14 June 2009 - 7 Night Italian Mediterranean Cruise, £499WHICH CRUISE
Which Size?
Which Category?
Cruises with Special Interest
Cruise-and-Stay
River Cruising
Cruising for the Disabled/Special Needs
WHICH SIZE
There are three ship sizes - Small, Midsize and Large
Choose a large ship if you prefer big facilities and entertainment and of course to mix with a lots of people.
Choose a midsize ship for some entertainment and a smaller choice of facilities.
Choose a small ship if you prefer a quiet holiday with little or no entertainment .
The Passenger Space Ratio (PSR) will determine the space that you will have on the ship; how crowded it
will be. To calculate the ratio you divide the gross tons by the number of passengers.
Of course the higher rate the better less crowded the ship ia, but at a cost.
| Small | up to 500 passengers | 25,000 tons |
| Midsize | from 500 to 1,000 passengers | 50,000 tons |
| Large | more than 1,000 passengers | 150,000 tons |
| Space | PSR |
| The Ultimate | 50 |
| Very Spacious | 30 to 50 |
| Reasonably Spacious | 20 to 30 |
| Moderately Spacious | 10 to 20 |
| Extremely Crowded | less than 10 |
WHICH CATEGORY
Standard (st): The budget entry level cruise with the value for money policy.
Superior (sup): Still with a high density ratio but with a greater attention to services and food.
Premier (pr): A higher service quality with a full range of facilities.
Deluxe: With a good density ratio (around 35), you will find a more personal touch to details.
Ultra Deluxe: The best of the best but at a price. The density ratio will be around 50.
CRUISE WITH SPECIAL INTEREST
Disney offer an outstanding selection of activities with something for everyone aboard Disney's two cruise ships, the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. Sporting activities include watersports, cycles, kayaks and biking. The 975 seat Walt Disney theatre (offering three Broadway style musicals), three themed nightclubs and a piano bar and dance offer unprecedented shipboard entertainment, whilst the unique rotation dining system across three themed restaurants offers guests cuisine of the highest quality.
CRUISE AND STAY
Celebrity Cruises offer the chance to cruise and stay through their Stay Longer programme. Guests can extend their holidays before or after a cruise staying at a choice of hotels and resorts in Florida, The Caribbean, New York and Canada. Car hire is also available.
Costa cruise line offer from December to April, when Costa Atlantica and Costa Victoria are based in Fort Lauderdale, cruises on both ships can be combined with a stay in Florida. Costa offers a choice of four hotels, three in Fort Lauderdale, and one in Orlando which is situated very close to Walt Disney World Resort.
The Walt Disney Travel Company offers the new nine-night cruise on board the Disney Magic or Disney Wonder, combined with two nights at Walt Disney World Resort. They also operate a seven-night package including three/four nights at sea and three/four nights on land. Many other operators offer other cruise and stay options with Disney Cruise Line. Cruises feature outstanding Disney differences at every point and combine visits to Nassau and Disney's private Caribbean island: Castaway Cay.
Royal Caribbean International offers guests a chance to Cruise-and-Stay through its Cruise Combo programme. Packages are available at most destinations, from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, and a stay can be arranged prior to, or following, a cruise. In addition to cruise combinations Royal Caribbean also offer two centre holidays in Florida, and the Caribbean, at a choice of resorts.
RIVER CRUISING
River ships are smaller than ocean cruise ships. Most vessels on European waterways carry around 150 passengers rising to 300 on the Russian Neva waterways and lakes. River cruises travel by day and stop at night - the opposite to most ocean cruises. River passengers consider themselves to be on a journey, rather than on a cruise. River cruises are more educational than indulgent. Passengers can sightsee from the comfort of the ship. Rivers are nations’ thoroughfares. You see a completely different aspect of a country from a river. Every river has its own character, with perhaps the best example being the Nile where life hasn’t changed for thousands of years.
The Yangtse is the world’s third longest river. Most cruises will visit the River Gorges area. The Lesser Three Gorges (or Three Small Gorges) where the Yangtse joins the Danin is one of the most scenic points of the river and can be reached on a separate small boat from Wushan. Other interesting ports of call and excursions could include Yichang, at the entrance of the Xilinmg gorge in western Hubei province, Fengdu which houses more than 700 temples and is known as Ghost City and Yeuyang in the northern Huan province where the Yangtse river and the Donging lake merge.
The Mississippi stretches through the heartland of America from Minneapolis St Paul in the North down through St Louis and Memphis to New Orleans in the South.
The Neva and Volga inland rivers, waterways and lakes of Russia, offer a journey linking St Petersburg with Moscow and vice versa. The deeper rivers of Russia mean that ships tend to be larger than on Western European rivers. Ships carrying 250 to 300 people are common as are five deck ships all offering an excellent quality alternative to local hotels.
The Danube, in September 1992 a new canal was opened linking Bamberg and Kelheim. This link meant that for the first time, ships that cruised the Rhine could also travel to the Danube. Prior to 1992 only a few older ships had sailed on the Danube.
The Elbe - The dramatic political transformation of Eastern Europe over the past few years has had a significant impact on the popularity of cruises on the Elbe. The Elbe river starts in the giant mountains of Bohemia and flows through the Czech lowlands into Germany cutting through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, which it has eroded over the millennia into fantastic rock formations.
Ports of call include Dresden, a glorious treasure of art, Meissen, one of the world’s renowned names in porcelain and Wittenberg where Martin Luther founded the Protestant Reformation. Extended stays are highly recommended in Berlin and Prague prior to, or following, the Elbe cruise.
Seine - Cruising the Seine provides two days to explore the fascinating city of Paris. The river journey includes visits to Giverney with Monet’s stone farmhouse and its world famous gardens, Les Andelys, Rouen with its famous Cathedral and Honfleur. The river journey along the Seine takes eight days as the ship meanders the river passing meadows, forests and streams.
Rhone - A River journey on the Rhone includes stops at the most famous wine-growing areas of France and the colourful history of the Rhone Valley with its many fine examples of Romanesque architecture.
The cruise covers the tranquil region of the Soane and Rhone before entering the unspoilt orchard of Drome and cruising onwards past lavender-scented hills to Provence where the history and landscapes inspired such artists as Cezanne, Chagall and Van Gogh.
The great triangular plain of Lombardy lying between the northern Alps and the Apennines is drained by the river Po which flows from west to east rising in the Ligurian Alps near the French frontier and flowing across a Delta into the Gulf of Venice.
CRUISING FOR THE DISABLED / SPECIAL NEEDS
Cruising is, in many ways, an excellent option for the wheelchair-bound because it takes people to a variety of destinations without the worry of transferring baggage and checking into and out of a succession of hotels.
Modern medical facilities mean passengers can rest assured that professional help is at hand for ongoing health problems or any emergencies arise. And - rather more enjoyably - futuristic health treatments, now available on so many ships, enable passengers of all fitness levels to enjoy relaxing and beneficial treatments like massage, Reiki and thalassotherapy. back to top
For the hearing impaired the Hollywood Theatres are equipped with a StarsSound Infrared Hearing System; and selected TV programmes offer closed-captioned programming.
Disney Cruise Line offers a thorough selection of facilities for guests with disabilities on all itineraries and across both ships: Disney Wonder and Disney Magic. A number of wheelchair accessible staterooms are available in most stateroom categories as well as a well equipped on-board medical centre.
Royal Caribbean International provides specially configured staterooms, wide corridors, functional bathroom facilities and special devices to aid the hearing and visually impaired. Any special conditions requiring medical treatment or attention must be reported to reservations in writing at the time of booking..Royal Caribbean International can also accommodate most special diets and oxygen therapy (liquid oxygen, compressed gas oxygen or oxygen concentrator), continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis only.
