Do you know where you're really cruising to?

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I know; my cruise line has given me a clear itinerary!"
Well, it's not always that easy, strange as it may sound, especially if you're new to cruising or haven't traveled a lot in the past.
So, on the assumption that all the cruise lines aren't deliberately lying to you, just what am I talking about?

Three and four berth cabins

One of the big questions I get asked a lot from families booking a cabin on a cruise ship is what will the three or four berth cabins look like.
It can be quite worrying, especially if you've never seen one before, as it's quite hard to imagine how they will be set up. I had a quick look on the internet this morning and there aren't even that many pictures. With that in mind I thought I'd show you some pictures of three and four berth cabins on a cruise ship so that you can judge for yourselves as to whether you'd be happy in one.
There are however a couple of points with this kind of cabin that you should remember......

Celebrity Eclipse - The best ship I've ever seen, (so far)

I've just got back up from Southampton after a travel agent day visit to the Celebrity ship, The Eclipse, (It's a hard job but somebodies got to do it). The cruise lines invite us all down every so often to tour their ships and enjoy some lunch in the dining room so that when my lovely passengers ask about a particular ship we can comment from personal experience.
Today was the turn of the Celebrity Eclipse.
If you'd asked me about it before I would have told you that Celebrity cruise lines were Royal Caribbeans big sisters.
Stylish, sophisticated, elegant, innovative, modern and relaxed.
My opinion of them hasn't changed after today, Celebritys ships, especially the Eclipse, are all these things. What I didn't realise till this morning was that those descriptions were just words.
I didn't realise how stylish she was. I didn't realise how sophisticated she was. I didn't realise how innovative she was. And neither will you until you sail on her. The pictures I've added below, (and there are a few), don't do her justice at all. Until you're onboard, surrounded by her elegance, bathed in her mood lighting and relaxing in one of her many bars, (the martini bar is my favourite, more on that later though), you won't be able to appreciate her either. I really do have to repeat, these pictures don't do her justice; however, hopefully they will wet your appetite just enough to book a cruise on her. Trust me, you won't regret it!

The problem with airplanes

A passenger of mine recently sent me an email about some engineers reports who had been sent in by the pilots when they had noticed a problem with the plane.
As the weekends fast approaching I thought I'd share some of them with you to bring you a bit of a smile before Saturday gets here.

Happy cruising

Topless sunbathing on a cruise ship

I've just had a past passenger come back from a cruise onboard the Independence of the Seas and they reminded me about something on the Indy that I hadn't thought of for quite a while. Now I'm not sure if it's just the Indy that has this or all RCCL ships as I've only been on the Independence but have you ever been on the San Tropez deck?

Cunards Grills - Another name for first and second class?

I recently wrote a post about all the different benefits you can enjoy when you book a Princess or Queens Grill onboard a Cunard ship, (if you're interested you can read the post by clicking here). Ever since I wrote it though it's been praying on my mind a little. Are the Cunard Grills just a higher grade of cabin, as available on all other cruises lines or are they a sneaky form class system ie first, second and steerage?

A cruise game for you

I know today is normally when I'd bring you your regular cruise crossword but I thought I'd try something different for a change. Rather than designing a cruise crossword I've built a cruise style hangman game for you to enjoy. Let me know how you get on.

Happy cruising