Cruising the open ocean on a huge and luxurious ship that sports everything from a full dinner theater to an on-deck pool is the relaxing vacation method of choice for many people all over the world; the real trick is learning how to make the most of your experience, both on the ship and off.
Armed with only your tickets and your Apple iPhone, you may be surprised at just how much you can easily do to turn an average cruise into an unforgettable travel experience.
1. Cruise Ships by Nautical Cities
The simply named “Cruise Ships” app for the Apple iPhone allows you to browse cruise times, ship services and general deck layouts for more than 270 currently active cruise ships from a numbers of lines around the world.
Boasting hundreds of unique photos, full color deck plans, thousands of reviews and more than 20,000 ratings on categories like condition, layout, amenities, services, food and entertainment, there isn’t a more thorough app available for customer impressions of cruise line experiences.
2. Ship Mate – Carnival Cruises
Heading out on a Carnival Cruise? The one iPhone app that you simply cannot do without is the Carnival Cruises data app from Ship Mate. This app’s usefulness begins before the cruise itself does with a handy countdown clock and packing checklist to help get you excited about your vacation. Once on-board your ship, services like real-time cruiser chat, on-board web cams, full color deck maps, port info and more help you to make the absolute most out of your Carnival Cruise experience.
3. Deck Director
For the directionally challenged among us comes Deck Director, an app that takes the idea of deck maps to an entirely new level by offering step-by-step directions to any amenity, from any place on any supported cruise ship! Added features include the ability to get directions using only elevators when stairs aren’t an option (or are at least daunting) and real-time chat opportunities with others on your ship, giving you the ability to meet new people with ease.
Our personal favorite feature? A quick return button that allows you to simply reverse previous directions to get back to where you started, whether it’s a public area or your own personal cabin.
4. PortPal
When you’ve collected all of the necessary data about your cruise line, ship, sailing times and itinerary, the next step is being sure that you’re familiar enough with what each port-of-call offers to take full advantage of every possible opportunity. PortPal is an app designed to do exactly that, focusing solely on information pertaining to the different cities and towns you’ll visit along the cruise path.
Offering detailed information about weather and locale, including customer reviews of services like restaurants, eating and shopping, PortPal aims to be the only app you need each time you step off of your ship and visit a new port.
5. Cruise Tycoon
If time or money constraints mean that you won’t be setting foot on a real cruise ship any time in the near future, the Cruise Tycoon game for the iPhone will help to tide you over (no pun intended!) with your very own virtual cruise line. A typical business management game, Cruise Tycoon starts you off with a single ship and allows you to grow your cruise line into a full-fledged army of boats taking happy vacationers from port to port, all over the world.
Conclusion
Whether you’re planning your next cruise and need minutely detailed information regarding different possible cruise lines or you’re just looking to fake it until you make it aboard your dream boat, the apps we’ve listed here are a fantastic way to get your cruise ship experience on the go in style, whether real or virtual. With apps covering everything from deck plans to local draws in the ports you’ll visit, there really is no need to experience a cruise with anything less than the entire world at your fingertips!
Annie blogs for Dobovo, the free online app for choosing affordable Kiev apartments on your next trip to Eastern Europe.
