South Pacific As A Romantic Getaway?

Written by Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com & Bookpleasures.com


Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com and Bookpleasures.com, is pleased to have as a guest well known author, travel writer and expert onrepparttar South Pacific, David Stanley. David isrepparttar 133958 author of Moon Handbooks South Pacific.

Good day David and thank you for accepting our invitation to be interviewed.

NORM:

Please tell our readers something about yourself, your expertise andrepparttar 133959 books you have authored pertaining torepparttar 133960 South Pacific.

David:

I've earned a living from travel guidebooks since 1979, when Moon Publications of Rutland publishedrepparttar 133961 1st edition of SOUTH PACIFIC HANDBOOK . In November 2004, Avalon Travel Publishing of Emeryville, California, brought outrepparttar 133962 8th edition of Moon Handbooks South Pacific. I've also written Lonely Planet guides to Eastern Europe, Cuba, and Canada's Maritime Provinces. Lately I've been exploitingrepparttar 133963 power ofrepparttar 133964 Internet with sites like SOUTH PACIFIC.ORG: MAP SOUTH PACIFIC and CUBA PICTURES.

NORM:

When we talk aboutrepparttar 133965 South Pacific what exactly are we referring to and where is it situated in relation torepparttar 133966 USA or Canada?

David:

The "South Pacific" brochures printed by tour operators often focus on Australia and New Zealand, but those countries are quite different fromrepparttar 133967 tropical Pacific islands. Moon Handbooks South Pacific covers 15 insular countries and territories from Easter Island torepparttar 133968 Solomons. People tend to consider this region remote, yet it takes only two hours longer to fly from Los Angeles to Tahiti than it does to fly to Honolulu. Fiji is midway between Hawaii and New Zealand, torepparttar 133969 west of Tahiti.

NORM:

Would you considerrepparttar 133970 South Pacific a good choice for a romantic getaway or wedding and honeymoon destination? Why?

David:

All ofrepparttar 133971 main South Pacific destinations have attempted to market themselves as wedding or honeymoon destinations. Fiji andrepparttar 133972 Cook Islands have beenrepparttar 133973 most successful as weddings can be arranged locally with little fuss. In French Polynesia, marriages can only be performed for persons with 30 days residency, which excludes most tourists. Instead, French Polynesia has developed an active honeymoon industry with Bora Bora highly favored by bridal magazine writers who enjoyedrepparttar 133974 hospitality of luxury resorts. In my opinion, Moorea is Bora Bora's equal in all but name and is far less expensive. For a romantic getaway, I recommend Rarotonga inrepparttar 133975 Cook Islands. There is a lot to see and do within a compact area, and prices are fair.

NORM:

What isrepparttar 133976 best time to visitrepparttar 133977 South Pacific fromrepparttar 133978 point of view of weather, costs, crowds, andrepparttar 133979 availability of flights fromrepparttar 133980 USA, Canada and Europe?

David:

Officially,repparttar 133981 hurricane season inrepparttar 133982 South Pacific is from December to April, although with global warming it's starting earlier and ending later. Winter (May to October) is generally cooler, drier, and less humid throughout repparttar 133983 region,repparttar 133984 best time to go. May to August isrepparttar 133985 off-season in Australia and New Zealand; hence Air New Zealand's low season South Pacific airfares apply those months. So by a happy coincidence, you can enjoyrepparttar 133986 best weather forrepparttar 133987 lowest price if you schedule your trip at that time.

NORM:

How safe is it to travel torepparttar 133988 South Pacific?

David:

Very safe. "Terrorists" would stand out like sore thumbs on these small islands. Violent crime (muggings, etc) is almost unknown, but petty theft does occur. Nothing will go astray if a few simple precautions are taken. Contrary torepparttar 133989 image fostered by Hollywood and inrepparttar 133990 tourism brochures,repparttar 133991 island societies are socially conservative and scanty dress is frowned upon. Women traveling alone should avoid staying in isolated bungalows or wandering off on deserted beaches.

Want To Know More About Cruises & Cruise Ships?

Written by Norm Goldman, Editor of SketchandTravel.com & Bookpleasures.com


Today, Norm Goldman Editor of Sketchandtravel.com, is pleased to have as a guest of Sketchandtravel.com Douglas Ward, author of Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005, now into its twentieth year of publication, published by Berlitz Publishing.

Thank you Douglas for accepting our invitation to be interviewed.

Norm:

Douglas could you tell us something about yourself and why did you want to write a book about cruising and cruise ships?

Douglas:

I had worked aboard passenger ships for 17 years before forming an association of cruise passengers, who were looking for more comparative information about cruise ships and cruising. So was bornrepparttar idea forrepparttar 133957 book, which started with 120 ships and 256 pages. Today, after 20 years,repparttar 133958 book has grown to include 256 ocean-going ships, 656 pages, and half a million words.

Norm:

I noticed your first book on cruises and cruise ships was published twenty years ago, and you have been updating your book every year. How do you go about gathering material every year for these updates and how long does it take you to update your annual book?

Douglas:

First, it takes me a minimum of three hours a day, every single day ofrepparttar 133959 year, just to keeprepparttar 133960 book refreshed, up-to-date, and accurate. I also travel extensively, as much as 250 days each year. So, of course, I write while I am traveling, visiting, and sailing aboardrepparttar 133961 world's cruise ships.

Norm:

What makes cruises so appealing to honeymooners?

Douglas:

Cruises takerepparttar 133962 hassle out of planning a honeymoon, particularly with regard to language, cuisine/meals, entertainment, and so many other things that go towards making a honeymoon a fine, affordable vacation, and a complete escape fromrepparttar 133963 pressures of life ashore. Actually, it's also a good way to find out how a newlywed couple cope with living in a small space.

Norm:

Are you seeing more weddings performed on cruise ships lately? What should cruisers know about cruise ship weddings?

Douglas:

By nature of their (out ofrepparttar 133964 ordinary) appeal, more weddings are being performed aboard cruise ships today, simply because there is so much help at hand. The larger cruise lines have personnel dedicated to handling weddings and honeymoons, andrepparttar 133965 instant support of other personnel in cruise line head offices to draw from. Weddings can, in other words, be tailored completely torepparttar 133966 individuals concerned (and withoutrepparttar 133967 interference of well-meaning parents and other family members who can create stress and pressure on couples about to undergo, what is for many,repparttar 133968 most important ceremony of their lives).

Norm:

With so many cruise possibilities, how does one go about choosing a cruise and what should people take into consideration before deciding on any one cruise?

Douglas:

Choosing a cruise successfully depends on one's personal requirements and expectations from a vacation. First-time cruise goers would be well advised to talk to an established cruise booking specialist, who will be able to help you to chooserepparttar 133969 right ship and cruise, forrepparttar 133970 right reasons, taking into account your personal tastes and socio-economic considerations. There are so many choices today that there should be a ship and cruise to suit evenrepparttar 133971 most demanding and finicky of people. Perhapsrepparttar 133972 first decision, however, should be to establish how many days you can take for your vacation (including travel days to get to/fromrepparttar 133973 ship), and then think aboutrepparttar 133974 area you would like to cruise in. The most popular regions includerepparttar 133975 Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, Norwegian fjords and Baltic ports, and southeast Asia/Australasia. Those with more time who want more involvement with nature should consider visiting Antarctica orrepparttar 133976 Arctic regions (you would ideally need about three weeks). Then there is perhapsrepparttar 133977 ultimate in long distance cruising an aroundrepparttar 133978 world cruise, which typically would take three to four months (most ships offering complete aroundrepparttar 133979 world cruises there are about 15 in 2005  sail between January and April away from winter).

Norm:

Have you had any bad experiences on a cruise, and if so, please describe them.

Douglas:

I have had many bad experiences, but most of them cannot be written about, and most have been aboard ships and cruise lines that no longer exist, or have changed their names. However, there have been a few nasty transatlantic crossings (I have done 152 of them), whenrepparttar 133980 weather can throw some unexpected wrenches into what otherwise is perhaps a wonderful, serene way of traveling betweenrepparttar 133981 Old and New Worlds.

Norm:

After deciding on a particular cruise, how do you plan forrepparttar 133982 cruise and what important elements should you keep in mind?

Douglas:

Make sure you chooserepparttar 133983 right size ship for your needs. Do you want to be with 100, 500, 1000, or 3000 other passengers? Do you want to experience cruising under sail; cruising with specialist lecturers; be aboard a ship with spa facilities, large-scale production shows (a la Las Vegas), lots of gaming, or shopping opportunities? Whichever cruise you choose, try to makerepparttar 133984 travel arrangements as simple as possible. Sometimes,repparttar 133985 mere act of getting to and from your chosen cruise ship (or embarkation point) can prove frustrating. If you are a first-time cruise goer, try not to do everything on your first cruise it could end up being more like an endurance test.

Norm:

Can you tell our readers something aboutrepparttar 133986 different cabins that are available on cruises and what to look out for?

Douglas:

First-timers would be best advised to book an outside cabin (a cabin with an outside view) rather than an interior (no view) cabin. So, when you wake up, you won't be disoriented, and youll be able to see whatrepparttar 133987 weather is like, which helps you decide what to wear each day. Typically,repparttar 133988 more space you want,repparttar 133989 higherrepparttar 133990 cost. Large suites with private balconies costrepparttar 133991 most (some can measure up to 3000 square feet), while interior cabins that measure as little as 70 square feet will, of course, feel incredibly small. Typically, you get what you pay for. The average cabin size aboard today's larger cruise ships (they are really floating resorts) would be approximately 180-200 square feet.

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