Each year, thousands of couples make the decision to get married.  If you are planning on becoming one of those individuals, then it is likely that you and your new spouse will plan a honeymoon.  When it comes to selecting a honeymoon destination, you have a number of options to choose from.

Honeymoons are often thought of as vacations.  In a way, the only difference between a family vacation and a honeymoon is romance and the lack of children.  Honeymoons are supposed to a fun, exciting, memorable, but private time.  Instead of vacationing with the whole family, a honeymoon often only involves the bride and groom.

As previously mentioned, you have a number of different options when it comes to planning your honeymoon.  Many newlyweds schedule their honeymoons at popular beaches, ski resorts, or other secluded areas.  Did you know that you can also have a honeymoon aboard a cruise ship?  Cruise ships are increasing in popularity, but still many individuals do not consider them as a vacation option.

One of the reasons why cruise ships are rarely thought about when selecting a vacation destination, let alone a honeymoon, is because of their cost.  It is no secret that cruise ship tickets are expensive, but this cost should not prevent you from having the perfect honeymoon to go along with the wedding of your dreams.  If you are concerned with the cost, you may want to try obtaining discount cruise ship tickets.

Most discount cruise ship tickets can easily be found online or with the assistance of a travel agent.  Discount cruise ship tickets are nice, but they are often hard to come by.  Discount cruise tickets are sought after by many newlyweds and other vacationers.  If by chance you do come across discounted tickets, you are urged to purchase them while you still have the chance.

Even if you must pay full price for the cruise of your dreams, it is likely that you will still receive a good deal.  Despite the large cost of tickets, it is important to examine the activities available onboard and the length of the cruise.  The longer the cruise and the more services available, the more expensive tickets are likely to be. If you take the time to figure out all the services that are included and the cost of overnight accommodations, you may see that cruises aren’t all that expensive after all.

Once you have made the decision to spend your honeymoon aboard a cruise ship, you will have to book reservations.  As mentioned above, if you are looking to save money on your honeymoon, you are encouraged to search for discounted cruise ship tickets.  If money is not an option, you may want to search for cruise ships that have romantic settings and romantic destinations.

When examining cruise ship destinations, you may want to take into consideration the possibility for romance at each destination.  Since your honeymoon is supposed to be a romantic and relaxing time, you will want to select an environment that will keep those feelings alive.  Cruise ship destinations are located all around the world.  Popular destinations include Alaska, Hawaii, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Mexico.  To find the perfect honeymoon cruise, you are encouraged to select a cruise that offers stops at destinations of your choice.

In addition to taking cruise ship destinations into consideration, you are also encouraged to examine the type of cruise that you wish to set sail on.  Multiple cruise lines have ships that are targeted to specific groups of individuals.  These cruises often include cruises for adventure lovers, the whole family, or couples.  As a couple, you should be welcome on any cruise.  If you are looking for a private, romantic, and intimate setting, you may want to avoided cruises that are targeted for family vacations.

Before booking your honeymoon trip on a particular cruise ship, you are urged to examine want you want and need out of your trip.  Doing so will enable you to select the perfect cruise ship for you and your new spouse.

When planning a travel vacation or cruise vacation, the last thing that one wants to think about is trouble or cancellation.  Thus travel and cruise insurance is often left on the back burner.  However, when the time comes to purchase your vacation insurance, be sure that you compare cruise insurance and travel insurance policies to ensure that you are getting what you expect.  As always, it’s “buyer beware”!

That’s not to say that all insurance policies and companies are out to deceive you or hide the terms of insurance pay-outs.  In fact, most are very reputable.  The problem comes when trying to economize while buying insurance.  You really do “get what you pay for” in most cases – especially when you compare insurance policies.

There are often so many variables when purchasing cruise insurance or travel insurance that we can become somewhat complacent with what we are purchasing.  Again, “Buyer Beware!”  Make sure you know what’s available and what’s included in your insurance policy package.  As an example, insurance companies like Travel Guard International, America’s largest provider of travel insurance offers a wide range of benefits with their Comprehensive Coverage. Included in Travel Guard’s packages are the following benefits:

·    Trip Cancellation – Providing reimbursement of 100% of trip cost if the trip is cancelled under the terms of the insurance policy.
·    Trip interruption – Providing reimbursement of trip cost if the trip is interrupted as covered by the insurance policy such as evacuation due to hurricane.
·    Trip Delay – Providing reimbursement for additional accommodations or travel expenses if the traveler is delayed for more than several hours.
·    Lost, Stolen or Damaged Baggage and travel documents – Providing reimbursements if luggage is lost, damaged or stolen while the insured is traveling, or if travel documents are lost or stolen.
·    Baggage Delay – Providing reimbursement for the purchase of essential items if your bags are delayed more than 24 hours.
·    Medical Expenses – Providing reimbursement for necessary medical expenses up to one year after the illness or injury providing the insured traveler sought medical treatment while on the trip.
·    Emergency Medical Transportation – Covering the cost of evacuation and transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility.
·    Travel Guard Assistance – A 24 hour hotline for emergency assistance, medical referrals, prescription replacement assistance, replacing travel documents and more.
·    Livetravel – Travel Guard’s round the clock travel agent service for emergency or last minute travel changes such as rebooking flights, arranging hotels and ground transportation and tracking lost luggage.
·    Concierge – 24 hour worldwide access to restaurant referrals/reservations, event tickets, tee times, floral services, ground transportation and more.

As well, in many cases, travelers purchasing Travel Guard insurance within 15 days of making their initial trip payment also receive at no additional cost:
·    Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion Waiver – protection if pre-existing medical conditions force cancellation or interruption of a cruise or trip.
·    Default Protection – providing reimbursement of trip cost if the tour operator, cruise line, airline or other travel supplier declares bankruptcy more than seven days after the effective date of the policy.
·    Change Your Mind – protection against cancellation fees when a trip is cancelled for any reason.

Please keep in mind that these benefits are subject to change, but at the time of this printing, are available.  The above describes a comprehensive cruise or travel insurance policy.  However, as they say, one size dose not fit all.  You need to match your coverage requirements and budget restraints.  Again, dealing with Travel Guard International, some of their popular products include:

·    Cruise, Tour and Travel – Travel Guard’s most comprehensive travel insurance plan.
·    ProtectAssist – Solid travel insurance for the budget-conscious traveler – and Travel Guard’s most popular plan.
·    Cruise Guard – Travel insurance designed to surpass the protection plans offered by the cruise line.
·    Air Ticket Protection – Protects air ticket investment against change fees, adds other assistance services.
·    Student Travel Guard – A portfolio of student travel insurance plans protecting students on virtually all types from Spring Break to Semester Abroad.

We have identified, through the use of Travel Guard International’s plans and policies a vast number of cruise insurance options.  We have stated before, but at the risk of being too repetitive, I think that it is important to re-iterate.  “You get what you pay for.  Buyer beware!”

If you would like more information regarding
Travel Guard International or would like to get a quotation for cruise or travel insurance, check out our article “Travel Guard International Cruise Insurance”.  For more informative articles, check out our Article Map.  If you are looking to choose or book a cruise, our main Discount Cruises pages have plenty of merchant links with great cruise pricing.

You’ve researched for your special cruise.  You’ve found a fantastic cruise deal on-line.  You’ve booked that cruise on-line.  You’ve protected your cruise vacation investment by booking your insurance on-line.  Now all that’s left to do is to get excited!

What is a repositioning cruise, and why would you want to go on one?

Well, you might not want to, but there are many reasons why you would or would not want to embark on such a journey. A repositioning cruise is a little bit different from a normal cruise for a couple of reasons.

Below is outlined some of the ways that it is different from a regular cruise and how this works for and against you and your travel needs.

(1) A repositioning cruise leaves one port and arrives in another. That is, a repositioning cruise does not return to the port from which it departed. This is because of the changing climates of the water.

So, like birds, cruise ships relocate north or south depending on the season. This often takes a number of days and a lot of resources, so instead of relocating the ships sans passengers, the cruise lines offer “repositioning” cruises at a deeply discounted price.

(2) That brings us to pro number one. The cost is much less than your average cruise. However, since you have to pay your own air fare to and from the ports of call, it could end up being about the same in the long run, since your plane tickets to two different locations will likely be more than a standard round trip ticket.

(3) These trips are often longer than normal cruises, lasting an average of nine to eighteen days. This is great for longer vacations, and tend to be very relaxing for those who are able to take advantage of such an extended journey. However, many people can not afford to take so much time off of work, so this really is a niche market.

(4) Repositioning cruises tend to make much less stops at ports of call, since their main purpose is to relocate the ship to a final destination. This is good if you would like to spend a lot of time at sea, but if you want to see a lot of different places, than it is unlikely that you will find what you are looking for on a repositioning cruise.

So where can you find a cruise? Well, you could watch the birds and see which way they are flying. If that is not working for you, however, you could check out some of these resources:

• The Carnival Spirit winters on the Mexican Riviera and repositions to Alaska via Hawaii in the fall.

• The Carnival Liberty goes from the Mediterranean in the summer to the Atlantic in the fall

• The Celebrity Constellation and the Celebrity Millennium relocate from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring and then head back for the Americas in the fall

• The Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea cross the Atlantic to reposition from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring.

There are many other opportunities to cash in on this great cruise discount.

The best place to check for a repositioning cruise from Alaska for the winter, so give your travel agent a call and check it out.

There are a lot of amenities that are not necessarily obvious like ice, extra blankets, pillows, games, crib or high chair, etc. Just ask your cabin steward what’s available.

The crew is more than happy to help you have a pleasant stay.

Stops at ports of call are typically brief. You don’t have to spend your brief visit browsing the same old duty free shops.

Do a little research ahead and you can find some interesting local spots for the family to visit such as a museum, zoo or beach.

It’s a good idea to get the kids involved in the activities immediately rather than waiting a day or two. This gets them involved and lets them feel a part of the program.

Joining in later they may feel like outsiders and have a more difficult time interacting with the kids who already know the ropes.

Even though the programs are there to be used, don’t forget that this is a family vacation. Be sure to allot plenty of time together.

The kids can have a lot of fun with the planned programs but they also need time with Mom & Dad.

Before you book a cruise, be sure to ask a lot of question of your travel agent or the cruise line. Don’t accept vague answers. You want to know exactly what the cruise lines attitude is towards families.

Let them know what ages your children are and get specifics on the activities, programs and training of supervisory crew. Choosing the right cruise line and ship can make all the difference in the world.

Each year, thousands of couples make the decision to get married. If you are planning on becoming one of those individuals, then it is likely that you and your new spouse will plan a honeymoon. When it comes to selecting a honeymoon destination, you have a number of options to choose from.

Honeymoons are often thought of as vacations. In a way, the only difference between a family vacation and a honeymoon is romance and the lack of children. Honeymoons are supposed to a fun, exciting, memorable, but private time. Instead of vacationing with the whole family, a honeymoon often only involves the bride and groom.

As previously mentioned, you have a number of different options when it comes to planning your honeymoon. Many newlyweds schedule their honeymoons at popular beaches, ski resorts, or other secluded areas. Did you know that you can also have a honeymoon aboard a cruise ship? Cruise ships are increasing in popularity, but still many individuals do not consider them as a vacation option.

One of the reasons why cruise ships are rarely thought about when selecting a vacation destination, let alone a honeymoon, is because of their cost. It is no secret that cruise ship tickets are expensive, but this cost should not prevent you from having the perfect honeymoon to go along with the wedding of your dreams. If you are concerned with the cost, you may want to try obtaining discount cruise ship tickets.

Most discount cruise ship tickets can easily be found online or with the assistance of a travel agent. Discount cruise ship tickets are nice, but they are often hard to come by. Discount cruise tickets are sought after by many newlyweds and other vacationers. If by chance you do come across discounted tickets, you are urged to purchase them while you still have the chance.

Even if you must pay full price for the cruise of your dreams, it is likely that you will still receive a good deal. Despite the large cost of tickets, it is important to examine the activities available onboard and the length of the cruise. The longer the cruise and the more services available, the more expensive tickets are likely to be. If you take the time to figure out all the services that are included and the cost of overnight accommodations, you may see that cruises aren’t all that expensive after all.

Once you have made the decision to spend your honeymoon aboard a cruise ship, you will have to book reservations. As mentioned above, if you are looking to save money on your honeymoon, you are encouraged to search for discounted cruise ship tickets. If money is not an option, you may want to search for cruise ships that have romantic settings and romantic destinations.

When examining cruise ship destinations, you may want to take into consideration the possibility for romance at each destination. Since your honeymoon is supposed to be a romantic and relaxing time, you will want to select an environment that will keep those feelings alive. Cruise ship destinations are located all around the world. Popular destinations include Alaska, Hawaii, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Mexico. To find the perfect honeymoon cruise, you are encouraged to select a cruise that offers stops at destinations of your choice.

In addition to taking cruise ship destinations into consideration, you are also encouraged to examine the type of cruise that you wish to set sail on. Multiple cruise lines have ships that are targeted to specific groups of individuals. These cruises often include cruises for adventure lovers, the whole family, or couples. As a couple, you should be welcome on any cruise. If you are looking for a private, romantic, and intimate setting, you may want to avoided cruises that are targeted for family vacations.

Before booking your honeymoon trip on a particular cruise ship, you are urged to examine want you want and need out of your trip. Doing so will enable you to select the perfect cruise ship for you and your new spouse.