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?!