A few more days off.

I am now out of the office until Tuesday 01 November spending some time with my family whilst it is half term.

I haven't got anything special planned but it will be nice to have some lie ins and to just play for a few days.

Whilst I'm away please call 0800 408 6200 or e-mail contactus@cruise.co.uk and my colleagues will be happy to help you.

Take another look at Regent Seven Seas Cruises

I have just been looking at a Christmas Cruise with Regent Seven Sea's Cruises and my customer was amazed by what it includes compared to others on the market. They have really increased their offering over the last year I so thought it was worth highlighting a few things.

Regent Seven Sea's Cruises are a 6* luxury cruise line, their service is impeccable and the reviews are great. Most people are aware of this but what isn't so widely known is just what you get included in the costs.

As with most luxury cruise lines, your exceptional food and drinks are included together with a large suite on the cruise. However Regent also include the flights and they really stand out by including a full programme of shore excursions and not just a token 'walk around the local market' excursion. On this particular cruise they offer a choice of up to 9 free excursions in every port of call and include such things as a 4 X 4 Jeep Adventure, Whale and Dolphin Safari, Champagne Snorkel, Catamaran Trip, Kayak through the Mangroves, Horseback Ride and Swim to name just a few. These are quality excursions that really add up.


By the time you've paid for shore excursions, drinks and speciality restaurants on your average cruise you can more than double your holiday costs. Not many people do a shore excursion everyday because of the costs involved but with Regent you can. The cruise prices may look expensive on paper but it really is worth remebering that once on board you really do not have any need to spend a thing.

If you'd like to see this Christmas Offer just click here - but remember that this is at Christmas time when prices are traditionally higher too, if you look at Regent at any other time they'll be even better value for money.

Staying in touch.

More and more people now carry mobile phones or want to stay in touch by email when on holiday and many people can't bear to abandon their tech toys, even at sea.

The cruise lines are open to this and provide many different facilities from Wi-Fi hot spots to cabin data ports, from mobile phone service to ordering your meals via an iPad as featured on Celebrity ships.  Silversea Cruises reports 65 percent of its guests use some form of onboard Internet access, while 50 percent are using mobile phones at sea.

If you do want to use technology on board though its advisable to check your prices in advance.

Phones -
If you can get connected, remember it may not be cheap. Internet access, ship-to-shore phone calls, and mobile phone usage can be pricey. Calling from the phone in your stateroom may cost $9.99 a minute or more. Mobile phone users will get the bill for international roaming or other fees when they get home. People are getting caught out with the new smart phones which may continue roaming in the background even when you're not using it so make sure you turn all your features off before travelling.

E-mail
Internet cafés at sea are now the norm, not the exception. Even small ships and some new riverboats have one or two computers onboard for guest use. It's good, though, to check with your cruise line before you sail about your technical options; they vary by ship and by line, and the landscape is changing daily. All the major cruise lines show their prices on their websites.

Another useful thing to remember with e-mail is to avoid the busy times, connections on ships are still slow and the more people trying to connect, the slower the connection may be. Try visiting the cafe's whilst fellow guests are dining or early in the morning. Connection is also worse in rough seas, or when at sea so a shore day would always provide a quicker connection.

The other alternative would be to use a shore based Internet cafe, these are generally cheaper than on board. Although this seems a shame when you are in port for such a short amount of time.

I hope you find these tips useful and don't forget when you are staying in touch with friends to send me a quick e-mail too and let me know how you're enjoying your cruise. I'd love to hear from you.















Or simply head for a land-based Internet café when in port. Internet cafés are ubiquitious in cruise ship portsm and usually cost from one to four dollars an hour. Ask the ship's concierge, shore trip staff or other crew members if they know of a facility close to the pier. Local libraries are good bets, and some offer computer use with free minutes.



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Celebrity enhance their older ships

I love the newer Celebrity Solstice Class ships and think that they are probably my favourite of all the ships out there currently. And I'm not the only person who thinks this, you rarely get a bad review from any of the Solstice ships.

Now because of this Celebrity are taking the best features of these ships and upgrading their existing fleet with a $120 million upgrade of Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Millennium. They are being 'Solsticised'

Each ship will now feature Aqua Class staterooms - rooms with complimentary access to the Persian Garden Spa and exclusive dining in the Blu restaurant. There will also be more dining options including a vibrant Creperie and the Qsine restaurant which is so modern that you order your meal using an iPad. My favourite bar at sea the Martini Bar is also been added along with the Cellarmasters Wine Bar.

Infinity will be completed in Dec 2011, Summit in January 2012 and Millenium 2012 so I can recommend all of them for your 2012 cruise.

Don't forget to have a look at some Celebrity Cruise Reviews.