Travel Mode - Boats and Cruises
Messing about in boats. There is really nothing better” The Wind in the Willows
From single day outings to world cruises travelling by boat can be a fantastic experience and a great way to get a suntan! There are few better ways to enjoy a sunny day than sailing on a beautiful blue sea.
Cruises offer great value for your money because the fares include nearly everything you’ll need for a fantastic trip: food, accommodation, daytime and evening entertainment and transportation between destinations. We regularly see fares on mainstream cruise lines for under £100 per person, per night, which is fantastic value if you think how much you would spend on land for a hotel, dinner, and a show. On some lines, kids even sail free or at discounted rates when sharing a cabin with two adults.
Looking for luxury? Upscale lines are even more inclusive, with alcohol and soft drinks, gratuities, shore tours, onboard spending credits, and even flights bundled into the fare. For many this is the only way to travel, and the choice of destinations is endless.
The best way to find your dream cruise is to use a specialist cruise travel agent because they have access to the whole of the market and can often get better deals than the ones generally advertised. They can also help you to choose cabin types, onshore excursions and get the best value often with upgrades.
Cruising provides you with the opportunity to see several destinations in one holiday and you can wake up in a different place each morning. This means you do not have to constantly pack and unpack and each night you can enjoy the facilities on the boat. There are so many places to visit, you can even take a world cruise.
Cruising used to be for the retired but now from tots to teens, grandparents to grandkids, cruises are fun for all ages. In fact, if you are looking for a family holiday which will entertain the kids in a safe environment whilst the parents are also free to enjoy themselves a family cruise could be the ideal holiday.
If you’re struggling to find a holiday that your 5,10 or 15-year-old will all love — and that has adult activities, too — ships now have extensive kids’ facilities, split by age. Teens have their own cool hangouts, far away from the play areas for the little ones (and certainly a nice distance from parent-friendly pools and bars). How can you not love a trip that features video games and swimming pools, while offering time for families to be together at dinner or on shoreside excursions? And parents can even sneak in a romantic dinner alone, by taking advantage of late-night hours in the kids’ club.
The facilities now offered on Cruise ships are quite amazing and personalised towards different customer demands. There are Disney ships for the young family with Disney characters roaming around to the delight of little ones. Other cruise ships are outfitted with onboard rock-climbing walls, outdoor cinemas, and every type of leisure activity you can imagine. Whilst others are small intimate ships with an upscale ambience and designed so everyone can meet each other and make friends.
From French Country Waterways’ 12-person river barges to Royal Caribbean’s 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas. More options range from the luxurious Seabourn Odyssey to the minimalist sailing ships of Star Clippers and even to ice-strengthened expedition ships like Hurtigruten’s Fram ship.
If you want to explore exotic lands but are concerned that you cannot speak the language a cruise is ideal because you are delivered directly to the Port and can take a ship’s tour with English speaking guides. This overcomes both language barriers and lack of knowledge about local country customs because there is always someone on hand to guide you in the right direction.
Cruises are also perfect for social interaction and meeting new friends. Onboard, you will meet people at your dinner table, at the piano bar or by the pool or on many of the other activities available on the boat. There are also special cruises for certain activities such as those who love jazz can board a jazz cruise around the Caribbean.
For family trips, kids can find playmates their own age during youth activities, so they’re not always with adults or their older or younger siblings and the cruise ship staff will help all the children to make friends.
Cruising is also a wonderful way to meet Mr. or Ms. Right? There are many cruise ships that cater for solo travellers and hold social events at the beginning and end of the cruise to ensure everyone can get to know their fellow sailors. Many long-term relationships and friendships begin during a holiday at sea.
In addition to cruises there are many half or one day boat trips offered at most destinations in the world which provide the opportunity to sight see from the sea. Wherever we go in the world we always end up on a boat trip at some stage because it provides a great opportunity to explore.
