A Cruise for Better Health - Part 2

(continuing our look at why a cruise may seem like a good idea to gain or recover better health)


In our last blog entry on this topic at A Cruise for Better Health – Part 1, we concentrated on how useful the different and copious offerings of food on a cruise can be to help all sort of different people recovering from all sorts of different illnesses. 



Different foods on offer on cruises are not the only advantage of a cruise for those of less than 100% health.



In fact, one of the greatest advantages of a cruise as a holiday option for those not in perfect health is the way in which any cruise offers a variety of destinations and sights and scenes without having to change hotels and travel with cars and trains or even flights from one stop to the next.


Nothing could be easier than being on a cruise to see those fabulous places you’ve always wanted to see, even if you’re not feeling 100% well. 



Most cruise lines offer a wide selection of options for port tours, from short bus rides around the destinations to get a general feeling of it all, to a variety of tours tailored for people who do not necessarily have the energy to climb mountains or go water skiing.



The main advantage of a cruise if your health is not one hundred percent, is that most of the things you might like to see at each port of call are usually close at hand or only a short bus ride away.

And if you don't have the energy for that, there's always the very pleasant option of sitting on deck and staring out a a beautiful view that must beat the view from hospital beds or even your own back garden.

A lady we spoke to very recently told us she took a Mediterranean cruise and didn't leave the ship once."I didn't have the energy," she explained, "but there I could sit on deck and see all these wonderful sites, from old volcanoes to Greek seaside towns. I had a wonderful time that is just as filled with fond memories as for those people who were able to go rock climbing! I think I had the better deal.”


Add you own opinions about traveling for better health or write to us at social@prowsedge.com

Luxury Ashore with Celebrity Cruises

Several years ago, Celebrity Cruises took an unique  approach to the exploration of 13 of the world's most exiting ports of call when it introduced private shore excursions.

Now, Celebrity Cruises has significantly expanded the concept to offer private shore excursions in over 70 ports of call around the world, offering even more ways for cruise passengers to make the most of their time ashore by enjoying the luxury and convenience of a private vehicle with a driver or a driver and a tour guide.

By exploring a destination at their own pace, guests who opt for Celebrity's private shore excursion options also enjoy a more immersive port experience focused on the places that interest them most.

Now available in over 50 ports of call in Europe and over 20 ports of call throughout Alaska, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest and South America, Celebrity's private shore excursion arrangements give vacationers a way to personalize the way they experience some of the world's most compelling ports, in the comfort of a private car or van.

These arrangements are available for purchase online pre-cruise, for either a half-day or full day of exploration. The day's itinerary is at the guest's discretion and is coordinated directly with the driver and/or guide on the day of the tour, so meals and visits to local attractions can be chosen on-the-spot.

For more information, dial 1-800-437-3111, visit the  Celebrity Cruises wesite or take a look at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine

Mid-Voyage Land Adventures from Silversea

Exploring the further reaches of ports of call is usually only possible at the start or end of a cruise, when there is more time to do so. This is one of the reasons that pre- and post cruise packages are so popular.

Recognizing this, Silversea Cruises has introduced a whole new line up of single- and multiple-day inland adventures for their cruise passengers, offering them a more extensive experience of the ports of call and what lies beyond.

"We continue to develop new programs that will allow our guests to enjoy authentic onshore experiences," said Darius Mehta, Silversea's associate vice president of air and land programs. "These mid-voyage adventures are carefully designed to take guests further into a specific region, giving them plenty of time to actively engage in its scenery, activities and cultural heritage."

The exciting selection of these new land-adventures include discovering the heart of the Australian outback by rail aboard the glamorous Indian Pacific train, venturing into the eastern Pyrenees to find the tiny, landlocked Principality of Andorra, or taking a trip to Camp Jabulani, set within the Kapama Private Game Reserve of Kruger National Park.

For more details of this and other land adventures offered by Silversea Cruises, take a look at the latest Prow’s Edge Cruise Magazine news item at SILVERSEA REVEALS NEW MID-VOYAGE LAND ADVENTURES.

For more information about Silversea Cruises visit the official web site at http://www.silversea.com

Best-Kept Cruise Secret – Customized Private Shore Excursions

Cruising with thousands of people from various backgrounds is a wonderful experience. You meet interesting travelers and share stories along the way. However, taking the same shore excursion with hundreds of people in each port city perhaps does not suit every cruise passenger.

Where can you enjoy an alternative travel experience which does not require you to share it with busloads of other cruise passengers? The answer: through the local wisdom of your very own private tour guide.

A private tour guide enables you to experience their home city in a unique way. Tour guides can even create a customized shore excursion to your personal interests. One such company providing easy access to dependable tour guides in over 400 cities across 135 countries is www.ourexplorer.com .

Take your own full day private tour in Chile and get all the sights, travel Dublin with a common hop on – hop off bus tour with a singer and poet guide and experience more than your fellow passengers – from Luxor to Victoria - Anchorage to Cape Town, this is truly an interesting alternative to the usual offerings on board ship.

OurExplorer wwas established in 2008 with now professional guides in 135 countries worldwide. OurExplorer is the only website recommended to professional guides by WFTGA.org (World Federation of Tourist Guides Associations).

For general information about shore excursions, take a look at the Shore Excursions advice page at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine.

Something new for cruise passengers visiting Costa Rica

There really is something new for cruise passengers in the Caribbean – the award-winning bird-watching excursion from Rain Forest Aerial Trams Costa Rica Atlantic.

Enthusiasts and novice bird watchers alike are exploring the 1,200-acre rain forest property on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast and its stunning array of birds and other local inhabitants.

The 1,200 acres of rainforest, complete with trails and observation points feature isolated trails that have been especially designed for bird watching. Paved trails allow for noiseless advancement and the placement of camera tripods. Lookout points are perfect for observing raptors and other species.

Expert local guides enlighten guests about the birds in the park. The check list lets each traveler follow along and identify birds sighted in the forest. A ride on the Aerial Tram opens to panoramic views of canopy-dwelling species. The Lodge in the heart of the forest is fantastic for nocturnal observations. At Rain Forest Aerial Trams Costa Rica Atlantic, the reserve averages 365 species of birds in 50 families annually. Observation of migratory birds is optimal in October and November.

Rain Forest Aerial Trams Costa Rica Atlantic is a private reserve that shares a 6.2 mile border with the Braulio Carrillo National Park, 50 minutes from the capital San Jose. The secluded location and protected ecosystems of the park create unparalleled opportunities to observe a variety of exotic birds year-round. The park has twice won the local Audubon Christmas count with groups spotting as many as 403 species in 24 hours.

Enjoy the park’s zip line, guided nature hikes, a Snake Exhibit, a Frog and Butterfly Garden, opportunities to overnight at the Rain Forest Lodge, trekking experiences and family adventures. Recommended clothing is comfortable closed-toe shoes, sunscreen and sunglasses. Don’t forget your binoculars and digital camera!

For more information visit www.rainforestrams.com

For general information about shore excursions, take a look at our blog item Shore Excursion - Finding the Jewels or visit the Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine advice page at http://www.prowsedge.com/cruises-advice-shore-excursions.html and take a look at passenger comments about shore excursions in the Prow's Edge Cruise Forum/ Message Boards

Shore Excursions - Finding the Jewels!

Forum members at the Prow's Edge Cruise Forum have lots to say about shore excursions, and our favorite comment comes from one of our regular readers who complains about the "sheep mentality" of the majority of cruise passengers when they take a cruise.

In the forum, Cruising Mike says: "I can't believe how much like sheep cruise passengers are - especially when it comes to shore excursions - they blindly follow the crowds to the shore excursion desk and book away their tours without doing any research and then wonder why they paid $100 for a bus tour they could have done just as interestingly by themselves - FOR FREE!"

While the generalization may be a little unfair, it is astonishing to discover how few cruise passengers really prepare for the shore activities before they get to the ship and their port of embarkation.

Our favorite example of this occurred on a cruise to Alaska calling in at Sitka, where passengers paid over US$100 for a bus tour of the town, including a stop off at a famous landmark. The entire tour could be seen from the deck of the cruise ship. Passengers watched the "sheep" line-up for half and hour to board the bus (the walk into town would have taken 3 minutes) and then followed the progress of the bus as it wound it's way slowly around the tiny town, stopped at the famous church, off loaded the tourists, waited half and hour for them and loaded them all back on – to head back to the dock where it took them all another 20 minutes to get off the bus and head back to the ship.

It's a great dinner story, but a sad indication of how so many cruise passengers fail to do their research before going on a cruise.

The key is to spend as much time, if not more, on finding out about the destinations on your cruise as you would on the cruise and the cruise ship itself.

There is a wealth of information about the various ports of call on the internet. This is what Google is here for. And it's your responsibility to find out what your options really are – before you board the ship.

As in the case of the Sitka tour above, clearly a little probing and research would have saved those hapless passengers a lot of money.

Of course, not all shore excursions are designed to take advantage of gullable cruise passengers. And indeed, that Sitka example may well have been perfect for the elderly and those unable to walk very far, and even for those with money to burn who don't want to be bothered to do the research. For some, part of a cruise is not having to think for themselves.

Also, many of the cruise tours and shore excursions are beyond simple internet research – like helicopter tours to fly up to the glaciers in Alaska, or around bubbling volcanoes in Hawaii, and a good number of cruise lines offer fascination and unusual excursions that are simply beyond the the scope of you and I and Google : like those offered by Windstar Cruises as outlined in our news page at http://www.prowsedge.com/cruises-news-050310-windstar-cruises.html. who offer exciting options like a bike ride on the city walls of Lucca, Italy, or painting lessons with a well-known Croatian watercolorist in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The bottom line is that you need to take a look at your destinations, see what the various cruise lines offer in the way of exploring the areas, and make your decisions - but make them on the basis of being informed.

This way you might avoid being the butt of a great dinner story and get to take home some truly memorable cruise stories of your own.