Are You Interested In Cruises And Crusing

N orm Goldman, Editor of                                              Bookpleasures.com,                                                 Sketchandtravel.com             I had worked aboard passenger      interviews cruise expert Douglas      ships for 17 years before forming  Ward, author of Ocean Cruising &      an association of cruise           Cruise Ships 2005, now into its       passengers, who were looking for   twentieth year of publication,        more comparative information       published by Berlitz Publishing.      about cruise ships and cruising.                                         So was born the idea for the                                             book, which started with 120                                             ships and 256 pages. Today, after  Thank you Douglas for accepting       20 years, the book has grown to    our invitation to be interviewed.     include 256 ocean-going ships,                                           656 pages, and half a million                                            words.                                                                                                                                                                               Norm:                                                                                                          Norm:                                                                                                                                                                                Douglas could you tell us                                                something about yourself and why      I noticed your first book on       did you want to write a book          cruises and cruise ships was       about cruising and cruise ships?      published twenty years ago, and                                          you have been updating your book                                         every year. How do you go about                                          gathering material every year for  Douglas:                              these updates and how long does                                          it take you to update your annual  book?                                 Douglas:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Douglas:                              Cruises take the hassle out of                                           planning a honeymoon,                                                    particularly with regard to                                              language, cuisine/meals,           First, it takes me a minimum of       entertainment, and so many other   three hours a day, every single       things that go towards making a    day of the year, just to keep the     honeymoon a fine, affordable       book refreshed, up-to-date, and       vacation, and a complete escape    accurate. I also travel               from the pressures of life         extensively, as much as 250 days      ashore. Actually, it's also a      each year. So, of course, I write     good way to find out how a         while I am traveling, visiting,       newlywed couple cope with living   and sailing aboard the world's        in a small space.                  cruise ships.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Norm:                              Norm:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Are you seeing more weddings       What makes cruises so appealing       performed on cruise ships lately?  to honeymooners?                      What should cruisers know about                                          cruise ship weddings?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Douglas:                                                                                                                                                                                With so many cruise                                                      possibilities, how does one go     By nature of their (out of the        about choosing a cruise and what   ordinary) appeal, more weddings       should people take into            are being performed aboard cruise     consideration before deciding on   ships today, simply because there     any one cruise?                    is so much help at hand. The                                             larger cruise lines have                                                 personnel dedicated to handling                                          weddings and honeymoons, and the      Douglas:                           instant support of other                                                 personnel in cruise line head                                            offices to draw from. Weddings                                           can, in other words, be tailored      Choosing a cruise successfully     completely to the individuals         depends on one's personal          concerned (and without the            requirements and expectations      interference of well-meaning          from a vacation. First-time        parents and other family members      cruise goers would be well         who can create stress and             advised to talk to an established  pressure on couples about to          cruise booking specialist, who     undergo, what is for many, the        will be able to help you to        most important ceremony of their      choose the right ship and cruise,  lives).                               for the right reasons, taking                                            into account your personal tastes                                        and socio-economic                                                       considerations. There are so many  Norm:                                 choices today that there should    be a ship and cruise to suit even                                        the most demanding and finicky of     Norm:                              people. Perhaps the first                                                decision, however, should be to                                          establish how many days you can                                          take for your vacation (including     Have you had any bad experiences   travel days to get to/from the        on a cruise, and if so, please     ship), and then think about the       describe them.                     area you would like to cruise in.                                        The most popular regions include                                         the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe,                                           Norwegian fjords and Baltic           Douglas:                           ports, and southeast                                                     Asia/Australasia. Those with more                                        time who want more involvement                                           with nature should consider           I have had many bad experiences,   visiting Antarctica or the Arctic     but most of them cannot be         regions (you would ideally need       written about, and most have been  about three weeks). Then there is     aboard ships and cruise lines      perhaps the ultimate in long          that no longer exist, or have      distance cruising - an around the     changed their names. However,      world cruise, which typically         there have been a few nasty        would take three to four months       transatlantic crossings (I have    (most ships offering complete         done 152 of them), when the        around the world cruises - there      weather can throw some unexpected  are about 15 in 2005 - sail           wrenches into what otherwise is    between January and April - away      perhaps a wonderful, serene way    from winter).                         of traveling between the Old and                                         New Worlds.                                                                                                                                       the travel arrangements as simple                                        as possible. Sometimes, the mere   Norm:                                 act of getting to and from your                                          chosen cruise ship (or                                                   embarkation point) can prove                                             frustrating. If you are a          After deciding on a particular        first-time cruise goer, try not    cruise, how do you plan for the       to do everything on your first     cruise and what important             cruise -it could end up being      elements should you keep in mind?     more like an endurance test.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Norm:                              Douglas:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Can you tell our readers           Make sure you choose the right        something about the different      size ship for your needs. Do you      cabins that are available on       want to be with 100, 500, 1000,       cruises and what to look out for?  or 3000 other passengers? Do you                                         want to experience cruising under                                        sail; cruising with specialist                                           lecturers; be aboard a ship with                                         spa facilities, large-scale           Douglas:                           production shows (a la Las                                               Vegas), lots of gaming, or                                               shopping opportunities? Whichever                                        cruise you choose, try to make        First-timers would be best         advised to book an outside cabin      bring aboard?                      (a cabin with an outside view)                                           rather than an interior (no view)                                        cabin. So, when you wake up, you                                         won't be disoriented, and you'll      Douglas:                           be able to see what the weather                                          is like, which helps you decide                                          what to wear each day. Typically,                                        the more space you want, the          Take clothing suited to the area   higher the cost. Large suites         you will be cruising in. Remember  with private balconies cost the       that ships are air-conditioned,    most (some can measure up to 3000     so clothing that is layered works  square feet), while interior          well. If you choose to cruise in   cabins that measure as little as      cold weather regions, take         70 square feet will, of course,       suitable outer clothing,           feel incredibly small. Typically,     particularly for excursions        you get what you pay for. The         ashore (Alaska is an example). If  average cabin size aboard today's     you take a Caribbean cruise, you   larger cruise ships (they are         really could pack light (cottons   really floating resorts) would be     and natural fibers being the       approximately 180-200 square          best, as many Caribbean islands    feet.                                 have a high humidity factor for                                          much of the year). Most of the                                           (large) resort ships have a very                                         casual dress code, while others    Norm:                                 (particularly ships that offer                                           cruises longer than seven days -                                         the industry standard) feature                                           more formal dress codes. Tuxes     What type of clothing should I        are only really needed aboard      Queen Mary 2 when doing a             today's cruise ships would be      transatlantic crossing;               able to cope with most medical     otherwise, you can dress down and     emergencies. However, if you take  comfortable.                          medication, remember to take an                                          adequate supply (and if you have                                         to fly to get to/from your cruise                                        ship, take medication in your      Norm:                                 carry-on luggage - just in case                                          your checked-in luggage doesn't                                          quite make it on the same day, or                                        to the same port you're flying     Is there always a doctor and          to).                               clinic aboard the cruise ships?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Norm:                              Douglas:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Can I make telephone calls from    Almost all cruise ships carrying      the cruise ship?                   more than 50 passengers have a                                           fully qualified medical doctor                                           and nursing assistants, which                                            also take care of the crew. Some      Douglas                            of the larger ships have several                                         doctors, surgical specialists,                                           small operating rooms, full x-ray                                        facilities, as well as extensive      Almost all cruise ships are        pharmacies. In other words,           equipped with direct-dial          satellite-linked telephone            Most cruise ships start            systems (and Internet                 embarkation about four hours       connectivity). A few ships even       prior to sailing. You would        have special aerials that let you     normally complete all paperwork    use your mobile phone, although       and go through passport and        most ships lose mobile                security checks in a passenger     connectivity when more than a         terminal before being allowed to   mile offshore. The cost of a          board your cruise ship. Today's    direct-dial satellite call varies     check-in procedure is relatively   between about $4 and $10 per          painless, although it can take     minute, so don't use the              some time if you are cruising      telephone unless you have to -        aboard one of the larger ships,    the charges can add up quickly.       when there will be 3000 other                                            passengers to check in (in other                                         words, there will be lines - just                                        like at the post office).          Norm:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Norm:                              What is the usual check-in                                               schedule before the cruise takes                                         off?                                                                                                           What happens if someone has                                              special dietary requests?                                                                                   Douglas:                                                                                                                                                                                Douglas:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Most cruise ships can handle                                             special dietary requests, but do      An onboard credit account will     give advanced notice so that          typically be established when you  chefs can order and prepare any       check in prior to embarkation.     food items not normally carried.      When you purchase things aboard    It's too late once the ship has       ship (drinks or wine, for          sailed, so make your needs and        example), these items are added    requirements known at the time        to your account, and charged to    you book (this is when it's           your credit card at the end of     better to book through an             the cruise.                        accredited cruise travel                                                 specialist rather than picking                                           something off the Internet -                                             which doesn't answer questions        Norm:                              well).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Should you tip while on aboard     Norm:                                 the ship?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     How do you make payments on           Douglas:                           board?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Some ships include tips, while     Douglas:                              others automatically add a tip to  your daily onboard account                                               (particularly the major cruise                                           lines such as Carnival Cruise         Douglas:                           Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa                                          Cruises, Holland America Line,                                           Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess                                          Cruises, and Royal Caribbean          Today's cruise ships are           International). However, on           extremely safe (nobody wants to    average you should plan on about      work aboard an unsafe ship), and   $10 per day per person. Aboard        most are clean. However, of late,  the ships of some of the more         I have noticed that standards of   upscale cruise lines, such as         cleanliness in cabins and public   Radisson Seven Seas Cruises,          areas aboard some of the very      SeaDream Yacht Club, Seabourn         large ships leave much to be       Cruise Lines, and Silversea           desired (this is the effect of     Cruises, tips are included in the     discounting, when lines cut        fare.                                 personnel to keep prices                                                 artificially low). In general, if                                        the same standards of food                                               storage, handling, and hygiene     Norm:                                 that are practiced aboard today's                                        ships were to be applied to                                              hotels and restaurants in the                                            United States, most would fail     How safe are cruise ships and how     consistently! In other words,      can I find out more about a           ships are clean - very clean.      particular company's record                                              pertaining to its safety and                                             cleanliness?                                                                                                   Norm:                                                                                                                                             Do read the book - Berlitz                                               Publishing's Ocean Cruising &      If you had any important advice       Cruise Ships 2005, and you'll be   to offer our readers that has not     more educated than most travel     been covered, what would it be?       agents. Bon Voyage, I wish you                                           all a wonderful cruise vacation.                                                                                                                                                     Douglas:                                                                                                       Thanks Douglas for your time.                                             About the Author: Norm Goldman is editor of sketchandtravel.com and bookpleasures.com. Norm and his artist wife Lily meld art and words in order to create an unusual travel story, which generates interest, particularly because of the fact that each painting appears to have been ‘custom-made' for the story-original story and original art. Combining the watercolors with travel writing provides a softer, more romantic look at the places we visit. Their main focus is on romantic and wedding destinations. As they specialize in web-based content, their articles are featured on their own site, SKETCHANDTRAVEL.COM, where you can find out more about them. They are also regular contributors to some of the most popular Internet Travel Sites: LOVETRIPPER.COM: THETIMESHAREBEAT.COM:TRAVELLADY.COM:BOOTSNALL.COM: Visit Florida Online: Tropical Island Weddings Norm and Lily are always open to suggestions as to romantic and wedding destinations to visit, write and paint about. Source: www.isnare.com