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Voyages To Antiquity Cruises. 7 Things You Need To Know Before Cruising
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Jan 29, 2025
I share the 7 things you need to know about Voyages to Antiquity cruise line if your are considering cruising with them, or have booked a cruise vacation and want to be prepared. I also share some watch-outs. I cover topics including what the line offers, the sort of cruise passengers it attracts and who it is best suited for, dress code, what the fare includes and excludes - and why they may offer better value than other cruise lines you are considering. #cruisetips #cruisingtips #voyagestoantiquity Note: I travelled as a guest of the cruise line before making this video but still give my honest thoughts as I know you would expect no less. Subscribe and get a new video every week to help you make more of your precious travel time and money on both land and at sea: http://bit.ly/TFT_YouTube2 Support the channel by looking for your next cruise and best deals on CRUISEDIRECT.COM: http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-8330795-10511118 Consider becoming a Tips For Travellers Patron. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers Follow Tips For Travellers on: - Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/garybembridge - Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers - Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge
View Video Transcript
0:00
hi I'm Gary Bemidji and this is another
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of my tips for travelers in this episode
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we take a look at the Cruise Line
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voyages to antiquity and I'm an explorer
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seven things that you need to know
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before considering cruising with this
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Cruise Line including a number of red
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important watch outs the first of all
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remember please subscribe to this
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channel because that way every single
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week you'll be reminded that there's
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another video packed full of travel tips
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advice and inspiration voyage to
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antiquity is a small independently owned
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cruise line that focuses on educating
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and enriching passengers about the
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port's that they go to so at the time
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recording it is a one ship cruise line
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they have the Aegean Odyssey and the
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generous II was originally built as a
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ferry it was converted in the late 1980s
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to a passenger ship and has gone through
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many changes since then and the ship is
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constantly refreshed and updated all the
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itineraries tend to focus on ports that
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either have historical cultural or an
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archaeological importance or
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significance to them they really aim to
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make sure that passengers know a lot
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about the places they're calling on
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before and when they're calling on them
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the passengers on the cruise line are
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extremely loyal and you'll find that
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you'll talk to people who've been on
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multiple trips often booking exactly the
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same cabin what type of passengers are
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they well first of all they're
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english-speaking because the whole
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cruise is operated very much in English
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they tend to be from the US Canada
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Australia and the UK passengers also
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tend to be over older so they tend to be
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in there 50 60 70 s and above they tend
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to be quite well educated because
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they're very interested in the history
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the culture and the stories of the
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places that they're going to they're
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also often be a lot of groups onboard
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which again are on kind of cultural or
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educational type tours if you're looking
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for a cruise which is very unlikely to
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have children on voyages to antiquity is
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a good option or just antiquity is also
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a great option if you're a solo traveler
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they have a lot of solar cabins at all
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different grades and they're also often
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have promotions where there are no
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supplements for occupying the standard
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cabins you'll also find the passengers
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are relatively fit and able because
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they're visiting archaeological sites or
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old historical sites you deserve walking
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involved often over uneven surfaces and
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things like steppes so people tend to be
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quite fit although the passengers tend
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to be a little bit older
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there are quite fit and active voices
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turn tickety follow what is very similar
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to a european river cruise approach to
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fairs so the fairs are largely
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all-inclusive so when you look at the
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fairs for a trip Bera mind is likely to
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include your airfare transfers often a
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pre and post cruise activities and stays
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so the first tend to be a package
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including all of those things the
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following is included within your fare
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once you're onboard your accommodation
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obviously food which include breakfast
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lunch afternoon tea dinner there's also
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late-night snacks and there is a limited
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room service also available drinks at
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dinner time are included so wine and
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beers are included but all other drinks
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outside at that time are extras
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gratuities are included although you
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will pay a gratuity if you're buying
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drinks of twelve and a half percent and
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another very very important inclusion is
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excursions it pretty much every single
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port will have at least one excursion
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and often you'll find up to choice of
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two or three excursions so what's not
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included well drinks outside the
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mealtimes are not included Wi-Fi is not
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included laundry is not included and
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there's no guest laundromat onboard and
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then of course discretionary spend like
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spend in the shop or in the spa what's
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very important is after your first
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cruise you do become a member of the
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odyssey Club and you'll find this a lot
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of extras included in that some Wi-Fi
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some laundry so take a look at also what
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the benefits are after the first cruise
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so if you're looking at their fares
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whilst on the surface they sometimes may
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seem a little bit higher bear in mind
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there are a lot of things included
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taking a look at the brochure I would
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say on average you can expect to pay
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from around about 175 pounds about 200
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US dollars a day up to about 400 pounds
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500 US dollars per day now the fourth
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thing I think you need to know is around
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the dress code there is no set dress
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code on board and it tends to be
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relatively casual in the evenings you'll
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find that people do tend to get dressed
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up a little bit to go to the Marco Polo
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dining room so you'll often find general
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only have jackets on ladies will have
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smart dresses on again you'll find are
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things like the captain's Welcome Party
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most people want to put on jacket or
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smart dresses so you'd have to worry
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about bringing outs of formal wear and
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again it's much more focused on making
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sure you bring the right clothes for the
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excursions and the sightseeing now
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funding on from that the fifth thing I
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think you need to know is what is the
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onboarding
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like it's casual it's civilized and it's
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attentive it's a very casual approach so
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as I mentioned there's no formal nights
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there's no garland nights a dress code
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is casual it's open seated dining not
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very stuffy and not very formal it's
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very civilized you'll find there lots of
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talks there's lots of educational events
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and activities you'll find classical
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music being played you'll find quizzes
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you often find people just sitting
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around on the decks or in the public
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rooms reading on things like see days so
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it's a relatively civilized and quite a
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car approached Terms of Service is
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pretty attentive the ship only holds
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around about 350 passengers at any one
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time so the crew can get to know you
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quite easily so little touches of
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example even at the informal dining
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restaurant the Terrace Cafe the staff
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they will always insist on taking your
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tray to the table so it's casual it's
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civilized but attentive the Juneau Sea
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is a relatively small ship so facilities
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are relatively limited there are two
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dining venues you have the Marco Polo
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restaurant which is the formal
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restaurant you have the Terrace Cafe
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which has both an indoor and an outdoor
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area that is a buffet service restaurant
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in terms of bars and lounges the main
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one is the Charleston bar which is very
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popular hub you then have the Ambassador
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lounge this is a very large space it can
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hold everybody on board at one time it's
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where you'll have things like the
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captain's receptions where all the talks
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are held it's where the port briefings
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are held her up on the ship is the
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Observation Lounge you also have the
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Lido bar which is very popular
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particularly when sailing in warm
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climates got the pool deck you have the
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Athena spa which has a very small
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fitness center
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there's also a small hairdressing salon
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there's a library which has got lots of
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books puzzles and there's a shop budget
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activity doesn't have big production
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shows so entertainment again is
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relatively low-key so you've gonna have
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things like quizzes you might have some
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dance classes there might be vegetable
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and fruit sculpting there's a classical
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trio normally also a musical duo on
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board and then the cruise director will
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often hold cabaret doing themed evenings
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for example around the 60s but the main
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focus is enrichment and they will
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normally be on board three lecturers
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they're all eminent and experts some
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still lecturing in various universities
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around the world so
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will often be two to three talks a day
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that extremely well attended I reckon
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that 95% of the people on board will go
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and watch the sick thing you need to
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know is about excursions as I mentioned
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excursions are included within the fair
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there are some optional excursions
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offered usually if the ship is staying
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overnight and a port where you do have
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to pay for those most sports we'll have
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one excursion but in many places there
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will be three so for example on the
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cruise that I'm recording this on which
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went to Iceland in most of the ports of
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call there are three excursions that you
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could choose from some where part days
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some were all day and they have a local
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guide normally someone from the ship is
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also with you and they use the quiet Vox
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system so very similar to European river
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cruises where you can hear the guide up
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to 50 feet or more away the excursions
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are designed for all fitness levels and
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each of the Scotians will have ratings
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in terms of how much walking there is
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Hamilton uneven territory there is how
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many steps and whether it involves
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getting in and out of boats a lot of the
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places they go do require a certain
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degree of fitness although there will
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often be a tour included which has more
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driving or coach and less walking expect
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to be walking and much more active than
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perhaps some of the excursions on other
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cruise lines when you embark on your
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cruise card there'll be a little colored
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sticker and a group number that's the
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group that you will do all of your
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excursion with the tours will always
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build on and focus on the education
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enrichment side so you'll go to
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archaeological sites but perhaps some
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old heritage sites
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perhaps places of natural beauty various
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cultural immersion sites or museums but
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it's very designed to help you
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understand and learn about the port and
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destination you're visiting so what are
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the more charts with voyage to antiquity
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as I mentioned this is a cruise line
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that's designed for people who want to
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go on vacation and they want to learn
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and enrich themselves they want to
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really delve into the history and the
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culture and the significance of the
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places that they're visiting so it is a
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very different way of seeing
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destinations and I can understand why
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that won't appeal to everybody many
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people are very lost because they can go
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to the Mediterranean they can give the
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Caribbean they go to South Africa
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wherever they go to they're going to see
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in a different way as perhaps on other
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cruise lines which are going to be much
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more focused around the lighter side of
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destinations and much more
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around the beaches or the entertainment
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or those kind of activities this is very
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much for people who want to get deep
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into the stories the history the
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architecture and the culture of the
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places they visit the Aegean Odyssey is
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a relatively old ship it's very well
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maintained if it's a very classic star
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so for example less than 25% of the
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cabins have balconies again that won't
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appeal to everybody so voyages to
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antiquity is a different kind of cruise
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line it's small it's independent and at
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the time recording in certainly has one
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very distinctive ship so if you're
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looking for an enrichment experience you
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want to go and visit ports that are
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perhaps a little bit more off the beaten
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track then I would definitely consider
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it for its turn integrity hope you found
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this overview our voyages to antiquity
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interesting and helpful and if you did
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I'd love it if you watched many more of
9:44
my tips or traveler's videos because
9:46
you'll get more travel inspiration
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advice and tips to help you make even
9:51
more of your very precious travel time
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and money
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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