Cruises
Traveling by cruise is a wonderful way to see several destinations in one trip, with one home base to sleep, eat, and be merry, especially if you love the water. CI Azumano is a specialist and top provider in cruises. We’re proud to bring you unique opportunities and exclusive offers, largely because of our longstanding relationships with the finest cruise lines. Cruises also allow you to see locations that are hard to reach by land transportation, which bestows you rare cultural experiences on both sea and land. We have several Travel Experts who are certified to help you plan the ideal cruise, with the dining, entertainment, and destinations you’re eager to experience. Whether you’re considering a cruise to the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, or Europe, you’ll feel well taken care of on a cruise arranged by CI Azumano.
Did You Know?
- The world’s largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, measures in at 226,963 gross tons and can hold around 5,000 passengers.
- The largest ships have the same height as a typical 16-storey building.
- The world’s total cruise ship capacity is almost 500,000 guests.
- A third of all cruises are taken to the Caribbean/Bahamas, making it the world’s most popular cruise destination.
- Cruise ships are appointed and blessed by godmothers, which is ancient tradition that’s meant to impart good fortune, safe guidance, and give the ship “life.”
- The average cruise speed is about 23 mph, or 20 knots.
- There is a replica of the Titanic, called Titanic II, being built by an Australian billionaire.
- It’s unlucky to bring flowers aboard a cruise ship, however it’s good luck to spill wine on the deck.
- Most ship cabins are made of metal – which means they’re magnetic! It’s fun to have magnets on hand that you can hang different reminders, invites, or whatever you want on the walls and doors in your room.
Travel Tips
In general, passports are required for all travelers – including U.S. and Canadian Citizens – for entry or reentry into the U.S. by land, air, or sea. However, cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port (closed-loop cruises), that travel to destinations in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Bermuda, may re-enter the United States with just proof of citizenship. Nonetheless, it’s strongly recommended that you still have a passport that is valid for 6 months after your return date. Contact your travel expert to guide you.
Cruise ships will typically plan a course to maximize the best weather possible. The routes might change slightly to go around bad weather if necessary, and cancellations are rare. A port might be skipped due to extreme situations such as hurricane, and in those cases the captain gives warning and would usually swap the missed port with a new port to explore. Weather is largely dependent upon the destination of port and time of year – and not every cruise will travel during a warm season. As with any vacation, do your research to learn the best time of year to cruise in your expected region.
One of the luxuries of traveling by cruise is that you don’t have to worry about exchanging currency. You’re typically issued a spending card when you embark, which is charged to your account for your on-ship expenses. Of course, when you port you’ll have to use the local currency if you plan to spend money there. The best options will likely be to bring credit and debit cards, and use ATM machines to get local cash if credit cards are not accepted. You also may want to contact your bank to inform them of your trip beforehand, as card use in multiple locations may alert them of fraud.
There are more options to using your mobile phone on a cruise than ever before, albeit it may be expensive. Because there are no cell phone towers at sea, you’ll have to connect with your cruise ship’s cellular service and/or wifi, both of which could have a fee. The cellular service will also likely cost you international roaming fees from your provider. If you just use the ship’s wifi, however, you can save money by using the internet to send messages and make calls through apps like Skype. Some cruise lines will offer packages with discounts if you sign up early, so be prepared in advance. Note that some cruise ship’s internet service will charge you for the amount of data you use as well, so if you’re streaming video or uploading photos, fees could add up quickly. For when you get to port, you may be able to use an international phone plan through your provider, so check with them for the options in the region you’ll be visiting.
Many cruise lines can help you make arrangements for ground transportation to and from port, so contact them – or your travel expert – with any specific questions.