European Cruise Advisor

The cruise ship Artemis, able to carry 1200 passengers was berthed between the piers of South Shields today. The Artemis was welcomed into the Port on the Tyne which is a 230metres in length,  P&O cruiser, scheduled to arrive on the Tyne at 7am precisely.

The European cruise ship was to be docked at Northumbrian Quay in North Shields until about 5pm, which would give passengers some time to disembark and have the chance to visit the tourist attractions in the region.

This is the second time in less than a week that the river Tyne has had the please of a large cruise vessel.

Only last Thursday the Westerdam arrived on the river with 2000 passengers, who were mostly from the United States.

The latest figures are showing that there is a mini-boom in cruise liner visits, to the North East, which is giving a multi-million pound boost to the areas economy.

The Artemis made history, in April by being Captained by Sarah Breton as she set sail with P&O Cruises’, being the first female captain.

Sarah is only the second female in the world to captain a major cruise liner.

Today its passengers, mainly Britons, were to take tours of local attractions, which include Hadrian’s Wall, Newcastle, Bamburgh Castle, Durham, Bowes Museum and Alnwick Garden.

The Port will be giving a taster of Northumberland hospitality at which passengers can try local produce, while serenaded by Northumbrian pipes.

A spokesperson for the Port of Tyne said: “The UK cruise market has doubled in size during the last decade, and is predicted to double again over the next 10 years – to three million passengers annually.” As large cruise operators look to expand into new markets, the Tyne is fast becoming an attractive port of call for Northern European cruises. “The Port of Tyne cruise and ferries business has a positive economic impact on the region.

There are 25 cruise calls due this year(2010), so European Cruise operations on the Tyne continue to perform well.

According to the dallasnews, who ask the question “What are the best cruises for seniors?”, and their conclusion is that there is no real easy answer, because there is no one size fits all seniors.

Of course, seniors are no longer people who have retired at 65 and are now looking ahead to a few years of retirement bliss. They may be only fifty years old and may still be employed in regular work, with a yearning for travel and adventure. Also, they might be people who like to cruise with plenty of activities to keep them interested, both off and on the ship. They may also prefer peace and quiet and a more relaxing, cruise environment.

Of course, each has their own personal favourites, and that means that there is a whole load reasons seniors will choose certain cruise itineraries and ships.

“The definition of seniors is changing. Now they are more active, more daring,” said Carolyn Brown, who is the editor of Cruise Critic, which is an independent online magazine.

That is just one reason, for example, that Seabourn, which is a luxury line long a popular choice with older passengers who favour a more traditional  European Cruises, is putting more emphasis on active itineraries on its three newest ships.

“Seniors are looking for more things to do, to explore,” Nancy Parode,  senior travel guide for About.com, was quoted to say.

If you are looking for a great seniors choice cruise, Holland America and Celebrity are renowned as the best premium lines offering excellent choices, Royal Caribbean and Princess are best for active seniors, Cunard are great for ocean crossings, with Carnival for seniors on a tighter budget, Disney for inter-generational family cruises at sea, or Cruise West for best light adventure programmes and finally Silversea as best luxury small ship cruise operator for seniors.

Every year, the cruise holidays have been getting more and more popular with many more families that are looking have a family cruise together as their yearly holiday. Even though the price of a lot of the current range of 2011 cruises is quite reasonably priced for what you get,  there’s still quite a large number of families who will find the price of a 2 week luxury cruise still too much money for what they can comfortably afford to spend on a vacation. This therefore begs the question, what option does a family have who want to enjoy all of the luxury and fun of a cruise but don’t have the money to spend on a 2 week cruise?

A good start for any family who can’t afford to take a 2 week luxury cruise holiday is to perhaps as an alternative just book a weeks European river cruise instead. This type of cruise can offer of the luxury and benefits of a normal longer sea cruise but on a smaller ship and at just a fraction of the cost which makes them more affordable to many people.

Even though the boats and ships that you will travel on whilst on a European river cruise are a bit smaller than the ocean going vessels don’t expect them to be any less luxuriant and the service that you will get when travelling is no less great. You can expect the best quality good food and drink on you European river cruise and service that will, and does, make some of the best hotels in the world blush. Accommodation on board is also going to be well presented, with a room service that is of a high quality too. Every day you will have a maid service and every night you will have your bed turned down as well.

A European river cruise ship is going to be smaller than an ocean going ship the onboard facilities are still there, with many ships having a ball room, lots restaurants and bars, with possibly a small cinema as well as viewing decks from which you can admire the architecture and scenery of many of the most wonderful European countries and cities.

In summation, the European river cruise is an extremely affordable way to take a cruise vacation and its style will suit many types of person, perhaps even more so than a all singing and dancing ocean going cruise. A European river cruise is usually an easier going holiday with more focus on relaxation  and sight-seeing rather than entertainment. If you do want organised entertainment you can find it available, but it is usually lower key than a family orientated sea cruise. A European river cruise gives you all the luxury associated with an ocean going cruise but at a much more cost effective price. So if you are just starting out with cruising holidays or you think you might like a change why not take look at booking a European River Cruise for your holiday in 2011?