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The fact that the earth is made up of 75% water gives the idea for going on a luxury cruise even more appealing. It means there is lots of space for the luxury vessels to travel to their destination with none of the associated congestion problems found in airports and on roads. Some figures say two thirds, but whatever the statistic is, that’s a huge amount of sea for all sorts of great cruise opportunities. There’s not only the location to consider, and that can be from a cruise to Alaska where there is a great chance of seeing the lazy polar bear, seal or sea elephant, to a last minute cruise which is in the Mediterranean. The type and style of the cruise is a factor which has to be thought about, and the fiancé also comes into play. Having the funds to take one of these once in a lifetime high life holidays can be tricky, but the cost of most sailings has dropped considerably over the past few years. This type of holiday, especially one which is operated by Cunard Cruises or Royal Caribbean Cruises has often been considered as expensive and the type of trip which required new evening wear for every night on board and a whole range of jewellery to go with the outfits. The big cruises do have the option for celebrities being placed at guests tables and on at least one occasion the ships captain will join a table. This is made up of around eight guests who have been put together to chat and discuss the travel and any other topic which comes to mind. All this is done over an exquisite dinner, which can run to seven courses. The celebrity joining the table can be a film star, an actor or a writer, so there’s a great opportunity to meet some high profile people. It’s true that on some of the celebrity cruises there may be a need to get dolled up in the finest outfits and jewellery, but there are other trips seen in brochures such as Cruises 2011 and Cruises 2012. A good assessment of the type of vessel and the style of the holiday can be found in the cruise reviews which will highlight the best locations and when they are due to depart. The Cunard ships leave from Southampton when departing the United Kingdom and this has been a tradition for the great shipping company since the heady days of the Queen Mary and the original Queen Elizabeth. Only last year the latest luxury Queen left the south coast port on its maiden voyage, with jewellery bedecked passengers keen to wave from the multi tiered decks. The latest Queen Elizabeth has been designed to reflect the past glories of ocean travel, with art deco interior, stylish restaurants and theatres. The effect is stunning and although from the exterior view the ship looks modern and rather heavy, the interior design will be just the place to display the fine jewellery bought for the occasion. The luxury liner runs a series of trips including short runs over to the central European ports, and the northern regions of Scandinavia. There, locations are usually the routes operated by Fred Olsen Lines and they have the finest ships plying the Norwegian fjords on an annual basis. These ships are in the smaller sized category, and to some extent compete with the historic Norwegian Post ships which ply the Norwegian coast 365 days a year. In the winter months, the vessel has to cope with ice, high winds and storms. The crew will always make an attempt to dock at the smallest communities in the north of the country, but if they fail due to the weather they will have another go on the way back south. These small communities rely on the post ship for their communications and supplies, so it’s an important service which passengers can use for short or long journeys. The cargo passenger ships sail from Bergen to North Cape every day and there are about six ships in the fleet. 
In total contrast to the harsh conditions of Norway in winter, the cruises which ply the Caribbean are mostly calm affairs and operated by the likes of Princess Cruises. There is some value in going for the more exclusive cruise and in this category the Seabourn cruises spring to mind. Their ships hosts just over 200 passengers, so compared with the monster ocean liners, these ships are quite small. Their routes take in the Norway, Russia and the Baltic but their philosophy of small is beautiful extends to the individual service found on board. The opportunities for showing off the fine jewellry on this type of holiday are tremendous and apart from the personal service there are facilities such as spas and luxury restaurants on board. Another shipping line which has a good reputation is the Silverseas cruise company. They can be considered as being somewhere between the huge Cunard passenger ships and the small companies such as Seabourn. Along with them there is MSC cruises and the NCL cruises. So there is plenty of choice when it comes to deciding which vessel, cruise type and itinerary is available. MSC bring Italian style to their holidays with itineraries which take in all the seven seas. The Med cruises, and those to the Middle East mix with South America and South Africa. The ships have the similar look to the big Cunard vessels, and are fully equipped for grand cruises. Best value at Sea
The perception that cruise holidays are expensive has changed over the past few years. As with any travel business there has been a review of what people want, and most importantly, what they consider to be good value. So there are plenty of cruise deals which can be found by going through the internet sites. The likes of P&O cruises, which have a long standing tradition in the UK, are regularly bringing out promotions for their cruise holidays. They will offer good cheap cruises especially in the last minute market. Some cruise offers have an air flight included in the price and that is something to consider carefully. Many of the last min cruises can be found online. The cruises from the UK all tend to leave from the south coast and especially Southampton, and it must be considered that all the valuables taken, including the jewellery is well insured. This is another area where the likes of P and O cruises can help with all inclusive packages which in the long run, save money. There is no doubt that cruise holidays have taken on a new lease of life. Whilst the tourist destinations of Spain, Italy and France have remained popular for decades, perhaps there is something of a return to the more traditional forms of travel. The access to anywhere in the world by air may have been of some sort of help to the cruise industry which has relied on a quality not found on a ‘No frills’ 12 hour air flight across the world. There is some credence in the idea that travel should be enjoyable and there are few who relish such a journey – its more of a test of endurance and a fair amount of patience. It would be almost acceptable if at the end of the flight by air there was a nice ship in waiting in dock to provide an itinerary which cruises the Caribbean, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. The more likely scenario is that passengers will be quickly disembarked to find their own way to a cheap hotel, whilst the crew load up another collection of souls to fly back home. Cost and turn around means everything to the low cost carriers and they cannot afford to hang around racking up landing fees or looking for the lost jewellery in seat 18B. 
In total contrast the cruise is something special and many see this as a form of celebration for something like a memorable anniversary. The couple who have been together for 50 years can use the opportunity to enjoy their time together on a luxury vessel, and also take the opportunity to bring out the best jewellery for the occasion. With landmark anniversaries being Ruby, Emerald and Diamond, the chances are there will be some nice family gifts to show the new found cruise friends on board the luxury liner. Socially, a cruise takes some beating with dinner taking on a new signifance for the passengers. The variety of sea travellers varies in profession and character. The question of why travel by sea when it’s quick and cheap by air is often met by an incredulous look – there is no comparison. All the efforts of a lifetime can be rewarded with a special journey by sea which can be cruises to Alaska, one of the latest Caribbean cruises or sailing in a stress free ambience around the Med. Even though the service started with the record breaking journey by the Queen Mary in 1936, a transatlantic crossing from New York to Southampton is still an option on the latest mighty MS Queen Elizabeth which weighs in at a huge 92,000 tons. |