Travel Guru asked:

Guide to Lanzarote Holidays

Location Of Island

Travel west from the coast of Africa (the Iberian Penninsula to be exact) – about 125 kilometers west – and if you started in the right spot, you might just find yourself on the Island of Lanzarote. This island is the northeastern most of the Canary Islands, and is the fourth largest of the islands of the chain, which is owned by Spain.

How To Get There

You can get to the Island of Lanzarote through the Arrecife International Airport, which saw over five and a half million passengers in a single year (2006) alone. Aside from agriculture, the tourism industry is almost the only industry on the island, and is a booming one, having been primary in the island for about 40 years.

Lanzarote Weather

If you are planning a holiday to Lanzarote Island, no need to worry overmuch about a jacket. Night time in the winter can drop as low as 14 degrees centigrade, but it rarely dips so low, and almost never below that, making it a nice, warm climate, especially in the summertime when temperatures can rise as high as 32 degrees centigrade (though rarely higher than that). The cooling trade winds of the North Atlantic create this temperate climate, keeping it from rising as high as the nearby Sahara, and keeping the climate pleasant and beautiful.

Island Landscape

Relatively recent eruptions (in the 18th and 19th Centuries), have left parts of the Lanzarote landscape looking alien or lunar, and the lack of erosion because of the low precipitation rate means that these incredible landscapes look much like they did just after the eruptions. The area is beautiful and unique, and movie fans will love the fact that parts of Planet of the Apes was shot on the island.

Attractions & Surroundings

Except for the Grand Hotel in Arrecife, local regulations on development mean that there are no high rise buildings on the island, and there are no billboards, either. The island is beautiful and unspoiled, though it is undoubtedly settled. Pay a visit to the island to see attractions like Jameos del Agua, a cave complex with a natural concert hall, a restaurant and museum, and an underground lagoon. There are man-made attractions as well, both historical and modern. You can pay a visit to the Wine Museum of Lanzarote, or check out the Castillo de San Gabriel in Arrecife, which is a 16th Century fortress overlooking the Arricife Harbor. No matter what your tastes, you are sure to find something pleasing in Lanzarote.

over 40 singles

K H Travel asked:

Gulmarg is known for its unparallel beauty and is rated as one of the matchless tourist spots of the world. It is famous for Golf hikes and boasts of a beautiful highland golf course. It is premier resort for winter sports in the country. The meadow of Flowers is a world famous tourist spot in the Baramulla Distt of Kashmir. The altitude of Gulmarg is 2730 meters.

Adventure Sports in Gulmarg

Trekking

Gulmarg makes an excellent base for trekking in the northern Pir Panjal Range. Nanga Parbat can be seen to the north from several view points, including Khilanmarg, west and over 1,500 feet up the forested hillside from Gulmarg. From a distance, the Pir Panjal appears somewhat rounded, but when you are actually walking up its slopes, you will find that its smoother peaks rise above evergreen clad slopes that seem quite equal in steepness to those of the main Himalayas.

Golf Courses in Gulmarg

Situated at an altitude of 2,650 m, Gulmarg has got the highest green golf course in the world. The layout of the course is quiet striking and the layout is similar to a normal golf course with land slopes and inclines along the complete area of the course, which has a par of 72. The golf club was started by the British who used Gulmarg as a holiday resort, and opened it for golf lovers in the year 1904.

Skiing Adventure in Gulmarg

Gulmarg is also counted among the best skiing resorts in India, but you require a pretty good experience as well as training to ski down the slopes over here. Gulmarg also make a good ski spot for starters, those who are new to skiing. Ski enthusiasts can easily find out all required gear and equipments as well as professional ski instructors in Gulmarg, to try out a hand on skiing. The longest ski run in Gulmarg is providing by the Gondola Cable Car, where skiers can swoosh down the slopes from the height of 2, 213m.

Places to Visit

Khilanmarg

A 40-minute journey through valleys of wild flowers from Gulmarg to Khilanmarg offers a breathtaking view of the majestic peaks with their reflections in Wular and other lakes.

Alpather Lake

Streaks of floating ice in this triangular lake, nestled in a hollow under the shadow of Apharwat Mountain are a visual delight. A well-graded pony track joins Apharwat Ridge with Gulmarg.

Over 40 dating

Tom Truxton asked:


One problem most families face today in trying to take a vacation or cruise is figuring out how to pay for it. Saving for vacation or cruise when a family is living paycheck to paycheck can often be daunting and usually does not happen unless they have a plan for it.

One way our family has found to pay for our vacation or cruise is grocery coupons and stock shopping it is not as crazy as it sounds. I will admit that this takes time and effort, but the pay-off of a week relaxing with no worries was definitely worth it.

The first thing you have to do is change your perspective when grocery shopping and menu planning, rather then planning a menu and then doing your shopping to the menu you need to check your home stock and plan your menu to what is on your shelves buying only what you need to complete the menu, which we refer to as “needs shopping”. Then you have to redirect your regular grocery shopping to filling those shelves when things are on sale and when possible you have a coupon for it, which we refer to as “stock shopping”. Also, if you have some sort of brand loyalty you will have to cast that out the window because you are out to save money, if buying Best Foods will save you money over buying Miracle Whip, buy Best Foods.

Initially changing grocery patterns may cost you a little more in the short term because you will have to do more needs shopping to round out your menus while you start filling the shelves with stock shopping but over a few weeks it will balance out then it will save you money.

First, use your current grocery budget, this is usually around $100 per household member but may be as high as $150 each. For my family of six humans, three dogs and 4 cats I budget $650, this is not just for food but for non-food consumables like paper towels, personal maintenance items, etc. If possible use a separate account for this so that the money is kept separate from other items as this will not only be your grocery fund but your vacation or cruise fund as well.

Next, let’s talk coupons. These nifty little items are well worth your time in collecting and saving. I view each coupon as physical money in my account; often the face value is fifty cents up to as much as ten dollars. Manufacturers’ coupons are good for money off of specific products; I save the ones that are for products that I will use and sometimes save the ones that I may or may not use if they may be a good value at some point. Personally we get the Sunday Paper at home and I check what coupons are available each week. If there are a lot of useful coupons in the paper I go to the store and I get extra copies of that paper, the extra $1-$1.50 each is worth it if I am going to save considerably more in the long run. If you wait until Tuesday to get the extra copies the store manager may allow you to take extra coupon sections if you are buying a copy of the paper since they will be going into recycling bins anyway.

Tracking and filing the coupons can be a task and each person will have a preferred method for doing so. Basically though there are two ways to handle it, 1 is to keep each coupon circular in a file and pull it out when you find items on sale that you will be using, the other is what I do, which is cut the coupons that I will use and put them in a coupon file, then carry that file with you to the store so that you can get the coupons you want and use them right then.

Now pick one or two store to do your stock shopping and you may want a third store to do your needs shopping, at least until your stock starts filling almost all of your needs. Why would I suggest you have two or three different places to do your shopping? Simply put, to save money. Here in Portland we have a selection of stores to choose from, I use Albertson’s and Safeway to do the bulk of my stock shopping, and only my stock shopping. This is because I can save money on my stock shopping with them but not on my needs shopping because needs items are usually bought when needed they are usually not on sale when I need them. For our needs shopping we use WinCo, which is a chain store that has level low prices.

What do you look for in a store to use for stock shopping? First and foremost sales where the items you want to stock on your shelves are way below the level low price you would get at your needs shopping store. For example, boxed cereal can range from $3 to $5 a box, even at your needs store. But it is regularly put on sale for 3 for $5 or 4 for $6 as a loss leader for most grocery stores. Secondly you want a store that give you extra off, especially when you use coupons, Safeway offers double coupons, in Portland it is limited to 4 items at 50 cents each, but that is still an extra $2 off your bill. Albertson’s will honor any other stores coupons, so I can use the Safeway double coupon there with a double coupon from Thriftway. Lots of stores offer $5-$10 off coupons with a purchase of $50 or more, so those are useful too, and can be used at Albertson’s too.

When I go stock shopping I have 3 basic rules that I follow:

1. The item must be something that I will use.

2. The item must truly be on sale (lot’s of items will go on a faux sale and you want to avoid those).

3. If possible I must have a coupon for the item. Some items like fresh meat, fruit, & vegetables won’t have coupons.

I then walk through the store and I stock up on sale items that I hopefully have coupons for and I only buy those items. I use a calculator so that I know when I have reached any dollar value that I need to in order to meet any big dollar coupons and I wrap up when I hit that point. This does take time and it means that I make more then one trip into the store, but saving that extra $5-$15 dollars is worth it. What do I mean saving the extra $5-$15? For example, Safeway run a $10 off $50 coupon and has double coupons, Thriftway has double coupons. When I go to Albertson’s I use my calculator and when my cart hits $55 after manufacturers coupons I head to the cashier. She rings my order up, often topping $100 then starts taking all of my manufacturer coupons off and my competitors coupons and my bill gets to around $55, the cashier then takes the $2 off for the Safeway double coupon, $2 off for the Thriftway double coupon, and since my bill is still over $50 they take $10 off for the Safeway $10 coupon making my total bill $41. So using Manufacturers Coupons and Competitors Coupons I took a bill that was over $100 and only paid $41.

Now I am going to use a recent stock shopping trip to show where the savings comes from:

Item Normal Price Sale Price w/ Coupon

GM Cereal (4) 12.76 4.67

Hunts Pudding Cups (4) 7.72 2.00

Wishbone Salad Dressing (2) 6.58 3.28

Pillsbury Brownie Mix (2) 4.94 2.00

Alpo Canned Dog Food (6) 7.50 0.00

Electrolsol (5) 22.45 0.00

Yogurt (10) 6.50 4.00

Barilla Shells (4) 6.36 2.08

GrillMate Seasonings (4) 5.40 2.00

Dole Fruit Cups (2) 6.98 2.00

Farmer John Franks (5) 16.45 0.00

Popcycles (2) 5.58 2.00

Centrum Vitamins (1) 10.55 5.99

Best Food Mayonase (2) 5.98 3.00

All Detergent (2) 13.98 4.98

Rotel Diced Tomatoes (4) 5.96 2.40

Nabisco Crackers (3) 11.97 4.00

Frenches Mustard (3) 5.97 0.00

Hunts Spagetti Sauce (6) 7.74 2.94

Always Pads (2) 6.38 2.00

Marathon Protein Bars (4) 7.88 3.38

Twix Candy Bars (4) 5.16 2.00

Sub Total 190.79 54.72

Double Coupons 4.00

$10 off 10.00

Total 40.72

As you can see from this list I bought multiples of each item and we store everything until we need it, if I had paid the retail prices for these things I would have paid $190.79 over the few months that we would use them, but because I purchased when they were on sale and I had coupons I saved almost $150 and got many of the items for free. Because of breaking my trips into $50 segments I usually make 3-5 trips to get maximum savings.

Once my stock shopping is complete we then go to WinCo each week for the items we need to round out our menu, fresh milk, vegetables, & fruit, usually spending under $20. At this point I might just buy the items that we need when I do the stock shopping if it is only a few items.

So, now I have budgeted $600 a month for groceries. I am spending $300-$400 on the groceries. The rest now is my vacation or cruise fund, saving around $3000 a year for us to use for a vacation or cruise. I admit that when I do the shopping it takes me a few hours, and I spend a few hours in front of the TV cutting coupons, but saving $200-$300 a month on groceries that I can use for a vacation or cruise is worth it.



Weight Loss Reviews

Celia Namart asked:


You would agree that the best and the most special part of the wedding is the honeymoon. And there is no better way to make it extra special than by booking for a romantic honeymoon cruise.

However, taking a romantic honeymoon cruise might be out of your plan since you have the impression that it is expensive. Here’s the truth: you can find the cheapest romantic honeymoon cruise if you will work for it.

Here’s how:

Shop around like any wise and thrifty shoppers do. Treat the internet as a department store where you can find both the high-end products and the bargain ones. Take time searching from different sites that offer romantic honeymoon cruise package. If you find long enough, you will surely get the best deal that is worth every penny. Avoid booking directly with the cruise lines. There are lots of sites wherein you can compare prices of different cruise lines with the same destinations. Many internter travel sites can give you the best offer not only because they provide all the information you need but also because they offer discounted packages.

Off-season cruise. Different cruise destinations have different off-peak season. For example, the Caribbean cruise is off around the month of June while the Alaska honeymoon cruise is off during September and May. Consider this factor when deciding what cruise you should take and get the most out of the offered discount.

Take the interior rooms. There are usually 4 different rooms in a cruise liner: the interior, balcony, oceanview, and suite. Suites are always the most expensive. Balcony rooms are offered 40% to 60% cheaper than suites but some ships do not have this kind of rooms. Oceanview is cheaper by as much as 50% compared with balcony rooms. But the best deal of all is the interior room which is 10% to 20% cheaper than oceanview, 40% to 60% cheaper than the balcony room, and 60% to 75% cheaper than the suites.

Repositioning cruises. Usually, cruise ships are repositioned depending on the season. But, these ships still do business along the way. For example, an Alaska – Vancouver cruise ship is repositioned to the Caribbean, it still does a trip from Los Angeles to Mexico. Here, you can get a significantly cheap honeymoon cruise ship. The Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and the Carnival are some of the cruise liners that offer this type of discount.

Offline travel agents – If you are still unsatisfied with the price you see on the internet, you can check out offline travel agents and inquire on the possibility of cheap honeymoon cruise. Evaluate the offer and decide which is the best.



Trim up that Body

Genna Roberts asked:


Are just two weeks a year enough to satisfy your needs to get away and see the world? Or do you feel a holiday could never be long enough?

Each year, mid way through my annual two week cruise I get that ‘sinking feeling’, I know its fast approaching the end of my time away and that can only mean one thing; I will soon be heading back to reality and back to work with no more than a fading tan and a sprinkling of new freckles as the only evidence I was ever away.

You may love to cruise, but realistically, how long do you think you could actually stay onboard? A few weeks, a month or longer? Would homesickness, family or money keep you from straying to a life at sea?

A three month world cruise is currently considered to be a pretty long duration to stay at sea, but it wasn’t enough for Bea Muller who has been living onboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 for the past eight years.

Bea and her husband were regular world cruisers, joining the Cunard ship for the annual trip for four consecutive years. Tragically, mid way through what was to be their very last voyage together, Beas husband passed away.

Bea returned home a widow, but felt her heart remained onboard the QE2. She decided to sell all her assets and live onboard the ship permanently.

Whilst Bea claims she has no intention of leaving the QE2 until she is either bored or dead, she may not have a choice.

The problem with living on your average cruise ship is that they are not designed to operate continuously, which makes it very difficult to call the place your home. Modern day ships get refurbished every few years, sold or put in dry dock, which makes it impossible to stay onboard permanently.

In the case of the QE2, at a grand 40 years old, she is soon to retire to the warmer climates of Dubai, as a floating resort, minus Bea Muller, I should think.

2002 bought an exciting solution for those wishing to lead such a lifestyle, with the introduction of the industry’s first ever cruise ship designed specifically for residential occupancy.

‘The World’ is home to around 300 residents occupying one of 165 studios and apartments, each containing its own kitchen complete with fridge, dishwasher and washing machine plus a living area and bedroom. Onboard are all the amenities you would expect to find onboard a regular cruise ship, with four restaurants, a gym, spa, two swimming pools, as well as tennis courts and golf facilities, a small grocery store and 24 hour medical centre.

The mid sized vessel leisurely circumnavigates the globe stopping at each port for 2 – 5 days, allowing residents to fully explore each destination. Accommodation onboard can either be purchased on a full time occupancy basis for year round living, or, buyers can purchase a studio or apartment on a ‘part time’ basis, spending two weeks to a month onboard annually. Alternatively, guests are welcome to join the ship for a short period of time and rent the accommodation.

So, is this a realistic way of life? Firstly we need to consider the costs and value for money of this lifestyle. To purchase a studio (337 sqft) onboard The World for permanent residence would cost a couple around £580,000 with annual fees (for maintenance, food and beverages) charged at £48,000. To upgrade to an apartment (1391 sqft) you would be looking at a cost around the £2million mark plus annual fees at £140,000.

Considering the UK’s average annual income is less than £25,000, Mr. and Mrs. Average aren’t packing their bags just yet. Besides, all potential residents, no matter how wealthy they are, will be vetted before they are accepted to join the ship.

This type of living may be well suited to those who are getting older, and would otherwise be looking to take up residence in a nursing home. Current annual fees for assisted living in the UK can vary from £20,000 – £48,000, so for a person who is at the age of retirement, has paid off their mortgage and is financially comfortable, this could be a great way to spend their later years, whilst receiving the care they require.

The World may have been the first cruise community of its kind, but it certainly won’t be the last.

Set to be launched in 2010 is the Mallegan, a $750 million dollar residential ship. At 76,000 tonnes, she is already proving popular. Although building has not yet been completed, many of the apartments and studios have already been sold to wealthy buyers including famous astronaut, Buzz Aldrin.

Norman Nixon, project director of Engineering Solutions took the concept of living onboard a cruise ship to a new level with The Freedom. A mind blowing near mile long floating city of 40,000 people that slowly transports residents around the world.

The ‘ship’ which will be approximately four times the length of the Queen Mary 2, will feature a school, university, a shopping mall and even a landing strip.

Again, the idea of residing onboard a ship was proven popular with a great deal of interest in the Freedom project, despite the fact that construction, due to begin in 2000, has still not started.

It is very difficult to judge the value of a life onboard a residential cruise ship as travelling around the earth year after year is pretty hard to put a price tag on.

However, we can see that the future is looking good, not only for those who can afford it, who are likely to find a greater choice of homes at sea, but also for those who currently may not have the money to invest in such a fanciful lifestyle. With the introduction of more and more residential ships, buyers may find prices are more competitive, and therefore, more affordable to a wider range of people.

Oh and did I mention a life at sea can have many tax benefits?

Now, where’s my calculator…



Weight Loss Reviews

Fred Tutwiler asked:


Most people who book a cruise for the first time (92%) will make their selection based on when they can go and how long they can stay. The second most important factor will be how much it costs. Everything else is dependant on those two items. In 2006, there were 112 different cruise ships operating out of U.S ports transporting about 10 million passengers on some 4,500 cruises. 70% of those 10 million people went to destinations in the Caribbean, and four cruise lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Celebrity- The Big Four) accounted for about 3/4 of passengers.

If you fall into that broad category, your choices will be fewer, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for something you don’t want. But simply asking “What’s the best ship (or cruise line)?” is kind of like asking “What’s the best beer?”, or “What’s the prettiest color?” The very things that one cruiser likes about a cruise are the things that other cruisers vigorously dislike. The good news is that whatever you do like, there is somebody out there doing a bang-up job providing it.

Generally speaking, the Big Four specialize in the “more-is-better” approach to cruising, while smaller cruise lines focus on more specific areas, such as 5-star quality, small intimate ships, enrichment, etc. Here are some factors you can consider when choosing your cruise.

Size of the Ship.

Here some general observations one can make regarding the size of the ship.

What the passengers are there for.

The bigger the ship, the greater the attention paid to make sure that the ship-board experience is as unforgettable as possible. This translates into activities, distractions and a festive, socially liberal, fun-and-games atmosphere. If that annoys you, these big ships may rub you the wrong way.

How many people you’ll be traveling with.

The bigger the ship, the more people there will be on it (duh). Generally speaking, families, singles and singles traveling in groups will prefer the non-stop beat of the large ships. On the other hand, if you prefer quiet and don’t like the crush of crowds at poolside or in the dining room, you’ll have much better luck in the smaller ships, especially the ones that hold fewer than 1200 passengers.

The types of ports you will visit.

Big ships go to big ports. Certain ports, such as Roatan, Honduras or Vera Cruz, Mexico, are only available to smaller ships. Sometimes those ports are the very thing that makes the cruise quite special. If the ports of call are at the top of your list of reasons to take a cruise, consider booking passage on smaller ships that have extended itineraries.

Age of the Ship

“Old” is a relative term in the cruise industry, meaning ships that were launched around 1990 or before (15+ years a go). Many of these ships were state-of-the-art at the time and trumpeted the absolute best cruising had to offer. But in the last 15 years, cruise ships have gotten bigger and more extravagant in ways that were unimaginable two decades ago.

Older ships are not bad, just different. Many are less efficiently designed and have more traditional layouts. Some of the extras and amenities that are common on the newer ships, like internet in your cabin, themed alternative dining restaurants, wave pools and ice rinks don’t usually exist on the older ships. Cabins are smaller, critical traffic areas (such as elevator lobbies and disembarkation lines) are congested and shops can be pretty cramped. Some passengers (not all) notice stale odors or complain that the ventilation systems in the cabins are cranky.

On the flip side, many of the older ships have been up-fitted and remolded in the last few years, and so are fine cruising vessels. They are primarily used on the shorter cruises (3-5 days) and generally charge lower fares. Take into the account the value of the cruise experience. Maybe the older ships aren’t as fresh and perfect as the newer ones, but the value they offer – what you get for what you pay – can be outstanding.

Design of the Ship

Whether it’s accomplished with an extreme makeover or during the building stage, cruise ships place a premium on the design. Some are designed for luxury, some for fun, some try to strike a middle ground. Ships are often given “star” ratings similar to those given to hotels. Some ships are 5-star, such as Holland America. Others are 4-star, such as Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Keep in mind, if you want 5-star, take a cruise on a 5-star ship. Don’t take a cruise on a 3- or 4-star ship and then be unhappy because it’s not top quality. A good source available on the internet, is the “Galaxsea.com” Cruise Ratings site (http://www.galaxsea.com/ratings.html).

I also highly recommended the various message boards that populate the internet. Such sites as Cruisecritic.com or Cruisemates.com are an excellent way to see what other people say about the ship and the itinerary you are considering. You can browse the hundreds of posts by people who have been there, and you can ask specific questions of people who take cruising very seriously.

Type of Entertainment

Whether it’s the combo that plays at poolside, the bands that perform in the clubs or the glitzy production numbers that grace the theatres, cruise ships put a lot of thought and a ton of money into presenting entertainment. Pick the right entertainment environment and you’ll spend sun-drenched days in blissful happiness. Pick the wrong one, and you’ll feel like you’re surrounded by a bunch of people scratching their fingernails on a chalkboard.

Entertainment isn’t just about the lounge/club/party scene. It’s also about cooking classes, lectures, watching a movie, wine tasting, the casino, getting your golf swing computer analyzed, karaoke, bingo, “game-show” games or touring the galley. You can get a good feel for the type of entertainment and activities a ship offers by going online and checking out the ships on-board newsletter. It lists EVERYTHING happening on the ship. Each cruise line’s website will have a sample version of their newsletter. If your travel agent is any good at all, they will have copies from a variety of cruises they have taken.

Dining

For many people, a cruise is all about the food. If you’re one of them, you’ll want to learn what your prospective ship has to offer.

Main Dining (aka Formal Dining). All cruise ships have at least one Main Dining venue and many ships have more than one. The main dining room is the embodiment of luxury and service on your ship and they all work hard to offer classy selections. It’s an opportunity to try food and preparation styles that you would never experience otherwise. The main dining rooms will also open for breakfast and lunch. There is no assigned seating for these meals, but you still get great service and the menu selections are very good.

Many ships now offer alternative restaurants that require reservations and/or a surcharge in which you can choose from restaurants that specialize in French cuisine, seafood, or any number of other themes. There is a $5 – $15 surcharge for each person, but for people that like the choice, it’s well worth the money. This option usually isn’t available on ships built before 1990, because the idea wasn’t popular enough to include the extra space needed.

Alternative Dining. In addition to the main dining room, all ships have a variety of interesting food options. Each has their own version of buffet lines that operate through-out the day, and naturally, some are better than others. New York style delis, pizza and sushi bars, and the always popular poolside grills are but a few of the ideas that are employed. Most ships now also provide coffee shops, bakeries and ice cream counters which usually cost extra. Room service is available 24-hours a day (no charge), with pastries and fruit in the mornings and sandwiches and pizza the rest of the day and night.

Available Services

Child Care and Youth Programs. Cruise lines understand that the people paying the tab need to have a good time if they are going to come back again. And the way that you make sure parents have a good time is to make sure the kids they are traveling with have a good time.

If you are planning a family cruise, you’ll want to travel on a ship that provides the best environment for the youngsters in your group. On the other hand, if you don’t want to have your space invaded by youngsters, you’ll want to stay away from cruise ships that make their youth programs a priority (such as Disney). Programs are set up to provide age appropriate activities and are usually free of charge. There will be an orientation about the youth programs on the first day of your cruise so you can get all the information you need, as well as meet the people who will be overseeing your kids.

Almost all ships provide in-cabin baby-sitting services for an extra fee. When provided, these services require you to pay cash directly to the sitter, rather than place the charge on your ship-board account.

Educational/Enrichment Programs. Alongside the more traditional programs like yoga, nutrition counseling and towel folding, some ships now offer programs on gourmet cooking, wine tasting, art education, digital photography, computers, flower arranging, ceramics and much more. Most are offered at no extra charge. The availability of programs increases the longer the cruise. Shorter cruises usually only have a single day at sea, which is the most popular time to offer these classes. Some cruise lines place as high a premium on enrichment programs as other cruise lines place on partying and fun.

Spa Facilities. Across the board, most ships consider a good spa and gym to be essential. Most cruise lines outsource their spa operation to Steiner Leisure Ltd. of London, England, who operate the spas on over one hundred cruise ships, including all of the spas on Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Disney ships. In all probability, no matter which ship you select, you’ll have a quality menu of options and a good spa.

Gymnasium/Fitness Center. While you can generally count on a consistent level of quality and service in the spas, unfortunately the same can’t always be said of the gyms. Some are absolutely spectacular. Others are little more than a closet with treadmills. The newer ships will have very nice gyms regardless of the cruise line. The older ships, i.e., those built before 1990, may or may not, depending on whether the ship has been recently refit. Exercise equipment usually includes treadmills, stationery bikes, weights and cardio machines and most come staffed with one or two Fitness Directors. Fitness centers usually include men’s and women’s locker rooms, whirlpools, saunas and steam baths.

Internet. Most ships have some kind of internet access, but it is a relatively new technology as far as passenger services go. On the newer ships, there is access all over the ship, even in many cabins. But the older vessels have more limited access. “Internet Cafes” are as common as casinos. Cruise lines are working hard to implement ship-wide wireless internet access and they are definitely getting there. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to check your e-mail at poolside. In some cases, wireless access is limited to one or two locations. If you do bring your laptop, finding electrical outlets on the ship can be REALLY hard. Make sure your battery is charged. Laptops and wireless cards can be rented on board.

Cabin Size and Options

There are basically four options for cabins; inside, ocean view, suite or balcony (some ships call it “verandah”).

Inside: The least expensive cabin aboard. The size of cabins can vary greatly from one ship to another. RCCL Sovereign-class ships are ridiculously small (119 square feet), whereas a similarly priced cabin on Carnival is about 50% larger (187 square feet).

Outside: Usually an identical layout to the inside cabins, but has a window or portal. The difference in price between a standard inside cabin and an ocean view cabin ranges from $10 – $40 per night (NOT per cruise) depending on the ship and the time of year. In almost all cases, outside cabins, whether or not they have balconies, are larger, sometimes by as much as 15%. If your outside cabin is on one of the decks that has an exterior deck, you won’t necessarily see much ocean and you’ll have to deal with people walking outside your window all day.

Balcony. Before 1990, balconies were not considered important, and so most ships built during that time either didn’t have any at all or have only a few. For all of the newer ships, i.e. those built after 1995, balconies are plentiful. A balcony will add $20 – $30 per night to the cost of an outside cabin, which usually works out to about twice as much as the cost of an inside cabin. For a 3-day cruise, given the short amount of time you’ll spend in your cabin, a balcony may not be worth double the cost.

Suite. Actually, “suite” is a pretty generous description, since what you’re actually getting is an extra large cabin (about twice the size of your standard cabin and 3 – 4 times the cost). There are some suites that provide separate sleeping quarters and private hot tubs on the balcony but these are very limited and very expensive (5 – 10 times as expensive as an inside cabin). Most suites are a larger, and usually better furnished, version of a standard cabin.

When considering cabin options, think about how many people will be sharing it and much time you’ll be using it. The longer the cruise, the more important size and balconies become. Location of the cabin also determines desirability (and cost). For example, lower cabins sometimes pick up engine noise or the sound of the anchor dropping, but they do tend to be more stable in rough seas. Cabins located close to the action near the middle of the ship are convenient, but may also be in high traffic areas which translates into noise in the halllway outside your cabin.

Itinerary

Caribbean cruises are broken down into 3 broad regions – Western Caribbean (Cozumel or Playa del Carmen, Mexico; Grand Cayman; Key West, FL; the Dominican Republic; Jamaica; Belize; or Costa Rica), Eastern Caribbean (Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. John, Puerto Rico, or Turks & Caicos) and Southern Caribbean (Aruba, Martinique, Barbados or St. Thomas).

Western Caribbean cruises tend to include more sea days because the destinations are so far apart and the distance one must travel across the Gulf of Mexico is so long. If you take one of these, make sure you choose a ship you’re going to like because you’ll be spending a lot of time on it.

Eastern and Southern Caribbean cruises usually include more ports of call (the islands are right next to each other) and therefore offer a wider variety of venues. That doesn’t mean you’ll have a wider variety of activities. The basic offerings from port to port will generally be the same type of activity, just different scenery.

Some things you’ll want to consider in addition to where you are going:

How long will you be there? Ships that are in port for only part of a day only allow enough time for one shore excursion and may not leave time for shopping or bar hopping. Ships that stay in port overnight, or at least until midnight allow for more diversity of activities in port.

When do you arrive/leave? This can matter, for example, if you want to do a sunset dinner cruise, but the ship pulls out sundown. Likewise, if you’ve booked a shore excursion on your own that requires a pick-up time at 9:30 am, but your ship doesn’t dock until noon, you’ll lose your money.

How do you get ashore? Sometimes the cruise ships tie up at a pier and you just head down to the gangway and walk ashore. Other times the ship has to anchor away from the dock and deliver people ashore via tenders, which means there will be a bottle neck getting on and off the ship. This can be a major pain, especially if the ship is one of the super liners that has to disgorge 3,000+ passengers. Also, the roughness of the wind and water can hamper tender activities and can even cause the ship to decide to not stay in the port.

In Summary

For many cruisers, you won’t really care about all of these factors. No problema. Just pay attention to the ones that are important to you. Whether you are booking through a travel agent or directly with the cruise line, ask about the issues that are important to you and make sure you check out the online reviews and message boards to get objective info.

HAPPY CRUISING!



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