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Cheap Cruise - Which Cruise Trip Is Best For You?
"...The 7-day Disney Cruise is worth every penny spent on it. This was one of
our best vacations ever. The 7 day timeframe really makes you feel that you've
had a nice long vacation, and that you've had time to do all the things you
wanted to do aboard ship...There is no other way to describe this cruise except
awesome. My wife and I sailed on October 15th through the 22nd
with our 9-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son. Excellent cruise, superior service, great atmosphere. Lots to do for the adults and the
kids. We'll do it again!"
"...The children's program was great although our daughter wanted to spend
her time at the pool while at sea....All in all, we are ready to take the
same ship again and try the Western side of the Caribbean. We highly recommend
this cruise."
Cruising is the best vacation value and there are cruise
vacations to suit every budget. Your cruise fare includes all meals, your
stateroom, on-board activities and entertainment, plus transportation from port
to port. Typically, your only extra expenses will be drinks, optional shore
excursions, and personal services such as massage or hairstyling. When you
consider all the extras that a land vacation can cost, there’s no better value
than cruising.
What is the best way to travel with your kids to
exotic or unusual destinations without dealing with multiple
plane rides and dragging luggage day after day? Go on a cruise!
Kids can definitely cruise, especially these days. Kids are big business and
cruise lines, more and more, are catering to the younger crowd.
When traveling with
the family, you are always conscious of your budget. One reason cruises are
becoming more popular is because of the cost. For one price, you get food,
transportation, accommodations, great entertainment, many ship activities and
special programs just for kids. Also, there are often cruising specials where
kids can cruise for free. If your children enjoy swimming, sports,
games, movies, and the adventure of new places, they'll love a family cruise.
You'll find that children adapt to shipboard life with ease, and you won't have
to wonder what they're up to every minute. The cruise industry is growing
faster than ever, and with this huge expansion comes more opportunities to save
money on special cruise deals. The best part is that the prices have
stayed the same for more than 20 years because as the industry has grown, the
small cruise companies became larger with more and more ships. That means they
get volume discounts on many of their expenses and they’ve passed those savings
on to you.
 When someone thinks about cruises, they often think
about the balmy beaches of the Caribbean
or Hawaii.
Traveling by cruise ship is more popular than ever before, thanks to its
affordability, you can not only go to those sunny tropical
destinations like Bermuda,
Mexico and Hawaii
but also to more unusual ports like Hong
Kong, Alaska, Norway
and the Amazon
River. Cruises visit nearly 2,000 ports worldwide and practically
every destination accessible by water.
Cruise lines offer itineraries from three days to three months.
Most cruises are three, four, five or seven nights in length and those are often
the most popular because they fit easily into most people’s vacation schedules.
Being at sea gives you a feeling of total freedom that no land-based resort
can offer. There's plenty of room. And it will probably take you two or three
days just to discover everything that's on board. Plus, you get the added
adventure of exploring many exciting ports of call. Cruise ships are floating
resorts with all the choices fine resorts have to offer. You can lie back in a
lounge chair, breathe in the sea air, soak up the sun, read good books, or watch
the ever-changing seascape. If you're more active, join in exercise or dance
classes, and sports contests. Practice your tennis stroke or golf swing, or take
some fresh air on the jogging deck. Or you can swim, stretch out in the sauna or
work out in the gym. You can also see a feature film, attend an enrichment
lecture by experts, play backgammon or bridge. Some of today’s ships have huge
video game rooms, rock-climbing walls, rollerblade tracks, basketball and tennis
courts, golf simulators and even ice-skating rinks!
Cruise lines’ ships range from intimate and yacht-like to vessels
stretching longer than three football fields. You can sail with fewer than 100
fellow guests or with more than 2,600. Enjoy atmospheres ranging from casual to
formal, contemporary to classic. You can even choose sail-assisted ships. Enjoy
the endless activities offered on a contemporary resort-style cruise, or immerse
yourself in the culture of a destination on a special interest cruise. If you
like an intimate bed and breakfast, you might want to choose a smaller ship. If
you enjoy vacationing at a luxury spa or vineyard, then an intimate yacht-like
upscale ship may be for you. If you love large resorts and theme parks, then a
large ship with many activities may be your best bet.
Color-drenched sunsets. Magical moonlit walks along the ship’s
decks. Gazing out into the ocean and whispering words of love
to your new spouse. Nothing is more romantic than a cruise. Honeymooners
can have their choice of destinations and decide if they want to
participate in all of the ship’s activities or just join in a few and spend the
rest of time in bed! The great thing about taking a cruise for the
honeymoon is the all-inclusiveness of the ship. Entertainment,
food, lodging, activities … all are part of the cruise price, something that a
couple would not find at any land-locked resort.
After the long wedding with family and friends, a honeymoon is a time
for you two alone, away from everything else and just focus on the
special moments. Thus, planning a honeymoon is very important
and can make a big difference on how you enjoy your time
together.
Honeymoons should offer excitement, adventure
and romance for newlyweds looking forward to a private time to celebrate
their marriage. Honeymoon beaches getaways offer warm
and scenic coastlines, sunny beaches and exotic
tours that are just perfect and absolutely romantic for a great
start in life together.
Today more than ever
newly married couples of all ages are opting for honeymoon
beaches and cruises. After months of stressful
wedding plans, all you two want is to lay back and not think
about anything else then enjoying every moment together. With the right
honeymoon package you can spend a care free honeymoon in one of
the most romantic beaches at an affordable price...
More and more people are booking travel via the
Internet. It sort of gives you a feeling of satisfaction to know your did the
investigation, found a good deal, made a decision, filled in the requested
personal information and clicked the "buy" or "submit" button. Done. Start
packing.
With so many varied options available choosing the right
cruise can be a real challenge. Where do you want to go? How much do you want to
spend? Which cruise line is best for you? The key to a great cruise
experience is to select the ship carefully based on your personal tastes.
Finally, and most
important, make sure you're dealing with people you can trust. Bob Levinstein,
CEO of CruiseCompete.com, deals with the issue every
day.
CruiseCompete is a service where more than 40 independent travel
agencies compete to offer consumers the lowest cruise prices, says Levinstein,
so naturally people are going to encounter agencies they aren't familiar
with.
"Our model itself provides some protection as it attracts
high-volume agencies who can provide the best prices--the others can't
compete--and you don't get to be a high-volume cruise seller without happy,
repeat customers. We require all of our agencies to be CLIA (Cruise Lines
International Association). In addition, each agency provides detailed agency
and agent descriptions. Finally, we offer direct links to agency online Better
Business Bureau reports--so customers can get a 3rd party reference about the
quality of the agency. Not surprisingly, none of our agencies have any adverse
ratings."
Simple, common sense steps can make the difference between a
dream cruise--and being left standing on the dock watching your vacation sail
away. Make sure you take the precautions toinsure that your vacation is
memorable for the right reason.
CruiseCompete is to identify the cruise you want. You
must select a specific ship's sailing on a specific date; you cannot be as
general as "a seven-night Europe cruise in July." Then, you enter your personal
information, such as number of travelers and cabins, cabin types, and any other
information that would help a travel agent, including previous quotes you're
trying to beat or special preferences. You can have two open requests at a
time.
Once you've submitted your request, all
of CruiseCompete's affiliated travel agents have access to it and can choose whether they wish to
offer you a quote. According to Bob Levinstein, the average customer
receives two to six quotes, with the first quotes coming within hours or even
minutes after submission, then tapering off after a few days. When you see a
quote you like, you contact the agent directly to book your cruise. Each quote
includes taxes and fees, so you won't be in for any surprises, and the agent's
submissions include who they are, how to contact them, and information on the
agency so you know why you can trust them.
This
site is best for people, especially past cruisers, who have
already selected a sailing and are ready to buy. There is a phone number to call
if you wish to speak with an affiliated travel agent, but first-time cruisers
and travelers who need help selecting a sailing should do their research before
booking with CruiseCompete. Luckily, if you do need to learn more about
cruising, the site provides some research tools with links to informational websites such as Cruise Addicts
and Cruise Critic.
Levinstein explains how CruiseCompete's system lets you save. "Travel agents
work on commission," he says, "so they'll earn the same amount whether they
spend hours helping you choose a cruise or minutes booking the cruise you've
already picked. The faster they can book cruises, the higher their profits." As
agents can offer you quotes fairly quickly via CruiseCompete's system, it's an
easy sell for them. And as they know they're competing against several other
agencies, it's not in their best interest to offer you a quote that isn't very
competitive because they won't get the sale. So you'll likely receive responses
only from the agents who can offer you alluring prices, and you'll be able to
save on your next cruise.
But the key to saving is booking quickly. The agents will quote you the
lowest prices in their system, but if a large group books the same cruise in the
next hour or day, cabins could sell out or prices could go up. If you see an
appealing quote after you've submitted your request, book it soon. Otherwise, no
one can guarantee that the low price will still be available when you call.
 Of course, you can never guarantee that the travel agents who respond to your request will offer
you the best deal out there. But CruiseCompete will help
speed up your comparison shopping and give you access to competitive prices that
you might not otherwise have found. If you're thinking about booking a cruise,
it's a good site to add to your list of favorite online cruise sellers.
Cruise prices can vary $100's from agency to agency, so CruiseCompete makes it quick and easy to get the
best price on your vacation. Just select the cruise you want, and
independent travel agents will compete to offer you the best
deal.
CruiseCompete.com is operated by CruiseCompete, LLC, an independent company with offices in Des Moines, IA;
Farmington, MI; and Boston, MA. Since its September 15, 2003 launch, more than
25,270 cruisers have requested quotes from over 30 high-volume cruise agencies.
CruiseCompete is not owned by any travel agency.
For more information, please visit www.cruisecompete.com. It's
easy to plan the perfect family vacation...
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| Update on last minute caribbean vacations featuring caribbean vacation last minute deals and cheap flights to caribbean last minute deals |
| | Thinking of going on vacation with your baby? Here are some tips for a great baby friendly vacation. Find out about air travel with babies, the best baby vacation cruises and best baby friendly hotels |
| | Trip Advisor Blog - reviews of hotels, vacations, resorts and travel. Read the travel review before you go and let it be your trip advisor for selecting your perfect family vacation ! |
|
| | [12.03.2009] What does the run mean for me?
| Running helps resurrect my inner introvert, and I cherish those long runs alone. It gives me opportunity to escape the constant buzz of my home and business lives, and get back to basics. It is a great time for prayer and reflection. |
| [17.06.2008] serg
| We just got back
from our cruise last
night. Aruba was our
first port. We ended
up having to take
the land rover tour
offered by Coral
Princess as we were
only in Aruba for
the morning and
neither ABC or WIX
(ATOA) could
guarantee getting us
back on time to
board the ship.
Interestingly it was
ABC that the ship
used for the
excursion so we
ended up with almost
the same jeep tour
we tried to book
directly with them
though the one we
wanted to book
independently with
them would have
included the
snorkeling and
natural pool but the
one through the ship
was shorter due to
the time limitation.
We paid quite a bit
more going through
the ship excursion
than ABC had quoted
us independently. It
was a good way to
see some of the
views and
geographical
highlights of Aruba
while being in port
for only 4 hours.
The driver/guides
were great. |
| [17.06.2008] serg
| We have had
excellent success
using Priceline and
the last three times
we stayed in Miami
the night before our
cruise we have been
able to get an
excellent hotel for
$60 a night, the
Hilton Miami on
Biscayne Boulevard
near the Marriott
Biscayne Bay and the
Doubletree. It was
formerly a Radisson
and has recently
been renovated. To
the best of my
knowledge none of
the downtown hotels
offers a shuttle to
the pier, but the
cost of a taxi from
most of them is
under $10. Check out
biddingfortravel.com
for others
experiences. Our 3
star hotel had new
king size bed and
new carpeting,
furniture and a
fantastic view of
the ships docked at
the pier. There is
even a free people
mover that will take
you close to Bayside
Marketplace |
| [17.06.2008] serg
| We're celebrating
our 25th wedding
anniversary and our
friends are
celebrating their
3rd in Oct on Royal
Caribbean's
Senerade of the
Seas. We picked it
mostly because we
really liked RCI,
the itinerary, and
the Adventure Oceans
childrens program.
We've been to
Hawaii a few time in
Oct and it really
isn't as muggy &
hot as spring and
summer. The only
thing that is a down
fall is that North
Shore is more active
Dec - Mar with the
higher wave, but it
also keeps the ship
out of some ports.
Whales are also
there in bigger
numbers during Nov -
Apr. |
| [17.06.2008] Trinidad
| My husband is from
Trinidad and I have
been quite a few
times for fun as
well as for my job.
It's very
industrialized, and
there are pretty
spots, but they are
far out of town.
Tobago, which is a
separate island, is
the "tropical
island" of the two.
Lots of British
tourists, unspoiled
beaches, really
nice. I will say,
it's a shame the
ships don't go just
for the food...it's
by far the yummiest
food in the
Caribbean...Indian
and Creole
influenced, haven't
had a bad meal there
yet! |
| [17.06.2008] Jamaican dream
| We have just
returned from the
12/16/07 sailing of
the Mariner of the
Seas which stopped
in Ocho Rios on
Wednesday, December
19. We used our
favorite
driver/guide/and
wonderful Jamaican
friend, Marva Shaw
from
www.knowjamaica.c
om. We were with
her in July 06 and
had a fabulous time
with her. We had an
even BETTER time
last week. She took
our family (wife,
husband, and 11 yo
son) to Dunns River
Falls, a tour of the
Enchanted Garden
Falls and Aviary
with Clarence the
aviary/grounds
keeper, lunch (not
on the beach but I
am sure she would
accomodate your
request easily) at a
local jerk shack
(very yummy), and
then tubing on the
White River. We also
met her son Javia
who has recently
joined her business
along with several
other delightful
guides and drivers
who work with Marva.
She has a brand new
van which is very
comfortable. She is
also very protective
of her guests. You
can leave all of
your gear (including
cameras, purse,
etc...) in her van
and she will guard
it like a hawk. At
Dunns River Falls, I
stayed in her van
and knit while my dh
and ds climbed the
Falls. It was an
extremely busy day
at DRF. The
bus/van/JUTA taxi
carpark was packed.
Lots of other
drivers and guides
came over to speak
to Marva, Javia, and
me. Marva is very
well-respected among
her peers. I was
also the subject of
fascination because
the locals were used
to crocheting but
not knitting.
Everyone wanted to
see what I was doing
and making (a
turquoise boa scarf
for Marva). As
before, we had a
wonderful time river
tubing. I could do
that for hours. Your
family will love it.
It is not cheap ($20
USD each plus a tip
for your river guide
who had to work very
hard when dh fell
out of the tube but
all was fine thanks
to Sean's quick
work) but well worth
it. |
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