Cruise.co.uk go the extra mile for Christmas party...7 to be exact!

The weekend of the 19th December was our Cruise.co.uk Christmas cruise and it was certainly full of unexpected twists and one we will never forget!! Here is our story of traffic jams, snow, team effort and a 7 mile motorway hike to get onboard the ship....

Amsterdam at Christmas!

Here at Cruise.co.uk we have recently been very lucky to have our Christmas party onboard the Fred Olsen Balmoral for a 2 night cruise to Amsterdam! That's what we get in return for being the No 1 Specialist Cruise Consultants....

Here are some wonderful pictures of my day in Amsterdam, it was a winter wonderland and felt VERY Christmassy!

Cruisin' for a Bruisin'?

With today's uncertain economic climate and soaring oil prices, we all wondered whether we had seen the last cruise sail on the horizon. However, extraordinarily the cruise industry has remained resilient in the face of adversity and continues to grow from strength to strength. This is because cruises offer incredible value for money compared to land based holidays and this has been recognised in times of hardship!

With increasing demand to cater for a wider range of people, cruise lines have shown themselves to become incredibly agile, with the introduction of multi-million pound ships, such as the immense Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, amongst many more!

Here at Cruise.co.uk, we have recently employed 12 new cruise specialists so that we can deal with the growing demand for cruises and can continue to offer the best service around.

So with the cruise lines continuing to pump millions of pounds to facilitate the growing demand, is the industry crusin for a bruisin in the recession? ..... I think not! Happy sailing in 2010!

Cruising dreams shattered by yobs!!

I have just been watching our regional news on ITV1 and was absolutely horrified to hear the story about a young local lad from Birmingham, suffering from cancer and on the verge of complete blindness, having his house robbed along with £8000 worth of life savings which he was saving to take his dream holiday on a Caribbean cruise...

Tips on tipping...

Tipping practices vary greatly amongst the cruise lines today, ranging from a required added service charge to no tipping at all on the British cruise lines. It is very important that you know the policy of the cruise line before you cruise so you can budget accordingly. When planning your cruise, check with your travel agent or the cruise line about the tipping policy. Often the recommended tips, which run from about $10 to $15 per passenger per day, are published in the cruise brochure or on the cruise line Web page. The cruise director will also remind passengers (sometimes over and over) about how much and who the cruise line recommends you tip.

Ladies, looking for a friend??

If you are a single female traveller and are fed up with paying single supplements or just holidaying on your own this site is the place for you, go to http://www.thelmandlouise.com/  the site gives single females the opportunity to meet up with other likeminded single females to share all types of holidays including cruising!

Say goodbye to lonely holidays....

Say no to upgrades! Are they worth the risk?

I have just been chatting to one of my clients who have just come back off the Queen Victoria; she mentioned that although she was upgraded complimentary by a couple of cabin grades, she was moved from being mid ship to the forward of the ship. She wasn't ungrateful of this but she did say that compared to when she was on her previous cruise in a mid ship cabin they did get a little bit seas sick!

Love is in the air...NO its in the Sea!!

Another great picture from my recent Helicopter ride over the beautiful shore line of the Dominican Republic....

It is there Nation Emblem - a natural Reef in the shape of 2 love hearts...aaahhhhhh love is in the Sea!

January Sales Start December!!

Hate waiting for the January Sales to get your bargains?! Then wait no more!!

Starting from 1st Dec Cunard, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are implementing there new campaigns for 2010 from 15th Dec NCL and from 28th December P&O, Princess and Ocean Village...to include REDUCED FARES,BALCONY BONAZAS, FREE UPGRADES, ONBOARD CREDIT and much more...

MISS IT MISS OUT!

Contact Julia on 0800 408 6089 for more details.

Ship wrecked in Dominican...

On my recent trip to the Dominican Republic i had the privilege of taking a Helicopter ride, brave of me i know!! From the view above we caught an amazing glimps of an old ship wreck sitting on the shore line...take a look at this picture....

Visit my page on http://www.cruise.co.uk/ or call my freephone number for info on the best ships around, and i promise none of them will look like that!

Cruising Tip of the Week...

FLEXIBLE DINING...

Don’t like being tied to set dinner times? Then flexible dining is for you!
Most cruise lines now offer an open dining option, otherwise known as Freedom dining with P&O, My Time Dining for Royal Caribbean, Any Time Dining for Princess and Celebrity Select for Celebrity.

YOU NEED TO BE AWARE that if you take Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, however, you must pre pay your gratuities at the time of booking.

Feel free to contact me on 0800 408 6089 or juliar@cruise.co.uk for more details.

Chuffing Hell...!!! Spanish Smokers...

Smoking can be quite a bone of contention on cruises for both none smokers and smokers alike, whether you smoke or not it can be quite a touchy subject.
As a smoker its "where can we smoke" and as a non smoker its "you can’t smoke here or that stinks" So, i decided, as a none smoker that this would be a great place for me to point my own (albeit whinging!) point across from my personal experience recently on the Navigator of the seas and the Spanish smokers.....