Cruise Holidays - Attheta Travel

When in Rome, do as the Romans do; enjoy la dolce vita (the sweet life) amid the ancient treasures that occupy the seven hills of the city. If your upcoming cruise of the Mediterranean includes a call on Rome, you are lucky indeed! (Note that Rome is located about 90 minutes inland, so most cruise ships dock in the port city of Civitavecchia, with a bus or train transfer to Rome.) With so much to see in the Eternal City, it’s important to plan what you’ll do. Do you want to see as many of the major sights as possible, or have a more immersive experience at a single attraction? Your cruise line is sure to offer a variety of on-shore experiences, and your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert can help you choose one. Here are a few examples to get you thinking: If you’d like to see Vatican City, home of the Catholic Church, it’s important to take an official shore excursion; visiting on your own may require you to wait for hours just to enter one of the Vatican Museums. The mu...

Just off the northeastern coast of South America, the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago is home to incredible culture, music, biodiversity and tropical beauty. Trinidad, the larger island, and the smaller Tobago are blessed with a mix of mountains, plains and palm-lined beaches. The climate is warm and tropical, but the islands are far enough south that they escape the effects of most major hurricanes. Prior to gaining independence from Great Britain in 1962, Trinidad and Tobago changed hands among Spanish, French, Dutch and other colonial powers more than any other islands in the Caribbean. This contributed to the diverse, international flavor of the islands. Cruise ships call on the nation’s capital, the city of Port of Spain, on the island of Trinidad. For your day in port, there are lots of wonderful excursions to choose from. A tour of the city will feature the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens, where spectacular flowers and palms flourish. The Queen’s Park Savannah,...

It used to be that part of packing for a cruise was making sure you had enough cash with you to give tips to the crew. On the last day of a cruise, passengers would put cash into a series of small envelopes and personally hand them to crew members who provided good service. That tradition has all but disappeared. Today, most cruise lines automatically add a standard amount for tips – around $12 to $16 per passenger, per day – to your onboard account, which you can settle with a credit card at the end of the cruise. The cruise line takes care of distributing the tips among the crew. It’s a convenient way to handle tipping, and ensures that tips are shared with crew members you probably never see who contribute to your cruise enjoyment, such as kitchen and laundry staff. Still, you may prefer to make your own decisions about how much and who to tip, and you can still do so. Tipping More When you receive exceptional service, you can provide more than the standard automati...

Like many things in life, there are tips and tricks to making the most of a cruise vacation. You could figure them out on your own, but it’s much quicker and easier to ask your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert to share some of his or her in-depth knowledge. To get you started, here are a few of our favorite insider tips: Specialty Restaurants . On the first night of a cruise, most passengers are still getting familiar with the ship, and most choose to eat in the main dining room; so, it’s a good time to try a specialty restaurant that you may have trouble getting in to on other nights. Some cruise lines even offer specialty dining discounts or complimentary wine on the first night. Spa . As with specialty restaurants, the first day is a great time to visit the spa and perhaps score a discount. Plus, you’ll begin your cruise with a more relaxed outlook! Wine . If you enjoy a glass of wine with dinner but would rather pay per-bottle than per-glass prices, go ahead and ...

If you’re taking a cruise to Alaska, Hawaii or down the West Coast from Vancouver, British Columbia, it’s a fantastic opportunity to spend some extra time in this beautiful city before your cruise. Vancouver’s unique character begins with the natural beauty of its setting, nestled between the Strait of Georgia and the North Shore Mountains. Vancouver has grown into a multicultural and sophisticated city, but it began a modest saloon opened in 1867 by a gentleman named “Gassy Jack” Deighton (so nicknamed for his talkative nature, they say). There’s a statue of him in Maple Leaf Square in Gastown, near where he once served whiskey to sawmill workers. Gastown’s residents have fought hard through the years to preserve the neighborhood’s historic architecture and cobblestone streets. It’s a great place to stroll and visit hip boutiques, restaurants and galleries by day, and theaters and nightclubs by night. Right next to Gastown is one of the largest Chinatowns in North America. En...

The Dominican Republic, on the eastern half of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, has rightly earned its reputation as a beautiful beach resort destination. It’s also a wonderful place to visit on a cruise, with ships docking at the new, purpose-built cruise terminal at Amber Cove or in the capital of Santo Domingo. There are lovely stretches of beach all around, but for a special beach day, skim over the water on a catamaran to the small island of Saona. Relax in the powdery sand, play in the water or doze in a hammock under the coconut palms. If you’re looking for some adrenaline-pumping fun, swing up into the saddle for a horseback ride through the countryside, then soar through the treetops on a zipline (don’t forget to admire the amazing views!) On the north coast (also called the Amber Coast), learn the history of the translucent stone at the Amber Museum in the city of Puerto Plata. Then, visit the Fortress San Felipe, which once protected the city from pirates and...

The famous pink sand beaches of Bermuda look magical against the deep blue water that surrounds this lovely group of islands in the North Atlantic. The opportunity to play on a pink beach is a very good reason to cruise to Bermuda, but there are many more. Cruises to Bermuda, which is about 665 miles east and slightly south of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, depart from East Coast ports like Boston, New York City, Cape Liberty, Baltimore and Miami. Bermuda is the sole destination on some itineraries, with relaxing days at sea on either side of a two- or three-night stay. Other itineraries combine Bermuda with New England and Maritime Canada, the Bahamas, or a transatlantic crossing. Depending on your cruise line and ship, you could dock at King’s Wharf, the capital city of Hamilton, or historic St. George’s, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Keep in mind that Bermuda’s eight main islands together are just 22 miles long and about two miles across, so you can see everything no matter ...