Cruise Holidays

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Cruise Holidays

Cruise holidays are something which I have been looking at more and more in recent years as a vacation option.

Although the idea of a round the world cruise has always appealed to me, visiting far away destinations, exotic ports and cities, I don’t know if it would be something I could convince my 20 year old son to join me on.

But, for Mrs Blog and I, the relaxation and pampering experience of a cruise could be something that we could get used to very quickly.

 

What Is a Cruise Holiday?

At its lowest common denominator, a cruise holiday is a pleasure voyage, it is a vacation in and of itself and not a means to an end, merely transportation to your final destination.

A cruise ship is meant to be your floating hotel, your local pub, your supermarket, your sports centre, and on some cruises even your local high street, for the entire duration of your trip.

You can of course take packages which include different options for staying in hotels at the various ports that you visit as part of the cruise, that can also be part of the charm.

But in general, a cruise line is set up not to get you from A to B in most cases, but to give you an experience in itself while taking you from A to B to C to D and back to A again.

 

The History of Cruise Holidays

The first oceangoing ship which was specifically designed for cruise holidays was the Prinzessin Victoria Luise.

Her owners were the Hamburg-America Line and she made her first voyage on 1 January 1901.

Like many other early cruise vessels, she would make the transatlantic journey from Hamburg to New York when needed, and spent the rest of the time cruising.

The Hamburg-America Line was one of the first companies to employ this tactic of taking the transatlantic ships into southern waters during the winter months in order to make use of them as cruise ships.

On December 16, 1906, she was wrecked on rocks in Jamaica after only a short few years’ service.

Here is a link to some great pictures of the exterior and interior of the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise.

Over the years, cruise ships began to be built which were designed as cruise ships, more luxurious, more spacious, and much more like floating cities.

Today, the amenities and facilities on board most cruise ships are on par with anything that you can find on land.

Most cruises are also all-inclusive, except for the recent “no frills” cruise options offered at the lower end of the market.

 

The Longest Cruise in the World

We did our little bit of research on this and found a 335 day cruise which really amounted to an adventure of a lifetime.

The cruises is offered by Expedition Cruise Line, covers six continents, 59 countries, 14 oceans and seas, 85 UNESCO world Heritage sites, and 42 ports of call.

The cruise is on the 120 passenger Spirit of Oceanus.

Oh, and the price tag stands at around $200,000 per person…wow!

Here is a link on Cruise Critic for this journey of a lifetime.

 

Most Expensive Cruise in the World

I would imagine that the most expensive Cruise in the world would be to charter your own private yacht.

The top end of this market could cost upwards of $100,000 per day.

But for that you would get the ultimate in luxury with facilities including helicopter landing pad, swimming pool, steam room, and Jacuzzi, staff who are there to cater for your every whim and to take care of your every need.

 

The Largest Cruise Ship in the World

At the time of writing, the largest cruise ship in the world is the Allure of the Seas from Royal Caribbean.

She is almost a quarter of a million tons in weight, has 16 decks, 24 elevators, and can accommodate 5400 passengers in style.

The entertainment and facilities provided on board are second to none with full Broadway productions, a main theatre which can handle 3-D movies, a Starbucks, themed areas, a full boardwalk Street which is lined with many different types of shops, eateries and other fun venues, award winning chefs, self-service laundrettes, etc., etc…

 

Below is a whole selection of articles about cruising, cruise holidays and cruise ships.

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