Cruise Holiday Ideas Whilst on the Road

The long and unwinding road

One of the few good things about a long road journey, and there aren’t too many that come to mind, is the chance to listen to the car stereo radio and play some of your favourite music. The radio is still a fantastic media despite the advent of HD television and such like. The fact is that the radio is a special medium which requires a special kind of talent. The people who work with just the voice are skilled at painting a picture whether that’s a sports commentary, a drama or a news item. Having a decent car stereo on board is vital and if it is one which has a good CD player, or a music device dock, then all the better. The really good car stereos cost a bit, and they come from the likes of Pioneer, JVC and Sony. But it’s worth the expense, especially if making these long distance journeys is a regular occurrence.

The radio is fantastic for advertising and that is also a special talent. Humour is used a lot, as is the use of music. Selling something like one of the Royal Caribbean cruises would surely mean some nice Calypso music to get the listener feeling like a holiday to that part of the world. Likewise perhaps the advert for Mediterranean cruises would feature some Italian opera, so music can create a feeling of warmth as the driver slogs his way up the motorway in January.

Radio on, mind in gear

Once on the road there needs to be concentration at all times, especially with the volume of traffic seen on the main routes. The car stereo is a useful thing to have for local traffic information and there are systems which will pick up the local radio station with up to date information. If it’s looking bad ahead and the opportunity arises, that’s the time to take a break and have a cup of coffee. The motoring organisations are always going on about taking regular breaks and they are quite right. It’s the chance to get away from the car and sit down with some news papers. The service stations have good book stores, and in there drivers will find a wealth of magazines which will look very tempting, especially the ones with features about Caribbean cruises and the like. The weather outside looks pretty miserable so these holidays look just right to think about taking a break.

Cruises seem a good idea for a holiday this year

However dreaming about such things will not make the journey north any better, so after a break and some relaxing reading the need to get going and hopefully a traffic free journey ahead. To many people the idea of spending a long time on a ship is not that appealing, but a look through the brochures will show that the latest vessels are absolutely stacked out with facilities. It’s always been the case that the big transatlantic ships were superbly kitted out, but the new modern sleek ships are just as good. In the case of the shorter Norwegian cruises there are plenty of stops along the way, so there’s never the chance of getting bored.

As a holiday, there is plenty of choice in destinations and types of ship. One outfit which has good trips to the northern parts of the world, run their Celebrity cruises on a regular basis through the summer. The port of embarkation is Vancouver, so this is relatively local to the region. So the idea of taking a trip to sea looks all the more appealing as the rain lashes down and the country music station plays some old favourites on the car stereo. This is something to discuss when this business trip is over and the chances are that everyone will jump at the chance to spend some time on a really good ship, such as those in the fleet of Princess cruises. They have a selection of itineraries ranging from the West Indies to Australia, so there are lots of destinations to go for. The ships always have a glamorous look inside, as though from a different era. It could be argued that in the world of high speed everything, travel by ship is seen as a bit old fashioned. Sailing at a leisurely 22 knots across the oceans does seem a little out of date, except it’s obviously a great way to unwind, eat the very best food and relax. Unlike the current car journey which is 70 mph all the way with a dodgy cheese sandwich to munch, and is stressful - the only consolation being that it’s a modern car with a decent car stereo.

Looking at the options

So the more this journey continues the more the cruise idea appeals, such that at the next series stop a phone call home is a good way of seeing if the idea gets a good reception. It seems that this thought has been floating around in some ones head for a while as the kids are getting older and they will soon be off on their own holidays with their friends. This might be one of the last occasions to have a real family holiday and the suggestion on the phone was to look at the itineraries provided by P & O cruises. They have been around a long time, and must know the business inside out. Apparently they have a fleet of seven ships and run voyages across the world. It’s a matter of choosing the best time of year, destination and length of trip, and that’s going to something to discuss once back home. The school holidays have to be considered but that allows the opportunity to go somewhere which is low season, which could save a lot of money.

The journey home will be much the same. Loads of traffic and it always seems worse on a Friday evening, whichever direction. But once back in the house its time to have a look at all the brochures picked up in the service stations and the local agents. Booking online is a possibility and the ship operators have web sites which give details of the itineraries and prices. Like the air travel industry the cruise business has adapted quickly to the modern ways people choose and book their holidays.

Choosing the cruise for all the family

The favourite at the moment seem to be with MSC cruises and it’s a surprise to see that they have ships which are as big as anything on the oceans. They are based in Europe and have a great attitude towards cruising for all the family. There is less formality, and a greater emphasis on the family aspects of the trip. They have a good attitude towards the environment and not surprisingly, the sea, and all that lives in it. As an aside, some research showed that transporting goods by sea is still the most eco friendly method as there are fewer carbon emissions in ratio to passengers or products; interesting to compare that with air travel. So they make mention of environmental concerns and their responsibilities as a ship operator, which is good to read. This sounds like the ideal organisation, although coming close behind are the Fred Olsen cruises. The options are to take one of their voyages in the Baltic, as its somewhere none of the family have been and would certainly be something different. As parents its not a bad idea to introduce some culture on a holiday so going to the ports of Russia such as historic St Petersburg and countries like Estonia would make for interesting shore excursions. That’s all part of the idea of going on such a trip and whilst the vessels have great swimming pools, cinemas, theatres and a whole host of quality amenities, the destinations are also important.

Cruise decision time

At the end of the day, there has to be a decision made and after the long journey south, the mind is a bit numb. However there seems to be great enthusiasm for this holiday and it’s probably because it’s something totally different. There is a myriad of possibilities so in a few days when every ones calmed down, it will be time for a considered look at the voyages available, at the right time of year and the cost involved. Since all the meals are included the expense on the actual trip would appear to be less than if the holiday was on land. That’s a lot when a family of five is taken into account as there seems to a constant need for food and drink. The cruises do have some charges for special meals and drinks at the bar, but most are almost fully inclusive.

There has been one decision made and that is to avoid any flying this year, the start of the journey will on one of the cruises from Southampton. Thank heavens for that – no airport parking, no hassle at the check in desk and no horrendous security queues to wade through. This is looking good already! But next week brings another long drive across the country, but with it more opportunities to listen to the car stereo, and think this cruise idea through fully.