Cruising Adds Features Galore
Did you know that on certain Royal Caribbean ships you can rent a personal shipboard I-Phone which includes on-ship guiding and family walkie-takie features? Did you know that it’s possible to take a cupcake decorating class at sea? Did you know that first-run 3-D movies from Dreamworks are available on the Oasis and Allure of the Seas mega-ships? Did you know that on several ships you can buy a single class of vintage wine from state of the art enology vending machines? And, did you know that the first Starbucks at Sea is so popular that customers will wait in long lines to get their special coffee fix?
The cruise industry has come a long way from the days of shuffleboard and giant jackpot bingo (both still available on most ships). Now, it’s possible to take a seminar on reflexology before heading to a Sudoku Challenge match or to a spa café with the ultimate in healthy food choices. I-Pads are now being used as menus for onboard specialty restaurants. And that doesn’t cover ice rinks, surf riders, zip-lines, aqua theatres, big name Broadway shows, and the list goes on and on.
Not to be outdone by the big ships, smaller cruise lines like Azamara Club Cruises have refined their onboard experiences to appeal to a customer who enjoys quality without large numbers of passengers getting in their way. Complimentary wine at lunch and dinner, expedited boarding and disembarking procedures, romantic dinners outdoors with candles (electric), acoustic guitar music and casual attire, free self-service laundry’s, special customer help concierge desks and wonderful on-deck show barbecues with ship’s officers as servers are a few of the product tweaks that are working for Azamara.
Regent Seven Seas is offering free shore excursions and free pre or post hotels stays with their cruises. On the Prince Albert II, free customized parkas, gloves and boots are included for Antarctic cruises. Silversea offers free air, subsidized business class air and onboard credits of up to $1000. The ultra-luxury market has become very value competitive.
The options being offered to cruisers today literally boggles the mind. When compared to other vacations, cruising is still a terrific value. All of these choices reinforce the need to use a professional cruise travel counselor, preferably from Cruise Holidays of Woodinville, who is aware of all the best of cruising, to help build that perfect, customized cruise vacation.
www.woodinville.cruiseholidays.com
Tags: cruising, family cruises, luxury cruising, play at sea, things to do on a cruise
