Believe it or not if you are thinking of booking a cruise you can save money from the moment you book through to when you are actually on your cruise, so let’s start with when you are booking your cruise. Either book really early or very late as either way you could typically find yourself saving between 10 and 40 percent. When you are booking you may wish to think about enlisting the help of a travel agent as they will be able to gather information from you that they can use as a means of gaining you the best deal from a cruise line. What will help you on top of this is the fact that these cruise lines are always offering you discounts for particular things such as discounts for people on their honeymoon, family reunions, senior citizens and frequent cruisers as well as groups and military personnel.

Before you do decide to go on a cruise with one of these travel agents it is important that you look at the other options open to you, to do this successfully you should get yourself on the Internet. This is a great place for you to shop around and gather tips etc. By doing this you will ensure that you are getting the best deal possible, also you are more likely to discover deals that are operating at the moment, so keep your options open.

When you are booking your cruise you should look into the different cruise lines to see who offers you the best options and deals. As well as this you need to take on board aspects such as your cabin. The cheapest cabins available will be those inside the ship, i.e. the ones with no balcony or windows. This isn’t exactly something that you should concern yourself with too much for the fact you will unlikely be spending most of your time in your cabin anyway. You probably won’t be in your room unless you are sleeping so does it really matter too much what type of cabin you stay in?

One of the biggest ways to save money when it comes to a cruise however is through the destination you choose and the time of year you choose to go. With cruises a lot of people automatically think that they can only go to places such as the Caribbean or Alaska etc, this however isn’t the case. Most, if not all cruise lines now operate trips such as European River Cruises and Transatlantic Cruises. These are cheaper alternatives that offer you the same stunning views and scenery as well as ensure that you can still partake in activities you would on larger cruises. If however you have your heart set on a destination such as Alaska all is not lost. Opting for the early or late season months such as May, early June or September will offer you some huge savings, in fact you could be saving as much as half the money you would pay to visit places such as Alaska in July or August.

Another major saving comes within sightseeing/excursions. With shore excursions chances are you could have eight to eleven hours to explore. However depending on how close the port is to the city you could end up spending hours travelling and this could have cost you a lot of money when you booked the tour. This is why in many cases you shouldn’t book your shore excursions as part of your cruise; you should make the arrangements yourself. By doing this you can use a variety of modes of transport, getting you to the city quicker, instead of using whatever the cruise line/travel agent laid on, also you will find that you enjoy the experience a lot more.

By organising your shore excursion yourself you can go wherever you choose and decide how you want to spend your time. You will be saving yourself money doing this but you will also be providing yourself with a much more authentic experience as well.

If you are hoping to book a cruise in the near future then my advice to you is to keep aspects such as the above in mind. The more ways in which you can save money the better and by doing it in ways such as the above you won’t be taking away any of the fun or enjoyment out of your holiday but you will have peace of mind knowing you haven’t overspent.

It had begun well enough. My husband Rick and I, along with our friend Hal, had decided to celebrate a kind of midsummer All Saints Day by cruising the St. Marys River and visiting its related nominal holinesses—St. Mary’s College, Historic St. Mary’s City, St. George Creek, St. George Island and St. Inigoes Creek—names further sanctified by being crucial to Maryland’s founding story. Maryland’s first settlers landed on St. Clements Island, but learned that the Yaocomaco Indians were holding a kind of going-out-of-business sale along the St. Marys River (not its name then, of course) because the tribe wanted to consolidate its numbers farther upriver as protection from attack by another more fearsome Native American organization. In addition to the land, the Indians also threw in their old houses and all their cultivated fields, so the newcomers pulled out their chests of pretty beads and closed the deal. Then they named everything in sight for various saints and settled down to make a new colony.

On the morning before the official cruise was to begin, Rick and I sailed across the Potomac from the Yeocomico (same Indians, different side of the river) and then idled away the long, still afternoon with iced drinks and good books under the ancient oaks at St. Mary’s Yachting Center on Carthagena Creek. (Carthagena was named by William Hebb II for a spectacularly unsuccessful 1741 battle fought for the Caribbean port of Cartagena during the War of Jenkin’s Ear by the British—with the aid of colonists such as Hebb and Lawrence Washington—against the Spanish. Nothing came of the war, and Jenkin’s ear was eventually pickled.)

Hal arrived on his powerboat early the following morning, which dawned clear and promising, but dead calm, prompting us to opt for a Saints Day cruise by power rather than sail. The three of us set off in Hal’s boat with the rising sun and a second cup of coffee. We began our cruise with a perfectly agreeable tour of St. Inigoes Creek—the first creek to the right as you come up the St. Marys. (Inigo is Spanish for Ignatius, so the creek was actually named for Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. A Jesuit priest arrived with the first settlers in 1634, and the Jesuit order in the years that followed held thousands of acres in this area—as well as the entirety of St. George Island, which was more impressive then than it is now since it used to be considerably larger.)

Serene? Very. Up one branch and then another we went, enjoying the quiet, long-settled, woodsy character of houses that lined St. Inigoes—like so many Maine lake cottages—while remarking on the dozen or so new docks, long steep stairs and walkways of the creek’s new construction. We also noted several fine potential anchorages—particularly a wooded spot at the top end of Lucas Cove that already had a temporary resident, a lone cruiser who resolutely refused to look up from his book as we motored slowly by, waving futilely. All this while, however, we kept an eager eye on a military helicopter that was doing dramatic touch-and-goes at Webster Field, part of the Naval Air Warfare facility at Priests Point. No welcome mat on their doorstep for cruisers, of course, but the inadvertent air show was free for the viewing. Next door to the Navy, on Molls Cove, the St. Inigoes Coast Guard station was as peaceful as its Maine cottage neighbors this weekend morning. The facility serves the Potomac and its tributaries from Point No Point and Smith Point near the river’s mouth all the way up to the U.S. Route 301 bridge.

Two homes along St. Inigoes Creek are worth particular note. Rose Croft graces the point of the same name at the northern entrance of the creek and was the seat of the Maryland colony’s first collector of revenue. (Ships coming up the Potomac were supposed to stop here to be taxed—cannons were pointed toward the river to encourage cooperation. But those ships bound for Virginia ports simply hugged the opposite shore and so kept well out of range of both cannon fire and tax collection.) Farther up St. Inigoes, on the opposite shore, sits Cross Manor, probably the oldest home in Maryland, its original parts dating to the late 17th century. It is now owned by newsman Ted Koppel and his wife.

Things were still as serene as Buddha as we left St. Inigoes Creek to work our way up to the navigable limits of the St. Marys River. Passing Chancellor Point, we remained theologically neutral and took Pagan and Church points right down the middle. (The two points, which jut out from either side of the river, offered the new settlement of St. Mary’s excellent protection from potential enemies, such as Spanish, Dutch and Virginia Protestants.) Just beyond these points, we emerged into Horseshoe Bend, where the river changes direction from north to northwest.

Once we had gotten about as far upriver as we could, about two nautical miles, we gingerly circled Tippity Wichity Island—a notoriously shallow area with the added menace of an overhanging power line crossing from the northeast shore. (This unassuming geographic feature was once an intriguing blot on the local landscape known as Happie Land, established after the Civil War by a Confederate smuggler named Howgate, who changed the name of the island from Lynch to Tippling-house and  Witchery-house Island—hence Tippity Wichity. Or at least that’s the story.)

Serenity onboard was wearing thin as we began our trek back downriver, past points Long and Short, and entered Horseshoe Bend once more. The light morning breeze had petered out at 10:15, as punctual as a Swiss train, and we had entered that brief breathless purgatory before the temperature soars and the day goes well and truly downhill.

Hal was steering us well clear of the shoal waters that trail off Horseshoe Point, when the sun topped out for the day. The humidity and the temperature kept up their neck-and-neck race for 100 as we idled across Horseshoe Bend. It was at this point that serenity flew out the window.

Sweating and sulky, I found myself questioning the very nature of cruising—you know, the whole “Why are we here?” and “What’s the point?” revisionist talk. As Rick and Hal looked on helplessly, I began reciting Edna St. Vincent Millay’s The Unexplorer, which you’ll be happy to know is very short because I’m going to quote it:
There was a road ran past our door
Too lovely to explore.
I asked my mother once—she said
That if you followed where it led
It brought you to the milkman’s door
(That’s why I haven’t traveled more.) Maybe the mother was right, I whined. Maybe all we’re doing is motoring by hundreds of Elsie and Elmer homes, I said, referring to the famous Borden spokescows. Sure, it’s all nice and pretty, but so is Dubuque. And so forth. . . .

Well, as it turned out, the fault lay not in bovine TV stars, but in my stomach. I didn’t suddenly hate cruising, I was just very hungry. And fortunately there are few things that a good $6.50 all-you-can-eat college buffet can’t cure.

On reaching Horseshoe Bend, Hal headed directly for St. Mary’s College docks, carefully dodging an outgoing fleet of Special Olympians on the way in, and we went ashore. Providentially, a sophomore political science major from the D.C. area promptly materialized and, taking us figuratively in hand, led us by the shortest possible route to the college commissary. Half an hour and four slices of fresh vegetarian pizza later, life was great and
Elsie and Elmer had re-established themselves as fascinating reasons to explore the world.

Call it a minor miracle if you like, but then St. Mary’s College of Maryland has always come down on the side of the angels as far as cruisers were concerned. Not only does the college invite cruisers to tie up at the college docks during the day (no overnights, though), it also welcomes them to use the athletic facilities at $5 a day and make use of its showers, as well as the cafeteria, coffee shop and bookstore. If the college docks are full, no problem, there is enough room in Horseshoe Bend for the entire Pacific Fleet to drop anchor (okay, a few of the aircraft carriers might have to wait outside) and dinghy ashore. There is plenty of room at the sandy beach nearby for dinghies.

“The school has always looked to the water,” college President Jane Margaret O’Brien told me when we talked the following week. “All the old buildings face the river because that’s the way students saw the school—from the water—until 1934, when the steamship stopped running.” It’s a question of hospitality in a very rural area, O’Brien continued. The college continues to maintain a close relationship with the water; its sailing team, with 13 national championships, is ranked number one in the country.

For a place that’s pretty much the last stop before the end of the road, St. Mary’s was humming on this summer day. The Special Olympians we had encountered on the way in were part of a weekend of racing on a variety of watercraft for the state Special Olympics championships. Next door to the college, Historic St. Mary’s City was hosting its annual Archaeology Weekend, which lets visitors sift for themselves among the potsherds and get a once-a-year look at the site’s artifact filing system—housed in the climate-controlled basement of a former house.

All of this brings up another benefit of the college’s enlightened attitude toward cruisers. Because docking is available, cruisers can easily visit Maryland’s fascinating first capital—a feat rarely possible at the nation’s other historic sites, which have turned their back on their maritime origins. All of which made our visit to Archaeology Weekend a walk in the park . . . then a short stroll through Trinity Church cemetery, a trek past the Woodland Indian Hamlet, and a hike up the hill to the Visitor Center. At the end of it all—including a short drive by van just a spit down the road—stood curator Silas Hurry, quiet-spoken, earnest and full of the milk of good public relations kindness. He had an eager audience. A few took notes. Here are Cliff’s: All of the samples from each dig are clearly marked, sifted, categorized, stabilized, identified, computerized and stored. Now pay attention, because this will be on your final:

Archaeologists are now leaving as much of the land as possible undisturbed for future archaeologists because they will presumably know more and have better equipment than today’s batch, just as we have it all over the former fellows, who did regrettable things like toss out all the soil that had been turned over regularly in cultivation—soil that, it turns out, actually contains the bulk of what is now considered the good stuff. And like oyster shells, which, it turns out, are important indicators of the health of the Bay because you can measure their rings (kind of like trees, apparently) and thickness and so forth. Because oyster shell fragments were about as common as cucumbers in a pickle factory, nobody ever thought it worth the trouble to collect them—except Historic St. Mary’s City archaeologists, who did hang on to them and who can be excused for feeling just a little smug about the whole thing. So, never throw out anything, no matter how dumb it seems—but only if you’re an archaeologist. End of lesson.

Following our entertaining encounter with dirt and historic debris we retraced our steps, more slowly this time, to visit Historic St. Mary’s City. The town, founded in 1634, was a briefly thriving community that was relegated to the trash heap of history a mere 90 years later when the Protestants gained sufficient power and influence to insist that the center of power for the colony be moved north to the more malleable city of Annapolis. The  jilted capital soon faded into memory and its plowed fields, homes, businesses and government buildings forgotten. (The college, in fact, was established as a kind of consolation prize for the lost capital, starting life in 1840 as a girls seminary and ending up as the state’s public honors college. So over the years, the school and the lost city have maintained a uniquely special relationship, with their property, interests and activities widely overlapping.)

St. Mary’s City was never a city in the sense of a downtown, suburbs and business district. Even at its peak it was only a few dozen homes, a couple of taverns and a state house. The state house was rebuilt in 1934, but most of the other original buildings have been reconstructed only in an outline form called “ghost frames,” which gives the impression of a bankrupt 17th century housing development.

An important feature of St. Mary’s rebuilt past is the Dove—the maritime cargo van that accompanied the first settler’s Greyhound bus, the Ark. When not showing off elsewhere, the Doveis generally parked at a pier not far from the original landing place and at the bottom of a steep descent from the bluff where the “city” stood. On the weekend following our visit, the Dove would be out on the river, serving as the finish line for the 34th annual Governor’s Cup, a perennially popular overnight sailing race from Annapolis to St. Mary’s (from one capital to another)—a distance of about seventy miles, if you don’t count all the extra miles required on those many occasions when a beat to windward is the only way down the Bay. The race is sponsored by St. Mary’s College and culminates in what has been called one of sailing’s top 10 parties.

It was time for us to move on—we still had one more saint waiting in the wings —so we took a final scenic look down at the river from the Margaret Brent Gazebo. (Brent was named executor of the will of colonial governor Leonard Calvert, Lord Baltimore’s son. In 1648 she went before the General Assembly to ask for two votes, one as executor and one as landowner in her own right, and received nothing in return but huffy male disdain.) Back at the college waterfront, we danced inelegantly across the coal-hot sand and returned to Hal’s boat. Special Olympics sailors by this time were off the water and had gathered with friends and families in the shade for the awards announcements. The sound of cheers and applause wobbled through the humidity to follow us down the dock.

Once out in Horseshoe Bend, Hal opened the throttle a little more than careful tourism might recommend, but we reveled in the resulting breeze and turned south for St. George Creek. We made two concessions to speed along the way. The first was to admire Porto Bello, the historic estate built in the 1740s by William Hebb II and extensively restored over the past several years by former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and his wife, writer Sally Quinn. The estate sits on a bluff above the river’s western shore. (Porto Bello, like Carthagena, was named by Hebb for yet another battle in the War of Jenkin’s Ear—this one a British victory.) Our second tangent was to trace Carthagena Creek past Josh Point, where the creek seems to end before it begins, around the dogleg to the right that materializes at the flashing red “4” to Dennis Point, past private docks and comfortable cottages, and finally turning back as the creek shallowed out beyond Walnut Point.

Now it was simply a matter of keeping the three green markers (two locals and flashing green “1”) to our right and then resisting the urge to make our turn into St. George Creek before we had reached red

It was back in 1840 when it all began with the launch of the world’s first transatlantic sailing. Since then the name Cunard has become constantly been matched with lavish ocean cruising. For example from 1939 to 1945 Cunard used two of the finest ships that he built; the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth to carry over two million servicemen for duty. This act was then credited by Churchill as an aid to help shorten the war by a year. During the war all four ships, which included the two Queens and Aquitania as well as Mauretania survived.

As you can see from the above the ships featured in the Cunard line were used for more than simply cruising. They played a vital role in many events that have shaped our history. In 1971 the line was purchased, by this time Cunard operated both cargo and passenger ships as well as hotels and resorts. The cargo fleet was made up of forty-two ships in service, with twenty on order. The passenger fleet however included the two-year old Queen Elizabeth 2 and included the remaining two liners from the 1950s, plus two purpose-built cruise ships that were on order.

However in the mid 1990’s things turned bad for the line, starting with exploding pipes on the Queen Elizabeth 2 during a journey, the reason for this came down to unfinished renovation work. This cost the company 13 million. In 1996 an attempt was then made to sell the company but this provided no takers so instead substantial investments were made as a means of turning around the company’s reputation. It was then in 1998 that the company was sold for 500 million to Carnival Corporation.

So where does this line stand in present day? Cunard line cruises are now known for Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria and the line is expanding to other vessels including the forthcoming Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Mary 2 is the largest passenger ship ever built. It provides a journey that captures Cunard’s idea of grad voyages and crosses the Atlantic from spring until autumn.

Cunard line cruises prides itself on providing the best in British heritage and upholds its reputation for elegance that it has had since its first voyage. It is thanks to its British heritage, elegance and fine cuisine as well as its high level of service that has meant the company has always been popular with the English. It comes down to a matter of pride. We are proud of this line and what it stands for and this will continue to be the case for as long as the line continues for.

A lot of us are now turning to the helping hand of a cruise when it comes to where we choose to go on holiday. They are growing increasingly popular due to how much they have to offer and the more popular they get the more competition that arises with cruise ship companies. There are now more cruise lines operating than in the past, which means you have to make the decision of which cruise line to go with; one of these lines is Princess Cruises.

Princess Cruises began life back in 1965 when it started operating with a single cruise ship going to Mexico. Since then this fleet has grown and now stands as one of the premiere cruise lines in the world. In our day and age it now carries more than a million passengers each year to numerous worldwide destinations; it does so more than any other major line and is considered to be one of the most recognised lines in the world.

Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, Mexico, New Zealand and Canada as well as the South Pacific are just some of the destinations that Princess Cruises cater for; on top of these destinations they also specialise in Alaska cruises and tours. This is because Alaska is recognised as being unlike any place on earth. It is a landscape made up of snow encrusted mountains, glaciers and an incredible diversity of wildlife. So we can understand why so many people wish to travel to places such as Alaska but why do so many people wish to do so using Princess Cruises?

There is a lot of appeal connected to a cruise line such as this. One example is the décor that you are presented with. The interior décor is stunning while being elegant. It represents a throwback to the décor that was present on the liners of the 1920’s and 1930’s. The décor includes ceiling cornices, both real and faux wrought-iron staircase railings and leather- and cherry wood panelled walls as well as rich carpeting in hallways with an Oriental rug-look centre section. The general feel that is connected to it is an old-world country club. The one aspect however that stands out for most people however is the staircase as it resembles the one seen within the movie Titanic.

One of the main reasons however is that travellers are able to become involved in learning new skills. They have led the way with what is known as the ScholarShip@Sea program. This program is what passengers can take part in on board the ship. During this program passengers can take part in wine tasting, ice carving, digital photography, cookery demonstrations and ceramic painting as well as computer skills. Princess cruise lines do also cater for families as they have a number of activities for children including special games and gathering for teenagers such as movies and sports. The entertainment on board the ships doesn’t however stop in the daytime; they go through to the evening, where you can find an array of events to suit a range of tastes.

Broadway-style shows, theme parties, dancing, karaoke, comedy and bars & Lounges as well as casinos are the main forms of entertainment on offer during the evening. You can basically take part in as much or as little of the entertainment on offer so what you do is completely up to you, remember this is your holiday.

One last important aspect when it comes to cruise lines is the food that is on offer. A good line needs good dining. With Princess Cruises the one thing that you get a lot of is choice. You have the option of a five-star formal dinner or you can have a casual meal in the ships speciality restaurants; you could even opt to dine in your stateroom. This gives you complete personal choice again.

The flexibility and freedom associated with Princess Cruises is another reason as to why they are so popular. As you can see from the above this cruise line allows you to tailor every aspect of the cruise experience to your personal choice, thus giving you your perfect holiday, can’t really ask for better than that.

The Royal Caribbean cruise line now visits over a hundred ports of call in some of the world’s most stunning locations. These locations include the rugged beauty that is so often associated with Alaska and Canada through to the appeal of Europe and the luxuriant landscapes of Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii as well as the Panama Canal, Bermuda and the Bahamas. This particular cruise line isn’t however only popular due to its vast list of locations it is also down to the diverse activities that they ships have to offer, so what are these activities? And is there something to suit all tastes?

Rock climbing, mini golf and ice skating as well as swimming pools and FlowRider® Surf Park are just some of the activities that holiday makers are able to take part in. It is important to have variety when it comes to activities in order to cater for everyone’s needs, plus on top of this you also get to take part in shore excursions that occur across a vast array of destinations. These leisure facilities and entertainment also go on throughout the day and even late into the night

Staying on the subject of entertainment, all good cruises need a decent selection of both daytime and evening entertainment. On a Royal Caribbean cruise you are generally presented with two main types of evening entertainment. The ships tend to put on glitzy Vegas style production shows, which have been named as some of the most impressive among cruise lines. As well as this they also host passenger participation games that allow guests to get a bit more involved. These two examples represent the main forms of entertainment but as I previously mentioned there needs to be variety, which is why there is also a wide range of musical entertainment available in a number of public rooms. These ships even have parades and “street performers” in the Royal Promenade, which is a unique entertainment feature that can’t be seen on any other ships.

The ships that make up the Royal Caribbean cruise line were voted the best family ships available so what makes this particular line stand out from others? Well one factor is they are considered to be the most diverse as they cater the most for everyone, where as other lines tend to focus on a particular age group or section of people. For example the NCL line considers itself to be a ‘freestyle’ line. This generally means you will have to undertake aspects such as making dinner reservations every day. Another example is Carnival cruise. They are an example of a cruise line that is aimed at a particular crowd of people; they aim at a younger crowd as they have more of a party atmosphere, where as the Princess line leans more towards an older crowd.

It is important that when you are considering this type of holiday that you look into the different cruise lines that are available to you, including the Royal Caribbean cruise line, who I genuinely feel you will find what you are looking for with.

The Summer Time Lunch Cruise

This is a special cruise of a short duration of just four hours. The cruise starts at 10 in the morning and goes on till 2 in the afternoon. You have the option of choosing between a Barbeque and a picnic lunch. Marlborough Sounds Hosted Cruises also offers complimentary wine or beer during this cruise. So if you want to relax and soak in the sun but have a time crunch, The Summer Time Lunch Cruise is the perfect cruise for you. As they say; the best things come in small packets.

Sundowner Cruise

This too is a special short duration cruise and is especially arranged to be a treat for your eyes. It is a four hour cruise that takes you around the picturesque Kenepuru And Pelorus Sounds. These sounds are some of the most beautiful sounds in the area and are the favoured spots for many tourists. With the Sundowner Cruise offered by  Marlborough Sounds Hosted Cruises you can relax and soak up the sun while feasting your eyes at the amazing beauty of these sounds. Make sure that you make your bookings by 3.30 pm. The cruise departs from Havelock Marina at 4pm from Jetty 1 Berth 1.

With these two cruises you’ll get beautiful memories of your vacation which you would cherish all your life (and also some great photographs of course).

Author is venturing out on a voyage that combines the passion of cruising and Pelorus region of the Marlborough Sounds and has a desire to help others appreciate this exceptionally pristine part of the world.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cruising-articles/sightseeing-new-zealand-cruises-967647.html

Seven “Lady” Ferries

The seven ferries are:

• Lady Cutler
• Lady Herron
• Lady McKell
• Lady Northcott
• Lady Street
• Lady Wakehurst
• Lady Woodward

The Lady Cutler

Lady Cutler was laid down in March 1968 and launched at the State Dockyards in Newcastle, NSW on 10 August 1968. She was commissioned soon afterwards on 8 October and quickly made her mark on Sydney’s gay harbour life. In many ways she was different to the “classic” old Sydney ferries, but the double-ended style and effect was a similar derivative. She was followed by two almost identical sister ships – Lady Woodward and Lady McKell – on 19October 1970.

The Lady Cutler served with great distinction for 22 years on the inner harbour run and was decommissioned in 1991. Many people fondly remember her as daily commuters from the inner north shore to the city and others as day trippers to Luna Park and Taronga Zoo. Along with the Lady Woodward and Lady McKell she was originally sold to Hong Kong interests but the deal fell through. In 1998 she was sold to Ron Morrison and then to Shannon Harper, removed from Port Jackson and steamed south to Melbourne.

She completed her refurbishment in Melbourne and started her service life again in December 2007. She was re-commissioned on 13 January 2008 by the wife of the late Sir Roden Cutler VC, Lady (Joan) Cutler, who flew down from Sydney for the occasion. Today the ferry functions as a host for special events and offers a number of Melbourne river cruises. For more information on Lady Cutler, please visit their website at www.ladycutler.com.au

Sally Morgan an avid traveller and a great lover of boat cruises, is based in Melbourne. He is a renowned celebration cruise organiser and is also an active blogger on Travel and Cruises around Melbourne

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cruising-articles/the-contemporary-lady-ferries-for-celebration-cruises-971764.html

1. Disneyland in America – A trip to Disneyland is an experience in itself and is sure to bring out the child in you. With amusements for both children and adults, this location host parades, lightshows and floral tributes in grand style. You can also club your visit with a trip to Universal Studios.
2. Taj Mahal in India – India is a country that has a unique and diverse culture. A visit to the Taj Mahal which has been described as a tribute of love in marble from the Emperor Shah Jahan to his wife is sure to impress you.
3. Niagara Falls in Canada – Pay a visit to Ontario to see the world’s biggest waterfall in all its splendour. You can also get on board the Maid of the Mist and enjoy the waterfall up close and in person.
4. Paris and the Eiffel tower – No world travel itinerary would be complete without listing Paris in its top five destinations. Paris is the city of lovers, bridges and museums and the Eiffel Tower is only a small part of its overall appeal. When you are visiting Paris, make sure to take a day trip down to Normandy to experience the chilling reality of D-Day.
5. The Great Barrier Reef, Australia – Go snorkelling or reef diving off the coast of Australia and take in the sights of the Great Barrier Reef.
6. Mardi Gras in Rio De Janeiro – Mardi Gras is the world’s largest and most exciting party. Full of parades, fireworks, and non-stop entertainment with its colourful dancers and street performers, this is one celebration worth travelling around the world for. When you have exhausted everything there is to do in Rio de Janeiro, the perfect thing to do is to take a full day tropical island cruise. Just off the coast of this magnificent city are some beautiful islands. Sunbathing, scuba diving and snorkelling are all on the list of things to do while on the cruise.
7. The Great Wall of China – China is a beautiful country with a unique culture and any trip you make to this region is sure to change your perspective on life. When in China, make a day trip to the great wall and marvel at the world’s only man made structure visible from the moon.
8. If you are a skiing enthusiast, you can do no better than making a day trip to Andorra from Barcelona. This is one of Europe’s smallest countries with some of the best ski slopes in the world.
9. Wildlife Safari in South Africa – Go on a wildlife safari in South Africa and see nature at its most magnificent as you drive past large African lions and other big cats, elephants, giraffes, hyenas, rhinos and other animals. This can be an incredible experience even if you are not a wildlife enthusiast.

Take a trip to Tuscany – Enjoy the summer sun in this incredible region and sample the local cuisine. You should also go on one of the many vineyard tours and wine tasting sessions here.