Cruise Month Mini-Series

When compared to a land vacation, cruising offers a number of benefits: 

• You can tailor your experience based on your budget, selecting specific accommodations, dining arrangements and even shore excursions. Most cruises already include dining, entertainment, and gratuities, offering options for even the most cost conscious traveler.
• Additional expenses may include drinks, casino play, spa treatments, shore excursions and shopping. 
• For those looking to indulge a bit more, many cruises offer additional premium dining options, entertainment and even exclusive spaces, such as spas, pools and restaurants. 
• A week onboard one cruise ship will offer you a chance to experience a number of enticing destinations, across the globe. In one week, many ships sailing through the Caribbean will bring guests to four exciting ports of call, whereas a land based resort only offers the same destination each day. 
• A cruise experience offers you the ability to experience as much, or as little of the world as you prefer. Cruises also offer the most flexibility in pricing, allowing all travelers the opportunity to cruise with their preferred budget in mind.
• It is one of the safest travel options in the midst of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

October is Plan a Cruise Month – a worldwide movement to learn more about, plan and take a cruise vacation. The campaign offers advice, special cruise line deals and promotions as well as experts to help navigate the many cruise vacation options available for every travel style and budget.

Before we get into our normal selection of general cruise vacation information, our mini-series will focus the large elephant in the room: COVID-19 and what it means to cruise travel.  We will also include posts on popular cruise destinations.  A recent Cruise Travel Report cited destination as the most important factor, for cruisers and non-cruisers alike, influencing vacation choice.

We are adding new content and updating past posts.  Bookmark this blog post and come back throughout the month for updated content. Be sure to follow us on other social media as well.  Where do you want to go?

BLOG POST LINK (click title)	Hover over link for Description
Announcing 2021 Plan a Cruise Month    (New)	Fall in Love With Cruising  (Updated)
Cruise Industry COVID-19 Response  (New)	3 Ingredients to Cruising Future   (New)
Reassuring Safe to Cruise  (Updated)	Coming Out of Hibernation  (Updated)
Healthy Cruising and the Royal Promise (New)	Keeping Cruise Ships Clean and Sanitary  (Updated)
Searching for Best Pizza at Sea  (Updated)	What Would Christopher Columbus Think  (Updated)
What's for Dinner  (Updated)	5 Ways to Enhance Your Cruise Ship Dining Experience  (Updated)
Dining at Sea - What's Your Favorite Food  (Updated)	Al Fresco Dining at Sea
Cruise Desserts	Searching for Best Chocolate Martini at Sea
Now Trending: River Cruising	Cruise Formal Nights Love or Hate
Ready For a Perfect Day at CocoCay  (Updated)	Ship Size Does Matter - Now More Than Ever  (Updated)
	Celebrity Revelation Beyond Expectations  (Updated)
How Our Love for Cruising Started  (Updated)	Imagination Entertainment on Windjammer Cruise (Updated)
Memories From Our First Cruise (Updated)	Washing Hands Prevents Illness
How Suite It Is on the River
Should My First Cruise be 109 Days or Less
Cruising With Kids	Keep Dreaming of Travel
Pirates Scientists Artists Ahoy	Anatomy of a River Cruise
Anatomy of a River Cruise - Safety First	Dining on a River Cruise
River Cruising - That's Entertainment
How Sweet it is With Chocolate	CDC Publishes Conditional Sailing Order
5 Tips to Stress Free Packing

 

National Plan A Cruise Month Promotions 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

Anatomy of a River Cruise

​So you want to go on your first river cruise and you don't know what to expect.  We'll walk you through the cruise from start to finish.

If you've been on ocean cruises before, and not on a river cruise, you'd notice several differences upon arrival at the embarkation port. You'll probably first notice it's a much smaller ship with not as many people. Perhaps one of the most dramatic, and welcome differences, will be how easy the embarkation process is.

Pre-Cruise Option

click images to enlarge

We will assume a European river cruise for the purposes of this post.   Since most passengers are traveling from overseas, the cruise line offers a pre-cruise package.  Selecting this option takes all the extra planning out of the equation and offers the most seamless experience.

You arrive at your destination one or two days before the cruise departure and are either met at the airport or you can arrange your own transportation to the pre--cruise hotel.  Let's assume you have the first day to explore on your own.  Most hotels have mid-afternoon check-in times, but they can store your baggage so that you aren't held hostage to your bags until then.  You can then explore the city until later in the day.

The day of your cruise there are two choices:  a pre-cruise excursion (usually at an extra cost ) or transportation to the pier.  In either case, when you arrive at the ship, you'll drop off your baggage and meet in the lounge on the ship.   The crew will take care of your checked bags.

Embarkation will take place in the ship's lounge.  Someone from the crew will come around and check you in and then the staff will give a short briefing about the evening's events.   After a champagne toast and introduction of the crew, it's time to head to your cabin to freshen up before dinner.

Welcome Aboard Briefing

Each evening you'll gather in the lounge for a briefing about the next day's tour options.   On most cruise lines, there will be included excursions and there may be optional excursions available for additional cost.   Most tours will have different groups so that you can participate at your own pace.  Walking tours for example will have slow pace and fast pace at a minimum.  

Besides the briefing, there usually is a cocktail hour before dinner.   Most lines have open seating for dinner so you can meet different people throughout the cruise or stay with your own group.

To Be Continued ...

You've had an enjoyable day at the pre-cruise excursion.  You've already made some new friends during the past two days, and you are planning to meet them for dinner.  It's time to relax a bit before the evening festivities. 

 

Click the banner above for the latest cruise promotions

 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

Follow Us On

       

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

Now Trending: River Cruising

Every Friday in October is  #RiverCruiseFriday 

We continue our #CLIA Plan a Cruise Month #ChooseCruise series with this special introduction into the newest and fastest growing segment of cruising.... River Cruising.

Click here for River Cruising Guide

Discover the Beauty of River Cruising

See more than you could ever imagine on a river cruise. Get up-close and personal to destinations larger ships only dream to go and become one with history, culture and refined grace. River cruising is becoming really popular and several cruise lines are ramping up to meet the demand.

Viking River Cruises® Adds 7 Longships

Viking River Cruises® grew again in 2019 with plans building an additional 7 ships. New ship Viking Helgrim will sail the Douro River in Portugal. The remaining six will sail the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers. Their names will be Viking Einar, Viking Sigrun, Viking Sigyn, VikingTir, Viking Ullur and Viking Vali. These six ships will have Viking River Cruises' signature Longship design, carrying 190 passengers in all-outside cabins. As of July 2018, parent company Viking Cruises® operates a fleet of 62 river vessels and 6 ocean ships.

Adventures by Disney® & AMAWaterways® 
Introduces Family River Cruising

Up until 2016 river cruising was predominantly a couples-only cruise vacation option. The narrow, long, 3 deck ships have cabins that were designed for double occupancy. There were a few exceptions, such as some single occupancy cabins on some AMAWaterways® vessels, made possible when additional stairways had to be added for safety.

Adventures by Disney® now offers sailings along the Danube River aboard the all-new, 170-passenger AmaViola, a river cruise ship that was custom built by AmaWaterways® with families in mind. New family-friendly design elements include specific room configurations, including six sets of connecting staterooms, as well as some rooms and suites that accommodate three- and four-person families, and other unique details that lend themselves to luxury family vacations.

Onboard activities offer something for everyone. Adults can enjoy wine tasting, music, dancing and an onboard fitness center, along with some of the finest cuisine and service available, while Junior Adventures can enjoy activity nights, movies, karaoke, relay games, life-size chess lessons, video games and more. Teens will also find activities created specifically for them.


   

Viking River Cruises® has advanced public awareness about river cruising with their unprecedented expansion and advertising campaigns.  Now, with the partnership of AMAWaterways® & Adventures by Disney®, river cruising has been taken to yet another level as families can be introduced to this great way to explore Europe.

Avalon Waterways® Announces 
More in View - More to Do

Not all river cruise cabins or ships are alike.    Cruising down the Rhine & Mosselle Rivers is an amazing experience on any river cruise ship, but it's  even more amazing when you can recline on your bed with your cabin's doorway open truly being immersed in your surroundings.

When it comes to exploring, all river cruises offer excursions included in the cost of your trip, but Avalon Waterways® has expanded that to include several options so that you can explore your way.

Dining on a river cruise is fabulous, with food and drinks usually sourced from local markets.  Avalon Waterways® now offers several options for you to dine when and where you want during your cruise.   This video explains it better than I can.

As with all cruises, you'll want to speak with a professional to determine which cruise is right for your particular vacation situation.   While all the river cruise ships look alike, they all have something different to offer.

 

Click the banner above for the latest cruise promotions

 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

Follow Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

Choose Cruise Month

When compared to a land vacation, cruising offers a number of benefits: 

• You can tailor your experience based on your budget, selecting specific accommodations, dining arrangements and even shore excursions. Most cruises already include dining, entertainment, and gratuities, offering options for even the most cost conscious traveler.
• Additional expenses may include drinks, casino play, spa treatments, shore excursions and shopping. 
• For those looking to indulge a bit more, many cruises offer additional premium dining options, entertainment and even exclusive spaces, such as spas, pools and restaurants. 
• A week onboard one cruise ship will offer you a chance to experience a number of enticing destinations, across the globe. In one week, many ships sailing through the Caribbean will bring guests to four exciting ports of call, whereas a land based resort only offers the same destination each day. 
• A cruise experience offers you the ability to experience as much, or as little of the world as you prefer. Cruises also offer the most flexibility in pricing, allowing all travelers the opportunity to cruise with their preferred budget in mind.

October is Plan a Cruise Month – a worldwide movement to learn more about, plan and take a cruise vacation. The campaign offers advice, special cruise line deals and promotions as well as experts to help navigate the many cruise vacation options available for every travel style and budget.

Before we get into our normal selection of general cruise vacation information, our mini-series will focus the large elephant in the room: COVID-19 and what it means to cruise travel.  We will also include posts on popular cruise destinations.  A recent Cruise Travel Report cited destination as the most important factor, for cruisers and non-cruisers alike, influencing vacation choice.

Bookmark this blog post and come back throughout the month for updated content. Be sure to follow us on other social media as well.  Where do you want to go?

BLOG POST LINK (click title)	Hover over link for Description
Announcing National Plan a Cruise Month	Fall in Love With Cruising
Cruise Industry and COVID-19	Keeping Cruise Ships Clean and Sanitary
Reassuring Safe to Cruise	Coming Out of Hibernation
What's for Dinner	5 Ways to Enhance Your Cruise Ship Dining Experience
Dining at Sea - What's Your Favorite Food	Al Fresco Dining at Sea
Cruise Desserts	Searching for Best Chocolate Martini at Sea
Now Trending: River Cruising	Cruise Formal Nights Love or Hate
Searching for Best Pizza at Sea	What Would Christopher Columbus Think
Should My First Cruise be 109 Days or Less	Washing Hands Prevents Illness
How Suite It Is on the River	How Our Love for Cruising Started
Memories From Our First Cruise	Imagination Entertainment on Windjammer Cruise
Cruising With Kids	Keep Dreaming of Travel
Pirates Scientists Artists Ahoy	Anatomy of a River Cruise
Anatomy of a River Cruise - Safety First	Dining on a River Cruise
River Cruising - That's Entertainment	Ship Size Does Matter - Now More Than Ever
How Sweet it is With Chocolate	CDC Publishes Conditional Sailing Order
5 Tips to Stress Free Packing	Vacationing When We Can Travel Again

 

National Plan A Cruise Month Promotions 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Follow Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers