Thursday, 17 July 2014

ITV's show...The Royal Princess...Yay or Nay?

Tomorrow is the next episode of ITV's documentary The Cruise Ship, showing us insight to what the Royal Princess has to offer. But how did the first episode portray the cruise line? 

In my opinion I think it shows the grand scale of ship and how many staff it takes to keep things running smoothly- Day of embarkation is always a busy one and I think it takes some great management skills to keep everything in order.



In this episode it mainly focuses on a small number of the passengers giving their opinions to the camera, lots of them are Elite cruises meaning they've been on many sailings, they love the cruising lifestyle, and why wouldn't you when your every need is catered for! 

With the big event of formal night approaching there was masses of laundry to be washed and pressed for the passengers, as Elite members get this for free. 

The only downside so far is that maybe it portrays cruising as only suitable for the older generation, however Princess is a rather refined cruise line where you wouldn't really expect kids to be running around playing in pools where you could on say Royal Caribbean, Carnival or Norwegian Cruise Line. All cruise lines are different and cater to different age groups in the market so it's best not to judge too quickly we shall have to see what tomorrow night's episode brings to the table! Are you going to be watching? 




Tuesday, 15 July 2014

Evergrowing Norwegian Cruise Line Fleet....More Ships Announced for 2018/19

It was announced yesterday that the wonderful Norwegian Cruise Line have ordered two more Breakaway-Plus class ships, these will be due to be delivered in 2018 & 2019. So not only have you got the Norwegian  Escape & Bliss to look forward to in October 2015 & March 2017!



The two latest ships ordered will be 164,600 gross tonnes and carry 4,200 passengers another large ship for Norwegian, these seem to be proving the most popular for the amount of facilities on board, there's is something for everyone for sure! 

The Breakaway-Plus class ship design is based on the two current Breakaway class ships the Breakaway
& Getaway, I wonder what extras they will add? Hopefully more studio cabins as these are always the first to go - I must admit Norwegian do cater pretty well to solo travellers in comparison to other cruise lines. 


I guess it's only up from here for Norwegian, they seem to be taking large strives forward in recent years with their relax freestyle "Resort Casual" approach. Do you cruise like a Norwegian?

Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Carnival Bans Smoking & Increases Gratuities!


It was announced yesterday that Carnival will be an entirely smoke-free environment this includes smoking in all staterooms and suites will be smoke-free this includes smoking on balconies. This change will effect sailings booked from today  for voyages from the 9th October 2014.  I think this is a good move on Carnivals part to be honest as most cruise lines now have the same policy. With people smoking on balconies it's always a fire risk, plus if your neighbour is a non-smoker it's not pleasant to sit out smelling smoke. Smokers will still be able to smoke on the open decks though and cigar lounges etc. 



But that's not all that Carnival has announced, they're going to increase their gratuities only by 50 cents to $12 per person per day, this again on any voyages from 9th Oct. What about those who have pre-paid I hear you ask? Well rest assured they will stay the same for any passengers who have pre-paid their tips - phew! 




Monday, 7 July 2014

Visiting Turkey next year? New Passport guidance will be in place

If you're planning on travelling to Turkey from the 1st January 2015, you'll be required to have a valid passport for at least 60 days from the date of expiry of your visitors visa. 


The Turkish Ministry for Culture and Tourism state "Travellers without the required period of validity on passports will regrettably not be allowed entry into Turkey due to this new legal regulation." - looks like they're pretty insistent on this. "The new rules form part of Turkey's repsonsiblities within the framework of its European Union negotiation accession process, including as signatory to relevant international agreements within this framework."

Old Turkish Visa

Turkey stopped issuing visas on arrival in April, this was replaced with an electronic visa application system. More than 2.5 million Brits visit Turkey every year for it's beautiful weather, fascinating culture and amazing history! 


Sophia Mosque - Istanbul