No matter where in the world you cruise to, beach-combing, shopping on L.A’s Boulevards, or moving your way through the crowds in the middle of Buenos Aires, it’s always a good idea to keep a handy travel app or two by your side. In this blog, we’ll be taking a look at five app sidekicks that are quite simply, indispensible assets to add to your cruise travel armoury.
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Tripit
This revolutionary app converts your tangle of flight, hotel and rental reservations into a beautifully simple, digital itinerary that you can be viewed from multiple devices, printed for yourself, or shared with other users.
All you have to do is forward your miscellaneous travel information to Tripit, and almost instantly your smartphone becomes a pocket PA, informing you of changes to flight times, hotel check-in hours, and even alerts you periodically of excursion reservations. Vital for any cruiser with even a passing love of logistics.
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Around Me
As any avid cruiser knows, the double edged sword of cruising is that you will probably find yourself in a new locale every single day. On the one hand, it’s an eternally changing backdrop to your adventures; on the other hand, it can be a bit tricky to adjust to each new place on the fly. Around Me is designed to take that out of the equation.
The app detects your location and flags up the nearest points of interest, often vetted by approved ratings from fellow travellers. In a nut shell, an unfamiliar city, with just the tap of a smartphone screen, can become a veritable haven for cruisers looking to glean the very best experiences from a locale. Whether you would like to enjoy a cult favourite of a restaurant or find the best hotel within a square mile, Around Me is an indispensible digital companion.
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Amble
This app is less about consulting city guides than creating your very own. Amble, an intriguing app from fashion giant Louis Vuitton, allows you to craft your own travelogue on the fly, complemented by your own personal photography, videos, and comments about your favourite hangouts.
Never has there been a travel app which manages to give familiar destinations a whole new lease of life. Avid visitor to Rome? Why not let others know about the best gelato in the city? Veteran cruisers will adore this, while first-timers will revel in the simplicity with which you can combine audio, video and image recording.
Of course, if you like your travelogues with a more celebrity vibe, you can always view the amble profiles of stars like Cate Blanchett, who takes users on an incredible tour of Sydney.
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Zagat
Ask any foodie what their definitive bible of gastronomy is, and they’ll probably name Zagat in hushed, reverent tones. Long a culinary catalogue that restaurants have fought tooth and nail to be added to, Zagat guides have been directing food lovers to the finest restaurants in the world for decades.
With Google acquiring the property however, the company has entered the digital age, transforming into an application which allows users to filter over 30,000 restaurants worldwide by price, Zagat score, and opening times. You can even save your favourite culinary hot spots into your very own profile for future reference – so no matter which port you pull into, you’ll have a selection of amazing eateries to peruse.
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Luxe City Guides
Short of time? Luxe City Guides are for you. Anyone who has ever attempted to wrangle information out of a smartphone in the midst of a bustling city will have endured that most perennial of travelling difficulties – before you know it, you may have missed out on the best kept secret in the whole of the city while you are too busy gazing at a screen.
Luckily, Luxe are all about brevity, with a selection of reviews written by their very own team of wordsmiths which can be viewed rapid-fire as you hunt down the highlights of the world’s greatest destinations. A smooth and stylish interface and a unique mapping system make Luxe the cure for aimlessly wandering around cruise destinations.
