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Posts Tagged ‘Baltic Region’

Cruise holidays offer incredible choice when it comes to the destinations available. This is hardly a surprise when you consider that around 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water. The versatility and variety offered by cruises means that travellers of all persuasions will be able to find something that appeals.

Mediterranean – West
Cruises around the Western Mediterranean are highly popular chocies, particularly for those seeking a short break. These cruises typically visit ports of call throughout Spain, France and Italy. There are plenty of other options, of course, depending on the itinerary you choose, whether you fancy a visit to Portugal, Malta or perhaps Croatia. Cruises around the Western Med can be booked at any time of year, but during the winter months you may find that the cruise ships will substitute the cooler locations, such as France and Italy, with warmer choices, such as the Canaries or perhaps Morocco.

Mediterranean – East
Eastern Mediterranean cruises often include visits to the Greek Isles, Turkey’s Istanbul and Kusadas, eastern Italy, Croatia and ports along the Black Sea, such as the Ukraine and Russia. They offer plentiful sun and beach fun, but also immerse cruisers in history and culture. Most Eastern Mediterranean cruises sail from spring to fall – with the summer high season serving as the busiest time of the year.

Baltic Region and Northern Europe
While often over-shadowed by the sunny Mediterranean, cruises to the less tourist heavy Northern Europe and Baltic provide access to a wide range of cultures and unique scenery. Baltic cruises typically visit Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm, St. Petersburg and Tallinn. Cruises that focus on the Norwegian fjords often stop at Bergen, Stavanger, Alesund, Flam and Tromso. You can also find cruises that visit the far north — including the arctic, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland.

Transatlantic
Popular routes across the ocean include cruises from the Mediterranean or the UK to Florida or New York. This will often involve a one or two week journey at sea with just a few ports of call along the way. With more time spent on the ship itself, the activities available on a transatlantic cruise ship are extensive, offering everything from cinemas and planetariums, to spas, gyms and of course plenty of shops, bars and clubs.

Cruise ship holidays have been popular for many years where instead of being tied to one destination for your holiday you get to experience many more types of cultures and countries. Cruise ship holidays aren’t just spent on the decks of the cruise liner as many cruises have multiple stop offs at ports along the way, allowing you to set foot on land to experience the local atmosphere, do some gift shopping and other activities.

When people think of cruise ship holidays there are usually two main companies that come to mind: P&O and Cunard. Both have their advantages and their destinations can be similar with each one having a few different options compared to the other. Their cruise ships themselves are similar too in some ways but generally their fleet will have many different ships that can cater to different crowds.

For instance P&O cruises have ships such as the Artemis that is a child-free boat, there are many people who take cruise holidays to get away from the screaming children at beach resorts so having the option for just a couple’s holiday without children around can be right up some people’s street. Other ships though are family orientated to help dispel the myth that cruise ship holidays are for older tourists.

Cunard Cruises have a smaller although incredibly impressive fleet including the Queen Mary 2 which recently visited Liverpool docks hailed as the grandest, most magnificent ocean liner ever built. The Queen Mary 2’s most recent trip has been a cross Atlantic trip to New York which is one of the many routes or voyages you can book a place on.

Other destinations that the Cunard ships travel on are the USA and Canada, Scandinavia and the Baltic region for a cruise with a difference and many familiar trips such as Caribbean and Mediterranean and round the world cruises. P&O has many more ships in its fleet and so has a wider choice of destinations such as Central America, Asia and the Orient and even Dubai and the Middle East which can include holiday hotspots such as Sharm El Sheikh too.

Both Cruise line companies have a lot of choice not only from what ships and which countries to visit but accommodation and dining options for the duration of your trip too. Depending on how much money you are willing to spend you can upgrade your cabin to a more luxurious one or you could choose more exquisite meals. The Aurora ship from P&O has a Marco Pierre-White restaurant on board.