Archive for June, 2009
Get Away From It All With A Freighter Cruise
Is the noise the traffic the stress of everyday living getting to you? Ever wish you could just get away from it all and forget the economy the boss the daily upheavals for a little while? Ever dream about long sunny afternoons sailing the high seas? Is your idea of a dream vacation a time of solitude laidback laziness and a nofrills nononsense atmosphere?
If you answered “yes yes Yes YES!” to the questions above then perhaps a freighter cruise is just the relief you need from your overstressed overdressed lifestyle. And with a freighter cruise you can get away from it all while getting somewhere. A freighter cruise would not break the bank either. But you need to be prepared for a bit more adventure than your average cruise.
Freighter cruises are not fancy. They are not jam packed with activities or people. Freighters offer you a cabin meals a chance to get to know the crew a lounge or recreation room visits to various ports of call and lots of time to just relax and unwind. Freighter cruises can be as short as a week or two or as long as 18 weeks around the world sailing. Your choices for freighter cruises destinations durations and costs are nearly unlimited. With most cruises costing between 90 and 120 per night they have got the cruise lines beat hands down on prices. In short there is a freighter cruise for everyone.
Freighter ships cabins can range from bunkbedberthssharethebath dormitory type rooms to suites that accommodate with a queensized bed refrigerator bath with tub and large windows rather than portholes. Most freighter cabins are in the “standard” range meaning they are about the equivalent of the lowerclass cabins available on cruise liners. Some freighters cabins were initially designed for the company “big wigs” and can be quite posh. One thing about your cabin you may find that cabins on lower levels of the superstructure have their portholes blocked by the freight containers being carried by the ship. Just remember the ships purpose is to carry the goods you are just along for the ride.
Depending on the ship and the freight company you may or not have a steward to care for your room. So be prepared to make your own bed set out your trash bin and in general tidy up after yourself. Unlike cruise lines most freighter cruises do not penalize the single traveler for occupying a double cabin. In fact some have gone out of their way to encourage the single traveler in joining them.
Freighter cruise cuisine can vary greatly too from ship to ship and company to company. Dining aboard a freighter is informal so you have no need to pack a suit and tie or fancy dress. There is one and only one dining room aboard a freighter. Meals are generally served at fixed times in one to two hour windows. Many freighters open the pantry or galley 24/7 for selfserve snacks or refreshment but you may want to pack some of your favorites or purchase them in port just in case there is nothing to your liking. Your cook will be the crews cook and the cuisine served will be what the crew eats. So if your freighter is of German registry be prepared to eat German dishes.
On the other hand if your crew is of mixed nationality say Filipino German French and Scandinavian you may just be in for a culinary adventure as the galley tries to satisfy the varied palates. Eating in the same dining room with the crew can pose some adventures of its own too. While English is the international language of the sea your formerly East German captain may be more at ease with Russian while his French First Mate ends up translating everything the Filipino Engineer adds to the dinner conversation. Some things freighters do not normally offer endless buffets special meals vegetarian diabetic etc. or gourmet haute cuisine.
Freighter cruises do not provide much if any formal organized entertainment. There will most certainly be a lounge or recreation room shared by crew and passenger alike to provide a place for watching DVDs or videos playing cards or board games and a shipboard library of wellread paperbacks. You will definitely want to take along your own entertainment and reading material though as your viewing and reading choices may be as multilinguistic as the dining room. A short wave radio might be a good idea as AM/FM types do not receive any signals offshore. There is no internet or mobile phone connection either. Some freighter cruises do have a swimming pool most are indoors but some can be found on deck. Some offer an exercise room too.
Many passengers spend their time in walks around the deck or lounging about in a deck chair catching a few rays. There are long afternoons for napping chatting reading or writing. Did you know Alex Haley wrote much of his groundbreaking bestseller “Roots” while serving aboard a freighter? Some ships engineers offer tours of their engine room while bridge visits with the captain or first officer are welcomed by some crews. In short your shipboard entertainment varies widely from freighter to freighter. What you would not find on a freighter cruise are days crammed with organized nonstop activities BINGO casinos Vegas style shows and trips to the spa.
Port visits with a freighter cruise can be adventures in their own right. First while commercial cruises run on tight schedules freighters do not. So that might mean your scheduled stop in port at 8am may not happen until 8pm. Or not happen until next Tuesday for that matter. Secondly most cargo docks are well off the beaten path. Be prepared to spend a good bit on taxi or bus fare just to reach “civilization” and even more to get to any touristy type attractions. Third time in port usually depends on the dockhands and port master.
You may end up not having enough time to even leave the ship if the offloading/loading is completed sooner than originally thought. Lastly some port visits may be cancelled while en route depending on the cargo contracts with the freight company. An expected call may not occur at all if the shipping company does not have enough outgoing cargo to warrant it.
Freighter cruising may not be for everyone. It is not a glamorous or glitzy way to travel. While it does have its benefits from a lower price than most cruise lines to a chance to really get away from it all its drawbacks may put off some who prefer a bit more pampering to a freighter cruises adventurous nature.
About the writer: Freighter Cruises.com has something unique to offer. Incorporating Freighter Travel Club International and Freighter and Specialty Cruises Maris offers a variety of voyages from coastal and island specialties to oneway ocean crossings and around the world cruise.
Future Of Cruise Ship Innovations
2008 is an exciting year for cruising with the addition of 8 new cruise ships to the booming market.
April POs Ventura MSC Poeisa
May Independence of the Seas Royal Caribbean
July Carnival Splendor Ms Eurodam Holland America
Nov Ruby Princess MSC Fantasia
Dec Celebrity Solstice
Each ship is being built on the promise that it will be bigger and better than its current sailing rivals with a heavy focus on innovations at sea. Already we have ice skating rinks rock climbing walls F1 simulators self leveling pool tables boxing rings bowling alleys and 4 deck high water slides. So the big question everyones asking is; what could possibly be coming next?
Well the answer is grass. Real growing green grass.
Celebrity Cruises have proudly announced that their latest fleet addition the Solstice will feature a grassed lawn area where guests may enjoy bocce ball and croquet practice their putting picnic with a basket of wine and cheese or simply feel the grass between their toes while sailing the oceans of the world. And if all the grass isnt too much excitement you can go and watch the hot glass show another industry first.
Clever or just plain dull?
Is this really the best they can come up with? Or are they taking a brave step outside of the current innovation trend box? In reality the ice skating rinks are a little on the small side the bowling alleys only have 4 lanes and does anyone really want to go boxing?
It seems the cruise companies are measuring their success on the uniqueness of their ship innovations but I wonder if thats what todays typical cruise passenger is really looking for.
Pre 1960s cruising was all about the destination the ship simply providing comfortable accommodation. Then came more emphasis on the actual voyage itself with the onboard experience becoming as important as the destination. It seems we may now be facing a uturn with more and more cruisers wanting to explore new undiscovered places which offer a more intimate cruise experience which the mega liners just cant offer.
In spite of this the cruise industry seems to be confidently striving forward with their bigger is better approach with Royal Caribbeans mind blowing Genesis project on the horizon. Building by far the largest ships at sea 2009 will see a vessel that has a capacity of over 5000 passengers with a gross tonnage in excess of 220000 tonnes compared to the current largest the Queen Mary 2 at a mere 160000 tonnes its a pretty outstanding figure.
Surely there must be concerns over the damage a ship that large may cause. For a long time cruise ship damage seems to have been ignored when in reality they are one of the worlds largest uncontrolled sources of air pollution and surprisingly more damaging than flying. Sewage oil contamination and coral reef damage are all becoming increasing concerns.
Royal Caribbean have recognized this and have stated that one of the most important priorities for the new ships is energy efficiency and the minimisation of waste to make the ship as environmentally friendly as possible.
What they cant control is annoying disembarkation queues port over crowding and inaccessible ports. But at least there is a boxing ring to let out all those frustrations if its not already been booked up
So what is coming next? Whilst some of the cruise lines are heading down the more subtle route others are sailing full steam ahead with their innovative ship features. What do you think of the current cruise ship innovations? Have you ever made use of them whilst onboard? Would an ice rink and bowling alley influence your choice of ship? What do you imagine future innovations may be? And would you fancy a trip on the Genesis class ships?
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Genna Roberts is web editor at Inside Cruise an online cruise community packed with all the latest cruise news reviews and features.
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Flexible Trips Buy Airline Tickets Early And Find Some Really Cheap Flights!
Check this out! Today there are many tools for acquiring some awesome airline tickets but you should know that you wont be flying first class. Aside from the online sites there are many traditional ways of finding cheap flights.
1. Analyze all the prices from 3 airports that are located the nearest from you. For example flights from or to Baltimore/Washington can often prove to be really cheap flights in comparison with Dulles or Reagan. All you have to do is therefore keep your area of choices wide open analyze all the supply available on the airline tickets market and do this for both destination and home airport. A helping hand for you in this matter are some of the search engines available online that are specially designed to do this for you if you dont have the time or the necessary mood to do all these investigations all by yourself.
2. If your trip involves crossing the midAtlantic corridor you should take the train. This is often a relatively luxurious alternative that helps you save money and that is always preferable to cattlecar flights. It is as well way faster than traveling by car or plane when congestion or bad weather conditions lead to neverending traffic delays that can mess up all of your plans and ruin your day.
3. Overshoot. And that is more indicated especially if you have as a destination a hub city such as Atlanta Chicago New York etc. Search carefully for cheap flights to minor destinations on airlines that use your target city as a hub. And dont check any bags!
4. Try to have an airline employee as a friend. It is a very clever and handy way as well as the only one discovered by now of flying on cheap flights. This is called a buddy fare and is exclusively on a space available basis.
5. As a final option consider driving or if you are a person that gets tired easily you can always take the bus. After all you are planning to go on vacation and why not make the most of your spare time if you are not in a hurry?
For international flights or between major US cities you should check nonUS airlines like Air France Air New Zealand and others whose quality may prove to be much better for the same price as a US flight and there are two great ways of doing this:
1. When you consider traveling internationally you should search for an agency a real live agency that is located in a neighborhood having a high percentage of citizens from the country that you are traveling to. These types of agencies buy out grand chunks of a flight that giving you the opportunity of getting cheap flights.
2. Give a quick reading to the American Express website. It has not been proved yet what kind of mysterious factor determines what I am about to share with you but their fares are almost always the cheapest around that you can find after scouring all the other places regarding airline tickets and cheap flights.
If you consider going on a trip either for business or for pleasure the most important thing is to know to shop for airline tickets early Wednesday mornings because that is the time of the week when the airlines regularly release new airline tickets/fares. It is true: they chance prices constantly but on Wednesday mornings there is some kind of special renewal of prices.
About the writer: Scientists that collaborate with different airline websites have developed search engines for cheap flights giving you the opportunity of sparing your time and energy on searching all by yourself the airline tickets that best suit your specific needs and financial possibilities.