The Avid Cruiser

In the Netherlands, it is said, there are more bicycles than people.

The statistics, thanks to the web site Amsterdamize:

• Population: 16.5 million
• Bikes: 18 million
• New bikes sold a year: 1.35 million
• Bikes stolen a year: between 1.2 and 1.4 million

I pedaled through the tiny country and saw more bikes than I could count. Everyone, from crib to coffin, pedals a bike in Holland.

The country is mostly flat and ideal for cycling, but the best part is that cyclists pedal along roads either with no cars at all (with traffic lights just for bikes) — or with drivers who actually pay attention to cyclists. That is why Dutch cyclists are 30 times less likely to be killed than their stateside counterparts, according to Bicycling magazine.

The story gets even better when you combine boats and bikes. That is just what I did for one week on a “Bike & Boat Tour” offered by Channel Cruises, which touts its tours as “the most Dutch way” to see Holland.

Each morning, the captain mapped out a route for the 70 or so German, Dutch and English-speaking passengers. We pedaled away from the ship in small groups to a destination where we would meet the ship late that afternoon. Along the way we fortified ourselves with apfelcake (apple cake) and french fries with the traditional Dutch topping — mayonnaise. There is no better way to see Holland. Continue Reading »

When is the best time to book your cruise? The answer depends on where you’re going.

The only part of your cruise where you can’t relax is in booking it. Planning on cruising Europe’s rivers in the summer of 2009? Better hurry, or you’ll miss the boat.

You’re somewhat better off if planning an ocean cruise in Europe — or if you’re wanting to skirt the Alaskan coast. Ocean-going vessels have more capacity than European river cruisers, but even on big ships, it pays to book early. 

Savvy cruisers will begin booking their summer 2009 vacations in September 2008. Those who wait longer, “take a significant chance,” says Rick Meadows, Holland America Line’s executive vice president marketing, sales and guest programs. “You may not get the dates or the accommodations you’re looking for.”

Be sure to ask about “off-season cruises” in Europe and Alaska, where you’ll find some of the best values, but “many of those dates go quite quickly,” Meadows says. 

A good rule of thumb for when to book: nine months to a year out, unless you have your sights set on a balmy Caribbean cruise, which can be booked much closer in.

Some of my most rewarding cruise experiences have been not about the places I’ve visited by ships but about the people I’ve met on ships. Ramelan Lidan has worked on ships for 14 years. I caught up him on Holland America Line’s Oosterdam, where he told me that his love of the sea started with a photo of his uncle at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
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A small but loud group of people still tell us they “just aren’t the type” to enjoy a cruise vacation, as though it would be too boring or too confining. Of course, they’re almost always singing another tune when they get off the ship and want to book another cruise as soon as possible.

For the squawkers, however, I’ve developed this could-do list. It’s for those restless types who think they might go crazy if they spent, horrors!, a full day on a ship. Share it with any friends or loved ones who may be balking at joining you on a cruise.
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The cheerful steward who attended daily to stateroom 620 on Maasdam was Hery Afandy. He hails from central Java, is father to a boy and girl, and confides that he likes to stay busy so that he doesn’t have time to think about his family. After all, thinking of them would only make him homesick.

And so Hery cleans, “15 staterooms with no assistant,” he boasts, and adds with equal pride that he does so at a rate of about 20 minutes per stateroom. Do the math, that’s three staterooms an hour — or all 15 in five hours. And don’t forget that Hery does this each morning and each evening, working from about 7 a.m. until about 2 in the afternoon (if you’re questioning our math, remember that Hery has other things to do other than clean rooms).

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Royal Caribbean has announced two new “neighborhoods” to be featured on Oasis of the Seas: a Pool and Sports Zone and a Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center. Continue Reading »