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Cruise Tip: When in a
large port like St. Maarten where it is necessary to tender in to shore and
back to the ship, be sure you get on the tender that goes to your ship.
There may be as many as 8 ships in port and it would be easy to board the
wrong tender after a long day of sun and surf. It could make it quite dicey
if it is near the time of departure for your ship.
Ask yourself a couple
of questions. Do you want an intimate laid back voyage? Are there any
facilities that are important to you like spa packages, healthy exercise, or
culinary delights, cultural experiences? These are essential questions when
planning cruise travel.
Cruise Tip: The Spa
Experience. Use the cruise to take a spa vacation while your kids are
entertained and your spouse is learning about new Computer techniques. Yes,
you can have a spa experience with all the treatments that you have at a
traditional spa and the spa cuisine. All of the top lines have healthy
alternatives on their menus and some of the spas are state of the art, many
of them managed by land based spas. So not only will everyone be entertained,
but you can experience that long awaited week at the spa. I have read many
cruise reviews that love the spa experience.
If you have a
tendency to be seasick, book a mega-liner, you will reduce the chance of
that malady. On the really big girls you hardly know you’re moving. (Ships
are always referred to as she, her or Lady i.e., the QE2 is known as the
grand old Lady of the Seas).
The type of ship
should always be considered to get the most enjoyment from your cruise. Rule
of thumb is that the larger the ship the more amenities while the smaller
ships are more personalized. We took a cruise on a luxury small ship to the
Greek Islands and by the second day everyone knew our names and the service
was stellar.
One other
consideration is the number of ports that you visit. A ship that stops in a
port everyday can be tiring, besides it’s nice to spend a day or two at sea.
If you are going back to a port previously traveled, stay on the boat. It’s
terrific to have the ship all to yourself. These are also good days to visit
the gym or schedule a spa treatment, there’s hardly anyone using the
equipment or the spa personnel.
Common sense tells
you that the longer the trip the older the passengers since they have the
time and resources to take long voyages. Ships are very different, from the
all day partying of Carnival, to the quiet laid back ultra luxury of
SeaDream Yachts.
Cruise Tip: Maiden
Voyages come with all the bragging rights but you might want to rethink that,
especially if you are a first time cruisers. On maiden voyages the crew is “unseasoned”.
They don’t necessarily know where everything is or how everything works and
this can cause delays in service. Sometimes a cruise line will borrow a
staff from another ship to sail the maiden voyage of a new ship and train
the staff. Same thing applies, this is a new ship and everybody is learning.
Better to let the ship break in for at least six months before choosing her
to sail. Construction delays can put a new ship off schedule so don’t book a
month or two out from the announced Maiden Voyage, since you might then find
yourself on the Maiden Voyage. There exists a chance of things going wrong
like the plumbing or the electrical.
The same thing
applies to a ship that is coming of dry dock or “refit”. Many things can and
do go wrong. Have your travel agent check to see if the ship has just been
refurbished and if it has, pick another one.
Equipped with this
information you should be able to find the ideal ship for your cruise
vacation. So what are you waiting for? Call your Travel Agent and Set Sail!
Happy Cruising!
Copyright © 2006 Mary
Hanna All Rights Reserved.
Mary Hanna has
traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews
and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and
Cooking. Visit her websites at:
http://www.CruiseGold.com
http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com
and
http://www.CruisingTips.com
or contact her at
mhanna@cruisepublishing.
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