Which Cruise do I choose? Picking the right cruise can be a tricky process. From small sailing ships to mega cruise ships, how do you know what is right for you? Here are a few of our personal suggestions and tips to get your started. Who is travelling? A couple, a family? Perhaps a solo traveller? Most cruise lines cater for all sorts of traveller, but in fairness some are better suited than others to particular guests. We like Royal Caribbean for families as they cater extraordinarily well for children of all ages. If travelling solo, consider a cruise line such as Holland America or Norwegian Cruise Lines, where single travellers are welcomed aboard with special single cabins and events. Budgeting? The million-dollar question. Our biggest tip is this: While all-inclusive lines such as Seabourn Cruises, Silversea and Regent Seven Seas Cruises on the face of it are more expensive than others, they are all suites (amazing space compared to a regular stateroom), include all your drinks onboard including mini bar set up of your choice, and in the case of Regent Seven Seas, they include your Shore Excursions. Speciality dining is often included in nearly all cases, so by the time you add up a few cocktails, that bottle of wine over dinner etc, often the cost is worth it for a stress free journey and no nasty credit card bill at the end. What size ship is best? Those floating hotels are somewhat daunting! Ask what you want out of your holiday. Are you seeking exploration ashore, with extended time in port? If so, go for a mid size or small ship experience. Often smaller ships can get into ports the big ones cannot, and getting ashore can be a little easier. We love Holland America Line (max 2650 guests) and Windstar Cruises (max 310 guests) for 5 star service coupled with excellent itineraries and time ashore. If a myriad of dining options, incredible nightlife and shows, a few sea days lazing by the pool or enjoying spa treatments floats your boat, then you would love the larger ships, offering such variety we doubt you will have a second to get bored. Celebrity Cruises are our pick for gorgeous ships and innovation.
When is the best time to book? Earlier is better. Yes, these days the cruise lines may bring out a late special, but there is no guarantee of this, and by the time they release a special, it may be the last cabins or suites they are trying to fill, and they may not be in the best location. By booking early, you get a much wider choice of your stateroom. Often when a new itinerary or season is released, this is the time the cruise lines will entice you to book early with discounts on onboard offers. Now a little info on some of our favourites Holland America Line: 5 star traditional mid size cruising 5 star, mid sizes ships (no more than 2650 guests onboard) Traditional cruising experience with modern touches Around-the-world sailings offered Extensive dining options and enrichment programs Why we love Holland America Line: Stepping onboard a Holland America Line ship gives you a sense of warmth and comfort. Colours and fabrics are rich, giving you a sense of what traditional cruising is all about. No gaudy or tacky lighting or unexplainable art pieces, just the right balance of tradition and modern. Dining is exceptional, and service is unobtrusive and professional. Staterooms are of a good size, with comfy beds dressed in high standard linens.
Windstar Cruises: 5 star yacht style cruising Options to travel on masted sailing ships or all-suite yachts Intimate ships sail to destinations bigger ships can't Attentive service, with a passenger-crew ratio of 1.5 to 1 Casual atmosphere with fine dining Why we love Windstar Cruises: Windstar brilliantly combines style with the romance of ocean travel. Smaller vessels get into the ports that the big ships cannot, making for often quicker access to the cities and ports you are visiting. Think casual onboard but with the fine dining and service you would come to expect from a 5 star line.
Seabourn Cruise Line: 6 star luxury All inclusive Outstanding reputation for service Features exotic itineraries Why we love Seabourn Cruise Line: Seabourn have a knack of combining soft adventure travel with elegance. Our favourite destination for Seabourn is Antarctica, where you can explore ashore with a team of experts, but be welcomed back into warm, 6 star luxury. Being all inclusive removes the worry for what your drinks bill will be by the end of the cruise enjoy welcome champagne, your mini bar stocked with your preferences, and an open bar throughout the cruise. To top it off, tipping is not expected, nor included. Pay a bit more and treat yourself.
Silversea Cruises: 6 star luxury All-suite, all-inclusive cruise line Adventure ship goes beyond traditional luxury Itineraries blend exotic ports and mainstream locales Stellar service and cuisine onboard Why we love Silversea Cruises: Silversea give us a lot of reasons to love them from popular Mediterranean cruises through to small ship expedition opportunities in unique destinations such as the Kimberleys, the Galapagos Islands and Russia, enjoy all suite luxury and explore. And the all-inclusive drinks onboard including fine wines, champagne, your choice of what your mini bar is stocked with does not hurt either. Yes, you will pay a bit more than the mainstream cruise lines, but it is worth it.
Avalon Waterways: Outstanding value with freedom Suite class ships feature floor-to-ceiling, retractable windows Shore Excursions included and local wines with dinner Cruises great rivers in Europe and Asia Why we love Avalon Waterways: We feel the Avalon Waterways river experience is the best one for Kiwis. Most river companies include of course your meals, wine with dinner, shore excursions, as does Avalon, but what makes them different is each day there is free time to do as you wish. You may do a guided tour in the morning, then you may choose to stay in the village and make your own way back at your leisure, rather than go back for lunch, and feel you have to join the next tour. You can sit back in a towns piazza with a local lunch, enjoy the sunshine with a glass of wine, and relax. Avalon also offer free bikes onboard many of their vessels to enjoy your own exploration, just adding to the reasons why we believe Avalon Waterways is a great way to cruise. For extensive cruise line & cruise ship information please visit www.ourcruise.co.nz/cruiselines and www.ourcruise.co.nz/ships