Sunny Caribbean - which Island part 1

So how many Islands are there in the Caribbean? Well, a Google search tells me that there are over 7000 altogether but some are tiny and uninhabited, so the consensus is that there are about 40 major islands.

But which are the best? - and that of course depends on what you are looking for.

So what do you think the Caribbean is, a place just of palm trees arching over a pristine white beach, not in my view as each Island has its own unique atmosphere for visitors.

There are loads of historic forts, cobblestone streets and colourful Spanish architecture as well as those pristine sun kissed beaches with reefs and fish to be seen either by diving, snorkeling or by a number of semi-submersible craft. In addition, what about the rain forests with walkways, ariel tramways and an abundance of wildlife and waterfalls.

You can even find shopping, whether it be locally made crafts to duty free cameras and electronics and jewellery.

It is the place for every taste, and going on a cruise means each day you will see something different and during your cruises you will see most of what the Caribbean has to offer. Why not watch my picture video below, its only 30 seconds long.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

So which is my favourite? Well I think that's for another day............!

Is the price of my Cruise fixed?

Over the last week or so we have seen a change in the way that Fred Olsen are to charge for fuel supplements on their Cruise 2011 and beyond programmes, and that has generated a number of people asking whether the price we agree is fixed.

So here we go.


Over the last few months there has been a significant rise in the cost of Crude Oil, which is a key purchase for all Cruise lines. Although I am sure that they have contracts in place for their supply so they can fix this overhead cost recent price increases will be impacting on their anticipated cost of fuel and depressing their profit margin.

Hence we have seen first the addition of Fuel Supplements again, and now Fred Olsen's change to a % based system, in line with the EU Package Directive and ABTA guidelines for levying fuel surcharges.

So is that the end of the story, and once you and me have paid for our cruise, including the appropriate supplement are the Cruise lines going to come cap in hand for more money?

Well, when you book you 'are subject to the terms and conditions of the cruise line', as you can see it a phrase I know well, but hidden in those words are conditions that allow the cruise lines to come back for more money in the form of a fuel surcharge in certain conditions.

Not seen it happen just yet, but I bet it is not long before we start getting advices that costs have increased in this way and contacting customers for the additional payment.

As we are not paid commission on the fuel surcharge this goes direct to the cruise line, so as a travel agent in the middle we could have some fraught conversations when this starts.

There is some good news though, if the price of crude falls then Fred Olsen at least will refund the supplement to the passenger:-

“In the event that the price of Brent cruise oil falls back to £45 ($71) per barrel or below, averaged across the month prior to the date of departure, the fuel cost supplement will be refunded back to the passenger in the form of an on board spending credit.”

On Friday, Brent crude was trading at about $97 per barrel, so there does not look like any refunds in the immediate future!

Expedition Cruise to Australia

In December last year if you are like me you would have been watching 'I'm a Celebrity get me out of here', based in the Australian outback. Didn't like the 'camp' but some of the scenic shots of the area are impressive, so I wondered if I could find a cruise in that area.
So how about this, take an Orion Expedition Cruise with their strap line of 'A Path less travelled'.

Launched in 2004, Orion Expedition Cruises has become the leading expedition cruise operator in Asia Pacific. In May 2011 they add a second ship to the fleet, Orion II which doubles capacity. They will soon have 2 small ships of about 100 guest capacity which give five star service, and being small can get into those far out places.

So how about this for a itinerary:-



Day 1 Darwin, Northern Territory
Day 2 Jaco Island
Day 3 At sea
Day 4 Wyndham (for Bungle Bungles)
Day 5 King George River and Falls
Day 6 Vansittart Bay
Day 7 Hunter River (for Mitchell Falls)
Day 8 Montgomery Reef Raft Point
Day 9 Talbot Bay/Horizontal Waterfalls
Day 10 Cape Leveque
Day 11 Broome, Western Australia

On most of the days some excursions are included, taking you to the Mitchell Falls for example on a Zodiac.

Now that would be an expedition to remember!

Pullmantur - Un crucero de habla español

Bet you think I got a Spanish Phrase book for Christmas. No I didn't and I also don't speak Spanish, but you could go on a cruise and improve your skills with the majority of other passengers being in the main Spanish, although the cruises are sold throughout Northern Europe.

So why not try Pullmantur Cruises!
Who are they,  you ask? Well, they are Spain's largest cruise line and began operations in the 1990's, and also one of the most rapidly growing lines in the world. However this line was virtually unknown outside Spain until late 2006 when Royal Caribbean made the stunning announcement that it had purchased the company.

You will notice that a lot of the ships in the fleet are ex Celebrity or Royal ships like Celebrity's Zenith and Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas, with the Flag ship of the Fleet being Pacific Dawn, the ex Horizon and Island Star.

As you can see from the picture I took in St Lucia of Pacific Dawn and a Celebrity ship behind, you can make out the X on the funnel!

Most of the sailings are summer based in and around the med and from Spain, during our winter months the fleet is either laid up or under charter to other cruise lines. Pacific Dawn was in the Caribbean above in early March 2010 and had been chartered to a Brazilian travel business.

The ships offer good value at a 3 star standard, but you need to be confident with your Spanish before you give them a go!