Personalize Your Travel

In some wonderful ways, many cruise vacations are the same: they take nearly an all-inclusive approach to pricing, they appeal to all ages (depending on the cruise line), they accommodate groups of many sizes, and they offer a mix of relaxation, activity and adventure. Still, each cruise passenger is unique, and there are lots of ways to personalize the cruise experience.

Personalization begins with your choice of ship and itinerary. Are you looking for simple elegance or family-oriented fun? Would you like an onboard cultural education program, or do you yearn to relax on warm, sandy beaches? All of these options – and more – are available, and your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert can help you select your ideal ship and itinerary.

After you select a cruise, consider the shore excursions. This is an area where you can truly personalize your cruise. Depending on your destination, you could take a helicopter ride up a mountain and ski down, snorkel along a coral reef, or learn to prepare local specialties and pair them with the right wines, to name just a few possibilities. If you want to do something really special, talk with your personal cruise expert: it may be possible to work with the cruise line to organize a fully customized excursion.

When it comes to dining, cruise lines have made great strides in catering to individual tastes. Many ships offer multiple specialty restaurants (some designed by famous chefs) that serve a variety of cuisines.  In a single cruise, you could enjoy the tastes of Tuscany, Japanese hibachi, classic French cooking, American steakhouse fare and more.

You can also personalize your vacation by adding a pre- or post-cruise stay in your ship’s homeport. Your personal cruise expert can make your land-based arrangements, too, and can help you pick a great hotel.

Just like cruise ships, hotels are adding features that help guests personalize their stay: for example, “pillow menus” let guests select their preferred level of firmness or fluffiness. Some hotels are using social media to gather helpful information about their guests and provide information to them: for example, if the hotel staff knows your dining preferences, they can send you a list of suggested restaurants.

Personalizing your travel experiences is easy when you work with a knowledgeable travel professional. Talk with Anita, your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert, about your preferences, and she will do everything possible to assure a wonderful experience tailored to your tastes.

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Our Website Puts a World of Travel Information at Your Fingertips

Finding a Cruise Holidays expert, seeing the latest on special offers, learning about destinations that interest you: it’s all easy to do on our convenient website, www.attheta.com. Recently, the site was expanded to provide you with more vacation ideas and information, available at a click of your mouse.

Because Cruise Holidays can do even more for you than arrange your next cruise, check out the new Resorts/Tours section. Cruise Holidays can arrange land-based vacation packages as an alternative or an addition to a cruise vacation. Close relationships with dozens of respected hotel and resort operators mean that Cruise Holidays can arrange a land-based vacation just about anywhere you’d like to go. And, your Cruise Holidays expert’s ability to package a hotel or resort stay with air travel, ground transportation – like rental cars or a limo to the port – will be a great value and save you time.

If you dream of a land-based vacation with multiple destinations, Cruise Holidays can also provide options for an escorted tour that will introduce you to a new part of the world or reacquaint you with a place you’ve been before. Partnerships with the world’s best tour operators give your Cruise Holidays expert access to the best tours on all seven continents.

As for cruises, another new section on the Cruise Holidays site will help you find a specific type of onboard experience. The Specialty Cruises section provides more information about:

Distinctive Voyages, which feature an onboard host who serves as a resource for you on your cruise, a private cocktail reception, and an exclusive shore event that will connect you with the local culture – all compliments of Cruise Holidays.

Group Cruises, which Cruise Holidays can arrange just for your group, whether it’s a family reunion, a business retreat, or simply a group of friends who want to cruise together.

Singles Cruises, with lots of social activities for solo travelers who want to enjoy the cruise experience with new friends.

River Cruises, for cruise travelers who want to visit the interior of Europe or Asia, docking in the heart of riverside towns and stepping off the ship right into the local culture.

Luxury Cruises for travelers who are interested in the elegant and intimate cruise experiences offered by high-end, luxury cruise lines.

To find out more about everything that Cruise Holidays can do to make your next vacation fabulous and memorable, contact Anita, your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert, or go to our website, www.attheta.com

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Zip Line Adventures

Zip lines – gravity-propelled, off-the-ground pulley and cable systems – are booming in popularity and are in high demand as cruise shore excursions. The cruise lines meet their guests’ desire to zip through the air, offering zip line adventures in many ports around the globe. It’s a great way to see scenery – forest canopies, mountains, remote waterfalls – that would be difficult to see from a lower vantage point.

Zip lines had humble beginnings, serving as practical transportation down mountains or across river valleys. Today, most zip lines are used for entertainment and adventure: riders say the feeling is something like flying. Reputable zip line operators follow careful procedures; steel cables and strong harnesses assure comfort and safety, along with an exhilarating experience.

Since 2007, more than 40,000 cruise ship guests have ridden the zip line at Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska, where the adventure begins with a scenic ride up the mountain (keep an eye out for bears!). At 1,300 feet above sea level, guests are secured into special harness seats. Six zip lines run side-by-side, so you can glide along with family members and friends, although it may not be possible to ensure you all go the same pace.

Icy Strait Point’s zip lines are more than a mile long, and the 1,300-foot vertical drop means you can reach speeds of 60 mph or more. You’ll be above the treetops most of the way, with stunning views of Icy Strait and Port Frederick: you may even spot majestic bald eagles or whales.

Two of the most important things you can do prepare for your ride are: wear closed shoes that will stay securely on your feet; and, listen carefully to all instructions, including how to stop!

Some zip line adventures are combine with rope courses to provide a fitness challenge, and some include a hike up to the starting point. Be sure that you’re in proper shape for the zip line excursion you choose: an experienced travel agent should be able to provide more information. Zip lining is not recommended for people who are uncomfortable with heights, who are pregnant, or who have back injuries. Many zip lines have height, age, and/or weight requirements as well.

To find out where you can go zip lining on your next cruise, talk with Anita, your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert.

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Quantum of the Seas to Sail From Shanghai

There’s a growing demand for cruise vacations in Asia, and the first ship in Royal Caribbean’s highly anticipated new Quantum Class, the Quantum of the Seas, will make Shanghai, China, its home port beginning in summer 2015. The new ship will join two other Royal Caribbean ships in Asia, the Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas. The Quantum’s 2,090 staterooms will increase the cruise line’s capacity in the region by 66 percent.

                         

Before heading to China, the new ship will make its inaugural sailing from the Cape Liberty cruise port in Bayonne, NJ, this November. Through April 2015, the Quantum of the Seas will sail a variety of itineraries to the Bahamas, including a “Holidays in The Bahamas” cruise December 20-27; and to the Caribbean, calling on islands such as Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, and Barbados.

In May, the Quantum of the Seas will cross the Atlantic to Barcelona, Spain, then on to Dubai via the Suez Canal. At the end of May, the ship will reposition to Singapore before sailing on to Shanghai.

To meet the continuing demand for cruises departing from the New York City area, Royal Caribbean will move the Liberty of the Seas to Cape Liberty for the summer and fall of 2015. A second Quantum Class ship, Anthem of the Seas, is scheduled to sail from Cape Liberty for the winter 2015-2016 cruise season.

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships will boast some exciting, first-at-sea onboard experiences, including a skydiving simulator and the North Star, a glass capsule that will transport guests more than 300 feet in the air for spectacular views. New onboard venues will include SeaPlex, an indoor sports and entertainment complex with bumper cars, roller skating and more. 

Quantum-class ships will also do away with traditional dining rooms to offer a new type of dining experience called Dynamic Dining. There will be flexible dining options and 18 different restaurants, including specialty restaurants created with chefs Jamie Oliver, Devin Alexander and Michael Schwartz.

Royal Caribbean has not yet revealed where the Quantum of the Seas will go when it sails from Shanghai, but the itineraries are sure to feature some of the most desirable destinations in Asia. Ask Anita, your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert,  to keep you informed of opportunities to sail on this exciting new ship.

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