How many hours does it take from Vancouver to London, England? What about tourist visas?

On July 22nd, my family and I were lucky enough to board the Virgin Star cruise ship in Singapore and started a four-day and three-night sea voyage, landing in Phuket, Thailand and Langkawi, Malaysia. Before, we missed the Italian coast cruise from Shanghai. In recent years, we have always heard that luxury cruise ships visited Shanghai, such as "Pacific Princess", "Defen" and "Studam", which brought infinite scenery and charming reverie.

For this reason, I have specially studied the cruise ships suitable for China people to travel at present, and there are many index articles, so I would like to thank all the authors.

First, the origin of cruise ships

Previously, I saw many people writing "oil tankers" or "cruise ships" instead of cruise ships in online travel notes and Q&A, all of which were ignorant of the history of cruise ships. Cruise originated in the early 20th century, when it was used as a means of transportation for transcontinental mail, so it was called "mail", and English was OCEAN LINER. Life in the ocean is so monotonous that the sailors set up a simple bar on the ship to kill the long sailing time. When the economy develops rapidly, simple cruise ships become more luxurious. Its glory reached its peak in the Titanic era. With the appearance of aircraft, this trans-ocean cruise ship with transport nature gradually declined. Now the cruise ship we choose is our destination, and its luxurious entertainment facilities have become an important part of our leisure vacation. We went ashore only for sightseeing and completing the sea trip. Today's cruise ship is called cruise ship.

Second, the cruise ship is approaching us.

Cruise ships used to be the patent of the rich. Since 1990s, a large number of new cruise companies have appeared in the world, and the market competition is fierce. Cruise ships built after 1990s are bigger and more luxurious. Titanic is only a penis today. But the rooms of cruise ships are getting smaller and smaller, which is the biggest difference between cruise ships and ocean liners. LV company once specially designed a big bar, where rich people lived with their servants. As long as the big room is opened with a vertical bar, it is a wardrobe, and there is no need to take out clothes at all.

Luxury cruise+small room can carry more tourists, and the per capita cost is much less than before. Now not only Europeans and Americans, but also China people can fully afford the cost of cruise ships. I believe that in the future, more cruise companies will pay attention to China. Last year, COASTA only used Shanghai as its home port, but this year it added Tianjin.

In addition to cost, another major factor that prevents tourists from setting foot on a cruise ship is time. Sailing for a week or two requires us to use our annual leave together, only once or twice a year. Therefore, the elderly are big customers of cruise ships, and newlyweds spend romantic honeymoon. Some European tourists will send postcards to cruise companies in a few years, and even name their children after cruise ships. This time in Virgo, the elderly, families and young couples are the biggest crowd. Of course, many young people's friends get together among tourists

Third, take a cruise.

"Floating Romantic City" has a full set of leisure and entertainment facilities, which can make people really give up their troubles and experience a leisurely life within a week. Compared with other modes of travel, there is no need to be exhausted between scenic spots, and there is no trouble of getting on the bus to sleep, getting off the bus to take pictures, and visiting here. Every process of a cruise is enjoyment, accompanied by a real holiday. Forget time and space, the same moonlight and sea water. If you like, you must forget the disputes at work and the troubles in life, otherwise you will have no time to enjoy the beauty of the cruise. The four-day and three-night virgin number is still too short for us, and we still have too much to experience. In our 1 1 floor seascape terrace room, when we open the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sun and the sea are coming. The light blue sky, the deep basket of sea water and the white waves make us only experience and have no thoughts. If you want to take part in any activities, a program will be sent to your room in advance. These programs are free. Of course, there are extra charges for casinos, game consoles and adult passionate performances on Virgo.

Eat: Cruise ships provide five meals to tourists free of charge every day. Afternoon tea, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Chinese and Western food, Indian food, Italian food, BBQ barbecue, Japanese food, China snacks, etc. In addition to the buffet, there is also a free set meal. Of course, there is a charge for ordering food. Foie gras and caviar on five-star cruise ships are desirable delicacies.

Wear: During the aristocratic cruise, the vendors were very picky about their clothes, and even the cruise life was born for fashion. This custom has been preserved until now. There is a captain's cocktail party and a formal captain's dinner on board, which requires tourists to dress up carefully. There are also dresses for sale and rent on board.

Handicraft: Leisure activities popular with women and children, whether making roses or learning embroidery, are the feeling of meeting new friends and returning to the past life. This time we made headdresses, wands and wings. However, I still didn't participate in activities such as making Japanese sushi.

Sports: Rome Palace swimming pool and children's fairy tale swimming pool, basketball court, golf, chess, gym and hydrotherapy massage can all meet the fitness exercise. There are even professional coaches to work with you for free.

Beauty: Beauty salons make you beautiful at will.

Reading: In the quiet and luxurious library, you can read all kinds of secretaries and surf the Internet quietly. With the sound of the waves slowly immersed in a story, I don't know what gorgeous stories I will encounter on this romantic boat.

Shopping: the boutique shopping corridor is no less than any land store, and there are even duty-free shops. Restaurants, clothing stores, grocery stores and crystal stores all allow you to donate money, but the price is not too expensive.

In a daze: the mobile phone has no signal, and the mood becomes lazy. Lounge chairs can be seen everywhere on the deck to bask in the sun, that is, soaking in the jacuzzi on the deck, staring at the sea in a daze, but also has a leisurely taste.

Sleep: On such a huge cruise ship, you can only feel the feeling of swaying at sea when you sleep. If you have a balcony, you can lie on the balcony and enjoy the night. But the sound of the waves is a little noisy.

Fourth, how to choose your favorite cruise ship?

Not all expensive cruise ships are necessarily suitable for you, and not all cruise ships can be called luxury. Don't think that all the cruise ships in the movie are real just because you have watched Titanic too much. The real luxury cruise ship is a five-star cruise ship. BERLITZ Travel Publishing Company, headquartered in London, rates cruise ships every year. The yearbook "A Complete Guide to Berlitz Cruises and Cruises" produced by his family is the most authoritative and reliable one.

Cruise classification:

The cruise yearbook, including BERLITZ, classifies cruise ships into luxury, advanced and standard classes, which are equivalent to five-star, four-star and three-star hotels. BERLITZ pays great attention to service when rating. In addition, food, room, entertainment and decoration are also evaluation conditions, of course, cost performance is very important. The same cruise ship may have different classes in different years.

Luxury five-star cruise ship: This kind of cruise ship is not necessarily huge, but may be a small boat. For example, the Princess Hebrides is only 2 1 12 tons, with less than 100 guests. The five-star cruise ship may be old and the facilities may be average, but the room is very big and has everything, and the decoration is luxurious. The most valuable thing is diet and service. The waiter will remember your needs, and the diet will not be worse than the top food on land.

Advanced four-star cruise: This is what we often call a luxury cruise. Many of the new ones are behemoths over 70,000 tons, such as Virgo. They are the representatives of modern cruise ships. But the room is small (but not smaller than the Hong Kong hotel). Compared with five stars, there is a gap in details, but it will not be worse than or even more than five stars in public entertainment. If you are not a professional gourmet, its food is delicious enough. Its selling point is that its program has enough weight, otherwise how can it satisfy thousands of passengers? The cost of four stars is far from that of five stars, so Virgo is four stars, but five stars is enough in our hearts.

Standard Samsung Cruise: It's not simple, or it may be newly built, and its selling point is that its performance is wonderful. Every Samsung has its attractions for passengers. Its passengers will be younger than four stars. COASTA's cruise company's three-star ship, starting from Shanghai, is the most popular among young people because it is fun enough. Carnival company takes "interesting boat" as its slogan. Compared with four stars, it has fewer service personnel and worse food.

The most expensive is not the best;

It is very important to take a cruise for the first time, listen to other people's experience and check the information. There is no best cruise ship in the world, only the one that suits you. For most people, choosing five stars is not a good idea. Their programs are boring, such as classical music or celebrity speeches, which are usually preferred by the elderly. They belong to the upper class in Europe and America, and they keep a lot of old red tape of sailing. More than 70,000 tons of four stars are the first choice for people who like to have fun. Some people even suggest that you choose the inner cabin, and you can get back half the price of the boat just by eating.

Cruise companion: ports and routes

Sightseeing is an important activity of cruise ships. At every port, the cruise will stop for half a day, and the cruise will compile tourism projects, from simple free travel to one-day tour. So be sure to study the information of the port in advance, or you won't know how to play when you arrive. There are few routes taken by cruise ships, only a little change. Few cruise ships can ignore the Caribbean in winter, Alaska in summer and several European and Mediterranean routes.

Five, the world's popular routes

Caribbean: sunny beaches and super ships

This is a cruise paradise and the most visited route. Its selling points are sunshine, beaches and duty-free shopping. There are more than 7,000 islands here, and many large cruise companies have private islands here. The Caribbean sea route is divided into three lines: east, west and south. Each line lasts for 7 days, basically from Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Most of the super ships in the world gather here. Most of them belong to European and American companies. The Panama Canal can't pass ships of more than 77,000 tons, so super ships have to cruise in the Atlantic Ocean or gather in the Caribbean.

Alaska: Glaciers

May ~ 10 is the peak season, which happens to be the off-season in the Caribbean. There are two routes for the 7-day voyage: one is to and from Vancouver or Seattle, and the other is to and from Vancouver and Anchorage. Its selling points are glaciers and cool air in hot summer. Alaska has the most spectacular and dense glaciers in the world. To see the most magnificent glaciers, you must pass through Glacier Bay. There are strict regulations on the number of ships entering here every day. So see the voyage clearly. Most cruise ships will pass through small towns such as Ketchikan, Sitka, Juno and Skagway.

Mediterranean: a famous city

The western line goes to Portugal, France, Italy and other countries, and the eastern line is the Greek islands and the Turkish coast. The western line attracts tourists from famous cities, such as Nice, Barcelona and Lisbon, and the eastern line looks at Greek islands. Every July and August, the Mediterranean is very lively. It's also very hot. It seems that June and September are better

Nordic route: a trip to the polar regions

The Baltic Sea is also a sea area visited by cruise ships. You can see Nordic countries and famous Russian cities. The most attractive thing is the trip to the polar regions. It will drive to northern cape, the northernmost part of the European continent, where there are both the Northland Glacier, the first fjord in the world, and the towns with their own characteristics. Further north, you will enter the Arctic Circle. The most exciting voyage can reach the edge of the glacier, and sometimes an adventure boat is needed. It takes two weeks and half time to enjoy the midnight sunshine in the Arctic Circle. But you can take this route only about one month a year.

Sailing around the world: a crazy journey

If you have enough time and money, you can consider traveling around the world by cruise. It usually leaves in winter and the voyage is fixed. It usually starts from London and new york, enters South America through the Panama Canal, enters the Pacific Ocean, passes through Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore and Australia, and then returns to Europe and America through India, the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

Six, ship cheating

Luggage: suitable for carrying, with no more or less requirements. No matter what kind of boat, it is the best occasion for fashion show, and there must be no less dresses. In addition to considering the cruise space, we should also consider the climate change of time and route. In addition, there is laundry service and dress rental on the cruise ship, and the port is also a good place to buy clothes. But there seems to be not enough time. )

By boat: When boarding a ship overseas, the connection between planes is an important issue. It is better to arrive one day earlier. Cruise ships don't wait for tourists. It is best to choose a hotel designated by the cruise company, and there will usually be a bus connection. If the plane can't catch up with the sailing time of the cruise ship, it will have to rush to the next port by itself. It is basically the same reason that sightseeing was delayed during the trip. If the cruise company has arranged an air cruise package, the delay will be borne by the cruise company. For example, in China, the travel agency is responsible for booking.

Reservation: Generally speaking, cruise ships will give tourists who book in advance a reasonable discount, usually 30% off. The remaining tickets, if sold well, will be sold at high prices, and if unsalable, the discount will be lower, even lower than the cost price. For example, there is an excess of cruise space on the Caribbean route, and you may get unimaginable low-priced tickets. In addition to the most popular routes and cruise ships, it is generally appropriate to discount below 60%. However, it is impossible to book low prices directly through travel agencies in China at present. On the one hand, there are few kinds of cruise ships directly facing the China market, which is a new thing in China after all. On the other hand, even if China people book it themselves, it is difficult to guarantee that China passports can get visas from countries along the way.

Single: It is best not to ride alone. The cruise ship is full of family, friends and lovers. Many services and facilities are designed for two people. You must buy a suite to go by boat. You must pay a certain extra fee.

Tipping: Tipping system is implemented on five-star cruise ships, and most of the crew's income comes from tipping. Four-star and Samsung don't advocate tipping, but the British and Americans insist on tipping. A few cruise companies have put forward the management method of not accepting tips. It seems that China people are suitable for choosing four-star and three-star cruise ships.

I hope the above article can inspire friends who also need cruise travel.

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