Cruise Ships that cater to every taste

Cruise Ships that cater to every taste

Whether you are looking for adventure, entertainment, family programs, or good food, there is a cruise ship for everyone. You might want to explore the most exotic areas of the world and enjoy its wildlife like on a trip to the Antarctica, or might prefer a romantic cruise under the stars. Whether you are into entertainment or world-class dining onboard, there is a cruise ship for you.

Best for Foodies: Oceania

Renown for its celebrity chef Jacques Pepin, Oceania (in photo) is famous for its dedication to fine onboard dining. Ranging from Asian-style Red Ginger to Italian Toscana and French bistro, Oceania's specialty venues are all fee-free and offers a great range of mouth-watering cuisines. You can even learn to prepare it yourself with classes in the Culinary Center.

Best for Entertainment: Norwegian

Musical revues, comedy and improve shows, live music and guest performers is some of the entertainment you will find in all Norwegian ships. However, its newest ships are the real gems: Norwegian Epic, Breakaway and Getaway. Drawing inspiration from all-time winners, cruisers will be able to enjoy onboard Broadway musicals such as “Legally Blonde” and “Rock of Ages”, sizzling dance shows like “Burn the Floor”, comedy by Second City improv and music by Grammy winners, with the talent of pianists and blues bands. The line turns meals into theater with dinner shows including The Illusionarium and Cirque Dreams. There is also a large array of entertainment for the little ones, with a variety of Nickelodeon-themed events for their entertainment pleasure. There are also many bars, discos, bowling and Wii to keep you entertained the whole time.

Best for Adventures: Lindblad Expeditions

From the Arctic to Antarctica, Galapagos and Amazon, Lindblad will embark you on an adventure to remember and take you to the most exotic places. On its Arctic trips, passengers sail aboard an ice-class vessel that easily slips through frozen passageways populated with polar bears. On its Antarctica explorations, you can get a eco-insights and information from National Geographic naturalists, marine specialists and photographers that live onboard. If you want to get up close, you can use of the line's Zodiacs, sea kayaks and underwater cameras. Shore excursions trade bus tours for educational and active diversions, such as naturalist-led glacier hikes and deep-water snorkelling. The company is still responsible and fosters sustainable practices and supports many conservation programs in the fragile destinations it visits.

Best for Romantics: Windstar

Romance fills the sails of Windstar Cruises, intimate ships carrying between 148 and 312 passengers. These vessels float through romantic destinations the likes of Greek Isles, Costa Rica, the Windward Islands, the South Pacific and the Far East. You will find that the stops are even intimate as they seek out interesting small harbors and coves where other lines don't go. During the night, you can lie next to your loved one and enjoy stargazing while having an alfresco candle-lit dinner. By day you can doze on a padded lounger by the pool. All ships have water sports platforms for floating, kayaking, sailing, water-skiing, windsurfing, and diving in aquamarine waters across the world.

Cruise Ships for Each Age group

Cruise Ships for Each Age group

There is no doubt that depending on the age, you need different needs. For instance, children need a playground area or activities suited for their ages, babies need a nursery, adults have different interest and it can vary greatly, but then seniors might need a more chilled program. Follow this list to find the cruise that better suits your age group of the age group of the people you are travelling with, for instance, your children.

Best line for for families with tweens and teens: Royal Caribbean International

The best cruise shop for families with Tweens or Teens is Royal Caribbean International. Varying from ship to ship, the line offers rock-climbing walls, zip-lines, ice- and inline-skating, surf simulators, boxing rings, and basketball and volleyball courts.

The line has different youth programs that targets either tweens or teens. They treat the underage customers like mini-adults pampering them with sophisticated facilities, including spa treatments designed especially for the pimping generation and their adolescent needs; DJ lessons, teens-only casino nights, backstage tours and no-adults-allowed lounges where they can dance, drink mocktails and socialise.

Best for Families with Small Children: Disney Cruise Line

From entertainment and dining to childcare, Disney knows what parents and small children need on vacation. The line provides nurseries for little sailors up to 3 years old. It also provides a water play area for babies. As expected, the cruise ships offers events featuring its signature characters the likes of Mickey, Goofy, Cinderella and others who play with youngsters. Its play areas are themed after popular Disney and Pixar movies with plenty of high-tech games and interactive programming.

Best for Mature Cruisers: Holland America Line

An elegant mid-size line, Holland America has traditionally drawn seniors by prioritizing the classic cruising experience over partying and adrenaline-filled activities. Some of the more tranquil pleasures this line offers include the Culinary Arts Center (which focuses on cooking demos, tastings and shoreside market tours led by top chefs), self-guided art tours of the onboard collections, and Explorations Cafe (which houses a library and hosts visiting lectures who speak on art, history and other topics. The activities offered are also designed for the more mature crowd, such as golf, yoga and tennis, which don't require a 21-year-old's physique. Innovative additions to the entertainment repertoire are designed to please this age sector. For instance, HAL has introduced “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom dancing events, a B.B. King's Blues Club and dinner event featuring menus by culinary stars.

Best for Singles: River Cruises

If you want to travel solo, you might want to refrain from taking the typical ocean voyage and opting instead for a river cruise. Whether in Europe, the U.S. or Asia, riverboats tend to be small with open-seating dining at large tables and included group tours, which encourage a group spirit. Many lines offer low or no solo supplement deals on certain sailings; for instance a no single supplement on all European river cruises.

Northern Hemisphere Summer Deals

Northern Hemisphere Summer Deals

If you need some ideas for budget destinations during the Northern summer, here are the cheapest cities to visit when the sun comes out. Although some of these cities are not particularly warm during the Northern summer months, they may offer other attractions such as culture, arts and culinary delights, plus they offer good deals during the months of June, July and August.

Boston, Denver and Seattle top the list as the cities offering the best travel deals. This is due to the robust competition among low cost carriers including Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit and more. For all history lovers, Boston will sweep you off your feet. Denver (cheerleader photo) is opens the gate to discover the Old (and new) West, while Seattle is a combination of sophistication, scenery and great nightlife. Even though it might be rainy all-year round, let's not forget that Seattle was the birthplace for the music genre Grunge and it enjoys a vibrant underground music scene.

Chicago and Washington, DC are other cheap destinations also due to the increased airline competition. If you are willing to ditch the beach, the capital of the USA will impress you with its monuments and museums. Perhaps not as history-submerged as Washington DC, but just as interesting, Chicago is always a fun a destination. There you can enjoy attractions such as the Navy Pier on Lake Michigan and gorge on the deep-dish pizza.

Dublin is Europe's best kept secret when it comes to budget holidays. In fact, the Irish capital has been of the cheapest cities of Europe for years. Immerse yourself in the city's many charms, hop in a rental car to visit castles and countryside. You can also use Dublin as your jumping-off point for the rest of Europe with cheap flights and discounters like EasyJet, Ryanair and more.

There have been some amazing deals to two Scandinavian cities - Oslo and Stockholm - thanks to European low cost carriers like Wow Air and Norwegian Air Shuttle.

Cancun and Costa Rica also make the list tanks to the robust competition between JetBlue and Southwest. If you are looking for sunny paradisiac beaches, this is the place to visit.

Paris is the cheapest of the Big Three (the others being London and Rome) to fly from the US. Regardless of the coast, seeing the Eiffel Tower or The Louvre and to walk along the Seine are worth it.

Airline prices to Vancouver have been going down. Therefore, this is your opportunity to visit this glittering British Columbia city and enjoy its unique charms like lots of outdoorsy fun amidst glorious scenery plus elegant and electric dining and club scenes.

Cons of Travel Agents vs Online Booking

Cons of Travel Agents vs Online Booking

While travel agents may a variety of discounts, special rates, insider information and travel offers, they also work on a commission-based salary with no guarantees of success and a high rate of failure.

Although travel agents sometimes save you money with deals, you are most likely to get a better price when you book online yourself. If your agent only looks at the industry reservation system, the best airline fares may not even be visible.

Travel Agents Charge a Fee

Agents often charge fees to book an airline tickets. Some charge more than $250 to plan an international vacation.

Unlike booking online, if you go to a travel agent, you'll be paying an extra fee. Whereas using a travel agents has many advantages, this is one of the biggest drawbacks. For instance, when booking an international flight with an agent, you be charged a ridiculous amount extra that can amount to a couple of hundred dollars. The fee totally varies from one travel agent to the other, so beware when you book anything. Spending more money for the convenience is up to you, but budget travelling is your priority, you are better booking your own flight.

Travel Agents Work on Commission

Since travel provides often pay agents on commission and this might be percentage of the fare, your agent isn't really motivated to get you a low price. Although travel agents might be able to get incredible deals from travel providers, they may not necessarily be willing to give them to you. The truth of the matter is that many agents work on commission. That means that the more you spend on your trip, the more they make. That's why it is pivotal you find a travel agent that you can trust. Ask around to family and friends and get some recommendations. That way you'll be sure you are using a travel agent that puts your interests first.

If you book online directly through airlines, cruise companies or other providers, you don't have to wait for the travel office to open. Online agencies such as Expedia or Orbitz allow you to compare multiple airlines on one site, but unfortunately, some airlines are taking their business off the third-party sites. Obviously, this trend is going to affect the travellers and the time they spend online searching for a deal as they'll have to check multiple websites instead of one.

Regardless of the pros and cons of using a travel agent, what it all comes down to is how comfortable you are with booking your own trip. Do you need the help of a professional to save you time, to assist you with tips, information about visas, vaccines, tours, transportation, accommodation and so on of the place you don't know about? It also depends on how complicated your trip itinerary is.

Even if you are a veteran when it comes to booking online, perhaps this time you need help getting a room when your destination is packed or your don't know the regulations of a particular country. It also depends on how much work you are willing to put in yourself and your budgetary concerns. You need to consider what suits you best and that will help you make a decision.