Surprise! Alaska picked as most-desired cruise destination

by Chris Owen on

A recent poll by Princess Cruises revealed Alaska, not the warm-weather-dreamy Caribbean, as the number one destination choice for cruising in the coming year. The poll, fielded from the line’s 76,000 Facebook fans, had some other surprising results as well.

Among other results, one-fourth of those responding chose Alaska as their top choice to visit this year, followed by the Caribbean (15%) and Europe (14%) Hawaii (8%); Panama Canal (7%); Africa (5%); Australia (5%); Amazon (4%); Asia (2%); Canada/New England (2%); Mexican Riviera (2%); New Zealand (2%); South America (2%), and India (1%).

The pool also revealed that the most desired traveling companion by far (68%) was the respondents “other half” followed by good friends (15%) almost leaving kids at home with a measly 6% vote.

Asked what celebrity they might choose to travel with, Oprah (19%) beat out Jack Black, Tina Fey (no doubt in Sarah Palin mode),Bono, Heidi Klum, Mario Batali, Michelle Obama, Peyton Manning and Justin Bieber among others.

Top choice for what Princess fans want on a vacation? Relaxation (50%) was far ahead of Adventure, Entertainment, Culture and Romance.

So lets add this up. Most people want to go to Alaska with Oprah and/or their “better half” to relax. Almost nobody wants to go to India with Justin Bieber for romance.

I think that works for me. What about you?

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Photo: Princess Cruises

Cheap Cruise Watch- Norwegian Upgrades (almost) everybody

by Chris Owen on

It’s what the cruise industry calls “wave season”, the time of the year when people stop dreaming of a White Christmas and instead have nightmares about getting stuck in snow and ice. Thoughts turn to warmer weather and cruise vacations come to mind. We have been talking a lot about how to get a good deal lately. Today we have one for you.

Cheap prices are good. Cheap prices and you get more for your money are better.

Norwegian Cruise Line has a “Free Upgrades For All” promotion that applies to the new Norwegian Epic going on now through January 16, 2011 where we can book and get up to a 4 category upgrade at no additional charge. That’s nothing really all that exciting but with this promotion, you can book an ocean-view cabin (with a window) and get a balcony cabin at no additional charge. Book a balcony and get a mini-suite too. That’s different and unique to Norwegian.

They’re also throwing in a coupon book “worth over $400” but don’t get too excited about that part. Many of the coupons you probably won’t use but they do add up and some you will. The big attraction here is booking an ocean-view and getting a balcony or booking a balcony and getting a mini-suite on their newest ship. That’s the kind of value we want you to get. It’s available on all 2011 sailings and its pretty easy to do.

Like most cruise deals this can be a little tricky to book so pay attention if you visit the NCL website. For Balcony upgrades, you’ll see a Balcony Stateroom with the same price as an Ocean-view Stateroom. For sailings with Mini-Suite Upgrades, you’ll see a Mini-Suite listed at the same price as a Balcony. A few restrictions apply and it is always a good idea to read the fine print.

Get with your travel expert to be sure you get it right.

Flickr photo by Cruise News Weekly

3 tips to catch the best cruise price

by Chris Owen on

Wave Season has begun. It’s the time of the year when many travelers book cruises and usually runs through about tax time. Here are 3 simple but critical rules of the road to get your best value.

  1. Don’t wait, Book right now– Prices are predicted to go up early in the year. You could wait until they go down later, and they will, but availability of cabins will never be as good as it is right now. That’s important so you don’t get one of the lousy cabins located right under the fitness center that translate to no sleeping in for you.
  2. Use a Travel Agent– Never before has there been more reason to use a good travel agent. With all sorts of changes coming up in the way cruise lines do business, you need a pro on your side. Click around on line to get an idea of what you want, but contact your travel agent. The golden rule of cruise reservations: The Internet is for looking, Travel Agents are for booking. Don’t have a travel agent? We have tips on how to get one ranging from testing a potential agent to qualities you should look for in one. See the video below for more.
  3. Keep looking– as the cruise industry rapidly evolves, other ships, sailings and choices will become available. A cruise booking should be a fluid work in progress all the way up to final payment as far as planning goes and all the way until it’s over and beyond as far as your travel agent is concerned. Down the road, that budget-busting balcony you wanted might come down in price, special offers not available when you booked might pop up or an entirely different ship and sailing might interest you more.

A couple things you do not want to do on a cruise

by Chris Owen on

Cruise lines want you to have a good time and offer lots of activities and events to make that happen. They talk a lot about how this is “your cruise” and want you to do whatever you want to in order to enjoy it.

There are limits though.

Don’t just go visit the bridge: It was New Years Eve when Alex Sokolov, a passenger on Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas supposedly wandered on to the bridge, a restricted high security area and ended up being thrown off the ship. “He was accused of violating safety rules, and for that he was held for days in detention in the cabin, and then left on the shore in the Athenian harbor of Piraeus.” reports the Royal Caribbean blog Bridge tours can be arranged and are often a part of special celebration packages. Just stopping by? Not so much.

Don’t do it in the hot tub: Surveillance cameras cover pretty much all public areas of the ship, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Need I say more?

Flickr photo by Bruce Tuten

Outdoor athlete skis and climbs 2 million vertical feet in one year

by Kraig Becker on

Outdoor athlete Greg Hill finished off a vary busy 2010 last Thursday by completing his quest to climb and ski 2 million vertical feet in a single calendar year. The final run came on the slopes of Revelstoke Mountain, located in British Columbia, Canada, not far from where Hill calls home, while a group of friends and family looked on.

Hill’s grand ski adventure got underway on January 1st of last year when he started his quest to hit the magical 2 million feet mark. That quest would take him all over the world as he scrambled to ski as many days as possible over the course of a 365 day period. In order to reach his lofty goal, Hill would need to ski, and climb, an average of roughly 5480 feet each and every day of the year.

It turns out he actually hit the slopes about 270 days of the year instead, which is a big increase from his previous high of 145 days in a single year. Over those 270 days, he averaged about 7400 feet of climbing and skiing in all kinds of weather including howling winds and blowing snow

. His biggest day on the slopes was a 12-hour marathon that saw him cover 23,000 feet both up and down. Hill also made 8 first descents, which in skiing vernacular means he became the first person to ski down a mountain face. Along the way, He also summited 71 different mountains, which is an impressive number in and of itself.

It is difficult to put into perspective exactly what Hill accomplished in his year-long adventure. It takes a tremendous amount of dedication and stamina to climb and ski 2 million feet in such a relatively short time, but it requires a bit of luck as well. One wrong turn on the skis or a slip and a fall while climbing, and the entire thing could have been over. Still, none of that happened, and Hill stayed healthy and focused throughout the year, even when it looked like he was falling well off the pace. In the end, he not only reached his goal, but he did it with one day to spare.

Just in time to enjoy the arrival of a new year and some much deserved rest. Knowing Greg, he probably went skiing instead.

[Photo credit: Tommy Chandler/Backcountry.com]