Sea sickness cures and remedies

Sea sickness is probably the number one worry for first time cruisers so I thought it was about time I gave a bit of advice about what it is and how best to avoid/overcome it.

Sea sickness is caused by a conflict between your senses. You have a very sensitive canal in your inner ear filled with fluid that acts a lot like a spirit level. This controls your sense of balance. So whilst you’re on a cruise ship, even though you might not be able to feel it, this inner ear canal well be aware of the slight movements of the ship. However because your eyes are telling your brain at the same time that your not moving the conflict caused leads to the sense of nausea you experience. This is also what causes motion sickness on land, in a car for instance.

So now you know what it is, what can you do about it?

Dress codes on a cruise ship

I've lost track of the times someone has asked me about dress codes on cruise ships; what they were expected to wear and when. Whilst I've never minded explaining to people what the different dress codes are and when and where you have to wear them it occurred to me that there might be a lot of people out there thinking the same thing but not wanting to ask, so todays post will be about dress codes on cruise ships.

What's a tender Port?

Sometimes I forget how scary my first cruise was, looking at all the different itineraries available, all the different cruise lines, all the ships and the almost indecipherable jargon that people used.
Port?
Starboard?
OBC?
Guaranteed cabins?
Inside/outside/balconies?
and tender ports!
I was talking to a first time cruiser yesterday and she mentioned her son was disabled, so, looking for a suitable itinerary I told her we'd have to watch out for tender ports.
She didn't have a clue what I was talking about, which I could understand when I came to think about it. If you've never heard the term before it can be quite confusing.
So, what's a tender port?

Which cruise ships have Wi-Fi?

Gone are the days when friends and family could expect a postcard to arrive from you aboard your cruise ships two weeks after you actually got home. Well I say gone, if we left it up to Royal Mail it still might take that long. Fortunately, these days we're all pretty much firmly plugged into the world wide web so it's getting more and more important for people to be able to access their emails, Twitter and Facebook accounts whilst aboard their cruise ship.
In regards to this a few of my passengers have been asking me who provides wi-fi at sea for their laptops so if you check below you'll find a quick and handy guide to use showing who provides what and where. If you have any more questions about it feel free to email me. 

It's not always our fault

You all know the feeling, you've just got back from the travel agents with a brochure, you've spent hours pouring over it looking for your perfect cruise. You find the cruise, you check the dates with work and it's all OK to book. You ring your favourite cruise travel agent, (us hopefully), only to be told that price isn't valid anymore.
Well that's not fair, you can see the price printed there in black and white.
Is it all a massive conspiracy to get extra money from you?
Is your travel agent to blame?
The cruise line?
None of the above actually, (well not totally; see below to see why).

First, Second and Freedom Dining on a cruise ship – Explained

I’ve been surprised this week by the amount of cruisers who were still confused about freedom dining. This is still a fairly new option in cruising terms but is getting more and more popular, but is it as good as it seems or are the other two options better for some people? Today I’m going to be talking a little about the different dining options available on cruise ships with their associated pros and cons.

Cruise Line Cabin Grades – Explained

Well Christmas is definitely over!
I’ve been absolutely swamped this last week with people looking to sort out their summer holidays for this year. The surprising thing about many of these enquiries though is the amount of first time cruisers calling up excited to try a cruise for the first time.

Anyone who’s ever booked through Cruise.co.uk before will vouchsafe to you that we’re always willing to take the time to explain all the little details of a cruise to someone who’s never done it before, all those silly little things that more experienced cruisers take for granted. Like Onboard Credit, like Gratuities and like what the different cabin grades actually mean. I must have explained at least fifteen times over the last week what the difference between an inside, outside and balcony cabin is.
It did get me thinking though that if so many new cruisers are asking me what the cruise lines different cabin grades mean; how many are looking for the answers online?  So.........

Booking a Shore Excursion Through the Cruise Line vs. Doing it Yourself

Should I just book all my shore excursions through the cruise line, or should I organise them all myself?

This is always a difficult one to give advice on as it really does depend on what kind of person you are. It’s true that as cruise prices become more and more competitive, as cruise lines strive to compete with each other, they need to find another revenue stream to increase their profits. Cruise line shore excursions are a very easy way of doing this by adding surcharges to them. Massive savings can be had if you’re prepared to organise them yourself, but a lot of people aren’t comfortable with this for several reasons........

Transatlantic Crossings – All you’ll ever need to know

I’ve been writing about Cunard a lot recently, not surprising really as I’ve just come back from trips aboard the QE and the QM2, but it’s got me thinking about the one cruise that all you cruise fans should do at least once, the transatlantic crossing.
This has to be one of the most historic cruises you can undertake, its origins go right back to the start of cruising and Cunard have been offering them from the get go. With that in mind I’ve put together this little guide on everything you can expect from a transatlantic crossing.

Should I book a Sheltered balcony?

By now you should all have heard that I have just come back from Cunards QM2, (see my previous blog on the ship here), and I absolutely loved it. One of my biggest surprises of the cruise was the cabin I was in, a B1 sheltered balcony.

Help! Have you seen this man?

Wanted! One nineteen year old lad. Last seen several years ago in a pub somewhere enjoying himself immensely. He is sadly missed. If you can re-unite me with him a substantial reward is on offer.
Hmmm as you can probably tell I'm a little depressed today.
I've been trying to figure out what happened to the nineteen year old student I used to be. Going out, getting drunk, meetings girls, stopping out all night. Then before I know it I'm married, one kid already, another on the way and then last night I was reading about pensions. PENSIONS!
I want to be nineteen again. Before I know it I'm going to be thinking about retirement and booking aboard Saga cruises. Which leads me on to the point of today's blog.
What cruise should I book for my age?

On Board Credit - Explained

There’s no such thing as a stupid question. Especially if you’re booking your first cruise.

It’s a phrase I find myself repeating quite often to people nervous about their first booking. A lot of the terms we regular cruisers use, and take for granted, can if you step back and think about it be quite confusing for anyone about to book their first cruise holiday.
Guaranteed cabins;
Formal/informal nights;
Obstructed views;
and onboard credit.

Obstructed Views - Yay or Nay?

It happens quite often that someone, looking for a last minute deal, will turn up there nose at a cabin with an obstructed view. But what is an obstructed view? What’s obstructing it? Why is it obstructing it? And are there any pros or cons to an obstructed view? Fingers crossed I will try to answer some, if not all of those questions here, (with simple to understand pictures as well, because I’m just that helpful).

Southampton an A-Z Guide

I’ve done a lot of blogs over the last few months about all the different destinations we here at cruise.co.uk send you all today, butt it occurred to me yesterday that there was a gaping hole in the different guides I had written. I’d never covered Southampton.

Not exactly the most exotic of destinations I’ll admit but as most of the cruises I book start and finish there it seemed appropriate that it got covered, especially when you consider that a lot of people, worried about missing their ship arrive the day before. So then what needs covering? The three big issues it seemed to me were carparking, hotels and entertainment, which I will be covering here. If anyone else has any other items that they’d like to know about Southampton then add them here and I’ll cover them for you.

Should I book that guaranteed cabin?

It’s a question I get asked a lot by people and to be honest there’s no easier answer. There is however a list of pros and cons that probably should be considered before booking.

Sailing To Stavanger?

O.K., so here’s another update on my series of blogs about un-missable tourist destinations on the different ports of call we at cruise.co.uk send you all too. Again, bear in mind this is aimed at people who have never visited these ports before and it’s all based on my personal opinions and my favourite sites anyway. If you feel I’ve missed something important out or disagree with a point I've made please make a comment below to help other cruisers make up their minds. It’s ben pointed out to me that a lot of these guides have been for the Med so for a change were heading north to……..

Top Ten Cruise Etiquette Tips

A few customers have booked their very first cruise through me recently, (their first cruise, not their first cruise through me). One of the most common themes of their questions was about what to expect onboard and how they should act in different situations. I’ve put together this quick guide on basic cruise etiquette but I’m sure you all have your own ideas and opinions so please, in the spirit of helping all Newbie Cruisers everywhere, add your own suggestions to the bottom of this post, how you should behave whilst onboard, (or how you wish others would behave)!


Happy Reading

Vacationing in Valencia

O.K., so here’s another update on my series of blogs about un-missable tourist destinations on the different ports of call we at cruise.co.uk send you all too. Again, bear in mind this is aimed at people who have never visited these ports before and it’s all based on my personal opinions and my favourite sites anyway. If you feel I’ve missed something important out or disagree with a point I've made please make a comment below to help other cruisers make up their minds.

Cruising to Cagliari?

O.K., so here’s another update on my series of blogs about un-missable tourist destinations on the different ports of call we at cruise.co.uk send you all too. Again, bear in mind this is aimed at people who have never visited these ports before and it’s all based on my personal opinions and my favourite sites anyway. If you feel I’ve missed something important out or disagree with a point I've made please make a comment below to help other cruisers make up their minds.

First time Cruisers – Top Tips...........

Recently I’ve spent a lot of time answering questions/giving advice to some first time cruisers. It’s one of the more enjoyable parts of my job, watching people getting more and more excited about their first cruise but it had occurred to me that your first cruise can be a scary prospect; hundreds of miles from home, possibly even hundreds of mile from land. It’s with this in mind that I’ve combed the internet looking for advice for first time cruisers and have put this guide together. If you have any other useful tips or advice please add them below.......