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Posts Tagged ‘cruise line’

Prepare to Cruise Wales, Discover Secrets of Anglesey Island

November 20th, 2009 No comments

With increasing numbers of people wanting to cruise Wales along with other UK ports, there is a strong possibility that Wales will before long emulate major European cruise ports as a destination for the big leisure cruise market. This is how the Welsh Affairs Select Committee of legislators in the House of Commons, the British Parliament, concluded their report. It points to strong growth in the UK cruise market over the last ten years or so, and urges the need to secure some growth in cruise ship visits to bolster the economies of Welsh port communities.

Any keen cruise travellers should note that before they make advanced bookings to cruise Wales there is currently a slight difficulty with providing adequate facilities for berthing and Welsh ports infrastructure to service the fast growing fleet of big ships cruising European waters needs to be upgraded. Meanwhile there is a campaign called the “Celtic Wave” led by Anglesey, which has a budget of around $2m and covers ports in Ireland and Wales, with the aim of attracting more cruise visitors to these ports and their wider regional economies.

In Cardiff the Welsh Assembly Government is urging the UK government to offer extra infrastructure investment to get ports like Holyhead on Anglesey, Swansea and Milford Haven up to a quality threshold demanded by the cruise line operators. There is a mega potential boost for local port economies, according to the conclusions of the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee, and their regional economies would benefit by making it easier for people to cruise Wales as part of the UK cruising vacation.

Over the longer term the prospects of Welsh ports catching up with Baltic ports is encouraging, an area where a popular cruise market already thrives. From Holyhead in the North West of Wales to Newport via Swansea and Milford Haven, ports in Wales can act as catalysts for economic regeneration when they attract visitors to cruise Wales. In 2009 the first cruise ship visited Newport, close to Celtic Manor which will host the Ryder Cup in 2010. The cruise visitors arriving in Newport had the opportunity to visit Cardiff sites such as the Millennium Centre and the castle.

Similarly, there are many attractions for cruise visitors when their ship arrives at Holyhead, Anglesey, including World Heritage Castles of Wales at Beaumaris and Caernarfon, South Stack Lighthouse and Llynnon Mill, along with the excellent island coastal path, as well as the Oriel Art Gallery and Seawatch centre at Moelfre.

The Welsh Assembly Government is offering financial support to strengthen the facilities for the expected rise in cruise ship visits to Holyhead, most notably to strengthen the jetty used by Anglesey Aluminium Metals (AAM), which offers an ideal anchorage and a perfect disembarkation berth for cruise ship passengers. When finished this improvement will mean this Holyhead Port outer harbour pier will be strong enough to take huge ships like the Westerdam, a 2,000 passengers carrying, 285 metre liner.

The future looks bright and exciting for visitors to the UK looking to cruise Wales as part of their overall experience, and Holyhead port will be ready to welcome them as they look to explore the many island attractions.

The author, David Phillips, comes from the magical island of Anglesey off North Wales, UK and runs an informative website focusing on local news and information. Find out more about preparing to cruise Wales here to help make your holiday more enjoyable.

Learn How You Can Save Big on a Repositioning Cruise

April 22nd, 2009 No comments

Of all the ways to locate cheap cruises, one of the very best is to reserve your ticket on a repositioning cruise. A repositioning cruise typically sets sail in the autumn or in the late spring, during which seasons the cruise lines are sailing their ships from the Alaska waters to the routes in the Caribbean or the other way around.

Instead of moving these vessels without any passengers between the two regions, destinations, the cruise companies carry passengers on these repositioning voyages at what often amounts to a huge savings over regular in-season cruise pricing.

Repositioning cruises can be both long and short, ranging from three and four cay cruises between Vancouver and California to several week Trans-Atlantic and Trans Pacific cruises.

The longer types of cruises that include ocean crossings often stop at few ports, but this gives ship passengers a great opportunity to enjoy all the modern entertainment on board the ship when it is not very crowded.

Of course, it is easy to spend a lot of money in the ship’s bars and casino during a long cruise, so you might want to keep track of your tab along the way to avoid any unexpected and aggravating surprises when you get your final bill after the cruise ends.

One other factor to weigh when considering a repositioning cruise is the cost of the airfare getting you to the starting point and home from the ending point of the cruise.

Because these repositioning cruise routes begin and end in totally different ports, often far apart, you’ll need to buy a split fare airline ticket in all likelihood, and this can really drive up the cost of your trip.

However if the cost of the air transportation is quite reasonable, the you are in luck — a repositioning cruise could be a very good way to visit exciting new places on the most up to date cruise ships for not much money. It is hard to beat a deal like that.

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How to Have a Great Family Cruise Ship Vacation

April 1st, 2009 No comments

Thinking of a family vacation aboard a cruise ship? If you and your family are interested in becoming one of those families, you have a number of different options. If you are tired of camping, picnics or a visit to grandma’s house during the next holiday season, why not go on a cruise ship?

Setting sail on water is fun and it is something that most of is would love to do. Boats are expensive and most of us cannot afford one anyway. We have an interesting piece of information for you: a family vacation aboard a cruise ship can be for anyone irrespective of whether they understand sailing or not. Try going on a cruise vacation.

So will your family enjoy a vacation being aboard a cruise ship? Cruise liners open up a new world of experience and there are endless possibilities that you can explore on your vacation. Individuals of all age can enjoy participating in these activities.

Consider these issues before you make the decision about arranging a family vacation aboard a cruise ship. If you prefer quiet evening away from the crowd, probably being aboard a cruise ship would not be suitable as a few nights on a hired yacht. Children and adults will find plenty of activities to do on a cruise liner. You can choose to swim in the pool, laze around on the deck, or gamble to your heart’s desire.

Other one of the many benefits of taking a family cruise ship vacation is the fact that almost all of them have onboard childcare. The child can be left for an hour or two while you pamper yourself with some private time with your spouse, or alone. These are often complimentary facilities.

One biggest benefit of a cruise vacation is the quality time spent together. While it is true that this quality time together can be spent anywhere, it is often more memorable on a cruise liner. The close corridors should not be viewed as a disadvantage. Teenagers, for instance do not see time spent with the family as a worthwhile investment.

This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with them without being too obvious. Remember to take a long a video recorder and take a regular camera along as well. In addition to enjoying your cruise in the present, you and your family will also be able to enjoy it in the future. For a reasonable price, you can have an unforgettable family vacation on board a cruise ship so why not take hold of the experience while you can?

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What To Look For on a Honeymoon Cruise?

March 13th, 2009 No comments

One of the most special times in your married life is the beginning, the honeymoon. It is the start of a new life and an opportunity to spend time sharing romance and passion, feeling good and not caring about anything else.

Going on a honeymoon cruise is one of the preferred ways to spend your honeymoon, and it allows for many possibilities.

If you are seeking for a honeymoon cruise line, you should start by checking the destinations. Thanks to the popularity of cruising, now you can find ships of all sizes sailing across the World. Among the top honeymoon cruise destinations you can find the Caribbean, Hawaii, Alaska and the Mediterranean, all of them beautiful places.

Having a clear destination will help you narrow down your options for cruising. You should look for ships that have a comfortable itinerary coupled with a price that fits your budget. These cruise ships charge an additional fee for the “honeymoon package”.

Each line delivers the package in its own way, but special details are a must: after-hours room service, invitations to romantic dinners, special romantic gifts, room decoration with romantic “touches”, etc.

Another factor to keep in mind for choosing a cruise for your honeymoon, is the amount of things to do inside the ship. They are like moving hotels, and most of them offer options to have fun aboard, like clubs, casinos and parties.

If you have a tight budget, you can find ways to save money inside a cruise or alternatively, find a cheap cruise package that fits your needs. You should find “all inclusive” packages that will ensure you pretty everything is covered so you won’t incur in extra charges.

There’s more to talk about honeymoon cruises, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but know that is an experience full of passion and romance.

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How Do You Find A Toronto Boat Cruise For A Public Party?

February 19th, 2009 No comments

Toronto boat cruises offer some of the amazing parties and get-togethers that you can imagine. The themes of each of the public parties are varied, but with each type you are sure to have excellent food, top notch entertainment, an attentive crew and the opportunity to have more fun than your would have thought possible.

Nearly all of the Toronto cruise lines offer both public and private party booking options to meet the needs of any potential cruise go-er. Private parties can comprise corporate events, weddings or special occasions and the public parties are open to anyone whod like to make a reservation and can be either romantic dinner type outings or big, bold holiday extravaganzas.

How to Find the Cruise for You

There is a Toronto harbor cruise for almost any occasion that you can think of – if theres a party, you can bet that there is a public party cruise on the Toronto harbor to help celebrate it. There are cruise parties for Christmas, for Independence Day, for Halloween and for St Patricks Day – but some cruise lines have very limited occupancies for some of these cruises so its important that you find a cruise line that you think you would enjoy and to try to book your reservation early to ensure yourself a spot at the party.

There is any number of ways for you to find a public party cruise on the beautiful Toronto harbor – here are some of the best options:

The Internet

Regardless of what you are in the market for, the World Wide Web can most likely assist you in your efforts – a quick entry typed into a popular search engine will direct you to several of the cruise lines websites. This is usually the best option for people whove got access to a computer because you will be able to find out a lot about the company that offers the cruise from their website. Youll be able to find things out like: exactly what type of public cruises they offer, what the capacity for each is, what the dates and times available are, how much the party will cost you, what you need to do to book your space, etc.

By visiting the cruise lines website youll also be provided with visuals that can help you make your decision, youll be able to see photographs taken during the cruises and maybe even a short video that will put you on board of the actual ship in which the party would be taking place. Youll also probably be able to read a multitude of customer reviews and testimonials that may provide some assistance in deciding which cruise would be the most fun and entertaining for your or your group.

Travel Agents/Travel Websites

A local travel agent may very well have brochures available for you to take that will explain in detail all of the options of public party cruises from certain Toronto boat cruises lines. Youd also probably be able to get info from the travel agent as to how to get a better deal, if you were traveling into Toronto, on rental cars or hotel space.

A travel website (like Expedia or Travelocity) could probably help you put together a better package deal if you were coming in from out of town, and by visiting one of these sites you may be able to see some non-partisan or unbiased reviews from people who have no affiliation with one cruise line or another.

The Phone Book

If youre local to the Toronto area, you could simply look up the different cruise lines in your local phone book and speak to a customer service representative about what types of cruises are available. Youd also probably be able to get brochures and information sent directly to your home about the different packages that are available.

Using any or all of the options above will let you get all of the information that you need regarding booking your spot on a public party cruise on the Toronto harbor, and by trying all of the options (website, third party and direct contact) youre more likely to ensure that you get the best possible deal on one of the best and most entertaining excursions of your life.

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