Info about Cruises
Cruises
Cruises are a different and interesting way for people to take a vacation. They can travel to a variety of different locations on one trip, stopping off at a number of different coastal towns, often in a variety of different countries. As a result, a person travelling on a cruise can easily take in a range of cultures without having to pay for a large amount of different holidays. Different cruises also provide varying levels of comfort and luxury to their passengers.
Unlike Ocean Liners, which take passengers on a one way trip from one place to another, transportation is not the main purpose of a cruise ship. They provide a round trip, and the amenities offered on board the cruise are just as much a part of the experience as are the different destinations which the passengers visit. In the early days of cruises, the only real amenities provided for passengers were simple games such as shuffleboard, deck chairs, umbrellas, drinks and little else. In the modern era, however, some ships can be the same size as small cities, and offer lots of different activities for the passenger, such as swimming pools and even golf on certain vessels. Other facilities are likely to include Casinos, a Spa, fitness centers, shops, a theatre and cinemas, libraries, lounges and gyms.
Much of the other organization of the cruise ship is run as if it were a floating hotel. There is a large number of staff on hand to fulfill the requirements and needs of the passengers, and some of the most exclusive cruises feature more members of staff than passengers. Cruise ships usually feature a number of restaurants in order to accommodate all of their passengers. Smaller ships will inevitably have as few as a single restaurant, whilst larger vessels will feature a number of different restaurants, with as many as one to a single deck on some of the larger and most luxurious ships. Meals were traditionally run at set times, with two meals served every day, however a more common trend in recent years is to allow passengers to eat when they wish. This eases pressure on catering staff as they do not have to deal with the large rushes that feature with fixed meal times, and allows the load to be spread. Because the ship may not reach land for a number of days, the managing of provisions aboard a cruise ship is vitally important. A single cruise ship can serve as many as a thousand meals in a single sitting, and as such needs to be well stocked. The average cruise ship sees almost 50,000lbs of food consumed by staff and passengers in a single week.
There are a number of different cruise operators, which vary from each other in the service provided, and the region in which they operate. In 2005, there were estimated to be over 14 million cruise tourists worldwide, and in response to the large market, a large number of different services have been produced. The most popular region for cruising is North America, where the Caribbean islands are the most desired locations to visit. As a result of the popularity, there is a large variation in the different cruises in the area, with some ships designed to cater for the masses, who may not have a huge budget to spend on their holidays, as well as more luxury liners, designed for the wealthy and to provide a larger number of luxurious amenities. In Europe, EasyCruise provides a very cheap cruising service which lacks many of the features of more expensive cruise holidays. The focus is instead on visiting the destinations, and is targeted at people who may not otherwise be able or willing to spend money on a cruise holiday.