#FoodTravelChat on Cruise Food & Travel

Where do You

Wanna Go?

As we discussed in our last post, Should My First Cruise be 109 Days or Less, most first-time cruisers begin with a short 3-5 night cruise to the Caribbean or Bahamas.

 After they are hooked on cruising, they try a 7 night cruise, usually to the Caribbean. Next up is usually a Trans-Atlantic or European cruise.

There are endless possibilities. The Cruise Diaries tab (which you can also access by clicking on the graphic above) lists several of our cruises beyond the initial typical beginnings of our cruising journey.

Tonight I'm co-hosting an hour-long chat on Twitter. #FoodTravelChat is a weekly chat where we talk about two of my favorite topics: #Food and #Travel. This week's focus is on "Cruise Food and Travel". You'll get tips for first-time cruisers, favorite foods on cruise ships, destination ideas and much more. It's a fun packed hour which goes by too quickly.

Hint: you'll probably want to eat something before the chat - you'll understand if you join and you haven't.

Join us at 8 PM Eastern to share your stories or get ideas for your first or next cruise vacation. Joining me (@ChrisPappinMCC) is another cruise expert, Alyson from @MyVirtualVaca.

This mini-series, for CLIA's National Plan a Cruise Month, focuses on many of the same topics. We've been writing this blog for many years and we encourage you to search for topics that interest you. We are highlighting many topics this month in this series as well. We invite you to spend some time exploring our blog to get excited about cruising #ChooseCruise.

 

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.

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 

We will be co-hosting a very special #FoodTravelChat for #ChooseCruise month

#FoodTravelChat on Cruise Food & Travel

Where do You

Wanna Go?

As we discussed in our last post, Should My First Cruise be 109 Days or Less, most first-time cruisers begin with a short 3-5 night cruise to the Caribbean or Bahamas.

 After they are hooked on cruising, they try a 7 night cruise, usually to the Caribbean. Next up is usually a Trans-Atlantic or European cruise.

There are endless possibilities. The Cruise Diaries tab (which you can also access by clicking on the graphic above) lists several of our cruises beyond the initial typical beginnings of our cruising journey.

Tonight I'm co-hosting an hour-long chat on Twitter. #FoodTravelChat is a weekly chat where we talk about two of my favorite topics: #Food and #Travel. This week's focus is on "Cruise Food and Travel". You'll get tips for first-time cruisers, favorite foods on cruise ships, destination ideas and much more. It's a fun packed hour which goes by too quickly.

Hint: you'll probably want to eat something before the chat - you'll understand if you join and you haven't.

Join us at 8 PM Eastern to share your stories or get ideas for your first or next cruise vacation. Joining me (@ChrisPappinMCC) are two other cruise experts, Alyson from @MyVirtualVaca and Viv and Jill from @WAVEJourney.

This mini-series, for CLIA's National Plan a Cruise Month, focuses on many of the same topics. We've been writing this blog for many years and we encourage you to search for topics that interest you. We are highlighting many topics this month in this series as well. We invite you to spend some time exploring our blog to get excited about cruising #ChooseCruise.

 

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.

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 

We will be co-hosting a very special #FoodTravelChat for #ChooseCruise month

Spike in River Cruising Popularity

River cruising continues to rise in popularity across both the United States and abroad, especially among travelers seeking more intimate experiences to more exotic locales. Despite the myth that river cruising is only for the retired set (and it is a myth), river cruising is emerging as a popular vacation for younger travelers who want to immerse themselves in the culture of a region while enjoying the creature comforts of home.

With a variety of innovations - from excursions to onboard amenities river cruising is a segment of the travel and tourism industry that can now offer something for everyone.  Here are our three reasons why a river cruise should be a must on every traveler's bucket list:

1. Exotic Destinations. Getting up close and personal with the wildlife of the Galapagos or taking in the charm of the Mississippi are all possible on todays' river cruises. AmaWaterways has added more interesting locations with cruises in Namibia, Russia, Vietnam and Cambodia. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is also even offering travelers a unique journey through Italy's Po River. These destinations open up access to places unreachable by large ships and create an intimate connection with the cities they visit.  The best part about river cruising is the views - most ships are 100% balcony staterooms, including those aboard Uniworld's Douro Spirit or Avalon's Victoria Jenna.

2. Experiential Cruises. River guests can enjoy trips tailored to their tastes with programs just for them. Food and wine aficionados should consider the `Culinary Delights' itinerary from AmaWaterways. Once aboard, guests can work with a local chef to plan menus for their entire voyage, shop in local markets for ingredients and prepare their own meals! Guests seeking more adventure can sign-up for bike tours that let you travel alongside the ship from port to port, taking in the scenery as you go. Tech-savvy travelers who need to stay connected will now have access to onboard Wi-Fi and those looking to stay fit will love the fact that most river vessels now have onboard gyms.


3. More Choices. As river cruising demand continues to boom, more ships and destinations are being added for cruisers to experience. Avalon and Viking, for example, are both expecting significant capacity increases in their fleets for the 2013 season. Viking will add six new longships in 2013 and Avalon will introduce two additional ships. Cruisers are also finding more choices while aboard from customized dining experiences on and off the ship, to specialized excursions.

River cruising continues to highlight the destinations it serves by immersing cruisers in the culture. Whether it is because of the out-of-the-box destinations, local flair or intimate venues, more travelers are opting for river cruises to truly escape. As innovation shapes the industry and more people see the value in river cruising, finding the right ship - and itinerary - can be tricky. A professional travel agent can step in and help navigate the options, offering the right choice for your personality, interests and budget.

For more information, click on the following image / link.

 

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.

A Cruise Can Take You There (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 

Exclusive Grand Turk Experience

Crystal Clear Blue Waters 

Are Calling You

If blue is your favorite color, then Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, is the place for you.  As your ship pulls into the harbor this picture unfolds in front of your eyes.   A short walk from your ship, and you can immerse yourself in these beautiful waters or relax on the beach and just enjoy the scenery.

But first, it was time for us to explore the island on an exclusive shore excursion offered by Shore Excursions Group.  Working with a Professional Travel Planner, you rely on their recommendations. In order for me to provide those recommendations, I need to experience the ships and tours myself. Since I hadn't done that before on Grand Turk, we decided to book the "Exclusive Grand Turk Experience" during one of our recent cruises in the Caribbean.

Guided Island Tour

Click images to enlarge - view Grand Turk Album

Grand Turk Island is the administrative, historic, cultural and financial center of the island nation of Turks and Caicos. Grand Turk is largest of all the islands that comprise the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. With crystal clear waters, gorgeous climate, and a unique culture, Grand Turk has become a popular cruise destination for travelers visiting from all around the world.

This guided island drive tour showed us the highlights of Grand Turk Island. We visited the island's top attractions, including the former United States Air Force Tracking Base and a replica of Astronaut John Glenn's Friendship 7 space capsule, which splashed down off the island's coast in 1962 following the United States' first successful manned orbit of the earth.

We also saw several 18th-century churches, beautiful Bermudan-style buildings, and salt ponds. In this peaceful town you may also see wild horses and donkeys freely roaming the streets. There was a brief photo stop to see a working lighthouse that has been in service for more than 150 years. Built in London in 1852 and shipped to Grand Turk, it was assembled in hopes of saving the salt trade. Standing sixty feet, it was designed by Alexander Gordon, who designed lighthouses throughout the British Empire.

Next we had an opportunity to visit "The Salt House", a recreated 17th-century saltpan that chronicles the history of the salt and slave industry.  View Grand Turk Album for more images from our excursion.

Margaritaville Grand Turk (photo album)

Margaritaville Grand Turk

Following our shore excursion tour, we had plenty of time to enjoy Margaritaville which is within walking distance of the ship.   Find your place in the sun or shade by the beach or around the pool for a relaxing day in the Caribbean.

Enjoy some food or your favorite beverage while lounging on your beach chair by the pool.  Salt water or fresh water - the choice is yours and there is no charge (other than for food and beverages) to enjoy this oasis in the sun.

Click for Mini-Series Articles / Images

Our Recommendations for Grand Turk

If this is your first visit to Grand Turk, or if you have never explored the island on past trips, we'd encourage you to explore via a private shore excursion, such as the one we took from Shore Excursion Group.  The reason we suggest a private tour is that you'll have less people in your group and it will cost less than ship organized tours.  We even had wi-fi on our mini-van!

Grand Turk is a great place to enjoy the beautiful crystal blue waters of the Caribbean.  Book a snorkeling or scuba tour if you are adventurous or simply relax on the beach by Margaritaville.   Your ship is your floating base, so you can go back and forth for meals if you don't want to purchase food at Margaritaville.   Should you decide to stay on board the ship, odds are you'll have the ship to yourself as most people will be hanging out at the beach.

Follow Us On

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Where have you explored? 

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