TUN HOTELS

cruise ship

The 2 night cruise departing from Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau, Bahamas.

Have you been on it? If so, give me your review.

I have read mixed reviews about this cruise, however the most recent is one from November 2006. I’ve read really bad ones, some mediocre ones, and some pleasant ones. I know not to expect an extravagant cruise ship, because it is an old and smaller ship. I really want to start with a small trip for my frist cruise.

What rooms do you recommend? What are the best off-boat activities in Nassau? Anything else you want to suggest!

Thanks ahead of time for your imput!

I know Regal Empress offers an attractive price point (last I saw they were advertising fares starting at $99), but the experience you will have onboard is nothing like what you will have onboard a larger ship on a 3 day or longer itinerary.

Onboard Regal, you really do get what you pay for, and for $99 you’re not paying for much… Read the rest of this entry »

cruise ships

As you can imagine, every day we get hundreds of emails from people enquiring about cruise ship employment.

In this weeks tip, I thought I’d share with you a few of the most common questions we are asked, which I hope will help you:

1) How long will it take me to get a cruise job?
You can get hired within days, weeks or months from the time you send out your first application. However, as with any job, the time it will take you will depend on the position you’re applying for and the current demand for that position.

It will also depend on how much EFFORT you put into applying for such jobs. It goes without saying; the more time and attention you spend on creating a decent application and the more applications and follow ups you send, the greater your chance of success.

Having the right contacts will also help dramatically speed up the process.

2) How long are contracts?
Contracts vary depending on the position and cruise line you’re working for. Contracts can range from 4 to 10 months, but a typical contract length is 6 months.
Read the rest of this entry »

There has been a lot of buzz lately about living on a Cruise Ship full time as an alternative to living in a retirement home.

However,  it does not seem very exciting after about 6 months or so.

Ships, even Cruise Ships, are noisy for at least 2 reasons:

1. Engine Noise.
No matter how new the ship, no matter what new turbine engines the ship may have, the 24 hour engine noise may get to people.

2. Parties, bars and restaurants.
There is always a kind of party atmosphere on a Cruise Ship, people eat and drink too much, nobody tells them when to go to bed, they don’t have to get up the next morning, so, parties make noise.

It gets boring staring at the ocean 2 out of 3 days.

Although ship’s activities are very many these days, after a while you’ll get bored with them.
Cabins in general are very small, so after a while you’re going to miss your large living room on the mainland with its 75″ TV.

However, if 6 months are too long, there are other alternatives; Cruise maybe a couple of months a year.

If you follow that action things become interesting.

Here are some options:

The Monthly $18,000 route:

Residensea, the world’s only floating Condo, a 47,000 ton cruise ship which sails the oceans,
reportedly offers staterooms for rent for as low as $18,000 per month.

This Cruise Ship has designer apartments with original art.

I mean, this is luxury personified.

Great if you can get it.

Around the world in 102 Days.

By small Luxury Cruise Ship

In 2005 a trip around the world lasting 110 days could be had for as low as $15,600 per person.
That is $150 per person per day including food and all facilities. That is $9000 per couple per month.

This same couple would spend a minimum of $4000 a month in an old folks home.

So going on this 3 1/2 month World Cruise would cost them $9000 – $4000 = $5000 per month.

Now let me tell you what this $5000 for 2 people gets them:

The Itinerary:

Southampton ,Tenerife – Canary Islands St Vincent – Cape Verde Islands Fortaleza – Brazil Rio de Janeiro – Brazil Montevideo – Uruguay Buenos Aires – Argentina Puerto Madryn – Argentina Port Stanley – Falkland Islands Cruise around Cape Horn Ushuaia – Argentina Transit Beagle Channel Punta Arenas – Chile Chacabuco – Chile Puerto Montt – Chile Santiago – Chile Cruise by Easter Island Cruise by Pitcairn Island Papeete – Tahiti Bora Bora – Society Islands Pago Pago – American Samoa Lautoka – Fiji Islands Noumea – New Caledonia Brisbane – Australia Sydney – Australia Eden – Australia Philip Island – Australia Melbourne – Australia Hobart -Australia Transit Milford Sound Dunedin – New Zealand Christchurch – New Zealand Transit Marlborough Sound Wellington – New Zealand Auckland – New Zealand Nuku ‘Alofa – Tonga Apia – Western Samoa Christmas Island Honolulu – Oahu, Hawaii Kahalui – Maui, Hawaii Los Angeles – USA Acapulco – Mexico Huatulco – Mexico Transit Panama Canal Curacao – Dutch Antilles Margherita Island – Venezuela Barbados Ponta Delgada

The Luxury: Read the rest of this entry »

For most people when they think of a cruise they imagine sailing around the Caribbean in the beautiful sunshine and bright blue seas. These cruises are a reality and offer a truly unique vacation experience to those on-board. However, if you like the idea of a cruise but fancy seeing something a little different, why not choose an Alaskan cruise? Although you don’t have the advantages of the weather to look forward to, you can be sure that this part of the world will offer you a holiday experience unlike any other.

Alaska is a largely unpopulated area of the world; a place where animals outnumber humans and boundaries are marked by natural landscaping such as streams and mountains, not by fences or walls.

The defining images for most of Alaska are the ice glaciers which are found there. This striking scenery is part of what makes this destination so perfect for cruising. Sailing around the majestic coastline allows you to witness these sights first hand and gives you a sense of how impressive this planet really is. If you choose a cruise which takes in Glacier Bay or College Fjord you may be lucky enough to see the glaciers “calving”. This is the process by which the rivers of ice drop chunks off the edge of the cliff into the sea below. The larger glaciers may do this several times an hour. This natural phenomenon is something which most people are not lucky enough to see first hand in their lifetime and this is part of what makes an Alaskan cruise so breathtaking.

Tracy Arm Fjord is a stretch of water which ventures inland and away from the coastline. Cruises are available through this waterway and they allow you to feel the awesome power of the granite walls, mountain peaks and beautiful waterfalls from an unusual vantage point.

While seeing the glaciers is an amazing experience, touching them goes that one step further. On offer are tours combining helicopter rides and hiking which allow you to actually set foot on one of these ice sheets, flights around them, kayaking between them or riding a sled pulled by dogs across one. It is these little touches which make an Alaskan cruise something which is truly different to any other cruise destination in the world.
Read the rest of this entry »