Is River Cruising for you?

River Cruising 

Introduced to Europe in the mid-1970s, River Cruising appeals to many passengers looking to explore, in a more intimate setting. In simple terms, a River Cruiser is nothing more than a Barge with a hotel on top... Or is it???

For many travellers. the slow pace along the river is just right for getting the lay of the land. Sitting up on top deck of the Cruiser under brilliant blue skies, taking in some of the most brilliant surroundings dotted with castles, vineyards and villages. Passengers have the amenities of a modern hotel on board with restaurants, bars, lounges, spas, comfortable staterooms, fitness facilities and even Internet access.

River Cruises are offered in many destinations visiting smaller villages and towns, giving passengers a real chance to explore the true beauty of the country they are visiting. With river cruisers being a fraction of the size of an Ocean liner, they are more appealing to passengers who want destination experiences as they provide a way to experience countries and a way to get into the local culture.

New to River Cruising? If so, I would suggest taking a short cruise from 4 to 7 nights to find out what river cruising is all about. Travellers in their 30's and 40's are increasingly attracted to river cruises because of their value and destinations.

There are lots of river cruise lines on offer these days including Emerald Water Ways, Avalon Water Ways, River Cruise Line, Viking Cruises, Tauk River Cruising, AMA Water Ways and more.

Keep Checking my Blog for more information on Ocean and River Cruising!

Bon Voyage!!

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P & O Britannia

A new addition to the P&O Cruise line fleet.... 

The Britannia 

People are very eager for the arrival of the latest addition to the P&O fleet. The Britannia is set to take its maiden voyage on 14th March 2015 out of Southampton. 

The ship will offer 7 and 14 night cruises in the Mediterranean, The canary islands and the Norwegian Fjords up until October 2015 where it will go over to the Caribbean and offer 14 night cruises out of Barbados.

Britannia will have a total of 1,837 cabins on board with 27 of those being single cabins. (Inside and Balcony). There will be 64 suites on board. For the first time on a P&O Cruise ship, all outside staterooms will have private balconies. 

There will be plenty to do on board for passengers, including 13 bars and 13 restaurants and cafes.

English TV Chef James Martin is confirmed to be developing "The Cookery Club" on board the Britannia. This is a dedicated space on deck 17, comprising of 12 food stations, allowing for a fully participative culinary experience. The club offers a range of two hour long classes where passengers have a fantastic opportunity to learn from the professionals, whether they are an experienced cook or a beginner.

As well as the Cookery Club, Eric Lanlard will have his own patisserie in the ships Atrium.

Marco Pierre White will have a restaurant on board and Atuk Kocchar will feature his own restaurant "Sindhu", as also seen on the Ventura and Azura ships from P&O.

There will be a 936 seat theatre on board as well as the Oasis Spa, Four swimming pools and a dedicated pool for teenagers.

The Statistics:

Tonnage: 142,000

Length: 330 m (1,083 ft)

Decks: 15 passenger decks

Capacity: 3,647

Crew: 1,350

Bookings are being taken for all 2015 Britannia Sailings

The Britannia Cruise Ship

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Top 5 reasons to sail out of the UK

Thinking of cruising from the UK? Not sure if its for you? Here are 5 reasons why an Ex-UK cruise could be for you.....

A cruise departing from a UK port such as Southampton, is known as an EX-UK cruise. These are becoming more and more popular, with millions of passengers taking these cruises every year.

There are many of reasons why people would prefer to cruise out of the UK and I have outlined 5 of these below.

• Unlimited Luggage allowance. The majority of cruise lines do not have a limit on how much luggage passengers can take on board with them. As we all know, airlines are totally opposite. Cruising out of the UK enables passengers to avoid the airlines extreme baggage charges and take as much luggage as they wont on board. When travelling with children, of any age, this is a huge bonus. Ladies, don't forget all the extra pairs of shoes you can take!
• Car parking at the port. You don't have to drive to the port, you can take a train or coach to get here. If you do drive here, you can park at the port directly opposite the terminal building. When you disembark the cruise your car will be there waiting for you, no need for any transfers, and with all that extra luggage, you want it to be as simple as possible.
• More relaxed check-in. Unlike the stressed and rushed atmosphere you would expect at an airport, usually there will be only one ship setting sail on the day of embarkation so check-in for your cruise has a much more relaxed atmosphere.
• Great Destinations year round. No matter what time of the year you wish to travel, there are always fantastic ex-uk cruise deals to be found. In the summer months, the cruise ships will stay around the Mediterranean, taking in places such as Greece, Turkey, Italy and Spain amongst many other destinations. In the winter months, the cruise ships that stay over in Europe tend to travel to the Canary Islands where the climate is much warmer at this time of year.
• Duration of Flexibility. Whether it be a 2 or 3 night short break you are looking for or a full 14 night itinerary, there is always something on offer from the UK. Many cruise lines offer short breaks out of the UK ranging from 2 nights, 3 nights, 4 nights and 5 night cruises. Of course there are the longer duration cruises for 7, 10, and 14 nights and also transatlantic cruises taking passengers from Southampton over to the USA. This is also offered as a round trip cruise with some cruise lines, so you can cruise to and from America avoiding airlines and airports.

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New Ship to Feature Lineless Embarkation and Robotic Bartenders

What 'improvements' can Royal Caribbean make to their ships? 

In my opinion, the royal caribbean fleet are top of the list when it comes to innovative, awesome ships! I would have thought it near impossible to add anything to their ships to make them even more amazing. Royal Caribbean have taken things to an all new level of awesomeness with their new ships.

The chairman of Royal Caribbean recently named Quantum of the seas as the most technologically advanced cruise ship in the world. He also unveiled a range of technological advances designed to improve the passenger experience, even before people board the ship.

Highlights of the announced technology enhancements:

• Improved Check-in and boarding process. In addition to the standard online check-in process, passengers will be able to upload photo IDs prior to their cruises. Digital boarding documents will be issued, which Royal Caribbean claim will help get passengers onto the ship in less than 10 minutes, with no lines and no forms to fill out on arrival at the port. Passengers suitcases will also be tagged with radio-frequency ID devises at the port, which will allow passengers to use their mobile phones/tablets to track their luggage en route to their cabins. These will also be available for luggage tracking when passengers disembark the ship.
• Apps for better scheduling and on board communication. Two new apps from the cruise line will help passengers with the planning of their cruises. Cruise planner, one of the new apps, is designed to be used ahead of the sailing, giving passengers the opportunity to book on board experiences such as dinner reservations, spa appointments and shore excursions. On board the ship, passengers can use the second new app, Royal iQ, to keep a track of their schedules. The Daily cruise compass will also be available via Royal iQ and passengers can pick activities to try out and be alerted if there are scheduling conflicts. Royal iQ will also allow passengers on board the Quantum of the seas to communicate with one another. Using Royal iQ's scheduling features is free, but it will cost passengers to use the communication portion of the app. The amount has not yet been announced. Passengers will also have the option to use RFID wristbands rather than the traditional keycard to gain entry to their cabins and make purchases onboard. The wristbands will cost $2 per person.
• Robot Bartenders. While Royal Caribbean have not yet revealed much about the bars and lounges on board the Quantum, they have provided a small glimpse into one space, the Bionic Bar. Here, passengers order cocktails via tablets, then watch as robots mix their drinks. How cool is that?
• Green Commitment. All lighting on the Quantum will come from LED or fluorescent lighting. Hallways will feature motion-sensitive lighting so that when no one is around, the halls will dim. Cabins will deature environmentally sound lighting systems. Royal Caribbeans new ship debuts in November this year, when it will sail from Southampton to Bayonne, New Jersey. The ship will homeport here for the winder before moving to Shanghai. 
• Tablets for the crew. All staff on board the Quantum will be given Microsoft tablets from the cruise line. These will be theirs to keep as well as use to track passengers preferences for a better service on board. Crewmembers can also use the tablets to communicate with their families at home. The line will eventually give tablets to every shipboard employee fleetwide - 40,000 total. 
• Super-fast internet. Seems the world can't live without updating social media sites with their day to day routines. So, Royal Caribbean are partnering up with Ob3 Networks and have hooked into satallites that will allow passengers to experience Internet speeds like they would ashore. They claim the speed will be fast enough to stream videos to watch, share holiday photos and videos via social media sites and video call with people back home. Internet on cruise ships is well knows for being extremely slow so these options are almost unheard of.

Many more announcements are due to come from the cruise line in the coming months.

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Anthem of the Seas will Rock you!

Royal Caribbean get ready to Rock!!!

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the seas sister ship; The Anthem of the Seas, has announced the Hit end musical We Will Rock You, will be the main show on board.

The long running Queen tribute musical ended its 12-year run in London's West End in May this year. As of April 2015 the show will be showing on the Southampton-based ship, Anthem of the Seas. The news was announced during a yard visit Quantum of the seas last week.

Word has it they will also have the after show party with the cast of the show, same as what they are doing with Mamma Mia on the Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean have set the bar with showcasing Broadway and West End shows on board its ships, including Chicago and Hairspray on their Oasis class ships. Often Shows are with original cast members!!

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Manchester Airport gets new routes to the USA

Thomas Cook have announce new routes from Manchester Starting Summer 2015

Northern passengers who travel to the USA will be pleased to know Thomas Cook Airlines will be flying from Manchester to Miami as of May 2015. They will be the first airline to offer this scheduled service between the two cities. Flights will be twice weekly.

The new route to Miami will cater for people looking to join Caribbean cruises, families looking for holidays and also, those taking advantage of a vast array of connections across the USA.

They have also announced a three times per week service to New York, JFK from Manchester Airport, again with the first flight in May 2015.

The first flights for both new routes will also include the introduction of a new Premium Service across all Thomas Cook Airline's long haul routes. The new premium service will boast brand new seating with 35 inch seat pitch and 19.7 inch width. Customers can look forward to up to 32KG hold luggage, advance seat reservation and priority check-in. 

In addition to the above, a dedicated cabin team will serve premium meals and drinks throughout the flight. Passengers will experience a brand-new on-demand touch screen in-flight entertainment system (IFE)

Flight only sales for both routes began on the 7th May 2014.

Manchester Airport offers only British Airways/American Airlines and United Airlines for direct non-stop flights to New York. This will be the third airline to offer this route, lets hope others will follow.

The Miami route will be the only non-stop service offered out of London.

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My Allure Experience

My Experience on the Allure of the Seas - August 2014

So, I recently returned from my 7 Night Caribbean cruise on the Allure of the Seas. This was my first time on this ship, and certainly not the last. 

From the moment I arrived to the moment I disembarked, it was just fantastic.

The Shows on board were amazing. I recommend 'Chicago' the show and the Comedy Club. As always, when travelling with Royal Caribbean, we were looked after from embarking to disembarking by all staff on board. 

The Cabin:
We stayed in an Ocean View Balcony Stateroom. Our stateroom attendant, Daniel, was brilliant. I requested extra towels on the first day of the cruise, I didn't have to ask again. Each day he delivered these to our room.

The Food:
I have never found fault with any of the dining choices on board the royal caribbean ships, and the Allure was no exception. From the main dining room, to the windjammer buffet and speciality restaurants the food was exceptional throughout. We were taken care of from the Waiters and Waitresses on board. Food was brought to us, just to try if we wanted, without asking.

This is the first cruise ship to have a Starbucks Coffee shop at sea. Bonus!!

The Overall Experience:
Was Fantastic!! I cannot wait to get back on this ship. I have cruised on the Oasis of the seas twice before, which is the sister ship and there is pretty much no difference between the two. There was a speciality restaurant on the Oasis of the Seas, called the Seafood Shack. This is not on the Allure of the seas, but is the only thing missing in my opinion. They have replaced this with Rita's Canteena which is a Mexican themed restaurant, and is a lot of fun! For just £12.00 per person we had a three course meal with three cocktails each and were entertained by the staff with their singing, dancing and Mexican attire.

Although this ship is the 'Largest ship in the world' I never felt overcrowded on board, there was always plenty of space and privacy. I would recommend this ship to anyone looking for a fantastic, fun, relaxing cruise.

There are lots of activities on board to keep all the kids entertained, as well as the adults!

I would not hesitate to cruise on the Allure again as I would rate her in my top five cruise ships.

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