Cruise Holidays - Attheta Travel

Innovations in cruise ship design and features have cruise travel agents – and their clients buzzing. Cruise Holiday’s Cruise Trends Survey for 2011 asked expert cruise agents to name the most exciting recent cruise ship innovations. Their answers may make it a bit more difficult – but a lot more exciting – to select a ship for your next cruise. 1. The sheer size of Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas topped the list of the most exciting recent cruise ship innovations. With 16 decks and 2,700 staterooms that can accommodate 6,360 guests, the Allure is massive. But, a groundbreaking design that divides the ship’s public spaces into seven distinct neighborhoods makes the ship feel welcoming, not overwhelming. 2. The “Studio” staterooms on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Epic are compact, but have a contemporary, comfortable design (and price) that’s perfect for solo cruisers. Guests in the ship’s 128 studios also have access to their own gathering space, the Studio Lounge. 3. The Allure of the ...

Beijing Early start to a long day: the flight from Chicago to Beijing was 13 ½ hours long. We had sunshine in the windows during the entire trip, but lost a day… The Flight took us over Fairbanks Alaska and over Siberia. We did see Mt McKinley… Fortunately, we had an escort meet us at the airport and provide transportation to the hotel. After a quick dinner, we called it a day – a very long day. Our first tour started at 8AM and we are off to the Great Wall. Quick notes about Beijing: • Beautiful new airport, larger that Dallas-Ft Worth • Beijing is a city of 18 million + • Driving is a nightmare -- locals have upgraded from motor bikes to cars, but didn’t learn to drive • Stayed in a 4 star hotel, but can’t drink the water in the room • Many Internet sites are not available from the hotel – including facebook and our blog site. • Shopping, lots of fakes: Rolex, IPod/IPad, Canon, Hermes, money… Afraid to buy a battery! We spent three nights in Beijing. In addition to the Gr...

An island of stunning natural beauty, Tahiti is a gateway to cruises of French Polynesia and the rest of the South Pacific. Tahiti is often the starting point for cruises that call on island destinations like Bora Bora, Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands and more. If your schedule allows, it’s worth spending some additional time in Tahiti before or after your cruise. The island is formed by two volcanic peaks connected by a slender isthmus. The northern portion is Tahiti Nui (“big Tahiti”) and the southern is Tahiti Iti (“small Tahiti”). Tahiti Nui includes the port of Papeete, which feels like a bit of Paris transported to the South Pacific. You’ll find charming sidewalk cafés along the main boulevard, a bustling market, and chic boutiques selling wines, crafts and the famous Tahitian black pearls. Before you buy, you may want to educate yourself by visiting the Robert Wan Pearl museum, dedicated to one jewel – the pearl, of course. Tahiti Iti is more sparsely populated, ...

By Helen Maxey March 7 & 8, 2011 These were sea days so we did our usual exercise routines, attended presentations about the ship’s navigation systems, the next port of Rio de Janeiro, and an entertainment production show called British Invasion. All were informative or entertaining. March 9 Our day in Rio de Janeiro was great. The temperature was around 80 degrees with humidity in the 90 percent range. We took an all day tour to Christ the Redeemer statue. To get there we took a tour bus, then an incline railway followed by elevators and escalators. The statue is about 115 ft. high and about 85 ft. from hand to outstretched hand. It was not the best day to be there due to cloud cover, but we were able to get a few pictures as the clouds parted. Because of the cloud cover we were not able to get pictures of the surrounding area and city. We drove for miles by famous beaches including Ipanema and Copacabana. They were beautiful and crowded in places but we didn’t see any swimmers...

Cruise Pricing Still Favors Consumers Does cruising still represent a good vacation value? According to actual cost data from Cruise Holidays, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Cruise Holidays recently determined the average daily cost per person of three popular cruise destinations (Alaska, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean) for the past three years – and found that cruise prices for 2011 remain very affordable. See the cost comparison below: Average Cruise Cost per Person, per Day* 7-day Alaska Cruise 2011 - $248 2010 - $230 2009 - $255 2008 - $259 7-day Caribbean Cruise 2011 - $126 2010 - $147 2009 - $171 2008 - $158 12-day Mediterranean Cruise 2011 - $222 2010 - $262 2009 - $290 2008 - $269 *Average of all categories of cruise lines and staterooms. Includes only the cruise portion of each booking; excludes airfare, shore excursions, etc. Of course, in addition to price, you should take other factors into account wh...

The sinking of the cruise ship Titanic on April 15, 1912, will be commemorated next year by at least two cruises that will visit the spot where the mighty ship went down. The ship was thought to be unsinkable, but on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York, the Titanic struck a massive iceberg. The ship sank less than three hours later off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, with the loss of about 1,500 lives. A British travel firm has chartered a ship for a Titanic memorial voyage departing from Southampton, England, on April 8, 2012, and ending in New York. The entire cruise will be steeped in Titanic history, with menus, music and entertainment much as they were on the Titanic. After a stop in Cobh, Ireland, the ship will arrive at the spot where the Titanic sank, where a memorial service will be held. The ship will then call on Halifax, Nova Scotia, where passengers can visit cemeteries where Titanic victims are buried. Azamara Club Cruises will send the Journey fro...

Tomorrow, we catch our flight to Beijing.   On Wednesday, we expect to walk on the Great Wall of China.   Since we have several flights inside China, we may have an issue with our luggage.   We are allowed one checked bag per person with a weight limit of 44 pounds (20 kilo).  I am a gadget person and gadgets add extra pounds. With a 13 hour time difference, I expect we will have MAJOR jet lag.  From what I was told, the body will adjust to a time zone change of one hour per day.  That being the case, we will be more than halfway through the trip before we adjust to the local time. We have a 7 day tour inside China before we board the ship in Hong Kong.   Then we will spend the next two weeks on the Azamara Quest.   We hope to update our blog and facebook as often as we can.    Our trip will take us to China, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Singapore.