Royal Carribean Cruise: Time To Indulge Yourself !!
|
|
Cruising The Caribbean In Style...
|
Hi, I'm Tracy. I just LOVE cruise ship holidays!! In fact, I've just come back from my latest Royal Carribean cruise to the Western Caribbean. I met some fantastic people, some of whom were on their very first trip. After talking to them, I thought it might be good to give a little bit of information out to people trying to decide which Caribbean destination they should pick for their first cruise. |
|
A Royal Carribean Cruise to the East or West Caribbean?
Cruise travellers regularly rate a Royal Carribean cruise to the
Western or Eastern Caribbean as among their favourite experiences.
Often the most difficult decision to be made is which one of these
options to take, as either East or West will provide a full itinerary
of activities and destinations.
For those new to the cruising experience, a popular choice is to take a
7 day Royal Carribean tour to one or other of these, because East/West
tours are the most common itineraries that are readily found through
internet searches and advertisements.
As far as which one is better, well, that all depends on the type of
experience that you are interested in. Each Royal Carribean
cruise will visit different ports of call, and of course, each ship
within the fleet will offer different facilities and attractions.
Swimming, sailing, snorkelling and shopping are standard activities
offered on every Royal Carribean cruise.
However, differences do exist, so it's worthwhile taking a closer look
to compare a couple of the most popular Royal Carribean cruise ports of
call and included activities/events.
Cruises to the
Eastern
Caribbean
Florida is the most common departure point for Royal Carribean cruise
ships bound for the Eastern Caribbean. The most common ports of call
are Puerto Rico, St.Thomas, St.John (USVI), the Bahamas, and
occasionally St.Martin/St.Maarten. Because these islands are smaller
and relatively closer together, there is less sailing time on a cruise
such as this, and instead greater opportunity to visit a fantastic
beach, or to spend more time shopping.
Continued over......
East / West Royal Carribean Cruise Continued....
Excursions to the shore will tend
to have a focus on water or
beach activities. If this sounds like you, then a Royal
Carribean cruise that favours the East might be exactly the right
choice.
Cruises to the Western
Caribbean
In
the case of Royal Caribbean cruises destined for the Western Caribbean,
the point of departure can be either Florida, Texas, or New Orleans.
The usual ports visited on this line will generally include Key West in
Florida, the Domincian Republic, Jamaica, Cozumel or Playa Del Carmen
in Mexico, Grand Cayman, Costa Rica and Belize. It becomes clear by
glancing at a map that there will be more sailing time between these
destinations, and therefore more time spent on board the ship and less
on the beach or in a port. The ports described above for this Royal
Carribean cruise to the West are generally on the mainland, or on the
larger Caribbean islands, which provides for stop-off experiences with
more variety. You could find yourself scuba diving or snorkelling in
amazing reefs one day, exploring ruins of the ancient Mayan
civilization on the next day, or enjoying the peaceful calm of a
prehistoric rain forest on the next.
Conclusion:
Don't be concerned at all if you are now even less certain about which trip is right for you. No matter which direction, a cruise into the Caribbean sea will be an unforgettable trip, with great experiences and lasting memories of the beautiful blue sea, gorgeous beaches, and spectacular stop-overs. My advice is to jump in a make a booking for a romantic Caribbean journey, on a fabulous Royal Carribean cruise ship today.
Royal Caribbean Announce
Intention
to Double Australian Cruise Capacity in 2011
One of the worlds leading ocean cruise operators, Royal Caribbean, is
set to increase the number of ships operating out of Australia from 1
to 2.
While other countries such as the United States are seeing drops in the
number of cruise ships departing from local ports, the opposite is true
for the Royal Caribbean cruise lines operating out of Australia.
Management for the Royal Caribbean ocean liner fleet have
recently announced that the ship Radiance Of The Seas will join its
fellow ship based in Sydney, Rhapsody Of The Seas, which is already in
its third season of the Australian summer. The new
service will operate as of October 2011, and will cater for Australians
and New Zealanders enjoying the south pacific cruise market during the
southern hemisphere summer months, running between October and April
The Sydney office of Royal Caribbean had been in operation for only 14
months prior to this announcement.
One of the most innovative world leaders in luxury cruise ship travel,
the Royal Caribbean company fleet currently consists of 21 ships, with
cruise lines operating all over the world. It also boasts the
largest cruise ship in the world, Oasis of the Seas, launched in 2010
and widely considered to embody the most revolutionary cruise ship
design ever seen.
The managing director of Royal Caribbean Cruises Australia, Gavin
Smith, had this to say: “The move is a demonstration of the strength of
the local cruise market, and is in response to demand from
American, European and Asian visitors to experience Australia
and our region onboard our cruise ships. The move will double the
number of tourists the company brings to Australia each year to more
than 30,000.
“We’ve seen a marked increase in demand from Australians for the Royal
Caribbean International brand over the past year and this is something
we are keen to build upon. The announcement represents a multi-million
dollar investment in Australia, and Sydney is an excellent port from
which to base our operations down under,” he added.
According to research carried out by Access Economics, the
Australian
cruising market is set to increase its share of the world cruise
industry up to around 5% over the next 10 or so years, and Royal
Caribbean is positioning itself to corner this emerging opportunity.
Continued over......
Royal Caribbean
Announcement Continued....
Mr Smith adds “I believe the Australian market is really looking
for a greater choice in cruises, and our expansion will set a new
standard in the expectations of Australians in what they want from
their cruise holiday,”
“We’re supported by the exceptional
efforts of our international sales and marketing teams, particularly in
North America, UK , Europe and Asia who help to generate demand for
cruises down-under and our cruise-tour team does a great job in working
with local tourism operators to provide a wide range of uniquely
Australasian experiences for all our guests,” he said.
The
expectation within the industry is that local travel agents and tourism
organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand will be very
enthusiastic about the Royal Caribbean decision to base a second ship
in Sydney.
In a further comment, Mr Smith adds “The travel
industry has been very supportive of Royal Caribbean International.
We’ve found agents and their customers alike have really been looking
for cruises that are genuinely different from the pack and offer a
better cruising experience. Now, with two of our ships sailing
Australian waters, they really have a choice.”
The new ship,
Radiance Of The Seas, is 293 metres long, and therefore larger than the
incumbent ship Rhapsody of the Seas. It will be the largest,
newest
ship with the most modern design to list Sydney as its home
port. The
choice of 2 Royal Caribbean ships will increase the number and flavour
of cruises available to Australian and New Zealand travellers.
Some
of these new features include a waterslide in a dedicated kids pool
area, a mini golf course, a half basketball court, a full cinema, an
amazing atrium covering 9 decks, plus 5 fabulous restaurants for the
finest of dining experiences. 55 % of all guest cabins enjoy
a
balcony, which is a fantastic ratio considering the ship's passenger
capacity is around 2100. Other attractions include a solarium
for
adults only, a fitness centre with a spa included, a rock climbing
wall, a Broadway style theatre, Casino Royale, and an Ocean Adventure
club for the kids.
Royal Caribbean is one of the most highly
regarded of all passenger cruise companies, and has a reputation for
consistently delivering magnificent cruise experiences for its
customers.