The who/what/wherefore of luxury cruise lines

With all the cheap cruise deals around at the moment a lot of my passengers have been making the jump up to six star cruising, picking a cruise line they might not ever of thought of booking with before.
However, for a lot of people it can be a bit of a nerve wracking jump. Whilst they might know everything there is to know about the the cruise lines they're used to picking a brand new cruise line to try can be a bit daunting.
Will I enjoy it?
Will I hate it?
What will it be like?
What's included?
I thought it might help if I put a quick guide together of some of the big players within the six star market with a bit of information about what they can offer. I've also linked the name of the cruise line back to www.cruise.co.uk so if you're interested you can just click them and check out some prices.

So what are Cunards Grills all about?

First off, I've never had a chance to stop in one. The closest I've come is walking enviously past the Queens Grill restaurant, craning my neck trying to see how the other half eat.
Secondly, if, like me, you've never had a chance to experience a Grill, (Princess or Queens), don't worry the service in the Britannia restaurant is still some of the best at sea and Cunard are still one of my favourite cruise lines even if I haven't tried a Grill.

Now I know a lot of people get a little offended by the idea of the Grills, thinking it hearkens back to the bad old days of a three tier system, ie first , second and third class. but if you ask Cunard they'll deny this strenuously, stating that their Grills aren't a class system,  you're just paying for extra facilities onboard.
It's all rubbish of course. It is a class system, just based on money rather than birth. But, playing Devils Advocate who can lay hand on heart on say they wouldn't book a Grill if they could afford one?

But what do you get extra with a Grill........?

Why are cruise ships always named after women?

Who's her you ask, the cats mother?
But it's a good point I think; why are cruise ships always named after women, or refereed to as a her? Off the top of my head, and I'm prepared to stand corrected here, I could only think of one cruise ship currently in service named after a man and that's the Paul Gauguin, named after the French impressionist of the same name. So why is this; how did this situation arise?
Well as always there's no easy answer to the question, however there are a couple of pretty good theories to explain it........

Paul Gauguin........Who are they?

Paul Gauguin was a leading French post-impressionist artist. He was a leading figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print maker, ceramist and writer. But more importantly he has lent his name to one of the most luxurious cruise ships at sea......
The Paul Gauguin, sailing year round in the waters of French Polynesia and Tahiti.

Unwanted souvenirs

We've all been there. Caught up in a haze of good times and enjoyment we've bought some strange little souvenir from some dodgy street vendor thinking,
'Ooh that'll look nice on the mantle piece.'
Only to get home to realise we've bought, well lets face it, trash.
Well no more! Playing around on the Internet earlier I found the perfect use for all those useless souvenirs you've been stockpiling. In fact after looking at some of these pictures you may decide you don't need to go on holiday at all!

I'm starting the trend off with these pictures I've found here but if you think you can beat them then feel free to send me your pictures and I'll publish them all here for you.

Happy cruising

Recommended gratuities for your cruise.......

Several clients have been asking me to compare the different levels of gratuities that different cruise lines ask for/expect for them. I've put together a handy little guide so that you can compare them. This probably isn't going to be the most interesting post I've ever written but fingers crossed you'll find it useful and informative.

Happy cruising

Lifes imponderable questions

I was speaking to a customer yesterday who had booked a cruise with me a couple of weeks ago. He'd checked the price of the cruise yesterday out of curiosity, only to find the cabin grade he had booked had dropped in price by £50 per person. It wasn't a lot but it was annoying for him so I called the cruise line to see if they would honour the new price for him.
Surprise surprise they wouldn't!
My customer was a little disapointed but understood and wondered why a cruise always seemed to drop in price after he'd booked it.
"Oh well, just one of lifes imponderable questions I guess" , he said.

Well to cheer him and all you up on a Monday morning I thought I'd put together a list of other imponderable questions.......