What are World Cruises?

World cruises are just that, cruises that travel to different parts of the world, or around the world.  The length of world cruises typically vary between 90-120 days but there are also longer and shorter options available, depending on where you wish to go and how many places you desire to visit.  Some world cruises only do a partial cruise around the world but are still considered world cruises because of the amount of countries traveled to.

Traveling on the water can be a very relaxing and hassle free form of travel.  Sometimes a bit of ground travel is necessary since some cruises do not begin and end at the same location, but there are some options that do.  Either way, world cruises offer a pretty simple way of travel as you never have to worry about hotels, passing through customs in every country, or getting lost along your way. (more…)

It’s true that size is not everything – stop laughing at the back, it is true. But for some, the true epic scale of a mammoth building or edifice makes their head spin. The excitement of seeing a truly huge piece of architecture – whatever the setting – can be genuinely impressive. For some people it is the ambition of the project that enchants, for others it is the sheer mechanical magnitude. When the Titanic was developed, its size was one of the things that impressed everyone, but what was truly astounding was that something so big would actually work from a mechanics point of view.

Just as there is no shortage of cities worldwide bringing architects in to conceptualize and build ever taller buildings, in a never-ending race to build the world’s tallest (and you can be sure that once one city builds the tallest, another will try to beat it), there seems to be a tendency among cruise lines to build the biggest ship. This race is currently headed in terms of length by Cunard’s RMS Queen Mary 2, a 1,132 foot, 148,528 tonne behemoth that regularly crosses the Atlantic and has carried former world leaders such as Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac and George H.W. Bush, the US Olympic Basketball “Dream Team”, and the first US copy of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (more…)

Cruise Vacations can differ from one cruise line to another. Knowing what your personal criteria is before booking a cruise is important.

Are you looking for a party atmosphere or something more serene? Are you looking of the deal of the century or a luxury vacation that you will remember for the rest of your life? Are you bringing children or traveling on a more adult vacation?

Knowing the answer to these questions will help you decide which cruise line, activities and excursions you should choose.

Here is a description of a few cruise lines:

The Disney cruise line is just the thing for anyone traveling with children. The only drawback that some find is that there is no gambling and there are, naturally, a lot of children on these ships.. There are so many activities for kids that your children will be begging you to go away so that they can play longer. So thankfully, there is also an adult area where you can simply relax and unwinde. Disney of course has shows, numerous dining options, on shore excursions and much more. This is a terrific vacation choice if you want your children to have tons to do while you have some time to pamper yourself in a spa or just hang out by the pool, drinking a glass of wine or margherita. (more…)

Is cruising for free a myth? No, but you will not get your free cabin by harassing the cruise line staff. All you will do if you pester them is annoy them and waste your time. We cruised once with a woman who made it a habit of booking lower priced rooms and trying to complain her way into better cabins. It never worked. Especially now with so many cruise deals and cruises are filling up there is less need to be accommodating. Yes, cruise lines want you to have fun but they are tightening their belts when it comes to the freebies. Play by their rules, though, and they are more than happy to reward you with a free cabin.

Now on to the top three ways to get a free cabin:

Now on to how to actually get a cabin for free. The best way is to put together a group of 15 passengers or more and the ship will gladly give you your cabin for free. Where will you find these other people? Try organizing a family reunion, call up your friends or organize your high school reunion shipside. Some lines will even give you this free room with a group containing as few as six people. The larger the group, the more perks you get. For a very large group they may even throw you your own cocktail party. You will probably still have to pay the taxes and maybe a small fee but the rest of the room price will be comped.

Another way to cruise for free is as a lecturer. You lecture on your subject a few times a day and the rest of the time you are free to enjoy the cruise experience. You get to talk about something you love and get rewarded for it on top of it. (more…)

The State of Michigan is divided into two peninsulas which are separated by a body of water known as the Straits of Mackinac. The only connection between these two peninsulas is the Mackinac Bridge, which is a massive suspension bridge built of steel and cement.

The Mackinac bridge was constructed in 1957. At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, and it is still the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere that uses only 2 towers. At about 7400 feet, the bridge is the 3rd longest in the United States and the 12th in the World.

Prior to the construction of the bridge, a drive from Michigan’s lower peninsula to the Upper peninsula required a trip on a car ferry since there is no natural land connection. As many as 9000 cars made the daily trip across the straits on State sponsored ferries. There were often long lines of cars waiting to board the ferries and sometimes just getting a passage could take all day. It became obvious that a different solution was needed, and the State turned to the idea of building a bridge. (more…)

So you want to plan your first cruise, well you’ve come to the right place. Cruises today can range from just a couple hundred dollars to well over $10,000 and beyond so it can be the trip of a lifetime. While there are many who are able to take numerous cruises, most of us will experience the dream of a cruise ONLY once and you certainly want to ensure it is memorable (and for the RIGHT reasons).

The further into the future your are able to plan for your trip the better off you will be as you will have a better selection of room choices and date options. 1 year (if possible) is a good starting point. If you are a flexible, a last minute type of person, & able to reach a port city with short notice, you can often find GREAT pricing on last minute cruises, although the room selection is extremely limited the price trade off may be worth it.

Step #1: SET A BUDGET: Just like in real life, even on vacation we need to have a REALISTIC budget in place for our vacation. The price of the cruise IS NOT the only money you will spend. There are the costs of getting to & from the cruise, excursions, FUN money, tips, and possible unforeseen costs. (more…)

When you really know what you’re doing, taking a cruise can be one of the most economical vacations available. Your price typically includes cabin, all meals, entertainment, kids’ programs, gym/sauna, jogging track, and other amenities. However, there are some very important pointers you must follow to prevent your cruise vacation from becoming a yawning money pit you will greatly regret.

1) Do your homework or get your travel agent to do his/her homework in comparing cruise lines and cruise packages. There is a vast array of them. Make darn sure the quote includes port fees and taxes. Many a traveler has had their bubble burst when they realized the price they were quoted was the basic cost before fees.

2) Don’t forget to figure in airfare. You’re way ahead of the game if you don’t live too far from cruising ports. But, if not, try to schedule far enough in advance to get the most discounted airfare possible.

3) If you book months ahead, sometimes you can get in on good cruise discounts. However, if your schedule is flexible, then try to book during the last few weeks before a cruise. They’re trying to fill their ship then and you can get hefty discounts. Also, if you don’t mind a windowless cabin, book an inside cabin at a cheaper rate.

4) Look for cruises where kids go free. As I wrote this article, I noticed several kids-go-free offers. Majestic American, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and Costa offered a cruise free for kids under 12 and Disney offered a free cruise for kids under age 17. You can’t beat offers like this. (more…)

Many Great Lakes cruise lines offer guided tours at the various ports of call, and such tours offer as many advantages for the cruise line as there are for the passengers.

If you take the port tour, you don’t have to worry about what to do or where to go. Many people find this the most enjoyable part of a vacation, the ability to simply relax and let someone else show you the best that the port has to offer.

With a tour, you also don’t have to worry about getting lost in a strange town and maybe missing your ship’s departure time. That could be a real problem if you are caught someplace that doesn’t have an airport.

The tours are often by bus or other motor vehicle, which can save a lot of walking, and it means you might be able to see things that would otherwise be too far from the harbor. (more…)

Great Lakes cruises can make perfect honeymoon trips. Anyone who has gotten married and planned their own wedding can tell you that the stress is incredible. Not only do you have to attend to all of the details about food, beverages, dress and tuxedo; you also have to organize the members of the wedding party and keep petty disagreements from exploding into major wars. By the time many people are finally married, they are more than ready to run away. At that point, the honeymooners need a little luxury.

Many couples have chosen to take a cruise for their first alone time after the wedding. Great Lakes cruises make a very viable option for such a cruise vacation. Lakes cruises come in a large number of flexible formats that can run from a few hours to more than a week. These can be intimate dinner cruises or luxury vacations.

Because the Lakes are surrounded by Canada and the United States, most people perceive them to be much safer than cruises that go overseas. You are always close to shore and generally in the ports of call you stop at everyone will speak English and accept U.S. or Canadian currency. (more…)

No one in their right mind would want to miss their cruise ship. So one of the best tips around is to plan to arrive at the port where your cruise is scheduled to begin at least 1 day in advance.

The problem is that many people forget to consider the weather, traffic and other random events. Spring and fall in the Great Lakes area means the possibility of thunderstorms, which may delay air flights. Early spring and late fall can add icing and other hazards to air travel, which can also slow flights.

Driving is a common way to reach the port from which the cruise ship will depart, but many things can delay that drive. The period from about May 1st to November 1st is also noted for a lot of road construction in the Great Lakes area. Sometimes these “orange-cone-zones” can extend for several miles and tie-up traffic for 30 minutes or more. Link several of these work areas together over a long drive and you can enjoy a delay of a couple of hours or more. (more…)