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.

Ladies it is a leap year so propose away

Well this year is a leap year and for all those brave ladies out there then this year and tomorrow
is the day when it is perfectly OK to propose to the love of your life.

Now some brave ladies have even bought a ring, asked the future in laws permissions and done everything as the male should do.

There are so many different stories as to why a leap year was given this privelege, but one thing is for
sure, there have been many ladies who have let tradition go and taken their chance.

So ladies good luck to you all if you are planning to woo the partner of your dreams and remember..
you will need a lovely wedding and honeymoon so why not consider a cruise.

With so many exciting destinations to choose from whether you want to cruise in Europe, Australia,
Far East or the sun kissed tropical beaches on a Caribbean cruise there is something out there for you.

So give me a call I would love to hear of any brave ladies tales tomorrow who have been successful
in getting their partners to say YES....

Pancake Day - Have you remembered

Today is shrove Tuesday and for all those pancake lovers out there, this is the one day when
you can spoil yourself silly and indulge yourself with whatever filling suits you best.

Now some of us choose the traditional lemon juice and sugar, some may choose some syrup
as an indulgence or for the connoisseurs of pancakes they may go for exotic fruit fillings with
lashings of cream....

Well all this talk of pancakes has got me hungry  and I will be enjoying my treat later being cooked for me by my step son .Although I am not sure what I will be going for the traditional or something a little more lavish or maybe I will go for a bit of both. I will wait and see what treat awaits.

However you like to have them it got me wondering as I personally have not been on a cruise
at this time of year to experience for myself.

Do the cruise lines make an effort on Pancake Day, do they offer traditional and lavish pancakes.
If they do is it just the UK cruise lines or do the American cruise lines offer this too.

This is a question that I would love to know the answer to so if anyone out there can tell me
then please send me a message on here or drop me an email.

Who would you love to cruise with !!!

Today is Valentines day and for all you romantics out there I am sure that a cruise around the
Caribbean sat on your balcony with a bottle of wine and a lavish meal with the gorgeous sunset as a
back drop with your loved one would be the perfect romantic Valentines night... well it would be for me anyway..

There are many cruises of course where you can recreate this romantic setting and it doesnt have to
be Valentines day to be equally as special.. so for all you loved up people out there, think what
you could arrange as the perfect romantic gift for your special one... there are plenty of short weekend breaks around too if you dont want to take a long cruise.

Now if you are single then I am sure that you would dream of the perfect companion for your romantic cruise break and of course we all have many idols to choose from the dishy filmstars and sexy pop
stars or just some gorgeous person we have seen on our travels who has caught our eye.

However, one of my customers was telling me this week about a cruise that she had recently returned
from with Princess from Los Angeles over to Hawaii.

On board this cruise was a gentleman who seems to believe he is father christmas and dresses and pays hommage to him at all times.

Now Father Christmas is not really a person I would choose for my romantic break but it shows
that even he has to take a holiday and chose Princess to Hawaii instead of chilling out in the North Pole.
Now I didnt ask if Mrs Christmas was there too perhaps I should have, as maybe he was having
a celebration too.

So remember all you soppy people out there you dont have to wait until Valentines day to show someone
how much you love them there are plenty of treats and wonderful cruises available all year round to
treat that special someone to a fabulous, romantic experience of a lifetime.

Cruising with Children- How safe are balconies

I spoke with a client today who was very concerned about taking a small child on a cruise and staying
in a balcony cabin, they had heard that Royal Caribbean provide a net that can be put up at the balcony.

I spoke to Royal Caribbean cruises who advised me that no they do not offer this but that the balconies are high and of course the parents can ask for furniture to be removed from the balcony.

I thought I would see what other people have written regarding this subject on the world wide web, as of course this is something that many parents may wonder when making their choice of cabin.

It appeared to me that there were very mixed views, some clients never had a problem as their children
were as good as gold and when told you must not do xxx they wouldnt... if only all our children were the same...

Others had removed furniture from the balcony so that there was no chance that a little one could
possibly be able to try and climb over.

There were also suggestions from some parents of getting a safety device to attach to the patio door, to stop it being opened as you would to prevent burglaries at home or that you could get an alarm that would sound should your little one dare to step over the door step.

Most people seemed to agree that if you were looking at a toddler then they wouldnt really be able to open the door to get out there in the first place.

Some people have even written a set of rules for taking little ones on a balcony see below:

But it's always best to have some rules in place...

1. No child is allowed on the balcony without an adult.

2. All chairs are moved from the edge. No standing on chairs.

3. Child must be sitting at all times while on balcony.

4. No horseplay on the balcony.

5. If any of the above rules are broken, the child will be instantly moved to the inside of the cabin and loses balcony privileges. ;)

BUT.....I think the best thing of all is if you are concerned and it may ruin your cruise with all
the stress of worrying about your little one,, then go for an oceanview cabin instead..

All our children are so very different and behave in different ways so as a parent you can only be
the judge of whether your little one may cause you undue stress and worry, only you can decide which cabin will suit your personal circumstances.

If anyone out there has any further hints or tips then please let me know so I can inform my worried
clients...