World Cruises Offer a Wide Range of Destinations and World Class Luxuries

Today, world cruises offer travelers more choices than ever before, from traveling on large ships that accommodate 2,000 passengers, to sailing on smaller vessels that can navigate into little known, secluded bays.Several cruise lines offer world cruises in 2011. Some of the more specialized world cruises include the Holland America Line, Crystal Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and the Yachts of Seabourn. Each of these world cruise lines have particular characteristics that separate them into distinctive categories, and, therefore, appeal to different groups of travelers.



Holland America cruises has a long and proud history of delivering extraordinary vacation experiences, starting with its first ship in 1873. It is recognized as one of the prodigious emperors in the cruise industry. Holland America's fleet of 15 ships offers over 500 cruises from more than 38 home ports, and covers all seven continents. Holland America cruise ships range in size from the Prinsendam carrying 793 passengers to the newest class of ships accommodating more than 2000 passengers. Holland America Grand World Voyages has eight separate grand voyages ranging in length from 29 days to a 110 day cruise.



The 110 day, Holland America Grand World Voyage starts and ends at Ft. Lauderdale circumnavigating the entire world, and docking at more than 40 ports of call. Other shorter cruises target certain sections of the globe. Some start at Fort Lauderdale, and disembark either in Australia, or New Zealand. Others start at Australia or New Zealand, and sail to Greece, China, or the United Arab Emirates. Some of the ships are dedicated to a particular theme that may include museum quality art works, antiques, Mayan art, or a tribute to the world's great music.



In 2010, Crystal Cruises will offer a 110 day voyage on the Crystal Serenity starting from Los Angeles and ending in London. The Crystal Serenity also has a 94 day voyage that is round trip sailing from and returning to Los Angeles in 2011. Other 2011 excursions on the Crystal Serenity include shorter trips to Papeete, Auckland, Sydney, Singapore, Mumbai, Cape Town, and London. These shorter voyages have attractive special offers that include 2 for1 fares, free air travel, and "As You Wish" spending credits with varying limits.



The Regent Seven Seas 2011 world cruise has a striking 145 night voyage. Sail on the Seven Seas Voyager from San Francisco west through the South Sea Islands, up through the Suez Canal, and across the Mediterranean to Southampton, England. The Regent Seven Seas world cruise is offering you an opportunity to personalize your own cruise itinerary by allowing you to combine several cruises of your choice into one perfect cruise. In October, 2010, Regent Seven Seas Cruises was voted the world's best cruise line in the "large ship" category by the 2010 Cond

Holland America Line Review - To the US and Beyond

The Holland America Line is one of the longest-standing cruise lines on the planet, having been founded more than 130 years ago. Founded in the Dutch port of Rotterdam it provided services to the Americas, and initially was known as the Dutch-America Steamship Company. It played a major part in early European immigration to the United States, with a total of more than 850,000 passengers taking the opportunity to become part of the then still-young nation.For the first twenty years of its life, the Holland America Line was concerned with passenger and freight transport, but in 1895 it began the service for which it is now known - vacation cruises.



It was much later, in 1971, that it brought an end to its direct transatlantic services and two years later it sold off its cargo shipping arm, becoming concerned solely with its cruise package. In 1989 it was purchased by the Carnival corporation, and has become part of the overall Carnival family which is also now the subsidiary owner of another venerable passenger line, the Cunard crusie line.Its 14 ships today travel to seven different continents, and carry 700,000 passengers each year - an average total of 50,000 passengers per ship.



Among this fleet is the Prinsendam, a luxury liner purchased from the Seabourn line which carries 793 passengers. Among its other interests are the Alaska and Yukon-based Westmark hotel chain, the Gray Line bus companies of Seattle and Alaska and its own private island - the Caribbean hideaway of Little San Salvador Island, which has been renamed Half Moon Cay by the company. Nearly all Holland America cruises that pass through the area stop at Half Moon Cay for at least one day.The chairman of Carnival Corp.



, Micky Arison (son of Carnival founder Ted Arison), has recently stated that no new ships will be built for the Holland America Line until such time as an improvement is seen in the global financial situation. This still leaves a weighty fleet, of course, and there is no immediate concern over the future of the line. Indeed the company can still boast proudly of a service operation that sees each ship having nearly one crew member for every two guests on their cruises - allowing a real feel of convenience and quality.



This commitment to quality is borne out by the numerous awards won by the line garnered by its well-reputed level of service.The Holland America cruise ship line is pitched at the higher end of the market, with the company's website expressing its determination to provide an enriching experience for its customers. This is borne out in its portfolio of activities, with the Prinsendam for example offering gourmet cooking lessons and a well-stocked library, and all its ships priding themselves on the high quality menu served in an elegant atmosphere.



It is towards this end of the market that Holland America cruises will continue to direct its operations, and with over 130 years of shipping experience they as much as anyone can be trusted to provide a continuing high level of service.