Get the correct Cruise Ship Luggage to make life easier

When the wheels come off...

We’ve all had that awful time when going on a long journey and everything seems to conspire against us when it comes to getting everything into the taxi, onto the coach, train or plane. The fact is that luggage can be a real nuisance and needs to be good quality. The lesser makes of womens luggage can mean broken wheels, broken zips and at the very least a piece of kit which simply fails to do the job. It’s inevitably a hot day when the wheels come off and the prospect of trying to drag this useless bag along the pavement to the hotel ends up with a guest who looks a lot like the luggage – a bag of bits.

To get round this problem of womens luggage there needs to be some serious thought as to the journey ahead. The destination is important, so going to a really hot climate is not going to need a mass of clothes, and often it’s cheaper and wiser to buy local. The other is the mode of transport and the good news is that once at the departure terminal for a cruise, then that’s the end of the luggage problem. A taxi from the rail station will get you there unflustered and then there are porters to carry any large womens luggage on to the waiting ship. A steward will have been assigned to your cabin and that’s it: – 20 days of pure bliss floating down the fjords on a Norwegian cruises luxury vessel.

The womens luggage in the market these days seems a little over focused on the airline industry where bags are a major issue. There are more rules for what cannot be taken on a plane than positives one. The ‘carry on’ cannot be too big, you cannot take the roll on deodorant without unpacking it, you cannot take the nice manicure set in case you stab the pilot, and you certainly cannot be in charge of any goodies to eat, in case they are explosives. A step too far? Many think so as the security man insists the ‘carry on’ is opened for inspection. It’s not so much the inconvenience but having some stranger rummaging through the personal items and the lovely new lingerie is a bit much. Whilst there is obviously security for a cruise departure, it’s nothing like the hassle found in every airport of the world.

Let the crew take the strain

The ships are easy to board, with bridges straight onto the vessel and there is always someone there to help, whether it’s the next big trip on one of the Celebrity cruises or a short voyage across the North Sea. The ships compliment of officers and crews know how to deal with passengers needs and there is no way a lady with the burden of heavy luggage would be allowed to struggle on her own. It’s a bit like the old days of rail travel when the female traveler would arrive for boarding the Orient Express in Paris. The huge accompanying trunk would be handled by a team of porters and the lady in question would glide gracefully along the platform to her carriage. The cruise business has kept many of the old traditions of travel and looking after the luggage is one of them.

The global nature of sea travel

The ship can be one of the huge new super liners or it can be a relatively small affair such as the Pacific Princess which hosts just 680 passengers travelling with Princess cruises. They have bigger ships but to cater for those who value the idea of a more personal service and are maybe single females on a holiday, then these smaller vessels are ideal. They have itineraries that cover the globe, from South America to China and beyond. This is the real joy of world cruising. A holiday can be from Barcelona, Hong Kong, Tokyo or New York. The shipping business has been around for centuries and there isn’t a river outlet in the world which does not have a port and a community whose livelihood is centred around the sea. The earth is made up of 75% water and that says it all. So the traditions of the sea go back to the days of the sailing ships which were then replaced by the iron and steam which has been at the heart of all ships ever since. They travel at a leisurely 22 to 24 knots (25 – 27 mph), and are the most relaxed form of transport in the modern world. Epitomising that calm are the vessels which sail under the famous flag of P&O cruises. Their ships range from the modest 32,000 tons to just under 80,000 gross tonnage. They have an ambience of quality and offer the most genuine of cruise experiences. In shipping terms they could be described as the Orient Express of the sea!

F1 racing on board the ship !

But traditions may be something which a family of four or five is not too fussed about, and from the parents perspective, the kids are all important. The family on holiday is always weighed down by too much luggage but at least when its on board, that’s the end of the matter. The children taking a holiday with Mum and Dad on MSC cruises have been given a lot of thought and the company has focused on the idea of a family style cruise, which is more flexible in the way of meal times and style of eating.

But they have not lost all of the tradition, glamour and splendour of the cruise ship with the MSC Fantasia having a crystal floor in the Atrium, and a special exclusive Yacht Club with butler service. However in amongst this richness of décor and style there is a Formula One racing simulator and an interactive 4D cinema. That’s called ‘taking care of everyone’; so whilst the children are blasting their way round the F1 circuit, Mum can be in one of 12 hydro pools or being pampered in the ships Aurea Spa. Meanwhile Dad may have arranged a game in the squash courts. This is the quality passengers can expect on a modern cruise liner and there are few places a ship cannot sail, allowing for the size of the vessel. The really big ships are the ones which cross the oceans, and can be seen moored off a coast. But there are the mid sized ships which can take advantage of their smaller size and visit places such as the Amazon, the Arctic and the northern parts of Scandinavia.

Eco friendly travel

The smaller vessels of Fred Olsen cruises do just that. They visit Manuas, the ‘Paris of the Jungle’ in the Rio Negro of Brazil, and ply a careful route through the Arctic. This is great for the wildlife enthusiast who has the opportunity to see the rainforests of Brazil, or the whales who swim off the coast of Canada and Vancouver Island. The natural sights in these areas are just awe inspiring so for the environmentalist who is conscious of carbon offset in relation to travel, the sea journey is most important. The modern cruise ships are very energy efficient and when compared to other forms of travel are by far the most eco friendly.

The World itinerary

So on a transatlantic journey the cruises from Southampton will carry an average of 2,000 passengers, and that is a big number compared with an aircraft. That’s the usual departure point for all the voyages out of the United Kingdom, and they operate all year round. In the summer months the trips start in Europe and then head west over the North Atlantic, or south west to Florida. The choice is then to go round Cape Horn and South America or go via the Panama Canal, and cross the Pacific. On many itineraries the schedule will have the ship arrive in Australia when the festive season is just under way for a series of Christmas cruises down under. Celebrating Xmas in Australia is different, but great fun for the British and European contingent, and there are plenty of shore excursions in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

In that schedule we left out some of the most popular locations, and there is no doubting the popularity of the West Indies, taking in Barbados, the Bahamas and the small islands such as St Kitts, St Vincent and the Antilles. The cruises operate out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida, and they can be short trips around the islands and onto Mexico or longer journeys taking in the coast of Latin America. The real experts in this region are Royal Caribbean cruises, whose ships range from the mid size to the massive super liners.

Equally popular are the favourite locations which are on the schedule for the ships on Mediterranean cruises, and they stop off in Venice, Athens, and Barcelona. The Holy Lands are also visited on the Med. cruises, so for the passenger who values the arts and culture aspects of a holiday, these short but informative journeys are perfect. Combining quality travel with culture is, for some, the perfect match. When its time to pack all those little extras in the special designer womens luggage and head for the embarkation point, you know you are in for a treat. It’s a treat more and more people are taking as the joy of travel returns via the cruise liners of the seven seas.