Cruise Lowdown

25/12/2024

🎄MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄
From (some) of my family to yours!
It’s our full family celebration tomorrow but had lots of festive cheer today with some of my tribe.

Hope you’ve all had wonderful days too!

13/12/2024

Cheers Big Ears!

Here’s to a fabulous weekend. I’m at one of many of my grandchildren’s school concerts — aptly called 🎄“A taste of Christmas”🎄

Just an aside - why is it that the child you have come to specifically watch is on in the last five minutes of a one hour show? 🤷🏻‍♀️ That’s 55 minutes of primary school recorder music!

Any festive plans for you tonight?

Pic: Taken on Resilient Lady back in October. Who can guess the restaurant?

08/12/2024

Do you use Pinterest? If so, could you please show my profile some love. I’m trying to revive it after neglecting it for so long and it would really help me out if you could check it out and follow me over there too. Thank you 🙏 🤩

06/12/2024

Happy Fri-Yay 🥂- I need your help to plan the ultimate cruise-themed cocktail party.

🙏 Share your favourite cruise cocktail below (name, ship on which you enjoyed it, and roughly what’s in it)🙏

Thank you (I might choose my fave and make it up tonight!)

04/12/2024

Would you or wouldn’t you?

As Virgin Voyages introduce their “Annual Pass, I ask are you tempted?

Sail Unlimited in 2025 with Virgin Voyages 🌊

🚢 Annual Pass Highlights:
⭐️Unlimited voyages for a year 🌍
⭐️Sea Terrace cabin 🏖️
⭐️Priority boarding,
⭐️free laundry, premium Wi-Fi ✨
⭐️$100 Bar Tab per trip 🍹
⭐️Bring a new plus-one each time! 💃🕺
💰 $120,000 (approx. £95,000)
💳 Now accepts Bitcoin!
📅 Book by March 31, 2025

Adventure awaits—are you in? 🛳️

29/11/2024

It’s that time again so here is a quick overview of some of the cruise Black Friday offers I’ve found. Full details are on my blog - just follow the link@in my bio or search “cruiselowdown Black Friday.”
1️⃣Cunard’s Black Friday offers includes up to £500 off per stateroom on selected voyages.

2️⃣ Celebrity Cruises is offering up to 75% off the second guest, $800 (£640) off per stateroom, and 35% off shore excursions and onboard amenities

3️⃣ P&O Cruises is offering up to £300 off per cabin

4️⃣HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) are offering Savings up to 25% on select voyages

5️⃣MSC Cruises is offering up to 40% off selected cruises to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Northern Europe

6️⃣ Virgin Voyages have upped their original offer to a generous $99 per sailor per night plus $100 Bar tab.

Plus more deals from all your favourite brands.

Have you bagged a Black Friday Cruise deal? Do share!🙏

27/11/2024

Want to see the latest Marella Cruise Black Friday deals - check out this post

Book your 2024-2025 Marella Cruises holiday now with exclusive Black Friday deals. Save £200 on Canary Island and Mediterranean cruises or £300 on Caribbean and repositional itineraries using codes BFSAIL200 and BFSAIL300. Enjoy all-inclusive packages, top destinations, and UK regional flights. Of...

27/11/2024

Ho, Ho, Hope you’re having a good week.

I’m trying to get organised for Christmas - with such a big family, preparations have to start early! 10 Grandchildren equals a LOT of shopping! I often wonder if it might be easier to just hop aboard and cruise away for the holidays (if I could take everyone with me of course!)

If you’d like to know what to expect from a festive cruise and to see some current offers, check out my latest post.

Have you ever taken a Christmas cruise? What was the best thing about it?

26/11/2024

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Whoop - Time for a little self-promotion! I’ve just reached a whopping 600,000 page views on my website - much earlier than last year with so many more visits too!

Not seen it? Check it out now for some of my latest articles. Link in bio.

15/11/2024

🛳️ SAIL AWAY WITH ME 🚢

The latest copy of SAIL AWAY magazine just dropped through my letterbox, featuring my article on Disney Cruises for Adults.

Did you know the magazine is available across the U.K. in select stores? You can also subscribe and receive either a physical or digital copy, and if sailing from Southampton don’t forget pick up a free copy in the terminal!

13/11/2024

New blog post - the first of the many Black Friday offers:

https://cruiselowdown.com/blog/virgin-voyages-black-friday-2024

Virgin Voyages’ exclusive Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Travel Tuesday cruise sale: Buy one, get second 80% off, plus up to $300 in free drinks. Discover 2025 itineraries to Alaska, the Caribbean, and Europe, and enjoy all-inclusive perks like Wi-Fi, gratuities, world-class dining, and fitness classes...

24/10/2024

🇬🇷 Day 2 of Kathy& Bex’s Resilient Lady Adventure🇬🇷
Great start to the day - Ship Eats (room service) breakfast 🥓 🥐 with a view of Mykonos. (There is a $10 delivery charge which is waived if you are a Rock Star or if you buy a paid-for item such as a juice or speciality ☕️ ).

Virgin Voyages provided a free shuttle 🚌 into Mykonos Town which was as beautiful as I recalled, with whitewashed houses, blue wooden staircases and expensive shops. Stunning!

After a photoshoot 📸, courtesy of my daughter Bex, we returned to the ship and chilled for the afternoon on a very windy Richard’s Rooftop.

Dinner on Day 2 was at my favourite restaurant on each of the Ladyships - The Wake. We enjoyed the filet mignon steak🥩 and the best lamb chops at sea, plus all the sides. Delicious!

We then watched an intriguing and very entertaining Marc Paul Master Mentalist (a mind reading show) which culminated in him naming Bex’s pet from 25 years ago - amazing! 🤯

The evening continued with 🎶Karaoke 🎤 in the Social Club - where Bex performed a couple of numbers and I enjoyed a singalong, before finishing up at Klub Rubiks Not Your Average 80s party!

Another fun day on Resilient Lady!

08/10/2024

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - you just can’t have too many photos from different angles of your cruise ship!

[Ad] This is Ambassador Ambience in Rotterdam earlier this year. Look at that sky!

Who else just HAS to keep taking photos of their latest nautical crush?

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02/10/2024

🚢 Expedition Cruise Network Unveils 2024/25 Travel Trends! 🌍

Get ready for an incredible year of adventure! The latest report from the ECN highlights some exciting trends for the expedition cruise industry:

❄️ Polar destinations like Greenland, Alaska, and Antarctica are set for major growth as more travelers seek out icy adventures.

🌡️ Warm-weather hotspots are also booming! The Galapagos, Africa, Seychelles, and the Pacific Islands are seeing increased demand for unique, sun-soaked expeditions.

💰 With an average cruise price of £7,300, there are options for everyone—from affordable two-night river cruises in India to luxury voyages through the Arctic.

📅 Travelers are booking earlier, with an average 9-month booking window, but some plan up to 2 years in advance!

The future of expedition cruising is bright, offering diverse options for both thrill-seekers and luxury travelers. Where will your next adventure take you? 🌎 Read more on blog.

https://bit.ly/4epKyaB

Expedition Cruise Network Reveals 2024/25 Travel Trends: Polar and Warm Regions Lead the Way Key Findings Polar Regions including Greenland and Alaska tipped for 2025 Warm weather top hits for 2025 include Galapagos, Africa, Seychelles, India & Pacific Islands Average price of an e

02/10/2024

🚢✨ Huge congratulations to the winners of the first-ever Expedition Cruise Network (ECN) Awards! 🌍🏆

On 1 October 2024, the ECN recognised the best of the expedition cruise industry at the Bankside Hotel, London. Shoutout to the incredible operators, sellers, and individuals who are leading the way! 🎉

🏅 Top Winners:

🌍 Oceanwide Expeditions – Best Polar & Sustainability Operator
🌎HX Hurtigruten Expeditions – Best Warm Weather & Large Operator
🌏PONANT – Best Luxury Operator
🌎Polar Latitudes – Best Small Operator
🌍Polar Tracks – Best Expedition Cruise Agency
🌏Swoop Antarctica – Best Tour Operator
🌍Lucy Yeoman – Best Individual Seller
🌎Kenwood Travel – Best Newcomer

Special shoutout to John McKeon for his Lifetime Achievement Award and AE Expeditions for their Significant Achievement Award. 🏆👏