Wooden Deck - are they just for the Luxury cruise lines?

I have this bee in my bonnet at times about 'proper' teak decks and the 'plastic' ones you find on some cruise ships, and I was looking at some photos the other day and started to wonder, are they just for the Luxury cruise lines?

So I had a better look and got some surprising results, so read on....

Regent Seven Seas Voyager

Oceania Regatta

Cunard QM2

Those are no surprise then, but I bet like me you thought the teak deck would be for the realms of the Luxury or 5 star ships, but not necessarily what about these surprising results!

MSC Opera

Cunard QE

Yes its teak, but surprisingly the next one is plastic!

Can anyone add any more cruise ships to my list, email me at stuartc@cruise.co.uk

Ultra Luxury - Seven Seas Voyager - It's all included

On Tuesday last week I had another a jaunt down to Southampton for a day ship visit to Seven Seas Voyager, a six star day out!

So what did I think, well read on.....

Well the key feature is 'it's all included', so what do you get:-

• All gratuities
• All fine dining, including the speciality restaurants and you can pre-book 1 reservation up to 90 days before the cruise and then make more once on board.
• Free unlimited shore excursions
• All drinks and beverages, includes fine wines, beer and premium branded spirits, soft drinks, bottle water, speciality coffees and tea served throughout the ship at any time of day.
• All on board activity including expert guest lectures, production shows from award winning directors, wine and food workshops, sporting activities and much more........
• Free in-suite mini bar replenished daily with soft drinks, beer and bottled water
• Butler service in category C suites and above
• 24 hour room service and in-suite dining
• Governmental and port fees

Then the amount of space stands out as a further feature of this ship, she is just over 40,000 tons but takes only 700 passengers in all suite with balcony accommodation, with the smallest suites being 350 square feet that's nearly twice the size of some balcony cabins on other cruise ships!

A category H to D suite

The ship is not in anyway 'blingy', high quality and to me seems like a posh country club, nothing to offend just that luxury hideaway from home.In fact in the next couple of months, she is returning to the ship yard in Italy for a refit of the soft furnishings, not that she looks tardy in anyway.

So what about the food and wine, lunch was great and the wine was excellent - a definite bonus when you think that these are all included at lunch and dinner!

So why would you go on this type of cruise ship?

Well think about the cost of getting off the ship, on Celebrity or Cunard you have the trips and drinks etc and these mount up and when you add them to the cost of the cruise how different is this to the cost of going on a similar Regent Cruise. I bet its not that much really.

So why not give it a go?

River Cruising - a short guide

I have written a little bit about River Cruising before but since I cruised onboard AmaWaterways’, AmaDante my eyes have really been opened to this whole new world of cruising. If like me you have done the Mediterranean, Caribbean and everywhere else a normal cruise visits then a River Cruise is most definitely for you.

So come on, read on ..............
Unlike Ocean Cruising, River Cruising is more about the destination than the facilities that are available onboard. When sailing onboard a River Cruise you get to dock up close and personal with most of the ports of call, for instance experience the stunning views of iconic landmarks such as the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower which cannot be achieved anywhere else apart from on the river Seine.

Sail through some of Europe’s most spectacular and beautiful countryside in between calling at Europe’s major cities like Vienna, Cologne, Prague, Berlin and Russia’s fascinating cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Plus with most River Cruise Lines offering fully guided tours in every port of call included in the price, you’ll be able to fully explore these amazing cities without worrying about what time you need to get back onboard.

River Cruising isn’t just Europe though, practically where there’s a river you can sail along it! With many of the River Cruise Lines specialising in a specific rivers – like Discover Egypt , who specialise in Nile Cruises.

In July I wrote about the discussions at home about taking a Mekong River Cruise for our 30th Wedding anniversary, see my blog . With so much to see in Vietnam and Cambodia a River Cruise is truly the best way to get everything in and see all sights like the great temple complex of Angkor Wat, The Bayon Temple, Srey Temple and explore bustling cities Hanoi, Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Yangtze River is another must see for any avid traveller with so much of China’s history formed around its river banks, this river will fire your imagination and stirs the spirit of forgotten eras. Visit the glistening cities Shanghai and Beijing as well as wonders of world like The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Terracotta Army and sail through the Three Gorges. But don’t just take my word for it; see the Viking River Cruises videos below.





So has all that this talk of something different whetted your taste buds? There is only so many times you can take Med or Caribbean cruises, give me a call and lets see what we can find.

Kids Clubs - what do you get on Celebrity Eclipse

OK, so everyone who knows me knows my kids have now grown up and flown the roost - well nearly. So when it comes to cruising I don't usually worry about kids facilities, but last week I was speaking to one of my past passengers who had just got back off the Celebrity Eclipse, and he raved about the Kids facilities on board.

So is there enough to keep the Kids happy on a 2 week cruise so that you can enjoy your holiday as well?

The Kids clubs are broken down into 4 age groups:-

• Shipmates Aged 3-5
• Cadets Aged 6-8
• Ensigns Aged 9-11
• Teens Aged 12-17

They have their own area on ship, suitable security is in place and activities tailored for each age group. I have added a sample below for information.

Looks good to me FREE activities every day from 9am - midday, 2pm - 5pm and 7pm - 10pm.

OK there is no rock wall or Flowrider, but if they can keep the kids entertained then everyone will have a great holiday and it was nice that it was an actual past passenger who brought this to my attention.

What are repositioning cruises?

We are just about getting out of the Summer season now and some of the regular cruisers are looking to the change in seasons, were autumn and spring mean more than just transitioning wardrobes. These seasons are actually the prime times of year for repositioning cruises.

So, what are repositioning cruises?


There are a small number of ships that spend spend 365 days a year sailing the same itineraries or sticking to the same regions, like for example Oasis or Allure of the Seas staying in the Caribbean. However many others relocate a couple of times a year to fit in with a season in another hemisphere, for example some P&O ships, Azura and Ventura have made the trip to the Caribbean in the winter to search for the sun when a Med cruise may be cold.

Rather than sail from one continent to another empty, the cruise lines sell these as specific voyages, usually at usually at a discount. MSC have some great bargains here, with the exodus of ships to Brazil and back each year, there are usually some good prices on these unusual voyages.

You have to accept that these ships start and end in different ports, and maybe in a different time zone but with the relative ease of finding flights they do give the traveller a great chance to see something different.

So here is one that will be a first, why not look at Celebrity Solstice from Barcelona in October 2012 as the ship repositions to Australia for the winter and spring of 2013. The voyage is split into 3 parts, all can be bought separately but the first 16 nights to Dubai is only £200 more expensive for a Balcony cabin than the previous 12 night Med cruise!

These are just a couple of examples, there are lots of others.

Come on give it a go!