There is so many places to visit and much to see and do on the West Coast of America it can be hard to easily fit it all into one holiday, however if you take a Celebrity West Coast cruise holiday from Canada to California travelling on the luxurious cruise liner the Celebrity Millennium you get to see the best the West has to offer.

The Celebrity Millennium offers world class facilities for all to enjoy with spacious and comfortable accommodation, from stylish staterooms to stunning Penthouse suites, but with so much to do on board and so much to see when in port you will probably find you don’t spend that much time in your room. During daytime cruising there are plenty of options to spend your time onboard such as for exercise fans, High-tech fitness facilities like AquaSpa, a Swimming Pool, Paddle tennis and Golf nets and if you just like to relax and take it easy before big excursions you can unwind in the Two-tier library, the Card room, Music library, Internet café or one of the Elegant bars and lounges. In the evening there are plenty of places for you to dine from 5* restaurants to the casual dining boulevard you will never be short of places to eat.

The West Coast Cruise starts in Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia where you firstly get too enjoy the sophistication and cultural richness that it has to offer before you depart on your journey southward, after the first night of travelling you will arrive at Nanaimo and dock for the day and either enjoy some excursions or just explore the ship. The next day you can spend exploring Victoria, with its genteel ambience you can visit the Butchart Gardens or relax in one of many street cafes.

Picture courtesy of tiarescott

The next day is normally a highlight of many people taking this cruise, a day enjoying Seattle, visiting famous places such as the world-famous Space Needle and the majestic 14,410-foot active volcano Mount Rainier as well as the birthplace of Frasier, Kurt Cobain and Microsoft. After a day exploring all that Seattle has to offer you get to relax for a day at sea before you reach California and the first stop off in this state is San Francisco where you have two days to enjoy here. You can enjoy many of the great tourist attractions here such as the Golden Gate Bridge or Alcatraz and if you are partial to a bit of shopping then you stop off at Bloomingdales, Barneys, Sephora and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Picture courtesy of dherrera_96

After San Francisco you then sail by night arriving in the small, laid-back and lovely port of Monterey, where for the day you can visit numerous shops and restaurant as well as the Monterey Bay aquarium. Coming near to the end of your cruise you can stop off in Los Angles and can visit the town of Avalon which is a quaint village on Catalina Island, here you can enjoy a stroll along the colourful Pleasure Pier, which offers numerous opportunities for exploring the island’s emerald waters with world-famous glass bottom boat rides. The next day you arrive in San Diego where you have a bit of time for a look around before you leave for your flight back to the UK.

Picture courtesy of brewbooks

If you are thinking about taking a cruise holiday but would like to keep your fitness up whilst away you can find plenty of activities to do that will burn those extra calories you will be enjoying eating. Sport on cruise ships used to mean deck quoits and shuffleboard. But these days cruise lines offer a far wider range of activities.

Boxing – Some Royal Caribbean ships now have full-size boxing rings, however the nearest you get to a real punch-up is hitting the coach’s training pads, sparring with a punch bag or mirror boxing.

Gym – You will find that many cruise ships have their own on board gym fitted with the latest exercising equipment and fully qualified trainers. Some also have jogging tracks on deck however the gigantic new Oasis of the Seas has a track almost half a mile long, and Royal Caribbean offers running routes in port.

Water sports – On the Royal Caribbean’s biggest vessels they offer ‘Flowrider’ surf machines where you can get fit whilst surfing onboard the cruise ship. Smaller ships often have platforms from which you can swim, windsurf, waterski or kayak in port.

Lawn sports – Some cruise lines like Cunard and Celebrity still offer more traditional sports onboard their ships such as croquet or boules or shortened tennis on their all-weather sports courts.

So if you enjoy holidaying on cruises you can still keep fit and healthy on board with plenty of activities to help shift and weight you may put on, on board.

Most people just think of ski resorts when they think of Canada especially as the 2010 Winter Olympics are being held there, however there is so much more to see and do in this beautiful area of North America.

If you take a East Canada cruise holiday you will experience some of the most spectacular natural beauty on earth as well as stop in some of the most charming places in the US and Canada. Many people suggest taking the cruise in autumn because during this time of year you get to see some vibrant colours among the landscape. During the cruise you will visit the delights of the New England region and ports like Cape Cod and area known for its fishing heritage and on to the excitement of Halifax which has flourished as a prominent ports as well as the world’s second largest natural harbour. Then moving on to Canada’s French region, Quebec where you can enjoy the classic architecture and old fashioned buildings and fortifications before moving on to the rugged terrain of Nova Scotia and Saint John to try your hand at some exciting water activities such as white water rafting.

There are some great cruise deals offered by the major cruise lines for trips around Eastern Canada, so you can enjoy an interesting and awe-inspiring holiday n the lap of luxury.

Canada

Picture Courtesy of Kamal H.

One of the world’s most recognisable ports, with world famous features such as The Harbour Bridge and distinctive Opera House Sydney is a vibrant, happening city and a great place to start your journey. On an Australasia cruise holiday you get to experience a whole range of place, people and cultures from the magnificent Opera House, lively streets and beautiful beaches in Sydney to the croc` infested Kakadu wilderness which is reachable from Darwin. You can also enjoy the Great Barrier Reef which is a diver`s or snorkeler’s paradise. Full of colourful fish and coral, this underwater world is as exciting and varied as you’ll find anywhere and is also world renowned.

After exploring the majestic sights of Australia the cruise will then take you onto New Zealand which offers some of the most stunning scenery and natural beauty you will ever see. Like the mud pools of Rotorua or the abundant marine life at Bay of Islands where you can also learn about New Zealand’s colonial history. New Zealand also offers a vibrant city life with Auckland New Zealand’s largest, most pulsating city with plenty to see and do.

If you fancy a cultural and exciting cruise where you will learn and see a lot you can find great cruise deals to Australasia.

Sydney Opera House

Picture courtesy of Linh_rOm

After a year of the ‘credit crunch’, doom and gloom over the recession and strikes, delays and restrictions at airports and on the Eurotunnel people are returning to the good old faithful way to cross the channel on a ferry. Now it may not be as glamorous as a cruise holiday but you still get the same effect with a decent level of service on board for your money.

Currently ferry companies are desperate to fill ships and reduce prices to tempt more passengers aboard, you can now get a return trip to France for less than a meal out at a restaurant meaning you can easily get away for a break and enjoy the samples of France. Many of the newer ferries are much bigger and feel more like a cruise ship with great on board amenities.  It’s also relatively cheap to take your car across which means you can explore much more of what France has to offer.

If you want to get away from it all this year for Valentines, a cruise holiday is a great way to be wined and dined and enjoy some of the best services available. Many cruise lines are often described as luxurious floating hotels with 5 star services that fit your every need.

You can get some great cruise deals around the Mediterranean visiting places like South of France, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Corsica and Rome, some of the most romantic places around the Med. Or you can venture further afield to the Caribbean and dock at ports in Barbados and Mexico and have a long break away enjoying all the services aboard as well as visiting some of the most beautiful places in the world.

love

Picture courtesy of sister72

It’s that time of year again where we are bombarded with TV advertisement advertising huge sales, many people will be thinking of probably trying to pick up a bargain in clothes shops, furniture shops or electrical stores but many people do not think about the offers they can get on a holiday.

The January sales are a great time  for cheap cruises with many tour operators offering huge discounts and incentives for all sorts of cruise holidays. It may seem a bit daunting to find the cruise for you, with so many destinations available offered by numerous cruise lines and so many tempting offers.

Some of the top of the range cruise lines have some great savings for some of their more elegant and stylish trips which are worth checking out if you want to experience cruising in style on some of the most regal of cruise ships like Cunard’s fleet or on the some of the Royal Caribbean’s fleet which include the new Oasis of the seas. Or you can look at some of the older ships where there are even more bargains to be had.

Royal Caribbean ship

Picture courtesy of Rob Inh00d

Long gone are the days on cruises where the only activities were deck quoits and shuffleboard, now you are more likely to enjoy rock climbing, surfing or even a spot of golf. Many cruise lines now offer a wide range of activities for guest on board to keep them fit and active during their stay like Royal Caribbean’s bigger vessels offer ‘Flowrider’ surf machines and they have real ice rinks.

The smaller ships often have platforms from which you can swim, windsurf, waterski or kayak in port, as well as rock climbing walls which the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas boasts to have the largest along with the longest running track on deck at around half a mile long.

For tennis and golf fans many ships offer shortened tennis on their all-weather sports courts and many ships have putting greens, simulators and driving cages. Some Costa and Celebrity vessels have real grass. For a touch of British class Some Celebrity ships have half an acre of real grass for croquet or boules and P&O ships offer cricket bats, balls, pads and wickets to use in a netted area. They also hold five-a-side football tournaments, as do Royal Caribbean.

You may think that was probably as much sporting activities they cut fit onto cruise ships however as well many cruise ships offering state of the art gym facilities some Royal Caribbean ships have a full-size boxing ring where you can use the coach’s training pads, sparring with a punch bag or mirror boxing.

flowrider

Picture courtesy on unfoldedorigami

More and more cruise ships are tailoring packages to holiday maker’s situations and interests. A new cruise trend has hit, the cougar cruise. Cougar a new term for older ladies who prefer to date younger men (cubs) has now found a new playground, these cruises are aimed for cougars and cubs and provide an environment for people who either want to have fun or find love.

The cruises are organised by The Society of Single Professionals and The Singles Travel Company and is currently taking place on the Carnival cruise lines ship the aptly named Elation, which sails from San Diego to Mexico.

The most recent cruise took place on December 4th 2009 and was fully booked, there are plans for more next year however there is a waiting list, the chairman of The Society of Single Professionals Rich Gosse hailed the cruise a success and said “We had 300 cougars and cubs and lots of parties. Lots of people had fun. What they did behind closed doors I cannot comment on because I wasn’t there. Cubs are finally awakening to the fact that cougars make suitable partners.”

The cruises had been organised in response to age discrimination and Mr Gosse added “Older women, in particular, are victimised by our youth-oriented society. They are regarded as “non-sexy. The truth is that there are millions of American men who find older women attractive, and we will prove it on the Cougar Cruise.”

Currently the system of tipping on cruise ships is facing increasing amounts of frustration from British passengers, at the moment it feels like tipping is mandatory rather than discretionary for most passengers and the tips are used to subsidise crew’s salaries rather than a reward for providing an excellent service.

Technically tipping is a voluntary gesture but many passengers feel like they have to tip whether they found the service to be good or not. Some operators like Carnival automatically charge gratuities to passengers on board account at a rate of £6 per day per person, which over a 2 week stay for a couple can, add up to over £120 which is a lot especially when you have already spent a fair amount on booking the actual cruise.

The best thing to do is before you go on your cruise holiday is to check with your cruise line to see how tips are paid, some cruise lines include this in the price you pay for the cruise, some set accounts which if you ask you can have the amounts charged changed and then some lines offer a envelopes for passengers to hand out at the end of their holiday to members of staff that have provided a good service. Also remember most cruise lines add a 15% service charge to bar bills and similarly to spa treatments, fitness classes and stylist services.