Cruise Holidays - Attheta Travel

The muster drill may not be anyone’s favorite activity on a cruise ship, but it is one of the most important. It’s a safety drill that makes sure you and your fellow passengers know where to gather (“muster” means to collect or assemble) and what to do in the rare instance of an emergency. Some people call muster drills “lifeboat drills,” because passengers traditionally gather close to the lifeboats they’re assigned to if the ship must be evacuated; again, that’s a very rare occurrence. The most important things to know about muster drills is that they take place before or just after embarkation, and you must participate. Muster drills are required, and the consequences for skipping them can be serious. If you don’t complete the drill, expect the crew to search for you; when they find you, they may invite you to attend a “catch-up” drill or to leave the ship. In traditional muster drills, after a ship-wide announcement, everyone goes to their muster stations at the same time (the ...

Cruise lines have long offered beverage packages to make it easy for passengers to pre-purchase the drinks they plan to enjoy while onboard the ship. Now, some cruise lines are offering specialty dining packages, too. Some cruise ships, especially newer and larger ships, have a dozen or more specialty restaurants, which often charge extra fees for their high-end dining. These extra fees can be quite affordable individually, but if you want to dine at a different specialty restaurant every evening of your cruise, the individual fees can add up. As with beverage packages, specialty dining packages – especially when purchased in advance of your cruise – can be a help to staying within your cruise budget. Let’s take a look at a few cruise line dining packages: Norwegian Cruise Line offers a specialty dining package that lets you select the number of specialty meals you want to enjoy during your cruise, with savings of about $10 per meal. The exact specialty restaurants available vary...

If you live in North America, one of the world’s most popular, warm-weather cruise destinations is always close by: The Bahamas. This nation of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets, is sprinkled over more than 500 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the islands are less than 100 miles off the Florida coast, just north of the Caribbean. During the winter, Bahamian weather is clear and balmy, with daytime temperatures hovering around 80 degrees. Summers are a bit warmer and wetter, but that doesn’t diminish the beauty of the islands and their palm-fringed beaches. Most cruises to The Bahamas call on Nassau, the capital and home to about 70% of the population. It’s one of the world’s busiest cruise ports, with plenty to see and do. History buffs will find historic sites in walking distance of the cruise ship dock, Prince George Wharf. These include buildings that date from the 17 th and 18 th centuries when Nassau was home to pirates and those who wanted to capture them...

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line just introduced the newest and largest cruise ship in the world, the Wonder of the Seas . This mega-ship is earning positive reviews for the terrific variety of things to do, see, eat, and otherwise enjoy onboard. What makes the Wonder of the Seas the world’s largest cruise ship? It can carry the most passengers: 6,988 at maximum capacity. But cruise ship size is often expressed in terms of gross tonnage, which is a measure of overall interior volume. At more than 236,800 gross tons, the Wonder of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship by that standard, too. All that volume provides space for thousands of passenger cabins and suites, as well as 2,300 crew members; more than 30 restaurants, bars, and lounges; entertainment that includes a karaoke venue, a zip line, a solarium, a surf simulator, rock climbing walls, clubs for kids and teens and an ice-skating spectacular; multiple pools and whirlpools; and much more. Operating the world’s largest ...

If you happen to love both fine food and cruising, you’ll be glad to know that some chefs with Michelin-starred restaurants also oversee culinary programs and specialty restaurants on cruise ships. The highly coveted stars that the Michelin Guide awards to restaurants indicate where you can find the finest food on land. Restaurants can earn one, two or three stars; the standards are so high that there are currently just 132 restaurants in the world with three Michelin stars. As the guide explains, three stars mean a restaurant serves “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey.” Here are some of the Michelin-starred chefs who influence exceptional cuisine at sea: Chef Daniel Boulud, the global culinary ambassador for Celebrity Cruises, has restaurants around the world. One of them – New York City’s Daniel – has two Michelin stars. You’ll soon be able to taste Boulud’s global flavors at LeVoyage on the new Celebrity Beyond, scheduled to launch this April. Guests of The Retr...