Is it all about the Hardware, or what you do when you get there?
The cruise world is buzzing today after the announcement of the very latest technological innovations to be featured on the brand new Quantum of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. Bionic bar tenders, RFID Smart Luggage tracking systems, the Royal iQ downloadable app – wow!
This however got me thinking, we are after all talking about a holiday and all of these innovations, though impressive, all focus on things you can do indoors. You can watch the world go by indoors on a giant TV screen and even sit indoors in your cabin and digitally track the arrival of your luggage!
My response to this has been to highlight some of the amazing cruise experiences still to be found outdoors! These days as well as offering incredible technological innovations, cruise lines are offering ports of call in more and more exotic locations, and a selection of action packed activities and shore excursions that are original, exclusive and often impossible to organize on your own.
Here are just a few of the incredible cruise experiences available, all you have to do is put your iPad down, tear yourself away from the digitally created view from your virtual balcony and get out there!
Alaskan Wilderness Laughton Glacier Family Expedition.
A 5-7 mile glacier hike may not be for everyone but for adventure seekers who want to truly immerse themselves in the Alaskan wilderness, Carnival Cruise Lines’ Laughton Glacier Hike is just the ticket. Adults and children are led by an expert guide on an Alaskan wilderness trek, complete with a scenic train ride.
Jam Mayen, One of the World’s Most Remote and Coldest Islands.
Hurtigruten, specialists in Arctic and Antarctic cruises, is the only cruise line that visits Jan Mayen, one of the most isolated islands in the world and home to a large population of polar bears. Excursion activities include learning Arctic winter survival skills!
Saving the Coral Reefs of Bonaire.
Cunard has a new volunteer excursion for 2014-2015, the Coral Restoration Dive Experience. The program (only for PADI certified divers) connects passengers with the Coral Restoration Foundation in Bonaire where they receive hands-on instruction on basic coral reef preservation.
Russian Cosmonaut Training
Guests looking to set their sights on space can do so sailing on a Crystal Cruises Baltic cruise to St. Petersburg, with a flight to Moscow and an overnight in Star City, the Russian equivalent of NASA headquarters during the 20th century “Space Race” – home to the largest centrifuge in the world. The excursion includes experiencing one of three actual Russian Cosmonaut Training courses on advanced space equipment: the centrifuge, zero-gravity flight, or hydro-space program.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Dracula.
Oceania Cruises’ itinerary in the Greek Islands and Eastern Mediterranean includes a stop in Constanta, Romania, featuring a day trip to “Dracula’s Haunts and Best of Bucharest” in Transylvania, with a drive through the bucolic Prahova Valley and then on to Bran Castle, where the legend of Dracula was born.
Don’t get me wrong, i’m all for ground breaking technological advances, especially if they make my life easier, I just believe they should be there, especially on holiday to enhance my experience and not become the focus of my experience. If having spent a considerable amount of money on a cruise holiday and the lasting memory I brought home was of something i’d sat and watched on a giant TV screen i’d wonder if it was worth it in the first place.
What about you?
Bye for now.
About Me
Hi there, Having recently reached the landmark age of 40 (which of course we all know is the new 30), and having just packed my son off to school for the first time this week, I was thinking to myself at which point did I become so sensible, responsible and…
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