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Sunday, July 26, 2009

Is traveling with cruise ship still an attractive adventure?

by Charles Roring


Traveling with ships is still attractive for people who are not busy or racing against time. In my previous article about traveling with cruise ship or yacht, I said that yacht is more flexible for those who like to experience sea voyages that are not in accordance with regular shipping route. Whether you travel with large ship or boat, the speed of these floating structures is much slower than airplanes. So, traveling with ship won't be attractive for those who want to attend an urgent business meeting in Tokyo while he lives in New York. The best thing to do is of course going there by airplane.



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People will choose ships because of several reasons. One of them is the enjoyment which they can get when they are on board of a luxurious cruise ships. Passengers of airplanes cannot move around whereas passengers of cruise ships can spend the long voyage time by dancing, singing, sunbathing, gambling, or just standing along the port and starboard sides of the passenger ships to enjoy the mysterious beauty of the blue ocean.


In developing countries such as Indonesia and the Philipines that consist of thousands of islands, traveling with ships is still the most affordable mode of transportation. Ships are vital transport vehicles for people particularly when they want to go to other islands.


Some experts might say that with the improvement in economic condition, people will prefer to travel by planes even in island countries such as Indonesia and the Philipines. Yes, they can be true, but the habit of living in unity with sea water has been the habit of millions of people in both countries for centuries. Remember Indonesia and the Philipines, and to some extent the Carribean are maritime countries. So, I see that there are many wealthy Indonesian who still travel by passenger ships although they can afford for the first class tickets of airplanes. Why they are reluctant to go by airplanes? Because the sea has been part of their daily live. And this has been going on for generations.



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Even though there are now a lot of airline companies operating in Indonesia, millions of people still travel with passenger ships. The recent frequent plane crash shown on TV news is also one of the reasons. I don't say that PELNI, as the largest passenger ship line in Indonesia, is now in safe position. With growing competition with other shipping companies and the rapid growth of airlines especially for long distance trips, passenger ship line such as PELNI must improve her professionalism to better serve her customers. Ships have to be maintained in spotless condition so that passengers will feel comfortable and the crews must show respect and provide better service to their passengers. I believe that the market of passenger ships in Indonesia is still large and growing.


So, my answer for the above question is definitely yes. You will find it more adventurous if you bring with you digital camera or handy cam which you can use to take some beautiful pictures or videos of your sea voyage and enjoy them later after you arrive in your next destination. Also read: The interior of passenger ship and cruise ship and Cruise ship and passenger ship





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