You Can Dance with the Stars on a MSC Cruise

MSC Cruises are renowned for their huge ships, fantastic interiors, divine food and friendly service. They are also well known for providing a huge range of onboard entertainment, centred around anything from chess to beauty, allowing everyone to discover their own personal passion.

Well MSC have now announced a new type of cruise, the dance cruise! In the 2010-2011 season, they will be offering a range of dance cruises which will have daily dance lessons at intermediate and beginners levels. The classes will be taken by professional dancers, and a range of different dances will be taught.

As well as the more traditional styles of dance such a ballroom, there will also be classes teaching salsa moves, cha cha, and some samba and mambo! Each class will begin with a warm up and end with stretching exercises to ensure that guests are in good shape to keep coming back for more! As well as learning the actual dances, there will be several workshops throughout the cruises which teach people about the origins of the different dances.

As well as dance classes for guests, the nightly shows will also be very much focused on dancing. There will be dance competitions and even costume evenings where guests can dress up in their sixties inspired clothing and groove all night!

So if you are a keen dancer, or perhaps you have just always wanted to try some dancing out, this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. There will be many beginners onboard, so you needn't feel self conscious about your own skills as you can be sure there will be those who are even worse than you! As well as being fun, dancing is a fantastic way to keep fit and it is very unlikely with all this dancing that you will experience the usual weight gain that follows a cruise (even if you do partake in the odd midnight chocolate feast!).

Azamara's "Almost All-Inclusive" Goes Down Well with Guests

Since April 2010, Azamara Cruises have changed their name to Azamara Club Cruises and along with their name change, they are offering a range of services and products for free (which they used to charge extra for). Some of the things which are now included in their package, include:

• House wine served at Lunchtime and Dinner time.
• Bottled water and soda.
• Speciality coffees and teas.
• Complimentary shuttle buses from ports, into town.
• Self service laundry.
• Housekeeping and Dining gratuities.
• All meals and room service.
• Complimentary dining in speciality restaurants for suite guests.

Although the overall prices for Azamara cruises have increased, many people feel that they now get much better value for money. Azamara have taken stock of their customer's complaints when it comes to shelling out for different things onboard and have taken the appropriate action. For many, the introduction of free wine with meals and free soda, water and coffee/tea throughout the day will save them a lot of money.

Another big saving comes from the introduction of free shuttle buses from ports. In the past, these shuttle journeys could cost anything up to $20 per adult, so for a couple on a 14 night cruise, visiting 7 ports, there is a potential saving of up to $280.

Paying for onboard gratuities is another thing that cruise lovers often take issue with, especially when the prices are set from the start, no matter how good the service is. Now, Azamara includes the price of gratuities within their cruise price so you pay it all off upfront and there are no nasty surprises at the end.

The one thing that people have taken issue with in the new guidelines, is the charge for speciality restaurants which has risen from $5 per person, to $15 per person (unless you are staying in a suite). It is likely, if Azamara wish to bring customers into these restaurants, that they may have to drop this charge once again as many guests are simply refusing to pay the extra price.

Spa Onboard Queen Elizabeth Introduces Innovative Treatments

Cunard Cruises have long been known for providing their guests with the ultimate in luxury when it comes to their onboard facilities. The Royal Spa onboard the Queen Elizabeth is no exception to this, offering a huge selection of luxurious treatments set in stunning surroundings. The spa takes up a massive 13,000 square feet across two floors, offering treatment rooms as well as fitness and pool facilities.

A new addition to the spa is the the Royal Bath House, which is an indoor space that serves as a social area where people can relax with friends. Included in the bath house is the thermal suite and the hydrotherapy pool. For those who don't wish to book any treatments in the spa, there are day passes which will allow them to use all of the spa facilities.

There are a range of new treatments being offered at the spa, including:

• The Royal Spa Self-Scrub - this customisable treatment offers guests the chance to work with a mixologist to create the perfect exfoliator for their skin.
• Phyto Hair Cocktails - these hair cocktails are a range of luxurious hair treatments offered by the hair salon within the spa. Blended from powerful herbs and plants, there are treatments for coloured hair, dry hair, damaged hair or just for those wanting to give their hair a treat!
• Cellulite Reduction Therapies - the spa offers a range of treatments targetting cellulite. Their treatments aim to detoxify and tone, reducing water retention and showing visibile results in terms of inches lost after only one treatment.
• Bliss waxing - There isn't too much that needs to be said about this, as we all know what waxing is! However, the waxing provided by Bliss products promises to be as pain free as possible. We can but hope!
• Spray Tanning - the spa offers the world famous, award-winning St. Tropez sunless tanning system, for both the face and the body.
• Brazilian Blowout - this is a relatively new treatment which promises to leave hair looking healthy, smooth and free of frizz for anything up to 12 weeks. You will be given advice and guidance in terms of looking after your new hair, helping you to keep your new do in tip top condition for as long as possible.
  

There is also a fitness facility for those looking to work off those delicious meals and midnight chocolate feasts offered on the cruise. As well as the usual classes, and gym equipment, there are also classes offering walking poles, weighted vests and water exercises, helping you to tone up and keep fit!

Royal Caribbean Cut Fuel Consumption

Royal Caribbean Cruises have announced that they have managed to cut their fuel consumption by around 4% by using better designed ships, different sailing practices and employing energy efficiency measues onboard, such as their new solar window film.

Last year, around 4 millions people travelled onboard one of Royal Caribbean's ships, visiting over 400 destinations. According to the cruise line, 3.7% less fuel was used per each cruise day. Originally, Royal Caribbean had hoped to cut fuel usage by 2% so this result is extremely positive. In real terms, the cut in fuel usage equates to taking over 13,000 cars off the roads for a year.

If we look at figures from even further back, the cruise line has actually reduced fuel consumption by 7% since 2007. This is very encouraging and shows that Royal Caribbean are really taking their responsibilities seriously when it comes to energy efficiency and the environment.

Royal Caribbean Cruises hope to reduce their fuel consumption by a minimum of 2.5% every year and hope that as new technology comes into play, they can set their targets even higher in future years. The cruise line also hopes to reduce their green house gases footprint by around a third by 2015.

Some ways which Royal Caribbean have reduced energy consumption include:

• Installing new, highly efficient fresh water systems which use around 35% of the electricity consumption of the old systems.
• Installing LED lights and CFLs.
• Using solar film on all windows in the ship, reducing the heat and lessoning the need for air con.
  

Royal Caribbean like to think of themselves as industry leaders when it comes to cutting carbon and fuel consumption. They have already won many honors in recognition of their work to help the environment, and based on todays news, they are likely to win more in the future.

Royal Caribbean Urge People to Spend Christmas on a Cruise

Royal Caribbean are stepping up their efforts to market Christmas Cruises, hoping that thousands of people will start a new tradition of spending this magical time of year at sea. They will be hosting a huge range of celebrations over the holiday period, from Thanksgiving to New Year, with entertainment and excitement for all of the family.

Christmas can be a stressful time of year for many, sorting out gifts, cooking big family meals, hosting guests etc, it can all take it's toll and really spoil the enjoyment of the holidays. Royal Caribbean are hoping they can take this stress away for their guests, giving them the opportunity to simply step aboard and be taken care of right from the start.

For Thanksgiving, Royal Caribbean will be putting on a bountiful feast, with a traditional gourmet turkey dinner being served. You won't have to lift a finger as they will be doing all of the shopping, the cooking, and even washing up the dishes! There will also be a program of activities for kids, allowing them to have fun while learning about Thanksgiving.

There will be a special program of onboard entertainment over the holiday season, aimed at getting everyone in the christmas spirit. And people needn't worry about having to travel for hours to get to their cruise embarktion point as Royal Caribbean have cruises leaving from dozens of home ports, all over the USA.

From seven night cruises to fourteen night cruises, you can spend as much or as little of your holiday break onboard a cruise. You will have the opportunity to take in the beautiful seasonal decorations throughout December, and there will even be a Priest onboard to lead a midnight mass on Christmas eve.

Large Ship or Small Ship? Continued....

Now I will look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of smaller cruise ships, holding hundreds of passengers rather than thousands of passengers.

Small Ships - Benefits

• One of the main benefits of cruising on a smaller ship is that they are able to access a wider range of ports. Many ports aren't big enough to cater for giant ships, and so cruising onboard a small ship allows more flexibility. Certain cruise itineraries only operate on smaller ships, for example cruises to the Galapagos Islands.
• You never have too far to walk, so no matter where your stateroom is located, you will be within easy walking distance to all of the restaurants and entertainment.
• Some people feel that the service is more personal and that they get to know the staff better on smaller cruise ships.
• Many more luxurious cruise lines only operate smaller ships as they feel they can offer a more intimate, exclusive experience which would be lost if they were to cater for thousands of guests at a time.
• There is less waiting around and less queues. When the boat docks, you can disembark pretty much straight away and you certainly won't have to wait an hour or two while thousands of other people get off the boat before you.

Small Ships - Drawbacks

• One of the main drawbacks of a cruise on a small ship is that there is often not enough going on in terms of entertainment for those that are easily bored. With limited room, there often won't be a casino and there won't be a huge amount of bars/restaurants/shows to choose from.
• Some people feel a bit caged in on a small cruise ship, especially during days at sea. Larger cruise ships can feel almost like a floating island because there is so much to see and do, whereas when you are onboard a small ship, you can run out of things to do quite quickly.
• There usually won't be facilities such as spas, or mini-golf on a small ship as there simply isn't any room!
• There may be less excursions on offer on small cruise ships, which is due to there being a smaller amount of passengers. Generally, there needs to be a minimum amount of people taking part in each excursion to make it viable for the cruise line to run. As there are less people onboard, it will be hard for the cruise line to fill as many excursions.

Clearly there are pros and cons to both big and little ships, but it is all about personal choice. I would recommend that you try both types of cruises before deciding which one is best as a lot of people are surprised by how much they enjoy a cruise which they wouldn't normally go for.

Large Ship or Small Ship? Choosing Your Cruise...

One question which we are often asked is what are the benefits of cruising onboard a large ship, compared with a smaller ship? In this post, I will try and highlight some of the pros and cons of cruising on larger ships. Look out for the next post where I will be focusing on smaller ships.

Large Ships - Benefits

• Larger ships usually have a greater range of onboard entertainment. With more guests to cater for, it is essential that they have a number of venues and various shows to entertain all of their guests.
• Larger ships have room for sports facilities, such as onboard basketball courts, mini-golf and rock climbing walls. There are now ships which even have an onboard bowling alley!
  
• Large ships have room for facilities such as onboard spas and a range of different swimming pools.
• Big cruise ships are, well, bigger! A lot of people like to walk around their ship for exercise and this is a lot easier on a big ship. They can also hold more shops and places to visit than smaller cruise ships. Basically, there is more to see which can be a very good thing when you are spending a few days at sea.
  
• A lot of people report feeling more sturdy on bigger ships, and feeling less movement from the sea.
  

Large Ships - Drawbacks

• Larger cruise ships will not be able to dock at all ports as there often isn't room for huge ships in smaller ports.
• When you dock at a stop off, you have to queue to get off the ship and when it is carrying around 3000 guests, this can take a fair bit of time. The same applies for disembarking at the end of your cruise.
• Due to the large amount of people on the cruise, some cruise lines make you share your dining table with other guests for your evening meal.
• Due to the size of the ship, you may feel that everything is just too spaced out and it can take a long time to get from one part of the ship to another.