Travel and Leisure Articles

It is important to make sure you pack your medications, sunscreen, hat, and other essential items so you can be comfortable on your next cruise. Many people tend to forget these items when they are packing because they concentrate more on the outfits and accessories they will need. Before you pack your clothing, pack smaller items and make sure they are all easily accessible while you are traveling. If you are travelling by air or by car in order to get to the cruise ship, make sure you have these items handy when on the road.

Other small items such as soap, deodorant, razors, toothbrush, and lip balm can all be purchased on the boat, but they will cost a lot more than if you remember to bring your own. Buying a small bag and packing it before anything else will help you pack everything you will need. Stopping before boarding the cruise ship is another option if you discover you need these items. Remember that a cruise trip is very unlike a Murcia flight which is short in duration and has much less risk of causing sickness.

Medications you take every day should be filled before your trip. This way, you will have enough to last for the entire vacation. Taking the time for proper travel preparation will help you have a better time. If you have food allergies or if you suffer from sea sickness, there are medications that can help. Follow all instructions to ensure you take these medications at the right time. You may not be able to mix some of these medications with alcohol, so be sure to find out before visiting any of the bars.

Since you will probably be spending more time in the sun, having a hat and sunscreen will help protect your skin from the heat. Having these items readily available will keep you from forgetting them in the cabin. People who spend a lot of time in the sun should wear sunscreen of at least 30SPF. This will keep the skin from becoming dry and will also prevent skin cancer later on.

While packing for a cruise can be frustrating, once you develop a routine, packing for any vacation becomes easier. Depending on the cruise you are taking, you may not need to pack different types of outfits. Try to pack as light as possible so you will not have a much to bring with you. This will make travelling much easier as well. Bring a good pair of shoes that you can wear with most of your outfits. This will help you save space and allow you to leave the ship and sightsee if the ship docks in any port cities along the way. Travelling sensibility will allow you to have a much better time on your cruise.

The time has come to do your talks. First, how will you learn about when you’ll do your presentations?

As a general rule you will only give your presentations when you are at sea or on “sea days.” At your meeting with the activities coordinator and he or she will sometimes tell you “about” when your talks will be. Sometimes the activities coordinator will call you the evening before or the morning of your talk.

But don’t count on it.

The absolute best way to know when your talks are scheduled is to closely monitor the daily onboard newsletter which will be delivered to your cabin every evening. This is the ultimate authority on when and where you will present.

Next, you must show up at least 30-minutes before your presentation. If you are unsure of exactly which venue you will present in, go a few minutes earlier to find your way in plenty of time.

Once you arrive at the venue confirm that all of your equipment is there. Note: Don’t freak out if the equipment is not there. Many times the Audio/ Visual Technician won’t arrive with it until 15 minutes before you are to start. If he or she has not arrived by 10 minutes till, call the activities coordinator and advise.

To build rapport with the audience I will greet and introduce myself to them as them enter the venue. I’ll ask their name, where they are from, how they are enjoying their cruise, etc.

For the talk itself I usually use a short PowerPoint program or a follow-along guide or both.

Clearly, you must not only know your material but you must be enthusiastic about sharing it. Another crucial thing is to introduce yourself and let your audience know how you got to be standing in front of them. In this intro it is crucial that you describe as many common threads as possible. In other words, you want to show that you have much in common with members of your audience. For example, you have common interests, common experiences, have made similar observations, etc.

I will also incorporate as much light humor as my topic will allow. People absolutely adore speakers who can make them chuckle. Similarly, I will use a variety of audience participation strategies like allowing questions and observations throughout my talk and will even incorporate games or role plays where I’ll bring someone up on stage and role play with them. It’s all good fun and gets your audience to invest in the program.

At the end of my talk I will always thank them for coming and, using my discretion, I will suggest that if they liked the program that they should tell the cruise lines about that fact when at the end of the cruise an evaluation survey is distributed to them.

That’s it for this installment.

If you’re not ready for an all-gay cruise, or there’s something you don’t like about them, the next best thing is gay group cruises. Gay group cruises are basically an organized group of gays on what would be an otherwise straight cruise. They’re treated like any other group, such as a company or other arranged group. It’s like a cruise within a cruise!

The gay group on a large ship might be between 1 and 10% of all the passengers. The experience is somewhere in between being on a mainstream cruise and an all-gay cruise, as you might expect.

Meetings and activities will be arranged, which will make it easy to find friends and dining buddies, but gay activities will sometimes be in closed quarters, so as not to offend other passengers. There are some special events though, parties, bar events or access to certain areas or lounges that might otherwise not be available.

The good thing about gay group cruises is that there are far more options than with gay cruises They have different ports of call, destinations, timings and are far more numerous in availability. As a result, pricing may also be more competitive than it would be with an all-gay cruise.

Gay group cruises are like a half-step into all-gay cruises. You get to sample a lot of the benefits, but aren’t forced into that atmosphere. On the other hand, all-gay cruises go to destinations that they’ve found to be gay-friendly, and there’s no chance of weird looks from other passengers.

As always, the best option is to thoroughly investigate your options, give it a lot of thought, then make your decision and be happy with it!

Chartering a yacht has always been thought of as an expensive way to have a vacation. Let me explain why that’s not always necessarily right.

But I’ll start with yacht charters that really are expensive. There’s virtually no upper limit to the amount you can spend on these types of vacation. One of the largest mega yachts available for charter, MY Annaliesse will set you back approximately EUR 94,000, and that’s for each day. Expenses, fuel amongst others, have to be added to that amount. We have to admit though that Annaliesse is not a standard mega yacht but rather a floating hotel, capable of accommodating up to 36 guests. You will be pampered by crew of 34, including hairstylists, fitness instructors, some of the best chefs and of course the captain and his crew who safely navigate the vessel in the Mediterranean, Caribbean or other beautiful places around the world.

Now, Annaliesse is of course an extreme example. Nevertheless she is booked throughout the year. Considerably cheaper is, for exampe, MY Carmen Fontana. This 40 meter / 120 feet long mega yacht is available in the Greek waters from approx. US$12,000 per day. Still a large amount of money for most of us though. However, these yachts are typically chartered by pop stars, movie stars or other VIP’s. The alternative, booking a room or suite in a hotel, will often not work for well known people for obvious reasons. On a yacht one can enjoy their holidays in utmost privacy while a professional crew is always available at their service.

As said, US$12,000 per day is an amount most of us are not willing to spend on a vacation. Most people who charter a yacht in the Mediterranean or Caribbean spend amounts like US$1800 per week for, for example, a 36 feet bareboat sailing yacht. A 36 feet sailing yacht for example, is capable of accommodating 6 people. So when you decide to take your friends and split the amount, you will only spend like US$300 per person per week….. Which in many cases is cheaper than a hotel room. Add the great views, changing by the day if you decide to do some island hopping, the joy of being on the water and the fun of sailing in the most wondeful places on earth and you know why yacht charters are becoming increasingly popular.

If you’ve thought of taking a Royal Caribbean Cruise, or any cruise at all, you should know that cruising is the best kind of vacation. Cruising is the perfect combination of tour and relaxation. Moreover Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines makes sure that you’re pampered. In fact, the vast majority of people who take cruises enjoy them so much that they’d recommend cruising to friends, and they’d cruise again.

While a lot of tours that people take for vacations are hectic, taking a cruise isn’t hectic. There is no six am wake up. You stay in the same room every night. You don’t have to pack and unpack daily. There is time to relax aboard the ship, and there are plenty of onboard activities.

On a Royal Caribbean Cruise, you can enjoy spa treatments. You can play games in the casino, and shop in online shops. If you don’t feel like spending any money on board, you can eat delicious meals at the main dining halls. You can enjoy sports activities and swim in the pool. Ships feature activities for children, including baby-sitting for children ages three and up. For teens, there are activities ranging from karaoke to watching movies in the pool.

If you’ve never been on one before, it is just what you need. When you compare the costs of a cruise to a land vacation, there truly is no comparison. A cruise can run as little as $75.00 per day, which includes all food and drinks (except alcohol) and all shipboard activities, like the Broadway-style shows. You would have a hard time just staying in a good hotel at those rates! Ask any friend who has been on a cruise and they’ll tell you that it’s the best vacation you can imagine. You can see new port towns, and enjoy touring, while knowing that tomorrow you’ll be someplace new and different. Every day starts with a delicious breakfast and ends with a fantastic dinner. Take a Royal Caribbean cruise and the only question you’ll be left with is “Where will I go next time?”

Cruising homes - that are a new era residences. Huge cruise ships with luxurious residences. These residences are really spacious. They can have from 1000 to 3500 square feet. You can have 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, lounge, kitchen, terrase with yacuzzi, simply all you need. There are restaurants, cinemas, clubs, game rooms, fitness clubs or even art of state spa and wellness. You can go fishing, diving or boat cruising from an onboard marina. And there is more you can do on these ships.

Some of these ships even use their own onboard helicopters to get you comfortably from airport to your apartment. Ships itinerary is planned to circumnavigate the planet every 2 or 3 years. There are about 300 ports of call. When ship reach a port, it stays there for 2-5 days so you can enjoy the city or surrounding nature, then it moves to another port.

Of course, to get this kind of residence is costy. It can cost you couple of hundred thousands of dollars or even millions. That depends if you choose to buy a full ownership or partial.

One of the most luxurious and latest residential cruise ships on market these days is a vessel Magellan. This ship is currently being buit by Residential Cruise Lines, Ltd. Construction time is about 3 years. It is a huge US$650 million project.

The Magellan will have 76,000 gross weight tons and will be 860 feet long and 106 feet wide. Magellan will feature 15 decks and there is going to be a multinational crew of 350.

Magellan is being constructed by Aker Yards. Aker Yards is a part of the Aker Group, which is one of the largest and most renowned shipbuilders in the world.

Magellan is designed by the internationally acclaimed Norwegian firm of Petter Yran and Bjorn Storbraaten Architects A.S.

If you buy an apartment your residence will circumnavigate the world every few years while you will live in the luxury with such a services like marina, on call private helicopters and about 150 ports of call. Residents will have non-stop access to their floating penthouses. That includes other luxuries like housekeeping staff, spa, marketplace, 24-hour concierge , pools (in and outdoor), 4 restaurants, a 450-seat theatre, Monte Carlo style casino and Starbucks cafe. These are only just a few of the conveniences. Magellan residences are sold from US$1.8 million up to US$8 million. Also there is a fractional ownership available, which could be reachable through share clubs.

Holland America Cruise Lines has initiated a program of up-scaling their cruise ships, cruise line image and passenger cruise experience. This initiative is called the Signature of Excellence program and will soon be experienced by cruise passengers on all Holland America cruises.

The award winning Holland America five star fleet of cruise ships will all have the unparalleled enhancements by the end of 2006. Included in the program are enhancements to the impeccable service Holland America guests have become accustomed to as well.

Premium cruising aboard Holland America’s fleet will be enhanced by state-of-the-art facilities and public areas. Included are stateroom amenities, luxury beds and bed linens. All Holland America cruise ships will include the Neptune Lounge, Pinnacle Grill, Explorations Café, the Greenhouse Spa & Salon, and a Culinary Arts Center.

Changes will be made for children and teens cruising with Holland America as well. The program includes newly expanded youth facilities with the “Club HAL” program. For teens, Holland America has included The Loft and The Oasis.

To date, Holland America has completed the program on six of their premium cruise ships - Prinsendam, Rotterdam, Ryndam, Statendam, Westerdam, and Zaandam. Holland America’s cruise ship Amsterdam is due to have the program implemented by early October 2005. Volendam will see her program initiated in mid December 2005. HAL’s Zuiderdam will see her program implemented in time for her holiday Caribbean cruise at the end of December 2005. Veendam will initiate her program on a western Caribbean cruise in late January 2006. Late April will see Maasdam initiate her completed program on a Canada/New England cruise. Rounding out the Holland America Signature of Excellence initiative will be Oosterdam early in November 2006 on a short 4 day cruise from Vancouver to San Fransisco.

For more information on Holland America cruises and tours, check out some of our other interesting cruise articles. To find the best deals on Holland American cruises and tours check out the merchant links on our cruise discount page. Then all there is to do is to book your fantastic cruise on-line and get excited!

When honeymooners are thinking cruises they’re usually thinking of balmy breezes and tropical locations . Alaskan cruise packages are not the first thing that comes to their minds. Alaska isn’t known to be one of the top honeymoon destinations.

But those who choose an Alaska cruise vacation will get their marriage off to an exciting start with sights of land and wildlife that will provide them with a lifetime of memories.

And people who have been married for awhile may choose to make their second honeymoon an Alaskan honeymoon aboard one of the fabulous boats that ply those waters.

Glacier Bay, one of Alaska’s many wonders, is one of the common destinations of honeymoon cruises.

Another is the state capital of Juneau, a popular destination for honeymoon cruises to Alaska. Instead of wildlife the young couple can find souvenirs to take home that aren’t available anywhere else in the world.

And when you’re on your honeymoon the cold weather, common to many parts of Alaska for most of the year, is not a problem. If nothing else, it gives you a reason to cuddle up in your stateroom instead of trying to keep warm on deck on a cold Alaskan night (as if you really needed a reason).

Spellbinding Northern Lights Cast Their Allure

This isn’t everybody’s idea of a perfect honeymoon. Many people prefer to enjoy their honeymoon laying on warm beaches and swimming in crystal clear waters. But those who are adventuresome enough to book Alaskan cruise packages will be making unforgettable lifetime memories.

Heading far north, into the Arctic Circle, the nights can be extended. During those nights the sky can be aglow with the phenomenon known as the northern lights. Many take honeymoon cruises to Alaska for that experience alone.

There have been many adventure movies and books about life in Alaska, as well as movies created to show the romance of the country. For those who appreciate the simpler times reflected in these books and movies, honeymoon cruises to Alaska can seem to be a natural choice.

In addition to all the amenities and luxury offered on board just about any cruise ship, they can take advantage of the romantic environment and spend time learning about some of the last remaining vestiges of a rugged lifestyle.

Let’s face it: Turkey is a fantastic place for cruises, and one of the finest places to visit is Bodrum Here is a general outline of what to expect on a Bodrum cruise.

Located along the coastline of the Aegean Region of Turkey, Bodrum actually quite a small town until it opened its beautiful beaches and harbors to tourism. Unlike many tourist locations, Bodrum has remained the centre for art in Turkey. Here you can find street performers of various musical styles, poets and painters entertaining folks year round. Many Turks have second homes in Bodrum, as an escape from more hectic cities.

Once you depart from Bodrum, it’s off to see the rest of the Kokova Gulf. Highlights along the way include Karaada (known for its hot springs), Orak Island (great for a rest and photography) and the Karagacik Bay, which may be the best spot for swimming in the world (a bold statement, I know, but true nonetheless).

Alternatively, some cruises will head towards the Datca peninsula, home of several ruins (some may choose to go to Orak Island instead). From there, you’ll spend a lovely afternoon along Cati, which is known for its warm waters in the baylands. Many windsurfers can be seen on the horizon as you approach, and you can join them by renting one ashore.

When preparing for a cruise, it’s important to pack in layers, as the winds are unpredictable, ranging from pleasant to downright chilly in the same day. Bodrum (4 days or 5 days) cruises can be warm throughout the day, cooling breezes in the evening. Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the crystal clear water for diving, snorkeling and swimming, so it is advisable to pack swimwear, sunscreen, a round brimmed hat and sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection.

Seven Islands is another highlight along this stretch of the Carian coast, known for its wonderful coral diving and fishing. From there, many cruises take you on to Sogut, the end of the line for 4 day cruises. Sogut is a highlight for history buffs , as it is the birthplace of the Ottoman Empire. Anyone interested in learning more about the Ottoman sultans should visit the Sogut Ethnographical Museum, located downtown.

Many cruises along the Kokova Gulf include a stop at Sedir Island (where Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra were rumored to swim together). In ancient times the island was known as Cedrai, meaning “Cleopatra and city islands.” It’s easy to see why the ancients found Sedir Island so alluring; it is one of the few beaches in the world that features a distinctive yellow colored sand that is very smooth and granular.

As you can see, there are many, many highlights for cruises in Turkey, and the balance of beaches and history is an alluring combination.

A Mediterranean Cruise is a great way to see Europe without having all the problems of travelling on land. If you don’t want to travel over land to visit Europe’s most amazing sites, you can opt for a Mediterranean cruise. Plus cruises offer a very wide range of entertainment and leisure activities to make sure you’re kept occupied during your stay on board.

Mediterranean cruises generally follow a daily itinerary, travelling to different cities or countries each day. If you want to spend a lot of time at one location, this may not be the option for you. One advantage a Mediterranean cruise has over a European trip by land is that all accommodations, transportation, food, drinks, and usually port taxes are included, like an all-inclusive vacation on the sea.

Mediterranean cruises are hot right now. If you are thinking of taking a Mediterranean cruise in the near future, here are some tips that might help you find a better deal. Mediterranean cruises are as diverse, so you are most certain to find one that is best suited to your liking.

While some cruise lines only sail around the Med from May to September, most sail year round. Since cruise lines offer a lot of different Mediterranean cruises, the one you choose will depend on the places you want to visit. Western Med cruises visit major cities of France and Italy as well as taking in the glitzy and glamorous Monte Carlo. Along with the Eastern Med group trips that originate in the Aegean Sea around Greece and Turkey, travelers can also choose longer cruises that include stops in various African ports.