Posts Tagged ‘cruise’
Amazon Cruise Expert Guide
An Amazon cruise is the ultimate jungle adventure. From the endless green carpet of tree tops that make up the rainforest to the exotic wildlife that inhabits the waters of the mighty Amazon River, an Amazon cruise will reveal an awe-inspiring ecosystem that is both captivating and educational..
If you’ve ever wanted to see herds of pink dolphins in their natural habitat, or uncover unique medicinal plants found nowhere else in the world, an Amazon cruise could be just the type of vacation that you are looking for !
When choosing your Amazon cruise you’ll find that you are presented with two distinct choices of cruise vacation. If you’re looking to tour the Amazon from the comfort of a large luxury cruise liner, Amazon cruises leaving from the city of Manaus in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest are ideal..
Manaus, at the confluence of the Negro and Amazon Rivers represents the furthest point upstream that large Amazon cruise liners can venture. Here, the Amazon is 11kms wide, and it is the main port from where many of the larger cruise liners set sail..
The second Amazon cruise option offers travelers the opportunity to explore the head of the Amazon River in Eastern Peru. Here, some 6,000kms west of the River’s exit point into the Atlantic Ocean, the Amazon ecosystem is at its most diverse..
The river is much narrower here, so Amazon cruise crafts are smaller, taking the form of riverboats with a capacity to hold no more than 50 or 60 passengers. The favored port of departure and return on a Peru Amazon cruise is located at the city of Iquitos. Most passengers arrive at Iquitos by air on an internal flight from Lima – the capital of Peru..
An unforgettable adventure No matter where your Amazon cruise departs from, what you’ll see and hear along the way will dazzle, entertain and often render you speechless! You could take in a shore excursion where you’ll meet a local shaman in a remote Amazonian village, or perhaps you’ll go trekking in the jungle on a quest to discover rare species of plant and animal..
From the cruise boat too the Amazon is full of surprises! Imagine coming face to face with the smallest monkey in the world as it dangles from a tree branch close to your boat, or watching the mesmerizing display of a shimmering six-foot Golden Dourada one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in the world. It really does make for an unforgettable experience..
John Metcalfe is the author and web publisher of A to Z Cruises your #1 source
for cruise information, discounts and great deals! Visit http://www.azcruises.com now to book your very own dream Amazon Cruise vacation.
Luxury Cruise Line Vacations for Your Romantic Getaways!
Every cruise vacation offers passengers a luxurious cruising experience. Some of the cruise lines raise the bar so high that they are referred to as Luxury Cruise Lines by going “above and beyond” what one might expect in a great cruise experience. Taking cruise getaways aboard their ships is really considered a Luxury Cruise Line Vacation!
This type of luxury cruise line includes such companies as Crystal Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, Windstar Cruises and Silversea Cruises. Vacations with these cruise lines are truly an unforgettable romantic and luxurious experience.
For the most part, these cruise lines operate smaller ships on which they can better look after their passengers. They provide excellent service of “six-star” quality. Many of the cruise lines offer more exotic itineraries enhancing their Luxury Cruise experience. These lines also have a more genuine all-inclusive cruise nature.
You might think that the staff on the luxury cruise lines’ ships are telepathic. The crews are trained to anticipate your needs and desires and react with courteous service. Expect friendly service from a staff that will know you by name and remember your favorite drinks, remember your breakfast preferences and all the “little”, but very important items that you may wish.
In order to provide this type of luxury service, the staff to passenger ratio is higher than on the main stream cruise lines. As an example, The Paul Gaugan, a Radisson Seven Seas cruise ship has room for only 320 passengers with a staff of 211. Virtually every luxury cruise line has a passenger-to-staff ratio of at most, 2 to 1.
As mentioned above, the luxury cruise line ships are generally smaller than the mega ships of the “mainstream” cruise lines. The passenger capacities of the smaller luxury ships average between about 150 and 400. Crystal Cruises is an exception. This luxury cruise line has a fleet of three luxury ships with passenger capacities of about 900. This however does not compromise their luxury cruise experience.
All of the luxury cruise ships display expensive works of art, rare and exotic woods, fine fabrics and china and have expansive wine cellars. The luxurious accommodations aboard these ships are relatively large and very well appointed. The public areas – elegant dining rooms, enticing spa, exciting casino etc.- are in most cases smaller and more intimate on luxury ships than on the larger cruise ships.
Because these luxury cruise ships are smaller, they have the ability to sail to ports that are inaccessible by their “bigger cousins”. This again makes for a more intimate, luxurious and romantic getaway cruise experience in these ports – no crowds of four to six mega ships passengers.
Luxury cruise lines offer itineraries worldwide and in the most exotic places. There is truly something for everyone looking for that special luxury cruise vacation!
For more information on Luxury Cruise Line Vacations check out some of our other interesting articles at www.a1-discount-cruises.com/articles. There are also many informative articles here for other cruise lines, itineraries and other cruise related information.
Brian A Schmidt is the author and web publisher of a1-discount-cruises.com your #1 source for cruise information, discounts and great deals! Visit http://www.a1-discount-cruises.com to book your fabulous romantic gift cruise vacation! For more interesting articles visit our Article Map pages.
Alaska – Easy Cruise Guide
WHAT TO SEE: Legendary beautiful scenery of Alaska- magnificent coastal fjords, rugged glaciers, vast evergreen forests, sky-high mountains, 7 of which are the tallest peaks in North America (to see Mt. McKinley, North America’s tallest peak, you’ll need to take a tour to the shore into the Denali National Park), abundant land and marine wildlife- moose, kodiak and grizzly bears, caribou, dall sheep, puffin, otters, seals, humpback and killer whales, dolphins, bald-headed eagles and much more. Shore excursions are optional, as well as guided tours in a cruise ship’s port of call. They are offered in all Alaska ports and cities and are a great way to enrich your cruise experience with visiting coastal attractions, historical places, challenging yourself in kayaking, helicopter tours, mountain biking,…
CRUISE LENGTH: 7 days on average.There are some 11 and 14 day cruises which include more ports of call and more glacier touring. There are 2 different kinds of cruises available: Inside Passage Cruise: roundtrip departure from Vancouver/ Seattle, usually 7 days long. You cruise the inside passage through the islands offshore from British Columbia and Alaska. Stops usually include Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway and Juneau. Gulf of Alaska Cruise (or Glacier Route Cruise): You cruise one-way northbound from Vancouver/ Seattle or one-way south from Seward, Alaska. You will see more glaciers on this route and an additional port or two.
WHEN TO GO: The usual Alaska cruise season lasts from early May to late September. Alaskan summers are cool, daytime highs in these months range from 10 to 27 degrees Celsius (50 to 80 Fahrenheit). May and June tend to be the drier months, July is the warmest one. June and July are the best months to watch Humpback and Orca whales, White-Sided dolphins. An additional bonus to an Alaskan cruise vacation is that in summer the days are much longer than they are further south. This is the land of the midnight sun. Your longest days will be in June and July (up to 20-21 hours of daylight) and will offer you many opportunities to enjoy active glaciers. Early and late season cruises (May and September) tend to be slightly cheaper and the ports of call are less crowded. You can check next week weather forecast for Anchorage here.
ALASKA CRUISE TIPS: Northern weather can be unpredictable. Consider taking with you and wearing multiple layers of clothes in response to a wide variety of temperatures and weather conditions. What to pack : waterproof and warm jacket, a sweater, light gloves, rain gear, sun glasses and a warm hat for deck strolling or touring on the shore. You also may find useful binoculars, camera, camcorder, film, batteries and walking shoes. If you need a hair dryer, pack one; not all cruise ships have hair dryers in the cabins. Bargain hunters should look for last minute deals as the last rooms are often sold at very low prices.
Pick the right cruise ship for your style,- some ships are more traditional, other more stylish, elegant, some offer more choices for children, other are more seniors-oriented. The cruise comparison chart below should help you in making the correct choice. Check your cruise itinerary, almost every ship usually includes several formal dress code nights. Dark business suit or a tuxedo would do the thing. Alaska cruises tend to be more casual than other destinatons but items such as cutoff t-shirts, halter tops and torn jeans are still not permitted in the dining area.Tipping is usually $10 per passenger per day. We recommend you to book a stateroom with a balcony. Theview on an Alaska cruise is always changing- mountains, shores, wildlife, marine animals, glaciers, or quaint waterfront communities. You can enjoy it from the privacy of your own balcony, escaping crowded decks.
We wish you a nice and safe cruising!
Visit us at: http://www.travelmake.com/alaska_cruises.html to see our ALASKA CRUISE SHIPS COMPARISON TABLE.
Travelmake.com – one of leading discount travel agencies, a source of useful travel information.
Update April 2005 – Holland America Cruises, Signature of Excellence Program
Holland America Cruise Lines has initiated a program of up-scaling their cruise ships, cruise line image and passenger cruise experience. This initiative is called the Signature of Excellence program and will soon be experienced by cruise passengers on all Holland America cruises.
The award winning Holland America five star fleet of cruise ships will all have the unparalleled enhancements by the end of 2006. Included in the program are enhancements to the impeccable service Holland America guests have become accustomed to as well.
Premium cruising aboard Holland America’s fleet will be enhanced by state-of-the-art facilities and public areas. Included are stateroom amenities, luxury beds and bed linens. All Holland America cruise ships will include the Neptune Lounge, Pinnacle Grill, Explorations Café, the Greenhouse Spa & Salon, and a Culinary Arts Center.
Changes will be made for children and teens cruising with Holland America as well. The program includes newly expanded youth facilities with the “Club HAL” program. For teens, Holland America has included The Loft and The Oasis.
To date, Holland America has completed the program on six of their premium cruise ships – Prinsendam, Rotterdam, Ryndam, Statendam, Westerdam, and Zaandam. Holland America’s cruise ship Amsterdam is due to have the program implemented by early October 2005. Volendam will see her program initiated in mid December 2005. HAL’s Zuiderdam will see her program implemented in time for her holiday Caribbean cruise at the end of December 2005. Veendam will initiate her program on a western Caribbean cruise in late January 2006. Late April will see Maasdam initiate her completed program on a Canada/New England cruise. Rounding out the Holland America Signature of Excellence initiative will be Oosterdam early in November 2006 on a short 4 day cruise from Vancouver to San Fransisco.
For more information on Holland America cruises and tours, check out some of our other interesting cruise articles. To find the best deals on Holland American cruises and tours check out the merchant links on our cruise discount page. Then all there is to do is to book your fantastic cruise on-line and get excited!
Brian A Schmidt is the author and web publisher of a1-discount-cruises. This site is your #1 source for cruise information, discounts and deals! Visit http://www.a1-discount-cruises.com to check out the best cruise values.
