Colin Hartness

River Cruises Can be Such a Rich Experience River Cruises- Discovering Europe, Russia, China, America by Colin Hartness - http://www.whatcruises.com

Exploring Europe can be such a unique experience with a River Cruise. You just unpack once on this floating hotel and there you go cruising with river cruises over magnificent castles, significant towns and cities, appealing villages and lavish vineyards. It has become increasingly popular nowadays to sail through the grand rivers of Europe especially with the wide selection of vessels available. All the vessels are beautifully furnished, displaying attractive art objects with public areas reflecting the atmosphere around each region you cruise. It is the most pleasurable experience on river vessels as all offer personal service with the help of a smiling bilingual staff. You are provided with a single seating superb dining arrangement and well-accommodated cabins, which are comfortable and airy.

The most popular destinations in Europe, Russia or China can be explored intimately, closely and deeply with the river cruises. It is unlike a bus ride where you are still spending time on the bus than exploring and discovering destinations. River cruises provide splendid service and superb food. Every travel programs is well formulated and designed and you visit a port a day, at least. Hence, you get an opportunity to explore small villages in remote regions minutely, which might not have been otherwise possible with an ocean cruise. As you cruise along, you admire the beautiful scenery around as well as enjoy the local nightlife at the ports.

Have you ever thought of rediscovering America in an easy and relaxed fashion? Well River Cruises are there for you.

For the early settlers of America, rivers were natural highways, today the same rivers signify the old and the new, and as you cruise along them, you discover American history as it unfolds to you slowly and steadily. It is becoming extremely popular nowadays to experience America’s great waterways on Victorian Style steam driven paddle wheelers on 3-to twelve-night trips. There are stunning antiques displayed in the gallery and there is a two-storey dining room with huge windows for a fantastic view of the scenery. The river steamboats are designed in 19th century format with stylish furnishings- an impressive mirrored and brass staircase and a lounge with a two-storied glass rear wall for a glimpse of the giant paddlewheel. There are other amenities available like movie theaters, musical shows and bathing pools.

River cruises are well designed cruises – you are neither seasick nor loose sight of the land as in blue water cruises and neither do you pack, unpack or hip-hop hotels like in a car or motor coach tour. The River Explorer sails over the rivers Missouri, Mississippi and Ohio – to and fro on four to ten days trips throughout the year. Vacationers can sprawl on the Sky Deck, read, play games or watch videos. The dining is casual, informal having no assigned seating. You can meander into the pilothouse and catch a glimpse of the real-time radar and navigational charts, if interested. At various ports storytellers, bluegrass and blues bands, dancers and Cajuns step aboard to entertain the guests.

You learn about America’s heritage-it’s a rich experience to understand the development of commerce and industry in America or why river towns Tenn. and Clarksville were founded. Imagine seeing the colors along the riverbanks or the rising sun or the setting sun-are truly natural wonders. You might like to undertake shore excursions to New Orleans French Quarter or the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn. It is such a wonderful idea to have some river cruises to observe themes like 1950’s music, big bands, old-fashioned holidays, or the fall foliage along the Ohio River.

About the Author

Looking for information about cruises? Go to: http://www.whatcruises.com ‘What Cruises’ is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Cruises! Check out more cruise articles at: http://www.whatcruises.com/archive

Joe Goertz

Why do people choose to go on cruises, instead of booking a plane flight? One thing that attracts people to these large boats and cruises is the food. Not only does a cruise offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, they also offer midnight buffets, afternoon snack buffets, ice cream bars and 24-hour room service! There is a veritable open bar on food. You can eat casually or formally. You can have a large meal or a small meal. You can eat with hundreds of people or privately. Keep in mind, of course, that the quality of the cruise line determines the quality of the food. Also remember that many of the cruise ships are feeding approximately 2000 people 10 meals per day!

A cruise offers everything you could possibly want from a getaway: entertainment, relaxation, great food, and variety. Next time, don’t overlook that great big boat out in the harbor.

Entertainment is another attraction. Most cruise lines run full-scale production shows, have live bands, and/or add other specials for the children. The Disney® Cruise line offers meals with Disney characters and special entertainment geared towards the younger crowd. Floating casinos adorn most cruise ships to the delight of many adults who use this as their evening entertainment. Having activities planned throughout the entire day, some cruise lines are like floating day camps. You can be as active or inactive as you choose to be.

Cruises offer one-stop-shopping. Variety. One flight plus one boat equals lots of different locations. It would be impossible to attempt to visit each port individually outside of a cruise line. It would be very expensive and much too time consuming. There would be no time for fun. Once aboard the ship, you leave only to visit the places of port. No need to pack and unpack. No need for unnecessary travel. On the ship, you have any number of things to keep you entertained while waiting for the next docking.

Carnival® Cruises is great for the first time cruiser. It has many departure sites around the country. Land and sea prices are available for those who need to fly to a port of departure. Just a few of the destinations to which Carnival® Cruise Lines will take you include: the Bahamas, Aruba, St. Thomas, St. John, San Juan Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the Keys, Cozumel, Hawaii, Alaska, Martinique and Barbados.

Celebrity® Cruises is higher-end. It has a sophisticated AquaSpa on board and sports a unique art collection on the Galaxy ship as well. Celebrity® has received a 5-star rating for its cuisine (not food but cuisine). If all of that is not impressive enough, it also includes an in-cabin entertainment and information center.

Radisson® Seven Seas, Seaborn® Cruises and Windstar® Cruises offer even more luxury than the Celebrity® line. The Radisson® offers the ultimate luxurious experience by managing suites only. It also offers unique destinations such as Tahiti, French Polynesia, Antarctica, the Mediterranean, and Europe. The Windstar® line has romantic trimasted ships and sail to the Caribbean, The Americas, the Greek Isles and Europe.

As you can see, there are cruise lines for everyone. These lines are just a few of the many options of cruises. But every line has something which makes it unique, so you might want to do some research to make sure you find the cruise you were looking for.

About the Author:

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Colin Hartness

It’s not just the size and opulence of their sleek and stylish fleet that attracts passengers to Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian Cruise Line boasts the largest ratio of staff to passengers of any cruise company and this extra service shows from stem to stern. Every inch of every ship gleams and on any trip through the corridors you always meet friendly and courteous staff in perfectly appointed uniforms.

A particular cruise feature that Norwegian Cruise Lines introduced is free-style dining. Historically, shipboard dining has been a structured affair, with meals served at preset hours, usually with assigned seating in the dining room and a dress code. Free-style dining changes all of that to match the contemporary American lifestyle. Passengers may choose from eight to a dozen dining areas on board and eat when they wish. Some dining areas serve cafeteria-style, with food already prepared and jean-clad passengers taking a tray and selecting their food items. The main dining areas serve menu-based meals with full service wait staff and where jeans and shorts are prohibited at the evening meal. All food in the dining rooms and cafeteria is included in the price of the cruise.

And you get more than your money’s worth in the quality and presentation of all food items. The average passenger gains seven pounds on a week-long cruise! In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line offers a selection of specialty or upscale restaurants on each ship and meals in these restaurants are offered at additional cost. For example, Asian, French, Japanese or Italian cuisine may be featured in a suitably decorated small restaurant. But know full well, the upscale restaurants excel in service and cuisine and provide value for the dollar for the more discriminating.

Food service is a major attraction on any cruise, but Norwegian Cruise Line also provides a full range of on-board activities 24 hours a day. A fully equipped fitness center attracts those who want to stay in shape on their vacation. The pool area is the hub of live entertainment day and evening. Ships have a number of bar, lounge and disco areas that come to life with talented performers every night. Also included in the price of the cruise is theatre entertainment that ranges from stand-up comedy to full show revues that rival those found in Las Vegas. And speaking of Las Vegas, while in international waters, passengers can enjoy all the amenities of a sparkling casino, including slots and gaming.

Norwegian Cruise Line, a premier cruise line, currently has ten large and modern ships in its fleet. The most luxurious ship in the fleet, the Norwegian Star, seasonally alternates on trips to Alaska during the summer season and cruises to the Mexican Riviera in the colder months. One of the newest ships, Norwegian Spirit, also sails to Alaska in the summer but crosses the Panama Canal to sail the Caribbean in the winter. The Norwegian Wind follows the whim of the wind and sails to many major destinations: Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the Caribbean while Norwegian Sun and Dream quietly cruise the Caribbean.

The brand new Pride of Aloha, as its name implies, is dedicated to custom cruises hopping between the islands of Hawaii. There is no better way to thoroughly tour Hawaii than on a cruise ship. Also brand new, Norwegian Dawn is dedicated to sailing from New York to ports in Florida and the Caribbean.

The newly renovated Norwegian Sea routinely sails from Houston, Texas through the Caribbean. A ship fit for royalty, the Norwegian Majesty, also sails through the Caribbean to ports of call in Mexico and the Bahamas.

The Norwegian Crown is nearly 20 years old but, with only 527 staterooms, provides a much more intimate atmosphere than the newer ships that accommodate nearly 2,000 passengers. Two more luxury ships will be added to the ever-expanding fleet in 2005. The soon to be introduced Norwegian Jewel will expand ports of call to Scandinavia, the French Riviera, and Italy.

About the Author

Looking for information about cruises? Go to: http://www.whatcruises.com ‘What Cruises’ is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Cruises! Check out more cruise articles at: http://www.whatcruises.com/archive

Kent Pinkerton

This article provides useful, detailed information about Mississippi River Cruises.

River cruising has become a very popular form of recreation today. Whether it is just for a few hours, or a few days or even a month, a river cruise can be a very exciting as well as relaxing vacation.

River cruises are of many kinds, depending upon the style, the size of the ship, the number of travelers, the various options, the price and the duration. The most common distinctions are the luxury cruises, budget cruises, expedition cruises, niche cruises, sailing cruise lines, wilderness cruises, adventure cruises, small cruises, romantic cruises, single cruises and so on.

There are many river cruising options in the United States. The most popular one is the Mississippi River cruise. This river, which runs from Minnesota to Louisiana, is the fifth longest in the world. Mississippi River cruising can be in an old fashioned steamboat that reminds you of Mark Twain, or it can be in a luxury cruise ship that offers state-of-the-art indulgence.

There can be several activities in the Mississippi River cruise, including: swimming pools, spas, casinos, recreation centers, fitness centers and gymnasiums, gourmet dining, restaurants, bars, salons, game rooms, night clubs and others. They are ideal for all kinds of activities ranging from a romantic night to cocktail parties, singles\’ party, a pajama party, a business reception, or even a wedding!

Mississippi River cruises are also designed according to creative themes, like: Relaxation On The River, Spring Pilgrimage, Gardens Of The River, Legends Of The 50\’s, Riverventures, Veterans Reunion, Thanksgiving Holidays, Golfing On The River, World War Ii, Big Band, Great Steamboat Race, History Of Steamboating etc. The main source and destination points are: New Orleans, Memphis, Chattanooga, St. Louis, Galveston and Pittsburgh. The cruise can be either round-trip or from one location to another.

Mississippi River cruises come at various prices, depending on the kind of the cruise (luxury/economy), the duration of the cruise, the facilities provided and other discounts or packages offered. Discounts are generally off-season discounts or group discounts. Packages can be for families, very large groups, two-way bookings, hotel bookings or more. Prices range from $1,100 to $3,250.

Information about Mississippi River cruises can be obtained from travel agencies, offices of the cruise lines, and from advertisements. The Internet is a very good source of information as it contains the latest info about most river cruises, along with their options, prices and dates. These can be compared, chosen and even booked online.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mississippi River Cruises provides detailed information on River Cruises, Mississippi River Cruises, France River Cruises, Viking River Cruises and more. Mississippi River Cruises is affiliated with Washington River Rafting.