Saturday, February 23, 2013

What is there to do on a Cruise?

By Alex Williams


Whether it's a luxury 5 star cruise around the world, or an all inclusive family cruise along the coast, the range of activities on board a cruise ship these days is almost endless. The modern cruise ship caters for young, old and everything in between these days. People under the age of 16 are absolutely spoiled for choice with group activities and the most modern games, people above that age are spoiled for choice in the finer things in life like food, beverages, spas, health & fitness and toddlers are not forgotten either.

The recreational activities on the Carnival Cruise Line, for example, are inclined towards teens, but there are a handful of perks for kids under the age of 9 as well. The expansive outdoor pool, large water park, 10 whirlpools and 22 foot screen for movies is most inviting on Carnival, followed by a host of recreational fun divided into categories depending on age.

Toddlers groups normally cater for kids between ages 2 and 5 and can be found on all the modern cruise ships. Activities include things like coloring, drawing and singing. The category for juniors is normally ages 6 to 8 and will include things like talent shows and scavenger hunts. Teens and pre-teens get to take part in numerous water based activities in the myriad of different pools and well as other hi energy activities like rock wall climbing and, on some cruises, even ice skating.

Any opportunity to get away from the daily grind is a good one, and taking a vacation on a cruise allows for you to do just that. Statistics show that most people disembarking from a cruises agree they felt on overall sense of well being and relaxation from their vacation. For most people, the experience of slowly floating over crystal clear waters and shore visits to tropical locations is an absolute thrill made even more thrilling by the countless hours of pampering on board. Some of the more well known companies like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Cunard, Holland America Lines and P&O excel at these things.

Cruise ships have a number of different approaches for spas, with the two most common being on-board and land-based spa resorts. On-board spas are undoubtedly the easiest to get in to with creative spa treatments inspired by Eastern Traditions, high-tech cardio machines and fitness centres. These spa based cruises are best for travelers seeking an all inclusive vacation as these facilities are usually included in the package. Add to this a host of swimming pools, musical events and tantalizing dining options and you are going to find it hard to find somewhere better suited to relaxing and enjoying yourself.

If a little adventure is more your fancy, then you will be looking forward to things like shore excursions to your ports of call, maybe a hand or 2 at your on board casino, deck games, ice skating, rock climbing, water slides or even on board surfing. Be sure to look up exactly what facilities are offered on your potential ships before you make your booking to make sure the options fit with your desires.

Most of the good cruise companies offer unlimited action activities with things like Wii consoles or Playstation for the teens. On some cruises these are pumped through to large screens TV and competitions are held. There are also game kiosks for the younger kids and for the adults you can often find things like cooking classes or even a full size boxing ring if that takes your fancy. But that's not all, you can find, depending the cruise-liner, surf and water theme parks, yoga classes in a variety of styles, fully equipped gyms and even skating rinks.

Dining is probably one of the best all-inclusive perks of cruises, and although it is free in most instances, there are a few packages that do require you to pay for snacks and beverages. Whatever the case maybe, the dining options on a ship include succulent world class dishes that are prepared by renowned chefs from different parts of the globe.

Over the last decade, the number of people taking cruises has increased faster than any other travel segment. This has contributed to the scramble by cruise companies to both increase the number and qualtiy of the ships they provide. These days they no longer supply mere cruising vessels, but floating cities, an like all good cities around the world, they offer something for everyone.




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