Blog Archives
Take a Tour of Celebrity Eclipse…
Sailing out of Southampton, the newly revitalised Celebrity Eclipse is definitely a ship to add to your to-do-list if you haven’t already sailed on her.
Take our tour and see for yourselves…
The Best Cruise Ships For First Time Cruisers…
If you have never been on a cruise before, trying to find the right ship can be like navigating a minefield. Everyone has different wants and needs on a cruise and there are hundreds of different ships to choose from. But there is definitely a ship for everyone, so we’ve given you some ideas to help you along your way…
Best For Families
Mickey Mouse – Castaway Cay
Almost all of the major cruise lines cater to families in some shape or form – offering kids clubs and the like – but some just edge it over others in terms of the facilities they have to help make your family holiday run that little bit smoother.
Whilst most cruise line’s don’t really cater for small babies and toddlers, both Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean offer a nursery service (extra charges may apply) – which means adults get some free time too. Disney Cruise Line have a dedicated water play area for under 3’s and the staterooms are designed with families in mind, with split bath / shower options. For slightly older children and teenagers, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have exclusive spaces for them, featuring things like a teenager casino, a DJ party and their own ‘clubs’. Royal Caribbean also offer ‘My Family Dining’ – which means you can go as a family for dinner and then your kids will be collected and taken to their activity club for the evening, meaning you can enjoy the rest of your meal and some time after in peace.
Best For Adults
Dining on Regent Seven Seas
Whilst there are a couple of cruise lines that offer dedicated, adults only ships, there are several others that are a higher-end product and therefore you are unlikely to find many children on board.
P&O Cruises have three exclusively adults only ships – the Oriana, the Adonia and the Arcadia, so when you are travelling in the height of summer and want to avoid legions of children, these are your best bet. Cruise & Maritime Voyages ship the Marco Polo is also adults only and generally caters to a more mature crowd than P&O – it’s also a much smaller ship. Luxury cruise companies like Seabourn, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania (the later two offering no dedicated childrens facilities at all) tend to have less children sailing on board, especially out of the main holiday seasons. However, a wide variety of ships – even Disney – offer adults only dining or ship retreats, you will find most Spas are off-limits to children, so you can relax somewhere child-free with most companies.
Best For The Health Conscious
Celebrity Cruises’ Persian Garden
If you are an avid cruiser you will know that the food is a big draw for many people when choosing a cruise – some polls even show that cruisers can gain on average a pound a day when cruising. For some, this prospect can sound truly horrifying but don’t let that put you off cruising, as there are plenty of options for those who take their health and fitness seriously.
Celebrity Cruises offer Aqua Class staterooms on their Solstice class ships. If you book one of these staterooms you not only do you get free and unlimited access to the spa, Persian Gardens, but you also have access to Blu – a restaurant exclusively for Aqua Class guests – where you can choose your clean-eating meals from a specially designed menu. On the cruise ships that also offer Canyon Ranch Spa’s on board – Cunard, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania – you can also find dining options with the health conscious in mind, as well as personalised fitness programs and classes. All cruise lines offer some kind of fitness facilities, even if it’s just a running track around the deck. Some Royal Caribbean state of the art gyms even carry a boxing ring and don’t forget the climbing walls and flo-riders. Who said fitness has to be boring?
Best For Single Passengers
Studio Lounge on Norwegian Getaway
The downside for travelling solo is that often you are charged double occupancy in order to sail, however – more and more cruise line’s are beginning to accommodate those that want to cruise solo, with studio cabins and exclusive areas for singles.
Norwegian Cruise Line offer studio cabins with no extra supplement on the Epic, Breakaway, Getaway and the new Escape (launching in November). All feature a flat screen TV, full-size bed and private bathroom. But the best bit is the exclusive lounge – a dedicated area for all studio-guests, holding pre-dinner social gatherings. P&O Cruises also offer studios on several of it’s ships, including new ship Britannia, likewise on Royal Caribbean’s latest ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas. Some other companies, whilst not catering for singles with specially designed cabins, often have programs geared towards solo travellers and can offer reduced or no single supplements from time to time, so it’s best to look out for promotions. Fred Olsen and Holland America are good options to look out for.
Best For Culture and Wildlife
Azamara Azamazing Evening at Ephesus
Some people might argue that with cruising, you’re aren’t in port long enough to truly immerse yourself in your surrounding, however, there are cruise line’s out there that offer the best of both worlds and even take you to places only accessible by sea.
Celebrity Cruises have a 98 guest mega-yacht, The Xpedition, which can take you to discover the the beautiful Galapagos, one of the last pristine environments in the world and home to an abundance of wildlife and natural beauty, where you can see sealions, turtles and dragon iguanas in their natural habitats. The Xpedition also visits the Antarctic too. If you want to spend more time in port, Azamara Club Cruises is a great option, it offers plenty of overnight stays and night touring as well as Azamazing Evenings – think hillside tenor concerts or red-carpet events to the local ballet – the chance to experience local culture in a truly unique way.
When should you book your cruise?
Picture the scene – you’re finally on your cruise ship of choice and settling down to dinner with your fellow cruise guests. Then someone utters that awkward question; how much did you pay for your cruise?
It’s often debated when is the best time to book to get the best deal, so we’ve given you some pros and cons of both, to help you decide when is best for you…
Booking Early
When booking early you will get early booking discounts and often added value offers, such as free drinks, port parking, gratuities etc. For some destinations, such as Alaska – which is hugely popular but has limited passenger capacity – booking early is essential in order to ensure you get the cruise and dates you want. The same applies if you are bound by travelling on specific dates, such as school holidays and this also can go hand in hand with needing a cabin which can accommodate 3/4 passengers. These all get booked up well in advance and you can be left disappointed if you leave it to the last minute. Remember also if you book at this stage you only need to pay a deposit, and when booking early you can often find that you can book on a reduced deposit basis too – so you can secure your perfect cruise but still not have to worry about paying the full balance until around 3 months before travel.
Booking Last Minute
As mentioned earlier, the full balance of a cruise doesn’t need to be paid until around 3 months before sailing. You will find that around this time, a lot of cruises may be heavily discounted if there is still a lot of inventory left. This is more likely in regions where there are a lot of ships, such as the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. A lot of these discounted cabins are offered on a ‘Guarantee’ basis – the cruise line will guarantee you a cabin in the grade you book (inside, oceanview, balcony etc) but they won’t actually allocate your cabin until a few days before sailing, when they know what cabins they have left and sometimes this can work in your favour. If you are flexible on dates and what routes you want to travel, leaving it to the last minute means a bargain can usually be found.
The downsides to both? Well, if you leave it to the last minute, chances are you might save on your cruise but could struggle to get cheap flights, or your guarantee cabin might be somewhere noisy, like near stairs or elevators. However if you book early and end up sat next to someone at dinner who booked a few weeks ago and paid half the cost you did and still got a great cabin allocated, it’s hard not to feel cheated! But then if you add up the costs on board, for drinks, gratuities etc – which you might have got for free as part of your cruise fare by booking early – you will probably find that someone who books last minute will probably end up paying the same as you, so don’t feel too disheartened if some is bragging about their fantastic ‘deal’. The bottom line is for some, the perfect cruise deal means being in a fantastic cabin, with some great added extras, but for others, it’s all about the price and bagging it for cheap. If you see a cruise and are happy with the price, we recommend you book it, you don’t want to miss out because you hold out too long, as prices can change quickly.
So tell us, when do you usually like to book your cruise?
The Best Speciality Dining At Sea
One of the best things about cruising is the food and included in your cruise fare you have lots of delicious restaurants and buffets to sample. However, almost every cruise line offers several ‘speciality’ restaurants, with varying cover charges which are then added to your onboard account. Are they worth it? At LoveitBookit, we think most of them are and here we showcase our personal favourites.
1) Wonderland – Royal Caribbean (Quantum Class)
The slogan for Wonderland is ‘imaginative cuisine’ and it’s just that. Loosely based on ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ you can expect whimsical decor and kooky touches, such as having to paint an easel with a paintbrush for your menu to appear when you book a table in the 62-seater restaurant.
It’s very much of Heston-esque ‘theatre dining’ with the menu broken down into ‘Sun, Ice, Fire, Water, Earth and Dreams.’You can expect food in a wide variety of flavours, textures, temperatures and taste dishes that are smoking, or that resemble a vegetable patch, complete with edible soil and drinks that look like magical elixirs whispering ‘drink me’. You probably wouldn’t want to dine their over multiple nights, but as a one-off experience, it’s definitely not to be missed.
Cover charge: $45 per head. Food 8/10 ~ Innovation 10/10 ~ Experience 9/10 ~ Total: 27/30
2) Silk Road – Crystal Cruises (Crystal Symphony and Serenity)
With chefs trained and a menu created by sushi master himself, Nobuyuki Nobu Matsuhisa, you know that you are in for an unforgettable dining experience when you dine at Silk Road. With Crystal Cruises, one trip speciality dining is included in your cruise fare (and you are guaranteed at least one reservation to each of their specialty restaurants), however subsequent visits are charged at $30 per head.
Silk Road presents Nobu’s fantastic creations, dishes such as Lobster with Truffle-Yuzu Sauce, Grilled Wagyu Beef Rib-Eye with Wasabi Pepper Sauce, and his signature dessert, a Bento Box filled with Chocolate Souffle Cake with Shiso Syrup and Sesame Ice Cream. All this served in sumptuous surrounding, you can see why cruisers are happy to pay the cover charged again and again.
Cover charge: First visit included in your cruise fare, subsequent visits $30 per head. Food 10/10 ~ Innovation 7/10 ~ Experience 9/10 ~ Total 26/30
3) Qsine – Celebrity Cruises (Celebrity Eclipse, Silhouette, Reflection, Millennium, Infinity and Summit)
Qsine is restaurant very much based on food you can share and when you get presented with an ipad which is the menu (you are asked to pick what you would like by tapping the relevant dish) it is very easy to over-order, as the dishes, although sharers, are very generous.
As you would expect from Celebrity, the decor is classic with a contemporary twist and lots of bright orange. The food, as mentioned before, is meant for sharing and there are very quirky touches, like being able to make your own guacamole from a platter of ingredients. There are lots of funky twists, like sushi lollipops and disco shrimp (served with a flashing light!). Again, it’s one of those places you wouldn’t want to dine at every night but you’d be a fool to miss out on one of the most amazing dining experiences at sea.
Cover charge: $40 per head. Food 8/10 ~ Innovation ~ 9/10 Experience ~ 8/10 ~ Total: 25/30
4) Remy – Disney Cruise Line (Disney Dream & Fantasy)
When you think of Disney Cruise Line you don’t automatically think of a french-inspired, adults-only dining experience but that is what Remy offers. The cover charge is quite high compared to some of the other speciality dining restaurants, at $75 per person (not including drinks) but it is well worth a visit.
The restaurant is very art-nouveau, with lavish place settings – Frette linens and Riedel glassware adorn the tables. However, this is still Disney, and the character Remy from Ratatouille appears tastefully in various places in the decor!
Food wise, the menu is created by Chef Arnaud Lallement from L’Assiette Champenoise—a Michelin 3-star restaurant just outside Reims, France—and Chef Scott Hunnel from award-winning Victoria & Albert’s at Walt Disney World Resort. Once you have booked you can choose from a choice of two 8 course menus and then meet with the sommelier to pick your wine before you eat. This is a meal not to be rushed, so if you are travelling with children make sure you allow yourself a good couple of hours to enjoy the experience, whilst the kids are having fun of their own at one of the activity clubs Disney is famous for.
Cover charge: $75 per head. Food 9/10 ~ Innovation 6/10 ~ Experience 8/10 ~ Total: 23/30
5) Ocean Blue – Norwegian Cruise Line (Breakaway Class)
Ocean Blue offers a dining experience created by Michelin-starred celebrity chef, Geoffrey Zakarian. Zakarian was involved in developing not only the menu, but choosing the silverware, tableware and had input into the restaurants decor. All this sets you up for a truly special meal, especially if you are a great lover of seafood.
With mouth-watering dishes like ‘Lightly roasted scallops with grapefruit and caramelised port belly’ and ‘Risotto of Jonah Crab’ what Ocean Blue lacks in terms of innovation compared to some of the other specialty offerings available – it absolutely makes up for in taste. It can be hard to get a table, so make sure you book in advance and if you’re not successful, try daily in case you are lucky enough to get a cancellation.
Cover charge: $35 per head. Food 8/10 ~ Innovation 7/10 ~ Experience 8/10 ~ Total 23/30
Have you eaten at any of these restaurants? Or do you favour a different one?
Spotlight on the Eastern Mediterranean
From the delights of the Adriatic, to the stunning Greek Isles and beyond, cruising the Eastern Mediterranean is something you can do again and again and still find a new destination to discover.
Here are our LoveitBookit’s favourite ports from Eastern Mediterranean itineraries.
1) Dubrovnik, Croatia
The walled city of Dubrovnik is one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world and UNESCO world heritage site. In the pedestrian only Old Town, there are plenty of red-roofed churches, museums, palaces in to explore along the narrow cobbled streets and lots of bazaars to shop at. Sponza Palace is definitely worth a visit, a huge Gothic and Renaissance palace dating back to 1272.
Croatia offers some stunning beaches to rival those of the Caribbean, which are mainly found to the south but there are a couple of beaches accessible from Dubronvik, the most popular, Banje Beach is a 10 minute walk away but it can get a little crowded in summer. A little further out and a bit smaller is Sveti Jakov beach – be warned though, there are 163 steps to get down to the shore.
Top Tip: If you are a fan of HBO’s show, Game of Thrones (and let’s face it, who isn’t these days?) then you will recognise the old-town as the city of ‘Kings Landing’. Head there in September and you might just find the cast filming and throughout the year, you can take a ‘Game of Thrones’ themed walking tour in the city, which points out some great locations.
2) Santorini, Greek Isles
With breathtakingly views, Santorini ( or Thira, as the Greeks call it) is probably the most stunning of all the Greek islands. Formed in 1450BC by a massive earthquake, you can expect to see jet-black beaches and whitewashed houses sat high amongst the cliff tops.
To get up to the popular town of Fira, you can climb the 700 feet in a cable car, or if you’re feeling energetic you can hike the distance, but beware you will share the journey with donkeys who also carry passengers up and in the height of summer, it can get a bit busy! When you reach the top you can browse the shops, explore the 9th century clifftop ruins or visit the Prehistoric museum with some amazing collections dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries BC.
However, if you want to explore the picturesque, white and blue-topped houses and churches of Oia, you can do this via an excursion with your cruiseline, or you can take a public bus from Fira. The town itself is quite small but worth it for those views and a nice place to spend a leisurely lunch.
Top tip: Get up early to see the sunrise as you come in to Santorini and to avoid the rush – at busy summer periods the wait for the cable car up the cliff can be excessive, especially if there are a lot of ships in port.
3) Venice, Italy
We couldn’t pick our favourite Eastern Mediterranean cities without giving the winding canals of Venice a mention. There has been lots of controversy regarding ships being able to cruise along Grand Canal outside St. Marks Square – to date – its been overturned but that could all change again, so the best way to get around Venice is to get a day ticket for the Vaparetto, that way you can hop on and off at various destinations as many times as you like.
If you are going to pay tourist prices for a coffee anywhere in the world than St. Marks Square is the place to do it – and a visit inside the Basilica is a must as well. The queues tend to be shorter towards the end of the day before it closes, so try to go then and miss wasting any of your precious day in port stuck in a queue. Another other must see is the Rialto Bridge – one of the best ways to experience it is by gondola and the going rate is around €80 per gondola for a half an hour trip. Some gondoliers are more enthusiastic than others, so don’t be afraid to observe before you make your selection! If you are a fan of slightly more kooky tourist attractions, take the vaparetto over to San Servelo island, which used to house nothing more than an old insane asylum, dating back to the 1700s. For €3 you can take a pre-booked guided tour of the gardens and the museum and the vaparetto ride over the lagoon is quite an experience in itself, especially on a clear day.
Top Tip: If you have an overnight port stop in Venice and want to experience Opera or are an Opera fan looking for a new experience, check out Musica a Palazzo. Set in an old Palazzo, it offers an intimate opera experience for around 70 people and your ticket includes a drink during the interlude.
4) Kotor, Montenegro
The journey in and out of this small town in Montenegro is as much as a highlight as the town itself. It takes over an hour to sail in down the old submerged river canyon and it’s on par with visiting the Fjords with breath-taking mountain scenery on all sides.
The medieval old town has several churches and museums to explore and plenty of shops to browse but the actual town is quite small, so enjoy a long lazy lunch. If you are up for a challenge and enjoy hiking though, you can visit the fortress of San Giovanni, high up in the mountains and accessible by a winding path in the old city walls. It’s around 1500 steps and will take you a good couple of hours up and back down, but there is lots of see along the way and the views are incredible. Make sure you wear decent shoes and take plenty of water!
Top Tip: You’ll want to get up at about 6:30am to experience the sail into Kotor if you’re docking in around 8am – it’s worth it to experience the stunning scenery over breakfast.
5) Kusadasi, Turkey
Kusadasi is a small, seaside port in Turkey and it’s biggest pull is the ancient city of Epheus, which was the 2nd biggest city in the world during the Roman era and one of the best ancient classical sites in this part of the Mediterranean. It can be difficult to access Epheus via public transport, so if you are planning to visit, you are probably best to take a ship / private excursion. It can get very hot and dusty and the ground is naturally a little uneven, so ensure you dress accordingly. Make sure you visit the House of the Virgin Mary and see the frescoes at the Church of John the Baptist.
If you prefer to spend your time in port shopping, then Grand and Orient Bazaars are easily accessible from the port. You can buy traditional crafts like carpets, ceramics and jewelry as well as leather goods and there are plenty of other bits and bobs to try your hand haggling at.
Top Tip: There are some fantastic fish restaurants along the waterfront, so make sure you take a break from your shopping to enjoy the local cuisine.
LoveitBookit’s Top Three Things to Look Forward to in 2015
1) New Ship Launches
We are going to be really spoilt this year, with no less than three brand new ships launching and two of them are going to be based out of the popular UK hub, Southampton.
First up in March, is P&O’s latest offering, Britannia. Britannia will host a 1m art collection on board, as well as offering a cooking school at sea, where you can create mouth-watering dishes mentored by a variety of chefs, including celebrity-chef James Martin. The accommodation has had a face lift as well, with boutique-style cabins featuring bespoke artwork and the bathrooms will have pamper packs from The White Company. There is also a strong rumour that none other than HRH The Queen herself will be the ships Godmother, as the Royal calendar puts her in Southampton on 10th March, when the ship is due to be named. Coincidence? We think probably not!
Then in April we see the launch of Anthem of the Seas – sister ship to the impressive Quantum of the Seas and the 2nd of Royal Caribbean’s SMARTships. As well as all the usual Royal Caribbean favourites such as the FlowRider and the Rock Wall, Anthem of the Seas will also have the Quantum favourites such as the NorthStar, a viewing pod that offers 360 degree views 300 feet above sea level and other firsts at sea like RipCord by iFly, a skydiving simulator. It’s no surprise that the sailings are selling like hot cakes, so if you hope to experience it for yourself you’ll have to move fast!
Last but by no means least, Norwegian Cruise Line will introduce the Escape, which will be the largest ship in their fleet in the new Breakaway Plus class. If you are a fan of 80s movies you will love the new supper-club cabaret, featuring songs from hit John Hughes movies (something we are particularly excited about!) and continuing on with their successful Broadway show selection, After Midnight will be the resident musical. Plus if you are travelling with kids (or a just a big kid yourself!) then a game of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themed crazy golf will provide you lots of fun. All this and more is coming in October 2015.
2) 2015 – The year of all-inclusive
Photo credit: Pilar Echeverria
Whilst cruising still represents probably the best value-for-money holiday on the market, one of the main requests by cruisers is they wished that all-inclusive drinks packages were more readily available, so cruisers weren’t hit with a huge bill at the end of their sailing. Cruise lines have been quick to respond and we have seen a rise in drinks packages being offered to passengers. In fact, lots of cruise companies such as Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line are offering them free of charge as part of their wave campaigns, so you can set sail and not have to worry that your cheeky evening cocktails are all beginning to add up!
3) Anniversaries
Who doesn’t love a good cruise line anniversary celebration, and this year we have a few! Celebrity Cruises celebrate 25 years of Modern Luxury this year. Whilst there isn’t any firm celebrations in place to date, 2015 looks like it’s going to be Celebrity’s best year yet if their fantastic 123 promotion is anything to go by!
Princess Cruises celebrate their 50th anniversary this year with a variety of things to mark the occasion. As well as running ‘Golden Moments’ through the year – a great promotion offering up to $50 on board spend PER DAY, they are having themed evenings with golden balloon drops, specially designed menus and cocktails, as well bringing some of the best festivals of the destinations they visit on board, in their ‘Festivals of the World’ celebration.
But the biggie anniversary wise is Cunard, who are celebrating a massive 175 years of sailing! On 25th May, all three Queens will be in Liverpool – which was home to Cunard for 127 years – to meet on the Mersey for the first time ever. Then on 4th of July, Queen Mary 2 will be back to recreate the very first Cunard crossing on the Britannia with Gala dinners and special speakers to help celebrate this momentous occasion. As expected, cabins are booking up quickly – with many grades already sold out – so if you want to be a part of this fantastic anniversary, you’d better act quickly.
Are you looking forward to one of these events, or something else entirely? Be sure to let us know!
LoveitBookit 