Posts Tagged ‘Ships’

Most Cruise Ships Are Set Up With Activities To Entertain People Of All Ages

Cruises are an exciting and relaxing vacation. They allow you the opportunity to relax, enjoy the open sea, and enjoy the many luxuries of the ship. Selecting a cruise destination can be hard. There are so many great destinations out there. One of the most popular destinations is the Virgin Islands.

If you are interested in a cruise to the Virgin Islands, there are numerous vacation packages you can check into. There are several offers online or you can check with your local travel agency.  The cost is going to vary depending on special offers, the type of accommodations you are wanting, how many days you plan to travel, and if you need airfare. Many packages include more than one port of call.

Most cruise ships are set up with activities to entertain people of all ages. Parent and children will have plenty to do throughout their day.  A cruise to the Virgin Islands will allow you to enjoy traveling the ocean as well as taking on time on new land. Here you can explore the beaches, rain forests, and exotic wildlife. You can then return to the ship to continue on your ocean journey.

Cruise ships are a very safe method of travel. Everyone boarding a cruise ship is instructed on safety procedures and life jacket use prior to the ship living the port. They also allow for more leisurely travel. Some cruise ships hold only a few hundred people while others hold thousands of people. Some of the activities onboard include exercise classes, night clubs, gambling, bingo, and crafts. Many cruise ships have pool tables and bowling alleys. You just might even forget you are on a ship once you start getting involved in the many available activities.

What do you think about Royal Caribbean cruise ships continuing to dock at Haiti?

“On Sunday, the Guardian reported that Florida-based Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines is docking ships at the “picturesque wooded peninsula” known as Labadee, which it leases on Haiti’s northern coast. At Labadee, passengers “enjoy jetski rides, parasailing, and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks.” The British paper also reported that passengers can spend their time “shopping for trinkets at a craft market” while armed guards stand at the entry to the complex to guarantee their safety.

Despite the fact that the ships have delivered relief supplies to the island, some passengers on the ships are reportedly “sickened” over the decision to dock there. One passenger took to an Internet message board to protest the idea of vacationing where “tens of thousands of dead people are being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water.”‘

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100119/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1063

Antique ships cruise on the Adriatic in Dalmatia

If you are looking for a very special adventure and a different way to enjoy your vacation, cruising the Adriatic in Croatia in restored antique ships is for you.

The closest thing to this experience is being on the Windjammer in Maine, USA.  But, instead of sailing on the rough Atlantic Ocean, you are sailing on the calm blue waters of the beautiful Adriatic Sea.

Dalmatia has a very mild climate. Winters are short and mild, and summers are long and hot. Due to Dalmatia geographical position there are often very pleasant winds. On average, every other day in Dalmatia is sunny and bright. All of these characteristics make Dalmatian climate one of the most desirable on our planet and cruising in Dalmatia the most popular vacation choice.

For this experience, you have to be fit, agile, adaptable, and enjoy meeting people from all over Europe. These ships have tall sails, but mostly run with motors as the wind is seldom and unpredictable.  The capacity of these small ships is for a mere twenty-eight or so people. The cabins are basic and small and not sound-proof, reachable by narrow steep stairs.  Some ships have private bathrooms for each cabin, while others are shared.

These adventures are for vacationers who love to swim, sunbathe, and snorkel, which can be done right off the ship as it anchors in beautiful spots. If you like camping, don’t require much privacy, and are comfortable with informal living, than you are a good candidate for this holiday adventure. Each evening your ship docks at either islands or the mainland, to enable you to socialize and enjoy local food and shops before returning to the ship for the night.

No need or space for a fancy wardrobe or many suitcases.  This is a trip for tee shirts, swim suits, a few towels with lots of sun lotion in a small suitcase. Each ship has its own chef who prepares home-cooked meals with local produce, meat and fish daily in the informal dining area. Passengers share meals as they get to chat, make new friends, and learn about Croatia as they sail.

Cruising in Croatia, chartering one of the many comfortable gullets is your holiday option where you can decide where and how to spend your time. Hopping from one to another island, visiting secluded coves and small fishing villages and admiring the natural splendor of the Adriatic coast.

Cruising is a great way to take a vacation. Chartering a gullet gives you the freedom, a cruise liner or a hotel cannot offer you. There are no fixed itineraries, so you are free to go where and when you please, visiting ancient sites and ruins, swimming in clear water and isolated caves, dressing as you like and eating what you imagine.

The crew is on your service, just for you. Have as much fun or tranquillity as you want and when you want it. Thousand islands, set in the blue Adriatic, fine Croatian cuisine – all this can be found right in the heart of Europe! Croatia has long been the best kept secret of European sailors.

There is no better way to know Croatia but sailing to discover the country with a thousands and more islands.

I propose some of suggested itineraries.  You can choose your own route. If you wish to visit a quiet cove or a small coastal town, a national park or a church… let me know your wishes  and I will try to fulfill them.  Source: Cruising in Croatia, relaxing holiday option!

How to consider the type of ships for Your Cruise Vacation

 

You want to take a cruise vacation, but how do you pick the ship? Youâ??re the cruise planner in the family so first, consider the type of ships. They run the gamut from small yacht like ships to mega-liners holding over 3000 passengers. The small ships normally do not have constant activities throughout the day while the mega-liners schedule loads and loads of things to do. Choose your type of ship by whether or not you want time to yourself or if you want to be entertained. When considering cruise travel keep the following things in mind.

A small ship, 500 or fewer passengers will have small musical shows in the evening while you will be free to do as you please during the day. This type of ship is for an intimate cruising experience. Being on a small ship is like staying at a beautiful bed and breakfast versus being at a large chain hotel. A smaller ship can also go to less frequent destinations due to its ability to maneuver in tight spots.

A mid size ship, 500 to 1000 passengers, will usually have local groups come on board while in port and perhaps a piano player or a duo. An advantage to a mid size ship is that lines seldom form and when the do they clearer quickly.

Now, your mega-liners will boggle your mind with activities and entertainment. There are ships out there that have skating rinks and rock climbing walls! When you are on these ships, be sure to carry around the pocket size layout of the ship that will be in your cabin on day one. (Get additional ones at the purserâ??s deck). The disadvantage of these ships is that they are crowded and you will have to stand in long lines. One important thing to know is that some of the really large ships cannot fit in some of the docking facilities therefore making it necessary to â??tenderâ? into port. The tender is a lifeboat that constantly goes from ship to shore. This is important if you are handicapped or afraid of small boats.

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 youâ??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 itâ??s nice to spend a day or two at sea. If you are going back to a port previously traveled, stay on the boat. Itâ??s terrific to have the ship all to yourself. These are also good days to visit the gym or schedule a spa treatment, thereâ??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 â??unseasonedâ?. They donâ??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 donâ??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 â??refitâ?. 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!

New Cruise Ships and Job Opportunities

Cruise lines are one of the biggest and fastest trend in tourism. The demand for new cruise ships has been increasing rapidly as more tourists prefer relaxing while on cruise and the need for cruise line employees are growing as well to provide better and faster services to the passengers.

Here are a few details about new cruise ships to be launched in 2009 along with some information on how many crew ship positions would be available.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

Ship: Oasis of the sea

Launch Date: November 2009

Tour: Caribbean

Passengers: 6400

Cruise Crew Needed: 1650

Description: Includes an AquaTheater, two climbing walls and the first on board zip line and carousel, Oasis of the Seas will be the worlds largest ship.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Ship: Carnival Dream

Launch Date: September 21, 2009

Tour: Mediterranean, Caribbean

Passengers: 3646

Cruise Crew Needed: 1367

Description: A completely new design for Carnival and will be the largest Carnival Ship. Ensuring passenger comfort and best cruise experience as cruise ship crew ratio to passenger will be one for every 2.6 passenger.

Celebrity Cruises

Ship: Celebrity Equinox

Launch Date: Summer, 2009

Tour: North Europe, Mediterranean, Caribbean

Passengers: 2850

Cruise Crew Needed: 1500

Description: Offers a more spacious cabins than Celebrity ships, improvement in luxury and comfort is promised as one crew would be attending to passengers with a ratio of 1 crew for 2 passenger.

Silversea Cruises

Ship: Silver Spirit

Launch Date: December 2009

Tour: Worldwide

Passengers: 540

Cruise Crew Needed: 410

Description: Currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard in Italy will become the company’s largest luxury vessel on its launch sometime December 2009.

Pearl Seas Cruises

Ship: Ship Unnamed

Launch Date: June 2009

Tour: Europe and Caribbean

Passengers: 210

Cruise Crew Needed: 135

Description: Second new build ship from new cruise company.

The Yachts of Seabourn

Ship: Seabourn Odyssey

Launch Date: June 2009

Tour: Worldwide

Passengers: 450

Cruise Crew Needed: 330

Description: With a size in GRT (Gross Register Tonnage) of 32,000, this new build ship is larger by standard of the Seabourn company. Even though more passengers would be accommodated, the same ratio will be the same for the crew to guest as it will still be one crew for every 1.5 guests.

Viking River Cruise

Ship: Viking Legend

Launch Date: May 2009

Tour: Grand European Tour

Passengers: 189

Cruise Crew Needed: 50

Description: Cruising along The Rhine, Main and Danube rivers as it sails from Amsterdam to Budapest, Viking Legend will be the longest in the Viking River Cruise fleet and one of the most state of the art river vessels.

AIDA Cruises

Ship: AIDAluna

Launch Date: April 2009

Tour: Europe

Passengers: 2050

Cruise Crew Needed: 1100

Description: Second new build from AIDA Cruises

Costa Cruises

Ship: Costa Luminosa

Launch Date: May 2009

Tour: Mediterranean, Arctic, North Europe, Atlantic Islands

Passengers: 2850

Cruise Crew Needed: 1500

Description: Although most cruise lines are devoted in making their vessels bigger, Costa Luminosa would be a new and smaller ship but will be better in contemporary design using technology to provide light and color effects on board.

Ship: Costa Pacifica

Launch Date: June 2009

Tour: Mediterranean

Passengers: 3780

Cruise Crew Needed: 1000

Description: One of the largest new Costa Cruises ships giving a ratio of one crew for every 2.8 passengers for better service.

Pearl Seas Cruises

Ship: Pearl Mist

Launch Date: First Quarter 2009

Tour: Canda, USA, Caribbean

Passengers: 210

Description: First cruise ship from new luxury line Pear Seas

MCS Cruises

Ship: Splendida

Launch Date: June 2009

Tour: Mediterranean

Passengers: 3300

Cruise Crew Needed: 1325

Description: One of MSC’s largest ships will offer a ratio of one crew to every 2.5 passengers.

With the addition of these twelve cruise ships to roam the oceans and seas, an estimated of 9500 to 10000 cruise ship jobs would be available before the ships delivers on its set date of launch.