Holidays keep you sane!

I would holiday every other week if I could, but alas I have a mortgage to pay and a job to do! That said, I can never believe how anyone copes without a holiday for longer than a 6 month period - I've heard people say (proudly) ‘I haven’t taken a holiday in 5 years!’ No wonder they're always ill, stressed out and old before their time! I'm no doctor but anyone better qualified people than me could tell you that going on holiday is essential for a number of things :

• Dealing with stress and strain  
• Overcoming anxiety  
• Allowing your mind & body to rest completely 
• Overcoming illness  
• Reconnecting with loved ones

A holiday can take many forms and as you can imagine, my favourite is the cruise holiday. But it doent really matter what or where - it just needs to be time away from your everyday responsibilities. Leaving your work emails and phone alone, taking time to rest properly.

Many people think that just 'taking time off' and staying home is as good as a break away. I tend to disagree with this theory. After all, the temptation is too great to think about everyday stress's, Your bills will still drop on the doormat. People can still call you. Your friends and family still drop over unannounced. No, what you need is a complete break from real life to really benefit.

So if you're reading this thinking - im that person that hasnt had a holiday in over six months, why not book some time off and take a break away from it all. Im sure you'll come back to this post to thank me.

Celebrity Chefs on P&O Cruises

When it comes to a cruise one of the expectations that you hold high is that regarding the dining that is available, with P&O cruises these expectations are reached, if not smashed. The reason being is thanks to the vast array of dining options that are open to you. Formal dining rooms, grill restaurants, oriental and pan-pacific restaurants as well as tapas bars and pizzerias are just a selection of the types of dining options that are open to you when it comes to P&O cruises. However the dining option that is taking the cruising world by storm at the moment comes in the form of celebrity chefs opening their own restaurants on board the ships.

There are a number of celebrity chefs who are currently teaming up with certain cruise lines in order to create their own restaurants on the ships and the cruise line P&O are no exception. These restaurants supply a great way for holiday makers to enjoy five star food at reasonable cost, something they wouldn’t be able to do elsewhere.

Each cruise line contracts certain chefs; in the case of P&O they now have three of the top chefs on board; Gary Rhodes, Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar. All three of these highly acclaimed chefs hold Michelin stars for their dishes and each of these offer signature styles of food so no matter what food you’re in the mood for there will be something to suit all tastes.

Having your meals cooked by such outstanding chefs whilst on a cruise is adding luxury to luxury. Sampling food cooked and prepared by such chefs is worth coming on a cruise for all by itself. So what should you expect from Gary Rhodes, Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar when it comes to the food they will serve whilst working with P&O cruises?

Due to his dedication and continued pursuit for perfection, Gary Rhodes has found himself at the forefront of the culinary world. He is now a well known chef, restaurateur and celebrity as well as author. His various restaurants are what have won him a wide collection of Michelin stars as well as his traditional British cooking, which is what he brings to P&O cruises. Some of the dishes that he serves up are Asparagus and Lambs lettuce salad and Roast beef with foie gras and morel mushroom Madeira sauce. He gives diners a high quality dining experience the likes of which are normally reserved for visitors of his Twenty Four restaurant in London.

Certain Oriana and Arcadia ships are the P&O cruises that Gary Rhodes will be present on, whereas Marco Pierre White will be on board for some of the Ventura, Oceana and Aurora cruises. So what will Marco Pierre White have on offer?

Classic Italian fare is Marco’s speciality, offering simple yet stunning dishes. He has already been named the godfather of modern cooking and is the youngest Briton to be awarded three Michelin stars. As well as sampling his cooking within the ships restaurants you can also opt to buy private cookery sessions to groups of up to eight adults and children. Within these sessions you will join Marco in creating a three course meal as well as get to ask him any cooking questions that you have.

Last but certainly not least Atul Kochhar has recently signed a deal with P&O cruises to bring his culinary skills on board to the company’s new superliner the Azura in 2010. Atul Kochhar is the third Michelin star chef to join this cruise line and he will bring a new restaurant called Sindhu, which means fusion. This will serve holidaymakers with modern British dishes that have an Indian Twist.

Cruise lines all across the country are now enlisting top chefs to open up restaurants on their ships. So if you are going on a cruise this year or you have one planned in the near future then make sure you look out for celebrity restaurants and sample some of the food that they have to offer because let’s face it, this will probably be the only opportunity we get to do this so let’s make the most of it.

Oasis of the Seas bookings start in September

The long awaited, Royal Caribbean mega-ship, Oasis of the Seas, will go on sale from 3rd September this year.Oasis of the Seas will have the first outdoor theatre at sea boast dual-level loft suites as well as seven themed areas on board, including the ‘boardwalk’ for families with restaurants, shops, games, and the first carousel at sea.

Off the boardwalk will be the amphitheatre Aqua Theater, with the largest fresh water pool to date on a ship. There will also be two 43-foot rock-climbing walls framing either side of the outdoor theatre.
The ship will offer 37 categories of cabins. Park View and Boardwalk View balcony staterooms will offer inward facing cabins over-looking the open air areas of the ship.
The 28 two-level loft suites will be the highest cabins at sea, featuring floor-to-ceiling double-height windows.

Oasis of the Seas will sail from Fort Lauderdale in Florida, starting its inaugural season of Eastern Caribbean itineraries on December 12 2009.

Cute Cruise Gifts

Whenever I come back from my holidays I like to be reminded of the great time I've had. That's what keeps me going until my next holiday comes round. I try to buy souveniers while I'm away and take as many photos as I can. Then I use them to conjure up happy memories.

Usually this involves putting my photos into an album, placing the holiday fridge magnet in its rightful place or wearing the perfume I bought from the airport. But there isn't usually alot you can buy to remind you of cruising unless its branded by the cruise line itself and you purchase it from the expensive onboard boutique.

Thats why I was so tickled to find this cute little online store dedicated to cruise gifts. The Cruise Gift Store is run by real cruise lovers and packed full of nautical themed gifts to please any cruise addict.

I particularly like the Life Jacket Bottle Chiller priced at a very reasonable £8.95. It would make an excellent stocking filler at Christmas. I know all my cruise loving friends are going to get one this year! (i hope they're not reading this)









Visit the store at http://www.cruisegiftstore.com/

Is Sea Sickness all in the Mind?

Years ago, on a family holiday to Cornwall, I remember getting on a small boat and sailing out to sea to catch some fish for dinner that evening. At 9 years old I was thoroughly enjoying being out at sea, catching fish and learning to “drive” a boat. And then came the sickness…
There is nothing quite like sea sickness, one minute your feeling fine, the next you feel completely green. Luckily enough we were already heading back to shore as the sickness was reaching its peak.

Since then I have moved on to bigger and better ships and started cruising. As of yet, I have not experienced any sea sickness at all (lucky me). Not so surprising when you consider how huge cruise liners tend to be and how well stabilized. However, many cruise passengers claim they suffer badly from sea sickness, even on these large ships.

The chances are that the majority of people who go cruising probably won’t suffer from seas sickness. Having said that, I guess you really won’t know until you get onboard.

Sea sickness is caused when the body, inner ear and eyes all send conflicting signals to the brain which makes you feel queasy. The brain is confused as your eyes are sensing everything’s stable whilst your ears are screaming that its not. But, can you control this feeling? According to this story I read, the answer is yes -

A husband and wife cruised regularly year after year, and each time the wife suffered with sea sickness. The husband was of the less sympathetic variety and decided to conduct a little experiment.He got in touch with an old friend who was a doctor. The doctor then informed the wife that she should drink cranberry juice each morning to cure the symptoms whilst on the cruise. The wife followed his instructions and for the first time had an enjoyable, sickness free cruise. Cranberry juice is not known as a cure for sea sickness, and instead acted as a placebo, convincing her that her sea sickness had been cured!

Whilst this suggests it is all in the head, I don’t think we can dismiss the symptoms completely. There are now prescription drugs to try to help ease sickness, as well as a new gadget which looks like a watch, but sends out gentle shocks to trick your body into thinking you are on land.

My advice? Each person you ask is likely to come up with their own remedy for sea sickness, some more credible than others. A few basic tips to eliminate the affects of sea sickness is to stay hydrated, eat lightly, avoid fatty foods and stay out on deck if possible. You may find that focusing on the horizon or nearby land is also beneficial.