Cruise Travel

BEAUTIFUL asked:


Hey all,
A grop of my friends and I (6 in total) want to take a girlfreind getaway. Wanted ot know if it is beter to just search the site for cheap cruises or use travel agency service on the we. If the travel agency is best, has anyone used one in particular that is really good and not too pricey? Thanks! Oh by the way we are thinking somewhere in th carribean a 3 day 2 night cruise.

Kaitlynn

Ed Sparrow asked:


Preparing for cruises can be an easier job, if you plan ahead of time. It helps in assuring you that your cruise vacation will be a memorable one. Let us have a look at the 5 tips for cruise travelers that can help your holiday to be wonderful:

Acquire knowledge on travel cruises

There are numerous domains on world travel cruises from where you can acquire every detail, which you might require for making a decision on your cruise. Information, which includes things to bring on the journey and departure time & location of the cruise, are only a click on the mouse away. You’ll have fun while exploring various cruise lines. Educating yourself on the cruise, which you might take, leaves you with an assurance that you’ve made the right decision.

Take your time before making a decision

Planning, selecting and preparing for cruise ship travel can be intimidating for you, as it has all those confusing options when it comes to cruise lines and their prices. Pre-cruise decisions are pain-free, if you consider these imperative factors:

Ask Yourself: You should ask yourself the reason behind choosing a cruise for your vacation

Planning the vacations: You should know what you’ll be doing while you’re on board during the vacation

If you take time and think over your preferences, you are sure to match them for getting the right cruise even if you’re surrounded with a host of options.

Get tips from seasoned traveler

If you’ve been around someone, who’s a seasoned traveler and prefer cruises as a mean of transport, you should get tips from them on what to do for finding a reputed cruise company and what are the ways for making your cruise vacation memorable. Even if you don’t know anyone with such experiences, you can find their presence on several online message boards, which has traveling as a topic of discussion.

Explore Specials & Promotions available in different seasons

Similar to tourist industries, companies providing cruise vacations also require marketing their services for attracting new passengers. They generally opt for seasonal promotions for their passengers. Most of these specials & promotions can help you in saving thousands without detracting benefits and amenities from your cruise experience. You should always consider changing the schedule of your travel, if substantial discounts are available and you’ve got a flexible itinerary for taking advantage of those promotions.

Plan for Relaxation & Enjoyment

2 key components of cruise vacations are relaxation and enjoyment. However, some folks require making concerted efforts for remaining stress-free during the cruise journey. You can free yourself from enormous stress by planning an excursion in a manner that doesn’t allow you be as busy as you are at your home. Planning of a Cruise Ship Travel should accommodate both relaxation and fun.

Follow these 5 tips, take deep breaths, put your feet up & relax and let your captain steer the cruise to your desired location!



Emilie

myacc5 asked:


some body tell me that a CRUISE started from SEPTEMBER 06 BETWEEN DUBAI port & KARACHI port every week basis. the time spent 2 days for one side.

Paola

Jeremy Foster asked:


When you are contemplating a cruise vacation, there are so many different options from which to choose. These options include determining the length of your cruise, your point of departure, the destinations you will visit, and the accommodations you desire once you are aboard the ship. Making those determinations, however, is just the beginning.

You must also figure out how you will travel to your point of departure, what ground transfers you may need, and how to make add-ons to your travel to spend extra time in different locations or embark upon side trips. The advantage of booking a cruise with a travel agency is that they can provide you with a one-stop solution to make all of the decisions concerning your cruise travel.

A primary advantage of booking a cruise with a travel agency is the variety of cruise selections they offer to you as a traveler. When you are booking a cruise and you work on your own instead of through a travel agency, you have to go through many different web sites, doing a lot of virtual leg work to be able to compare which cruise companies are sending ships from which ports during what seasons. This is a complicated endeavor which can take up a lot of time; precious time for most busy individuals.

With a travel agency, they do the leg work for you. You will have access to all of the same options as if you had done your own research, but in this case, the research is done for you, so all you have to do is consider what cruise will fit best with your own desires. Also, the research is checked out and prepared by a travel expert who may be aware of some aspects of cruise vacations the average Joe or Jane might not.

Another advantage of booking a cruise with a travel agency is that they are knowledgeable in offering other trip components you might not think to add if you were making your own arrangements. Many travelers do not realize that they need to secure airport to port transfers separately, or that mass transportation may not be available in certain locations. Depending on where your ship will be departing, it may be quite a distance from the airport where you arrive. Travel agencies address all of these details that you may not have even considered. You will save time and potentially a good deal of money by pre-planning as many aspects of your trip as possible. This can be handled efficiently by using a travel agency.

Booking a cruise with a travel agency also affords the vacationer the ability to fully customize their vacation. The agency can help you select a variety of optional add-ons, often at minimal additional cost. A cruise does not have to be just a cruise. You can add days to either end of the cruise to make your trip longer or to visit an additional destination. Some cruises even have the flexibility to accommodate side trips, where you can spend a greater amount of time at the ports of call. In addition, different attractions that may be available at each port can usually be pre-arranged so that you can get off the ship and head right to the tours or the destinations you wish to see, instead of wasting time on the ground figuring out where to go next. Your travel agency can help you to plan out every little detail.

The fourth advantage of booking a cruise with a travel agency is that you can depend upon their experience to help you make the best decisions possible for your travel. There are a lot of different options to choose from any time you book a cruise or other vacation travel. If you have never before used a certain company or service, or never visited a certain destination, you may not know how best to make your decisions. The expert staff at your travel agency can provide you with many details about your potential travel not only from their own experience but also from their customers’ prior experiences, which will help to make your trip more enjoyable all the way around.

And finally, travel agents are useful in assisting in an emergency before or during your trip. By definition, an emergency is an unplanned and unexpected event. Some emergencies do commonly arise such as inclement weather (major hurricanes) and personal illness. If you did not use a travel agent, you are on your own in such an event. Many agents offer worldwide, toll-free 24-hour hotlines for emergency assistance at no extra charge to you. Customer service can assist with problems including flight cancellations, port closures, and how to obtain emergency assistance in the event of illness, security threats, travel document theft, and so on.

In summary, there is really no good reason not to go through a travel agent when booking your next cruise vacation. You will reap all the advantages of the expertise and convenience a professional travel agent has to offer. And chances are you will save a lot of money at the same time!



Levi

Mary Hanna asked:


Cruise travel is one of the best vacations you can take. During your cruise vacation you will visit several different ports of call. Your cruise ship will dock at exotic islands or new countries almost on a daily basis. Check out the cruise reviews on line for cruise tips before you visit your destinations to find out what fantastic experience each port has to offer.

During your cruise vacation you will visit ports to shop, explore, beach, sightsee or hike. There are a wide variety of activities in each cruise destination. Or you could just depart the ship for a chance to walk around for a change of pace. Although this is a great cruise adventure, you should realize that you will only get a small sample of what each port of call has to offer. And be forewarned, as you step of your majestic cruise ship there will be hordes of natives trying to sell you a trinket or a tour around the city.

If you take the advice above and search the cruise reviews, you should have a pretty good idea what each destination has to offer. Choose the one that has the most encompassing tour of your port. In exotic ports they have full day tours, including lunch, that will take you to the highlights of the place you are visiting. This is an ideal way to sample the city or island getting ideas for what you may want to come back for at a later date. On island tours you may want to take an organized tour in the morning, go back to the ship for lunch, then light out on your own to explore more fully, shop or just go to the beach.

If you are more adventuresome, skip the lunch on board and dine in the city. You get to experience the local cuisine and soak up the native culture. This is your vacation, learn new and different things. If you chose to do this check with the cruise director for the best places to dine and make sure you know the exchange rate. On of the cruise tips is to put your meal on a charge card so you will be charged the exchange rate on the day the bill hits the credit card company.

A cruise tip that is very useful is to use the brochure that the ship gives you for their organized tour and follow it on your own. Only do this if you are comfortable with the country you are visiting. If it is your first time overseas to a port of call, it is best to stick with the organized tour for safety and convenience. Other cruise tips can be found online about some of the wonderful things to see and do in various ports of call. Be conscious of one thing, if you chose to explore on your own, know what time the ship leaves and how long it will take you to get back on board. If you are not on an organized tour it is your responsibility to get back on time or the ship will leave without you. You then have to meet the ship at the next port of call at your own expense.

If you opt for an organized tour sponsored by the cruise ship, it should cost you anywhere from $20.00 to over $200.00 depending on what you choose to do. It could be just a simple bus ride around town for two hours or a two day trip from St. Petersburg, Russia to Moscow. The options are endless.

Most cruise lines will let you book in advance on their websites. This is very convenient and helpful with tours that sell out quickly. For instances, in the Cayman Islands the Stingray City tour is very popular and will sell out. If you book it in advance you guarantee your spot. The more inexpensive tours also tend to sell out because of some cruisers watching their budgets. So, don’t miss out, check out the cruise lines website to see if you can book your ticket in advance.

It is good to know the game plan that the tour offers. Things you should be aware of is how much the guide will be with you and do they speak English clearly. Mostly the cruise lines have very competent tour guides, but better safe than sorry. Will have any time on your like for shopping or stopping in a café? It is very important to find out how much physical activity is required before you sign on for any tour. If you have limited mobility you don’t want to go on a tour that climbs the Acropolis in Athens or Dunns River Falls in Jamaica. Find out if a snack or lunch is provided, so if it isn’t you can bring along adequate funds to get your own.

There are private touring companies that you can contact on your own if you wish to tour in a more private fashion. Another alternative is to buddy up with some fellow cruisers and share taxi tours to cut your expense in half. Many times you will meet people on a cruise that have similar interests and you will spend a lot of time together on the cruise ship, why not touring also? It’s a way to save money and enjoy other passengers company.

Only hire licensed taxi drivers. Their credentials should be prominently displayed in the front of the cab. With a licensed driver you are ensured a safe trip and a guide who is knowledgeable about the islands or cities background, where to shop, eat or gamble. And of course they will know the best beaches available. Negotiate the price of your tour up front. If you chose to go to a destination where you will be dropped off for a couple of hours, negotiate with the driver to come back and pick you up. Settle on a price and pay half up front and half on the way back. If the driver has been helpful and friendly, please tip him or her.

Some cruisers like to rent cars in their ports of call. It is recommended that you only do this in destinations that you are familiar with and have a good knowledge of where you are going. Be careful when renting a car. Be sure to check out the entire car for any damages that may already be there and note them on your rental contract. If you fail to do this you may be charged for damage that was already done.

Lastly, use common sense when touring. Don’t travel in dark tight alleys, put your money under your clothes, don’t wear expensive jewelry and don’t let yourself be surrounded, especially by children. Always carry identification and the name of the cruise lines agents in the port of call in case you get in trouble.

You are on a cruise vacation make the best of it. Get off the ship at all of your ports of call whether you are touring or are just poking around. Be sure to take lots of pictures so you will have years of beautiful cruise travel memories.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.



Cory

jayne_galaxy asked:


Does anyone know if you can travel on a cruise ship with a dog? I need to do some traveling and I can’t bear the idea of flying with my old dog? If you know if I can travel on a cruise ship, could you tell me what lines allow it?

Thanks!!!
Come on! I can’t be the only person who has thought that putting a dog in the cargo hold of a plane is inhumane! There must be *some * service to move a pet besides flying!

Virginia

O. Cruise asked:


Alaska Amongst the top spots in Alaska, the Inside Passage, the Glaciers and the Bering Sea are the ones which contain hidden treasures such as massive glaciers, waterways, Eskimo settlements near the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands respectively. On board activities to warm you up are always available in the cruises.

New England and Canada. Depending on the traveller preferences, cruises can include Ireland, Iceland and Maritime Canada. The usual destinations are Montreal, Nova Scotia, Quebec and New England. Fully equipped cruises with a wide variety of facilities cruise these waters so that holidaymakers can enjoy before getting to the ports.

Hawaii. With two basic alternatives, Hawaii is one not to be missed. Start from Honolulu, go around the other Polynesian islands and get back to the most populated island takes around seven days. Other choices would leave from Vancouver, San Diego or LA. The longest cruise would take almost two weeks from mainland, taking few of those days to get to Hawaii. Visit the big Island and look at the volcanic formations, enjoy luxurious Oahu and Maui full of resorts and beautiful beaches.

The Bahamas. With around seven hundred islands to visit, the Bahamas region is one of the most favourite destinations for tourists. Do not miss the chance to visit the Grand Island or do some shopping in the Freeport Harbour. Spectacular sandy beaches where one can enjoy water sports and other marine related activities, and luxurious hotels and villas to have the time of the life.

Caribbean. Most cruises leave from Miami and take around seven days, though there is a large variety of other US ports one can take a cruise from. This popular zone is divided into three areas, Western Caribbean including Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula, South Florida and the Keys, Jamaica and Grand Cayman. The Eastern Caribbean compromise Puerto Rico, Leeward and the Virgin islands. And finally the Southern Caribbean which covers Martinique, St Lucia, Dominica and Grenadines also passing by Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba and Curacao.



Brynn

cplmarr asked:


I am a British expat worker living in Abu Dhabi. In March I hope to go on a short Nile Cruise in Egypt. Can anyone recommend a travel agent here in Abu Dhabi? As I don’t use credit cards I need a local operator. I plan to make my own way to Egypt and just want a cruise when I get there for about 5 nights. Nothing too expensive.

Maximus

wallers711 asked:


My wife and I are wanting to take a cruise to the bahamas and mexico. We weren’t sure if it was better to go through a travel agent or the actual cruise line. We found cheap tickets on expedia and other similar sites, but have never been on a cruise. Can someone please give me their experiences?

Molly

prettyiz asked:


I know you can book yourself online, just wondering if there are any extra benefits to having a travel agent or not.

Wyatt