1. Transatlantic cruises: These cruises are meant for people looking to travel to Lisbon from North America. Majority of these options begin their journey from the southern US state, Florida. A cruise ship called MS Eurodam starts from Ft. Lauderdale’s King’s Wharf and takes the tourists to Lisbon, Portugal via Ponta Delgada of Azores. However, Lisbon is not its final destination; the ship’s voyage ends at Barcelona, Spain, where it reaches by crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. In between, the MS Eurodam stops in several other ports situated along the Portuguese coast.  The guests boarding this ship will get to spend time at the on-board restaurants, bars and cafés. There’s also a large lounge area, where you can spend some happy time with your friends and family. The trip organized by this transatlantic cruise continues for 16 days and is organized by ‘Holland America Cruises’.



2. Intercontinental cruises: You will get more than a few options while looking for an intercontinental cruise traveling to Lisbon, Portugal. The most popular one among them is Royal Caribbean’s Northern Europe and Mediterranean cruise. This 15 night cruise starts from Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden. The ship’s end point is Istanbul. In between it stops in a number of Portuguese cities, which also includes Lisbon. Guests boarding this ship will get to enjoy activities like rock climbing within the ship. There are several pools where they will get to play water games. For inducing ultimate relaxation, the Northern Europe and Mediterranean cruises offer spa services to all its guests. There is also a wide range of dining options; you will also get to spend some happy time at the onboard casino and lounges of the ship.

Holland Waterway Cruises:
This river cruise is named after the other name of Netherlands i.e. Holland. Holland Waterway Cruises starts from Antwerp and crosses Belgium to finally reach the Amsterdam Port. This cruise runs along the River Rhine and also stops in places like Utrecht, Rotterdam and Keukenhof Gardens. As a guest of this river cruise, you will get the opportunity of witnessing 2 biggest harbors of the world, Rotterdam and Antwerp and the biggest flower gardens on earth, the Keukenhof Gardens. The trip continues for 4 days. During the busiest cruise seasons, several ship runs under the name of Holland Waterway Cruises.

Tulips & Windmills:
This one is a springtime cruise that will take you for an exciting 10-day journey. This cruise is meant for tourists having the desire of exploring all aspects of the country of Netherlands. Moreover, the cruise will also introduce some of the hottest sightseeing spots of Belgium to its guests. The Tulips & Windmills cruise ships have halts in places like Amsterdam, Arnhem, Hoorn, Nijmegen, Antwerp, Kinderdijk, Ghent, Middelburg, Brugge, Rotterdam, Delta Works and Keukenhof Gardens. Finally, the ship again comes back at the port of Amsterdam. During every halt, the tourists will get to take part in interesting activities and visit historical destinations like Amsterdam’s Van Gogh museum, the house of Anne Frank etc.

The news website Bloomberg reported that the water levels on the Rhine and its tributaries have been at their lowest in seventeen months. The snow season was poor, and as a result the meltwater from the Alps Mountains that give water to the rivers of Europe has also been low, which has resulted in lower water levels. In addition to this the month of April was unusually dry.

The situation is at the moment affecting only freight barges that have been traveling with lighter loads to prevent running aground. Most river cruse operators have not been showing much of concern over this matter.

Avalon Waterways, which launched the Avalon Panorama recently, also issued a plan ‘B’ program in the event that the ship will not be able to travel the Frankfurt – Mainz – Rudesheim – Koblenz – Cochem – Cologne itinerary that is being planned. The Panorama may not be able to make the Rhine Gorge Section of the trip and will potentially miss out on Cochem, Koblenz and Rudesheim.

Uniworld, Viking and AmaWaterways, the main cruise lines that offer river cruises on the Rhine and the tributaries, did not report any operational changes. The forecast is rain this week, which is hoped to bring some relief.

For example, Carnival Corporation had almost twenty per cent of capacity of its North American brands in Europe, as opposed to 17 per cent last year. Royal Caribbean International has eleven ships, which is half their fleet, in Europe in 2011. The number of was eight last year.

However, the demand for cruises has fallen down drastically in Europe. This was partly due to the rising costs of air travel, as also the period of unrest in ports of call that are popular, such as Egypt and Tunisia. In addition to the upheaval in Northern Africa and the Middle East, the disaster in Japan was another cause for lessening demand. The cruise operators are as a reason forced to slash rates considerably so that passengers would be attracted.

Actually the market functioned in a follow the leader kind of way, and all cruise ships went into the market. As a result the market got congested, and prices had to go down. It was not much of a surprise.

Maybe it’s a good time to take that Europe cruise after all.

Starting in June, there will be flights that provide connections with Voyager of the Seas on seven night itineraries on the Adriatic Sea. It was stated by Jo Rzymowska, General Manager for UK and Ireland that this move was essential as cruise passenger feedback had proved that flight connections from convenient locations are a major deciding factor for people when choosing their cruise experience.

The addition of direct connections from Stansted London will open the market up to millions of potential cruise passengers that stay in the vicinity. The main catchment areas at Stansted have close to 6.7 m inhabitants.

This will be a service that will prove to be a convenient route for millions of UK cruisers so that they can start their holiday right from the day of departing.

The ship is currently housed in the Fincantieri shipyard located close to Trieste in Italy. There are close to fifteen hundred technicians as well as five hundred additional crew members aboard the ship. These workers are now busy painting, varnishing, drilling and polishing. Workers are also building sets in the Showtime Theater, and rehearsals for new shows are being held. Every possible system is being tested.

Cruise Industry experts agree that the ship will be an impressive addition to the fleet of Carnival Cruises. The ship will be a contemporary, light and bright vessel with a number of new features.

The new additions will include a ropes course that hangs at a height of 150 ft above the sea, the Sport Square, an extensive deck for activities having outdoor fitness equipment, the RedFrog Pub, with a refreshing tropical atmosphere and the Cucina del Capitano, a family restaurant that serves Italian Cuisine.

The elegant and relaxing atmosphere can be seen the moment you step on board crossing the gangway. There are a great number of things that will give you subtle hints that you are staying in one of the best premium range cruise lines in the world.

Just like all ships part of the Celebrity fleet, the Celebrity Constellation has its designs for the cabins and staterooms exceedingly well thought out. There are a great number of features that give evidence to this, such as the ample space in all closets, shelves and storage.

There are bathroom shelves in all the standard cabins, all interior and exterior options. There are private balconies in many ocean view suites and cabins. There are guest powder rooms in the Penthouse suites. The cruise ship has on offer a list of definite selling points. The décor is absolutely understated elegance.

On board the Celebrity Constellation, you get a taste of what is coming quite early on. You can ask questions to the various representatives from the various recreation options aboard the ship. These officials set up tables at the poolside on embarkation day, and you can inquire about everything from casino gaming, internet rates, spa appointments and anything else.

There are certainly a good number of things to do on board, as well. There are enrichment lectures that are getting quite popular, as well as the quality range of entertainment options. There is no dearth of quality amenities and facilities. All of these are tailor made, so as to be of the utmost and ultimate convenience for the passengers.

The staff here has offered impeccable service over the years. Right since when reserved and silent service was the trend, till nowadays, when friendlier but still professional service, the staff has continued to deliver.

Probably the only bad point that may be stated about the Celebrity Constellation is not about the cruise ship at all, but about the “Concierge Club”, which is a reward program for repeat passengers. The “elite” members of the Concierge Club, however, outnumber the regular passengers, and the priority embarkation and disembarkation perks seen pointless when the regular passenger lines are shorter.

Ship Facts and Specifications . . .

• No of Passengers – 1 950
• Length – 964 ft
• Crew – 999
• GRT – 91 000 tons
• Cruise speed – 24 knts
• Width – 105 ft
• Port of Registry – Nassau, Bahamas
• Entered Service – May 12, 2002
• Constructed at – St. Nazaire, France
• No of passenger accessible decks – 11

The experience was both casual as well as active, with no conventional models or traditions followed. People were hooked, as were the competitors keeping an eagle eye. This was seen as the new big innovation in the cruise industry.

Today, AIDA cruises is the biggest cruise ship provider in Germany. It all started with the AIDAcare launch in 1996. With the combined services of a shipping company and a tour operator as an advantage, AIDA cruises have operated and marketed cruise vacations to such destinations as Middle America, The Caribbean, Baltic Sea, North Sea, Canary Islands and the Mediterranean. The cruise company is the leading line in Germany, both with respect to sales as well as the number of passengers.

The company has set sufficient records for unusual and new innovations in the cruise industry. The fleet consists of eight cruise ships,AIDAsol, which was christened just this week,  AIDAluna, AIDAbella, AIDAdiva, AIDAaura, AIDAvita and AIDAcara. There are two ships that are under construction.

AIDA cruises is owned by Carnival Corporation. AIDA was acquired by P&O cruises, which in turn was acquired by Carnival.

The company built a reputation for more than twenty years in the field of charter sailings, and Saga bought its first vessel in the fleet in 1996, Sagafjord, and renamed it the Saga Rose. The Saga Rose was a big success, and sister ship Vistafjord was purchased in 2004. Saga voyages are more often than not focused on the destination.

Saga is a classic cruise line that has a great deal of elegant touches that are tailor made for mature travelers. The destinations are varied, the voyages are coupled with a huge number of excellent facilities and amenities that are tailor made for the convenience of the customers. There are a huge number of excellent features that make the cruise line stand out from the run of the mill destinations in the country.

There are a huge number of excellent destinations that are popular with cruise aficionados. The meticulous and painstaking attention that is devoted in the name of small details make it an excellent choice. Details such as arranging visas to insurance to placing fruits in the cabins are given much attention to.

Saga Cruises have a great number of recreational activities and entertainment options. There are presentations and dance lessons that begin from west end style productions to wine tasting, Bingo, classical concerts, deck games, wine tasting and others.

There are a number of accommodation options as well, with many that are for solo cruisers. There are a good number of options available.

Address –

Cruise Style – Premium
The Sage Building, Folkestone.

The walls and floors are accented with marble. The traditional nautical look is visible all over, but this is along with a minimalist design. The Capriccio Bar is a work of interior decoration art.  The valuable mosaic signed by Emilion Tadini is the highlight of the bar.

The seven deck atrium is another impressive point of interest. The elevators running through the center has some panoramic views on offer. There are floor to ceiling windows that overlook the bow of the ship at the observation lounge, which stands at a height of four decks. There are ample options for entertainment and lounging.

Specifications and Quick Facts . . .

• Year at which Built - 1996
• Year at which Refurbished - 2004
• Year at which launched in Present Fleet - 1996
• Previously Named - N A
• Country Of Registry - Italy
• Tonnage ( G R T ) - 76, 000
• Capacity for Passengers  ( basis 2 ) - 1, 928
• Max Capacity for Passengers ( including Uppers ) - 2, 300
• Decks that are Passenger Accessible - 10
• Number Of Crew and Staff members - 800
• Nationality of Officers - Italian
• Nationality of Cruise and Hotel Staff - International