Royal Caribbean cruises to ports of call all around the world. Their ships range in size from the (relatively) small Empress of the Seas that carries just over 2,000 passengers, to the incredibly large Freedom family of ships, each of which can carry 3,634 voyagers. An as-yet-unnamed ship is currently being built that will carry an incredible 5,400 guests out to sea.

So where do all these people go? Well, that depends on the time of year. In the summer, many people want to cruise north. Alaska is one of the most popular destinations, and Royal Caribbean serves that area with four ships: the Radiance of the Seas, the Vision of the Seas, the Serenade of the Seas, and the Rhapsody of the Seas.

Departing from San Francisco, Seattle, or Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, these cruises are typically 7 nights, although Royal Caribbean offers 13- and 14-night cruises, as well. Ports of call include Hubbard Glacier, Skagway, Icy Strait, Ketchikan, and the Inside Passage.

Three time zones away, the summer cruise north to New England and Canada is also popular. Departing from several destinations along the east coast, this cruise takes voyagers into and past Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, and New Brunswick before returning home.

Looking for something a little more exotic? Try leaving from Sydney, Australia on the Rhapsody of the Seas for a cruise that will take you around Australia and over to New Zealand before returning to Australia. These cruises sail during the northern hemisphere’s fall and winter seasons, which means it’s a glorious spring and summer "down under". Now that’s how you shake off those winter blues!

But some people say cruising is about kicking back and watching the water go by. If that’s your style, consider Royal Caribbean’s transatlantic crossings. These typically take 12 to 15 nights and you’ll sail on one of several ships. In the shoulder seasons (spring and fall), you can find great bargains on these cruises by booking a "repositioning" cruise.

Many cruise ships sail northern routes in the summer and southern routes in the winter. In between they must be moved from one locale to another. This is called "repositioning" and it may involve big savings for you.

The sailing is one-way, of course. Once the ship gets to its new destination, it won’t be returning to the old locale for about six months. You need to be prepared to return home on your own, but the savings on these cruises can make buying a plane ticket a no-brainer.

Winter cruises are most popular to warmer climates, like Bermuda, Hawaii, and South America. Royal Caribbean sails its Splendour of the Seas to Sao Paulo, Brazil in winter and spring. These cruises last from 3 to 8 nights, although there is a longer, 14-night cruise that includes Brazil and the Panama Canal. All of these depart from Sao Paulo, Brazil, except for the 14-night cruise, which departs from Ft. Lauderdale.

Check travel web sites or contact a cruise specialist to stay on top of bargains being offered on Royal Caribbean cruises. There are often specials offered on short cruises, underbooked sailings, or off-season routes.

If you’re interested in shore excursions, package deals that include airfare (if required), cruise, transfers and several excursions may turn out to be cheaper than purchasing each thing separately. A Royal Caribbean cruise can include as much or as little as you like, so you can design the vacation that’s just right for you.

Royal Caribbean cruise ships have a little of something for everyone. When you’re looking for a cruise, you’ll want to keep these cruises in mind because of all they have to offer. You’ll visit great destinations and experience onboard attractions that’ll keep you busy for the whole cruise. Unless, of course, you want to curl up on a sunny deck and enjoy the ocean breezes with a martini and a good book.

Royal Caribbean believes that getting to your destination should be just as fun as the time you spend in the port city. To that end, they’ve created cruise ships that blend together many different activities, classes, and entertainment to make your entire cruise something to remember. While you’ll visit the same ports with other cruise lines, you won’t find the same onboard experience.

Royal Caribbean has three different families of cruise ships including Freedom Family, Voyager Family, and Radiance Family. Each family of ships has its own distinct feel and amenities.

Freedom Family ships are Royal Caribbean’s largest. Onboard, you’ll find the first ever surf park on the ocean, large rock climbing walls, full sized boxing rings, world-class nightclubs, and even ice rinks. The onboard activities are innovative and fun. Kids and teenagers will love the water parks, sporting activities, and entertainment options.

The Voyager Family ships combine adventure and fun. Play miniature golf, eat at specialty restaurants, drink in English style pubs, or send your teens to the teenage only clubs. You’ll get most of the same activities and attractions as the Freedom Family ships, but in a slightly smaller package.

Radiance Family ships have been built for open spaces. You’ll find glass everywhere, which means that you can watch for whales in the elevator or gaze over the ocean while you relax. Visit the Vegas style casino, play pool on the self leveling tables, or get a massage in the day spa. The ships also use gas turbine engines, which are more environmentally friendly than traditional cruise ship engines.

Whatever Royal Caribbean cruise ships attract your attention, you’re sure to find plenty to do while you sail toward your ports of call. The activities make the ships great for families and active adults. You’ll always find new ways to challenge yourself or relax when the mood hits.

You’ll love the choices you have with Princess Cruise ships. When you’re thinking about taking a cruise, you want to find a cruise line that offers great activities onboard, exciting shore excursions, visits great destinations, and takes care of all the details for you. Princess cruises offer guests all this and more. Whether you want a romantic getaway or a fun family vacation, you’ll find it onboard.

Cruises on Princess Ships visit many great destinations. You can travel to ports in Alaska, Europe, Australia, Asia, South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean among other areas. You can travel through the Panama Canal or island hop in Hawaii. Maybe you’re looking for less visited more unique ports such as those in easternmost Russia or Antarctica. You’ll find a wide range of cruise destinations with Princess cruises. Whether you want to be gone a few days or a few weeks, there’s a cruise for you.

Shore excursions will depend on the ports your ship calls on. You can visit the USS Arizona Memorial in Honolulu, visit Mach Picchu in Peru, stroll down stunning beaches in New Zealand, or take a pyramid tour in Egypt. Each port has multiple excursions and tours that you can join for an extra fee. You can also head out on your own and create your own adventure.

Your onboard experience won’t let you down either. In between ports, you’ll dine and play in comfort and luxury. Choose between a number of restaurants or sip champagne as the sun sets. You can attend art auctions, take classes, meet celebrities, swim, browse the library for books to read, or shop in the ship’s boutiques. You won’t run out of things to keep you entertained on your way to the destination locations. Don’t miss out on the nightlife either. Shows, movies, comedy acts, and dancing will keep you up late.

When looking for a cruise, you’ll want to consider the Princess cruise ship that you’ll be traveling on. The ships range in size with some holding several thousand guests. Both large and small ships have advantages so read up on what each ship has to offer and where each goes before making your decision.

Princess Cruise ships will make your vacation, honeymoon, anniversary trip, or family getaway special. With so much to do, you’ll never get bored, although you may get tired! Choose the cruise that is right for you and sail away for adventures and fun.

The NCL cruise line, also known as Norwegian Cruise Line, offers a wide variety of cruises all over the globe. Whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway, a fun family vacation, or a relaxing time, you’re sure to find a cruise ship to fit your needs. On a Norwegian cruise, you’re free to do whatever you want whenever you want.

In the 1960s, a Norwegian shipping company named Kloster purchased a ship that it intended to use in ferry service. The company decided to send the ship to Miami instead of turning it into a ferry, and it became the first ship offering weekly departures from Miami to ports in the Caribbean. That was the beginning of the Norwegian Cruise Line. Over the years, NCL added more ships and more destinations.

NCL sails to over 140 different ports on four different continents. Destinations include Santiago, Chile; the Panama Canal; Acapulco, Mexico; Istanbul, Turkey; Naples, Italy; Dublin, Ireland; Grand Cayman; and Aruba among many other destinations. The cruises range from several days to several weeks in length depending on the number of ports visited and time at sea.

NCL prides itself on what it calls “freestyle cruising.” By this the company means that there are no set dining times, no formal dress codes, and a host of dining options. Individuals are free to adjust their schedules to what fits their needs.

You’ll find a wide variety of shore excursions on each cruise. The particular excursions will depend on the ports you’re visiting but they might include historical tours, nature hikes, or water activities like sport fishing or parasailing. NCL cruise line partners with local tour operators to give you the best options. One of the benefits of using an NCL partner is that the ship will wait for you if your tour runs late. Stop by the excursions desk onboard to find out more about the specific excursions on your cruise.

Onboard activities will also keep you busy. You can take a yoga class, go swimming, or get a spa treatment. Or you can curl up on deck with a great book. You get to decide what you want to do and when to do it. This extends to port days as well. You can sleep in and disembark later or get up early and head out.

You’ll love a cruise on the NCL cruise line. NCL offers many different cruises to choose from and you’re sure to find one that meets your needs and visits some great port cities. Try out the onboard activities and sign up for some excursions to enhance your experience.

The Royal Caribbean Cruise line is one of the most well recognized cruise lines in the industry. The Royal Caribbean cruise line goes to more than 100 ports all around the world. Cruises go to Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, the Bahamas, Hawaii and New England to name a few. The Royal Caribbean cruise line offers cruises that last for three days or two weeks depending on where you want to go. All of the Royal Caribbean cruises offer state of the art ships, food and entertainment.

The Royal Caribbean Cruise line also offers all kinds of land and water excursions. Every destination on the Royal Caribbean cruise line has a plethora of land and water excursions that guests can choose from. Sometimes an excursion or two is included in the cruise package. Many times you have to book the excursion and pay for it separately.

These excursions are very fitting with the port area and are designed to give guests a taste of local culture. For example, on the Canada and New England trip, guests can mountain bike in Acadia National Park. They can also attend an authentic lobster bake and go to Montmorency Falls.

On a Bermuda cruise, guests are invited to play cricket on shore, visit lovely local gardens, play golf on any number of local golf courses or take a kayak trip through Paradise Lakes. If you’re more interested in relaxing than going on any of these excursions, that’s OK too. Royal Caribbean cruise lines have plenty of dock room for those who want to bask in the sun and relax!

Tips for Cruise Travel

Royal Caribbean cruise line offers a lot of great services to guests. Chief among them is a list of cruise traveling tips. These are important to go over before you leave home. There are some things you should know for any cruise you go on. For starters, if you’re leaving the country, make sure you have an updated passport. If you’ve recently been married or divorced and your name has changed, you have to get a new passport. Even if you have a ticket to travel out of the country, you will not be allowed on the boat unless you have your passport. Give yourself at least 90 days to get your passport.

Royal Caribbean cruise line also suggests that cruise guests check in on-line. They also recommend that guests pack a carry-on bag with all of their immediate cruise needs — sunscreen, books, toothbrush, swimming suit — so they don’t have to wait for their clothes to arrive at their stateroom. The Royal Caribbean cruise line also recommends that guests use the SeaPassSM, which lets guests sign for all their items when their purchased and pay for them at the end of the trip.

Oceania cruise line is a luxury cruise line, but if you look hard enough, you can find Oceania discount cruises.

Cruise Amenities

Oceania prides itself on being a luxury cruise line that caters to guests who want to be pampered while at sea. Oceania’s ships are huge (three of them have capacity for 684 guests), but they still have an intimate atmosphere. The cruise line has 400 staff members on each of these larger ships so guests really feel pampered. Oceania takes guests on cruises all over the world including the Greek Isles, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and Central America.

Oceania discount cruises have several five-star restaurants that are full of delicious food. At night, guests can enjoy extensive entertainment at one of the ship’s bars or lounges. One of the most popular bars is the Grappa bar. The bar was named after a well-known Italian drink called grappa. Grappa is made from the seeds of grapes that have been pressed for wine making. Guests can also attend one of the many evening activities Oceania hosts. This includes live jazz music, magicians and comedians. Guests can also go the gentlemen’s club or spend their evening gazing at the stars.

Oceania’s on land excursions are also amazing. For example, on the Mediterranean cruise, guests can visit Taormina. Here they can pay for an evening of theater. They can also visit Tyndaris and the Roman baths.

Other excursions don’t cost any money. On its Mediterranean cruise, Oceania lets guests off at Positano on the Amalfi coast. Here guests can shop, visit the Capuchin monastery and eat pasta and drink wine. You usually have to purchase the excursions separately from the price of you’re ticket, but it’s well worth it. When you’re booking your cruise, make sure to ask about the excursions. They fill up pretty quickly so you should secure your seat early.

Finding the Discount Cruises

OK. After hearing about Oceania’s amenities, you’re probably sold on the cruise line. But, how do you find the discounts on a luxury ship? You need to be ready to do some research. Talk to travel agents, call Oceania and look at popular travel Web sites. Each one will have different discounts available. Check the Web sites daily as deals have a tendency to change from one day to the next.

Another great way to get the luxurious experience of an Oceania cruise without taking out a second mortgage is by cruising during the off-season. Most cruises experience an off-season from September to December. This time of year is hurricane season in the Caribbean. It’s also considered down time for European cruises. Finding good Oceania discount cruises just takes a little effort.

Norwegian Cruise Lines let passengers choose from more than 140 exciting cruise ports all over the world. Norwegian Cruise Lines go from Alaska to Europe, to South America to Bermuda and Hawaii and is a great way to see countries you’ve always wanted to travel to.

Exploring Your Options

Norwegian Cruise Lines offers 60 different trip itineraries. You can also add extra land and water excursions to your trip to spice it up. You can sign up for some excursions when you’re on the ship, but you should make your reservations in advance. Extremely popular excursions, such as swimming with dolphins or snorkeling in Hawaii, fill up quickly.

Everyone knows somebody who’s gone on a cruise to the Caribbean or Mexico, but what about spending seven days on a tour of Day Glacier Bay in Alaska? This cruise starts in Seattle and makes stop on the way to and from the Bay. On this tour you can go to Totem Bight State Park and visit the Deer Mountain Hatchery and Eagle Center. Next you can see the Behm Canal, which is surrounded by the Misty Fjords. While you’re on your way to all of these beautiful sites, you can stare at the glaciers surrounding you!

Let’s leave Alaska for a moment and head to South America. Jumping on Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Exotic Americas tour will take you all the way from Santiago, Chile to Boston, Mass. This is a lovely 18-day tour that will take you though ancient ruins.

Going to the Chapel

Norwegian Cruise Lines is well known for hosting beautiful weddings. Destination weddings are becoming increasingly popular and there’s no better way to get to a destination than by cruise boat! Invite your best friends and family members to join you on a cruise of your choice. You can either get married on the boat or at one of the ports. If you want to get married at a port, you should get married at the first or last port so you can take your time. Cruise ships keep their passengers on a fairly tight scheduled when they’re let off at ports. So, if want to take your time, tie the knot before or after your trip!

Something for the Kiddos

The ports Norwegian Cruise Lines stops at are entertaining enough for children, but what are they supposed to do when they’re on the ship? Norwegian Cruise Lines has plenty of kid oriented programs to keep kids occupied while they’re on the ship. For starters, they have plenty of pools and game rooms that the kids can play in. They also have youth staff that create different activities for the kids. All of the Norwegian Cruise Lines’ youth staff are CPR and First Aid certified.

To get more information about Norwegian Cruise Lines, visit www.ncl.com.

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/home.html

Holland American Alaska cruises are a great way to see a very majestic part of the United States.

One of Holland America’s most transfixing cruises is the Alaskan cruise. All Alaska cruises have a wraparound deck so passengers can get a full view of the ocean, the glaciers and the wildlife. Each Holland America Alaska cruise is different. You can choose to go on the Explorer Cruise, Glacier Discovery Cruise or the Glacier Bay Inside Passenger Cruise.

The Explorer cruise departs from Seattle and focuses on Alaska’s glaciers while winding through old Alaskan frontier towns and British Columbia, Canada. The Glacier Discovery Cruise goes farther north through Vancouver and Anchorage. On this cruise passengers will see the College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, Kenai Peninsula and Glacier Bay National Park. The Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruise goes around Vancouver and overlooks Glacier Bay National Park. On this cruise guests can check out Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway.

Each one of these Holland America Alaska cruises has several land excursions that guests can go on. This cruise line also offers on-board “enrichment programs.” These excursions include searching for bears or getting on a charter plane to check out the glaciers from the air. Dog sledding, fishing for salmon or going for a Harley ride in Ketchikan are also very popular activities. You can also take a day to go on a helicopter, floatplane, skiff or Hummer. Using different means of transportation gives you a very different, up close view of Alaska. Make sure you book these ahead of time because they fill up rather quickly!

Park rangers, naturalists and other guests are brought on board to talk to passengers about the regional history, art and culture of the area. These guests are very knowledgeable and happy to answer passengers’ questions.

About Holland America Cruise Lines

Holland America takes passengers well beyond Alaska. This cruise line goes to the Panama Canal, South America, the Caribbean and Asia. This cruise line is well known for its phenomenal amenities and on-deck activities.

Holland America cruise lines also has a lot of extras that are attractive to inquisitive guests. For starters, the line has a speaker series. Guest speakers talk to the passengers about the history and cultural significance of the area they’re visiting. The line also has casinos, bars, restaurants and an extensive spa for visitors.

Holland America also offers a variety of on-shore excursions for the more adventurous travelers. These excursions often cost extra, but are a great way to see the port. A more independent traveler that doesn’t want to go on the excursions can participate in Holland America Alaska cruises that are customized to that guest’s liking.