Private Excursions, Easy Tours and Family Activities

With its recent successes in Russia, Royal Caribbean International is now allowing it’s guests the chance to arrangement their own private shore excursions to explore Mediterranean and European destinations from thirteen ports-of-call including Greece, Israel, Egypt, Finland, Italy and Sweden. Passengers who do not wish to be limited by a fixed itinerary can now have the cruise line arrange programs and allow access to a private bus for each tour that can provide for up to ten people and at the same time enjoying stress free sightseeing.

Royal Caribbean has also designed a selection of new half day shore excursions specifically designed for families and multi-generational groups. Some of these activities include a Pizza Making experience in Sorrento, Italy. Here visitors are given a city tour which is then followed by a professional pizza making class and lunch to enjoy their cooking, also a Sea Kayaking adventure in Dubrovnik, Croatia, to take in a different perspective of the beautiful city and its historic architecture.

The cruise line is also extending its offering of what it calls “Easy” tours for passengers with difficulty standing for large amounts of time or walking, as well as adding fourteen new programs meaning that there is now thirty three in total. Guests can explore the old town of Trogir or sample Sardinia’s finest wines or perhaps take in the views of the many artistic and historical landmarks in the area from the comfort of their own transport, which has been modified with lifts and access ramps where possible.

Royal Caribbean International is currently focussing on the European cruise market, with eight ships currently sailing in Europe this year. The cruise operator is set to further extend its presence in 2011, when it will have a record breaking eleven ships in and around Europe waters.

When thinking about a European cruise itinerary in Turkey, Greece and the Black Sea, you should try and look at a map of the area and then make a list of the places that interest you. For example, Is a visit to the Parthenon on your “wish list” list? Close to Athens, Greece, this famous ruin is part of a fantastic collection of Greek history. Perhaps the Greek Islands of Santorini, Patmos, Rhodes or Mykonos, and the island of Cyprus hold more interest for you. A stop-over in Corinth will give you access to the Corinth canal, which connects the Aegean Ionian seas. Most Cruise itineraries in Greece usually stop in Katakolonw which is home of the first Olympic stadium and the Temple of Zeus, which you might remeber from school as being one of the Wonders of the Ancient World.

To be honest, no southern European cruise would be complete without a visit to the Turkish capital, Istanbul. Ships dock in the Bosphorus which is  a 20 mile stretch of water that separates Asia from Europe and is lined with wooden villa structures, mosques and palaces. Istanbul is truly famous for its 500 year old maze of shops know and the Grand Bazaar in which you could easily spend an entire day. Kusadasi is also another popular tourist stop-off on a southern European cruise itinerary. Here you can visit the archaeological sites at the ancient city of Ephesus. As you journey through Turkey and the Black Sea you may also want to stop at Izmir or Bodrum .

Black Sea cruises usually include ports of call in Yalta, Odessa in the Ukraine, and in Nessebur, Bulgaria. In Yalta you might like to walk the seaside promenades and pay a visit to the neo-gothic castles. Odessa’s Potemkin Stairs stretch all the way to the city providing European cruise adventurers with a most grand entrance to this port. Nessebur is one of the oldest towns in Europe. With its romantic cobblestone streets and medieval architecture make it one of the most popular destinations in Bulgaria.

Its probably worthwhile mentioning that most of the eastern Mediterranean cruises usually start or end in Italy, most usually with the cities of Rome or Venice. Bearing this in mind, many people might like to extend their vacation by a few days at the end of the cruise so that they can spend some extra time exploring these places.

Most of the cruise lines can set up packages that involve hotels that can be all-inclusive if you so choose. Once you are staying put on land, you will then get a chance to enjoy the Gondola rides in Venice on the Venetian canals, or if you were to stay in Rome, make sure you visit the Colosseum as well as take a guided tour of the Vatican City.

If you are taking a eastern Mediterranean cruise, then you simply must make sure you visit the Greek islands, in particular the island of Rhodes is well worth a trip, especially because you will get the see the old Rhodes town with the splendidly massive gates that were built to defend the town from invaders. Some of the other Greek Islands that may be part of your European cruise itinerary are Patmos and Santorini. Cyprus and Crete are two nearby island ports of call they your cruise may take in.

Croatia is a common destination for many European cruises that are targeted to the eastern Mediterranean, Croatia’s main port of call is Dubrovnik. It has been completely restored from the damage caused by war in the early 1990s. Dubrovnik is a wonderful seaside town with stone houses, magnificent medieval architecture and a quaint Old Town. If you are travelling on a smaller and alternative ship you may stop in the towns of Trogir, Hvar and Korcula.+

Not only an interesting experience, but purporting a veritable cocophany of sights, it hardly gets better than a trip to Europe. If you want to take it easy and relax, you most certainly will be able to achieve this, as the slower pace of living is what practically most European countries are about and as a consequence so you will be able to relax too. Of course cruising in itself is also relaxing, so how can you do anything else but enjoy yourself!

Indeed, the Western Mediterranean is one of the most famous cruise destinations, where passengers can take in the magnificence of France, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Spain, Malta and Greece, to name but a few. Why not try and visit between May and September so you might get the best possible weather and also, make sure your cruise takes you to the Greek Islands.

Europe provides for the most interesting vacation experience you might ever have, but if the sunny Mediterranean doesn’t particularly impress you, why not consider a cruise in the beauty of the Baltic? This is an very well known and popular destination for a European cruise.

The Baltic is very unique meaning that the countries you visit are also. St. Petersburg in Russia is probably one of the most exotic and well known destinations on the Baltic sea is most likely, where you can visit the world renowned Hermitage Museum, this museum houses some of the best artwork found anywhere in the world. Also why try Denmark a more Northern country. This is also a popular cruise destination and the City of Copenhagen in particular is very worthwhile visiting.

All in all, Europe is a cruise destination the has lots to offer, many many sights to see and finally something that everyone should try at least once for a vacation destination.

European Cruises Advisor provides a website resource where you can find informative and reliable articles about European cruises, whether you are interested in European Cruises for 2010, how to go about getting value for money discount cruises or just European cruises in general.

Understanding what’s on offer is important to making sure you get a great cruise for your age group. Many young people might want to see the Mediterranean but don’t actually consider a luxury cruise as an alternative route for a summer vacation with their under 30′s friends. Bringing a Mediterranean cruise in reach of anyone is easy, all you have to do is a bit of research.

There is always lots to do and see on a Med cruise, with many interesting place to visit such as Venice, Rome, St. Tropez, Nice and many Portuguese cities. Take a few hours to search out the comparison websites for cruise packages and you can get a great affordable deal quite easily to the destinations you want to see. Get the chance to see each destination during the day time, returning to the cruise ship each evening before the ship sails onto it’s next Med place.

To get a cost effective budget cruise, perhaps if you are a undergraduate, you will most likely be able to save money by pooling resources and sharing cabins, make sure you opt for cheaper inner berths without any of the frills that way the overall cost be reduced. If you can sort out between your friends the best time to go, off season is a good choice since an off season cruise is definitely going to be cheaper and this will leave you more money to spend on your day trips at the places you visit.

Making the right choices for you day excursions is another great way to cut back the cost, if you plan them yourselves rather than using travel tour operators to sort them out you can get a great deal. Mediterranean cruises for the under 30′s comes very highly recommended, with a bit of planning you too can get a cheap and fun summer holiday.

If exploring the nooks and crannies of Italy, with a number of islands and inland waterways to visit, you can quite easily combine the sea with the land to create yourself a unique holiday experience where you will get plenty of time to take photographs and take home memories of this wonderful place.

With regard to the times of year that are most suitable for river cruises in Italy you should probably choose sometime between May and August, for an optimal weather conditions, consider the extreme heat of the Summer months however, because Italy can get quite hot during this time.

Getting a one or two week river cruise in Italy is really easy, simply search on the Internet to find respectable tour operators that will be able to line you up with a vacation package that meets your needs. Prices will vary depending on the levels of accommodation that you want as well as the duration of your stays. If you want to have pre-arranged tours for shore excursions that this will be usually included in teh package you choose, or if you are more adventurous, you can arrange all your own trips.

Making sure that Venice is one of the destinations that’s included in your River cruise is a must. With its winding waterways steeped in architecture and history its breathtaking an unmissable.

Overall Italy as a destination for a River cruise is highly recommended with much to do a see you can have a wonderful vacation here no matter the weather.

The Canary Islands as a Cruise Destination

The Canary Islands that can be visited by cruise ship are namely La Palma, Gran Canarias and the one most people are familiar with from other European holidays, Tenerife. Each of the Islands are readily accessible by cruise liner and finding a cruise package that includes the Canary Islands as a European cruise destination is quite easy to do, there are many opportunities and packages available from most good tour operators.

In the canary island archipelago, generally the islands of Gomera, El Hierro, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote do not have cruise destinations in most cruise line itineraries – which is unfortunate. Many of cruise lines have destinations in the Canary Islands, however, that visit the three main Islands including P&O Cruises. The cruise lines are always updating the ports and areas that their ships visit so it worth rechecking which ships will call in what ports if you are thinking of a Western Mediterranean cruise to the Canaries this year.

The Canary Islands themselves offer many great sights to visit including plenty of volcanic scenery due to the islands origins as volcanic islands. With many of the towns having Spanish and Moorish influences the architecture and buildings are well worth making a part of any shore excursion you might plan if you find these things interesting. In particular, cruise ships will stop at Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife (which incidentally is the largest of the Canary Islands). Also make sure you visit La Palma, known as La Isla Bonita which translated from Spanish means “the pretty island”, which as it turns out, it is very much so with lavish and outstanding natural landscapes.

Its good to know that most of that cruise lines that visit this part of the world will offer and run their own shore excursions, also many private companies will also offer similar deals, you just need to make sure that you have relevant information to hand when booking these types of excursions, such as when your ship is expected to dock, which ports of call it will be making as well as the name of the cruise line and the cruise ship itself so that you can ensure that that you get the right days trips booked.

With a private company organizing your excursions, you will definitely get more flexibility that those that will be on offer from the cruise line, as well as this you will be most likely in a smaller group also you will no doubt get a much wider choice of things that you might want to do and see.

If you a visiting Italy, on your European Cruise, then private tour operators for day excursions have facilities in the ports of Venice, Livorno, Naples, Livorno as well as Sicily (if your cruise takes you down this far). You should be able to find these companies online by doing a quick search, so why not pick out a couple of these so you can get a feel for what’s available.

For example if you wanted to visit Venice many tours will offering walking tours, which means that you will be making your way between the churches, museums, galleries and other interesting sites, in this case the locations will be grouped fairly close together allowing you to take in some of the marvellous locations. Of course, it’s worth noting what time of year you will be visiting, be wary of the heat because Venice will become very hot in the summer months which can make it difficult if you are not used to the heat.

If this is case then you could also consider travelling on the grand canals by gondola or some other kind of river craft, there are plenty of river cruises that you can take, these will allow plenty of shade and also mean you can get a good look at the sights without the need to walk too far.

Don’t try and cram too much into one day though, its tempting to try and visit too many places, unfortunately this is not always possible, so this is a very good reason why once you have picked out your Italian city to visit, you make sure that you know where you want to go so you can get your itinerary planned in detail.

Of course planning applies to any shore excursion and is not total exclusive to Italy. Shore Excursion are a great part of any cruise vacation and it well worth making the effort to go on one, even if it the standard day trip offered by the cruise line.

As to be expected from any Mediterranean cruise, you will of course experience a Mediterranean climate meaning that you should expect hot weather and a fantastic outdoor experience. In particular luxury Yacht cruises are very popular as well as reasonably priced – typically you can find a yacht charters from as little as 550 Euros per person, plus food. For this you will enjoy a whole week’s cruising around the majestic islands off of the Dalmatian Coast.

If you are wondering about the types of yachts that are available, since there are so many different choices to choose from you will be able to easily find something that exactly meets your requirements. On the topic of yachts typically there are two types to choose from. These are the more traditional gulets – essentially a wooden traditionally built luxury yacht or a more modern luxury motor-cruiser.

Most of the gulet Yachts are taken as charters for whole yacht, also each boat comes complete with its own crew who will skipper and look after their guests. You can either choose to go with some of the preplanned itineraries that are already laid out for you, however if you want to plan your own or make amendments to places you might especially want to see or perhaps stay longer at then this is also possible.

All along the Dalmatian coast there are over 1000 islands so finding a gorgeous location as a destination for you trip will be easily, you definitely will not be stuck for choice! You can also visit some of the interesting local towns which are steeped in history, for example the towns of Hvar,Split, Bol and Vis as well as Dubrovnik.

Cruises will start out from Dubrovnik, Split or Zadar and since you have your own skipper and crew you are left free to decide whether you want to go snorkeling, big game fishing, water skiing or many other great activities.

All the cruises come in different shapes and sizes for different numbers of people as well as the possibly of a smaller choice of single cabin bookings and with many choices of Gulets and motor cruisers this is the kind of vacation to Croatia that comes highly recommended.

Although not just limited as a European cruise operator, Royal Caribbean is none the less an extremely high quality cruise line operator that is very competitive price-wise that have many European destinations in their itinerary.

A popular cruise choice from Royal Caribbean is the 14 night “Mediterranean Treasures cruise”. if you are wanting to visit the ‘Cradle of Civilization’ than what better way to do this that with a Royal Caribbean liner The Independence of the Seas. With an atmosphere that has been described as different, where the sun is warmer and colors more vibrant. Voyaging with  the med with Royal Caribbean will let you experience that warm friendly people who know the secret to living life to the full, something which you will reap the benefits from on this vacation.

Calling at popular destinations such as Gibraltar, Cagliari in Sardinia, Barcelona, Florence and Cannes this tour of the Mediterranean is highly recommended.

If you are new to cruising, royal Caribbean have much to offer. For example they have 21 magnificent ships in one of the imaginative cruise fleets in the world. With unique facilities on board ship such as their Flow rider surf simulator and relaxing on-board spas there are also lots of bars and restaurants you can catch up with new friends or take in the latest movie at the ships movie theatre.

As far as dining options go, Royal Caribbean is second to none. You can get a five course dinner from the main dining rooms, however if you prefer something more casual they have family friend cafes and restaurants too. Also, you may also order food to your staterooms for a relaxing quiet night in
.
Included in the Royal Caribbean cruises is the accommodation, with TV, telephones hair dryers as well as a dedicated stateroom attendant. If you have a Royal Caribbean Fly/Cruise package then all flights and transfers are included with various departure points meaning that you get great value and flexibility.
There are plenty of on-board family friendly facilities for ages ranging from toddlers to teenagers. They run separate programs for different age grouping and all ships offer sports tournaments and themes parties to mention a few things.

Other facilities include, as mentioned, the Flow rider surfing simulator, rock climbing, ice skating rink, H20 Water Park, swimming pools and sports courts. There are also mini golf and in line skating tracks. So as you can see there plenty to no matter what you like doing; something for everyone you might say.
With organized shore excursion
that you can opt into you can get the most out of every destination you visit.

In Summary Royal Caribbean cruise lines can offer a fantastic European cruise vacation at a great price. Highly Recommended.