caribbean Would say Why Not!! get yourself on board, I can assure you that you will not be left with a spare minute on your hands.

Photos to follow soon!

4 Countries, 3 Ships ............in 12 days!!!!

2010-11-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

A well earned break is on the horizon! coming up on the 17th November is my familiarisation trip of the Allure of the seas along with a short cruise on the Majesty of the Seas down to the Bahamas and a Christmas do on the P&O Aurora!!!....all in a hectic 12 days.

So what can I expect from my mix of the zip wire of the Allure Of The Seas to the Stirling prices on P&O cruises (which I do like I admit).

Well I must say I am very much looking forward the the sparkling new cruise ship that Royal Caribbean has to offer - the huge open air theatre and the Central Park area - but i am also looking forward to the old style of cruise that Royal Caribbean has to offer - the Majesty of the Seas - this is a cruise ship that is 15 years old and has recently had a $36 million renovation - I am going from one Royal Caribbean extreme to another.

So on to our Christmas party, on the 27th November I will arrive back in to London Heathrow and be whisked off to meet the Aurora down in Southampton - I love the Aurora, entertainment, no automatic gratuities and pints of Boddingtons - Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

I will report back on the 29th November to let you know how it went!

Southampton Fights Liverpool For Cruise Business..........

2010-11-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

So here's the story: Liverpool has a new cruise terminal built to be more attractive to Cruise lines and passengers and more importantly for cruise turnarounds - to you and me a cruise turnaround is when a cruise starts or stops in a particular port to stock up on provisions or to embark or disembark passengers - which is worth £150,000 by the way!

Southampton cruise port fought against Liverpool using their port for cruise turnarounds because of funding that Liverpool received from EU money - and Southampton receives none - this was fought successfully by Southampton..............but now the Liverpool council have appealed to the government and the Liverpool Daily Post has launched an online petition so that Liverpool can start to handle the cruise turnaround's - this will be beneficial for many businesses in Liverpool

I personally think Liverpool would be a great alternative to Southampton for passengers in the northern areas - another large cruise terminal in the north of the UK would suit passengers who do not want the 3-4 hour journey to get to the South of England,

So what cruise ships could we expect to go from Liverpool then? at the moment Fred Olsen is a major supporter of Liverpool but i would like to see a P&O ship depart from the north - I wonder if Southampton does lose out to the latest appeal will Liverpool be considered - i would imagine that the port charges would be less!

New Cruise Line Starts Cuba Itineraries......Will It Be A Success?

2010-10-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Cruise lines don't really include Cuba in their itineraries, with the exception of Fred Olsen & Thomson - mainly because of the restriction of American passengers travelling to Cuba.......BUT.....there is a new Cuba itinerary on the horizon in the form of new cruise line Tropicana Cruises - nope i have not heard of them either!

However Tropicana Cruises which have offices in London and St Petersburg have their cruise ship called the Adriana which was built in 1972 and has basic facilities sailing from Havana - the Adriana will sail from Havana to Cayo Saetia, Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad and Hueva Gerona, all in Cuba, as well as Ocho Rios in Jamaica, where passengers can board as an alternative to embarking in Havana.

Prices start on the itineraries at 995 euros per person for a 7 night cruise only

The icing on this cruise cake is that Tropicana Cruises plan to mix the passengers - Russian-Brits-German!

I would be very interested to see how this new venture goes as I travelled to Cuba 2 years ago and can say that it is a fantastic country - especially Havana, all of those old style cars and fantastic Cuban cigar making factories make it a one off city and one of the most interesting places to visit.

Could It Be Magic?..........The Latest Carnival Ship Nears Completion

2010-10-15T02:51:00.000-07:00

This one flew under the radar didn't it? You may not of heard - what with Queen Elizabeth taking the limelight but Carnival Cruise Lines are nearing completion of their new 130'000 tonne Carnival Magic - she will take her first sailing in just under 200 days.

So what can this new ship offer, well how about Carnivals first ever pub - with its very own private label beer! (hopefully a tad cheaper than the other beers!)

Also an outdoor weight lifting area! yes a WEIGHT LIFTING AREA..........I just can't quite picture this one......along with a top deck packed with water slides and plenty of sunbeds.

Fine dining will of course be another attraction on the new Carnival ship, they have introduced a new Italian restaurant called Cucina del Capitano (which translated is "The Captains Kitchen") many of the dishes have been selected by the captains of the Carnival fleet.

I have been on two Carnival ships and can say that I was very impressed - my first was the Carnival Liberty a few years back and I remember people saying to me that Carnival are party ships with bright corrugated iron covering the decks.......I was very surprised when I arrived on board to find a sleek ship with a fun atmosphere - my second was only a couple of year back on the then new Carnival Splendour, we sailed over to Amsterdam on a 3 night voyage and I had a fantastic time on board - the atmosphere i find on the Carnival ships is always upbeat - the food and restaurant's of a high standard and the entertainment top class.

There are plenty of ships out there which are trying to be bigger and better with more and more innovation and extra facilities which to be honest I don't think many passenger would use or if they do maybe only once - Carnival it seems to get on with its own strategy of offering passengers who like cruising more comfort which they will use day in day out and at the same time providing a fun holiday - yes they are the fun ships and they don't pretend to be anything else - it works!

An Idiot On A Cruise Ship.....................

2010-10-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

No not me before you ask!!

I have been watching a recent TV programme about an idiot traveling abroad and this has got me thinking about doing my own guide called an idiots guide to cruising, I will start this off with a few pointers - please feel free to add to my list:

1) Its not a good idea to make lots and lots of references to the Titanic, even if it may be the only other ship you are aware of.

2) Whilst we are on the subject of the Titanic - Please don't get drunk and talk your wife into standing at the very front of the ship with your arms in the air in the style of Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet.

3) Try not to ask what time the midnight buffet is....stop....count to ten........you can do it.......you know the answer.

4) Your window or porthole does not open - remember this before you light that cigarette,

5) A penguin suit is slang for a tuxedo - please don't take an actual penguin outfit.

Send me anymore that you can think of!

What Is A Tailor Made Package?

2010-10-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

As you may see from our website, forums and our post mailings - we have been offering our new tailor made tours to passengers who want a cruise holiday with a difference - an example of a tailor made tour would be:

Queen Victoria Cruise + Hotel Stay + Transfers + Flights - all in one package - all for one set price.

The benefits of these unique tours are to offer our clients basically more for their money, you can't book these tours through the cruise lines as you will generally pay a lot more if you want more than one night in Miami or want to combine your Caribbean cruise with a 3 night trip in Vegas - cruise lines are quite limited in what they offer because of their set contracts with airlines and hotels.

You also have the flexibility to ask us for extra nights in one city or less in another, or to fly you to somewhere different - last week a client had always wanted to visit Yosemite National Park - so we had a stop off in San Francisco for 3 nights so she could do this and then continued the tour on to Vegas and Miami.

When you book the tailor made tours with Cruise.co.uk you have total protection on your chosen package - we have an ATOL licence which enables us to offer this type of trip - this means that every aspect of your tour is covered, weather its delay or cancellation of flight or strike action - or even erupting volcanoes!

So why not get more for your money and check these Tailor Made tours out.........

Are Cruises More Expensive Year On Year

2010-09-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

More than a few of my clients - including my own mother! have commented to me that cruises seem more expensive next year when they have been looking at their 2011 options - and asking me why this is?

Well to be honest I don't have an answer...........sorry to disappoint.................but I personally think that there has never been so many offers or deals in cruising as there are now or in the next 12 months. In my ten years with cruise.co.uk/Victoria Travel I have seen big changes in the way that the cruise lines offer their cruises.

The first "flat rate deal" with P&O that I remember selling was in 2003 and it was £699 for the Aurora, Baltic Cruise - but this was a cruise going in June time so quite a way into the season - this deal was last minute - and it upset a few people who booked early for this cruise.............nowadays you get an incentive for booking early like on board credit or parking or both! which the flat rate booker's don't get - so by waiting you will stand a good chance of getting a deal -without the extras - you cant have it all!

The other way to look at this is, you have the same itineraries every year - Western Med - Canaries - Baltic, at some point you will want to do another itinerary like Eastern Med - Alaska- New England etc - these cruises will be more expensive, the cruise lines know what itineraries to keep at what price - so if you always usually book the Western Med and now are looking at certain itinerary going to the Eastern Med like Yalta or Odessa - you will pay more as these cruises are more popular.

My view is that cruises are not getting more expensive - it depends on what itinerary you want and when you what to secure your cabin - if you are specific in your requirements then book early as it will be money well spent!

Thomsons Dream........Or Nightmare!!!!!!!

2010-09-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

You may already know this folks but people's Thomson dream cruise turned into a nightmare when Thomson rolled out their new vessel earlier this year - plumbing issues, air con failure and passengers up in arms.

Why am I mentioning this now? well as you may know the BBC Watchdog program are featuring the Thomson Dream on their program as i type this - the cruise director on board has pointed out to a passenger that Thomson obtained the ship on the 12th April 2010 and then started the first cruise on the 22nd April 2010!!!!! that's 10 whole days to make the Costa Europa the Thomson Dream.

Its obvious i think to see that Thomson rushed this ship out without the necessary repairs, but don't let this put you off Thomson cruises - the cruise ships are great 3* cruises and great value for money, they are one of the only companies now offering cruise and stay in the Mediterranean and Caribbean,

What happens when the computer says NO ?????

2010-09-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

I was talking to one of my passengers today who I have been booking on cruises for the last 10 years now, normally my client would book in advance however this time a great deal came up that she did'nt want to miss out on, this time around the dinning options were on what we call a "waitlist" which means that the dining time that she wanted would not be guarenteed - WHAT DOES THIS REALLY MEAN?

Well.............it basically means that the number of passengers who want to dine at that particular time have nearly exceeded the amount of passengers that the dining room can hold - some cruise lines like P&O have a waitlist of 150 passengers who will get the dining time and then once it gets over 150 those passengers who are over will not be allocated that dining time - other cruise lines like Fred Olsen will just close the dining time completely.

Sometimes if you dont get the time you wanted you can ask onboard - BUT dont bank on this as refusal can offend - always be prepared to be flexible if booking a last minute cruise but if you will only cruise on that particular time and wont be happy with anything else then book early.

Some other aspects of the cruise may not be guranteed , but would this stop you from traveling ??

They Could Be:

**Table size

**Cabin number

**special food requests

**taking a wheelchair

When booking a cruise remember that the computer does sometimes say no!!

More Cruise Ships For Norwegian Cruise Line?

2010-09-10T00:55:00.000-07:00

There is a rumour doing the rounds that our friendly freestyle cruise line are about to order MORE new build cruise ships...........really? what else can NCL offer in a freestyle capacity that we havn't already seen from
them?

My own experience with NCL was back in 2002 when their freestyle concept first kicked off - I was invited on their Hawaii based cruise ship Norwegian Star on a roundtrip voyage around the Hawaiin Islands. What a fantastic trip it was - I had 2 nights in Honolulu where we visited Pearl Harbour and then off to the islands such as Maui and the favourite of mine Nawiliwili (I bet you laughed!).

I thought the new as it was then freestyle concept was fantastic - along with the facilities -the Kareoke bar was great! as the last years have gone by we have seen the ships get larger,more colourful and I have to say uglier - harsh? No - the Epic is just not a good looking cruise ship - to be honest it doesn't have to be - but it needs to give a fantastic cruise experience to get the NCL passengers to try their other ships.

I would say that it does........but do passengers then go from the epic to the more innovative ships of the Royal Caribbean fleet - because they surely would not go from the Epic to the Norwegian Sun?

In my opinion NCL does have to build more ships to stay in the game - In 2002 on my trip this freestyle dining was a new concept - unique to NCL - they championed this new dining freedom - but now as we now you can get mytime dining with RCI and Personal Choice dining with Princess or even Celebrity Select dining.

If NCL do build new ships - what more can they or do they need to offer??

The Queen To Name The New Cunard Ship..........

2010-09-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

Cunard Line has confirmed that Her Majesty The Queen will name the company's new 90,400-ton, 2,092-passenger vessel - this will take place on Monday 11th October 2010,

This occasion would be a long line in Royals naming Cunard ships - the late Queen Mother name the original Queen Elizabeth, when our beloved Queen was Princess she launched the Caronia and in 1967 when she was Queen she launched the QE2 and then QM2 in 2004.

The ship, which will be able to accommodate 2,092 guests, will also have a West End-style theatre with private boxes.

Cunard are renown for both the quality of service and food they have on their ships - 'the finest dining at sea'. The Verandah will be taking this quality of service and food and adding a fabulous setting on board for passengers to have an exclusive night out on board by experiencing different food in a different setting.

The food will be fabulous too with the Michelin Award winning chef Jean-Marie Zimmerman designing the French cuisine. Each dish will highlight a region of France and will consist of the finest products and freshest that can be found. The restaurant will be one that adds an additional restaurant experience to the main restaurants of the Queen Elizabeth ship. Therefore it is classed as 'an additional fine dining experience'. This means to experience it will mean a small surcharge to use it. But on the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria Ship the $25 dollars extra per head for the Todd English restaurant hasn't been a problem to most passengers once they have experienced the best dining experience on board,

Gratuities - What Is All The Fuss About?

2010-08-27T02:11:00.000-07:00

The main talking point with many passengers who are booking a cruise is gratuities - over the past decade this has become a part of cruising which baffles me.

So lets get this straight - This is what the term Gratuity means in the dictionary:

1. A gift of money, over and above payment due for service, as to a waiter or bellhop; tip.

2. Something given without claim or demand.

Ok so that makes sense to me.

However..............I am yet again confused when i call Celebrity Cruises to ask them to remove the gratuity amount on one of my clients bookings, it went a little like this:

ME "good morning, my client would like the gratuities removed from his booking at this stage and will tip on his own terms when he gets on board"

CC " he will have to pay them one way or another - why spoil it for everyone else and take them off"

ME "errm well he tips based on the service he receives and will probably tip more than you are asking for now"

CC "these staff members dont earn a lot of money you know", this is what they rely on"

ME " why don't the cruise lines pay more in wages then?"

CC "(huffing & Puffing) right i have removed them"

It has come to this ladies & gents - if you take gratuities off your cruise booking - you are spoiling it for everyone else!!! give me a break - we are talking about the American Cruise Lines - the likes of P&O, Fred Olsen leave it up to you to decide what to tip at the end of the cruise. Fair Enough.

A gratuity is an extra - OVER AND ABOVE as it says in the dictionary - I am not denying that these staff members work their backsides off day in day out but the moral responsibility for their standard of living should be put on the Cruise Line shoulders - not the passengers paying X amount of thousands for their once a year luxury cruise holiday!

QUESTION TIME

Why don't the cruise lines include the gratuities in their cruise fare?

Why is the gratuity amount increasing year on year?

How can one cruise line successfully operate a tipping policy which is not compulsory and still stay afloat?

Let me know your thoughts!!!

Cruise Art................................

2010-08-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

We have all been on cruise ships and seen the art shows and paintings that the cruise lines are trying to sell - now i have a different approach to this, some very good passengers of mine who are Cunard enthusiasts have some fantastc paintings of the Cunard Queen ships which I have agreed to include on my blog - take it away Mr & Mrs Donkin -

My wife and I enjoyed our first cruise on the QE2, cruising the Canary Isles in 2007. We fell in love with the boat, the crew, the lifestyle and the fantastic atmosphere of the whole experience.
Sadly we could not get onto the QE2 for her final westbound to New York in 2008, but we got onto the QM2 and sailed in tandem to New York. The event and the sense of history made this cruise as special as our first with Cunard.
The paintings were inspired by our cruise experience. To further celebrate our growing love of cruising we are looking forward to being on the QE maiden cruise to the Canary Isles, another spaecial event and special cruise we hope.

A very special thank you to Mr Donkin for sending me these pictures, im sure you will agree that they are painted to a very high standard - you can visit Mr Donkins webiste http://www.eddy-donkin.co.uk/ to see all of his fantastic work.

Yet Another Strike For Flights?

2010-08-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here we go again............we may be set for another strike on flights at the BAA airports in the UK.

This Means that the following airports could be affected:

Heathrow
Stansted
Southampton
Glasgow
Aberdeen
Edinburgh

Why i hear you ask? well the staff have been offered only a 1-1.5% wage increase after having their pay frozen last year and the staff arnt too happy about this - the union have to give at least 7 days notice so the first strikes could start as early as the 19th August.

So good news if your sailing from Southampton, have a leisurly drive down with no trouble at all and hop onto your cruise ship - what a good year its been for Southampton and Dover cruises - is it worth going through the hassle of a package cruise holiday anymore with the flight security/delay/ash/strikes to contend with!!

What Football Star Would You Like On Your Cruise?

2010-08-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

The news from Silversea Cruises today is that they will have football legend Kenny Dalglish hosting guests on Silversea’s new Middle Eastern voyage aboard Silver Wind in January, he will be on board to give talks about his career and join fellow guests for dinner..........................this got me thinking.............what football star goes with what cruise line....here is my take on things:

NCL (the epic in particular) = Peter Beardsley - we have seen how ugly that ship is!

P&O = Gareth Southgate - straight down the line, stiff upper lip and all that.

Thomson/Island = Vinnie Jones Or Gazza? you choose

RCI = David Beckham - always smart, very innovative!

Fred Olsen = Bobby Charlton - Traditionally British!

Celebrity Cruises = Ryan Giggs -high quality for years and years.

Cunard = Bobby Moore - a stalwart for England

MSC = Roberto Baggio - quality product - poor under pressure!

Send your suggestions to me!!

Cruise Ship Kills Whale In Alaska.........

2010-07-30T03:36:00.000-07:00

Can there be too many cruise ships in one area of the world?

A cruise ship in Alaska is in the spotlight for picking up an unwilling passenger: a whale. According to the Anchorage Daily News, federal authorities are investigating the cause of death of a whale found stuck on the bulbous bow of Sapphire Princess yesterday morning near Juneau.

The news report says that the whale, which appears to be a juvenile humpback, was discovered at about 8 a.m. while the ship was south of the Alaskan capital city, near Tracy Arm. Princess crew contacted the Coast Guard; officials from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Fisheries Service responded to the call, dispatching a tugboat crew to dislodge the carcass.

The whale's been transported to an undisclosed location for a necropsy (postmortem examination); at 3 p.m., the ship was cleared to continue sailing toward Juneau. The report further says that NOAA officials plan to interview the ship's crew members about the incident.

Though it's rare for whales to become impaled by cruise ships, it has happened. Last summer -- almost a year ago to date -- crewmembers aboard this same vessel discovered an endangered fin whale caught in the ship's bow. A necropsy in that case revealed that the whale may have already been sick or dead when it and the ship made contact.

Should there be a limit of how many cruise ships there are in Alaska or even a limit on the size of the ship that is allowed to cruise the waters of Alaska?

How Clean Is Your ...Ship? Oasis Of The Seas Is Sparkling!

2010-07-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

When it comes to cruise ship sanitation, Royal Caribbean's 225,282-ton, 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas is a model of proper hygiene.

On June 26, the world's largest cruise ship scored a perfect 100 on its CDC vessel sanitation inspection, the stringent (and surprise) cruise ship cleanliness exam conducted twice a year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There were some minor infractions, but none were deemed serious enough to deduct points. For instance, according to the report, "the location of several bowls of food [in Oasis' Solarium Cafe] required excessive reaching. Passengers could potentially contaminate food on display with their arms, clothing or jewelry. This was corrected."

Looking across the industry over the past three months, a number of other ships have earned perfect scores, including Caribbean Princess, Diamond Princess, Carnival Freedom, Radiance of the Seas, Zuiderdam, Norwegian Pearl and Oosterdam. When it comes to onboard cleanliness in general, germophobes will be happy to know that there have been no failing scores -- anything under an 86 -- since a small private vessel, Albatross, earned a 69 in February.

The one mainstream ship that stands out over the past several months is Celebrity Summit. The ship received an 87 during its June 20 inspection, just barely eking out a passing grade. Summit was docked points for numerous violations, including a dairy creamer which was tested at 80 degrees Fahrenheit (should be maintained at 41 degrees or less); also, a children's toilet room did not have a waste receptacle with an airtight lid.

Through its Vessel Sanitation Program, the CDC -- a United States agency that monitors a range of issues relating to public health -- inspects cruise ships with foreign itineraries that call on U.S. ports and that carry 13 or more passengers. Cruise ships are subject to inspections twice a year. The inspections are conducted to ensure that vessels are maintaining adequate levels of sanitation and to provide guidance to vessel staff when needed.

New Queen Elizabeth Entertainment revealed..................

2010-07-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

Expect everything from Shakespeare to Neil Simon in terms of theatrical entertainment when Cunard's new, 92,000-ton, 2,092-passenger Queen Elizabeth enters service in October 2010. The cruise line has announced an eclectic range of production shows -- and other offerings, such as topical news quizzes -- to be staged in the blue and gold, art deco-themed Royal Court Theatre.

For the first time, actors are being included among cast members of the newly formed Queen Elizabeth Theatre Company (most lines just have singers and dancers).

And another first for Cunard: Following the trend set by Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line in staging established hits at sea on new ships -- "Hairspray" and "Chicago" by Royal Caribbean and Blue Man Group by NCL -- Queen Elizabeth's passengers will be treated to the hit musical "A Slice of Saturday Night," which has enjoyed a run in the West End and a season off-Broadway (American readers may remember it as "Cafe A Go-Go").

The 60's-themed show has been specially adapted for the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Company by its original writers, the Heather Brothers, and will be the largest production show that Cunard has ever staged.

As for the rest of the line-up:

Lovers of Shakespeare will be able to enjoy an abridged version of "Twelfth Night," while there will be a taste of more contemporary drama with a Neil Simon triple bill, featuring a scene each from "Last of the Red Hot Lovers," "Plaza Suite" and "The Odd Couple," each linked by its setting either in an apartment or a hotel suite. The audience will have a chance to meet the actors for a Q&A at the end of each show.

Two more production shows include "The Piccadilly Line," centered on a tube carriage on the London Underground, and "Hotel Royale," set against the backdrop of a fading hotel with some unusual and quirky staff and guests.

"Sing," based on the Singers in Concert shows on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, will feature covers of popular hits from musicals, pop and light classics.

"La Danza" is a dance-themed production show in the same vein as Apassionata and Dance Passion, running respectively on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.
Finally, a specially written panel quiz show -- based on the format of the BBC's "Have I Got News For You" -- will also be staged during the day.

Actual scheduling of all the shows has yet to be announced, although we know some will be followed by theme parties, for example, a "London Swings" sixties night will always coincide with "A Slice Of Saturday Night".

Holland America's New - Niew Amsterdam!!

2010-07-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

After baking in the sun on a sweltering day in Venice, Holland America's new Nieuw Amsterdam got cooled off with a splash of bubbly. The 86,000-ton, 2,106-passenger ship was christened today by Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, who pulled a lever onboard to release a Champagne bottle against the hull of the vessel -- a maritime tradition thought to bring ships good luck. It broke on the first try.

The smash was the culmination of a ceremony in the ship's glittery, art deco Showroom at Sea theater, which paid homage to Holland America's rich history sailing to and from the Dutch-settled city of Nieuw Amsterdam -- better known today as New York (and the inspiration for much of the decor onboard) -- as well as its Dutch roots. This is actually the 11th HAL vessel to be christened by a member of the Dutch Royal family. Most recently, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands dedicated Nieuw Amsterdam's sister ship, Eurodam, in 2008.

Another fact: Nieuw Amsterdam is the fourth ship to bear the name. A video presentation chronicled the history of its predecessors, ships that served to shuttle immigrants to the New World and transport troops to Europe in times of war. Particularly moving was a black and white still of a young crewmember who, now long retired, was in the audience wiping his eyes with a tissue.

The crowd was entertained by a fantastic booming quartet called Cantare, which will perform regularly on the Nieuw Amsterdam; they sang "The Impossible Dream

Another "wow" moment: at the start of the dedication ceremony, each captain from all of Holland America's 15 ships were elevated onto the stage by a hidden moving platform; earlier today, they arrived one by one to the ship in a flotilla of water taxis.

After a blessing by Italian priests Father Sergio and Father Marco, Holland America President and CEO Stein Kruse spoke to the crowd of travel agents and journalists hailing from the United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and beyond, making sure to wish "all of the Americans in the room a happy birthday!" Nieuw Amsterdam's captain Edward van Zaane also took to the podium, saluting his officers and crew.

Dubai Anyone?

2010-07-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

Dubai is fast becoming the up and coming port in cruising - especially for Royal Caribbean!!

There's a lot to be said, it seems, for guaranteed winter sunshine. Though the winter of 2011 may seem a long way off, the port of Dubai is already likely to be expecting a bumper season, if Royal Caribbean's latest move is anything to go by.

The cruise line began offering cruises out of Dubai in January 2010 on the 2,501-passenger Brilliance of the Seas and is returning this coming winter for a second season. Both of these programmes --which, according to a statement from Royal Caribbean, have exceeded expectations by 30 percent -- have been so successful that the line has stepped up its presence in the Gulf for 2011.

One of the reasons, the statement says, is easy air access from the U.K.; Emirates, the national carrier, has an impressive 98 flights a week from the U.K. including daily services from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow -- all easy, regional departures for holidaymakers who want to depart from close to home.

Brilliance will now return to the United Arab Emirates in November 2011, two months earlier than previously planned, and will offer an increased range of itineraries including longer cruises of 12 and 18 nights, taking in ports in southern India as well as the Gulf.

Royal Caribbean has also tweaked the itineraries for both 2010 and 2011based on feedback from passengers and travel agents. There will be double the number of seven-night cruises and the order of ports has changed, to speed up visa processing. Bahrain, which lacks the history or culture of some of the other ports, has been replaced with an overnight in Muscat, while the cruise ends with an overnight in Dubai, so passengers can shop and sightsee without running up huge hotel and restaurant bills.

One of the new itineraries for 2011 is a 12-night Dubai and India cruise featuring ports of call such as Muscat, Cochin, Goa and Mumbai.

P&O predicts quick bookings for world cruises - Fancy A Grown Up Gap Year?

2010-06-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ever had a grown up gap year? yes folks this is the buzz word for "mature" world cruisers and passengers taking world cruise sectors!

P&O Managing Director Carol Marlow has stated that more and more passengers are taking sabbatical from work and embarking on a 20-30-40 night world cruise sector or even a whole world cruise - just imagine walking into your boss on Monday and uttering the new fashionable term - grown up gap year to try and twist their arm into letting you off for a few months.

Why not I say - what a fantastic way to see the World or lots of different countries in the safety of a luxury cruise ship like the Oriana or Aurora.

P&O Cruises has unveiled details of its biggest world cruise programme, offering five ships, 177 ports and 95 separate holidays which goes on sale on 15th July - Carol Marlow is very confident that early bookings will be strong.

So Why Book Early For Such A Long Cruise -So Far Ahead?
I believe that its a must if you want to sail on a long voyage in the best possible cabin - who wants to be beneath the pool for 90 nights or above the theatre - Its worth taking advantage of the early booking deals and extra on board credit rather than hope there will be cabins left.
A world cruise is usually a once in a lifetime trip, its not like your 14 night Western Meditteranean cruise which is ten a penny in June, July and August - these voyages do not come back and go round again - its once a year so excuse the pun but push the boat out and get the best position possible on the ship - it may just save you a lot of nights with the other half in your ear saying i told you so!!

Whats Worst Than England Losing? Fred Olsen To Start Charging For TEA!!!!!!!!

2010-06-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Please say its not so......the nations favourite is set to come at a supplement on Fred Olsen!!!!. As you can tell from my other posts i am a Fred Olsen fan so this has shocked me to my very core - here is what we know about this disturbing news:

While ordinary afternoon tea will still be served on Fred. Olsen's ships in the main and self-service restaurants, a special tea will take place on certain afternoons in a cordoned-off area of the Observatory Lounge, with a supplementary charge.
For £5.95, passengers will be serenaded by classical musicians, served a variety of teas on fine bone china and offered a traditional English cream tea, complete with dainty cakes, finger sandwiches, scones, cream and jam.
The special teas have been trialled on Boudicca and have, according to a company statement, been such a success that the service is being rolled out across all four ships.

So its not all that bad, you can still get afternoon tea but this is like an upgraded version with all the trimmings - WILL IT WORK? we will see but what ever next - an indian head massage with you full english or maybe?

Would You Send Your Parents On MSC? I Dared To!!!!!

2010-06-03T02:22:00.000-07:00

When my parents asked me about a certain MSC sailing - I have to admit I layed it on thick - lots of announcements in 5 different languages, Britons being the minority etc etc etc, See below for their review:

Re: MSC Musica 23/5/2010 to 30/5/2010

What a wonderful cruise we had on the musica. We were very apprehensive about going on this cruise after reading negative comments on the cruise reviews.
This was our 22nd cruise and our second on an Italian line (first one was our very first cruise with Costa). We knew it was a multi lingual ship speaking was in 5 languages and that there would not be many other Brits on board but the price was so good that thought we would take a chance. The food was excellent plenty of variety and the staff were all very helpful and pleasant. The entertainment team made the cruise so much fun, getting everyone to join in. Shows were lots of acrobats, jugglers,magicians, dancing and singing which were all fantastic.
The tips are now referred to as a service charge which is added to your account, however the service was so good and the price of the cruise so reasonable that we did not mind paying.
Trips are expensive as on all cruises but it is easy enough to get taxis and port buses for a reasonable price. The ship was beautiful , first class !, you couldnt fault it. So good that we have already booked our next cruise with MSC.

Looking forward to the next one!

Jayne & Keith Jones

So there you have it, a MSC review from a seasoned cruiser who loved it (phewww) - my personal thoughts with MSC are that as long as you tell the client what to expect on board you cant go wrong - do not go expecting P&O or CUNARD as you would have been mis-informed and would come back feeling let down - the price of MSC cruises are fantastic and represent fantastic value for money.

Cruise Currency Continued...

2010-05-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

So we have covered Far East,Europe and the Caribbean - let's move on to South America, South Pacific & Indian Ocean:

South America:
On a typical cruise to South America you would expect to visit Argentina, Chile, Uruguay & Brazil - all with their own currencies!!.
The same rule would apply if you only wanted a small amount of money - change it on board - but for an individual list here goes:

Argentina - Peso

Most major credit cards are accepted, but not as widely as in Europe or the US. ATMs are available in most cities but usually have low daily withdrawal limits and charge per withdrawal. Traveller’s cheques should be in US Dollars but can be difficult to exchange in smaller towns so travellers are advised to use ATMs and credit cards.

Brazil - Real/Reais

US Dollars are the most widely accepted. Most major international credit cards are accepted and ATMs are widely available. Traveller's cheques are difficult to cash so withdrawing cash directly from ATMs is advised.

Chile - Chilean Peso

Most major credit cards are widely accepted in towns and cities and ATMs are also largely available. Money and traveller’s cheques can be exchanged at any cambio in major towns and cities.

Uruguay - Peso Uruguayo

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are the most commonly used credit cards. US Dollars are easily exchanged.

Colombia - Colombian Peso

The US Dollar is the easiest currency to exchange. Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted, American Express and Diners Club less so. ATMs are widely available in the major cities for most international cards.

Falkland Islands - Falkland Islands Pound and the British Pound Sterling

English Sterling banknotes and US Dollars are accepted by most businesses. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in Stanley but less so outside the main town. American Express and Diners Card are accepted by some businesses. There are no ATMs. Traveller's cheques may be changed at the Standard Chartered Bank; travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in Pounds Sterling.

INDIAN OCEAN

On a typical cruise to the Indian Ocean you would visit India, Maldives, Seychelles,Madagascar & Kenya - there are not a massive amount of ships cruising this area as they could run into Jack Sparrow and his pirate gang but Costa cruises have some great itineraries out there aswell as Silversea. Most countries in this area use the Rupee in their own form:

Seychelles - Seychelles Rupee

Credit cards widely accepted - large exotic purchases to be made on credit cards.

Mauritius - Mauritius Rupee

Travellers cheques and foreign currency can be exchanged at banks, bureaux de change and larger hotels. Travellers cheques usually exchange at a better rate than cash. ATMs are widely available in most towns and hotels, restaurants and large retailers accept major credit cards.

Maldives - The Maldivian Rufiya

The resorts in Maldives are generally expensive and travellers should ensure they bring sufficient funds. There are no cash machines and travellers cheques are rarely used, but there are foreign exchange facilities available at resorts and banks. Major credit cards are accepted at most resorts and hotels. US Dollars can be exchanged at the airport, banks or hotels.

Madagascar - Malagasy ariary

The ariary cannot be changed back into hard currency. Some banks will only accept US dollars or Euro. Travellers cheques can be exchanged at most banks and in major hotels, but some banks refuse to accept them. ATMs are available in Antananarivo. Most major credit cards are starting to be accepted.

India - Indian Rupee

Major currencies can be changed at banks, and authorised bureaux de changes. It is impossible to obtain rupees outside India, but no matter what time you arrive in India there will be an exchange office open at the airport or port. It is best to change money into small denominations. Travellers cheques and major credit cards are widely accepted, particularly in tourist orientated establishments. ATMs are not generally available.

South Pacific

One of the most beautiful areas of the world to visit, a cruise around the South Pacific and the Pacific would included Tahiti, Bora Bora and Hawaii - Norwegian Cruise Lines have a massive presence in the South Pacific and Hawaii.

Tahiti and French Polynesia - French Pacific Franc

Banks throughout the islands are open mainly on weekdays only and are the best place to change foreign currency; rates of exchange are not as good at hotels. There are ATMs on a few of the islands, but shouldn't be relied upon. Most hotels and resorts will exchange travellers cheques in US$ or Euros, and credit cards and US currency is readily accepted on the main islands.

Hawaii - US Dollar

A nice and easy one!!.But remember major gift purchases on your credit card.

What Currency Shall I Take On My Cruise?

2010-05-25T05:35:00.000-07:00

This is a question that crops up nearly every week so I thought I would compile a few general rules when it comes to buying gifts etc in port - So this is not a long long blog entry I will compile Caribbean, Europe and Far East today and the rest in the next few days:

Caribbean
You don't really want to be carrying around lots of currency when going on your cruise holidays - the Caribbean is relatively easy because all islands widely accept the US Dollar - however they do have their own currency which on some islands like Barbados is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar - make sure that you ask to be charged in US Dollar as you will find that some local shop owners will try and charge in another currency which may mean you lose out!

Europe

The main issue in Europe is that some ports accept the Euro and other ports have their own currency like Norway and Denmark - the Kroner, my advice would be to get these currencies on board the cruise ship -you may not get the best rate of exchange but its better than buying X amount before you go and having to take it home to sit in your man drawer forever more.

Here Is Some Information On European Currencies:

Russia

Currency: Rouble

You will usually need your passport to change money. Major international credit and debit cards, including Visa and MasterCard, are accepted in larger hotels and foreign currency shops and restaurants, but cash (in Roubles) is preferred to credit cards and traveller’s cheques. American Express cards are rarely accepted outside Moscow and St Petersburg. ATMs are widely available.

Sweden
Currency: Swedish Krona
Most shops and restaurants require ID when paying with a credit card and personal cheques are no longer used.

Denmark
Currency: Danish Krone
Personal cheques cannot be used by visitors to Denmark. Some banks may refuse to exchange large foreign bank notes.

Far East

In this region your main ports of call will usually be Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand - once again you can change on board as they have different currencies - if your Cruise Line is a US one take dollars on board so you can change to local currencies - if British cruise line then take pounds and if European take Euros.

Here is a run down of some Far Eastern currencies:

Singapore
Currency: Singapore Dollar

US Dollars, Australian Dollars, Yen and Pounds Sterling are also accepted at many major shopping centres in Singapore.

Hong Kong
Currency: Hong Kong Dollar
Foreign currency can be changed easily and traveller’s cheques are also widely accepted. American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted and there are plenty of ATMs.

Thailand
Currency: Baht
Outside large towns and tourist areas, notes higher than 500 Baht may be difficult to exchange, so visitors are advised to carry small change. Traveller’s cheques, American Express, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted. ATMs are found in all major cities and almost all provincial banks.

Vietnam
Currency: Dông
Both US Dollars and Vietnamese Dong can be used in many major cities in Vietnam. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in major towns and cities but a 3% charge is usually applied and it is better to carry cash outside of main tourist areas. There are ATMs in many major towns, but not everywhere.Large dollar bills with small tears will not be accepted in Vietnam.

China
Currency: Renminbi Yuan =
ATMs that take international cards include branches of the Bank of China and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, where you can use Visa, MasterCard, Cirrus, Maestro, Plus and American Express (AmEx) to withdraw money. Credit cards are not widely used in China.

NEXT South America, Indian Ocean & South Pacific

HURRAHHH......Average Cruise Prices Down 6%!!!!

2010-05-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

Good news for cruise passengers - not good news for cruise lines - the average price of a cruise is down 6% from last year - latest figures from PSA (Passenger Shipping Association) have revealed.

Also in the same report was the figures that 1,533,000 British passengers took a cruise in 2009, 3.8 percent more than in 2008.

Are cruise lines making their profit up elsewhere though I wonder?

Well it does seem that more and more cruise lines are taking a harder line on gratuities, MSC for example recently made them compulsory and Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruise Line gratuities seem to have increased over the last 12 months - a 7 night Caribbean cruise now will carry a gratuity of £45.40 - this was £34.30 not too long ago.

Where else on your voyages have you noticed the prices creeping upwards?

PSA Statement also revealed that Luxury Cruise Bookings Sky Rocketed By 51%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This can be a good time to consider a luxury cruise line..........take Regent for example, all of their cruise prices include gratuities, drinks and many of them free shore excursions - once you break down what you spend on drinks, shore excursions and tips on other cruise lines there is not a lot in it - throw in the Entry level cabin on regent being better than Suites on mainstream cruise lines and you are on to a 6* affordable dream!

What CANT Fred Olsen Offer you?

2010-05-02T04:16:00.000-07:00

You have probably seen from my other post that I am a self confessed Fred Olsen fan, the way I describe them to my passengers and the way passengers describe them to me is a home from home - it’s a cruise experience where you will feel relaxed in friendly surroundings - where staff will remember your name and your tipple from the night before - but what cant Fred Olsen Cruises offer you - let me enlighten you!!

1,Fred Olsen can not under an circumstances offer you a 15% service charge on drinks, sorry but no amount of asking will get this added to your drinks bill

2,Fred Olsen can not add gratuities to your on board account every day - you will have to make do with deciding YOURSELF what to tip your waiter and your cabin steward, it may be difficult not to have the gratuity amount forced on you - as you will have an envelope placed in your cabin at the end of the cruise for YOU to decide. Tough I Know

3, Unfortunately Fred Olsen CAN NOT offer a stressfull disembarkation at every port, they just can not offer 3000 people all getting off at the same time - unfortunately on this cruise line you CAN NOT get elbowed in the face whilst trying to get off and secure your duty free allowance in Gibralter - you will have to make do with a leisurely stroll down to the disembarkation deck and a hop skip and a jump straight off. Damn these smaller more convienient ships!!!!

4, You just will NOT be offered over priced excursions - only fair prices are offered for your trips to the beach or a city tour in St Petersburg - Like it or lump it!

5,Fred Olsen CANT offer you over priced double cabins if you are a single traveller - Single passengers unfortunately have to make do with one of the very few cruise lines that offer an array of single cabins and even same sex share cabins - where you may meet a new travelling companion - yes you will pay less but Fred Olsen apologise for this.

So there you have it, just a snippet of the things Fred Olsen can not offer you - Fred Olsen have a lot to answer for!!

Azura Review - From A Seasoned P&O Cruisers Point Of View

2010-04-14T02:33:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I was unable to make the Azura launch over the weekend - but some very good passengers of mine - regular P&O cruisers every year for 12 years - had the opportunity to look around the Azura and they have kindly agreed to a write up as I thought it would be intersting to get their view:

As regular cruisers over the last 12 years we are always interested in what ships P&O are introducing into the fleet to see if we want to move away from our favourites. We started cruising with our children so started off on Oriana and then moved to Aurora in 2000 and have stayed with these two ships since, we like their size and ambience.

With the advent of the larger ships we can see a time when perhaps these size ships are no longer an option and so were pleased to get an invitation to view Azura on Sunday to see what we would make of this bigger vessel.

Having been in Mayflower Park to watch the naming ceremony it was great to get on board on the Sunday and have time to wander around looking at all the facilities. Never having been on Ventura we only had anecdotal feedback of what that ship is like and with Azura being of the same class we weren’t sure what to expect. Walking round the general impression is of a well thought out ship which has learnt some lesson from Ventura.

In terms of facilities when we are on board we love the cinema and theatre for our evening entertainment (Aurora & Oriana have both which is why we like those ships). The theatre on Azura appears to be much better, the layout from what we could see means that no one has the annoying pillars to look round, there are more aisles for people to get in and out and the seats appear to be slightly bigger. The outdoor screen will be something to try , not really sure how to judge it on a day when the wind was blowing across the decks even though the ship wasn’t moving, how it will be when the ship is sailing who knows.

The food experience is also an important element of cruising for us, the best dining experience we have had is in Oriana Rhodes so seeing sindhu's was wonderful, there is plenty of space but still with the intimacy that you would expect of an exclusive restaurant, watching the chefs in action certainly got the taste buds going. Moving through into the Glass House this is also somewhere we could see ourselves spending some time in, again the layout is such that if you want to be in a cosy corner you can find one or if you want to be in the open then this is possible to. The self service area food area was closed off so we could only get into one side but the impression we got was that there may not be enough tables to cope with passenger numbers.

With 1500 people wandering around it was difficult to get into the cabins which were on show but impression was that shower rooms seem smaller than the older ships, deluxe cabin balconies are overlooked by the three decks above. The standard outside cabins looked OK but there were none officially on show but wandering down one of the decks we managed to see into one that was being cleaned.

In terms of the outside areas we have couple of observations, there were certainly lots of sun beds on show on the decks but there appeared to be limited space to walk between them, the Retreat does look somewhere nice to be pampered if you like that sort of thing. The one disappointment is the Prom deck, it’s too narrow and you cant do a complete circuit so not sure where the speed walkers will end up going. We didn’t find the gym although from videos available on the web it does look good.

Is the ship for us, well we’re going to book a short cruise to give it a try in 2011 and if we like it perhaps it will become an option for future years.

Andrew & Janet Dickerson

New Cruise Ships - Whats The Big Deal?

2010-04-13T05:01:00.000-07:00

Every single year we have new cruise ship after new cruise ship - just what is so good about a new cruise ship? Or another question would be - What’s wrong with the older ones?

I’m going to sit on the fence on this one! I love new cruise ships - the new furnishings, the immaculate modern cabins and the smooth sailing experience from the modern stabilizer pods........................but then I do think the older cruise ships have a great charm about them, quirky public rooms and offer a traditional cruise experience.

A lot of the passengers I book on older cruise ships will go on them because of the friendly atmosphere that they find on board - Fred Olsen ships for example have a classic "friendly atmosphere" on board, waiters and staff will remember your name and your previous cruise - part of the reason why these passengers go back - they're made to feel welcome and special if you like. I feel this could be lost on the new cruise ships that are continually introduced year on year, which seem to get bigger and bigger - the passengers will go on these cruise ships because the cabins are modern and the casino and lounges are bigger and they can use a surf facility at the back and an ice skating rink.

The best way to summarise is that there is a cruise ship out there for everyone- older and traditional and modern and new - whatever experience you are looking for I can guarantee we have it for you!

Packaging Your Cruise Part 3 .....Barcelona!!

2010-03-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Following on from where to stay in Venice in part 2, I will now give you the low down on Barcelona - cruises from Barcelona for me are the number 1 choice, why I hear you ask:

1, The easiest port to fly to from most airports in the UK with Low cost and Schedule Airlines.

2, Transfer time from airport to port is only 15-20 minutes at a local taxi cost of 20 Euros per taxi.

3, Hotel stays are very reasonable.

4, Local sights and history - something for everyone - from the Gaudi Cathedral to the Nou Camp (home of Barcelona FC)

Barcelona Cruise port is very large and very easy to get to,
The port is also within walking distance of the Las Ramblas area which is the main area of Barcelona to visit - this is where you will find shops, cafes, bars and many places of interest like the Gaudi Cathedral and a trip around the Gothic Quarter is well worth it also.

So Where to Stay In Barcelona?

There is a hotel at the top of the port called Grand Marina hotel which is a great place to stay - although a bit pricey. I think the best place to stay to get the most out of your trip is around the Ramblas area - a 3 star hotel would be from £75 per person for 2 nights on a room only basis - the Grand Marina hotel I mentioned which looks over the port is 5* and is from £250 per person for 2 nights. The hotels around the Ramblas area, especially the older ones tend to have a worn look but don’t let that put you off!!

*****TOP TIPS******

Beware of which airport you are flying into - some low cost carriers fly into Girona or Reus which is further out from the centre of Barcelona - 47 Miles!!!

If you are flying out on the day your cruise sails aim to arrive before 2pm - even if the ship does not go until 5pm.

Taxis are available directly outside the airport - very recognisable, agree the fare before you get in - should be no more than 18 - 22 Euros for the journey to the port.

Hands Up If You Want Another Informal Cruise Line?

2010-03-15T04:39:00.000-07:00

So with Ocean Village soon to be no more - WHAT NEXT FOR INFORMAL CRUISING?
Did you enjoy the high quality buffet for your evening meal? or did you frown upon fellow passengers taking in the show if their jeans and casual t shirts?

Informal cruises are not for everyone but neither are black tie and penguin suits, back in 2003 I sailed on the very first Ocean Village voyage from Southampton to Palma and enjoyed the style of cruise that was offered - no set meal times or set tables and able to do pretty much what I wanted with my day but as I started to go on more and more cruises I did prefer getting "dressed up" and making an occasion of it - I liked going to the restaurant and being seated for my evening meal and I liked making an effort on the formal evenings.

You could still point to Norwegian Cruise Line for the "freestyle" aspect of cruises but it is still a more formal cruise than Ocean Village was.

My question is what now for informal cruising? - is this it or is there another cruise line waiting to roll out the next Ocean Village? Would you want another Ocean Village or is this proof that this product has no place in the cruising world?

Who is for and who is against? - I would love to hear from passengers who have converted to informal cruising or vice versa.

The Low Down On Cruise Launch 2011/2012.

2010-02-24T01:42:00.000-08:00

So the launch for the 2011 & 12 is now fast approaching - with many new ships like Queen Elizabeth, Norwegian Epic and Azura revealing their future itineraries it will be a very busy period indeed.

This will be my 10th launch now and to be honest - nothing much changes!!! by that i mean in the way there is always a panic on the morning the cruise itineraries go on sale - here are the golden rules you should go by when looking to get you future cruise booked:

1,PRE REGISTER YOUR BOOKING - sorry for the capital letters but this is a must - every year we get passengers calling us the morning the cruise they want goes on sale - and they miss out on the best price becuase they wont get through to us, by the time they do - the cruise line have increased their price.
You must call us as soon as you know the cruise you want along with the cabin grade and number you want to ensure you are top of our pile to book on the morning in question.

2,YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SPECIFIC CABIN - this again comes under the above rule but we get lots of passengers call us the day the cruises go on sale and say that they only want 1 particular cabin, which has a bigger balcony or larger interior etc - they get upset when told this has sold out - they dont realise that 40 other passengers had the same idea as them -AND PRE REGISTERED THEIR BOOKING.

3, BE AS FLEXIBLE AS POSSIBLE - I dont mean start yoga, im talking about cabin numbers that you prefer - giving us 2 cabin numbers that you want will be difficult - work on 6 cabin numbers - on the launch morning you will stand a better chance of getting what cruise you want - at the price you want - if you give us choices.

That just about covers the main points that you need to be aware of when looking at you 2011 - 2012 cruise booking, remeber PRE REGISTER YOU BOOKING WITH US - YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU WANT IF YOU DO SO!!

Hotel Stay With Your Cruise? Packaging Your Cruise Holiday Part 2.

2010-02-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

So following on from part 1, you have been told that the cruise you want has no flights or transfers available.....so instead of forgeting the cruise you have decided to have a package put together for you using low cost flights and maybe a hotel stay before or after your cruise.
Cruises to the Caribbean from the US will always carry an overnight stay due to the length of the flight so there is no choice but in the Mediterranean you can do either.

TOP TIP - if you are doing low cost flights to your cruise then go the day before - allthough the flights are an attractive prospect because of their price - they usually have time changes and can lose their time slot on the day - schedule carriers like BA ,KLM etc are reliable on the day as they are first choice for the time slots in occasions when there are delays.

WHERE SHOULD YOU STAY IN VENICE?

VENICE ISLAND

The main area in Venice is Venice Island - this is where you will find the Rialto bridge, St marks Square and a Gondola boat ride - all what you go to Venice to see and believe me they are all fantastic - HOWEVER - this all comes at a premium, this is the most expensive area to stay in Venice and would set you back £100 pp per night for a 3/4 night hotel.
the other issue with staying in this area is that there are no roads on Venice Island - no cars to take you from the airport to your hotel - you would have to get a private boat taxi at a cost of £60 appoximately one way and then a private boat to the cruise port.
Ofcourse if you want to stay in the main area and near all the attractions that Venice has to offer then this can be arranged for you.

TOP TIP - outside to the left of Venice Marco Polo Airport is a Water Bus which will take you on a scenic 1 hour journey to Venice Island at a cost of 12 euros per person - tickets can be purchased inside the airport.

VENICE MESTRE
This is the area of Venice that i always reccommend to my passengers who want a 1 night stay just to take the risk out of their package or want to have a stay on a budget.
Venice Mestre is 20 minutes outside Venice Island and has a direct road which links it to the port - you can get a cheaper hotel, cheaper transfer and its only 10 minutes to Venice Marco Polo Airport.
A hotel i always use is the Centralle for £60 - 70 for two for 1 night! including a continental breakfast. If you still want to see the sights there is a bus stop right outside the hotel which will take you to the top of Venice Island or you can arrange a taxi at no more than 15-20 Euros.

Coming Next - BARCELONA with more tips on where to stay..........................

Planes,Trains & ..... Cruises? - Packaging Your Cruise Holiday Part 1

2010-02-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

So you have found the cruise you are interested in.............................but the cruise lines package - i.e the flights and transfers have sold out - is that the end of the cruise you want, the cabins are there?

The answer is a resounding NO, most cruise lines use British Airways for thier flights to Venice,Rome & Barcelona and have an allocation of seats - once these seats have gone they offer cruise only - but you can still get there with lots of flights from your regional airport - Easyjet, Jet 2 and Bmi just to name a few all fly to major airports in Europe which will tie up with your cruise .

All of the low cost flight companies offer extra luggage prices which if is all pre booked mean there are no "hidden charges" when you get to the airport.

A good flight website to check is http://www.skyscanner.net/ which checks all low cost flights and scheduled flights from and to any airport - with prices and availabilty.

Having seperate parts to your cruise holiday is a lot less risky than you may think - Cruise.Co.Uk can still put this together for you booking cruise, private transfers and low cost flights on your behalf -and most of the time along with a hotel stay it will come cheaper than the cruise lines flight and transfer package!

A cruise passengers main worry is missing the cruise ship because of flight delays - this is easily avoided by having a night in a hotel before your cruise to take all the risk out of it - more on hotel stays in part 2 though!

Part 2 on where to stay in Venice, Barcelona & Rome coming soon................

Braemar And Her Britishness

2009-12-31T02:29:00.000-08:00

OFFICIALLY LOVE FRED OLSEN - and yes from my profile you can see my age is nearly 28!!!!

My annual holiday has just been and gone and I decided that the Caribbean was the place for me to be in the winter month of December, I wanted a short stay and a cruise from Barbados - then be home in time to get all my lovely prezzies as I had been a very very good boy this year. The only cruise that fit in with my plans was the Fred Olsen cruise ship Braemar.

I offer Braemar day in and day out to my customers and I have been on the Black Watch for a short cruise and the Black Prince for a night so I know that Fred Olsen is a great cruise and a great company but for someone in their twenties?????
Yes I was sceptical but the itinerary was fantastic, from Barbados - Antigua - Curacao - Aruba - St Maarten - Tortola - Grenada - Barbados - on a 10 night voyage - (leading in at £799 WITH FLIGHTS!! by the way)

What a resounding success it was, the shows were great, the comedian hilarious and the drinks in a pint glass at a price cheaper than my local! Everything on Fred Olsen is in Pounds which for some strange reason I like; the gratuities are optional and are given in an envelope at the end of the cruise.

Afternoon tea was a must every day just before my daily bash at bingo!

Yes the casino is two tables of Blackjack and Roulette and yes the nightclub is not packed at all but you know this before you go - I think I was more surprised at the space on board Braemars decks - the spacious public rooms and the ultimate friendliness of the staff who served your drinks WITHOUT THE 15% SERVICE CHARGE

All in all I loved the Braemar and can highly recommend her for all age groups - if this is British cruising - I WANT MORE!

Cornflakes & Beer - Are Drink Packages Good Value?

2009-11-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

My first cruise about 10 years ago was a Thomson owned ship called the Topaz - many people remember this ship as it was one of the last cruise ships to offer All Inclusive cruising in its original form - Im talking walking up to the bar and having any drink without handing over your cruise card. Since then cruise lines have moved away from this format as many people who took this all inclusive cruise often took their "free drinking" to the extreme - many choosing to have their favourite breakfast cereal with a pint of Stella!!
I kid you not I witnessed this many a times on my first cruise - I just stuck the usual though - toast & Vodka.

So what of today's "drink packages", well.........Thomson Cruises still offer them at an approximate cost of £149 per person per week - and no before your money saving minds start ticking over - you can't have one passenger in the cabin with a drink package and one without!!. This would work out around £21 per day for drinks on a 7 night cruise with the average cost of a wine with Thomson at £2.95 and a beer £2.70 - To get your money's worth you would have to have 4 or 5 soft drinks through the day and 6 PINTS OF BEER OR 5 GLASSES OF WINE a day - this would be some drinking for 7 nights in a row! I think you would end up forcing yourself to drink most nights feeling very uncomfortable before and after dinner - just to get your money's worth.

What looks attractive from the outset as a drink package is often still not great value for money. The more popular drink packages now are the soft drink package that you can purchase once you're on the cruise ship, most cruise lines have a soda package set at $20 for a 7 night cruise which will get you unlimited soft drinks and juices- this represents a far better way of buying drinks -it works out at £2.50 a day - with the average soft drink costing £1+.

Of course there is the other option - get yourself on a six star ship where ALL the drinks are included in the price!!!!