The Top 7 “Wow!” Ideas For Bringing Gift-Giving To Your Family On A Cruise Ship

11-19-2011

 At Sea For The Holidays?

DETROIT (November 18, 2011) - If you’re planning a mobile cruise holiday, you’ll need gifts that are easy to pack and ideal for use during your cruise… and after. The experts at CruiseCompete provide gift ideas to make holiday gift giving on a ship a cinch.

CruiseCompete’s agents say the following 7 items rank consistently as traveler’s favorites:

1. Walkie talkies: Over and over, CruiseCompete hears that these are the most important items to take on a family cruise. These are great for use on the ship, and more practical and cost effective than cell phones to communicate on board. Split them up between kids and parents, or hand one to each child and let them explore the ship. If you buy them, be sure to get ones with lots of sub channels to avoid interference. We like the look of this wrist version from Discovery- no setting them down and misplacing them.

2. Digital cameras: What better way to take in the sights of a cruise than with a new digital camera? Depending on which one you choose, this gift can range from very inexpensive to high end. Here’s a handyunderwater adventure camera that would be great for travel exploration, and is usable even on the most daring shore excursions. Swimming with the dolphins, anyone?

3. A waterproof watch: This is obviously very important if you are going snorkeling or diving. It’s also a great idea to have a watch that can stand up to inclement weather abroad. Cell phones may react strangely or not work at sea or in port, but watches can be synchronized so that everyone in the family is on the same page for meeting up. This site has lots of cool waterproof watches for folks of all ages.

4. Take-along technology: The tech generation is enamored of their gadgets, and people of all ages love the option of take-along music, movies, books and magazines. The iPad features two cameras, video recording capability, and a 10-hour battery. It can be engraved with a personalized message, and has a price tag of around $500.

The iPod Touch is a scaled down version of a similar product that plays music and movies (with 40 hours of music playback and up to 7 hours of video playback), and features free texting. This one is especially popular with teens and tweens, has built-in parental controls, and comes with a price tag of around $200.

There are so many Smart Phones to choose from, more than likely the whole family has either been asking for one, or wants an upgrade. They are especially great when you travel, as the apps can give you valuable information about your voyage and destinations- for example, Lonely Planet has free mobile city guides for iPhones available for 20 major cities. Find out more about what smart phones offer the traveler here:http://www.smh.com.au/travel/traveller-tips/shaking-it-up-many-apps-at-a-time-20111103-1mx8b.html#ixzz1dgkyR9xH

5. Klutz activity kits: Klutz books are very popular with the “tween” group and provide a host of creative activities for both boys and girls. They provide hours of entertainment and have a very agreeable price tag, as well, ranging from about $15-$25 each.

6. A leather-bound travel or wine journal: For budding (or accomplished) writers, a travel journal is a wonderful way to chronicle experiences on board a cruise ship. Family members of all ages can record observations that they might otherwise not have noticed or considered, and have documentation of their time on the ship. (A plus for children: journaling will likely continue after leaving the ship, a habit that promotes self-exploration and freedom of expression, great things for any child to learn.) Barnes and Noble has a great selection of journals, and CruiseCompete likes the ones offered at Jennibick.com, like thisleather heart journal.

Taking a specialty cruise? The website Epica offers a lovely (but masculine) leather bound wine journal, small enough to fit in his pocket, for Dad…

7. On-board treasures: Gift-giving in its simplest form: instead of packing gifts, consider giving those available on the ship. The outstanding spas and salons on many ships rival the finest on land. There is something for every man or woman in the services they provide, including wellness classes, tooth whitening, massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, and high end skin products. 

Convinced a holiday at sea is the way to go this season? Here are some gift packing tips for a traveling holiday:

1. Make sure gifts are small and relatively lightweight for the going to and the return home
2. Wrap gifts prior to departure if they will be in your luggage, if you plan to carry them with you don’t wrap for security purposes.
3. Split gifts between luggage; in the event that a piece becomes lost or delayed during transit, there will still be some gift options.

To find out more about holiday cruises, and check for cabin availability, please visit CruiseCompete’s holiday cruises page: http://www.cruisecompete.com/specials/.

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About CruiseCompete:

CruiseCompete continues to garner the highest praise from the media for its revolutionary premise that free-market competition provides the best pricing options for consumers.

The New York Times says "…independent travel agents compete to offer you the best deal," and follows similar praise from Kiplinger’s, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. The Street says "Score Luxury Cruises at Bargain Prices."

Since 2003, over 1,700 cruise experts have provided 8.5 million quotes in response to over 2 million consumer quote requests.

For more information, please visit http://www.cruisecompete.com/ or http://www.cruisecompetegroups.com/. CruiseCompete is an Iowa limited liability company and is not a travel agency or owned by a travel agency.

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