Top 10 Attractions of Cruise Holidays

June 17, 2009 by Cruise Tips  
Filed under Cruise Destinations

When you look into a cruise holiday, the prospect of wakening every day to a new location is very exciting. Cruises are a great way to have multiple mini-holidays without having to worry about hiring a car or packing up your belongings each day to travel to a new destination. The cruise ship is your floating hotel room, leaving you free to enjoy the new adventures of every day.

1. The Caribbean - if fun, sun, and tropical breezes are what you seek, you can’t go wrong with a Caribbean cruise. The Caribbean cruise is perhaps the most-pictured location when someone thinks of cruising. Caribbean destinations on your cruise can include: Dominica, Barbados, Grand Cayman Island, the Bahamas, Saba, St. Bart’s, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Grenada, or Puerto Rico.

2. The Mexican Riviera - also full of sandy beaches and refreshing water, the Mexican Riviera is comprised of several cities and ports on the west coast of Mexico. Cruise ships may visit three or four of the following spots along the Riviera: Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, or Acapulco.

3. Alaska - the majestic and icy vistas of Alaska are a sight to behold. There’s simply nothing else like it, unless you visit the poles. Alaska’s temperatures are far milder and the landscapes will leave you in absolute awe. Destinations can include: Juneau (the capital of Alaska), Skagway, the Yukon Territory, Ketchikan, Sitka, and Glacier Bay.

4. European Cruises on the Atlantic - European cruises is a category so large it has to be divided into regions! Destinations on the Atlantic may include: Gibraltar, Spain, Lisbon, Madeira, Porto Santo, and Paris. These cruises are fun for everyone, but intellects and fashionistas will have a real treat!

5. European Cruises of the North - excluding ports-of-call along the Baltic Sea, destinations for these cruises can include: Belgium, Amsterdam, Dublin, London, Glasgow, and various spots in Norway. With this range of tourist spots, the whole family is sure to get an education in one way or another.

6. European Cruises of the Baltic Sea - European cruises in this region may include these great destinations: St. Petersburg, Poland, Finland, Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen. So much heritage and tradition, so little time.

7. Western Mediterranean Cruises - also a part of Europe, these cruise destinations can include the following: Barcelona, Ibiza, Cannes, Marseille, Provence, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Florence, Pompeii, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, Rome, and Malta. Beauty, art, religion, and majesty are yours for the taking.

8. Eastern Mediterranean Cruises - this region may include cruise destinations of: Venice, Murano, Dubrovnik, the Greek Islands, Istanbul, and Turkey. There’s a good reason many have been inspired to write songs and make art featuring these locales!

9. Hawaiian Cruises - another popular cruise for those looking for warmth and water! Destinations can include these hotspots: Maui, Kona, Kaneohe Bay, and Diamond Head. Surf, swim, sun, and gorgeous nature - how can you go wrong?

10. Australia and New Zealand - in the land of Down Under, your cruise may visit these top places: Sydney, the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef (Hamilton in the Whitsunday Islands), Cairns, and Kuranda. The Land of Oz is better than a fairy tale!



Thanks to Karl Guevara for contributing this article to our Cruises blog:
Cruise 1st is a company offering cruise holidays for those who are looking to get the most out of their holiday without having to worry about what to do and were to go, while being in complete control of their choices and options!



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Alaskan Cruise - An Icy Adventure

May 6, 2009 by Cruise Tips  
Filed under Cruise Destinations

While considering a cruise, one of the most vital things to be considered is the itinerary. Some of the most popular cruise destinations are the Mexican Riviera, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal and the Bahamas. These offer a very different experience, particularly for beginners.

On the other hand, connoisseurs of cruises look for something that is very different from the experience offered by the previously mentioned cruise destinations. If they visit the same places they visited earlier, albeit on another cruise ship, the element of surprise and the unknown is absent.

If you fall under this category, and are seeking a cruise out of the ordinary, then an Alaskan cruise holiday is right up your alley. You can hope to see new vistas, new people and cultures and other things which will leave an indelible mark in your heart.

In case you are wiling to try something different, go on the Alaskan cruise. It’s an ideal destination for a long cruise as well as a short expedition.

Alaska occupies 570,374 sq. miles of land and is the biggest of the states of the United States of America. It is large enough to completely cover Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and Colorado. In spite of its large dimensions, its one of the least populated regions on the planet.

Alaska is surrounded by natural borders like rivers, streams and mountains. One of the biggest draws of Alaska is its glaciers, which form an ideal backdrop for a cruise. A cruise along its long coastline will enable you to fully appreciate its beauty.

If you choose a cruise with Glacier Bay as a part of the itinerary, you will be rewarded with the site of glaciers calving. The process of the glaciers breaking off from the cliff of ice and falling into the ocean is termed as calving. This happens many times an hour if the glacier’s large enough.

Watching glaciers calving may induce you to go and touch the ice. Luckily, some cruise lines offer you the services of a helicopter and hiking on ice, which enables you to get on to the glaciers. This experience has no other equivalent in the world.

While on the Alaskan cruise, you may want to visit Tracy Arm Fjord as well. This is a branch of the sea which stretches inland for a few miles. Here, you can truly understand the majesty of the granite cliffs, and the waterfalls cascading off the cliffs from a different perspective.

The ideal time to go on an Alaskan cruise is from May to September. Here, you will experience much lower temperatures than in the south during summer.

The most famous Alaskan cruises are the Inside Passage cruise and the Gulf of Alaska cruise. The former goes through Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan and lasts for about one week. On this cruise, various supplementary excursions are possible as well. The latter is also called as the Glacier Route Cruise. On this cruise, you can visit Glacier Bay and at times, the Hubbard Glacier as well.

Immaterial of which cruise you choose, all cruise lines will give you the required flexibility on your cruise. Smaller vessels are available, usually with a capacity of about 150, to help you get closer to the glaciers without doing a Titanic.

Everything depends on the choices you make. If you are of an adventurous nature, you may want to book a smaller cruise ship even if it costs more. On the other hand, if you’ll be satisfied with only sightseeing, then a larger ship is preferable. Whatever you choose, remember to expect the unexpected.

Everything is right before your eyes – what Alaska is and what it can offer you. Once you begin the cruise, you will never remember your worries. Happy cruising!



Thanks to Abhishek Agarwal for contributing this article to our Cruises blog:

Abhishek is an avid Globetrotter and he has got some great Budget Cruising Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 80 Pages Ebook, “How To Have An Unforgettable Cruise Vacation!” from his website http://www.Boating-Guru.com/153/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.



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