How to consider the type of ships for Your Cruise Vacation

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? You’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 purser’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 “tender” 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 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!

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Cruise Travel for Physical Fitness Or a Spa Vacation

Cruise Travel for Physical Fitness Or a Spa Vacation

You really want to take a cruise but you also really want to go to a spa for physical fitness and maybe a little pampering. In the world today you can do both. Years ago you were lucky to find a spa on a cruise ship. If there was one, it was in a really remote area of the ship. As for physical fitness there was very little equipment and most of it was tired. When people started to become more conscious of their looks and health the cruise lines revised their way of thinking. Cruise travel now can double as a spa vacation as well as learning a new physical fitness program.

The newer cruise ships have gone to great lengths to accommodate the cruise passenger who also wants to beautify and tone up. The cruise lines have installed state of the art equipment, added numerous exercise classes, and offer the newest beauty treatments available. Many of the cruise lines have relocated their fitness centers to the top decks of the ships with lots of windows so you can have a view while you are on the treadmill, bike, or lifting weights. Tucked up into the corner is a big TV so you can watch the news from back home. The cruise ships now have three distinct areas, one for fitness, one for spa treatments and one for the beauty salon.

As mentioned, the fitness centers on cruise ships are now a thing to behold. They all will definitely have treadmills, Stairmasters, free weights rowing machines and bikes. Some cruise lines even have complete Nautilus machines. Popular exercise machines, especially on sea days, may require you to sign up for a particular time of day and will limit the amount of time you can use the machine.

If you want to use your cruise travel as a vehicle to start an exercise regime there are physical trainers onboard. Their services, however, will cost you extra. The trainer will ask you lots of questions about your health and diet and then will come up with a personal regime for you. He or she will then book times through the week for you to work together.

All cruise lines offer exercise classes, yoga, aerobics, dance, water aerobics, even Pilates and kickboxing. Some of these may require a slight fee. To find out when these classes are held consult your daily bulletin for times and fees, if any.

Now, you’re thinking why would I start a physical fitness regime while on a cruise ship, especially since they serve all that food, 24 hours a day? Well along with the newer, shinier and better facilities the cruise lines have also instituted what they call spa cuisine. Everyday they will offer a “lighter side” menu if you are really serious about you new physical fitness regime.

Don’t assume that if the ship is older, it won’t have a decent fitness and spa area. Check with your cruise travel agent to find out what facilities are onboard the cruise ship you have chosen. For instance, the QE2 is an older ship but it has a beautifully outfitted spa with a large staff. Celebrity’s slight older Century has a Thalassotherapy pool for their passenger’s enjoyment and it has become quite popular among their cruisers.

When you board your cruise ship go to the spa area. Usually on the first day the staff will be explaining their treatments and occasionally demonstrate how it is done. Sometimes they will raffle off treatments, so go to the demonstration just for that reason. If you have definitely decided that you will be doing some treatments, book them on day one to get the best times. Any beauty salon appointments should be made then too, hair appointments for formal night go very quickly.

Many times the spa and beauty staff will discount their services on days when the ship is in port. If you are going to a few cruise destinations that you have previously visited, take advantage of these offers. You will find that you can pick your time of day to get these treatments done with little or no competition. If you are an early riser, choose an appointment in the morning and then get off the ship to enjoy that port. Or, conversely, disembark early to explore your new port, and then return to the ship in the early afternoon to take advantage of a discounted treatment.

When you go to your spa appointment, do not wear jewelry or fancy clothes. Most treatments are a bit messy and you don’t want to ruin any of your belongings. It is best just to wear a robe. When you get there an attendant will give you a towel and a private locker to put away your things. You may then be asked to wait in a room. Your technician will come out to take you to the room designated for that particular application. You will also fill out a form on your health and any surgeries that you have had. The room you are in will most likely have a shower. It will definitely have a sound system to play soothing music and there will be an array of exotic oils and creams.

The cruise ship spas have gotten quite creative. They now offer couples massages where you and your partner are in the same room with different massage therapists. Then there are four hand massages where two people work on you at the same time. Some of the cruise lines offer in suite massages and some even have massages on the deck.

By far the highest percentage of staff are women but there a few men. If you have a preference between male or female spa technicians, state it when you make your appointment. Some people are uncomfortable lying naked on a table with a therapist of the opposite sex. Check the cruise ships policy on tipping. Some cruise lines automatically tack on a 15% charge to your bill while on others you may have to pay in cash. To save embarrassment, check at the time you make your appointments.

There are three lines that allow you to make your spa appoints before boarding the ship. Princess, Windstar and Celebrity all offer this option. In some cases they even have packages that you can book in advance. Be careful here though, they may give you some very early morning appointments which means you have to go and change them on the very first day. This is not the best policy since they should be giving you prime appointments for booking ahead.

Beauty salons will offer a full array of services. You can have your nails done, your hair colored or hand and foot treatments aside from just a trim. Most of the beauty salons have Europeans staffs. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Places like Austria require their beauty students to go to the equivalent of our college.

See, it is possible to turn your cruise into a spa vacation or physical fitness week. Just follow what your trainer or your beauty technicians tell you and eat the spa cuisine. You’ve just achieved three goals, a little bit of pampering, a fitness regime, and a light and healthy diet. This may be a new way for you to view cruise travel.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

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