Cruises Archives - TravelsFinders.Com ®

PAUL GAUGUIN CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE

editor — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 04:00:00 +0000

Focused on French Polynesia: Paul Gauguin’s only ship cruises exclusively in the South Pacific, and everything on board from the artwork to the culinary choices reflects that. Very Inclusive: There are no extra charges for drinks or gratuities. Tough to Reach: French Polynesia is a very long flight from the United States and Canada. The 1997-built Paul Gauguin was designed expressly to sail year-round in French Polynesia and she offers a deep focus on the culture, natural wonders, and history of the destination. Previously, the line also operated a second ship, the Tere Moana, but she has since been transferred

The post PAUL GAUGUIN CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE

editor — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 23:42:00 +0000

Excellent Spas & Recreational Facilities: Royal Caribbean’s ships all have elaborate health club and spa facilities, swimming pools, and large, open sundeck areas, o Activity Central: With rock-climbing walls, surfing machines, zip lines, water parks, basketball courts, miniature golf, ice skating, and bungee trampolines among the many diversions, these ships are tops in the adrenaline department. q Quality Entertainment: Royal Caribbean spends big bucks on entertainment, which includes high-tech show productions. Gargantuan Ships: As with some other big ships, you almost need a map to get around, and you’ll likely experience the inevitable lines for buffets, debarkation, and boarding of

The post ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

ALASKAN DREAM CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE

editor — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 19:45:00 +0000

Off-the-Beaten-Path Itineraries: Alaskan Dream builds journeys around such little-visited Southeast Alaskan outposts as the native village of Kake and normally off-limits Hobart Bay, as well as iconic attractions as Glacier Bay National Park. Local Alaskan Flavor: Alaskan Dream is owned by a family in Sitka, Alaska, and its staff is mostly made up of resident Alaskans who are proud to show off their home state. Complimentary Excursions: At least one or two complimentary excursions are offered in each port of call. Cons Tough Embarkation & Debarkations: Most of Alaskan Dream Cruises’ itineraries begin and end in either Ketchikan or Sitka,

The post ALASKAN DREAM CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

PACKING FOR YOUR CRUISE

editor — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 17:36:00 +0000

The must-haves on any cruise include a raincoat, an umbrella, and comfortable walking shoes that you don’t mind getting wet. A swimsuit is also a must if your ship has a pool or hot. You’ll also want to pack enough outfits for daytime sightseeing and dinners in the evening. Packing for Formal, Informal & Casual Events Some people agonize over what to pack for a cruise, but there’s no reason to fret. Except for the addition of a formal night or two, a cruise vacation is really no different from any resort vacation. And in some cases, it’s much more

The post PACKING FOR YOUR CRUISE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

PANDAW RIVER EXPEDITIONS CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE

editor — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 13:18:00 +0000

In 1998, Pandaw Founder Paul Strachan acquired the Pandaw, a steamboat built in Scotland in 1947. He renovated the vessel and operated it up and down Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River for several years, and ultimately sold it. In 2001, the company built its first company-owned riverboat, which was almost an exact replica of the original Pandaw. Today, Pandaw River Expeditions operates a fleet of 15 such vessels, all colonial-style, three-deck ships with wraparound balconies, despite the fact that others have emerged on the Southeast Asia river cruise scene with larger vessels, indoor hallways, sprawling suites, spas, and swimming pools. Experience: Scotsman

The post PANDAW RIVER EXPEDITIONS CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES

editor — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 06:51:00 +0000

Overnight Stays: Azamara takes pride in offering numerous overnight (and, in some cases, multinight) port calls, an unusual itinerary for a mainstream line. This allows guests time to spend more time on shore without worrying about dashing back to the ship before it leaves port. AzAmazing Evenings: The line’s nighttime excursions are winners, offering unique, exclusive experiences in some of the world’s best ports of call from Barcelona to Bangkok. More Inclusive: Rates include wine, beer and cocktails, and gratuities, as well as self-service laundry and shuttle buses in out-of-the-way docking locations to take you to town. Swell Ships: These

The post AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

UN-CRUISE ADVENTURES CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE

editor — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 22:15:00 +0000

Intimate Experience: With just 22 to 84 passengers, Un-Cruise Adventures vessels are the Antithesis of the usual crowded megaships. Built-In Shore Excursions: Most off-ship excursions and activities (such as kayaking and skiffing) are included in the cruise fare, as is an open bar on Un-Cruise’s Luxury and Heritage Adventures vessels. Night Anchorages: A great boon to light sleepers, the routes taken allow time for the vessels to often anchor overnight, making for quiet nights and gorgeous mornings in coves and inlets. The Price: On Un-Cruise’s Luxury Adventures in particular, the least expensive accommodations can start at more than $600 per

The post UN-CRUISE ADVENTURES CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

Theme CRUISES

editor — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 20:06:00 +0000

Theme cruises have exploded in popularity in recent years, giving cruisers an opportunity to dive into their favorite hobbies or see performances by their favorite artists while at sea. No matter what you’re into, chances are that there’s a sailing that focuses on your interests. Carnival kicked the concept of the theme cruise up a notch a few years ago when it introduced its Carnival LIVE sailings. Initially focused on musical artists like Journey and Martina McBride, the line has expanded its entertainment offerings to include comedians and actors like Chris Tucker and Kathy Griffin. Sometimes, outside companies charter out

The post Theme CRUISES appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

CHOOSING YOUR CRUISE CABIN

editor — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 17:57:00 +0000

Modern cruise ship staterooms are nothing like the small, cramped staterooms found just a few years ago. While cabins typically vary in size according to price, most contemporary cruise ships have staterooms that hover around the 150- to 180-square-foot mark and increase in size from there. Suites, obviously, offer the most personal space, but also come with the highest cost. These can contain marbled bathrooms, private dining areas, and even your very own baby grand piano not to mention butler service, private elevators, you name it. For most of us, though, a standard stateroom will be our likely home. Most

The post CHOOSING YOUR CRUISE CABIN appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

Cruise Cabin Size by Square Foot

editor — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 00:45:00 +0000

The size of a cabin is described in terms of square feet. This number may not mean a lot unless you want to mark it out on your floor at home. But to give you an idea: 120-square-feet and under is low end and cramped, 180-square-feet is the typical size of your average big ship stateroom, and suites on luxury ships start around 250-square-feet and go up from there. The current reigning king of the suite is Regent Seven Seas: Their new Seven Seas Explorer has the largest seagoing suite in the world, measuring an astonishing 3,875 square feet, the

The post Cruise Cabin Size by Square Foot appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

CELEBRITY CRUISES

editor — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 14:00:00 +0000

Stellar Spas: Beautiful to look at and well stocked, the spas and gyms on this line are among the best at sea, and some have their own spa cafe. Good Food: Celebrity’s cuisine is rated high among mainstream cruise lines, and its menus have long recognized the need for vegetarian, low-sodium, heart-conscious, and other healthy dishes. Impressive Art Collections: Celebrity’s ships were among the first in the industry to display major art collections on board. Contemporary Design: Their design choices feel more like a boutique hotel than a mainstream cruise ship reading nooks filled with chic wicker egg chairs, and

The post CELEBRITY CRUISES appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

CARIBBEAN, BAHAMAS & PANAMA CANAL CRUISES

editor — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 18:39:00 +0000

The Caribbean is a classic cruise destination, tailored to people who want nice white-sand beaches, tiki bars serving tropical drinks, hot island music, and the chance to perfect their tans. Yet beyond those generalities, the Caribbean islands each provide slightly different versions of fun in the sun. Some especially St. Thomas and Nassau are much more touristy and commercial than others, but they’ll appeal to shoppers with their large variety of bustling stores. Others Virgin Gorda, St. John, and Jost Van Dyke, for instance have more of an eco-tourism appeal. Ports such as St. Barts and Virgin Gorda have a

The post CARIBBEAN, BAHAMAS & PANAMA CANAL CRUISES appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

UNI WORLD BOUTIQUE RIVER CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE

editor — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 14:21:00 +0000

Uniworld has grabbed a hold of the highest end of the river cruise market and has firmly planted itself there. When it comes to opulent interiors, paired with fine dining and wine, Uniworld is in a class of its own. Uniworld is also ahead of the pack when it comes to offering diverse river cruise itineraries. In addition to the popular Danube and Rhine routes, Uniworld is sailing routes that aren’t even on the radar of other river cruise lines, like Italy’s Po River and India’s famed Ganges. The line also has a comprehensive presence in China and Southeast Asia,

The post UNI WORLD BOUTIQUE RIVER CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

DISNEY CRUISE LINE

editor — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:12:00 +0000

Superb Children’s Programs: Would you expect anything less from Disney? In both the size of facilities and the range of activities, it’s impossible to beat this line. Disney-Quality Entertainment: The line’s family-oriented musicals are some of the best onboard entertainment today. Family-Style Cabins: It’s rare in the cruise business to find so many large, cabins that can sleep three, four, or even five people, and have split bathrooms with bath tubs so you can get kids ready for bed even faster. Cons O Limited Adult Entertainment: Forget about a night out gambling this is one of just a few ships

The post DISNEY CRUISE LINE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

CROISIEUROPE CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE

editor — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 05:45:00 +0000

There’s nothing fancy about a CroisiEurope cruise, though some of the line’s latest ships have noticeably ramped up the design and interior decor that, until recently, tended to be stuck in the mid-1990’s. Staterooms are smaller on average than many competing lines and amenities are nothing to write home about, but CroisiEurope leaves the completion in the dust when it comes to diverse itineraries, and price. Few lines can touch CroisiEurope’s affordability, with voyages in the under-$1,000 range. Once exclusively a European product, Croisie has turned its focus on the U.S. market in the past few years, making this the

The post CROISIEUROPE CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

Glacier Bay Map

editor — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 01:27:00 +0000

Natural Wonders on the Inside Passage Glacier Bay In little more than 200 years, this area has gone from being a solid wall of ice up to 4,000 feet thick to being a 65-mile bay ecosystem full of wildlife, whales, and slowly returning vegetation. As the ice retreats, it has left behind a series of inlets headed by 11 tidewater glaciers. Among them, the Johns Hopkins, Reid, Lamplugh, Margerie, and Grand Pacific all in the bay’s western arm are regularly approached by cruise ships. Calving activity (large chunks of ice breaking off) from these glaciers is the big draw (Johns

The post Glacier Bay Map appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

CRUISE DESTINATIONS

editor — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 23:18:00 +0000

In previous chapters, we’ve taken a look at the who and what of your cruise choices. Now it’s time to focus on the when and where. The next step in ensuring you’ll have a successful cruise vacation is to match your expectations to the right itinerary for you and your own personal travel preferences. While some regions of the world for example, equatorial regions where there’s less seasonal difference in the weather offer cruises year-round, many others are traditionally limited to certain months of the year. If that’s where you know you want to go, you’ll have to plan in

The post CRUISE DESTINATIONS appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

The Most Important Question to Ask Your Would-Be Cruise Agent

editor — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 21:30:00 +0000

The big thing to remember when using a travel agent: Not all agents represent all cruise lines. To be experts on what they sell, and to maximize the commissions the lines pay them (they’re often paid more based on volume of sales), some agents may limit their offerings to, say, one luxury line, one mid-price line, one mass-market line, and so on. If you have your sights set on a particular line or have narrowed down your preferences to a couple of lines, you should find an agent who handles those. And whenever approaching a new agent ASK if they

The post The Most Important Question to Ask Your Would-Be Cruise Agent appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

BLOUNT SMALL SHIP ADVENTURES CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE

editor — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 10:45:00 +0000

Unusual Itineraries: These two ships reach ports that others can’t get into. Kick-back atmosphere: A Blount cruise is one of the closest things you’ll get to chartering your own boat. The word of the day is informality. BYOB: The ships do not have full bars, but you can bring your own alcohol on board. Small Cabins: Cabins are small by today’s standards. Overview These two ships were designed, originally, to go through the Erie Canal. Today, they do that, and a whole lot more. EXPERIENCE These friendly small ships carry less than a hundred passengers each, largely retired Americans, on

The post BLOUNT SMALL SHIP ADVENTURES CRUISES TRAVEL GUIDE appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.

TRAVEL TO HAWAIIAN CRUISES

editor — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 08:36:00 +0000

Cruising around the Hawaiian islands allows you to sample several different islands’ charms within the space of a few days. In a place where the weather really is perfect all the time, you can learn to surf, go to a luau, snooze on the sand, float in warm water surrounded by rainbow-colored tropical fish, enjoy the local coffee, or check out the native Hawaiian culture, of which the locals are fiercely proud. By far the most developed of the islands, Oahu has some of the best shopping, trendy eateries, and beautiful beaches (including the famous Waikiki Beach). Probably the most

The post TRAVEL TO HAWAIIAN CRUISES appeared first on TravelsFinders.Com ®.