Celebrity vs P&O for Fjords & Iceland Cruise 2013

I have recently found a few passengers defecting from P&O to try Celebrity.

Many of these passengers like to have balcony cabins and are finding that they can get a much
cheaper deal with Celebrity on cruises from Southampton than they can on P&O which they do find quite
confusing.

I have been looking at the costs for someone to do an Iceland and Fjords cruise for 2013.

Looking at the previews we have had through there a couple with P&O deparing in June and July.

So I compared the prices between the two either travelling on the P&O or the Celebrity Eclipse on the 6th July.

Lead prices on th P&O cruises start from £2279 up to £2564 per person depending on the position of the cabins on the ship.

With Celebrity the very lowest priced balcony would cost you £1909 to £2019 without going up to Concierge level and above.

So I can definately see why they are an attractive option for clients and they even have tea-making in
the cabins so you will not miss out on your early morning cuppa.

So all you clients out there it is always worth exploring the alternatives as you may well get
a bargain.

North East looking to welcome more cruise ships to its port

North shields is not a port that you would think of immediately as one that has cruise ships
docking and departing for cruises.

Over the last few years they have been gradually encourages more ships to use them and I say
good luck to them, it opens up more opportunities for travellers scattered around the North of the
UK to take advantage of cruises without having to make that long trek down to Southampton or
Dover.

In August 2010 they were lucky to have Holland America's Westerdam dock and since then many
cruises with the likes of Fred Olsen featuring a selection of cruises from Newcastle and also Cruise and Maritime who have a small selection of cruises from Newcastle.

I have booked passengers with Fred Olsen who live in the North West who have travelled to Newcastle because for them they would rather have 2 hours 40 minutes in the car than 4-5 hours travelling south.

This year they are expecting 37 ships to dock which is nearly double what they had last year when they had just 20. 17 of these will actually be starting their journey from North East.

Great news for the economy in the North East as well as great news for all of you who would like
to find a cruise that you can embark on closer to home.

Keep up the good work Newcastle and lets hope you can attract more and more cruise ships which will
encourage more passengers and give everyone a boost.

How friendly is a cruise

When speaking to my clients either before they book or when they have returned from their
cruise I am amazed at some of the stories that I hear of people making friends or even finding love on their cruises.

So many times do I hear , we are meeting friends we made on a cruise 3 years ago or one year ago.
Or sometimes my clients tell me that they are visiting friends across the globe who they met on a cruise
x amount of years ago.

Sometimes there are also the stories of blossoming romances or weddings or just great friendships between people that last for years and years.

Now of course when you travel on a package holiday you can still make friends but I do believe that
cruise holidays bring people together from all areas of life and keep them firmly bonded for many many years.

Single people often worry about being alone when they cruise but I do not think they will be
alone for long, there are always people around who take the time and trouble to talk to others.

Now you still have to choose your cruise wisely of course because the larger ships may not be
as intimate so meeting others regularly may not be the same as when you are on a smaller ship so
you should always ask for advice if you are worried.

With many of the cruise lines now on sale or due to go on sale shortly for 2013 now is the time to start
thinking ahead, if you havent cruised before take that step and give it a go and if you are a seasoned cruiser then get together with your friends wherever they may be and start planning for all that all important cruise.

Black Sea Cruises - A popular choice

Over the last month I have had received alot of enquiries for cruises visiting the Black Sea.

Now most of the passengers I have spoken to have visited most Med ports and are looking for
something just a little different without them having to jump on an airplane to take them out of
Europe.

I was surprised when checking around how popular some of these cruises are and one of
my clients who wanted a single cabin on a Fred Olsen cruise to the Black Sea at the end of September, there are no single cabins left so we were left with no choice but to put him on a Waitlist as he didnt want to pay double the price for a double for sole occupancy.

Cunard Cruises are offering a fly cruise to the Black Sea starting from Venice on the 30th September which ha a lovely itinerary visiting Istanbul/Yalta/Odessa and Nessabur as well as Olympia/Mykonos and Santorina, this cruise finishes at Piraeus.

P&O cruises also this year have a 24 night cruise from Southampton on the Azura on the 18th September,
again this has an interesting itinerary calling at Lisbon/Malta/Rhodes/Yalta/Odessa 2 full days in Istanbul before returning back to Southampton via Kusadasi/Piraeus and Palma.


So for all you out there looking for something just a little different it is worth having a look at what is on offer to tempt you.