www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUxI08ke5Gw

If golf is your game, many cruise ships now feature cutting-edge golf simulators that offer realistic visuals of PGA-level courses, virtual rounds, and full-on tutorials.  Plus once you arrive in port, you can actually practice your new skills on a real golf course!  Many cruise lines have made arrangements for passengers to play on some of the world’s finest courses (for an additional fee).

For those looking for more action, you might opt to try the surfing machine – which recreates a surfing experience – or a rock climbing wall.  There’s also bowling, ice skating, bungee trampolining, or even the Nintendo Wii on large screens.  Some of the smaller cruise ships also feature water sports decks where you can kayak, windsurf, use jet skis, and more…and that’s just on board!

Once you arrive in port, travelers can opt for a wide range of shore excursions that pack plenty of action and adventure including skiing, hiking, zip lining, eco-adventures, and many more options than you can possibly imagine.

One of the biggest changes with dining at sea is the fact you no longer have to eat in the main dining room at an appointed time for all of your meals.  Most cruise lines today offer passengers plenty of options including more casual on-deck dining for breakfast and lunch, room service nearly around the clock. Also, you can take advantage of alternative dining venues with a selection of restaurants from elegant to casual where you can dine when you want to, rather than at an appointed time/seating (some alternative restaurants do require reservations and may charge a supplemental fee).  And if you happen to be one of the lucky passengers who books a stateroom with a balcony, you can even have your meal served outside on the balcony!

Plus, you’ll find offerings like ice cream parlors, European-style coffee houses, and even sushi bars to tempt your palate throughout the day.  Good thing they also have a fitness center on board!

Grab your best gal pals and call us.  If you can’t steal away from husbands and kids for a full week, many cruise lines offer four- and five-night voyages where you enjoy all the same perks as a seven-day cruise.  This is the perfect way to reconnect with high school buddies, sorority sisters, or old friends while you get away from your daily routine and have a blast!  Best of all, nearly everything is included so you can pay in advance, unpack once, and enjoy three meals daily plus snacks, special treats, midnight buffets, fun cruise itineraries, and onboard entertainment.  The only things not included are alcoholic beverages/soda, shore excursions, and spa treatments.  It is a perfect hassle-free vacation where you leave the ‘driving’ to the captain and sit back and enjoy some fun with your friends.

Cruising offers the option of enjoying a single “floating hotel” as your home base while away and easily combines a variety of exotic ports including Southeast Asia & China (Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and China), Southeast Asia & India (Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India), or China and the Far East (Japan, Shanghai, China, and easternmost Russia).

Once you have decided on which line to cruise, then you can focus on your Asian experience…following the path of the Silk Road or the Spice Route, learning more about the ancient cultures, exotic beauty, and fascinating mysticism. And of course, indulging in the incredible shopping! And best of all, at the end of each day, you return to your cruise ship where you can relax, unwind, and rest before the next day’s exciting adventure!

A cruise to Asia combines everything you want in a trip to this region including seeing the famous Buddha’s, temples, and monuments, sampling the exotic food. And did we mention the shopping?

Small ship cruise line Cruise West has stepped up to the plate and plans two new itineraries on the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers, starting in March 2011 using  the 102-passenger Spirit of America.

Cruise West operates American-flagged ships, and the Spirit of America is small compared to the paddle-wheelers that sailed the rivers before: she is 207 feet long, with four decks, and a total of 51 staterooms.  Built in 1984, the Spirit of America was previously named the Spirit of Glacier Bay, sailing Alaska itineraries since 2008.

Originally named the Spirit of Nantucket and built in 1984, the ship was acquired by Cruise West in 2006 and renamed the Spirit of Glacier Bay in 2008, when it was repositioned by Cruise West from the East Coast to Alaska.

The Spirit of America will sail two seven-night itineraries, one along the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Memphis and the other along the Mississippi, Ohio Tennessee and Cumberland rivers from Memphis to Nashville.

There will be eight departures in 2011, with prices starting at $3,499 per person. The New Orleans-Memphis cruise departs March 19 and April 16, the reverse itinerary April 9 and May 7. The Memphis-Nashville departures are March 26 and April 23, the reverse itinerary April 2 and 30.

After the demise of Majestic, Cruise West remained one of the only cruise lines with operations on America’s inland waterways, continuing its itineraries along the Columbia and Snake rivers on the 96-passenger Spirit of ’98 and 84-passenger Spirit of Discovery.

In 2009, American Safari Cruises joined Cruise West in the region with a nine-day river cruise from Lewiston, Idaho, to Astoria, Ore., aboard the 36-passenger yacht Safari Explorer.

Sailing the iconic Mississippi River is a true All-American experience!  Reserve your stateroom today – remember, there are only 51 staterooms per sailing! Get in touch with Steve today!

New Orleans to Memphis

Memphis to Nashville

[Source: Renters Insurance for Gadling]