A question I get asked on a regular basis is “Do you think we’ll like cruising?”
The only way of knowing the answer is to give it a try and there are some fabulous 2/3/4 night cruises available in Australia which will help you decide.
Beyond these short cruises, there are now cruises to every continent in the world and each cruise line and itinerary offer something different. Speaking to a Travel Advisor who knows the ins and outs of each cruise line puts you in an informed position in choosing the right one to suit your needs.
Some things you need to consider as to what sort of cruise you are looking for – *Port Intensive Cruises – eg. Mediterranean cruise, where every night you dock in a different port and then explore the city the following day; with no time wasted at sea.
*Ship Experience – eg. Cunard ‘Queen Mary’ Trans-Atlantic crossing from New York to London or vice versa where there are no ports, but it is a wonderful on-board experience.
*Family fun ship – eg. Carnival, P&O, Royal Caribbean cruising the South Pacific and other destinations around the world with kids catered for and lots of family entertainment on board; drinks packages and great entertainment are sought after.
*Adventure Cruising – this is my favourite type of cruising and it’s all about the destination.
Hop on board a zodiac or kayak each day (or several times daily) and explore by sea and land the amazing environment you are in. You need to be active and young at heart and interested in your surroundings and experts are on board to help you experience this unique type of cruising.
*Music Cruises – these are charters that run a few times a year with Music being the core ingredient. You travel on a South Pacific cruise yet on board there are entertainers in the category you choose. There are Rock & Roll, Country & Western and Opera cruises to suit all tastes.
*A cruise to tick a lot of boxes – eg. NCL Pride of America Hawaiian Island cruise. This is the only Cruise Line which is permitted to cruise around the Hawaiian Islands and not only do you stop at 4 islands, having overnight stops in Maui and Kauai, it also starts and finishes in Honolulu so you can stay in Waikiki before or after your cruise. It caters for all demographics, the ship is fabulous and the itinerary is one of a kind.
*River cruising/Barges – if big ship cruising isn’t your thing, there are the more leisurely river cruises and barge itineraries available primarily in Europe. It’s definitely a slower pace and a slightly older demographic, however it is very port intensive also.
“I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list” – Susan Sondag
This has been my motto since I took my first overseas trip in the early ‘80s. The travel bug hit with a bang and I’ve never looked back, having now travelled to all 7 continents.
Two years ago, I took a giant leap of faith and started my own business under MTA-Mobile Travel Agents, a family-owned business with over 350 agents across Australia. With fantastic buying power and membership to invitation-only corporations such as Virtuoso, Cruiseco, Belmond Bellini Club and Virgin Galactic, a world of opportunities are at my disposal that the every-day agent does not have access to.
Leave a Reply