Rocking it up in Gibraltar

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.

British Cruise Lines to pull out of the U.S Market? Debunked!

You may have heard that it has been recently reported in the news that a popular British cruise line will be dropping its Canada-New England Itineraries as a direct result of the requirements to use cleaner fuel within 200 nautical miles of said countries shores.
The origins of this story date back to March when the International Maritime Organization approved the Emissions Control Area after a joint application from Canada and the United States, paving the way for both countries to draw up regulations to enforce it and for the new requirements to go into effect by 2012.

Death at Sea

An investigation is being launched into an incident where a MSC Cruises passenger was killed and a man injured when the ship’s gangway collapsed. Reports say that 60-year-old Fausto del Charro and 62-year-old Maria Mercedes Bonastre were boarding the MSC Splendida when the metal walkway that attaches to the ship collapsed and plunged into over 30 feet of water.

How to Disembark Quickly

One of my friends just got back from a Disney cruise I had booked for him and his family; and they had a great time by the way.
My friend, whilst a really nice guy, is a bit of a stickler for rules and protocols and emailed me the following list after he got home because he thought it might help all my customers, so I’ve decided to blog it here, you’ll have to let me know if it is a help or not.

What the Canary Islands are really named after............Part Two.

Whoops!
I recently wrote a blog about where the Canary Islands got their name from, turns out, after several angry emails, that the situation isn’t quite as cut and dry as I made it seem. Accepted history is, as I blogged, that the Canary Islands are named after the dogs, (see my previous blog), whist the birds are named after the Canary Islands from which they come, rather than the other way around.

Sounds confusing?

Checkmate at Sea

Following on from my blog reporting that next year Holland America will be introducing a crossword themed cruise, I have just learnt that fresh for 2011 MSC will be offering several chess themed cruises for those looking for a slightly more cerebral experience whilst onboard.

Their press release reads:

Cruise Sudoku

You asked for it, you got it.........

Cruise Sudoku - You saw it here first.

As always first person to send me the correct answers wins a signed picture of myself.

Happy Cruising

Cruise Jokes

Just a quick one today, thought I would share some of my favourite cruise jokes, but as always, I would be a lot more interested in hearing yours.
Try not to groan too much

Diary of a Travel Agent - The Comic Strip

If you have a blank screen when you view this just click it once till a picture appears and then click it again to play

Cruise Wordsearch

First person to get all the right answers on my cruise wordsearch and email it back to me will win an autographed picture of myself.

ABOARD, AFT, BALCONY, CABINSTEWART, CARIBBEAN, DEBARKATION, EMBARKATION, EXCURSION, FORWARD, GALLERY, GANGWAY, GUARNATEECABIN, INTERIOR, KNOT, MIDSHIP, OCCUPANCY, OCEANVIEW, PENTHOUSESUITE, PORTOFCALL, PROMENADE, PURSER, SHIPBOARDCREDIT, STABILIZER, STATEROOM, STERN, SUITE, TENDER, TRAVELINSURANCE, UPPERBERTH, VERANDA

Happy Cruising

River Cruises – The Pros and Cons

River cruises are getting more and more popular, with more itineraries been announced every day, but why have they become so popular all of a sudden?
Well, many cruisers are bored of the traditional destinations, with many turning to river cruises as an exciting alternative.

Unmissable Deal!!!!

I didn't believe this when I first saw it but have now confirmed it with the cruise line and it is correct!

The Costa Serena, doing a 7 day Med cruise, leaving on the 25 July, from Venice to Venice is now being offered cruise only for an amazing
£199 per person for an inside cabin
£249 per person for an outside cabin and
£299 for a balcony.
 The Costa Victoria has the same deal on the 24th July with the same itinerary, so I guess it just comes down as to which is your favourite ship.

Now if I can only get Royal Caribbean to offer the same deal on the Independence.

I repeat these rates aren't a mistake, they have been checked with Costa, but there not going to be around for long.
So call me now to book!

Happy Cruising

Retirement Cruises.

Recently my wife and I were on a cruise to the fjords. Whilst in the main restaurant one night I noticed all the staff were being very friendly towards a little old lady sitting by herself on a table for two; they all seemed to know her by name and what her favourite meals and drinks were.
As this was our first night out of Southampton I found this quite strange, so when one of the waiters came over we all asked him about her. He said he didn’t know too much about her only that she had been on the last six cruises back to back.

Crossword Cruises

Fed up of the normal run of the mill cruises?
Looking for something with a bit of a difference?
Love theme cruisie?

Love crosswords?
If you answered yes to any of the above then you need to take a serious look at Holland Americas new offering for next year.

Should I Cruise during Hurricane Season?

I don't care about hurricane season!
I know that this sounds like a bold statement to make, hurricanes ruin many thousands of lives each year, as well as holidays but when booking on a cruise ship there really isn't anything to worry about.

I’ll explain why in a minute; first of all, talking about hurricane season in general you can practically guarantee that each year that some "expert" group will issue their prediction for the season, and no matter what it is, "highly active" or "quiet," the news media gets all excited and jumps all over it. These predictions are really of no value, other than giving the news media something to use to boost readership or viewership and try to whip the public into a frenzy.
I say these long term predictions are next to useless for several reasons.

Venice in a day......

O.K., so I’m continuing 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.

So on to business, today I'll be looking at the historic city of Venice.

What animal are the Canary Islands named after?

Wrong, sorry. Anyone you just said canarys can go to the back of the class. The little yellow birds that Tweety Pie is based on are called Canarys because they come from the Canary Islands, not the other way around.
The archipelago actually gets its name from dogs.
The Romans, upon first discovering the islands called them the Isle of Dogs, so their modern name is derived from the old Latin Insula Canaria, after the large number of both wild and domesticated dogs they found there.
Dogs have been important in the Canary Islands in all known history, going right back to the ancient, Guanche, inhabitants. Archaeological excavations in several burial caves in Tenerife have shown that the dog was buried with his master, so it could "guide the soul to the region of the dead".
The importance of dogs to the islands continues right through to today, with dogs even being a main feature on the official coat of arms for the islands.

Happy Cruising

How to swear in a different language ……..

Having a bad experience with a tour guide?

Just had your pocket picked?
Need to relieve your frustration but just can’t find the right words?
Well here's a handy guide for you all when in port.
Obviously for age appropriate reasons I can only include some of the milder words, but I’m sure if you say them in the right tone your intended target will get the right idea. By the way, I’ve checked these out on a couple of websites and they seem correct but I can’t guarantee you’re not actually telling someone that your great grandmother was a moose. If anyone knows any more, funny insults please add them below.
Keep it clean please folks.

Cruise Agent Look-a-likes Part Duex

It's got to be a bit of a tradition now for me about writing a supposedly, humorous blog on a Friday. Stuck for ideas today  I decided to take up my colleague Laans challenge from a few weeks ago to find the celebrity that he most resembles..........

Obviously me being me, once I'd started though I couldn't just stop at Laan, so........

How big can they really get?

Several customers of mine have just come back from the Oasis of the Seas, and yes I was very jealous, as I can’t wait to get out and see this ship for myself. For those of you don’t know she’s enormous, the biggest cruise ship currently at sea. Speaking to one woman she told me she couldn’t believe how big it was and couldn’t imagine anything bigger.

Which got me thinking;
How big can they go?
Is there anything that limits their size?
Are there plans for anything bigger?
And most importantly do people want bigger? (Yes, yes, yes from me, I love huge cruise ships).

A Change to the Mexican Riviera Line-Up

Carnival Cruise Lines recently announced that they will place a third ship in the southern California market for the winter of 2011-2012 season. Carnival Spirit will be sailing from the Port of Los Angeles, the first time in eight years the Carnival brand has based a ship there.
During the winter period the line will also sail two 15-day round trips from Southern California to Hawaii, another first for the line.
As Carnival was announcing their expansion in the Mexican Riviera market, Norwegian Cruise Line was announcing the end of their program from Los Angeles in the spring of 2011.
So for anyone looking for a winter trip to Hawaii, they need to be looking to research Celebrity ships. Or you can just book direct with me and I'll do all the leg work for you.

Happy Cruising

Dubrovnik in a day..................

O.K., so I’m continuing 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 please make a comment below to help other cruisers make up their minds.

July

Couldn’t get away this month? Did you just miss out on that last minute deal? God forbid, has another volcano erupted and your cruise was cancelled? Airline staff striking again? Well not to worry, there’s still plenty of weird and whacky things happening this month to keep you entertained in dear old Blighty that will see you through to your next cruise.

Independence of the Seas..............

I was recently given the opportunity to visit Independence of the Seas on a turn around day down in Southampton. If I ignore Oasis of the Seas, this was the ship I have most wanted to see in the flesh, not having had a chance to sail on her yet.

I wasn't disappointed.
The ship is amazing.
Absolutely huge.
I know that a large ship isn't for everyone but for families, or someone like me who gets bored easy it was unbelievable.
I could go on and on here about the Royal Promenade, the numbers of bars, restaurants or nightclubs available. The entertainments and activates offered onboard, but I've tried writing this blog a couple of times now and it always ends up feeling a little hollow. You can get a brochure and fine out about the gross tonnage of the ship or the exact amount of bathrooms it has, instead what I have decided to do is upload all the pictures and let you try and see exactly what kept me amazed.
This wont be easy.
To start with words or pictures will never do this lady proud. You really do need to be there. See it in 360 degrees, experience it for yourself. Plus I had lost my camera so had to borrow a friends so some of these pictures could be politely described as awful.
My best advice really would be to book yourself on board; you will have a great time!
By the way, try and ignore the date stamp on the pictures saying 2007, I forgot to set the date and time before I started snapping, (again sorry about the new camera).
So here goes...........................

Vodka martini please, stirred not shaken

One off the big questions I get asked by first time cruisers is, “how do I make sure I don’t stand out? I don’t want people to know it’s my first cruise!” No one likes to seem like a novice at something, especially thousands of miles from home. My advice is almost always the same. Don’t worry, just be honest about it being your first cruise 99% of people will be really nice and bend over backwards to make sure you enjoy your first sailing. But it did get me thinking the other day about silly novice mistakes; whilst I was watching a James Bond movie when it got to the typical casino scene and he ordered his martini, ‘shaken, not stirred’. This always, always bugs me.

Cruise Line Logos

Recently I and Cruise.co.uk brought you all a quiz entitled Ports of Call challenging you all to name the destinations pictured. As it proved so popular the theme is continued here with cruise line logos.