A Real Cunarder - A Review of the QM2

This week I was lucky enough to be invited down to Southampton to spend a couple of nights onboard Cunards Queen Mary 2. So, here's the verdict!
I was extremely excited about travelling on such a legendary liner, and although I have visited for a brief tour of the QM2 before, the idea of actually sailing feels like a different experience entirely! I must admit I had very high expectations of Cunard as they are a very prestigious 5* line but I found there were certain areas where I came away feeling a little disappointed, which I will detail in this review.

Extra Baggage? Check!

I have just booked my extra suitcase in for my flight out to Miami in November in anticipation of all the pre Christmas bargains I will be buying!

We fly out on the 26th November which is when "Black Friday" begins in the USA. A few of my colleagues were out in Miami at that time last year and said they had never seen anything like it before! The shops all had huge discounts and they came home with some great bargains on Ugg boots, jewelry, perfume, branded clothes and of course lots of Christmas presents!

I just hope one extra case will be enough!

Fred Olsen - 5 Things I Never Knew!

Every now and again we have representatives coming to visit us from all the different cruise lines to basically remind us exactly why we should be selling their cruises!

Today we had a visit from our rep at Fred Olsen and I was surprised at how much I found out that I didn't know already! Did you know this.....?

1. Fred Olsen is a family run business which is currently in its 5th generation, they have a lot of input in the business and even down to the brochure design!

2. "Suite Benefits" - book a suite and you will also receive a bottle of sparkling wine, fresh fruit, flowers, luxury towels, bathrobe and slippers, free pressing service for formal wear and complimentary coach shuttle vouchers. Plus, on fly cruises, superior and owners suite guests will be upgraded to premium flight seats!

3. The average age for Fred Olsen guests is...... 66 years old. (I must admit I was expecting it to be higher)

4. New Fred Olsen guests can get special benefits too, including priority boarding, a guided ship tour and an invitation to an onboard event for new cruisers.

5. Excellent drinks prices. Cocktails from £3.25, Beer from £2.80, and the best news....no added service charges on your drinks bill!

Trip on the Queen Mary 2!

I am so excited - I have just been asked if I would like to go on a 2 night trip onboard one of my favourite ships - the Queen Mary 2 in November!

I visited this ship recently and loved her - it really feels like you are stepping back in time as soon as you step onboard, it's such a contrast to the rest of the ships I have seen.

The difference is this time I will actually get to sail on the legendary liner!

USA Visa - Do it Now!!!

***Its your last chance to get your free visa for the States, after the 8th September you will be charged to apply for it!***

The visa lasts 2 years, so even if you haven't booked your holidays yet, it's worth getting now just in case you need it later.

Apply now at: www.usembassy.org.uk

Ship Visit - Crown Princess

I headed down to Southampton this morning to visit the Crown Princess, the first Princess ship I have seen!

I was really interested in this one as I am sailing on the sister ship, the Ruby later on this year. Overall I liked what I saw, it is so similar to the P&O Azura which was quite strange, but I think it had more of a sophisticated feel which I really liked.

Highlights were:

"Movies Under the Stars" - imagine sailing through the Caribbean at night, under the stars, whilst watching a movie and to top it off having blankets and popcorn too!


Speciality restaurant Sabatini's - beautiful Italian themed setting, would definitely dine here whilst onboard, especially if I was celebrating a special occasion.



I also loved the Sanctuary, an outdoor "chill out" area, it looked so nice and relaxing, and I loved the chairs too!

Cruising for Disabled Passengers - Are the Cruise Lines Doing Enough?

Whilst the majority of cruise ships are fully adapted for those passengers travelling in a wheelchair, it is surprising to find that for many, cruising will still not be a viable option for their holiday.

Norwegian Epic Delayed

The long awaited Norwegian Epic's inaugural sailing has reportedly been delayed due to major engine trouble - not good news for the thousands of passengers waiting to sail from Rotterdam to Southampton today.

The Epic was due to arrive in Southampton tomorrow morning around 10am, to commence the inaugural celebrations, it has now been rescheduled for a 5.30 arrival.

I am due to be joining her tomorrow for a 2 night mini cruise, so I am really hoping everything still goes ahead as planned!

Fingers crossed!

P&O Launches "Flexicruise"

P&O have just launched a brand new promotion called Flexicruise. The idea is, that if you can be flexible with your departure dates, you can save yourself a minimum of £285pp off the cost of your cruise. So, you pay a set, reduced amount for your preferred cabin on a 15 night Caribbean cruise and P&O will then allocate you a cruise after booking, but in good time before your departure of course!

Simply decide if you would like to cruise before or after Christmas, select your preferred cabin type and pay your deposit (20% cruise fare). Then, P&O will allocate you one of 5 Caribbean pre Christmas cruises, each departing on a Friday or Saturday, or one of 9 post Christmas Caribbean cruises.

So what's the catch? Well there really isn't one, you are guaranteed a 15 night Caribbean cruise on either the brand new Azura or the Ventura - launched just last year, and best of all, you will make great savings on whichever one you sail away on!

For more information on this exclusive new promotion, please call me on 0845 839 6360.

Oasis Crew Member Overboard

A Royal Caribbean crew member working onboard the Oasis of the Seas has been reported to have been lost at sea after video footage showed him falling overboard shortly after leaving the port of Nassau, Bahamas.

Crew members soon reported him missing which lead to a full scale search of the vessel, the Oasis then backtracked on its path to no avail.

The Oasis has now resumed its Caribbean 7 night itinerary, passengers onboard will be issued a certificate for a discount on a future cruise to compensate for the port of call that was missed due to the search.

The coast guard is still continuing its search.

Balmoral to Trace Titanic's Fatal Final Voyage

Fred Olsen have announced they will be commemorating the 100 year anniversary since the Titanic reached its fatal end in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Balmoral will be departing the UK on the 8th of April 2012 and crossing the Atlantic over 12 nights, passing over the tragic site where so many lives were lost almost 100 years ago, and hopefully arriving in New York - the planned destination for the Titanic.

Onboard, there will be a number of lectures revealing what life was like onboard the ill fated vessel, some of which will be presented by family members of survivors.

I should think this will be an extremely popular voyage for those who have an interest in the Titanic so I would advise booking soon to avoid disappointment for this very special voyage.

How to Book the Best Flight Seats

When booking your cruise, I would always recommend asking to see if you can reserve specific seats on your flight. Often the requests are for a window seat or for extra legroom, but what about seats away from the toilets or the noisy galley or even to avoid those seats with misaligned windows?

Try checking SeatGuru - an excellent website which identifies the aircraft you will be travelling on, the seat pitch and width as well as highlighting potential issues with certain seats.

Unfortunatley, it is not always possible to pre book flight seats with cruise lines as they can purchase an allocation of seats which often cannot be prebooked, but worth a try!

Which Cruise to Choose?

I have been working in the cruise industry for over 3 years now and despite sending thousands of people across the world I have still not managed to convince two very difficult clients that they would love to cruise..... my very own parents!!!

I am afraid, like many other non cruisers, they are expecting cruises to be "just for old people" or "too stuffy and formal" However, I am so pleased to say that I have finally made progress and they have agreed to try out a mini cruise! Now I have the task of trying to book them on the perfect ship so they will realize just how good cruising can be.

The Azura Verdict...

Just back from the Azura and have lots of feedback for you as well as some pictures, so you can decide for yourselves if she will be the ship for you in 2010!

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the Azura, as I had heard very mixed views of the Ventura, the sister ship, as some felt she was proving far too popular with families with young children, so wasn’t to everyone’s taste! I had also heard that P&O were going to try to keep the Azura more traditional and a little less family focused, so it would be interesting to see how they had done this.

So lets start with the cabins; I was allocated one of the JF grade balcony cabins, A602,

Southampton Welcomes the Azura!

Today Southampton welcomed P&O's brand new superliner - Azura. The 116,000 ton ship sailed into the port at around 7am this morning, in preparation to host a number of inaugural events this week.

I am lucky enough to be heading down to join in the celebrations on Friday with my colleagues so we can see first hand what the new addition to the P&O fleet will be able to offer! We will be heading down to Southampton in the afternoon, then spending the night onboard which means we also get to experience the fine dining and of course all the evening entertainment.

I am looking forward to seeing the single cabins - a first for P&O, and also the Indian restaurant - "Sindhu" - which will be Michelin starred chef Atul Kochhar's first ever restaurant at sea.

I will of course be reporting back next week with my thoughts, and lots of photos so you can see what you think of the Azura too!

Ryanair: Need to spend a penny? It may cost you £1!

Some time ago I heard a rumour that Ryanair would start charging customers to use the toilets on board their planes. I think at the time, most people laughed this off and thought it would never happen, but, it seems they are serious and are looking to go ahead with the plans!

It has been suggested that it would make the low cost airline an additional £15 million a year, which they would then pass on to the customers as even lower discounted fares.

I don't know about you, but I would much rather pay a little more for my flight and know that what I have paid for is an "all in" fare. For example, I would rather know that I can get drinks onboard included, or at reasonable prices, seats allocated, no online booking fees or check in fees, and I certainly would not want to have to pay to use the loo! (although personally, I always do whatever I can to not use the toilet on a flight!)

What do you think about these plans? Would you still fly with Ryanair if the plans go ahead? Or would you rather pay a higher price for your flight and make your travel arrangements with another airline?

Epic here I come!

Today I had some very exciting news... I have been invited onboard the Norwegian Epic on 22nd June 2010 to join in the 2 night inaugural celebrations in Southampton!

From what I have heard, this is going to be a spectacular ship with an ice bar, water slides, bowling alleys and, best of all for food lovers - 17 different dining options! I am now reading up on the ship in the brochure, planning exactly what I want to cram in to 2 days.

It will be very interesting as I have never actually been onboard a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship, so I can finally add them to my list of cruise lines I have tried!

Report to follow soon....

Cruising Italian Style!

Another fantastic exclusive offer to tell you about, this time with MSC Cruises on the Armonia.

7 night Eastern Mediterranean cruise sailing from Venice in May, prices start from just £499 for an inside cabin to an amazing £599 for a balcony suite!! This offer includes direct Gatwick flights, all transfers and taxes and fees.

We also have great child prices on this one, but you will need to get in quick to take advantage of the offer, as it wont last long... Call me for more information on my direct line 0845 839 6360.

Happy Birthday Ideal Cruising!

We are so proud to be celebrating our 6th Birthday today here at Ideal Cruising! Over the past 6 years we have won over 20 cruise industry awards including best cruise agency, best UK online agent as well as best sales person of the year, and we are still going strong!

Here is a photo of a cake my colleague Kelly made to celebrate our success!

Looking for a late deal? Look no further!!

A common cruising misconception is that you can get a good late deal if you wait until the last minute to book your cruise. However, more often than not, the last few cabins go at much higher fares, and are usually allocated on arrival. Having said that, there is always an exception to the rule and this morning I found it!

P&O Cruises are offering a 14 night Mediterranean cruise in April with prices starting from just £699 for an inside cabin…

For more details give me a call on my direct line - 0845 839 6360

Advance Registrations 2011/2012 Cruises!

Spring is on its way and that can only mean one thing for us in the office – pre registrations! At this time of year the cruise lines launch their new sailing calendars and give potential customers the opportunity to make an advance registration for the sailings of their choice, they can then secure the best prices, get first pick of the best cabins and take advantage of any early booking offers too.

Highlights;

- Cunards Queen Elizabeth Maiden Season – 2011 will see the Queen Elizabeth spend her first full season based in her home port of Southampton. Early booking savings up to £800 per cabin.

- P&O Adonia Launch – Adonia will be joining P&O for her maiden season in 2011 offering a small ship experience, perhaps a good choice for those who previously sailed on the Artemis. Savings up to £800 per couple, free car parking and onboard credit between £50 - £250 per couple on sailings over 4 nights.

For more information please call me on my direct line 0845 839 6360

Goodbye Ocean Village... Hello Royal Caribbean?

Now that we are approaching the end of the line for Ocean Village, I am wondering where all the loyal OV fans will be heading? Ocean Village is like no other cruise line out there, their slogan "the cruise for people that don't do cruises" says it all; they are informal, relaxed, British and very reasonably priced.

The obvious direction for fans of the OV would be Thomson Cruises, after all, they are similarly priced, British and offer a relaxed informal cruise experience. However, I have a feeling that the likes of Royal Caribbean and P&O will be catching a lot more of the OV trade.

I think a lot of people are turned off by the idea of a formal cruise because of the dining; not everybody likes the idea of sharing their table with strangers, or being told what time to be at the table to eat, or to dress up whilst they’re at it! Whilst both Royal Caribbean and P&O are classed as formal lines, they now offer a flexibility onboard certain ships which allows you to have a much more laid back dining experience.

For example, Royal Caribbean now allow guests to choose “My Time Dining” so you can head to the restaurant whenever you are ready, also, they have a fantastic buffet style restaurant for those evenings where you don’t want to make an effort to dress for dinner.

Personally, I prefer the more formal cruises, after all, what girl doesn’t enjoy getting a little dressed up every now and again?!