A Cruisers Final 2010 Blog Post

Cruising today is all about choices. And, as always, a New Year means new choices for cruisers.

Customers will enjoy more choices than ever before when it comes to cruise ships – 2010 was an especially remarkable year for ship launches, but 2011 will feature its fair share of new vessels as well, with Disney Dream®, Carnival Magic®, and Celebrity Silhouette® all scheduled to debut by year’s end. And there will be choices to make when it comes to cruising the Caribbean and Europe, too, where industry trends and the global economy are already impacting inventory in both destinations (more sailings in one region, and less in the other).

More than anything else, however, a new year means new deals. And customers that book this year’s cruise vacation now will choose from the widest possible selection of offers and reap the greatest savings. No two years are ever entirely alike, of course, but there’s at least one thing that remains constant – and that’s the overall value of a cruise vacation. In recent times, we’ve watched as the cruise lines have lowered prices to levels we’d never seen before. Those unprecedented fares, in combination with the special and exclusive offers that are always available from CruisesOnly, offered customers terrific opportunities to set sail on a budget. And while reduced rates and valuable bonus offers (generous amounts of free onboard credit, kids-sail-free deals, and free/reduced airfare being but three examples) remain available in the New Year, the biggest bargains will disappear quickly. The time to get a great deal is now, while prices are still low and bonus offers plentiful. Reserve your 2011 cruise today and you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck by locking in that sailing at an early-bird discount.

I also want our readers to be aware of an industry-wide shift that’s already making waves in both the Caribbean and Europe. Simply put, there will be fewer ships in the Caribbean this year. All of the major cruise lines will be sending a greater number of vessels to Europe instead. Royal Caribbean International, for example, will deploy a record ten ships (up from eight last year) via ports of call throughout Spain, Italy, and England. Some of this shift is a result of Europe’s growing popularity as a cruise destination, and some of it has to do with changes in the strength of the Euro versus the American dollar. I think it’s fair to say that the Caribbean remains cruising’s “signature destination,” and I don’t think that’s likely to change any time soon, but you’ll want to keep this trend in mind if you’re planning on visiting the islands in 2011.

Do I Really Want A Mid-Ship Stateroom?

One of the questions that I’m asked most frequently is “How do I pick a stateroom?” Because so many of today’s mega-ships seem to stretch on for miles in length, many cruisers assume there’s an optimal location aboard each where the best staterooms are located.

During the late 1800s, upper-class British travelers were said to have favored a “P.O.S.H.” stateroom – “Port Out, Starboard Home,” the position of the most expensive rooms aboard passenger ships sailing between England and India. In truth, this is strictly an urban legend. But it makes for a nice story, and illustrates how selecting a stateroom used to be (and remains) a rather complicated affair.

When vessels regularly crossed the Atlantic, one always wanted to be as close to the middle of the ship as possible. That’s because the middle of the ship was the spot that pitched the least in rough seas. The bow and the stern (the front and the back of the ship) were where you’d feel the greatest amount of motion when the waters were high.

If you suffer from motion sickness or have a mobility impediment, and you’re sailing the North Atlantic between Boston/New York and Northern Europe, then a mid-ship stateroom is still your safest bet. One irony of cruise-ship architecture is that the most stable staterooms (staterooms with the least amount of pitching) are found on the lowest decks of the ship. You’ll feel the most motion on the highest decks, where the most expensive staterooms are located.

Odds are, however, that you won’t feel any motion during your sailing, regardless of where your stateroom is located. The Caribbean, for example, is so calm that you can barely tell that you’re at sea (that’s because the islands act as a natural barrier against the choppier waters of the Atlantic).

In the past, when staterooms varied a great deal in size, the largest rooms were usually located mid-ship. But over the past twenty years, cruise lines have been standardizing staterooms in terms of layout, amenities, and overall size. With few exceptions, each category – interior, oceanview, balcony, and suite – will be identical. So if you’ve booked a stateroom with a private balcony, the size of that room will be equivalent to another room in that category no matter where they’re located aboard your ship.

I personally prefer a stateroom located on the aft end of a ship because of its proximity to the Lido Restaurant, which is always situated in the aft. Otherwise, the corridors just seem to get longer and longer each day, and I feel like I’m making a two-mile trek in order to get breakfast and lunch. And while mid-ship staterooms sometimes cost a bit more, they’re also subject to more corridor noise and traffic since other passengers will be passing by throughout the day and night.

If you do decide you want a mid-ship stateroom, be sure to check the location of your ship’s lifeboats (tenders). They may, in some instances, block the view from your stateroom and they can be noisy when raised or lowered.



by Anne Campbell

You Probably Never Thought Of Cruising Here (But You Really Should)!

You can’t visit the Alps, the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone Park aboard a cruise ship. But many of the world’s most intriguing destinations are best explored that way, and the beauty of a cruise vacation is that when you travel by ship you can stay as active and enriched as you desire or pursue each day at a snail’s pace.

The next time you’re planning a cruise vacation, let your imagination wander and consider visiting an intriguing destination that you’ve probably never thought of cruising to before. Here are the destinations that are at the top of my list...

The Galapagos. A cluster of islands so isolated that many of its creatures are found nowhere else on Earth, this is where Charles Darwin’s “Theory of Evolution” was conceived. From the giant tortoises that bear the Galapagos’ name to the family of finches that bear Darwin’s, the Galapagos Islands afford visitors a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore a veritable “living laboratory” of adaptation. The small (but stylish) Celebrity Xpedition® sails these remarkable islands year-round.

The Panama Canal (partial transit). The full Panama Canal transit takes place between Florida and Mexico, but I prefer the partial transit sailing roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale which allows more time for exploring Panama’s jungles as well as Costa Rica, Cartagena, Columbia, Grand Cayman, and ports of call in the Caribbean. Both Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International offer frequent sailings.

The Arabian Peninsula & Bahrain. Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas® sails roundtrip from Dubai and calls upon ports in Fujairah, U.A.E.; Muscat, Oman; and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.

Germany (on the Danube). Uniworld’s collection of boutique river cruises help make the voyage along Europe’s second-longest river a very elegant experience. Passengers sail from Nuremberg and transit the Danube en route to Regensburg, Deggendorf, and Passau (Germany) plus Melk and Vienna (Austria).

Rio de Janeiro ; Buenos Aires. Visit two of South America’s greatest cities aboard Holland America Line’s ms Veendam. This itinerary includes stops in the Brazilian ports of Buzios, Ilha Grande, and Santos (Sao Paulo) as well as Montevideo, Uruguay.

Greenland, Iceland  Scotland. Cruise between New York and Dover, U.K. and see some of the world’s lesser-known (but no-less-scenic) ports of call along the way. Greenland is highlighted by its beautiful fjords and charming towns, while Iceland’s rugged coastline, waterfalls, and small villages make for a memorable visit. Select itineraries aboard Princess Cruises’ Ocean Princess® will include stops in Newfoundland (Nova Scotia), Edinburgh, and the Shelter Islands en route to Dover.

The South of France (via riverboat). Journey along France’s Saône and Rhône Rivers with Viking River Cruises and you’ll sail past some of the most gorgeous vistas the French countryside has to offer. You’ll also explore Burgundy and the lavender fields of Provence, visit Gallo-Roman ruins in Venice, walk the cobbled streets of Arles, and tour the historic Papal Palace in Avignon.

The Caribbean (aboard an almost-private yacht). SeaDream Yacht Club’s 112-passenger cruise ships sail to the Caribbean’s most exclusive ports of call including Saba, St. Barts, and Jost Van Dyke. While onboard, you’ll savor extraordinary cuisine, state-of-the-art amenities, and the kind of voyage that’s normally only available to the owners of luxury yachts.

The South Pacific ; Tahiti. Sure, you can cruise through the Hawaiian Islands. But why not aim for the ultimate instead – a Paul Gauguin cruise in Tahiti or the South Pacific. Over the course of a weeklong voyage, you’ll visit Raiatea, French Polynesia; Taha’a, Society Islands; Bora Bora, French Polynesia; and Moorea, French Polynesia.

by Anne Campbell