In The News: Windstar, Paul Gauguin and the Queen Mary 2 named World's Most Romantic Cruises For 2010

Windstar, Paul Gauguin and the Queen Mary 2 named

World's Most Romantic Cruises For 2010

January 21, 2010 - Cruise Traveler Magazine

Cruise Traveler Magazine names the three most romantic cruises for 2010.

First, picture in your mind a remote beach on a tranquil South Pacific island or a suite that overlooks St. Bartholomew scenic harbor and you're ready for romance! Exotic far away destinations, or lesser traveled Caribbean Islands, are what most of us see in our dreams.

But a cruise can be just as romantic, if not more. A journey to new lands or a return to a favorite destination instills a sense of excitement and wonder. Made even the more fun, when you go with someone you love or are about fall for!

For the heart and soul, romantic cruising is best enjoyed on ships both large and small who offer unique amenities and quality time to spend together. From easy, carefree afternoons by the pool to lively evenings of dining on acclaimed cuisines of world-famous chefs, Broadway-styled shows, casino gaming, dancing and socializing (or not). With a rich roster of shipboard activities you can do as much as you want together, or escape for some quite time alone.

Cruise lines such as Windstar, Seabourn, Silversea ,SeaDream Yacht Club, and Regent offer a smaller cruise experience. Unlike

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas with over 6,000 people onboard - these smaller ships carry as few as 150 to around 800 guests. It also includes the small ships of Princess, Celebrity, Oceania, and Azamara, who incedently have almost identical ships as they acquired them from the same source.

You of course want to stay away from the cruise lines and ships that cater to families with kids, party-till-the-sun-comes-up singles, and the over 55 crowd. Your not likely to like the "romantic getaway" cruise they promote.

Our Number One Pick for a true Romantic Getaway!

1. Windstar Cruises, which operates a three-ship fleet of luxury yachts that explore hidden harbors and secluded coves of the world's most treasured destinations, has been recognized as the "Most Romantic Cruise Line". Sailing under the banner of its appropriate tag line "180º From Ordinary," Windstar was created in the mid-1980's with the vision to offer an alternative to the typical cruise or resort vacation. The Windstar passenger sees the world from a romantic computerized sailing ship with luxurious accommodations, a casual yet elegant atmosphere, and exquisite service and cuisine. Windstar Cruises operates the 312-passenger Wind Surf and 148- passenger Wind Star and Wind Spirit. The three sailing yachts cruise to over 47 countries worldwide offering an affordable luxury vacation. A Windstar voyage lets you safely sail off beyond the familiar to discover the adventures waiting for you around every bend. For every traveler who’s ever experienced the flawed logic of “big is better,” Windstar’s sleek, white-sailed yachts are a welcome departure from the ordinary — and so are the places they take you. Ancient towns, hidden harbors, secluded coves — some of the most amazing coastline on the planet was never intended for large cruise ships, and vice versa. On the other hand, Windstar’s smaller, luxury yachts are beautifully designed to take you places where intimate scale and romance are part of the magic.

Or consider these other choices...

2. Paul Gauguin Cruises, 'Paul Gauguin"; Tahiti, The South Pacific. French Polynesia. The destination says it all. At the turn of the century, impressionist Paul Gauguin traveled to the tropical shores of French Polynesia to create some of his most renowned masterpieces. Today his namesake, the m/s Paul Gauguin, can transport you both to the same romantic Tahitian vacation paradise—to explore, experience and escape. Nested in the cool Pacific waters, Polynesian settlers found a string of emerald islands, fruitful and fertile, carpeted with lush rain forests and vibrant life. Scattered over a vast, 2.5 million square kilometers area in the South Pacific, French Polynesia is made up of several series of islands, atolls, and archipelagoes, independently surrounded by lagoons and barrier reefs that create unique eco-systems and divine respites for the traveler weary of the usual getaway. With the freedom to discover the exotic ports of the South Pacific without limitation, your cruise aboard m/s Paul Gauguin will likely fulfill your every romantic dream and expectation.

3. Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2; Her 6 or 7-night transatlantic crossings are as "romantic" as you can get on the high seas. Queen Mary 2 is the most magnificent ocean liner ever built. Her every detail harkens to the Golden Age of Ocean Travel, while providing one of the most modern travel experiences on earth. From bow to stern, you both can relax and unwind; to indulge in the most romantic pleasures and pursuits you never normally have time for. Opulent public areas, extravagant dining rooms, ballrooms, theatres, lounges...even the only Planetarium at sea. It is only in a world like this that modern fairy tale romances at sea are possible - where ordinary travelers can feel like royalty for a week or two. But words can only do such a lady so much justice, for to truly revel in the grandeur that is Queen Mary 2, you must sail with her. Click here for the 101 Things To Do on a Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing.

Romantic Question of the Day

I'm thinking of "proposing" onboard. How can I become creative with the approach?

Try Princess. The Love Boat of course!

Princess Makes Marriage Proposals Memorable with their "Engagement Under The Stars" Package

Where else should suitors turn for help in creating a "stellar" marriage proposal than Princess Cruises, famous as the romantic setting of "The Love Boat" television series? Begun in June 2006, with the launch of the line's newest ship, Crown Princess, a new "Engagement Under the Stars" package offers the opportunity for a couple to enjoy movie-star status when they agree to tie the knot.

Guys can pop the question to their unsuspecting betrothed with a personal video proposal shown on the ship's giant outdoor Movies Under the Stars movie screen and, after she says "yes," Princess will continue to keep the stars in their eyes throughout the sailing with a special romantic dinner, amenities, and the creation of keepsake items to remember the occasion long after they return home.

"Engagement Under the Stars" proposals will take place just prior to one of the evening's outdoor feature films at a time prearranged with the proposer, who will bring his unsuspecting fiancé-to-be to the scene under the guise of seeing the evening's show. The package includes:

A secret session for the proposer with the ship's videographer to create a personalized on-screen proposal
Two glasses of champagne and a red rose presented to the couple immediately following the proposal
A bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in the couple's stateroom the evening of the proposal
An engagement portrait session with 8x10 engagement photo
Four candid 8x6 photos of the surprise proposal
A Princess Cruises romantic, in-room breakfast
A dinner for two at one of the ship's sophisticated alternative dining venues, such as Sabatini's Trattoria or Crown Grill
A couple's massage in the Lotus Spa
A complimentary pottery class offered through the ship's signature learning program, at which the couple will design a commemorative "engagement plate" souvenir
A 10 percent discount off of fine jewelry in the shipboard boutiques, just in case the groom didn't bring a ring
A $100 credit towards a wedding-at-sea package on a future voyage
The "Engagement Under the Stars" package enables any "Regular Joe" to provide his bride-to-be with a highly romantic and attention-getting proposal...without him having to do any of the planning. "All the gentleman has to bring is the ring and the question," says Jan Swartz, Princess' senior vice president of customer service and sales. "We've tapped into many of the ship's fabulous amenities - from dining, to spa, to our ScholarShip@Sea program, and of course, our signature Movies Under the Stars screen - to combine the most romantic and memorable experiences for newly engaged couples, and we're very happy to offer this package to grooms-to-be who want to create a lasting impression on their partners."

Insightful Quotes on Love

Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
Robert Frost
A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.
Ingrid Bergman
Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell.
Joan Crawford
Love dies only when growth stops.
Pearl S. Buck
Gravitation can not be held responsible for people falling in love.
Albert Einstein
I was nauseous and tingly all over. I was either in love or I had smallpox.
Woody Allen
What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork.
Pearl Bailey
Kisses are a better fate than wisdom.
e. e. cummings
Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There’s too much fraternizing with the enemy.
Henry Kissinger
Love is a friendship set to music.
E. Joseph Cossman
Loves conquers all things except poverty and toothache.
Mae West
The madness of love is the greatest of heaven’s blessings.
Plato
Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
One is very crazy when in love.
Sigmund Freud
Trouble is part of your life — if you don't share it, you don't give the person who loves you a chance to love you enough.
Dinah Shore
Lord! I wonder what fool it was that first invented kissing.
Jonathan Swift
Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration.
D. H. Lawrence
A loving heart is the truest wisdom.
Charles Dickens
Romance has been elegantly defined as the offspring of fiction and love.
Benjamin Disraeli
Love cannot endure indifference. It needs to be wanted. Like a lamp, it needs to be fed out of the oil of another's heart, or its flame burns low.
Henry Ward Beecher
Love is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitted of eternity.
Helen Hayes
Love is the master key which opens the gates of happiness.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
The greatest tragedy of life is not that men perish, but that they cease to love.
W. Somerset Maugham
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence.
Vincent Van Gogh
Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.
Voltaire
At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.
Plato
Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
Franklin P. Jones
Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
Henry Louis Mencken
Like the measles, love is most dangerous when it comes later in life.
Lord Byron
Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.
St. Augustine
To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose, the next best.
William M. Thackeray
If you would be loved, love and be lovable.
Benjamin Franklin
Where there is love there is life.
Gandhi
The course of true love never did run smooth.
William Shakespeare
Sex alleviates tension. Love causes it.
Woody Allen
The hottest love has the coldest end.
Socrates
Love: a temporary insanity curable by marriage.
Ambrose Bierce
Love it what happens to a man and woman who don’t know each other.
W. Somerset Maugham
In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.
Mother Teresa
Falling out of love is chiefly a matter of forgetting how charming someone is.
Iris Murdoch

Insightful Quotes on Love

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