OK, I know I’m biased, but my bias does come from experience! The choice of cruise lines and ships can be a little daunting to say the least - but like everything, once you know the sort of holiday experience you’re after, the decisions become a lot easier. As with the style of hotels and resorts, there’s a product out there for you (or your client), it’s just a matter of knowing how to make the match. And NO, you won’t be “stuck” with the same people on a ship, one of the beauties of cruising is you make it what you want to - do as much or as little as you please!
Southampton, the main port of British cruising, but by no means the only one, sees 5 ships (3 of which are brand new) visiting in 4 days in June. That in itself is nothing unusual, but this coincides with the UK Cruise Convention 2010, allowing agents who don’t have as much knowledge as they should have to visit a variety of products and see for themselves.
Products on show will include a giant outdoor cinema, acrobats performing during dinner, spas galore, Michelin star restaurants, a planetarium, the largest dancefloor at sea, a half-acre lawn club, the first Ice Bar at sea and so on. These are mostly the larger ships on the market, but there’s always river cruises, traditional clippers, working ships, or how about the small intimate variety that Her Magesty has reportedly booked again this summer? Of course itinerary is key too, cruise ex UK, fly cruise, cruise and stay …. Med, Baltic, Caribbean, Alaska, Pacific or how about a short mini-cruise to try it out and see for yourself? Cruising makes a fabulous prize and can match so may markets whether for families, couples, or groups of any age…. but you’ve got to know your ships!