Winter has vanished and summer has shot up. Academic year is getting over and the children who had a hectic year of studies and other academic related activities as well as the parents, who have toiled all along, badly need a break. How to beat the monotony out and what are the plans for the ensuing summer holidays?
Dream lazing by the poolside with the vast ocean around you and without anything to care about in the world except the dilemma of choosing the cuisine for your next meal or whether to wind up the day on a dance floor, at a casino or watching a movie. Dream of this carefree life everyday. This is one of the ways to be in heaven on a holiday and of late more and more people are falling prey to it.
It is the world of Cruise holidays, the ultimate combination of the most relaxing holidays set against the backdrop of breathtaking oceans. Cruising along is a wonderfully romantic way to discover world and surely you can leave back your worries and away from the monotony of routine life. Your memories will travel back to the days when your life was simpler and more sedate.
Every year lakhs and lakhs of people set for cruise holidays and in the recent times the number from India has been on the rise. Cruises in the South-East Asia, The Carribean, the Mediterranean, Alaska, Bahamas, Mexico etc., have gained popular amongst the Indians. The advantage of cruise holidays is that you can choose what you want to do and when to do. You can do everything or absolutely nothing. You can have a holiday of your life and see different parts of the world.
You can completely unplug yourself, take a stroll on the wild side, dance the night away, enjoy feats of fabulous and different cuisine, learn many new things, meet and befriend many new people, bond with your family, steal quick moments with your spouse or loved one. You can have whatever you chose, when you decide to cruise your holidays. The above mentioned points will make you realize why nowadays more and more people are falling prey to cruise holidays. Moreover, it is simple, relaxed and fun all in one and it’s of great value.
Everybody can afford to go for a cruise holiday, because it is available to suit every budget. The cruise fare is all inclusive and it’s the price of your entire stay on board including accommodation in your stateroom, all meals and in between snacks and the midnight buffet, activities, parties and entertainment, transfers from ship to shore and port taxes and embarkation fees.
However, if you want to pay tips, or indulge in personal activities like taking liquor, dining at specialty restaurants, availing of personal services like massages, hairstyling etc., shopping at the on board boutique, taking part in the optional off-shore excursions, then you may have to spend additional money. If you are not doing any of these, in fact it is quite possible to enjoy the cruise holiday thoroughly without seeing any bill once you board the ship.
In contrast to the holiday and journeys on land, in a cruise holiday every thing is laid out for you for the amount you pay whereas for a land journey, you have to pay for everything, from commuting to the cups of tea or coffee you have throughout. You will also realize that the total cost for both types of holidays will be almost equal if not more on land journeys. But apart from the cost comparison, the sheer quality of the gourmet food and entertainment available for you on board a Cruise is incomparable to a journey on land.
You also acquire several benefits on a cruise travel which cannot be quantified in terms of value. You get an opportunity to see some of the most enchanting places in the world in the most convenient manner. You fall asleep in one destination and wake-up in a different one and without the hassle of having to pack and unpack each time you visit different places.
Cruise holidays provides an advantage package in the sense that you need not worry about making reservations for dinner or for night club or worry about catching connecting flights as you travel from one destination to another or checking in and out of new hotel at every place or any such things. While you dine and have fun together, you can have the privilege of meeting new people from different part of the world to make new friends who share the same interests as you.
You can choose from a variety of cuise – from intimate and yacht like ship in which you can sail with fewer than 100 fellow guests, to huge and gigantic juggernauts which can accommodate more than 2000 people. The atmosphere on the cruises differ, from casual to formal and contemporary to classic and it is up to you to choose the type of cruise – one with endless activities offered on a contemporary resort-style cruise or a special interest cruise.
Different types of cruises are designed and organized to suit virtually every personal choice and interest. The preferences include: boutique, luxury cruises with globe-tottering itineraries; large, contemporary ships with an array of fantastic recreational facilities; classic sail-assisted ships, which takes you back into history and special interest or exploration cruises, specializing in unique destination and agendas, with an accent on cultural enrichment.
Some cruises specialize in soft adventure expedition to unusual frontiers like Antarctica, the Amazon rain forests, to name a few. Some specialize in premium culturally-rich ports of call with itineraries dedicated to classical Greece or paradise of Hawaii. There are some theme cruises also with entertainment ranging from Jazz festivals and classical music concerts. Apart from the above, there are on board seminars on various aspects and subjects to enrich you as also lectures on the history of the ports and places to be covered by the cruise.
All these on board recreations and activities are free of cost and you need not pay anything extra. All the cruise ships are “one-class” and every one is entitled to use all of the ship’s facilities. Regardless of the category of cabin you book, you will enjoy the same courteous service, menus, activities and entertainment as every one else on board.
Within two to three days of boarding the ship you will understand and discover that the cruise ship offers so many varieties that the journey is very interesting and fully enjoyable. Modern day cruise ships are like floating five-star resorts on the sea. You can relax in a lounge chair, breath in sea breeze, take sun-bath, read good books or watch the ever changing seascape.
For active persons, exercise and dance sessions are available as well as sports and contests. You can play your favourite tennis or golf or do jogging on the jogging deck. You can swim, sweat it out in the sauna or have some work-out in the gym. Movies, enrichment lectures by experts, game of bridge, on board boutiques etc are other attractions.
As the dusk settles in, there will be dancing, live entertainment, night clubs and lounges, films and parties with all your new friends. Most cruises also have casinos. Special events like the Captain’s Cocktail Party, Passenger Talent Night, Broadway style shows and Las Vegas type revues. The great thing is that all these entertainments take place in the same house you are staying with no admission or entrance fees payable. All the shows are live with A-Class films at no extra cost.
And remember that while you enjoy all these things, you have an added adventure of exploring many exciting ports of call where you can explore on your own or take a guided tour. To be precise, cruising is the perfect way to visit a number of new destinations and try all the things you have ever dreamed of doing, while never having to pack and unpack every time.
Cruise lines are geared to cater to children of all ages and of late cruise holidays area increasingly booked by families consisting of children. Plenty of supervised activities to suit the various age groups are available in most of the cruise ships. There are a variety of activities to choose from depending upon the taste and liking of the child. Children also easily get accustomed and adapted to the life on-board. You will be relieved of the burden of worrying about where they are and what they are up to.
There are youth counselors on board the cruise ships to take care of the children and to keep them entertained, busy, engaged and occupied with different kinds of entertainments and activities tailor-made to suit the different age groups. Most important thing is that the there is concession in the cruising charges for the children.
Taking into account the various points discussed, why not plan for a Cruise Holiday?
Prathibha nair
Subscribe to: Posts(Atom)
Posts
