Take a break from the office with cruises to exotic locations
We all look forward to our annual summer holidays. Most people need to plan their holiday around their other commitments, such as work and family, so you may have thought a sea voyage, appealing as it sounds, would take too much time, and therefore have never seriously considered one. If this is the case, you should really have another look at what is on offer. Your first consideration, if you are in the UK, is whether to go for cruises from Southampton or other local ports, or whether to fly to another part of the world and join a boat there. If you depart from the UK, then unless it is a short journey, the chances are you will have to combine it with a flight home from your destination, so you can fit it into two weeks. On the other hand, if you decide to stay fairly local then there are still some great choices around such as one of the Fred Olsen cruises to the Canaries, which depart from the UK and take in many places, including Gibraltar, Lanzarote and Madeira. They generally take from around ten to fourteen days, depending on the exact journey you decide on. If you fancy somewhere more far flung then you could join a trip around the Bahamas, starting and finishing in Florida. Some of these are as short as three days, so you could combine a short trip on one of the Royal Caribbean cruises for instance, with some time in the United States.
Carnival Cruise Line
"What a glorious ship, big, well presented and a pleasure to be on.The crew on board were lovely and the entertainment was fantastic." - Moore, Kings Lynn on 14th Jun 2009 (Celebrity Cruises)
The right type of atmosphere for you
With the number of companies in the market and the fact that each one usually runs its own fleet of ships, there is quite a wide choice when you are thinking about exactly what kind of holiday you are looking for. Each journey will be different, with regard to the atmosphere on board and the ships facilities, as well as any entertainment that may be laid on for you. If you take a look at P&O cruises for example, their ships range from those that have trampolines and other entertainment on hand for children, to the adult only ships, which are focused on a more relaxed style of holiday where you can indulge yourself in luxury spas and enjoy the fine dining on offer, in a sophisticated environment. All the different lines strive to offer you the very best in terms of service, and some have their own unique approach. For a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere with a warm and friendly Italian crew, you could try MSC cruises, which go to many destinations around the globe. I think you will appreciate the attention to detail that all good companies provide, especially if you are used to dealing with suppliers on a regular basis. There is nothing worse than running out of something simple but critical such as photocopier toner for example, just because your stationery supplier has messed an order up. On holiday such things are usually only a minor annoyance but it is still nice to know that everything has been thought of.
Casbah Bar on Ocean Village Two
"Apart from a small length of ceiling above the bed falling down the whole trip was excellent and all crew and food supberb." - Armson, Seaford on 14th Jun 2009 (Fred. Olsen Cruises)
More choices online
Of course, as with so many things these days, the growth of companies online has given people much more choice as to who they deal with. Years ago you would probably have had little choice other than to stick with your local wholesaler for office supplies, whereas now you can deal with companies from pretty much anywhere in the world. It is still usually more convenient to buy most things from a supplier located in the same country as you, but as most of them will offer free delivery for larger orders, you are no longer limited to your immediate area. All the major companies offering holidays at sea, like Cunard cruises, also maintain an online presence which makes it a lot easier to search through all the different routes and dates in your own time. That has been another advantage in sourcing office equipment online too. If you wanted to see what was on offer yourself, you used to have to either visit the supplier in question, request a brochure and wait for it to turn up in the post, or endure a lengthy phone call to establish what they had in stock. Now you can browse through all their stock without having to leave your desk. The fact that they can now offer this sort of service without tying up extra staff enables them to offer competitive prices. The same applies to finding what Princess cruises and others have to offer in the holiday department.
Inside cabin Island Escape
"This was our first cruise, what a wonderful experience, excellent cabin, staff nothing to much trouble, food excellent, travel to and from the ship ran so smoothly ." - Greatrick, Barnsley S.yorks on 14th Jun 2009 (Celebrity Cruises)
Places to go
As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, by combining flights with time at sea, or choosing a local destination, you can take a trip that fits into your annual break nicely. If you are happy to fly then your choice of destination is basically unlimited. Caribbean cruises are easy to join by flying to various places in America, and there are many other exotic locations that you can reach. If you are a wildlife enthusiast then there are Alaskan trips where you can go whale spotting and a tour around the Galapagos islands on some routes which have an abundance of flora and fauna as you probably know. I know that Celebrity cruises offer this particularly interesting holiday, you may find others with a search online. If you need to stay in touch with your office, or maybe you run your own business and have to be contactable at all times, then you will be pleased to know that all modern ships have wireless internet connectivity, so you can take your laptop and keep up to date. Some of the larger vessels will have teleconferencing facilities and meeting rooms available for those who need to carry on with business while at sea. NCL cruises that I have been on have all had internet cafes at the least. I think most lines have the basics covered. Sleeping accommodation ranges in size, depending on your budget and needs. There are suites of five thousand feet and more on some ships.
Celebrity Equinox
"I cannot put into words how wonderful this cruise was made for us by the crew, the food the entertainment were of a very high standard we had a lovely large cabin which was very spacious." - Minton, on 14th Jun 2009 (Thomson Cruises)
