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Available Services |
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| Child Care and Youth Programs |
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| Cruise lines understand that the people paying the tab need to have a good time if they are going to come back again. And the way that you make sure parents have a good time is to make sure the kids they are traveling with have a good time. |
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| If you are planning a family cruise, you’ll want to travel on a ship that provides the best environment for the youngsters in your group. On the other hand, if you don’t want to have your space invaded by youngsters, you’ll want to stay away from cruise ships that make their youth programs a priority (such as Disney). Programs are set up to provide age appropriate activities and are usually free of charge. There will be an orientation about the youth programs on the first day of your cruise so you can get all the information you need, as well as meet the people who will be overseeing your kids. |
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| Almost all ships provide in-cabin baby-sitting services for an extra fee. When provided, these services require you to pay cash directly to the sitter, rather than place the charge on your ship-board account. |
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| Educational/Enrichment Programs |
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| Alongside the more traditional programs like yoga, nutrition counseling and towel folding, some ships now offer programs on gourmet cooking, wine tasting, art education, digital photography, computers, flower arranging, ceramics and much more. Most are offered at no extra charge. The availability of programs increases the longer the cruise. Shorter cruises usually only have a single day at sea, which is the most popular time to offer these classes. Some cruise lines place as high a premium on enrichment programs as other cruise lines place on partying and fun. |
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| Spa Facilities |
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| Across the board, most ships consider a good spa and gym to be essential. Most cruise lines outsource their spa operation to Steiner Leisure Ltd. of London, England, who operate spas on 130 cruise ships for some 20 cruise lines, including all of the spas on Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Disney ships. Steiner is not just the largest seafaring spa in the world, they also operate about 50 resort spas and two Elemis luxury day spas, four massage and skin care training schools in the US and a line of beauty poroducts.In all probability, no matter which ship you select, you’ll have a quality menu of options and a good spa. |
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| But there are some ships (Celebrity's Galaxy and Carnival's Splendor for example) that go way above and beyond with the spa environment. That doesn't mean that you will get better quality treatments (though it's possible), but it does mean that the overall experience will be much more plush and exclusive-feeling. That's HIGHLY prefferable to the experience one of my friends had aboard one of Carnival's ships. The spa treatment was satisfactory, but the environment was "local tanning salon" in its professionalism. If the spa experience is a high priority, BE SURE to find out how modern the physical facility is. |
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| The price tag on basic shipboard spa treatments is not cheap, but also not outrageous. They're pretty much in line with land-based spas, maybe a little higher. The price is usually worth it if you get good service. Of course, you can up the ante considerably if you go for one of the more exotic herbal or detox treatments. |
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| Gymnasium/Fitness Center |
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| While you can generally count on a consistent level of quality and service in the spas, unfortunately the same can’t always be said of the gyms. Some are absolutely spectacular. Others are little more than a closet with treadmills. The newer ships will have very nice gyms regardless of the cruise line. The older ships, i.e., those built before 1990, may or may not, depending on whether the ship has been recently refit. Exercise equipment usually includes treadmills, stationery bikes, weights and cardio machines and most come staffed with one or two Fitness Directors. Fitness centers usually include men’s and women’s locker rooms, whirlpools, saunas and steam baths. |
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| Internet |
| Most ships have some kind of internet access, but it is a relatively new technology as far as passenger services go. On the newer ships, there is access all over the ship, even in many cabins. But the older vessels have more limited access. “Internet Cafes” are as common as casinos. Cruise lines are working hard to implement ship-wide wireless internet access and they are definitely getting there. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to check your e-mail at poolside. In some cases, wireless access is limited to one or two locations. If you do bring your laptop, finding electrical outlets on the ship can be REALLY hard. Make sure your battery is charged. Laptops and wireless cards can be rented on board. |
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Choosing The Right Cruise - (cont.) [1] [2] [3] [4] |
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Articles we've written about
Cruising In The Caribbean |
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Ten Mistakes When Taking A Cruise - It’s a shame to lay out
$250 - $2,500 on a dreamy
cruise vacation only to encounter unnecessary mishaps and
inconveniences. So, in an effort
to minimize the likelihood of a
bump in the road to your perfect
vacation, here are some common
potholes that can tarnish your
experience.
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Eleven Expert Cruising Tips - Some useful,relevant tips and
ideas, and other neat stuff you
can use to make their cruising
experience better.
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Hooked On Cruising (And I Like It!) - It's official! I have a
condition, a disorder by some
people's assessment. It's called
"Caribbean Obsession Disorder",
and there really is such a thing.
Imagine that!
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