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Luxury Cruise Tours – Travel on a Floating Resort Hotel to Exciting Destinations


Dorothy Yamich asked:


A luxury cruise voyage can truly enrich your life.  Not only will you be traveling with like-minded people who love to cruise, you will develop great, lasting friendships among your many cruising companions. 

When you cruise you can travel to fabulous ports of call anywhere that cruise ships sail.  Not only are there mega cruise liners which everyone is familiar with, there are a number of different sizes and types of ships.  The medium, and particularly the smaller size cruise ships can navigate further up inland waterways to cities and historic landmarks where larger ships could never go. 

The larger cruise ships usually have one or two organized shore excursions at each port of call.  If there are two sightseeing excursion events scheduled the same day, one may take place early in the morning and the second one in the afternoon.  Most morning shore excursions normally get back to the ship in time for the people to feast on a fantastic lunch buffet.

Sometimes, on a second excursion, you could arrive back at the cruise ship late in the afternoon or early evening.  This may make you a bit late for dinner if you have opted for the first sitting.

 

It is also your prerogative to explore the city, town, island, or tourist attractions and landmarks on your own.  Just remember that you are responsible to get back on time or your cruise ship could sail without you.  However, if you book a shore excursion through the cruise ship, they will not depart the port until everyone is back on board. 

Take full advantage of the time you have in port by using it wisely.  Some vacationers decide to disembark and go it alone by hiring a car and driver to take them to see and explore the sights.  Usually taxi drivers charge by the carload and not per person so if you want to save some money you can split the cost with a few other fellow passengers.  If you leave early in the morning you may be able to get back in time to enjoy the lunch buffet.

When you cruise you should bring a detailed guide book or books that cover each of the destinations you know that you will be visiting.  Even if the weather is less than optimal for your shore excursion, always take your camera as the weather, if inclement, can improve very quickly.

And don’t judge a port by the dock and its surrounding area.  It is usually a freighter loading and unloading area and the major warehouse and industrial district of a city or town.  You may have to travel out of the port area and into the city or town to really see the unique tourist attractions and historical sites as well as experience the local culture.

What is the difference between a river cruise and a barge tour?

Although they have similarities, there are major differences between these two types of sightseeing tours.  Firstly, the ships that sail the rivers can accommodate approximately up to one hundred and eighty people, while barges usually only can accommodate five to twenty-five people.

The second big difference is that the river cruises can visit a number of countries and cities in a week, while barges travel on man-made canals from town to town moving at a much slower, walking pace, and can only cover approximately fifty miles in a week.  Thirdly, river cruise ships have a restaurant, lounge, and entertainment, while barges are essentially first-class, floating hotels, and have a dining room and lounge as well as a sun deck.  The most popular river cruises and barging tours are located in Europe.

What is a luxury cruise tour package?

A cruise tour package is similar to a regular cruise that stops for half-day or full day shore excursions but gives you the best of both a luxury cruise and a land holiday all wrapped up in one.  The main differences between the two is that the land part of your vacation includes transportation by train or luxury motor coach travel to a centrally located quality hotel accommodation at your inland destination.  You will be chaperoned by an expert tour guide for the land portion of your itinerary.  These combo packages are generally longer, lasting from ten days to three weeks or even a month or more.  On most cruise tours you can decide to take the land segment of your vacation either before or after your cruise.

If you would like to enjoy the best of both worlds – an incredible dream cruise holiday and a land tour adventure – a luxury cruise tour is the ultimate vacation experience.

  



Let Yourself Be Pampered On Luxury Cruise Lines


Chonticha Marijne asked:


No matter which cruise line you sail on, you can find a luxury cruise experience. Most cruise lines offer some luxuries for just about any budget, so you don’t necessarily have to spend millions of dollars or be rich to enjoy one. Of course, every cruise has various pricing packages and if you want a larger stateroom rather than a cabin, you’re going to pay more. The same goes for amenities.

Some cruise lines offer an around the world luxury cruise. Now, these can cost twenty thousand dollars or more, but for many people who’ve saved up all their lives for the experience of a lifetime, money’s no object. Several different cruise lines offer more luxurious appointments than others, and cost will also depend on your departure and destination points, as well as your length of journey options. The Carnival Cruise luxury cruise line has very nicely appointed and offers fine services for the budget minded traveler, though some of their cruises aren’t much cheaper than those charged by a more elegant line. Holland-America and Crystal Cruise lines offer longer journeys and more exotic destinations, and sightseeing packages, and so are higher priced. But if you’re in the mood to be spoiled and pampered, remember that you get what you pay for.

A luxury cruise line sets sail to just about anywhere in the world. A popular luxury cruise line like Crystal Cruise and Holland-America offer passengers luxury accommodations both at sea and on land. Passengers can enjoy four-course dinners, highbrow entertainment and plush staterooms if they wish. This type of luxury cruise line also offers the causal traveler the option to hop aboard from a number of ports of call, and for a few thousands dollars, about the same that one would pay to sail from Los Angeles, California to Alaska, a passenger can enjoy the luxury not available to them otherwise while enjoying a week or so on one of the pricier luxury lines.

A luxury cruise line such as Cunard, which has been around since the early 1900’s, offers just as many amenities as the Crystal and Holland-America lines. Other popular luxury cruise lines include the Princess, Celebrity, Regent and Princess cruises. Passengers are able to choose exotic as well as more local destinations, such as Hawaii and Alaska for moderately priced voyages that don’t skimp on luxury. If you want high-class service, exotic destinations and ports of call that many cruise lines can’t access, check out the prices for various luxury cruise lines. They’re not really much more expensive than others.

When considering a luxury cruise, shop around for sailing destinations and schedules and then determine how much money you want to spend. There are over a dozen luxury cruise lines with reputations of excellent service to choose from. Remember that luxury is more than a soft bed and a fancy dinner. Luxury is an ideal, and everyone has his or her own idea of what luxury is. Taking a luxury cruise adventure to Alaska or Hong Kong can be the experience of a lifetime, and one that shouldn’t be missed if at all possible.