Know first that canal and waterway cruising is not a holiday that will please everyone. If you like playing tennis and golf all day, if your idea of happiness is lying beside a pool looking at the young ladies in their miniature bikinis, if you must absolutely be able to enjoy a hectic night life every day of your holiday – then a canal cruising holiday is most certainly not for you.

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On the other hand, if you don’t mind gliding peacefully through some of the most beautiful country in the world at a speed of around 7 km an hour, seeing parts of the countryside that other people never do, avoiding all the rush hour traffic, and slowing down the pace of your life to a gentle amble, then a canal cruising holiday will be very much your speed.

Canals are not straight roads you rush down. Typically they turn around following the bends of the countryside, although, occasionally, you may find yourself going through a town – even through the center of a major city.
To liven the proceedings you will frequently come across locks which, in almost every case, you will have to work yourself. You soon get used to it. It is a small but pleasant skill that provides an enjoyable break in the day. It is also a good place to meet people from other boats who will be full of information and advice – some of it correct and valuable.

There are several guide books available for each country, and they list the waterside pubs, which are some of the most interesting and attractive of hostelries in Europe.

Basics
If you are going to be operating the boat yourself – and there is no other way to totally enjoy the experience – then you need to be agile enough to get on and off the boat fairly quickly and you need to have somebody to steer the boat. In fact, a three person crew is preferable. If that is impossible, then there are hotel boats, especially in France, which cater to your needs.
There are no high levels of skill involved in handling a canal boat. It is not like a yacht. Steering is either from a small hand wheel or a tiller at the back of the boat, and you have a throttle lever to control the speed.

When you hire the boat you will be given a very short training course to show you how to handle the locks, bridges and other items of canal technology.
There will be a towpath running along one side of the canal, which is where the horses used to walk when they towed the boats. When you want to stop you can moor the boat on the tow path side. There is no charge for mooring and you either use mooring posts or hammer some stakes into the ground.

You, of course, carry your water with you and you will have to re-fill the tanks every second day or so. You will not have that trouble with fuel as typically you will be supplied with enough to more than last for the duration of your holiday.
You can cook on the boats – all utensils are supplied – but you will probably find yourself having dinner at one of the many waterside hostelries. You will have to take with you proper boat shoes so that you do not slip on wet decks.

On older boats, the person steering can sometimes be annoyed by the sound of the diesel engine. This is not a problem on the newer boats which are normally those for hire. In either case, it is only the person steering who notices. At the front of the boat there is no noise except for the lapping of the water and the swishing of the reeds.

In Britain, the canals are fairly narrow – two meters is fairly wide – and that is why the boats are called ‘narrowboats’. Despite their lack of beam these boats have all of the conveniences of home including showers, kitchens and the inevitable television. Note that they never come equipped with telephones – it is not meant to be that sort of holiday. But if you need to be in constant touch you can hire a mobile phone.

Almost all boats have a dining area which can be made up into an extra double berth. Unless you are very pushed you should avoid this. It is only suitable for young people. Thus the rule is that if you are hiring a boat for four people you hire a six person boat.

The electricity – after all, this is Europe – is weird and wonderful and if you need to use a hair dryer or recharge a camcorder you need to check with the hirers very carefully before you start out.

In Europe there are several cruising grounds, some more attractive than others. For example, canal boating in Scotland sometimes means that you are sailing across quite large bodies of water and you need something other than a narrow boat. Ireland, on the other hand, has become a major area for canal cruising and many of the canals have been restored and reopened.
In Ireland the Grand Canal and Barrow Systems and the Shannon River offer you the freedom of 240 kilometres of uncrowded waterways. The start of the Grand Canal is only 100 km from Dublin. The Shannon is the backbone of a vast network of inland waterways, joined to the Erne via the newly restored Shannon-Erne link. The Grand Canal connects it to Dublin and the east coast, while the Barrow Navigation makes it possible to travel to the south east. The river immediately to the south is ideal for beginners. But it is in England that British canal cruising comes to perfection.

There are three areas.
The first is the Norfolk Broads which consists of canals and rivers connected to lakes which are called Broads. There are no locks in this area, but there are tides and you need to acquire the skill of using the tides to move you along.
This is some of the most beautiful country in Europe, and even for England, it is a very quiet and remote place.

The river Thames provides yet another area for cruising, but it has some differences. The locks right up to Oxford are worked by lock keepers, who know the area and are normally great characters in their own right. The banks of the Thames are a panorama of English history and you could not be bored for one minute.

Then there are the canals which run throughout England and Wales. There are about 3,000 km still available for recreational use, as they are rarely used now for commercial transportation. It is here that you have to use a narrow boat. It will come with all the comforts of home and is very simple to use. Anyway, you cannot do much damage at a maximum speed of about 7 km an hour.

The centre of the canal system is in the city of Birmingham, but most of the canals run through the countryside. You amble along and enjoy the scenery and then at night moor beside a waterside pub. You probably will only travel for four hours or so a day, which will leave you plenty of time for exploring.

It takes about 15 minutes to get through a lock and you need to change your way of thinking of distance from km to lock km. You will it normally find that you travel at something under 30 lock km a day.

You can either cruise from your starting pint and back along the same canals or you can go on a circular tour which brings you back to your starting point. Take the advice of the boat yard as to how long a trip will take. Their judgment is better than yours. Canal cruising on the Welsh borders between Chester and Llangollen can get a little crowded at the height of the season, but many regard this as the ideal first trip.

There is much discussion as whether to carry a bicycle. You will find that carrying a bicycle for each person on-board will make the trip much more interesting because it is very easy then to cycle along the tow path to some close by destination. On the other hand storing them can be a dashed nuisance, and if you put them on the cabin top you will find problems with overhanging trees and some of the bridges, which can be very restricted. Nevertheless, they improve the holiday no end.

When you have finally decided where to go, and have arranged to hire a boat, buy a guide for the canals you intend to cruise. In Europe Nicholsons, Pearsons and Waterways World each publish a series of guides. These are useful on the cruise, as they will show you where the villages, pubs and water points are. An overall map of the system is useful for appreciating where the canals are in relation to the rest of the country, and for overall planning.
There are no big differences between cruising in Britain and cruising on the continent. Perhaps the biggest difference is that on the continent the major canals are still used for commercial traffic. But otherwise it is much the same. You never go faster than eight km per hour – there is a speed limit – and you need to allow 15 minutes for going through a lock. Otherwise, it is a very similar experience and the canal system extends through France, Germany and Holland.

Web sites
George’s: Canal Boating in the U.K. and Europe http://www.canals.com/index.htm The definitive guide. Has everything you want to know plus links to lots more. Says of itself, modestly, ‘Being an introduction for those unfamiliar with the pleasures of canal and waterway cruising, as well as a resource for experienced boaters.’
UK Canal Network http://www.ukcanals.net/ Has more links than you can poke with a stick. Total coverage. Whatever you want to know, this site has a link to it. Quite amazing.

UK Vacations Afloat on Canal, River and Sea http://www.holidayuk.co.uk/canals/index.htm Commercial site listing what it has to offer. There is an immense amount.

AccomoDATA – Canal Boating http://www.accomodata.co.uk/boats.htm Another commercial site dealing with canals in Britain.

Croisières Le Dauphin / Dolphin Cruisers, Pelican Canal Boat Rental http://www.le-guide.com/dolphin/pelican.html Commercial site on cruises – more powerboat than true canal boats – in France.

Waterways Holidays http://www.waterw

Today, Norm Goldman Editor of … is pleased to have as a guest of … Douglas Ward, author of Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005, now into its … year of publi

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Today, Norm Goldman Editor of Sketchandtravel.com, is pleased to have as a guest of Sketchandtravel.com Douglas Ward, author of Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005, now into its twentieth year of publication, published by Berlitz Publishing.

Thank you Douglas for accepting our invitation to be interviewed.

Norm:

Douglas could you tell us something about yourself and why did you want to write a book about cruising and cruise ships?

Douglas:

I had worked aboard passenger ships for 17 years before forming an association of cruise passengers, who were looking for more comparative information about cruise ships and cruising. So was born the idea for the book, which started with 120 ships and 256 pages. Today, after 20 years, the book has grown to include 256 ocean-going ships, 656 pages, and half a million words.

Norm:

I noticed your first book on cruises and cruise ships was published twenty years ago, and you have been updating your book every year. How do you go about gathering material every year for these updates and how long does it take you to update your annual book?

Douglas:

First, it takes me a minimum of three hours a day, every single day of the year, just to keep the book refreshed, up-to-date, and accurate. I also travel extensively, as much as 250 days each year. So, of course, I write while I am traveling, visiting, and sailing aboard the world’s cruise ships.

Norm:

What makes cruises so appealing to honeymooners?

Douglas:

Cruises take the hassle out of planning a honeymoon, particularly with regard to language, cuisine/meals, entertainment, and so many other things that go towards making a honeymoon a fine, affordable vacation, and a complete escape from the pressures of life ashore. Actually, it’s also a good way to find out how a newlywed couple cope with living in a small space.

Norm:

Are you seeing more weddings performed on cruise ships lately? What should cruisers know about cruise ship weddings?

Douglas:

By nature of their (out of the ordinary) appeal, more weddings are being performed aboard cruise ships today, simply because there is so much help at hand. The larger cruise lines have personnel dedicated to handling weddings and honeymoons, and the instant support of other personnel in cruise line head offices to draw from. Weddings can, in other words, be tailored completely to the individuals concerned (and without the interference of well-meaning parents and other family members who can create stress and pressure on couples about to undergo, what is for many, the most important ceremony of their lives).

Norm:

With so many cruise possibilities, how does one go about choosing a cruise and what should people take into consideration before deciding on any one cruise?

Douglas:

Choosing a cruise successfully depends on one’s personal requirements and expectations from a vacation. First-time cruise goers would be well advised to talk to an established cruise booking specialist, who will be able to help you to choose the right ship and cruise, for the right reasons, taking into account your personal tastes and socio-economic considerations. There are so many choices today that there should be a ship and cruise to suit even the most demanding and finicky of people. Perhaps the first decision, however, should be to establish how many days you can take for your vacation (including travel days to get to/from the ship), and then think about the area you would like to cruise in. The most popular regions include the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, Norwegian fjords and Baltic ports, and southeast Asia/Australasia. Those with more time who want more involvement with nature should consider visiting Antarctica or the Arctic regions (you would ideally need about three weeks). Then there is perhaps the ultimate in long distance cruising an around the world cruise, which typically would take three to four months (most ships offering complete around the world cruises there are about 15 in 2005  sail between January and April away from winter).

Norm:

Have you had any bad experiences on a cruise, and if so, please describe them.

Douglas:

I have had many bad experiences, but most of them cannot be written about, and most have been aboard ships and cruise lines that no longer exist, or have changed their names. However, there have been a few nasty transatlantic crossings (I have done 152 of them), when the weather can throw some unexpected wrenches into what otherwise is perhaps a wonderful, serene way of traveling between the Old and New Worlds.

Norm:

After deciding on a particular cruise, how do you plan for the cruise and what important elements should you keep in mind?

Douglas:

Make sure you choose the right size ship for your needs. Do you want to be with 100, 500, 1000, or 3000 other passengers? Do you want to experience cruising under sail; cruising with specialist lecturers; be aboard a ship with spa facilities, large-scale production shows (a la Las Vegas), lots of gaming, or shopping opportunities? Whichever cruise you choose, try to make the travel arrangements as simple as possible. Sometimes, the mere act of getting to and from your chosen cruise ship (or embarkation point) can prove frustrating. If you are a first-time cruise goer, try not to do everything on your first cruise it could end up being more like an endurance test.

Norm:

Can you tell our readers something about the different cabins that are available on cruises and what to look out for?

Douglas:

First-timers would be best advised to book an outside cabin (a cabin with an outside view) rather than an interior (no view) cabin. So, when you wake up, you won’t be disoriented, and youll be able to see what the weather is like, which helps you decide what to wear each day. Typically, the more space you want, the higher the cost. Large suites with private balconies cost the most (some can measure up to 3000 square feet), while interior cabins that measure as little as 70 square feet will, of course, feel incredibly small. Typically, you get what you pay for. The average cabin size aboard today’s larger cruise ships (they are really floating resorts) would be approximately 180-200 square feet.

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