TRANSPORT/ Ocean Cruising Getting Small-Scale

After choosing your itinerary, picking the right ship is the number-one factor in ensuring you get the vacation you're looking for. Cruise ships in Alaska range from small adventure-type vessels to resort-like megaships, with the cruise experience varying widely depending on the type of ship you select. There are casual cruises and luxury cruises; educational cruises where you attend lectures and cruises where you attend musical reviews; adventure-oriented cruises where hiking, kayaking, and exp...

Studying a map of Canada's rugged Pacific Coast, it quickly becomes evident that the waters between cigar-shaped Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland include such a dense jumble of smaller islands that they should make perfect stepping stones without even getting wet feet! Well, not quite. However, this slim protected waterway between Vancouver Island and the mainland does create a concentrated corridor in which to witness many of the world's most remarkable marine mammals, birds a...

Away. Isn’t that really where you want to go on vacation? Away from the usual experiences and the usual places. You may have caught glimpses of it from the railing of a big ships. Or out the window of a motorcoach. But truly finding away means sailing a course less traveled. You’ll find it below the shady palm trees of a faraway beach. In the welcoming smiles of villagers living on the banks of a small river. Or tucked under low bridges, on a canal built in the 1800s. They’r...

Asia Pacific has become a key growth market for the global cruise category. With a population of over 3.5 billion people and an increased desire to travel, the region presents enormous opportunities for growth in the medium to long term. Overall, the early stage of development of the cruise industry in the region is what appeals the most to cruise companies worldwide. The region resisted the 2008-2009 global financial crisis with a positive 3.6% real GDP growth rate in 2009 – positive a...

When looking at the news and main headlines about cruise holidays over the past few years, it appears that the most popular stories which constantly hit the headlines are always about bigger ships, or Mega ships or amazing activities you can do on-board ships due to their enormous size! Whilst for many cruisers, be it people new to cruising, or seasoned sea travellers, this is all very exciting, vessels more commonly referred to as Mega Ships, are not the only attraction to sea travel. It see...