{"id":131,"date":"2020-08-10T16:29:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T16:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/?p=131"},"modified":"2020-11-03T17:57:28","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T17:57:28","slug":"cruises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/cruises\/","title":{"rendered":"Cruises"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Custom Travel Goes Cruising<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Are we the last to jump into the cruise business or are we just super deliberate, with a well-planned out business strategy?\u00a0 In any case, it took some time to convince me that cruising fit our mission and that we could indeed remain true to our tag line \u201cCustom Travel for the Independent Spirit.\u201d\u00a0 But now I am on-board (pun intended). There are hundreds of cruises available that can be customized to fit a particular destination or special interest and, can arguably be the most enjoyable way to travel these days.\u00a0 More ground can be covered in a shorter amount of time, with less hassle and more pampering.\u00a0 There are 3 major types of cruising and here are the differences, as I see them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Small Ships: Intimate Ports<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>S<\/strong><strong>MALL SHIPS<\/strong>\u00a0typically hug the coast line, get into smaller ports and thus are able to access the less touristy destinations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Annie\u2019s Recommendation for 7 Night Cruise<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Adriatic and Dalmatian Highlights:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>\u201cVisit some of the most beautiful Adriatic islands. Cruise along island of Mljet, one of the 7 national parks in Croatia. Visit island of Hvar and Hvar\u2019s archipelago island popularly translated Hells\u2019 islands (Pakleni otoci). Experience island of Brac and pure white limestone which was used to build famous White House. Track down the voyages of Marco Polo while on island of Korcula. Hop on in Split, second largest city in Croatia, city of roman emperor Diocletian, or in Dubrovnik, known as the pearl of the Adriatic\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Galapagos:<\/strong>\u00a0San Cristobal, Genovesa, Fernandina, Bartolome, Isabela &amp; Darwin Bay<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>French Polynesia:<\/strong>\u00a0Tahiti, BoraBora, Moorea, Huahine, Tahaa &amp; Raiatea<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Greece:<\/strong>\u00a0Santorini, Mykonos, Folengandros, Poros, Paros, Syros &amp; Delos<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">River Barge\/River Cruise: Smooth Sailing<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong><br \/>RIVER BARGES<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>RIVER CRUISES\u00a0<\/strong>are very different. Designed specifically to transit locks along the way, modern river cruisers are long and narrow. \u00a0Barges typically are smaller and can transport up 36 passengers and offer fewer frills and amenities than river cruisers. River cruisers on the other hand, may carry more than 100 passengers. \u00a0Both offer smooth sailing, unencumbered by crowds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Annie\u2019s Recommendation<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Douro, Portugal:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<em>The wonderfully scenic Douro River Valley. It is one of Europe\u2019s most pure and unspoiled rivers decorated with deep cleft gorges, lush vineyards, and sleepy fishing villages. Begin in the capital of the North, Porto, and continue to the ancient and picturesque city of Lamego. Enter Spain to visit Salamanca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located at the center of the Castilla y Le\u00f3n region. Travel inland and on to the beautiful countryside of the Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes Region to visit the palace and gardens of Mateus. Explore the 14th-century Alpendurada Monastery before concluding your vacation in historic Porto.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Danube:<\/strong>\u00a0Vienna, Melk-Durnstein, Bratislava, Budapest<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Bordeaux Wine &amp; Chateaux:<\/strong>\u00a0Garone River, Medoc, Blaye, Bergerac, Cadillac, Bordeaux<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Mekong \u00a0River in Cambodia:<\/strong>\u00a0Cai Be, Chau Doc, Phnom Penh, Angkor Ban, Siem Reap<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Big Ships: Big Journeys<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>BIG SHIPS<\/strong>\u00a0traverse large waters, have more activities and wider range of dining experiences. \u00a0 If you are looking for a more intimate experience on a mega ship then consider an elegant suite and villa in The \u00a0 \u00a0 Haven on a Norwegian ship, suites providing you with the finest amenities of a concierge, butler and secluded courtyard where you can spend your sea days relaxing, dining and enjoying exquisite privacy.\u00a0 Mingle with your fellow passengers only if you want to.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Annie\u2019s Recommendation<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>7-night Norwegian Fjord Cruise:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>\u201cNorwegian Fjords cruise is like entering the magical world of Frozen.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>On this cruise you begin and end in Copenhagen, and in between Alesund, Geiranger,\u00a0Flam, and\u00a0Bergen. \u00a0The cruise can be combined, as some of my clients are doing, with a land package. \u00a0Perhaps more of Norway, Amsterdam, or Stockholm?<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Alaska<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Mediterranean:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Rome, Naples, Palermo, Olbia, Livorno, Monte Carlo, Barcelona<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>South America:<\/strong>\u00a0Santiago, Chile, Buenos Aires<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Custom Travel Goes Cruising Are we the last to jump into the cruise business or are we just super deliberate, with a well-planned out business strategy?\u00a0 In any case, it took some time to convince me that cruising fit our mission and that we could indeed remain true to our tag line \u201cCustom Travel for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":740,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions\/740"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomtravelllc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}