Black Friday inspired cruise photos

The cruise lines are busy preparing plenty of hot deals and incentives to entice cruisers to book this weekend. Whilst the sales and marketing machines are cranking out the offers, I decided to to put together a montage of fun places you might like to visit.

Baltic and Scandinavia cruising

Peak season for the Baltic is between May and early September.  Plan to find an itinerary that allows for maximum time in port to explore. Stockholm and Copenhagen are the most popular turnaround ports. A bonus is a longer cruise, about 12 days with a an overnight in the port. I would suggest arriving at least a day before the cruise to acclimate, rest, and start to get a feel for the area.

Sailing into Norway a popular destination on Baltic and Scandinavia cruise itineraries.

St. Petersburg, Russia.

Tip: When cruising the Baltic, make sure to check the itinerary for maximum time in St. Petersburg. Also, plan to budget enough money for shore excursions in this port. Because of strict restrictions, cruise visitors will encounter some red tape when it comes to roaming around on their own. Taking organized shore excursions is preferred (either offered by the cruise line or through a private tour operator.)

River cruising

One of the best ways to experience Europe is on a river cruise.  The Danube, Rhine and Seine are three popular river cruise destinations in Europe.

Seine River, Paris, France

Honfleur, France: a must see excursion on any river cruise in Normandy.

Asia cruising

Consider cruising in late Fall or early Spring for the best weather. The southern countries will offer the warmest temperatures, so if swimming in the pool or going to the beach is on your bucket list, make sure to plan ahead.

Popular cruise destinations include port calls in China, Japan, southeast Asia, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, India, and Malaysia.  Tip: try to include Hong Kong in your itinerary selection. This popular turnaround port has a lot to offer. To learn more about Hong Kong check out our review.

Silversea Cruises in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

Seoul, South Korea.

Shanghai

American Cruise Lines shines in the #CruiseChat Spotlight

American Cruise Lines

• Top 10 by number of impressions:

 
1. cruisebuzz: 825,084
2. halcruises: 137,173
3. shipsandtrips: 111,480
4. cruiseradio: 92,625
5. carevacations: 89,872
6. musecrossing: 72,384
7. traveldesigned: 70,880
8. kymri: 45,474
9. american_cruise: 32,781
10. rickgriffin: 30,570

• Top 10 by number of tweets:

 
1. carevacations: 82
2. cruisebuzz: 82
3. american_cruise: 49
4. shipsandtrips: 40
5. bargeconnection: 28
6. cruiseradio: 25
7. gmdance: 23
8. kymri: 22
9. cruisecoaches: 22
10. halcruises: 17

• Top 10 by number of followers:

 
1. rickgriffin: 30,570
2. mcmedia: 13,406
3. isabellestravel: 10,499
4. cruisebuzz: 10,062
5. cajunmama: 9,641
6. halcruises: 8,069
7. jkheaton: 7,896
8. landlopers: 7,518
9. traveldesigned: 7,088
10. itravel2000: 6,589

The Questions

• Q1.  What is your favorite US #cruise destination? Tell us why and/or share a picture! #CruiseChat
• Q2.  Have you been on an Alaskan cruise? What was your favorite site?  #cruisechat
• Q3. Fill in the blank: _____is the number one American lobster-producing state in the USA.  Have you been? #cruisechat
• Q4. River cruising is a hot topic. What rivers in the US have you cruised? #cruisechat
• Q5 Are you a #cruise genius? What is difference between a paddlewheeler and a  sternwheeler?  Hint> http://ow.ly/i/eyA6 #cruisechat
• Q6.  Pop Quiz. Which ship in ACLs fleet was the only one acquired and the only one built before 2002? #cruisechat
• Q7. We know you’re a cruiser, but are you a 1)traveler 2)vacationer 3) both. Why? #cruisechat
• Q8. The great outdoors – can you guess this popular US site? #CruiseChat  http://ow.ly/5DVXc
• Q9. Fall foliage themed #cruise? Been on one? Tell us where. #CruiseChat

Some of the tweets

American_Cruise AmericanCruiseLines

You’re good! RT: @shipsandtrips A5: Guessing here: weheel at the back vs front or sides? #cruisechat

19 hours ago

robinwsmith Robin W. Smith   A5 – Stern-wheeler has one paddle and a Paddle-wheeler has two – both on the rear

gmdance Gerard Murphy

A7. Vacationer most. Traveler sometimes…

PortholeCruise Porthole Magazine

A4: Cruised the Mississippi River on a river barge years ago. Very cool to dock right under the St. Louis Arch.

CareVacations CareVacations

A1 – I love #RhodeIsland and #Maine! The food and history are amazing! Don’t have my pix handy…

American_Cruise AmericanCruiseLines

@CruiseBuzz we are psyched to be here, Carrie! #cruisechat welcome everyone

Sites you can link to:

• http://americancruiselines.com/press_room.php
• http://americancruiselines.com/traval_egent.php
• http://americancruiselines.com/ship_main.php
• http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/americancruiselines

Cruise Chat with Viking River Cruises

Welcome Viking River Cruises into the Cruise Chat Spotlight – Tues. June 14th, 2011.

Looking for Recap?

With 19 ships in the fleet, Viking River Cruises knows a thing or two about river cruising. Speaking from first-hand experience, I can say that floating along the rivers of Europe is an excellent way to immerse one’s self in culture and history, while enjoying the luxuries of a cruise.

Prize Patrol:

At the close of June 14th’s #CruiseChat, Viking River Cruises will be doing a giveaway! Make sure to tweet them with @VikingRiver in your tweet, with the correct answer to the trivia question. They will announce the winner from a random drawing on June 15, 2011.

Find out more by reading the recap.

Viking River Cruises

With 19 ships in the fleet, Viking River Cruises knows a thing or two about river cruising.

Recap

754 tweets generated 2,998,118 impressions, reaching an audience of 226,758 followers within the past 24 hours. Generated Tue Jun 14 2011 12:05:11 GMT-0700 (PDT)

Top 10 by number of impressions

1. cruisebuzz: 752,367
2. only398: 585,603
3. traveldesigned: 393,298
4. jkheaton: 263,664
5. vikingriver: 143,282
6. halcruises: 137,556
7. rickgriffin: 119,228
8. shipsandtrips: 85,635
9. cruisebart: 60,354
10. cruisesforless: 43,155

Top 10 by number of tweets

1. cruisebuzz: 77
2. vikingriver: 62
3. traveldesigned: 58
4. vikingagents: 41
5. only398: 41
6. jkheaton: 36
7. cruisesforless: 35
8. shipsandtrips: 33
9. carevacations: 32
10. cruisecoaches: 28

Top 10 by number of followers

1. rickgriffin: 29,807
2. only398: 14,283
3. luxuryprgal: 13,049
4. mcmedia: 12,792
5. cruisebuzz: 9,771
6. luxurycruiseco: 9,090
7. cruiselaw: 8,436
8. halcruises: 7,642
9. jkheaton: 7,324
10. familyfoodie: 6,985

Questions

• Q1 How important is a tour guide’s role in the #cruise experience?
• Q2 What is your favorite European landmark?
• Q3 Music, art, vineyards, food, history — with all Europe is famous for, what part of the culture do you most enjoy?
• Q4 Packing for international travel can be somewhat of a science. What is 1 ‘must-have’ item for a European river #cruise adventure?
• Q5 What experts do you turn to for cruising advice?
• Q6 Which @VikingRiver European itinerary do you most want to try? http://ow.ly/58P0H

Fun Answers

European waterways essential to life and trade

The Thames: London's river with a big history

The rivers and seas of Europe have always been essential to life and trade. But, until the mid-1800s, European boats and ships were only concerned with moving cargo or hauling in the day’s catch – not with passengers or their comfort.

In 1835, Arthur Anderson, a sailor from the Shetland Isles, wrote about his vision of providing passenger service from Scotland to Iceland in the summer months, and from Scotland to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) in winter. Two years later, he co-founded the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), which became a major operator of passenger liners.

The mail route and birth of the trans-Atlantic cruise

Other shipping lines, which got their start by carrying mail across the Atlantic, began to offer passenger service. More ships began to consider the comfort of passengers: in 1840 the Britannia, the first ship to sail under the Cunard Line name, reportedly took a cow on board to supply fresh milk on a trans-Atlantic crossing.

The emergence of elegance at sea – luxury cruising

By the early 1900s, European passenger ships had taken on the characteristics of elegant, floating hotels. However, World Wars I and II interrupted the building of new cruise ships, and many ships were pressed into service as troop transports.

Interest in trans-Atlantic cruising surged between the wars and again after World War II, but the introduction of trans-Atlantic flights put a damper on that era. During the 1960s and 70s, the European cruise industry slowly refocused on sailing the coasts and rivers of the continent.

Today, discover Europe all over again via cruise ship

Regent Seven Seas

Today, multiple cruise lines visit an amazing variety of European ports. Major cruise lines that sail Europe include the contemporary lines Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line; premium and deluxe lines Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises; and luxury lines Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea, Uniworld and Viking River Cruises. Uniworld River Cruises and Viking River Cruises are noteworthy because they cruise the rivers of Europe – the Danube, the Rhine, the Seine and more – providing access to inland cities and villages.

The big four – Northern Europe, British Isles, Western Med, Eastern Med

European cruises cover four regions: The Baltic and Northern Europe; the British Isles and Western Europe; the Western Mediterranean; and the Eastern Mediterranean. Some cruise itineraries focus on ports in one region, while longer cruises may include ports in two or more regions.

A cruise of Northern Europe might include the stunning fjords of Norway’s west coast. Or, choose a Baltic-based itinerary, enjoying Scandinavian capitals like Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki. Some cruises also visit Russia’s jewel of the Baltic, St. Petersburg.

Cruises of the British Isles and Western Europe often launch from London and may stop at Inverness and Edinburgh, Scotland; Dublin, Ireland; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Hamburg, Germany; and Le Havre (for Paris), France.

Western Mediterranean itineraries can stretch from Gibraltar and coastal Spain to the west coast of Italy. Ports of call might include Cannes and other cities on the French Riviera; and the Italian ports of Livorno (for Florence), Citavecchia (for Rome) and Naples. Some itineraries also call on the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Malta.

The Eastern Mediterranean includes a classic cruise destination– the Greek Isles. However, there is much more to see, including the ports of Croatia (Dubrovnik and Hvar); the gorgeous, watery city of Venice, Italy; and the exotic ports of Turkey (Istanbul, Izmir and Kusadasi).

With so many places to see, deciding on a European itinerary can be challenging. Luckily there are numerous resources available to help make a decision. Consider using  a travel agent to help get the best value for your time to match the right cruise to your lifestyle.