Special Anniversary Cruises for you & your loved one

The big day beckons

Getting the cheapest garden furniture for the coming summer is a great idea if there is a need to count the pennies and be saving up for the big splash out on the annual holiday. But if it’s a special occasion as well, then there are great ideas about for the all time bumper holiday combined with the yearly trip away. For something like a big wedding anniversary, there has to be a lot of thought given to the idea of a big holiday such as a cruise. That’s the time to get down to the shops and buy some seriously good gear to go with the holiday and forget the cheap garden furniture. That can be bought when the trip is over, if there’s any decent weather about. But the thought of spending a few weeks aboard a luxurious ship, eating the very best food and relaxing on the pool deck. It’s just too much to resist!!

As partners who’ve been together for 50 years it’s the most obvious celebration and the cruise line companies are really geared up to help with making the celebration extra special. What better way to treat your better half than to come home and say: “look, we’re heading off on board one of those great Mediterranean cruises”. That’s something very special and something that’s been promised for years. The ships plying the waters of the oceans are better than ever, with some new vessels launched only last year. The massive multi deck liners are stacked out with fantastic facilities and it doesn’t matter which part of the world the cruise is sailing, the quality is the same – absolutely top drawer!!

A quality holiday at sea

A favourite for lots of people has been the Caribbean cruises which make port destination calls in St Vincent, Barbados and the Bahamas. That’s very appealing as the area is renowned for the beautiful blue waters and the fine climate. The other alternative destination would be the fjords of northern Europe with the Norwegian cruises. It’s a hard choice as all of them have their own special attractions. The idea of Calypso music being played on board a luxury liner is countered by the sheer beauty of the Trondheim fjord. On that score there are trips to see the wildlife and the amazing sea life of the Alaskan regions where one of the companies offers Celebrity cruises out of Vancouver. So its not always sunny beaches and sparkling towns which come to mind. They take in the smaller ports of the region and send some time sailing around the ice caps of the Alaskan seas. Its certainly different and a voyage where the big whales, the sea lions and the seals can be spotted. Most ships are accompanied by schools of dolphins in the warmer waters and in Australia this is one of the great draws as the clever swimmers follow the ships, and basically show off as they go.

The big companies have a very impressive selection of itineraries and are often based in Europe but travel the world on trips which cover South America to Australia. The ‘round the world’ cruise can take about 90 days and on board life must be something the long distance passenger gets used to after a while. Just imagine dining like a King for 90 days?!! That must be a real treat, except on return its back to the home lifestyle and the cheap garden furniture. But it must be great to travel the world by sea, and since the earth is made up of 75% water, that’s not so difficult.

The Grand Lifestyle

The seven oceans beckon and the idea of taking one of the Princess cruises looks to be something to consider. They have some super looking ships in their fleet with a traditional style to the interior. Grand spiral staircases in the atrium and the most beautiful ornate dining rooms make their vessels outstanding in the scheme of things. But that’s part and parcel of living the cruise lifestyle. Its grand, its romantic and its special. One of the most traditional companies is P & O Cruises who’ve been around, sailing the seas for a long time. Even in the last century they were transporting people by sea to all corners of the globe, so they have a mass of experience and know how.

For more flair and maybe less formality the MSC cruises have great trips around Europe and the Baltic. They are geared very much for the family guests but obviously a big celebration like the Ruby wedding anniversary would surely set the kitchen in motion for the big occasion and the main day. Trips to the ports of South America are not out of the question with such major shipping lines, and this again is something with a degree of history about it. The cargo ships which sail the oceans do so with cargoes of bananas, sugar, oil and rubber and have done so for centuries. These commodities don’t get to Europe by plane or by accident. That would be just incredibly expensive and how many bananas can you get on a plane compared with a ship? Not many is the answer - so ships are vital modes of transport and taking passengers around the world is no different, in fact it’s a very cost effective form of travel. Its also far more eco friendly which is an added bonus in an eco travel era.

Coca cabaña and The Amazon

Fred Olsen cruises operate from the bigger ports of Europe and have options of joining at one of their port destinations. That can be Barcelona, Miami or Hong Kong, so for the celebration the idea could be to select a cruise which is from one of these major ports. Although they are a world wide organisation they are based in the United Kingdom with many of their itineraries easy to book through the online site. They have smaller ships in their fleet and that is something which may be better for the occasion. The very big vessels look fantastic, but maybe for a more personal touch the smaller ships may work well. This shipping line has cruises down the Amazon which would be utterly amazing!! They take in Manaus which is said to be the ‘Paris of the Amazon’ as well as going to Rio de Janeiro, so the chance to take a stroll down the Coca cabaña on one of the shore excursions.

The ships crew

The wedding anniversary is definitely going to be very special, once a decision is made on where. When is not an issue because the intention is to spend the Ruby wedding day at sea and even have a small ceremony which reflects all those years together. It’s a bit of a romantic extra which will only make the trip that bit more of an occasion. The ships all have small chapels of all denominations, along with other professional services. For the elder traveler its reassuring to know that the ships have a full compliment of medical staff, as well as just about everything from comedians to croupiers. The ships are like floating cities and some of the bigger vessels have up to 3,000 crew and officers; that’s a huge number and actually outnumbers the passengers in most cases. Each cabin is assigned a porter or someone to make sure everything is up to scratch and well looked after. It’s a bit like having a personal butler without the stuffiness of being the lord and master. One of the big days is when the officers join a table for dinner, and that includes the captain. Most of these guys (or ladies) have been at sea a long time and nothing fazes them. The modern ships tend to direct themselves as they have sophisticated on board computers which are just bigger and better satellite navigation systems. The Navigation Officer is still an important member of the bridge team, but its not like the old days of the sextant and the stars!!

So the main decision is that the trip will be one of the cruises from Southampton which has a great tradition of ships crossing the Atlantic. The Queens always left from this port, and before that they set sail from Liverpool. Britain has a great tradition of ships and the sea, so it seems appropriate that to celebrate 50 years of marriage it should be from a location which has years of maritime history. The other decision to be made is that since the anniversary is on the 23rd December then this will be one of the Christmas cruises. What better way to spend the 50 years of marriage than over the festive period. A sumptuous Christmas dinner of Turkey and Christmas Pud is on the agenda, along with plenty of champagne. It’s going to be the treat always promised and one which will be remembered for ever. In the company of good people who likewise will be there to celebrate, this is going to be the family celebration to end all family celebrations.

Set sail for the open seas!!