Archive for the 'Cruise & Travel Tips' Category
A Different Kind of "Cruise" – Part 2
Continued from last week….
You get up early the next morning, drop your mooring and motor over to “The Indians”, a series of rock outcroppings that, from a distance, resemble Native American headdress. You pick up a day mooring, don your snorkel and fins and jump in for one of the Caribbean’s best natural water shows, starring many species of fish. After a great snorkel, you hoist the sail and point your little boat towards Great Harbor on Jost van Dyke. Foxy’s Tamerind beach bar is on Jost van Dyke and its performing proprietor, Foxy, was the subject of our photo contest last week. Foxy is the host to, what might be, the greatest New Year’s sailboat party in the world. Jost van Dyke has other great watering holes. The “painkiller” was invented at the Soggy Dollar bar at White Bay (named because sailors swam from their boats to the bar…hence wet money).
You move from Great Harbor to Little Harbor so you can have dinner at Harris’ Place. Here you will get a great meal and find a wonderful free (secret) snorkeling spot. Just ask Cynthia Harris, the delightful owner, cook and snorkel consultant.
From Jost van Dyke, you could sail to St John with its beautiful beaches. July 4th is their big holiday and we have helped them to celebrate our nation’s birth on more than one occasion. A big negative to sailing to St. John is that you must go through U.S. customs when you get to St. John and you must go through British Virgin Islands’ customs when you return to the BVIs. On this sailing trip, you decide to skip the US Virgin Islands and sail to Cooper Island, one of the less inhabited British Virgin Islands. It has a nice bay with a number of moorings and some great snorkeling. You share a terrific meal on board but there are also some very nice restaurants ashore.
The next adventure is snorkeling over the Rhone. The Rhone is a British steamship that sank near Salt Island in the late 19th century. Her remains are clearly visible to snorkelers and divers alike. After picking up the mooring at Salt Island, you jump in your dinghy for a very sort run to the Rhone where there are moorings for dinghies. You might even get to see “Barry”, a huge Barracuda who seems to be the official “greeter” for the Rhone. Don’t worry, we have come into contact with many Barracuda and none have shown the least interest in us. They certainly have fearful faces but they are far more dangerous to eat than to swim with.
The second most populated Island is Virgin Gorda, home to some of the world’s most unique bolder formations (the Baths). You’ve heard that this should not be missed during your visit to the British Virgin Islands and you worked this into your itinerary. Here you walk among huge boulders that form cathedral-like spaces. You also snorkel among the boulders. NOTE: There are some cruise ships that visit Tortola in the BVIs so you do not have to be on a sailboat to experience The Baths. The cruise ships will offer excursions. (By the way, if you’re feeling flush, there is Necker Island which is very close to Virgin Gorda. The rates start at $20,000 per night.)~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A sailing vacation is not for everyone. Black and blue marks are as common on board the boat as spectacular fish are under the boat. You might get drenched by a passing squall and this could be your only fresh water shower for that day. On the other hand, enjoying a fine meal and a glass of fine wine, while rocking gently at anchor, awaiting the inevitable glorious sunset, can only be experienced on a small boat in an isolated bay. Moreover, you will get to places that are inaccessible to most tourists.
Small boats (2 to 10 people) can be chartered all over the world. We have chartered boats in the Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe and the Grenadines. They were all amazing but the Virgin Islands are the best for first time sailors since the distances between places of interest are quite short.
A Different Kind of "Cruise"
Most of our clients cruise on big, luxury ships with their outstanding cuisine, great entertainment and exquisite service — all within steps of a comfortable stateroom. Plus, they get a new port almost every day. We love and take these wonderful cruises. We also love small ships that carry less than 150 passengers. In this article, we are going to talk about the ultimate small ship– the sailboat which carries 4 to 10 sailors.
Have you ever strolled on a beach and gazed out to sea and spotted a tiny sailboat silently sliding across the waves with her big white sails full. Now imagine yourself magically being transported from the beach onto the little sailboat. What is your first impression? Silence. You hear only the ocean as you move quietly with only wind powering you to your next destination. You feel the coolness of the breeze and a freedom, borne from the knowledge that you are now dependent only on nature.
Did you know that you can do this at about the same price as a cruise? How?
The best way to enjoy the freedom and adventure of a private sailboat is to charter a boat with an experienced captain (and cook). It is quite affordable when you get a group of like-minded friends to travel with you. The ideal group is 4 to 8 people. There are a number of very good companies that we use and recommend.
You can charter a sailboat almost anywhere in the world but we suggest the Caribbean for first time sailors. The British Virgin Islands are a particular delight for sailors because the sailing distances between islands is short and the beach bars are many.
A vacation aboard a sailboat is vastly different from a traditional luxury cruise. You trade many of the comforts and amenities of the cruise ship for freedom and adventure.
First, a description of a typical sailboat (which can be a twin hulled catamaran or a single hulled boat). The boat will be about 40 feet long and will have private (but tiny) cabins. It will also have a “galley” (kitchen) and more than 1 “head” (bathroom) with shower and a “salon” (living/dining room). All of this will be “below” (downstairs).
On deck will be the area for the sails and an area for the people. The “cockpit” is where you spend most of your time when the boat is sailing or when it is anchored. On catamarans, there is a large trampoline in the front of the boat. You can lay face down on the trampoline and watch the water rush by only a few feet from your face. On one of my sails, there was a school of porpoises having a blast within a few feet of the boat (and us).
The “helm” or driver’s seat will be in the cockpit. Everyone who wants to “drive” the boat will have many opportunities to guide your boat to the next adventure.
You will also have the chance to learn a whole new language while sailing. You were already introduced to galley and head. Did you know that there are no ropes on a sailboat? Those long thick strings that look amazingly like ropes are called “sheets” and “painters” depending on their purpose. Stairs are “ladders” and walls are “bulkheads”.
The real fun begins when you cast off, raise the sails and head to your first port. Let’s suppose you choose the British Virgin Islands for your sail. Your captain will meet you at a marina on the island of Tortola. He will ask you some questions so he knows what your group likes to do. Do you like to party or do you want peace and quiet? Actually you can mix and match these attributes. You’ve just cast off; the captain has raised the sails and served you and your friends your favorite beverages. Your boat slices through the waves at a blistering 8 miles per hour. The boat is amazingly stable. It does not roll at all. You are headed to Norman Island, supposedly the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. After a 2 hour sail, you arrive, the sails are lowered and you pick up a mooring but it is still early. What do you do? The captain suggests some snorkeling at the “caves”. Sounds like fun, so let’s do it. You and you friends jump (almost literally) into the dinghy (a little rubber boat with an outboard motor) for the five-minute ride to the caves.
You put on your snorkeling gear and slide into the warm, clear Caribbean water. As soon as you face the ocean floor, you spot 2 beautiful parrotfish and a school of sergeant majors. Soon, after an easy swim, you arrive at the “caves”. These are literally caves that you swim into. Pirate loot was supposed to have been hidden here but never found. Hope you have better luck than me. I didn’t find it. It gets darker and darker the further you swim. Definitely spooky. On your swim back to the dinghy, two majestic queen angelfish glide silently past, totally ignoring you but you can’t ignore them. Darn, you wish you brought the underwater camera.
Back on the sailboat, it’s time for dinner, which is prepared by your personal cook. If you’re like me, after dinner is the time to watch a fantastic sunset, then do a little reading. However, if the day is just starting for you, there is the infamous William Thorton anchored about a half mile from you. Here you can dance, drink and engage in any other debauchery. Just remember, you have to find you way back to you boat, in the dark.
To be continued….
Cruise Pricing – How Does it Work?
You’re sitting at dinner on your dream cruise. There are 4 other couples sitting with you. The price of the cruise comes up (it always does). You find out that every couple at your table paid a different price. Why? The answer is determined by when folks booked their cruise in the “supply and demand” cycle.
When the cruise lines release their schedules and pricing, they offer early booking rates, which is really the price that they expect most people to pay. As the ship fills, prices rise. However, on some sailings, bookings are slow and sparse. In these cases, the cruise lines offer special promotions — examples are senior promotions and promotions for residents of certain states. If the ship still doesn’t fill up, last minute deals (some spectacular) are offered to get the ship full.
On many of these cruises, we are paying less than it costs the cruise line to feed and transport us. They are willing to do this in the hopes that we spend money on the ship. They also want to keep the service staff busy and receiving gratuities.
Supply and Demand
Let’s think about supply and demand and when each is high and low.
The most demand occurs for East Coast and Caribbean cruises during the summer. There are 2 reasons. First, many ships have moved to Europe and Alaska for the summer season. Therefore the supply of ships for the East Coast and Caribbean is low. Couple this with the fact that school is out and this is when families take their vacation. Thus, demand is up. The result is high prices and low availability. For example, for cruises from Baltimore or New York you must book early if you want to get a room that accommodates 3 or 4 people.
During the fall, when school is back in session and until the holidays, there is low demand (hurricane season) and all the ships have returned from Europe and Alaska (high supply). During this period, the cruise lines will practically pay you to cruise and it pays to wait until last minute deals are announced. An easy way to do this is to check our website each week. We put the last minute deals there. These good deals usually extend into January (excluding holiday sailings).
Book early if:
- You are picky about your room location
- You must have a particular time for dining
- You are traveling during summer months or holidays
- You want to cruise on an upscale or small ship cruise line
- You want a land and sea package in Alaska during the peak summer months
- You want a balcony on the land side of an Alaska cruise
Book later if:
- You are traveling in the fall or January
- You are not concerned about room location and dining times.
- Specific dates are not important
Consider….
One of the problems with waiting too long to book a cruise is that airfares are high. The airlines price airfare the same way the cruise lines do. Waiting usually results in a high airfare.
Keep in mind that the cruise lines will honor many promotions even if you book early. For example if you are a senior and have booked a cruise at the early booking rate and a senior promotion is offered, you will be eligible for the lower rate and we will get it for you.