Helen’s Home-port

Have you been on board P&O 2 or 3 night cruise and been put off by the numbers of hen , stag or private parties on board who are all emblazoned with there own personal T-Shirts telling the whole cruise that Lisa is 40 or and that Tina is on her Hen do and who each member of the party is with Mother of bride , chief bridesmaid and Hen all printed on personal tops.
P&O have now decided that these short sailing are being referred back to ‘Taster cruises’ rather than advertising them as party cruises and personalised clothes are banned as they have imposed a new code of conduct that prohibits offensive and clothing with names and slogans.

Hurricane Irma caused immense devastation this year as she tore through the Caribbean and I am pleased to say that the ports are open for business and tourists now on most of the islands.
They have made a quick recovery as they need us all to keep visiting to bring passengers onto there islands as they rely so much on tourism .
The cruise industry has itself helped this speedy recovery making sure the ports were repaired allowing them to open again.
We are now in the peak winter season for the Caribbean and the cruise lines are aware how important they are to the local industries .
Where the damage is too much for the cruise lines to go to at the moment the cruise ships will alter there itineraries till they are all open and running as normal again .
Even the worst hit areas such as St Maarteen and Dominica are hoping to be open again soon but in the meantime the itineraries seem to be changing and going to Antigua and St Lucia .

Cunard has just revealed the news that it is set to return to Alaska for the first time in twenty years in 2019.

I have been selling a lot more Alaska and Rocky mountaineer trips in this last 6 months and it seems Cunard have picked up on the trend and decided to re venture to a wish destination on most peoples bucket lists.

I’ve just returned from my own holiday sailing around the Eastern Med with Royal Caribbean on board Jewel of the Seas from Rome.

Everything went extremely well and I would definitely sail on board her again .

Passports and suitcases are out and packing has begun …..

I will be out of the office from Saturday 23rd September till Monday 9th October as my own cruise has finally come.
We are sailing from Civitavecchia on board Jewel of the Seas with Royal Caribbean for 9 nights on Thursday 28th September  .
Sailing Itinerary

September has been a horrendous month for bad weather that has affected the travel industry .
We have seen Hurricane Irma and Jose create devastation in the Caribbean and then then typhoons in the Far East disrupting cruises in and out of Tokyo over the weekend.
We are aware that this is typical hurricane month for the Caribbean but this year has seen immense destruction and uncertainty for future travel plans to the affected areas.
Worst hit has been the small Caribbean Islands from Hurricane Irma followed by Jose and now we hear that a further Hurricane Maria is on the same path .
The pictures we have seen have shown islands flattened by the strong winds leaving homes and communities ruined.
Cruise lines have been rescheduled to avoid these areas but many clients are worried for there future cruises , when will they be fit to receive cruise lines again?
The priority was for guests actually travelling at the time and then imminent departures but understandably we have lost of passengers travelling over the next 12/18 months wondering how this will affect there travel plans .
In the Far East over the weekend we had guests stranded on board cruises in Busan and the typhoon was delaying the ship getting back into port in Tokyo. This means missed flights for lots of passengers and for the passengers waiting to embark they find themselves in Tokyo for extra nights with no accommodation.
Saturday was spent making sure that these clients were safe and all travel plans amended for them as quickly as possible .

Why book with cruise.co.uk?
As a proud employee of cruise.co.uk here are my thoughts on why we are the best in our field.
I have worked for cruise.co.uk since July 2014 and have never looked back , I love my job and I hope that comes across to my clients as I am helping you to book the most amazing trips .
Prior to working here I ran my own agency for 10 years specialising in long haul high end tailor made holidays and cruises so the transition to working here was natural.
I am lucky to specialize here on the tailor made and bucket list cruises which add that extra special touch to your trips by combining land tours with cruises.
So why book with us?
68,0000 customers cant be wrong …..
With over 30 years experience in cruises we are now the world favourite online cruise community .
We have been noted ‘ The World’s Leading Cruise Travel Agent’ from 2009 to 2016 and ‘Europe’s Leading Cruise Travel Agent’ from 2008 to 2016.
Once you make contact I will become your own Personal Cruise Consultant from start to finish .
I will tailor make your trip to suit your needs.
Offer you unbeatable deals.
Advise you on cabin selection to suit your needs.
We are fully ABTA and ATOL bonded .

Reality TV is filling our TC schedules , we’ve had a summer of Love Island, Big Brother and now Celebrity Big Brother…..I’ve managed to avoid all 3.
The Queen of reality TV from cruise lines is coming back on 1st September in her new series of Cruising with Jane McDonald. The 1st series was great , it gave a true perspective on cruising and featured different styles and was varied from River cruising on the amazing Uniworld , I managed to book someone new to cruising after they saw this episode and loved every minute of there trip , she also sailed the highlands of Scotland on a small boat . MSC and Holland America.
Series 2 is looking as good with sailings on board the Viking Sky , which is a Viking Ocean ship and sailing the Baltics .
In the first episode of the new series, Jane takes her first Scandi-cruise in style. Aboard the Viking Sky, she encounters luxury like she has never seen on a ship before. The first stop on her trip is Tallinn in Estonia, a perfect medieval jewel of a town where Jane joins an excursion to look at the ancient architecture and learn about the region. Life on board the Viking Sky moves at a suitably Hygge-like pace, and Jane takes advantage of the relaxed atmosphere and huge space.
The second stop is St Petersburg, jewel of the Russian crown and a first for Jane. She heads to the Hermitage Museum, not for the art but to meet the cats who have lived in the basement since 1745. She also comes face-to-face with one very surprising celebrity Russian doll.

As we are all travelling further afield these days , making sure that we have the correct documentation for travelling is important as not having correct passports or visas can stop us travelling at the last hurdle.
There would be nothing worse than booking a n paying for your dream holiday to find that when you get to the airport or port you are unable to travel due to not having checked whether visas or inoculations are required. In certain areas not having a Yellow Fever vaccination could stop you being allowed to board or sail .
At the time of booking I always advise clients to check passports and make sure that you have 6 months validity on your return journey and even have blank pages as some destinations will issue a visa stamp on arrival and this cant be added to your passport if you have no blank pages.
We recommend a company called CIBT visas who will give you all the information you need to apply and gain the correct documentation , they will charge you a processing fee but this is a small charge for peace of mind to know that you have everything covered.
Areas to be aware of are :
China
India
Russia
USA & Canada
Australia.
Travelling to USA or Canada you need to apply for an ESTA which is the authority to travel under the visa waiver programme. You then complete your immigration on your first entry point into the countries.
You will not be allowed to board a flight or embark on board a cruise without the ESTA in place.
China needs a a full visa which can be applied for online or direct with the embassy in London Manchester or Scotland, applying direct can keep your costs down as these visas can be expensive .
India offer two visas, an E Visa which can be applied for online but you cannot enter via a Port on this type of visa as the ports don’t have the technology needed so a full Indian Visa is required if you are on a cruise .
Russian visas can be both costly and time consuming so most passengers on a cruise book a cruise excursion with the cruise line so you are covered on there group visa , if you wish to travel independently you will need to apply for your own .
Australian visas are valid for 12 months and limit the time spent in the country and these are applied for direct on the government website for a nominal fee.
This is just a few areas to be aware off and again I would highly recommend CIBT visas and let the professionals steer you in the right direction.

As cruise lines sail to many far flung areas of the world and we are all exploring these areas by cruise a regular question asked is
“when is the best time to go there?”
Cruise ships only visit certain areas at certain times of the year to make sure that you are there at the best time .
Here is a summary of the best time to visit these popular destinations.
ALASKA
This is a short season from May to October so you can have the best weather in the Alaskan Fjords.
AUSTRALIA
This is now a year long season although many ships are re-positioned here in our winter season which is the peak season down under.
CANADA & NEW ENGLAND
September & October are the best time to see ‘New England in the Fall’ and the Autumn colours.
CARIBBEAN
This is also a year long season although during the summer months ships are re positioned back to the Mediterranean. The weather is warm all year round but our summer months may see some hurricane weather .
DUBAI & MIDDLE EAST
Due to the humidity and heat in our summer months this is more of a stop off point for world cruises at the beginning of the year and for a winter sun destination.
FAR EAST
This is also a shirt season to have thew best weather and sailings are from November to April.
MEDITERRANEAN
This is a year long season although more ships are re-positioned from the Caribbean . The winter months could see colder and more inclement weather.
MEXICAN RIVIERA
You can sail all year round from LA
NORTHERN EUROPE
The main season to the Fjords or Baltics is during the summer from May to October .
SOUTH AMERICA
In the Southern hemisphere there Summer is our Winter so going between October to April makes the best of the weather.
WORLD CRUISE
Generally sails from the UK in January to make the best of missing our winter.