Disney Cruise

Posts Tagged ‘Luxury Cruise’

Suggest taking a cruise and most people will think of sailing the Atlantic, cruising the Greek islands and the balmy waters of the Mediterranean or the ultimate ambition of the Caribbean cruise.  But long before motorway networks, railways and air travel the rivers of Europe were the arteries of the continent.Liquid freeways that allowed commerce and travel for thousands of years.  The Danube, the Don, the Volga, the Seine and even the Thames were alive with traffic.

No European river is as steeped in this heritage, history and charm as the Rhine.  rhine river cruises are one of the best ways to enjoy the sights or not just one, but four European countries.A journey can begin in the sophisticated city of Amsterdam, with its canals and lively ambience and take you along the Upper Rhine to Cologne and Koblenz where the Rhine meets the Moselle and on to Strasbourg and Basel in Switzerland.

It’s in Germany though that the Rhine gains most of its tributaries and it’s here that the Middle Rhine flows through the stunning Rhine Gorge, travelling into Rhine country past the typical wine village of Rudesheim then to Mainz with the imposing Heidelberg Castle.  The Rhine Gorge must be one of the highlights of any luxury cruise on the Rhine with fairytale castles perched at intervals along the banks of the river.

Few river cruises can compete with the legends that surround the Rhine, such as the famous Lorelei Rock, or the Wagnerian epic of the Rhine Maidens and the Rhine Gold – the mysterious ring that Siegfried discovers pre-dating Tolkien by several decades.The romance and mystery fades a bit when the Rhine enters its lower reaches around the Rhur and the major ports of Holland, but even so the Rhine remains one of the most rewarding waterways in Europe for a river cruise to remember.

SeaDream Yacht Club cruises specialise in intimate and very exclusive cruise holidays for a definitely younger crowd. The ships operated by this company are magnificently appointed mega-yachts offering a true taste of marine luxury.

Seadream Cruises operates only two vessels (SeaDream I and II) which were remodelled to make them into contemporary boutique yachts. They both carry just 108 passengers, serviced by 89 crew and sail the Mediterranean in the summer and Caribbean in the winter. Food on the SeaDream vessels is beautifully presented and absolutely delicious.  The entire purpose of these vessels is to provide a luxury cruise experience that’s second to none.That’s reflected in the sheer opulence of the accommodation.

Suites offer 450 sq. ft. of space with a luxuriously appointed bedroom, separate living room with a large dining table.The luxury bathroom features a massage shower and separate tub as well as a separate guest bathroom. Bath amenities are by Bvlgari, while the bedroom and living room include state of the art flat screen TVs, radios, CD and DVD players.If that opulent luxury proves too overwhelming for your taste, you can sleep on deck under the stars in Balinese Beds (huge comfy sun beds).The crew will arrange blankets and pillows.

Serving delicious cocktails and champagne, the “Top of the Yacht” bar is a central point for the guests where you’ll find a younger, more informal and fun crowd.  In the evening you can enjoy listening to or singing along with the ships pianist or have a flutter in the small but more than adequate on-board casino.  If that sound too sedentary for your liking, then take advantage of the water-sports equipment including canoes, pedalos and jet skis that are freely available to guests when the ship is at anchor.  Seadream Cruises most definitely live up to their name!

For most of us, it’s the romance of the Caribbean that springs to mind when you suggest a cruise holiday and the prospect of sun, tropical islands and beautiful beaches certainly makes the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico the number one choice for many first time cruisers. Some hardier types are drawn to the icy majesty of a cruise to Alaska, while others plump for the tried and trusted Mediterranean cruise with itineraries that cover Italy, Greece and the Greek islands.  For most of us, the world cruise remains a “one of these days” proposition, provided we retire early or win the national lottery.

River cruises are a great way to see the European continent, with packages covering the Danube, the Volga and, most popular of all, the Rhine. Certainly, very few river cruises can match the spectacular scenery between Bingen and Bonn as the Middle Rhine flows through the stunning Rhine Gorge with its fairytale romantic castles and vineyards towering on top of the steep gorge banks.But how many of us have seriously considered cruising the UK?Britain and Ireland have scenery just as spectacular as that found in Europe, or anywhere in the world for that matter.  It’s true that the weather (or rather its unpredictable nature) is the only element that lets’ the UK down, but a luxury cruise around the British Isles can be rewarding as well as relaxing. The popularity of the recent BBC TV programme “Coast” showed that there is a demand for exploring the romantic and exotic on our doorstep, so why not do that in 5 star comfort and style aboard a modern cruise ship?

Many operators have packages that take in the Channel Islands, as well as the Isles of Scilly before sailing on to Ireland where guests can enjoy the “craik” in Dublin.These same cruise programmes often include trips to the stark beauty of the Hebrides and the Western isles as well as the Orkneys and Shetland, Leith in Edinburgh and the world-class city that is London.  So next time you think of booking a cruise holiday, don’t discount the sheer variety of landscapes, experiences and destinations you could enjoy closer to home.

If you find big ship cruising just a little impersonal there are some operators that provide a smaller, more intimate service that may suite your needs.  SeaDream Yacht Club Cruises are the perfect antidote to the faceless “Butlins- on-water” approach of the mass market cruise.  The vessels operated by this company are not so much cruise ships as superbly equipped mega-yachts and a true taste of marine luxury.

SeaDream operates only two vessels: SeaDream I and II which originally entered service in 1984 and 1985 respectively. They were bought by SeaDream Yacht Club in 2001 and were extensively refitted to make them contemporary, chic, all-inclusive boutique yachts. They both carry just 108 passengers, serviced by 89 crew, sailing the Mediterranean in the summer months and Caribbean in the winter.

This entire ethos of these vessels is to provide a luxury cruise experience for a younger, more informal and fun crowd around 40+ who seek relaxed and casual entertainment but still insist on high standards of service, food and accommodation.SeaDream I and II are therefore ideal for people who want an ultra-luxury cruising experience but in a casual style, so dress code does not include tuxedos or ball gowns on board these ships.  Partially as a consequence of that luxurious informality, the average age of passengers is lower than you would normally expect on a cruise and tends to attract couples and honeymooners.

Typical guests tend to be a bit more active too.The vessels have swimming platforms that can be lowered as required and guests have use of the onboard jet skis and small boats.Because they are relatively small ships, they can also visit ports that other bigger ships could not even consider and although more akin to large yachts, they still have room for the facilities and amenities that you’d expect of any five-star establishment, afloat or on shore.  A fully equipped spa is available on both ships and both have a well stocked library with full Internet access.Guests can even watch a movie in the Main Salon.

If you like the idea of going on a cruise holiday then you could be spoiled for choice with many different luxury cruise companies to choose from and an even wider range of destinations that you could pick. The great part of cruise ship holidays is that you can pick almost anywhere there are oceans for the boat to cruise on, this means that pretty much anywhere in the world that isn’t land locked can be accessed and in most cases stopped at for you to be able to get off and explore.

Two of the main cruise companies available to choose from are Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises, both with a wide range of destinations cruised to by a large fleet of luxury liners at any time of year. P&O are well known for world trips and other destinations such as Dubai and the Middle East or further destinations such as Asia and the Orient. Princess cruises also have a wide range of destinations too that include Australia and Hawaii and the South Pacific. Princess Cruises even have tours that go where boats can’t reach with their range of CruiseTours.

Princess’ CruiseTours includes cruise ship sections of their trips but also luxury rail services that can take you inland to some truly amazing sights you may have struggled to see on a cruise holiday. One popular destination for this is Alaska and Canada, by taking these special CruiseTours you can experience much more whilst you are on your cruise holiday.

The boats on which you will stay during your cruise holiday are the very definition of luxury. Even when staying in the cheapest accommodation and dining options on board the multiple decks and activities you can enjoy whilst on board the liner will be perfect for the ultimate relaxing holiday. A lot of cruise holidays used to be known for being a couple only type of holiday and whilst there are still child-free liners as a part of P&O cruise holidays as well as other companies a lot more liners are becoming family friendly with plenty of childcare and children’s entertainment and activities available.

Cruise holidays can be taken in warmer climates such as the Caribbean or Mediterranean seas and these tend to be typical destinations for most cruise ship holidays but colder climates with their stunning vistas like Scandinavia, Alaska and the Baltic regions are equally popular for cruise holidays these days.

Although many films based on cruise ships were filmed on sets some were filmed on the ships themselves. These are just a few that are recommended to you before you go on a luxury cruise

Titanic

This has to be the biggest film that is based on a ship. It is also one of the biggest money earners of all time bringing in a massive .8 Billion. 0 million is how much the film cost to make, which in turn made it the highest costing film for that time. Two fictional people are at the centre of this movie. There are a few characters in the film that did actually exist so it is part historic part fiction.

Speed 2

This was actually a box office disaster as many of the films original actors did not return to make the sequel. Keanu Reeves really felt that the script was awful so did not actually return. The villan of the previous one did also not want to return. It really shows as the majority of the film is very poor indeed. You have to watch this film because it has such a good ending.

One of Comedy’s Best- Carry On Crusing

The Carry On series is huge and this is just one of those films. This was the first in the franchise to be fimed in colour. It is on the list simply because it is my favourite film in the entire series and needed to be here because the whole of the film is set on a cruise ship.

So whether you are on your way to one of those cunard cruises or even a Silversea cruises make sure you check out these films first. Thinking about it, these films all spell diaster for cruise ships but do not worry as they are just movies right?