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Topic
#3087

Cruise ship holidays (vacations) are, in general, far better compared to any other type of holiday (vacation)

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The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

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After 3 votes and with 11 points ahead, the winner is...

Intelligence_06
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Description

The definition of a cruise ship holiday is quite simple. It is to purchase a package like the examples in the link, and take a vacation onboard the cruise ship. Though obviously you are allowed off the cruise ship also.

Round 1
Pro
#1
Thank you to Con for accepting this debate & Good luck


Definition


I will use Wikipedia to describe in general what a typical Cruise ship holiday entails.


Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, they typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "shore excursions".
Fly cruise
Notice that it states above that they "typically" embark on round-trip voyages. Though this is not always the case. There is such a thing as a "fly cruise".
A fly-cruise, as described below, is a cruise where-by you can fly from a choice of airports to the nearest airport your cruise is departing. So if you enjoy flying, then go for a fly cruise.


www.cruise118.com/cruise-deals/fly-cruises/?wth_deal=true&nights=6%2C35&prices_from_type=cf&cruiseline_name=Carnival%20Cruise%20Line%2CCelebrity%20Cruises%2CCruise%20and%20Maritime%20Voyages%2CCunard%2CFred%20Olsen%20Cruise%20Lines%2CHolland%20America%20Line%2CMSC%20Cruises%2CNorwegian%20Cruise%20Line%2CP%26O%20Cruises%2CPrincess%20Cruises%2CRoyal%20Caribbean&exclude_embarkation_port_tk=Glasgow%20(Greenock)%2CNewcastle%2C%20England%20%2CNewcastle%2C%20UK%2CPortsmouth%2C%20UK%2CBristol%2CLondon%20(HMS%20Belfast)%2C%20England%2CEdinburgh%20(Leith)%20United%20Kingdom%2CHarwich%2C%20England%2CLondon%2CPortsmouth%2CDundee%2C%20Scotland%2CHull%2CLiverpool%2C%20England%2CEdinburgh%2CNewhaven%2C%20United%20Kingdom%2CLondon%2C%20Gatwick%2CEdinburgh%20(Newhaven)%2CDover%2C%20England%2CLondon%20(Tilbury)%2C%20England%2CEdinburgh%20(Rosyth)%20Scotland%20%2CSouthampton%2C%20England%2CSouthampton%2CGlasgow%20(Greenock)%2CLondon%20(Greenwich)&page_featured_offers=238448%2C239198%2C258698
A fly-cruise is a cruise with flights included in a package deal. You can fly from a choice of regional UK airports to the airport nearest to the port from which your cruise ship departs.
Cruise and stay
You also get Cruise and Stay holidays. Where you take a cruise that is not returning to the destination it departed from. This type of cruise is intended for those that wish to enjoy a luxury cruise "and" a prolonged stay at a certain destination, where one can enjoy a tourist resort, or a bit of camping, driving, or whatever type of holiday they wish to enjoy, before returning to their cruise ship to either sail home, if it is sailing back, or, if not, then to catch their all inclusive flight home.


Cruise & Stay is a great option if you fancy extending your holiday and getting to see more of a particular destination. You can spend a week cruising, followed by 3, 4 or 7 nights at one of our cherry-picked hotels or apartments. Or you can do it the other way around and spend 7 nights in a hotel before setting sail.


Cost effectiveness

Cruises are a good choice of holiday because they can be very cost effective, ranging anywhere from a £219pp, 2 night, Guernsey taster, to a 144 night, £64,199pp World Cruise.


For £219pp one will typically get:


  • All meals onboard inclusive + free buffet
  • Activities
  • Spa
  • Evening entertainment & Broadway style shows
  • Pay as you go Speciality restaurants
  • Sports facilities such as tennis, mini-golf & 10-pin bowling
  • Library, casino & games room
  • Duty free shopping
  • Bars and lounges with all inclusive drinks packages available
  • swimming pools
  • Gym, sauna and whirlpools
  • Cinema
  • Art gallery
  • Children's indoor and outdoor playroom and activities
  • Shore excursions
  • Choice of Cabins


For £219 you can usually get a decent outer Cabin for two nights which comes with:


  • Air Conditioning
  • Bathroom with shower
  • Desk
  • Double bed that can be converted to two single beds
  • Safe
  • Wardrobe
  • Telephone
  • Television
  • Wireless internet access (for a fee)
  • Interior


For a little extra you can usually get an interior which will typically come with the addition of:


  • Mini bar
  • Balcony


Or a balcony:


  • Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors
  • Private Ocean view balcony
  • Private veranda with seating
  • Sofa
Suite
And finally for £679pp a Suite:


  • 24-hour room service
  • Armchair
  • Bathroom with bathtub and shower
  • Free B&B
  • Double sofa bed
  • Free room service delivery
World cruise
Now that is not bad for as little as £219pp. Getting to see a new country at the same time as enjoying pure luxury for two nights, not to mention fine dining.
But at the other end of the scale, for as much as £64,199pp you can visit a whole host of destinations, including:


  • Miami
  • George Town, Grand Cayman
  • Cruise the Caribbean
  • Cartagena, Colombia
  • Transit the Panama Canal
  • Cruise the Pacific Ocean
  • Manta
  • Salaverry
  • Lima
  • Some destinations are overnight on board, so if you want to hire a car, or campervan, or visit a holiday resort and do a bit of beaching, you have the opportunity to do so.
  • Hanga Roe, Easter Island
  • Fakarava
  • Rangiroa
  • Raiatea
  • Papeete, Tahiti
  • Bora Bora
  • Pago Pago
  • Lautoka
  • Suva
  • Champagne bay
  • Port Villa
  • Alatau
  • Cruise the Coral Sea
  • Cairns
  • Thursday Island
  • Darwin
  • Cruise the Indian Ocean
  • Benoa, Bali
  • Celukan, Bawang
  • Surabaya
  • Cruise the South China Sea
  • Muara, Brunei
  • Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
  • Puerto Princesa
  • Boracay
  • Manila
  • Okinawa
  • Ishigaki
  • Taipei, Keelung
  • Hong Kong
  • Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Hue
  • Ho Chi Minh City
  • Cruise the gulf of Thailand
  • Bangkok
  • Koh Samui
  • Singapore
  • Kuala lumpur
  • Penang
  • Phuket
  • Sabang
  • Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • Male
  • Goa
  • Mumbai
  • Muscat
  • Dubai
  • Abu Dhabi
  • Salalah
  • Praslin
  • Mahe, Seychelles
  • Nosy Be, Madagascar
  • Mayotte
  • Maputo
  • Richards bay
  • Mossel bay
  • Cape town
  • Cruise the Atlantic Ocean
  • Walvis bay
  • Bom Bom Island
  • Lome
  • Sekondi, Takoradi
  • Abidjan
  • Dakar
  • Mindelo, Sao Vincent
  • Santa Cruise, Tenerife
  • Arrecife, Lanazarote
  • Agadir
  • Grenada
  • Alicante
  • Barcelona
Included
Included in a package such as a world cruise, will generally be services included, such as:


  • All Inclusive
  • Free shore Excursions
  • Inclusive Drinks
  • Free Flights
  • Free Wifi
  • Free airport transfers
  • Free door to door luggage service
  • Free laundry facilities
  • Free phonecalls
  • Free hotel stays
  • Elegant Casual Dress Code, with formal and semi formal nights that are not usually strict
  • soaps, shampoos and lotions.
  • Open Bars and Lounges
  • Welcome Bottle of Champagne.
  • gourmet restaurants
  • Continental dining
  • indoor and outdoor dining
  • poolside grill
  • Unlimited Beverages
  • 24-hour Room Service
  • Free speciality restuarants
  • Fitness Programs, Sauna and Steam Rooms
  • Onboard Activities Including Expert Guest Lectures, Theatre Performance and Entertainment.
Cabins
What you get in a Cabin can range from:


  • 1 Marble and Stone Detailed Bathroom
  • 24 hour room service
  • Accommodation Up To 3 Guests
  • Satellite Phone
  • King-size bed
  • FREE unlimited Wi-Fi
  • Mini-Bar
  • Interactive flat-screen television and movies-on-demand
  • Private balcony
  • bathrobes and slippers
  • Shoe shine service
  • Vanity and hairdryer
  • Safe
Extra money
And for a more expensive suite, added additions of:


  • Binoculars
  • SoundLink Mini II Bluetooth Speaker
  • Personal butler
  • Spacious Living Room
  • Free flowers every day
  • Whole host of other extras
Average working person
But for an average working person on an average wage taking off on their yearly seven to fourteen day holiday, one can generally expect the following:


Modern cruise ships typically have aboard some or all of the following facilities:
Casino — Only open when the ship is at sea to avoid conflict with local laws
Shops — Only open when the ship is at sea to avoid merchandising licensing and local taxes
Spa
Fitness center
Library
Theatre with Broadway-style shows
Cinema
Indoor and/or outdoor swimming pool with water slides
Hot tub
Buffet restaurant
Lounges
Clubs
Pool tables
Ping pong tables
Infirmary and morgue[41]
Card room
Observation lounge
Karaoke
Teen Lounges
Child care facilities[42]
Some ships have bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, sky-diving simulators, miniature golf courses, video arcades, ziplines, surfing simulators, basketball courts, tennis courts, chain restaurants, ropes obstacle courses, and even roller coasters.[43]


Jacuzzis and nightclubs
I am however perturbed that the list does not specifically mention poolside Jacuzzi's and nightclubs, as every cruise ship I have been on has Jacuzzis and nightclubs, and those are my two favourite things.

Also included in that list should be free all inclusive dining and free buffet, as well as pay as you eat speciality restaurants.


Destinations
Cruise to nowhere
If one fancies, you can take a mystery cruise were you do not even know the destination. But you can also take a Cruise to nowhere, which is were you are not stopping at any ports of call, but simply cruising the open seas before returning to the port you departed from.


A two-night, three-day cruise to nowhere can offer a quick vacation for a very reasonable price. Ships depart from their home port and sail in a loop to and from the same port, without any other stops. Passengers enjoy all the onboard amenities offered on a longer cruise, without the worry of port stops, tender boats, or the added cost of booking shore excursions. Major cruise lines offer these voyages in between longer trips, or when a ship has arrived at a new port for the season.
Limitless
The destinations you can visit on a cruise ship holidays are virtually limitless. Depending on how much one is willing to pay, you can take in any number of the destinations below in just one cruise, all the way up to a world cruise which might include nearly all of those destinations:


  • Africa
  • Alaska
  • Amazon river cruise
  • Antarctic
  • Arctic
  • Asia
  • Australasia
  • Azores
  • Baltic
  • Bahamas
  • British Isles
  • Black Sea
  • Cuba
  • Canada
  • Canary Islands
  • Central America
  • Caribbean
  • Dubai
  • Dublin
  • Europe
  • Far East
  • Galapagos
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Hawaii
  • Indian ocean
  • Las vegas
  • Middle East
  • Mexico
  • Mediterranean
  • Norway
  • North america
  • Panama Canal
  • Pacific islands
  • Red Sea
  • South East Asia
  • Scandinavia
  • South America
  • Svalbard

Cruise lines


There is also a great deal of choice. From "balcony-laden floating condominiums" (also known as floating cities) to small cruise ships such as Fred Olsen's Black Watch, each has its own uniqueness. There are currently 323 Cruise ships in operation with a worldwide ocean cruise capacity of 581,200 passengers.


Total worldwide ocean cruise capacity at the end of 2021 will be 581,200 passengers and 323 ships.

List of cruise lines


  • Azamara Cruises
  • Celestyal Cruises
  • Costa Cruises
  • Celebrity Cruises
  • Carnival Cruise Line
  • Cunard
  • Disney Cruise Line
  • Fred. Olsen
  • Hurtigruten
  • Holland America Line
  • MSC Cruises
  • Marella Cruises
  • Norwegian Cruise Line
  • Oceania Cruises
  • P&O Cruises
  • Princess Cruises
  • Riviera Travel Ocean
  • Regent Seven Seas
  • Royal Caribbean
  • Silversea Cruises
  • Seabourn
  • Saga Ocean Cruises
  • Tradewind Voyages
  • Virgin Voyages
Crew


The amount of Crew on a cruise ship is usually extensive, and you will never find on any other holiday a workforce so dedicated and friendly as what you will find on a cruise ship. They always have a smile on their face, extremely polite and hard working. But they will do absolutely "everything" for you. You "really are on holiday". You do nothing except relax and enjoy yourself from start to finish.


Piracy


Whilst Piracy has happened, it is extremely rare, and you are probably safer on a cruise ship than on any other type of holiday, as Cruise ships do carry arms, and have security that are trained to use arms, and they will use them to fight off Pirates. This is something most people do not have on any other type of holiday. Most people do not have their own body guard.


Security guards aboard an Italian cruise ship 500 miles off the coast of Somalia traded gunfire with pirates this weekend as almost 1,000 passengers waited anxiously in their cabins to know whether they would continue their journey as holidaymakers or hostages.
The pirates drew alongside the liner in a small speedboat on Saturday night and sprayed the bridge with automatic rifle fire. But as they attempted to board the vessel, Israeli security guards on board opened fire with pistols, forcing the pirates to retreat.
Balmoral is a cruise ship owned and operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. She was built in 1988 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, West Germany, as Crown Odyssey for Royal Cruise Line. She has also sailed for the Norwegian Cruise Line as Norwegian Crown and Orient Lines as Crown Odyssey. In 2007–2008 she was lengthened by 30 m (98 ft) at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg prior to entering service with her current operator.[1][4]
Capacity
The first thing I noticed when stepping on the ship was the amount of friendly staff. The Balmoral carries 530 staff to 1,325 passengers. That is not far off one member of staff for every two passengers. I also noticed how sophisticated clean and tidy everything is, as the friendly staff, mostly South east Asians work tirelessly and endlessly constantly cleaning and relentlessly keeping a watch on the passengers and seeing who they can be a service to.


Capacity:
1,325 passengers

Crew:
530

Norwegian fjords, seven nights
The destination was Norway. 7 nights. I got quite a good last minute price at around £575pp and never have I went on holiday before feeling like I got good value for my money. Over the 7 days I drank over £300 worth of alcohol on an all inclusive drinks package with all my food paid for I was endlessly in the buffet tasting all the different types of foods until my heart was content and then relaxing in the poolside Jacuzzi with my favourite pint of lager in my hand, whilst others went for a small glass with a little umbrella. In the evening it was off to the theatre to watch a Broadway style show, which was always absolutely amazing. I also got the best and most stylish haircut of my life for actually probably less than it would cost at home.
The Norwegian Fjords were absolutely majestic, just look at them. They completely put the Scottish highlands to shame, and to cruise along them sitting in the outside bar on Deck 5 was an absolute dream I was not expecting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML-JwZIxno0


The first destination was Bergen, where I ended up getting ripped off sitting on one of those silly red tourist open top busses, only to quickly realise that I could have just gotten a normal bus for like 10 times less, and I ended up getting off at the mount Floyen funicular railway which has a train that in no time at-all travels up the rather large mountain right to the top where awaits a theme park and the perfect place to have a cup of coffee, and maybe buy a Troll from a mountain top souvenir shop. I will also add that you can get a train up to the top of mount floyen and back down for less than you can sit on a red open top bus. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlJJhfhk7lw


Walking back down the mountain was quite a leisurely experience, picking strawberries along the way. Then it was back to the Balmoral that evening to head for the second destination which was Flam, and Flam is probably to date my favourite ever shore experience.


I ended up on the Flam railway line which is by far the most majestic experience I have ever encountered. It is something out of a children's fairy tail the way the train travels across sparkling unpolluted rivers and ravines, then through tunnels and winds around and round the mountains getting higher and higher in elevation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHuGHrzwlqE


The Flåm Line (Norwegian: Flåmsbana) is a 20.2-kilometer (12.6 mi) long railway line between Myrdal and Flåm in Aurland Municipality, in Vestland county, Norway. A branch line of the Bergen Line, it runs through the valley of Flåmsdalen and connects the mainline with Sognefjord. The line's elevation difference is 866 meters (2,841 ft); it has ten stations, twenty tunnels and one bridge. The maximum gradient is 5.5 percent (1:18). Because of its steep gradient and picturesque nature, the Flåm Line is now almost exclusively a tourist service and has become the third-most visited tourist attraction in Norway.
The next stop was Olden which has the Leon sky lift, though I passed up on it, and then Helesink, before sadly heading back for Britain.
However there is no way on any other type of holiday I could have drank so much. Spent so much time in a Jacuzzi. Ate so much and enjoyed Broadway and West end shows as well as the majestic scenery of the fjords and the wonderful different destinations that I did, on as little as £575pp.


Iceland & Greenland


My second cruise experience was again with Fred Olsen. This time on the smaller ship, the Black Watch.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Black_Watch_(1971)MS Black Watch is a Royal Viking Star-class cruise ship that's currently serving as accommodation vessel. She was built by Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard, Finland for Royal Viking Line as Royal Viking Star, entering service in 1972. She has also sailed for Norwegian Cruise Lines as Westward and Royal Cruise Line as Star Odyssey.
It was a fourteen night cruise departing from Liverpool and the first destination was an overnight onboard stay in Iceland. As we were stopped in Iceland for two days I did something a little unique and hired a car from Reykjavik and circles the Island, spending the night in a bed and breakfast before handing the car back next afternoon before returning to the ship to set off for the Southern tip of Greenland.
I expected Greenland to be the highlight, however driving around Iceland is also a majestic experience. It is like driving in the Jurassic period with smoke billowing out of the ground everywhere and one cannot escape the smell of eggs. Quite a few geezers to, as well as a few impressive water-falls. And of course walking a few hundred yards on the glacier was fun. 
In Greenland it was good to see Icebergs for the first time in my life. But I have to say at the Southern tip, Greenland is more appropriately named than one would imagine, it is actually quite Green, though there is little in between. One is travelling down the fjord when all of a sudden one is hit with the Icewall, and from there forth Greenland is white. We made three stops at some small villages. Qaqortoq. Narsarsuaq and Nanortalik (forgive the spellings). It was good to walk amongst the Inuits though there was little else to do. The highlight was probably when back on the ship a whale came to greet us doing summersaults. I thought the fjords of Greenland would have been even more impressive than the fjords of Norway, so a slight dissapointment there, as the fjords of greenland are not a patch on the majestic mountainouos Norwegian fjords.
But to be able to do all this whilst having the luxury of Jacuzzis and bars and lounges and nightclub and broadway shows makes it something even more special that you just don't get on other types of holidays. And going to see a broadway show every night in a theatre anywhere else would cost an arm and a leg, yet on a cruise holiday it is all paid for already.

Portugal, & Spain

My next cruise was a P&0 Cruise on The Ventura.

MV Ventura is a Grand-class cruise ship of the P&O Cruises fleet. The 116,017 GT ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in MonfalconeItaly and is 288.6 m (947 ft) long. She officially entered service with the company in April 2008 and was named by Dame Helen Mirren.[5]Ventura underwent a refit at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in HamburgGermany, during March and April 2013, and re-entered service on 7 April 2013 with a voyage to Spain and Portugal.
Capacity
The Ventura is a much bigger ship with a Capacity of 3,192 passengers.

Capacity:
  • 3,192 passengers

11 nights

This cruise departed from Southampton and the first stop was Lisbon, Portugal. It was eleven nights and cost around £775pp.
At Lisbon I went on my first ever official shore excursion were we got on a bus to the Obidos christmas village. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktf4c5iHxbA
Spent a couple of hours in a cafe and then headed back to the bus and back to the ship.
The highlight of this excursion was the Ginja I bought in Obidos, and when back on board the ship we had a good time drinking that out of chocolate cups, before devouring the chocolate. 
The next stop was Cadiz, and this is were I began an adventure, and friends I made on the ship doubted I would be back on the ship in 4 days time.
The ship was going to the beaches of the Costa del Sol, however I was not. I was going to the beach of the Sahara desert and the plan was to meet the Ventura back in Gibraltar in 4 days time.
That morning in Cadiz we rushed off the boat and jumped in a taxi to Tarifa and crossed the strait by ferry to Tangier in Morocco.
It took a couple of hours to get the hire car finalised which was annoying. I almost cancelled the adventure. However around 4pm, roughly 2 hours behind schedule I finally got behind the wheel and got on the road that leads to the Sahara desert. Spent the night in a Motel near Azrou, before departing first thing in the morning and continuing down the N13, crossing the Atlas mountains and then out in to the open plains.
I reached Taouz in the Sahara desert in the evening just before the sun was to set. I did not feel the blistering heat of the Sahara desert that they talk about, but perhaps I was only on the peripheries, and it was december as well. But I did see some Camals. In fact I saw my very first wild Camal walking along the side of the road just as I was approaching the glorious sand dunes of Erg Chebbi en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erg_Chebbi#/media/File:Merzouga_Dunes_2011.jpg
I was supposed to spend the night in a B&B in Khamlia, but despite my long drive already, I felt fine, and decided to drive passed Khamlia and get as far back up the N13 as possible in order to make good time for definitely reboarding the luxury cruiseship.
The sun set pretty quickly and before long I was driving North under moonlight, and let me tell you, there is no other glorious night sky than out in the open near the Sahara desert. It was my favourite night time drive of all time.
And what a crazy place Africa is. A completely different world to anywhere else. Travelling through a small village at just after 1AM I was able to get out and buy a pair of jeans from a market. Everywhere was open and the streets were packed.
I actually made it back to the B&B in Azrou at just after 2am.
Next morning I was able to get back on the road, feed a berber monkey some nuts, and then hit the motorway for an easy drive from now on.
Anyway, cutting a long story short, I made it back on to the ventura the next day with 15 minutes to spare.
I had some great stories to share back on the ship though. Had seen the Sahara desert, seen a few Camals, nearly got mauled by wild dogs that wanted my doritos but did not get them. Saw a market open at 1AM, so plenty shooting stars, and of course the mad rush against time in the morning to cross back over the strait, bus from Algeciras to gibraltar, walk across the border, and taxi to Ventura.
To be able to do all this and then look forward to the luxury of a cruiseship with its speciality restaurants, and Broadway shows and now relaxing in the jacuzzi whilst surrounded by nothing but ocean is simply the perfect holiday.

Greece, Santorini, Turkey, Israel, Cyprus, Rhodes, Scicily, Italy

My next cruise is on the Norwegian getaway. Roughly £835pp


Norwegian Getaway is a cruise ship of the Norwegian Cruise Line. It was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, and was delivered to its owner on 10 January 2014.[3] At the time of its christening it was the world's ninth-largest cruise ship[4] with a passenger capacity of 3,969 and a crew of 1,640.[5]
Amenities on board the ship include restaurants by chef Geoffrey Zakarian, an entertainment venue devoted to magic called the "Illusionarium", and another entertainment venue themed in conjunction with the Grammy Awards. The ship is based in Miami and mostly sails seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises. It was christened in Miami on February 7, 2014, with the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders serving as godmothers.[4] The ship departed on its maiden voyage the next day.
Entertainment and restaurants
The Norwegian getaway is actually the best example as there is more about this ship on youtube and wikipedia than with Fred Olsen and The Ventura.
Entertainment on board the ship includes the "Illusionarium", an entertainment venue devoted to magic and illusion performances. It also includes a 30 feet (9.1 m) high video dome in the middle of the performance area.[12] The water park has five slides, including two freefall drop and two twister slides located side by side in a spiral and one kids slide.[12]
There is a Grammy entertainment venue which includes items taken from the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. In line with this, Norwegian Cruise Line became the "Official Cruise Line Partner of the Grammy Awards".[12] Chef Geoffrey Zakarian has food venues on board the ship including the Ocean Blue concept. Ocean Blue forms part of the area on the ship called "The Waterfront" which allows for outdoor dining in most of the restaurants on board.[8]
Capacity

The Norwegian Getaway is even bigger yet, with a passenger Capacity of 3,963 and Crew 1,646.


Capacity:
3,963
Crew:
1,646
Shore excursion

I already have one official shore excursion booked, to visit Mount Etna by bus, and an unofficial excursion planned of my own.
As the ship spend one day in Ashdod in Israel, and the next in Haifa in Israel, I plan to once again leave the ship for one night and hire a car and drive from Ashdod to Bethlehem & Nazareth, before driving to Haifa and spending the night in a hotel.

Why cruising is the best type of holiday

Cruising is the best type of holiday because it is pure luxury on board a cruise ship. However there is also so much choice. If one type of cruise does not suit you, then you will definitely find one which does. Also the amount of different countries you can see in just one cruise, and different things you can do, is far better than being stuck in one hotel and one resort for one or two weeks. But cruising is not just about the seas, it is also about the excusrsions and it is up to you what you want to do. You can even depart the ship and return to it at a different port. If you like beach holidays then you can get a beach holiday cruise to the Costa del Sol.
If you like driving, you can mix driving with the luxury of cruising. If you like a bit of adventure then you can take an Amazon cruise and risk getting strangled by an Anaconda.
There is no other type of holiday which compares.

Good luck to my opponent, and I look forward to Con selling me their choice of holiday, or simply arguing why cruising is not the best holiday choice.





















Con
#2
Thanks, Nevets.

Scanning Pro’s arguments

First off, my opponent’s argument is more like an infographic than an actual argument, and the long list presented in the better part of the argument is primarily just to fuel the last paragraph, of why Cruise vacation is nice.

It is undeniable that Cruise vacation is good and has many benefits, as Pro went extra lengths to write a long list of things you can enjoy or access on a tour of a Cruise ship. However, the thing is, we are not arguing about whether Cruise tourism is good or not, we are arguing if it is the BEST. In the end, Pro has no argument with actual weight in it—since to prove that cruise holiday is better—or the best, comparison is needed. There is no comparisons from Cruise holidays to any other form of vacation, which means that all the benefits provided by Pro doesn’t fulfill his burden of proof.

And the burden of proof obviously rests on Pro as he makes the claim, in obvious tradition.

Argument: “is”

First off, there aren’t any definitions given whatsoever, nor is there any specification of time. As a result, it is the present to stick with for now, implied by the term “is”.

It is June 2021. COVID is still around, and according to that COVID could transmit when near an infected patient[1], it is probably dangerous to go in large gatherings at this point of time.

Cruise ships, on the other hand, have an enormous density of people onboard as of now[2]. The many facilities onboard would mean nothing other than that you get to meet more new people the more time on the ship. What does that mean? Being on vacation on a cruise ship now would be dangerous as you are more likely to be exposed to diseases, such as COVID.

In fact, such an incident has already been documented. The Diamond Princess, for example, has 600 people infected, more than any country at one point of time[2]. This is what happens when large amounts of people gather around on a cruise ship.

It is to be understood that cruise ships obviously have checking stations on board, but due to undetectable variants of the virus[3][4](2 different sources to show that this isn’t a joke), we can’t exactly say we are safe, especially since a good tour goes to many regions of the world.

The fact is that the cruising business is going down. Many cruise ships along the years have retired due to the lack of people willing to go on them[5], with the Diamond Princess incident being one of the main reasons, as people are afraid of the virus[6]. So, even if you are fond of a cruise ship trip, the array of choice would shrink anyway at the moment.

Combining all of these, and you get a form of tourism that may get you the virus, and is restricted in choice. Even if the form of cruise ship tourism is a good form of tourism, looking back at history, it wouldn’t mean much to the topic statement “cruise vacation is the best form of vacation” in the special period that we are in currently.

So in the end, it wouldn’t be true that the form of Cruise holiday IS better than every other form of holiday.

Argument: Other forms

What is “better” is subjective from person to person, group to group. Nevets, as a singular human being, cannot represent the majority of the world. And for this reason, I will define “better” as “preferred by more people”, since tourism is an obviously subjective issue.

However, as the cruise ship business is sinking[6], and people are less likely to board one anyways, can we really say that it is the “best” form, seeing that it isn’t even honest or attracting people to come successfully?

[7] in a recent survey, 52% of the people liked beach vacations, 22% over the cruises’ popularity.

[8] in a more recent survey, only 10% wanted to be on cruises while 46% were okay staying in the cities.

[9] in a worldwide source, cruise ships, again, didn’t take the top of the cake. This is back at a time where cruise business didn’t plummet.

And much more. Of none of the surveys did I see that cruise ships are the most popular.

In the end, Cruise ships aren’t even the most preferred way of spending a vacation, according to the people. It isn’t “far better” than others if not a lot of people prefer it.

Conclusions

Cruise ships are restricted and potentially dangerous at this point, and, well, spending your time home wouldn’t have such weakness.

Cruise ships aren’t preferred by the most people in the world, and it isn’t “far better” than any other form of vacation.

Sources
[2]https://watermark.silverchair.com/taaa030.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAp4wggKaBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggKLMIIChwIBADCCAoAGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQM3CxpPajOrUBMJp9KAgEQgIICUba0iFF7Rei6CNGyruyyzYuJS3E3hhJT7sTwf8hEsaOgBH-_IhrrVZ3yY63S7CVknNr6iuTBKAelGXALpBYrcc_spjpdUb-FbHv4Rpi_HF3b4Dt75xi5Bqu3F2ullNstJS74Mc8Jj3VothpiVxpOAtuoZtoMMV-2oyOlTZ0KGuyv0H-A3f271cQb4V2-9xrb8yYBae3mRxrjDtHEF6O9qSK6ANDl8_nGpMdfOX7pOwiX9sFn-HA3pSSVwv1T5mLbro5DLOJO5oN4VrCswrUONP1bqO3JhmgnkedQCHk_uuERMdztqZD-lkEsFZWAFls6GE5ouV_00NpCXaywgh1EdNTWEhZLL_Fx38YVVveHgYp3coc_1zUHOuAF1dN8nzrKOFCOPI07-_sjAmswOfO8lwGBw9HkzROZJaNCnGRaYkSPhxgDsdXeB1TYWPwIzlxgFpv_JaQhBJGNraXDckz1uoRFJ7ep89BGg_CLu0vjzgLcGBenezQe_U8c8fKAUHCfAVjyNGQloxUpeq1k6vG4Dk2YEiJHcIdTwWloud_AnVajlYZhW6342N4tyPKLCVy8hzo2Q2Ck5jvgq63etnXrSRSoMkPgrA3JVYcr_AwKrJNYQGA7Nbq0bAf1xGwo104leaYzXJif6a6W0pX1Fv6Lue5k08oHGrJWTtJX686uLWddxbB0lZpe2Mqx_y4EvQPGcjPyRX9BGOKI5zSBBeg079mdGg0OfNWnG5Kak8B_DwqF5EpHnQv0MvoXPObl5RYEsEDjjBAhTzKXDkewDTlq1po6

Round 2
Pro
#3
Thank you for posting your first round argument Con

BOP issue

Intelligence06 wrote...
It is undeniable that Cruise vacation is good and has many benefits, as Pro went extra lengths to write a long list of things you can enjoy or access on a tour of a Cruise ship. However, the thing is, we are not arguing about whether Cruise tourism is good or not, we are arguing if it is the BEST. In the end, Pro has no argument with actual weight in it—since to prove that cruise holiday is better—or the best, comparison is needed. There is no comparisons from Cruise holidays to any other form of vacation, which means that all the benefits provided by Pro doesn’t fulfill his burden of proof.

And the burden of proof obviously rests on Pro as he makes the claim, in obvious tradition.


I have established already that there are all kinds of different cruise packages available, including cruise and stay, therefore cruise ship holidays have the potential to include all different types of holidays in the package. On a cruise ship holiday you can do everything you can do on any other type of holiday, with the added addition of returning to a floating luxury hotel. However on any other holiday you typically can't do everything you can do on any other holiday.

Also, BOP is usually shared, and as of yet you are still to come up with a holiday type which is preferable.

Opponents argument

Intelligence06 wrote...
It is June 2021. COVID is still around, and according to that COVID could transmit when near an infected patient[1], it is probably dangerous to go in large gatherings at this point of time.

Cruise ships, on the other hand, have an enormous density of people onboard as of now[2]. The many facilities onboard would mean nothing other than that you get to meet more new people the more time on the ship. What does that mean? Being on vacation on a cruise ship now would be dangerous as you are more likely to be exposed to diseases, such as COVID.

In fact, such an incident has already been documented. The Diamond Princess, for example, has 600 people infected, more than any country at one point of time[2]. This is what happens when large amounts of people gather around on a cruise ship.

It is to be understood that cruise ships obviously have checking stations on board, but due to undetectable variants of the virus[3][4](2 different sources to show that this isn’t a joke), we can’t exactly say we are safe, especially since a good tour goes to many regions of the world.

The fact is that the cruising business is going down. Many cruise ships along the years have retired due to the lack of people willing to go on them[5], with the Diamond Princess incident being one of the main reasons, as people are afraid of the virus[6]. So, even if you are fond of a cruise ship trip, the array of choice would shrink anyway at the moment.

Combining all of these, and you get a form of tourism that may get you the virus, and is restricted in choice. Even if the form of cruise ship tourism is a good form of tourism, looking back at history, it wouldn’t mean much to the topic statement “cruise vacation is the best form of vacation” in the special period that we are in currently.

So in the end, it wouldn’t be true that the form of Cruise holiday IS better than every other form of holiday.
My opponent draws upon one single argument regarding corona-virus and the Diamond Princess incident. However this incident was an isolated case and has been taken very seriously. In fact, this happened in January 2020 before people even knew that Covid could be spread via human contact. Therefore there was no reason at this point for cruise ships to believe anything different. Therefore this was not a cruising incident, but a general corona virus incident. The corona virus caused world wide issues and lockdowns, and effected all areas of life and made holidaying impossible. It was not a cruise ship incident.

So I will remind you that when the isolated incidents with a few cruise ships happened, this was at a time before humanity even knew Covid could be spread via human contact.

Also, if you want to book a cruise, you can book for 2023. It would be unadvisable to go on any holiday just now.

Emerging infectious diseases are novel to humans and the mode of transmission, infectivity (basic reproduction number), severity rate, fatality rate, and long-term prognosis are not known at the time of confirmation. At the beginning of the outbreak in China, it was thought that COVID-19 could not be spread via human-to-human transmission. However, it later became clear that human-to-human infection could occur. The possibility of airborne infection was also raised. 
Argument from popularity

Intelligence06 wrote...
What is “better” is subjective from person to person, group to group. Nevets, as a singular human being, cannot represent the majority of the world. And for this reason, I will define “better” as “preferred by more people”, since tourism is an obviously subjective issue.

However, as the cruise ship business is sinking[6], and people are less likely to board one anyways, can we really say that it is the “best” form, seeing that it isn’t even honest or attracting people to come successfully?

[7] in a recent survey, 52% of the people liked beach vacations, 22% over the cruises’ popularity.

[8] in a more recent survey, only 10% wanted to be on cruises while 46% were okay staying in the cities.

[9] in a worldwide source, cruise ships, again, didn’t take the top of the cake. This is back at a time where cruise business didn’t plummet.

And much more. Of none of the surveys did I see that cruise ships are the most popular.

In the end, Cruise ships aren’t even the most preferred way of spending a vacation, according to the people. It isn’t “far better” than others if not a lot of people prefer it.
My opponent's argument is regarding popularity. But this debate is not about what is most popular but about what is best.
My opponent gave an example of people preferring beach holidays. However you can go on a cruise which takes in beaches as a destination. 


Thank you, and good luck next round
Con
#4
BoP Issue

Also, BOP is usually shared, and as of yet you are still to come up with a holiday type which is preferable.
Sorry, R2 is too late for saying this. I have addressed the issue BEFORE Pro, in R1, where there is no specification of BoP in neither the R1 argument nor the description section. In the end, it is on Pro by default. Moving the BoP to be shared is equal to moving the goalpost. It is neither expected for the opposing team, nor is coherent with the specifications(or a lack thereof) in the previous texts that would otherwise support the view of the BoP being shared, being valid in the perspective of this logical exchange.

It is simple. If the order of BoP cannot be changed, then the act of Pro changing the BoP to shared would be seen as nullified; if it is able to be changed, then I can just shift it back to pro again.

Argument: "is"

Pro dropped the confinements for the term "is". In fact, it is a term symbolizing present tense, so in the end, we are still arguing "Cruise holidays are the best holidays NOW".

Pro also dropped the argument on that the cruise industry is failing at the moment, as well as that in the age of COVID-19, despite not being dangerous as Diamond Princess, the sheer density of population onboard would still be unsafe for the average passenger. [1]Even then, despite adding the measures, it is still difficult to raise the industry itself, be it safe or not.

Also, if you want to book a cruise, you can book for 2023. It would be unadvisable to go on any holiday just now.
That goes against the topic statement itself: When we are contemplating a cruise trip in 2023(if it is safe in the first place) in the year of 2021(now), the issue of what actions to do in a period of free time is most preferable is no longer being dealt with as it is not dealing with "the present" anymore. Instead, it is dealing with the future. If we are arguing about "Cruise ship holidays will be the most preferable holiday in a few years", that argument might stand and we might as well be having a different route of logic.

In the end, There is no proof that Cruise ships are actually safe now and there is proof that people no longer want to trust the industry and board the ship, for at least as much as the times before. That is equal to proof that Cruises are no longer being the most preferred way of spending free time, provided by the people in the world who would also move to other places of the world, in other words, those whose opinions matters in this issue.

Cruise ship companies in Norway has concluded that cruises that embark commercially and regularly before November of this year(which is the future, not now, not the past) is still unpredictable and premature[2].
  • Cruises with embarkation dates beginning November 1, 2021: Given the ever-evolving nature of the pandemic, the accelerating rollout of the vaccine, and the speed of scientific learnings, it is premature to make decisions on our health and safety protocols for cruises with embarkation dates beginning November 1, 2021.
  • At this point, most ships that even get the chance to sail can last no longer than 7 days and the global tours are yet to embark. This would nullify a large chunk of Pro's R1 reasoning[3].
  • Things have changed, and new rules from the Centers for Disease Control are in place. Under these new rules, cruises can last no longer than seven days, so those around-the-world ventures will probably not sail in 2021. Furthermore, the CDC will require ships to perform rapid COVID-19 tests of passengers and crew.
  • This is on top of that there are new kinds of virus outbreaking in April of this year. Either way, installing a new system for each new variation of a virus wouldn't seem practical and we can't exactly say that we are safe onboard.

    Kritik
    Pro can have no idea about what is happening now nor can he have any means of acquiring the first-hand information about the virus, which is extremely large-scaled. There is also a chance that an advanced virus that is stronger than any other suddenly outbreaks on one of the cruises, bypassing the filters and the measures, and Pro would not have the first-hand information. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

    The term "is" signifies assuredness: 100%. Since everything Pro has researched is of the past and not the present, it would not be justified for Pro to be making the exact claim, as it is impossible to prove so.

    Better

    Pro has dropped my definition of "better". What he has against me was this.
    My opponent's argument is regarding popularity. But this debate is not about what is most popular but about what is best.
    However, no quality that attracts the customers is better than attracting the customers, especially when it comes to my definition.
    And for this reason, I will define “better” as “preferred by more people”, since tourism is an obviously subjective issue.
    To clarify, what I ACTUALLY meant was:
    Better: Having more advantages or advantages that weigh more, so that the subject in question tends to better attract the intended audience
    In other words, More likely to be preferred. Since people are technically equal, if a way of tourism is more likely to be preferred, more people would choose it.

    Evidence regarding that beach holidays are more likely to be preferred than cruises are already given last round, including the first-hand information as well as information recorded before the titanic sink of the cruise industry in the recent years. Yes. Beaches attract more people than cruises, and Pro can't argue with recorded surveys.

    In the end, "more popular" is really "better" when it comes to tourism since what matters is essentially attracting more people.

    My opponent gave an example of people preferring beach holidays. However you can go on a cruise which takes in beaches as a destination.
    In theory. In practice, even that, it doesn't make cruises more preferable than beaches.

    I shall conclude.

    • BoP is still on Pro.
    • The present is still the interval being discussed.
    • Pro has no way of proving the resolution, if we think technically and logically.
    • Cruises are still not safe yet and they are still bottom-tanking, thus ruling out a large chunk of Pro's listed choices.
    • Evidence still shows that Beaches are more preferable than cruises for the people, and that is facts.
    • In the end, it is still unproven that Cruise ship holidays are the best kind of holidays.
    Sources


    Round 3
    Pro
    #5
    Forfeited
    Con
    #6
    PRO has forfeited.

    PRO has the conduct point being lost unless I have done something equally as incorrect in the standards of this site.

    CON has no more arguments to be made. CON concludes.

    • Surveys have shown that going to the beach is a more popular and more preferable form of spending the holidays compared to going on cruises
    • For a subjective topic aimed at equal people, "better" is really "more preferable to the people", which is basically "more popular", and there is no critique of this definition
    • Data now has shown that the cruise industry is sinking, meaning that it is NOT a good time now to spend your vacation on a cruise, or at least your choices are narrowed down seeing global big cruise lines are still shut
    • As a result, it is unproven that cruise ships are the vehicles of the best methods of spending one's holiday, which means CON still has the upper hand
    • Please vote CON if you find CON's arguments convincing
    I rest my case until Nevets responds.

    Round 4
    Pro
    #7
    Forfeited
    Con
    #8
    Extend. No response and no need of making new points.

    Pro has forfeited at least 2 out of the four rounds. Con has not missed a single line round as of yet. Please vote for Con.
    Round 5
    Pro
    #9
    Forfeited
    Con
    #10
    Extend. I have refuted everything Pro has said.

    As for conduct, Con gave up 0/5 rounds, Pro gave up 3/5 rounds. Vote for Con.