…you the chance to go explore the culture, restaurants or nightlife. River cruise ships tend to dock right in the heart of the town and so you are right there in the centre of things. You can stroll off and you step right into culture and what’s happening in that particular place. You are right in the heart of things. Most river cruise lines will also bring on board local speakers or entertainers, and they give you port talks and background on the…
…he ship, which in most cases is U.S. dollars. But if I were, say, on a P&O Cruises ship or a Saga Cruises. ship where the official currency was pound sterling, that is what I would pay. Let me give an example of how this has played out, which is where that cabin steward comes back. A closer look On my recent Cunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic crossing, the waiters were fantastic. We had the same waiters allocated for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. T…
…ible even though not on the menu. Many can do this because the kitchens on cruise ships often serve all the restaurants. The most extreme example of that is on Disney, where even though I was rotating around the different restaurants each night, I could order any dish from any of the other menus. #5: Cruise Dining Traps – Dietary Issues? If you do have though any dietary issues let the line know when you book, and as soon as you can talk to the Ma…
…. Let’s move on from the “free cruise” scam, as I’d like to warn you about cruise ship crew successfully taking cruisers for a ride. Cruise Crew Scams As more and more crew members become social media stars and are active on social media, their names and faces are being used to target cruisers who know and recognise them. Helpful crew The first of these is both believable and very clever. I’m not surprised so many cruisers have been caught out t…
…crew, so it’s still a small ship. I think it has improved the look of the ship. The ship looks sleek, it looks kind of jaguar-like, very athletic-like. I think it looks fantastic and still very stylish. You can’t really tell where the joints are. There is only one area where you can tell this ship was extended. If you didn’t know it was extended, you wouldn’t have spotted it at all. Let me talk about the things that have changed. Let’s start with…
…ering the truest yacht experience in this category, as it has the smallest cruise ships in the category (ex-Seabourn 312-passenger ships and two 224-passenger new builds). It is also the only one with sailing ships that carry between 148 and 342. Thanks to their fleet, they’re also known for having interesting, port intensive itineraries calling into ports the others cannot, and for their year-round French Polynesia sailings. They’ve been sailing…
…are usually clustered around. Unlike other Norwegian Cruise Line, or most cruise ships, that I am used to with a big central atrium, this was not the case on here. There is one sort of multi-level atrium with guest services, a couple of bars, Starbucks, and some shops. But then I had to hunt out the other bars, restaurants, and venues, as they were dotted around the ship without a clear theme. It also meant there were some long hallways on some d…
…iscovered. What is The Haven? What is “The Haven”? It’s what’s known as a “ship-within-a-ship”, a dedicated area for all the suites filled with exclusive facilities behind card-controlled doors. But, as I discovered, some perks and experiences started before getting into The Haven area itself. Boarding Although when I arrived at Civitavecchia terminal near Rome for my cruise, I found there was no Haven priority lane until after bag drop off and se…
…ow established is this port? If this is a port that very infrequently sees cruise ships, you may have a different perspective, and a cruise line excursion may be more appealing. What are the group sizes? Another factor to consider is group size. On some of the bigger ships, particularly the value lines, you can find group sizes or 40, 50, or more people on an excursion because they fill up the whole bus. On some of the more premium lines or the sm…
…uly big ship and more resort-style cruising experience, then consider the “ship within a ship” options like Norwegian’s The Haven, MSC’s Yacht Club, Royal Caribbean Star Class, or Celebrity’s The Retreat in peak vacation times. As while not guaranteed adult-only, will usually offer a calmer space to step out of the bustling and boisterous big ship experience. Now, let me talk about cabins – something where younger travellers are often keen to choo…
…not have some of the newer lines. Nevertheless, they are a great tool for cruise ship fare tracking, regardless. Step1: Go to https://www.cruisewatch.com/cruise-price-alerts Step 2: Enter your ship, select trip (they will list all the scheduled cruises of that ship), grade of cabin booked and your email address Step 3: Check they confirm your tracker is set up. This will appear. The first time you set up an alert you will get an email with a link…
