…ide a good overview of the highlights and attractions of a region like the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Asia by visiting up to seven different destinations in a week. It gives you a chance to get a feel for where you would like to go back and spend more time in. This would be hard to achieve on a land-based vacation as you would not have the time to get to and see as many places. Wide variety to appeal to each member of your travel party. Ships an…
…Ever wondered what it is like to transit the Panama Canal on a huge cruise ship? If so, take a look at this time-lapse video I made from my balcony on Cunard Queen Victoria. It shows the full transit from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific which takes around eight hours in just under three minutes. See the locks lift the ship over 85 feet to the Gatun lake and then back down again. It was an incredible experience……
…rt cost around $1,000 a canvas. Shopping Talks As we were heading into the Caribbean region where Tax and Duty Free shopping is prevalent, and important for ports where cruise ships call, this topic was ramped up on the ship. It started with a “Port Shopping Presentation with Gail” about Aruba and Cartagena where she covered the stores that have a relationship with Cunard and offer incentives and guarantees if you shopped there. She then hosted a…
…nces, when we have booked other cruises back-to-back such as the Christmas Caribbean and then added a Crossing, is that the Cunard system does not fully recognise and cope with creating a seamless event and we had to be ready to sort loose ends out. Camera Club The inaugural meeting for the new sector was held today and the three challenges for this sector were “Night” (pictures taken in low light), “People” (portraits of people on shore or the sh…
…ForaDay.com Their sell day passes to beach resorts across many of the main Caribbean ports including Jamaica, Cozumel, Bermuda, Cabo San Lucas, Curacao, Spain, St. Thomas, Nassau, Freeport, St. Maarten, Grand Cayman, Barbados, Roatan, San Juan & Tobago. The passes must be booked before you head off on your cruise as they are not sold on board or on arrival. You can cancel up to 11 days before your departure and will get a full refund if the ship d…
…n Cruise Line Jade – which stood looming over us. Also in port was a Royal Caribbean ship. The place is always hectic as it is the closest to the site of Olympia, and so a popular destination. Excursions and busses ran to the site, which was busy. At lunch time all Windstar guests could attend a free excursion with lunch at a local Greek farm. Every one of their cruises has one of these local destination immersion events. This enabled guests to fi…
…nd America, Seabourn, Princess, P&O Cruises, Fathom, Costa and AIDA. Royal Caribbean runs six lines including Celebrity Cruises, Azamara, Pullmantur, Croisieres De France and Tui Cruises. Norwegian Cruise Line also own Regent Seven Seas and Oceania. Windstar are owned by Xanterra Parks & Resorts (http://www.xanterra.com) and this is their only cruise operation. So if you are looking for a line that is more independent, and less influenced and dire…
…expert, shares his tips of the five best cruise lines for families: Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruises, Disney Cruise Line and MSC Cruises. He talks about the strengths of each and why they are good for families. Listen to the episode: For more essential cruise tips and to leave thoughts visit EssentialCruiseTips.com Buy and read one of the cruise tips books by Gary Bembridge: “The Cruise Traveler’s Handbook” (…
Effy Jewelers Caribbean Shopping Promotion In this episode of Essential Cruise Tips, cruise author and expert Gary Bembridge provides watch-outs about on-board port talks that are really designed and run by shopping representatives from the local ports. They earn commissions if you shop in certain stores, as does the cruise line sometimes. For more essential cruise tips and to leave thoughts visit EssentialCruiseTips.com Buy and read one of the c…
…s Stratosphere X-Scream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfYB8RmUamc Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Sea Ship Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONen1AmznWk Natural History Museum London: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naNqfAj1ZYs The Ghan Train Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dm1866m5ys Crystal Cruise Crystal Serenity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5Ycud3aJ8I You can watch all ten of the videos on the player below, or click here to wa…
…t Popular Tips For Travellers articles in 2016 were: MSC Cruise Tips Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas Tips 11 Essential Holland America Tips and Tricks 12 Tips for choosing and making the most of transatlantic 4 things you need to know cruising Norwegian Cruise Line Travel Tips for Travel to the French Riviera in Winter Mediterranean Cruise Tips Cruising with Friends of Dorothy 11 essential tips on how to get the most out of cruising on Norwegia…
