I have worked in the travel industry for over 25 years now since beginning as a holiday rep on a campsite in France and I have a real passion for travel. I've worked in all aspects of the industry including sales, marketing and management and I've specialised in most products…
The Passenger Shipping Association has recently released figures regarding our cruising habits in 2012 and it makes really interesting reading. In 2012 1.7 million British passengers took an ocean cruise, with cruising accounting for 1 in 8 overseas package holidays. The popularity of river cruises also grew by 14% with 130,000…
Well it's that time of year and all of the Cruise lines are now launching their 2014 cruise itineraries. There is a lot of debate as to whether you should book early or late but my advice is that you should always book early in these cases: If you want…
I came across this photo of Dubai in 1991 compared to Dubai now and it really is amazing. I can't believe how much the city has changed in such a short space of time. Dubai is now a major cruise port and is particularly popular as an embarkation port on…
With effect from the 1st March 2013 Royal Caribbean are increasing their gratuity charge to US$12 per person per day. This will be automatically added to your on board account. The cost for suite customers will be US$14.25pppd. There has been quite alot of press about this increase but it is…
If you are planning a trip to Florida and are looking at driving there the laws have now changed and non-US residents now need and International Driving Permit. This law came into effect on the 1st January and is now being enforced. “The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor…
I have just spent the last week on my annual snowboarding holiday and had a fab time. This year we travelled with Esprit Ski who are a family ski company and excellent for children and we picked Val D'Isere as the resort. Val D'Isere is a gorgeous resort with some fabulous shops,…
Just to let you know that as from this spring both P&O and Cunard will be increasing the amounts that they charge for gratuities. P&O will now be charging £3.50 per person per night from the following sailings: Adonia D302 - 03 April 2013 Arcadia J302 - 14 April 2013…
I have been lucky enough to win a mini cruise on the brand new Royal Princess and I'm very excited. Royal Princess is the first new ship for Princess in 5 years and she is full of innovative features. Carrying 3,600 passengers she will feature their largest top deck pool ever…
Silversea have decided to follow Crystal Cruises lead and have announced a series of short duration cruises for this spring and summer. These are fantastic for customers celebrating a special occasion, wanting to try out a luxury cruise line without too much expense or just for a little treat. The…
At the end of last year I was lucky enough to have Kotor as a port of call on my Crystal Serenity sailing. I will be honest and admit that Kotor wasn't a place that I knew much about and often hoped that customers wouldn't ask anything in depth about…