Cruises are rapidly becoming a major part of the travel industry. It's already the fastest growing portion of the industry. Although only 12% of the people have ever cruised, cruising has the highest customer retention and customer satisfaction rates in the entire travel industry!
There are three categories of cruise ships: mass-market, premium, and luxury.
Mass-market cruise lines hold 2,000-3,500 passengers, 600-1,100 crew, and include Royal Caribbean and Carnival.
Premium cruise lines hold 750-1,750 passengers, 20-500 crew, and include Holland America and Celebrity. They travel to more exotic itineraries such as South America and Hawaii.
Luxury cruise lines hold 40-600 passengers, 30-175 crew, and include Crystal and Silver Seas. All rooms on board are balcony suites, to ensure a far more luxurious stay. Just to keep in mind, the luxury cruise lines are usually occupied by older clienteles.
Cruising is a wonderful way to see places which you could not afford to had you been staying at a resort in the same place. You get so many amenities and advantages on the cruise ship, the ship itself is a destination in itself. (I will discuss these amenities and advantages in later blogs.)
Included in the price of your cruise ticket are your room, food, meeting rooms, fitness center, room service, and entertainment. Not included are tips, most beverages, spa services, casino play, shore excursions, luxury dining, airfare, transfers, photographs, phone calls, medical services, laundry, port charges, fuel surcharges, and taxes.
There are many levels of comfort on each ship, as well. From the basic interior stateroom for the least amount of money, and the least amount of space, up to the presidential suite with large balcony, butler service, and a great deal of room. Generally, the higher decks are more expensive. Each room has its own full-service hotel-like amenities.
All rooms have 1 large bed, or 2 which convert to 1, minibar, sitting area, luxurious bedding, tv (many have flat screens now), phone, private bathroom, dryer, vanity, closet, and 24-hour room service. The mid-level rooms also include an oceanview, balcony, and sofa bed. And the luxury suites even have concierge service, faster luggage delivery, a coffee/tea facility, and butler service! Luxury suites also allow passage into special suite-only rooms, and other services.
Most cruisers go with another person, making a double. Unlike land resorts, cruise lines charge a single cabin supplement of 125%-200% of the per-person double-occupancy rate. That means it's usually less expensive to take someone with you!
You can take many people with you and form a group cruise. (Just tell a travel agent you wish to book a group cruise, and watch how excited and interested he immediately becomes!) And when you book a group, you often get special bonuses with a certain number of cabins booked. Groups can include, but are in no way limited to:
Charitable organizations also use group cruises to raise money. The cruises pay a slightly higher room rate, and the excess, plus a donation (possibly matching in size) from the cruise line, both get donated to the charitable organization. Many charities raise tens of thousands of dollars from just one cruise!
If you've been on a cruise before and enjoyed the cruise line, I encourage you to look into the same line, or at least a sister line, and take advantage of their frequent cruiser loyalty programs.
Other interesting parts of the ships include glass elevators which allow ocean views and/or views of the beautiful atrium, photo gallery, observation point, bridge overlook, chapel, salon and shave station, and stores that include perfume, liquor, general store, souvenirs, flowers, jewelry, clothing, and tuxedo rentals.
Before you venture on your cruise, you must pay a deposit, sometimes a few before your final payment. Think of it as installments. Refunds are made with only certain conditions, and if a cancellation coverage is in force. Check with the cruise line to see their individual rules on these.
Other notes include: It's best to have your paperwork filled out and ready to go before you get to the docks; baggage coverage is a good option; smoking is allowed in designated areas of most ships; security screens all passengers and their belongings; put your luggage outside your room door the night before the end of the cruise; sometimes, due to unfortunate circumstances, cruise lines are forced to temporarily change their itineraries, sometimes at the last minute without warning, and passengers are not eligible for refunds in this case; onboard purchases not paid with a credit card are automatically added onto your end of cruise bill which comes due immediately.
Finally, disabled passengers can request wheelchair-accessible rooms which include special bathrooms, and some pools have contraptions that allow the disabled passenger to use the pools too! And for women who are pregnant beyond their 26th week, you will likely not be allowed to cruise. Sorry.
Now, when you are ready to take that cruise, book it here!http://kingarthur.traverustravel.com/index.asp
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