Freighter Cruises

Freighter cruising has always been of curiosity to me.  I know of some people who swear by them andwouldn’t cruise any other way.  But theseare not your typical cruises and are not for everyone.  On board these cruises you won’t find anyBroadway style shows, numerous places to eat at, never ending entertainment,lots of people, staff at every corner to serve your every need,  and you can’t forget the on board shopping! 



What you will find on freighter cruises is a lot of peace and quiet.  Some ships have a small pool, gym, laundryfacility, deck chairs, ship tours and a small library.  You really need to be the kind of person whocan entertain yourself to really enjoy a freighter cruise.  The cabins on the freighters are basic, nofancy amenities but still nice accommodations. Some ships even offer suite cabins. The ships carry anywhere from 2 to 200 passengers, depending on the shipand voyage.  You do have to keep in mindthese are working ships so you should expect there to be some noise andmovement during the loading and unloading of freight. 



With the typical cruise, you will have 3 or 4 port stops on a 7 day cruisewith anywhere from 3 to 4 days at sea. With the freighter cruises you will often stop at several ports aday.  Some of the ships do offer shoreexcursions at some of the ports. 



Depending on the ship, breakfast and lunch maybe a buffet style or a presetmenu and dinner will also be a preset menu, meaning you get whatever is severedby the chef that night. 



The really great thing about freighter cruises is that they go into portsthat cruise ships never go into (and a lot of them) and you will get to see agreat deal of the countryside.  Since therewill only be a small group of  passengerson the ship you will have the opportunity to get to know your fellow passengerand you won’t have that feeling of constantly being lost in the crowd like youare on the mega cruise ships. 



If you are tired of the same old cruises and are looking for somethingdifferent freighter cruising is definitely something to look into.



Here are a few places to start:


Coastal Cruises
www.norwegiancoastalcruises.com/



Compagnie Polynesienne de Transport Maritime
http://aranui.com/



Freighter Cruises
http://www.freightercruises.com/

 Grimaldi  FreigterCruises
http://www.grimaldi-freightercruises.com/indenen.htm