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Last year, P&O Cruises ensured that the enduringly romantic notion of being married at sea became a reality, as they fully introduced their weddings at sea program. P&O Cruises have now reported that the first year saw busy captains perform no less than 184 ceremonies, and have confirmed a 40% rise in the programs second year. It seems then, that the romance of the sea is still working its magic.

So what is it that is pulling people away from the church and onto a cruise ship? A major factor is the price.

Interestingly, a report carried out by the Carnival UK Group has shown that about 3 quarters of all couples using P&O Cruise’s wedding service will have been married at least once before, therefore, they are fully aware of the tremendous costs of a traditional wedding which can average anywhere between a huge £15,000 and a staggering £25,000.

A basic ceremony onboard a P&O cruise ship starts from £948, once optional extras have been added on, such as a photographer, the average cost is coming in at a modest £5000 - this including the honeymoon cruise. When you compare this to the traditional wedding, you’re looking at paying under a third of the cost, excluding the honeymoon.

Cost is a particular issue because although couples who are marrying again tend to be older and therefore may be better off than they were the first time around, they are also likely to be stumping up the entire cost themselves. In fact, wedding planners at P&O Cruises have disclosed that the payment almost always comes from the couples themselves, and there is no evidence that the fathers bride is coughing up the funds for a second time, this is also true of the one in four couples for whom the wedding is the first time.

A further interesting find was that there has been a distinct shift northwards in those couples choosing to marry onboard. Southampton, P&O Cruises’ home port, has always been a winner for those in the South for the convenience, but statistics have shown that in comparison to 2006 where 44% of all P&O Cruise’s wedding couples came from Southern England, and just 30% from Northern England, 2007 saw a complete turnaround with 59% coming from the North and just 30% from the south.

Couples marrying onboard tend to be younger than the typical passenger, with an average groom age of 45, and brides averaging 41. The youngest couple of all those tying the knot in 2007 was just 21, with the oldest being a groom of 87 marrying his bride who was 74 years old, who said romance was dead..?!

Aside from the lower cost, the incorporated honeymoon and the magic of tying the knot at sea, there is a final, rarely admitted plus point which makes running away to sea a very tempting option for many couples. Weddings held in the UK often have huge guest lists filled with people you feel you should invite, but don’t necessarily want to invite! We’ve all got a relative or "friend" out there who could potentially put a downer on your day, whether it’s the dress, the flowers or even your future husband they have taken a dislike to, a wedding at sea can save you all this bother.

In 2006, the average guest party size was 6, with a rise to 8 in 2007. This increase may be due to booking discounts offered to groups of 10 or more. Out of all the couples marrying onboard, nearly half of them choose to invite no one at all, and the largest guest list was seen in 2007, where the ceremony was performed in front of a record 67 friends and relatives.

Unless the lucky couple are extremely generous and decide to pay for their guests, the etiquette for inviting friends and family to a wedding at sea is for the couple to send invites to their proposed guests, with information included on how they can book and pay for the cruise, if they decide to join the couple onboard.

Genna Roberts is web editor at Inside Cruise - an online cruise community with the latest cruise news, features and reviews.

Come join us! http://www.insidecruise.co.uk

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Buying domestic helper insurance is as easy as purchasing commodities in a grocery. It comes in different packages offering different policies. Depending on what you like and what you need, all you have to do is choose.

With all the emerging insurance companies, it is very important to know what to look for in maid insurance. You have to carefully consider not only the packaging, but more so the content of the policies they have and the credibility of the company in implementing the insurance.

A major criterion to consider in buying domestic helper protection is the insurance company’s credibility. Big companies are more likely to live up to their customer’s expectations compared with newbies in the business. Check how long the insurance companies have been in the business, and how they are dealing with their clients. The length of service and the kinds of clientele are strong guarantees of a company’s credibility.

Apart from the credibility foundation of an insurance company, it is very important to scrutinize the insurance policies. Insurance companies have different plans to suit the maid’s needs. A basic plan normally includes compensation and hospitalization in case of accidents, but there are more details to be aware of.

Some policies cover just the medical insurance of the maid, while some include the dental insurance. There are policies which cover all types of accidents, oftentimes called full protection, and there are some which clearly indicates exclusions from the plan coverage. Other details like repatriation expense, service allowance insurance, etc. in favor of the domestic helper vary from one insurance policy to another.

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Your itinerary will differ according to your interests, when you travel and mainly how much time you have at your disposal. Before you plan a tour that includes boat travel, I sincerely suggest you to check the latest available Jadrolinija (Croatian ferry company) schedule to be sure that there is a boat to the destination you want to go. Keep in mind that there are two schedules, the winter and summer and they can vary to certain destinations. ( For example: Hvar island (Stari Grad) has five times ferry a day connections to Split in summer period, while during the winter period, only three times a day)

The Costal Route Due to the fact that Croatia has a spectacular 1.104 miles coastline and 1185 islands , I suggest to chose the boat as the best way to explore Croatia coast. Your costal route can start from Rijeka all the way to Dubrovnik, stopping at the many islands and cities. This is one of the greatest journeys in Central Europe. Take advantage of Jadrolinija ferries to stop on the way to Dubrovnik to different cities and small fishermen villages.

If you happened to land to Zagreb, spend few days there visiting museums and the historic old town, than head to the coast (There are excellent bus connections to the coast). Before leaving for your cruises to Dalmatian coast, stop to Istria , maybe Rovinj and Porec. On the way to south parth of the Adriatic coast, your boat may stop to Dugi Otok (Long island) before arriving to Zadar, where you can spend few days visiting islands like Pag or small picturesque island Ugljan. Proceed to Split where you should spend couple of days visiting Diocletian’s emperor Split town. From there with very frequent ferry boats (keep in mind of the season) visit islands Brac (Bol) and Hvar (Hvar and Stari Grad towns). Don’t forget to visit nearby historic Trogir, only half an hour bus drive from Split.

You can continue your journey from Hvar, without returning to Split to Korcula island, visiting this small town, often called (small Dubrovnik). From there next day, proceed to Dubrovnik your inevitable destination, which will put the finishing touch to your Croatia’s journey.

Planning when to go

April to September is a great time to visit Croatia. The sea temperature in April is not suitable for swimming but you will enjoy warm and clear skies south of Split and specially on Hvar and Korcula islands. Accommodation prices are low but don’t forget that many hotels and camps will be still closed.

May and June are the great months to enjoy Croatia. These months are excellent for all kinds of outdoor activities. Italian and German tourists have yet to arrive, prices are still reasonable and most of the hotels, hostels and camps are opened.

July and August are the most expensive months to visit Croatia The places like Krk, Istria, Rab, Bol, Hvar, Korcula and Dubrovnik can become unpleasantly crowded. The advantage of these months, considered "high season" are the additional boat lines that gives you possibility to visit other small places and islands, far from those over crowded destinations.

I personally consider September the best month to explore Croatia. It’s not so hot, the prices are at least 30 % lower and the crowds are almost finished as children return to school. This is the month of fruits like figs and grapes. October is sometimes too cool for camping but the weather could be still pleasant for cruising and the private rooms are available everywhere and reasonably priced.

I hope this short Croatia’s itinerary map will be at least of some help for all those visitors setting up vacations in Croatia (Hrvatska) this or years to come.

If you need more information on Croatia ferry boats schedule, here you can download it

Jadrolinija (Croatian ferry company) itinerary and 2008 price list in pdf.

Visit my web site http://www.croatia-nudistsbeaches-scubadiving.com and find out more information about Croatia (Hrvatska), called "The Mediterranan as once it was"