Sam's Sea Stories

With Princess Cruises latest announcement in mind and following on from my recent blog regarding young people booking cruises to take advantage of cheap alcohol, I thought it reasonable to discuss cruise lines alcohol packages in general. Princess Cruises have decided to trial all inclusive alcohol packages on two of…

I read an interesting article recently about how more and more young people are being attracted to cruising. During the summer months most young party animals seem to flock to the likes of Magaluf, Kavos and Ibiza but that seems to be changing. According to Abta more 16 to 24…

Just a quick one this week, as another year draws to a close I hope everyone has had a 2013 to remember, and hopefully for all the right reasons. I'm a firm believer in travel broadening the mind so as I sit here working, a thought goes out to my…

Well the silly season is upon us again so instead of my usual weekly rant, I thought I'd get off my soapbox and bring to your attention to something silly.  And what could be more silly than this? KISS KRUISE IV - Oh Yeah! Miraculously in its 4th year, dressing…

It seems this Christmas everyone has gone sale mad. High street businesses have jumped on the bandwagon and adopted the American tradition of 'Black Friday'. Online retailers have created their own 'Cyber Monday' shopping frenzy, and this year even the cruise lines have brought the traditional New Year sales campaigns…

Fliers in favour of e-cigarette 'vaping zones'. As Heathrow opens the world’s first electronic-cigarette zone, a survey has found that the majority of travellers want them. Following on from my post last week about the relative acceptance of cigar smoking on cruise ships I felt I had to highlight what appears…

Smoking these days, short of poking someone in the eye with a sharp implement, has become probably one of the most unacceptable of social endeavours, certainly in public places. The major cruise lines have all amended their smoking policy in recent times with some no longer allowing smoking even on private…

I like to get feedback from my clients upon their return from holiday - good or bad! I felt the need to publish this as I feel it's worth sharing the good times! P&O Cruises and particularly the Azura have had some bad press relating to standards, particularly of cuisine…

In my experience I've found cruise holidays sailing from the UK a particular attraction for passengers who are confined to a wheelchair or at least require use of a wheelchair whilst on holiday, due in part to the relative ease of not having to negotiate stringent airport security protocol and…

Following on from my recent blog about having no issues with paying for 'that little bit extra' when cruising, there is one 'extra' that I do take umbrage with.  The cost of Wi-Fi and therefore Internet access on board cruise ships. We are no longer in the dark ages when…