Cruise Holidays - Attheta Travel

While China has been steadily emerging as a destination for ocean-going cruises, many cruise enthusiasts are surprised by the variety of itineraries available for seeing the cities and scenery along the country’s long eastern coastline. While many cruises of the region are 10 nights or longer, there are itineraries as brief as five nights. And, many of these itineraries include ports in neighboring countries, such as Japan, Taiwan or Vietnam, providing a more complete Asian cruise experience.   For example, Oceania Cruises offers a 17-night cruise on the Nautica that begins in the cosmopolitan Chinese city of Hong Kong, then sails to Taipei, Taiwan; Okinawa, Kyoto and Hiroshima, Japan; Shanghai, China; Seoul, South Korea; and finally to the Chinese capital of Beijing (via the port of Tianjin). Established by Kublai Khan in 1267, Beijing is a massive city with incredible historical treasures. Tian’anmen Square, the largest public square in the world, has impressive monuments a...

What does it take to prepare fantastic meals for hundreds or thousands of cruise ship guests, to stage a Broadway-quality show at sea, and to power and steer a mighty cruise ship? You can get a first-hand look at all this and more on a “behind the scenes” tour of your ship.   A growing number of cruise lines offer these tours for a fee, which is usually between $50 and $150. Often, sign-up is available only after you board the ship – look for a sign at the front desk that advertises the tours, which are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. Because all tours are supervised and the group is likely to pass through some small or narrow spaces, groups are usually limited in size to a maximum of 10 to 20 people. If there is high interest, some ships are able to add more tours. Norwegian Cruise Line offers behind-the-scenes tours led by an officer of the ship. You’ll explore areas that are usually off-limits to guests, including food storage and preparation areas, the backs...

For the sake of their children, lots of parents like to include a little education in their summer vacations. But, while tours of museums, libraries and other cultural institutions can be fascinating and fun, some kids don’t have a high level of tolerance for them. Instead, they long to be doing something active, playing with other kids – or even dissecting a squid. Cruising meets kids’ desire to be active and to socialize, and many cruise lines and ships offer programming and facilities designed especially for kids. The programs usually divide children into several groups to ensure age-appropriate activities, which might range from finger painting to deck parties to teen-only ship tours. And, while youth programs help assure that kids have fun and meet new friends while on board, they often have an educational component, too. For example, Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean program includes hands-on experiments that are so much fun, the kids may not even realize they are “doing ...

This year, we wanted a change of pace.   Therefore, we decided to try a river cruise in Europe. Over the next few days, we will provide our feedback on the ports of call, the ship, and the overall cruise experience. Of the four major lines providing river cruises in Europe, we picked Uniworld and we are happy to report that it was a great experience.   Well, excluding the weather, it was a great experience.   In hindsight, I am not sure kind of weather what I was expecting, but high temperatures in the 50s and rain was not in my personal forecast.   I didn’t need the shorts or sandals that I carried, but I did need the jacket that I didn’t pack.   Fortunately, I did pack a sweater, a poncho, and an umbrella.   Lesson learned: skip the warm weather gear and take a jacket!   Like London, Amsterdam can be cool and damp in the spring. Like all international flights, our trip from the middle of the US was long and tiring.   We purchased “e...

This November, the number and variety of cruise itineraries available for Australia and New Zealand will grow when Royal Caribbean moves the 3,840-passenger Voyager of the Seas to Sydney for a five-month cruise season.   The fifth Royal Caribbean ship to home port in Sydney, the Voyager of the Seas is roughly twice the size of any other ship currently based in the region. The larger ship brings some favorite Royal Caribbean amenities– including an on-board ice rink, inline skating track and four-story atrium, the Royal Promenade – to the region for the first time. The Voyager of the Seas is also equipped with Royal Caribbean’s signature rock climbing wall and a 9-hole mini-golf course. The Adventure Ocean Club for kids includes the Adventure Beach water park, and there’s a dance club and video arcade just for teens.   Guests will be able to choose from 11 different dining venues that feature everything from gourmet Italian dining to 1950s-inspired fare at Johnny ...