Carnival’s Funship Sensation more fun now

Carnival Cruise Lines has introduced a new children’s dining program that provides kids with delicious supervised meals with their fellow young cruisers in the ships’ casual poolside restaurants while parents enjoy a night to themselves.

The new children’s dinners – the latest component of the line’s complimentary “Camp Carnival” program – are available fleetwide and take place in the ships’ Lido Deck eateries, the “Seaview Bistros.” Dinners take place from 6-7 p.m. After which children are welcome to partake in regularly scheduled “Camp Carnival” activities until 10 p.m.

The children’s dinners are available nightly on three- and four-day voyages except for the first night of the cruise. On voyages of five days or longer, the dinners are available nightly except for the first and last night of the cruise.

A different menu is featured each night and includes items such as spaghetti with meatballs, chicken quesadillas, hamburgers, hot dogs, roasted chicken drumsticks, pepperoni pizza, fish sticks, chicken nuggets, roasted turkey, and grilled salmon steak. Popular side dishes include French fries, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. A 35-item salad bar is also available. Desserts include assorted ice cream and seasonal fresh fruit.

Other popular dining options for children sailing aboard the “Fun Ships” include 24-hour pizzerias, a grille serving hot dogs and hamburgers and 24-hour ice cream/frozen yogurt stations. Children’s menus are available in all main dining rooms. A special children’s turn-down service offering freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the first and last night of the cruise, and the “Fountain Fun Card,” which, for a one-time fee, provides unlimited soft drinks throughout the cruise, are also available.

The new children’s dinners complement the wide variety of fun morning-til-night activities included in the line’s popular “Camp Carnival” program, featured on all 19 “Fun Ship,” which are expected to host some 400,000 children this year.

“Camp Carnival” activities are geared toward children ages 2-15, who enjoy such amenities as indoor and outdoor play areas, computer labs, arts and crafts centers, video game rooms, a new EduCruise science/geography program and more.

New Disney Dream fueled by imagination

Disney Cruise Line

When the new Disney Dream debuts in January of 2011, Disney Cruise Line will once again break new ground with creative new features never before seen on any cruise ship.

Doubling the size of the fleet with sister-ship Disney Fantasy in 2012, the cruise line will “be able to take families to even more places they never imagined they could visit – in true Disney style” said Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo.

New features abound in the new mostly Art-Deco and sail alternating 3 and 4 night cruise to the Bahamas and their private island, Castaway Cay from Port Canaveral .

Here are my favorites:

The AquaDuck Theatre sweeps away guests on a high-speed flume ride featuring twists, turns, drops, uphill acceleration and river rapids…all over the deck of the ship. 765 feet in length, four decks tall and sliding 13 feet out over the side of the ship in a clear swing out loop where guests can look 150 feet down to the ocean below at 20 feet per second this is not for the faint of heart. I will never get my wife on this.

A Virtual Porthole for inside cabins features the latest in stateroom innovation. Using High-Definition cameras, guests see real-time video outside of the ship. Why did no one think of this before now? All of the sudden, interior cabins, once considered less desirable, have a whole new life. Those who say “I’ll just book an inside cabin and save the money, I never am in the cabin much anyway” might be hanging out in there now. Think there will be some giant squids to see?

More for adults featuring The District, a nightly entertainment area with five different and unique lounges, Senses Spa an Salon with all the latest treatments and favorite Palo returns with every seat offering fabulous views of the surrounding ocean.

Disney Cruise Line reveals details of new ships

Disney Cruise Line

In a live webcast today, Disney Cruise Line revealed details of the latest ship in the fleet, Disney Dream which will be sailing from Port Canaveral in 2011.

With all the fanfare and hoopla you might expect from Disney, Chairman Bob Igor opened the program with special announcements for Castaway Club Members including the appointment of perky veteran cruise director Rachel Quinn as cruise director of the new Disney Dream.

Sailing in 2011, followed by the Disney Fantasy in 2012, Disney Imagineers have been hard at work creating new, different and exciting features for the new ship which will have what Igor called “the Disney Difference”.

“Marvels” being created on the new ship include

• Disney Skyline bar which will show the skyline of various cities around the world, changing as the night continues
• Virtual portholes in the ships interior cabins will make inside cabins seem like oceanview cabins with a Disney character stopping by from time to time
• The Walt Disney Theater and Buena Vista Theatre will show first-run movies
• The Aquaduck is a high speed thrill ride like a roller coaster on a cruise ship, curving up and down and even out over the side of the ship, dropping down within inches of the ocean below

Oasis of the Seas Update: Southampton, here she comes!

Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International announced today that new fleet star Oasis of the Seas will make a “technical call” in Southhampton on Monday, November 2 before heading to Florida on a TransAtlantic crossing.

Mainly to drop off hundreds of workers not not needed on the TransAtlantic sailing, the stop will be brief but afford local cruise-lovers an opportunity to see the 361 meter long ship in person.

Heralded as one of man’s greatest building marvels, Oasis of the Seas was delivered to Royal Caribbean International yesterday in Turku, Finland by shipbuilder STX Europe, 12 days ahead of schedule.

On Friday, Oasis begins her first Transatlantic crossing, arriving in Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades to be unveiled to the public for the first time on ABC’s popular morning show Good Morning AmericaNovember 20th.

Readers can follow along on a special website, www.OasisOfTheSeas.com, as the ship makes her way to Florida with daily webisodes and Google Map applications pinpointing the location of the ship.  On November 19, join us onboard as we send along live video reports including a kickoff concert performance by recording artist Rihanna, the first Sailaway celebration, profiles of the various areas of the ship and more.

Today’s webisode is all about the over 9,000 piece art collection aboard the ship dubbes “a museum at sea” where we get a sneak peek at some of the sculptures designed especially for the ship

Subscribe right here for all the latest information or follow me on Twitter @OrlandoChris for instant updates.

A ride on Majesty of the Seas

Simply sailing from Miami is part of the fun

Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas offers a value-priced short cruise sailing from Miami. This is a great cruise for those within driving distance or those who might combine one of these sailings with a land vacation in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area.

This is not one of Royal Caribbean’s new ships with all the bells and whistles they’ve become famous for like Oasis of the Seas debuting at Port Everglades next month.   But the ship is well-maintained and the service on a par with any other in the fleet.

Embarkation in Miami is a breeze. By completing registration information online we were able to print a SeaPass which makes things move along very nicely. I like Royal Caribbean’s terminal operations and the ease of which one can get in and out of the Port of Miami, still the busiest cruise port in the world. I was somewhat surprised to find security lax in comparison to other, recent, visits. It has been the norm for several years here to be stopped on arrival and required to show identification. Not this time. In the terminal itself, it looked like even the cruise lines security requirements had been loosened up a bit.

Surely, the cruise lines x-ray stop is not as thorough as the airlines but on this occasion they seemed much more interested in moving the line along than what was in our luggage.

On this cruise, being just a 3 day, we’d not packed much and opted to carry on everything in our individual luggage, one for me and one for my wife. Again I was surprised that I didn’t even have to take my laptop computer out of the bag. I guess it all works out though because I am writing this at the end of the cruise and the ship hasn’t been blow up yet.

OUR CABIN

We’d opted for the least expensive, inside cabin on this cruise. The accommodations were tight at 120 square feet but had everything we needed and offered plenty of storage space. A highlight of this cabin was the shower. Unlike some other seafaring showers, this one packed a punch equal to any land based showers and offered plenty of space. Considering the age of this ship I’d expected the old-fashioned phone booth variety. This one was about double phone booth size. Still not what one might find in a hotel but, again, adequate.

One part of the cabin experience that I found odd was the television programming. I’d heard that Royal Caribbean (RCL) had a new person in charge of this area and that things had really improved. Not on this ship. We have been in the habit of watching at least one movie on each cruise. If you’ve not done this you really should. For years after when the film you saw onboard is mentioned or you see clips of it elsewhere you’ll remember it and say “Oh, we saw that on the cruise! This was the first time were we’d not been able to find a schedule of what was playing in the daily Compass ships newsletter. We did manage to figure it out though and saw our movie.

An area of cabin operations that was quite impressive was our cabin steward, Sydney. This guy did a great job of getting in and out of our cabin when we were gone. He paid attention. Some don’t. He didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. He didn’t blow us away. He just paid attention. We had a small soft-sided cooler we’d brought because we like to have extra ice in the cabin. We didn’t even mention filling it up or keeping it full; he just did it.

He paid attention.

We found service in every area of the ship to be consistently attentive. That’s saying a lot. Often there are some areas better than others. On this ship all areas were efficient and friendly.

What more could you ask for?

In the past I’ve heard others say and even on occasion said myself “they treat you like kings on a cruise” I’d found that pretty truthful and accurate in the past but had kind of shied away from it on recent sailings. The staff on this ship brought that phrase back into the spotlight with brilliant clarity.

ONBOARD ACTIVITIES

What we like to see

What can I say?  I won in the casino and that washes away a whole lot of negatives.  Not that there were many on this sailing but you get the idea.

The cruise director and staff also did a really good job of packing all the activities you might find on a longer cruise into this short one. It did not just seem like there was something going on all the time, there was. Pool games, dance lessons, rock-wall climbing, a full blown kids program in Adventure Ocean, nightly production entertainment, all the elements were there.

This would have been a great “sample cruise” for someone who had not sailed before in the entertainment area. It was also a great cruise for locals from the Miami area. With a high percentage of Hispanic guests onboard, music contained a higher amount of Salsa and Latin-beat selections.

The Cruise Director and staff were paying attention; they gave the guests what they wanted.

TECHNOLOGY

Even computer access was great. On other ships the connection has been slow, this one was good and fast. Wi-Fi access was also a breeze to get signed up for and various packages could be purchased at reasonable prices.

Cell phone use was also available at all times on this ship. A strong signal made communicating with the outside world doable if one wanted to. Again, somebody was paying attention. I did not see many using cell phones but the service was available to those who needed it.

FOOD

Let me start by saying that we tried something different on this cruise. We never ate in the dining room. We had tried this on Royal Caribbean’s Sovereign of the Seas a few months earlier with great success and I wanted to see if that was a fluke or if there was consistent quality in the buffet operations.

What I found was that this is the one area of this ship that needs work. The taste of the food is always a very subjective element and difficult to define. One person may like the flavor of a particular item while another doesn’t care for it. The trick on a cruise is to offer a wide enough variety so that there is truly something for every one. In most cases I’ve found that there is a lot of variety and finding something you like is not an issue. Here too, the variety, for the most part, was there.

There are, however, certain aspects of foodservice that are not difficult to define at all. Food handling procedures are one of these items. I was in the restaurant business for 20 years and know a thing or two about the workings of a mass feeding operation. One of the simple, basic, and critical rules written in stone is “Cold things Cold and Hot things Hot”. This operation failed miserably in this area at every turn.

Here are a few examples

Part of every buffet is a cold section with deli meats and cheeses. These are placed on a bed of ice to maintain a safe, cold temperature. Several times I saw where the ice was allowed to completely melt and the food left to come up to room temperature. On this ship part of the Windjammer service area is in the open where the ambient temperature was 80 plus degrees, a breeding ground for food-related illness.

On the hot side, the same could be said for just about everything. I wish I had a thermometer with me because I’d bet that most hot products wouldn’t make it past 100 degrees, again in the danger zone. The only products we had on this cruise that were truly hot were cooked to order omelette’s at breakfast and cooked to order pasta for dinner.

TIP: Get to know the Pasta Chef who works in the dining room preparing pasta dishes to your order. Best food on the ship.

I’ve run into this before, this is not unique to this ship. But on other ships we’ve had alternative restaurant choices. On this one, it’s the dining room, buffet or room service, that’s it.

The thought crossed my mind that it would not be entirely inaccurate to say “If you want some good food on this cruise, bring it with you” But I think that might be a bit harsh.

As mentioned, variety and taste are very subjective areas and difficult to rate. Except when it came to desserts on this ship. Somebody must have gotten a real deal on cake mix because cake was the anchor of the dessert menu that caused the menu to sink.

Don’t get me wrong.

I like cake.

But this flavorless, unfrosted, lackluster substitute, which might have been a treat to a prison inmate, was just horrible. That wouldn’t be a problem if it was just one part of the menu but often it was the entire menu with the exception of Chips Ahoy quality cookies.

This area of the ship had “we’re really trying to cut costs” written all over it.

It was at this point that I started looking for other signs of a tight budget manifesting itself into an effect on the quality of operations.

Don’t get me wrong; I think any business needs to be run in an efficient and cost-effective manner. That’s just good business.

But when budget-controlling measures affect the quality of operations to the point where they begin to define the operation then I think somebody needs to be really sure that’s what they want to do.

It’s hard for me to imagine that Royal Caribbean wants to be known for being the cruise line with the lousy desserts. Or the cruise line that can’t afford to buy enough plates so guests wait for them at the buffet line or can’t hold them in their hands because they are too hot because they just came off the dish machine and were run to the buffet line. I doubt they want to be known as the one who let spills sit on the floor, creating a safety hazard.

But maybe they were just not paying attention.

I watched one day at lunch as a uniformed officer/manager roamed the dining room completely oblivious to what was going on around him. He wasn’t paying attention. He never spoke to any of the crew. He never spoke to any of the guests. He just walked around doing nothing about elements of the dining experience screaming at him for attention. These were easy-fix things too. A guest wandering around looking for a glass of water, a spilled drink all over the floor, dirty tables everywhere with other guests looking for one to use to name a few.

To be fair, I think everything they needed was in place, they just weren’t utilizing what they had to work with well.

There seemed to be plenty of chefs, foodservice crew and managers but yet the rolls were obviously baked too far in advance. Maybe they don’t have enough ovens to make it happen. Maybe they have to bake bread earlier in the day so the ovens are available to make more cake later in the day.

If they’re serving up this low quality of food in an attempt to save money they’re really missing the boat. If they took a look at the volume of food that was left uneaten on plates they might get a clue. This was not that guests took more than they could eat. This was that they took one bite and didn’t continue eating. I would bet that this ship makes more pizza than others in the fleet. It was not uncommon to see guests eating pizza at the same table as their buffet plate which had barely been touched.

Who’s fooling who here?

On paper they might find that the flavorless institutional cake is less expensive to produce but what are they really saving if they throw it all away?

If you’ve followed my reviews you might be tempted to say “has this guy EVER been on a bad cruise?”

No, I haven’t.

On the bright side:
• The pizza was awesome and room service had some highlights worth mentioning. What made the pizza consistently good is that they never got too far ahead on it. It was always piping hot and fresh out of the oven. The pizza guy paid attention.
• On room service the Tuna Pita sandwich, Cheesecake and even the Hamburgers were very good. Ok so skip my personal opinion that they tasted good and stick to the facts. The hamburgers, for some reason, came hotter from room service than on the buffet line. Somehow the hot food was hotter and the cold food colder.
• The midnight Caribbean buffet served on deck including ice carving demonstration was worth staying up for. Lobbing off the pigs head was a bit much for the kids who probably didn’t sleep real well that night but still a cool deal

With the exception of foodservice, this ship is great. Royal Caribbean does so many things right that it really slaps you in the face when they drop the ball. I hope there are plans in the works to fix this because it is definitely broken.

How to find a cruise

Photo: Royal Caribbean International

The first thing you do NOT want to do is visit the site of an Internet Cruise Broker. While the attractive pricing may grab your eye, in the end their “find everything right here” way of presenting cruise information is almost always deceiving. more…

The most efficient way to go on your own is to visit the major cruise lines website and their “find a cruise”pages. I like this method because you can

• Count on the offers being legtitmate and available.
• See what shore excursions they offer to go with their sailings
• Compare pricing on several sailings or ship

They too like to put their best foot forward and position high-profit sailings front and center. So don’t pay too much attention to their pricing. It almost always does not include taxes and any decent travel agent can make it a better value. But there is no better way to find just what you are looking for

So do your research, find some possible sailings and let me know which ones you would like value pricing on. Remember:

“the Internet is for searching, Travel Agents are for booking”

Florida Pilots: A friend to those who cruise

If you have been on a cruise and watched carefully as the ship either leaves or comes back to shore, you will have seen what looks like a small speedboat with the word “PILOT” on it.  That pilot is one of a select few individuals with a skill necessary to get your large ship in and out of the port.

A topic of discussion in recent years, as cruise lines look to control expenses more and more, is the wages paid the Harbor Pilots in Florida, viewed as excessive.  A study by the Florida Alliance of Maritime Organizations, released last week, says Florida’s 88 pilots at the state’s 14 combined cruise and cargo ports ear an average salary of $368,000, viewed as excessive by the organization.

As reported in the Jacksonville Business Journal, Florida Harbour Pilots Association spokeswoman Sarah Bascom said the study was an attempt by the cruise industry to cut costs and damage port security by eliminating the requirement of pilots who understand the local waters.

By world-wide accepted definition, Harbour Pilots are a key element to the safety of ships, passengers, crew and the environment.   One of the most challenging parts of any ship’s voyage is making it through the channels and narrow waterways that lead to the port and then the final docking of the ship.  Pilots meet the ship before it enters difficult to maneuver waters, comes aboard the ship and assists the crew in their docking routine.  The pilot sails away with each ship leaving the harbor, returned to shore by the pilot boat after the ship has cleared local waters.

Is $388,000 too much to pay?

Probably not if that pilot assures the safety of ship, crew and the port. Think about that the next time you are sailing away on the next cruise.

What I think about: Cheapskates

First let’s get things straight on terminology by defining two types of people.  Cheapskates and Value-Oriented Consumers.

Value-Oriented Consumers want to get the most for the money they spend.  These are people who know spending a bit more for something that will last longer is better in the long-run.  Here is an example of what I mean by that.

I have a pair of slippers I bought from LL Bean at least 20 or so years ago.  I don’t wear them  every day but when we lived up North they were great for a firewood run in the Winter.  There are paint drops of the Burgundy wall color that was popular decades ago that won’t go away.  They’re a bit worn but, to me, they’re all the slippers I’ll ever need.  Now here in Florida, I’ll put them on to run the dog out or just have around in the Winter when the temperature gets less than 50.

At the time I bought them, they were a bit more expensive than other slippers I might have bought but these were made well.  I had been ordering from LL Bean for years, starting back when you got a catalog, filled in an order form and sent it in or called them on the phone.  The notion of ordering “online” was not even an option yet.   I remember ordering these slippers and calling in the order only because there was a variety of choices and I wanted to talk to someone about which to choose.  I felt confident relying on their recommendations and placing that order because I knew they took anything back, no questions asked, much like former retail dominator Sears had when I was a child.  My dad always shopped there as did most everybody’s dad I knew because they would always take something back if it did not work out for you.

I think I got my education in what kind of consumer to be at Sears.  Or maybe it was the local hardware store where men were on duty who knew just what you needed for whatever it was you came in there for.  That was just the way business was done.  Consumers built relationships with stores, brands, even particular sales people who stayed put in their jobs in the time of life-long employment.  That’s not to say there were not fly-by-night companies that would try to take advantage of consumers.  There have always been and always will be those sharks out there who are not concerned about building a long-term relationship, earning our business and counting on us to make a living over a lifetime.   Venture Stores come to mind as does any one of a mind-full of other failed business’.

The Value-Oriented Consumer knows what they want and if they don’t they know where to go for expert recommendations, good pricing and they consider that business their source for whatever it is they sell.

We had a florist we used who I had worked for as a boy sweeping floors.  They had done flowers for my wedding, and any other special occasion along the way.  At one point, the salesperson we always talked to there, moved to a different florist, so we moved with him.  There was commitment on both sides.   Sure, that florist dropped the ball once along the way, making a holiday wreath for us that just was not what we had in mind at all, but quickly replaced and made good on the deal.

Are you getting the hang of this concept of “Value” yet?  It involves attempting to have a long-term business relationship with a company that “gets it” .   Gets YOU.

The social media Twitter/Facebook/MySpace craze of today focuses on building relationships as a cornerstone of the movement.   That’s wonderful.  If they do it.  In the long run, consumers will come out way ahead IF they find and use a business that believes in this concept of value also.  Both sides have to “get it”

In the world of today, so much has changed but so much is the same.

We have computers, instant access to online resources that might appear to be a good substitute for a good business relationship with a company but they are not.

Every once in a while I hear a doctor or someone else with (supposedly) a lot of smarts who will say sarcastically, “Oh sure, if it says so on the Internet it must be true!”  and I think “Uh yeah, so what’s your point?”  believing that what I see on the Internet IS true for the most part.   I mean, sure, I’m not stupid, if I see something unbelievable on the Internet I won’t believe it.  Plain and simple.  But some people just really like to believe that if someone has a slick website then they must be telling the truth and what they see before them is fact.

That right there may be the single most destructive thought the age of technology may have brought us.  It plays to the worst side of us, the side that wants to believe whatever we see that supports our point of view.  With billions of web pages, it does not take much looking to find just what we think we want.  That’s if we let ourselves get all caught up in it all and forget the lessons learned, the gains made and the viewpoint that made sticking with a business and developing that long-term relationship over time such a smart strategy

You see, in the olden days that was the only choice.  It was Sears, Montgomery Wards or JC Penney , maybe Macy’s to choose from for most stuff.  Having a job working for Sears for 40 years was a common thing and there were lots of people doing that.   The Information Age, Age of Technology, Computer Age, whichever you want to call it, eventually ruined that.  A by-product?  Maybe

Now, we have to go out of OUR ways as consumers to seek out and stick with business’ who…well…”care” about us

That is the task premiere for a Value-Oriented Consumer.   Much like moving to a new city, Value-Oriented Consumers have to find those people, those business’ that “get it”.

Cheapskates are easy to define as they are so one-dimensional.  They go for the flashy headline advertising to get “the best deal” missing the point altogether.

Cheapskates want so badly to get that $199 cruise that they disregard the facts.   In reality they have to pay port charges, taxes and government fees that often nearly double that price.  Add in a fine-print item like a non-refundable processing fee or cancellation fee that most people don’t find out until later and this is not the stuff that long-term, mutually beneficial business relationships are made of.

Cheapskates go from one source to another with no regard for the future, as though the only thing that matters is the price they pay today.  That short-term thinking is killing business in America, maybe all over the world, and opening the door for those smart enough to be Value-Oriented Consumers to start a “new” movement in how business is done.  A movement that should sound or feel somewhat familiar after reading this because it’s all been done before.  Business is surely “sourcing” stuff to get the best value but up until recently that has meant the best price.

After going for the best price always and getting burned a high percentage of the time, business is learning.   Consumers are learning.

Business is learning to offer what will be mutually beneficial to their customers in the long run, not just focusing on the day-to-day which created the environment that brought us Payday loans, cheaply made goods, poorly excecuted services and where we are right now.  The old business model of putting things out on bids to three different sources and using the cheapest one with price being valued way too high led our country to the brink of disaster and a economic period that will surely be called the Great Recession decades from now with exactly the same heaviness as the “Great Depression” was from a former generation.

All society’s greed did was create a group of Cheapskate consumers not focused on the long-term.  Not focused on building relationships.  Not focused on doing it right, whatever it was they were or still are doing.

But I’m seeing more and more people these days looking for the long-term benefits that brand loyalty can bring.  We were a “Tide” family when I grew up.  That was the laundry detergent we used and there was no changing that.  Tide got lazy though.  Tide got lazy, forgot about our relationship, and opened the door for Cheer to come in and take over by doing what?  Building relationships by providing a superior product with excellent customer service and a desire to be our laundry detergent.   Think about other companies that lost their way and are not around any more.  Think of the consumers that spent their time and money with those companies only to be left alone looking for another source.

Does the airline industry teach us anything here?    How about the mighty American car industry?  How did they let the door open to foreign imports who have taken so much market share from them?

Frequent flyer programs may have made one airline more attractive than another.  More features and better craftsmanship may have made one car company more desirable than another.    The Cheapskates were in the driver’s seat on that one for sure.  Driving business to give them exactly what they thought they wanted, business complied…for the most part.   Some did not.  Coca-Cola never changed its formula and didn’t Kentucky Fried Chicken.   But they practically gave away their products at a price below what that product deserved in order to gain market share.  In order to satisfy the short-term thinking Cheapskates

Cheapskates either just don’t know or are stupid.

Value-Oriented Consumers are smart but might very well have been cheapskates in the past.

Business is headed back to Value-Oriented Consumers who shun the cheapo Internet Cruise Brokers and embrace highly skilled and experienced Travel Agents.  Instead of putting stuff out for bids, companies are working with one supplier to source their needs at a competitive price.   That price might not always be the lowest but the commitment of that business to the consumer more than makes up for it in the long-run.  The focus is back on the long run.  Just now.  Just starting back for many.  Some will “get it”, others won’t at all and they will die the financial and business death of others before them who didn’t “get it”.

The housing bubble burst, Wall Street crashed in a way not seen since that last “Great” bad time,  Obesity (with a big “O”) is fast becoming the number one killer in America, taking over for long-time favorite Cancer and unemployment tops 10% in more areas than it has in decades.   People are starting to reevaluate how they do things and “tightening the belt” is not the answer.  The belt is so tight in some areas that there is no room to go anywhere except a new direction

Because we learn.

Some learn.

Others don’t learn.

Others never will.

Some people will buy a dozen pairs of slippers in their lives while others will buy just one or two.   I am excited that every day I see more and more of my clients or those I come in contact with who do “get it”,  want and demand the very best value and come out miles ahead in the long-run.  That’s exciting to see.  What burns me, what makes me mad and people I have no use for are the Cheapskates that don’t “get it”.  I have served plenty of them, once or maybe twice, before they went on to the next “low-price-at-the-expense-of-all-else” short-term business relationship.

That’s what I think.  What do you think?

Countdown to Oasis Of The Seas- Rihanna to headline

The ship’s Aqua Theater area hosts the largest pool at sea with multi-media capabilities
Royal Caribbean International

Kicking off the launch of Royal Caribbean Internationals Oasis of the Seas sailing from Florida’s Port Everglades will be popular recording artist Rihanna, appearing at the ship’s outdoor AquaTheatre on November 19th, the cruise line announced via Twitter today

Just as Oasis of the Seas will be introduced to the world as the largest cruise ship ever built with 5,400 guests and over 2000 crewmembers, Rihanna will debut her new album and be the first performer to take the stage of the amphitheater.

We will be on board and plan on sending live reports, videos and other updates for the event which also includes a live broadcast of the popular morning show, Good Morning America.

• More on Rihanna, Barbados native and no stranger to the Caribbean
• More on Oasis of the Seas, soon to be a regular in the Caribbean

New laws keep cruise passengers and crew safe..ok and ships too

Called a big win for everyone who sails on cruise ships departing from a United States port,  the US House of Representatives passed legislation today that will escalate efforts to make both passengers and crew safer at sea.

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety act of 2009, a provision included in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 allows funding for the U.S. Coast Guard and includes the cruise safety provision.

Far more than any previous attempts have accomplished, this act calls for specific rail heights,  peep holes in cabin doors and video systems that will help in documenting crimes at sea.  Supported by the Cruise Lines International Association which represents most major cruise lines, the legislation makes formal what most cruise lines have been doing all along.

Legislation was first introduced in 2008 by Senator John Kerry as the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008.  Reintroduced in March of 2009, consumer group Friend of the Earth noted “You wouldn’t think that minimal security requirements and environmental protections would require federal legislation,” said Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder. “But many cruise lines have failed to reduce pollution and afford their customers even these minimal protections

New Oasis of the Seas will take Florida along for the ride

Central Park will be open to the sky and feature walkways with trees eventually over 40 feet tall
Royal Caribbean International

When the largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas starts sailing from  Florida’s Port Everglades next month, she’ll take a bit of Florida with her.

South Florida nurseries are busy preparing over 12,000 plants for installation on the ship.  Broken up into “neighborhood” areas, the Central Park-themed open air space, wider than a football field, will be home to a wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs.

In addition to 25-foot green “walls” that span four stories, paved pathways and scenic flower gardens will create what Royal Caribbean refers to as the “Wow” effect, a company slogan for over-the-top projects, ships and just their way of doing business.

A big boost to local growers suffering from economic woes, the hope is that they will also get a boost in business from sister-ship Allure of the Seas, set to be delivered about this time next year.  As reported in the Miami Herald, business at local nurseries had been down about 10% but the order from Royal Caribbean has proven to be a real “shot in the arm” for business.

Carnival Sensation- Extreme Makeover worked wonders

This aerial view of the refurbished Carnival Sensation shows many of the new additions to the ship
Carnival Cruise Lines

With the addition of the new adults-only Serenity Retreat, Carnival Cruise lines has taken Florida-favorite Carnival Sensation to a new level of guest satisfaction.

As part of a recent multi-million dollar facelift and refurbishment called “Evolutions of Fun” , the Carnival Sensation sailing from Port Canaveral offers more than ever before.  In addition to the kid-free oasis Serenity Retreat featuring two hot tubs, shady and sunny areas for adults, kids have not been forgotten.

The new WaterWorks are features a Twister Waterslide and Splash Park.  Inside, Camp Carnival has added separate upgraded spaces for different age groups like Circle “C”: for the 12-14 year-olds, Club O2 for those 15-17 and cruisers 2-11 enjoy their own area as well.  The addition of more than 50 interconnecting staterooms make family sailing easier than ever before too.

Always providing something for everyone in the way of fun, the Sensations Club Vegas Casino has all the popular games. The Fantasia lounge, the ships main showroom, features a revolving turntable stage, orchestra pit and recessed speaker system.  The Sun deck features a 9-hole mini-golf course, the ships disco has a state-of-the-art sound and light system and Spa Carnival offers soothing treatments and massages as well as other treatments at an additional charge.

Never at a loss for opportunities to dine well, start at the new Café on the Way coffee bar inside on the Promenade deck with specialty coffees and sweets.  The Seaview Bar and Grill features hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, salads, roast beef, chicken, fish…to name a few in self-service fashion.  The main dining rooms, Fantasy or Ecstasy, have both early (6pm), late (8:15pm) or the new Your Time dining where you simply walk into the dining room anytime between 5:45 and 9:30 for dinner on your schedule

The Sensation is one of Carnival’s Fantasy class ships which has gone through a total renovation which included the addition of more cabins with balconies.  Previously, the only way to get a balcony on this ship was to book a Suite or Penthouse Suite stateroom.

Within easy driving distance from Orlando, the Carnival Sensation offers a great short-vacation experience with something for everyone

Ports ready for Oasis of the Seas

When Royal Caribbean Internationals new Oasis of the Seas makes Florida home next month, Port Everglades will not be the only port to have made substantial improvements to accommodate the ship.

Each of the seven ports has had to make change and improvements to handle the 5,400 guests and 2,000 crew members that will be on board every time Oasis stops.  Here is a run down of the ports and what they have in store for visitors

• Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas- like other ports, dredging the area leading to and around where these huge ship will dock has been a challenge.  In St Thomas, it was also an environmental issue.  Originally planning on the West Indian Co dock, the ships will call at Crown Bay, the new port built by Carnival Corporation several years ago.
• Philipsburg, St.Maarten- built a new pier and support area for Oasis during a $50 million improvement project to accommodate the bigger ships including a new trolley transportation system for the piers which has also been installed
• Nassau, Bahamas- moved more than 1.9 million cubic yards of earth, sand and debris from Nassau harbor to widen and deepen the channel used by both Oasis and Allure to access the island at a cost of $42 million.
• Labadee, Haiti- Royal Caribbean’s popular 260 -acre private island, actually a peninsula on the mountainous and secluded Northern coast of Haiti, has a new aqua park for children with trampolines and slides.  The big new attraction though is a 4000-foot long zip line ride over Dragon’s Tail Beach.
• Costa Maya, Mexico- made the pier longer with a $2 million improvement project at the last minute when it appeared that new port, Falmouth Jamaica would not be ready on time
• Cozumel, Mexico-after closing due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Dean in 2007, Cozumel as reopened bigger and better than ever with improvements to what was there before and a new beach club
• Port Everglades- As previously reported, a $75 million investment in what will be Oasis and Allure’s  homeport will earn the port $10 for each guest who embarks or debarks, paying the investment back in just 6 years
• Falmouth, Jamaica- this would probably be the one with the most changes since this port is being build specifically for the Oasis class ships.   At $121 million, this new port tops the list on who spent the most and it offers a lot for guests.  Riding 30-foot bamboo rafts down the Martha Brae River should be popular as well as sampling the famous Jamaican “jerk cuisine” at various stops throughout the area

Oasis of the Seas starts out with an Eastern Caribbean itinerary calling in St Thomas, St Maarten and Nassau.  In May of 2010, Oasis begins alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings.  Initially the Western itinerary will include Costa Maya and Cozumel.  Later in 2010 it will drop Costa May and begin sailing to Falmouth, Jamaica.

• Video of Oasis of the Seas

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Cruise lines divert ships to avoid Hurricane Rick

The Carnival Splendor is one of the cruise line’s newest ships
Carnival Cruise Lines

Florida’s Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise lines are scrambling to change the direction of ships sailing off the West coast.

In a Tropical Update issued by Carnival late Monday, they note that “the storm is forecast to make landfall on the southern tip of Baja California on Wednesday”  As a result Carnival Splendor will visit Ensenada on Monday,  Puerta Vallarta on Thursday and Cabo San Lucas on Friday.  The Carnival Spirit, also on the West coast, will operate its scheduled itinerary

Sister-brand Princess’ Sapphire Princess is sailing in the opposite direction of Hurricane Rick and should not be affected

Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas is heading south to Ensenada and the cruise line will determine today if Radiance can continue on to Cabo San Lucas.

I am always impressed with how serious the cruise lines take these situations, doing whatever they need to do to keep guests safe.

Carnival Destiny- suprisingly good

Surely the end result of the embarkation process, what time we get on the ship, is what really counts. We were on board the Carnival Destiny by 12:15 but not without a few bumps in the road.

The first bump happened when I followed the signs to their exact directions for luggage drop-off at the Port of Miami. Never mind that I gave our luggage to porters loading on to the Carnival Liberty, a different ship. Luckily, my wife Lisa noticed that we sure did drive a long way from where we dropped the luggage. Realizing the error, I ran back to where we had dropped off our luggage and caught it just before it was going to be loaded on the wrong ship.

You would think that after a bunch of cruises that this sort of thing would not happen.

CRITICAL TIP: Ask porter “What ship are you loading here?”.

Even though our luggage was clearly marked with our own tags as well as the paper Carnival tags printed on our home computer (worked fine, stop moaning) the porter had tagged it with Liberty tags anyway.

Inside the new terminal things seemed to move along at a good pace on one hand. On the other hand, for some reason the old guests from the last cruise were taking forever to leave the ship. It looked as though we would board late but by 12:15 we were on the ship.

Our timely embarkation would not have been possible though without the services of the VIP lounge.

This was our first cruise with Carnival after hitting Platinum past-guest status. One of the perks (more later on the rest) of that is use of the VIP lounge. This attractive and pleasant separate space enabled us to check in quickly and have a nice place to wait until time to board. When that time came, we were escorted along with the other “VIP’s” on to the ship, for the most part ahead of everyone else

So basically, as soon as we turned ourselves over to Carnival, things moved along very nicely.

Our Stateroom

We have sailed on the Carnival Victory, a similar ship, three times and enjoyed the extended balcony offered by some of the category 9A cabins. When I saw that one of the corner cabins with a 45 foot long balcony was available, I grabbed it

This cabin is just perfect for us. In addition to the over-size balcony, the layout of the cabin is just perfect for two people. Large picture windows as well as the clear glass door leading out to the balcony are a big plus. Our location on deck 8, right below the Lido deck made easy runs up for coffee in the morning, sun during the day and snacks at night. In addition, being at the opposite end of the ship where disembarkation was happening for visits to the ports, there was very little foot traffic there too.

If that was not good enough, our cabin steward was one of those amazing people who you never see but always gets everything done. This guy went beyond our wildest expectations too, anticipating our needs and handling requests we made with a high priority.

Another perk of being Platinum past-guests is complementary wash and fold laundry service. Our cabin steward handled this flawlessly. We are also Platinum members on Princess Cruise Lines which also offer the complementary laundry service but do so with noticeable disdain. I can hear them thinking as I ask about the service “Oh great, another Platinum member. I’ll be fetching laundry all week”

Not so on Carnival where our steward was happy to help and often delivered our laundry back the same day.

This guy was really trying

The Food

It seems to me like there used to be more courses on the menu. Now it seems as thought there are just two courses plus dessert. I think it is the way the menu is laid out.

While you can indeed order a Starter, Salad/Soup/Entree and Dessert, the menu encourages combining the Starter/Salad/Soup as one selection. It was a bit confusing at first but we got used to it.

CRITICAL TIP: Order whatever you want from the menu and let them figure out when to serve it. That’s their job and if two or three of one course’s offerings look good, get them all.

How things work out with your waiter is always kind of a subjective part of a review. One guest may like a lot of attention and chit chat while another wants to be left alone. Two very different approaches to a table but the right one for those with a preference one way or the other.

Oh wait, I guess there is a third style of service other than “Be around all the time, I like to talk” or “Leave me alone, I want to eat” I’ll call that third style “Hello? Does anybody work here?”

We had the third style.

This was a really nice man from (insert name of country where funny-talking people are made) who could not have been a nicer person. Sort of like commenting on the nice people in the Casino, that means that the service was awful. But not awful in a “make me mad” sort of way, awful in a “Oh my I pity this guy” who was struggling constantly with the ships computer system that allows input of the guest order.

We were sitting right next to the waiter station and could see him forgetting then remembering then forgetting again. That was a good place to be sitting though so we could serve ourselves off the trays of food he would bring then abandon as he disappeared into some back room abyss.

I still can’t figure out where he went or what he did.

I thought about mentioning it to the Maitre d’ but he had already made is obligatory “See? Here I am; tip me later” stop by the table. Finding him now would prove too daunting a task. The food itself? Not the highlight of the cruise and barely adequate.

That was a big surprise. I had really expected the food to be better. In other areas, it was. Tea time pastries were wonderful. Grill items on deck were fabulous. Pizza was good, fresh and flavorful.

But the dining room food, except for desserts, was not good. I know this is a subjective area and if it was close to being good I would have counted it a win. But some times things are so far off what you know they should be like that it’s not even a close call.

To say the dining experience was bad would be a bit severe. Consider other important elements like conversation with your table mates. Seriously, if Lisa and I were dining by ourselves at a table for two, these food problems would have slapped us in the face. We would have talked to the Maitre d’ who, believe it or not, cares and does more than stop by the table once during the cruise. He can fix stuff like this. But we really did not think about it at the time. We refuse to let problems like this negatively effect our cruise.

We had a good time with our tablemates and really enjoyed talking to them each night about what everyone did (or didn’t do) during the day.

The star of the show for us was the Chocolate Melting Cake dessert which made all the previous fade away as waves of chocolate satisfaction re-directed our attention elsewhere.

Yes, it is that good.

Buying Stuff

Top selling items in the gift shop

Bon Voyage gifts

Robes and towels

Standing in the gift shop line, waiting to buy some booze, I noticed that there was a nice display of commonly forgotten items available for sale. Toothbrushes, finger nail files, some of this and some of that filled the space right by the cash register. One thing I noticed was a huge display of the medication, Preparation H.

Several thoughts crossed my mind:

“Wouldn’t you think that someone who needed this product would have brought it from home?”

“I mean really; if you have this condition, you know it and it’s hard to believe that you would leave your medication behind (no pun intended)”

“Does this mean that a large number of guests on the ship develop this problem while on board?”

“If so, what does this say about our eating habits on the cruise ship?”

Funny the things that cross your mind while waiting in line.

Waiting was also the name of the game on Bon Voyage Gifts.

On the first night we were supposed to have received:

• Champagne and Chocolates
• Chocolate Delight
• Fruit Basket
• Anniversary cake

We got champagne but no chocolates, no Chocolate delight, the fruit basket but no cake.

CRITICAL TIP: Always bring confirmation of your Bon Voyage gift order.

This happens all the time. They’re pretty good about fixing problems with the orders but in my experience about half the time it comes down to having to prove you bought them.

Several calls to the Information desk resulted in us getting everything except the Chocolates that went with the Champagne

On the other end of the efficiency scale for buying stuff was our purchase of some Carnival towels and a bath robe.

I really like the high-quality beach towels and fabulous robes the cruise line is using now. On sale for $22 on the towels and $49 on the robe I saw a great value. I had purchased the same towels on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 for $50 each and a similar but not as nice plush robe on Princess for over $100.

The towels were just as good as the Cunard ones and the robe was way better than the nice ones on Princess so I filled out the flyer that came with our assorted paperwork of the day. One of the coolest parts of the whole thing was that our cabin steward had those to us within the hour, packaged nicely for the trip home.

Platinum perks

• Snazzy stationery
• Wash and Fold Laundry
• Awesome complementary logo item
• More than expected

As a Carnival guest with more than 10 cruises to my credit, I had the benefit of Platinum past guest membership. We already talked about the VIP lounge earlier but there are more perks and Carnival really does it right.

One of the first elements of the Platinum package that we saw upon entering our cabin was the personalized stationery provided. Platinum in color (clever), it was right there on the desk when we entered. I wondered who I would be writing to on the cruise. Santa?

The wash and fold laundry service is the most talked about benefit, making cruise board regulars around the globe drool in anticipation. Rightfully so, they do a good job, returning by afternoon the same day all the laundry given to the cabin steward by 9am in the morning. The only sort of disappointment was that a dress shirt I turned in, returning washed and folded, could have used the dry cleaning/pressing service offered. Still, the idea of having no laundry to do when we got home was a great one!

Another great idea was what they chose for our compementary Carnival Logo Item. I was expecting a bag of some sort, a picture frame or some other inexpensive gift like on Royal Caribbean. Instead we got two really nice stainless steel thermos’ just right for two cups of coffee. Our location right below the Lido deck made using them for our morning coffee a no-brainer.

The whole past guest program was really executed well, including the unanticipated plate of chocolate delights sent on the night before last with the simple words “Good Night” written on the plate in chocolate.

All things considered, this was a really good cruise. I would surely sail this ship again. I guess that sums it up very well!

Cruisng from Florida: Senior and Resident rates for all

I woke up this morning to less than 50 degrees outside!   That’s dangerously close to 4o degrees, the temperature at which many thin-blooded Floridians (myself totally included) do not leave the house except for an emergency.   It seemed only appropriate to write an article for Examiner.com that reminds Seniors, Floridians and pretty much anyone else who might be in the market for a “get away from the darn cold” cruise in a few months that now is the time to be looking for one.   So here, some tips on all that….

Carnival Cruise Lines

As a cold snap descends upon Florida, a gentle reminder that even the Sunshine State is not immune to the approaching Winter, our population grows some as Snowbirds return from up North.  The cruise vacation industry has some excellent values for them as well as Florida residents.  Here are some tips that will be sure you get the best value

• Keep up on pricing- Ask your travel agent to always send you the “Happy Hour” specials every week, a sale that is run most Tuesdays on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises.   These are most often the best values of all but you have to be able to sail within 30 to 90 days.   This is about as close to a “last minute bargain” as you can get.
• Everybody is doing it- Along the same lines. most major cruise lines publish sale information every week.   Ask your travel agent to put you on the mailing list for those too.   If you are concerned about getting too much email or that your email address will be sold to some joker who wants to sell you oceanfront  timeshares in Topeka, set up a different email address at someplace like yahoo.com so it all goes there.
• Know the rules- Remember, it takes just one “senior” (person over 55) per cabin and one “Florida resident” in each cabin to get the special value you may see.  Know too what the fine print says in offers you may see.  They make it small as though it is not important but it often has a major impact on what your end decision will be.
• Your Travel Agent- “The Internet is for looking, your travel agent is for booking” is good advice that in the long run will put you in a better position.  Not just for price but for the benefits having a travel agent on your side will afford.  Look around on the Internet to research itineraries, special offers, etc so you have an idea of what you’re looking for then get with your travel agent to make it happen
• Processing Fees = Run!- You should never have to pay anyone to use their service to buy a cruise.  While travel agents work for you, they are paid a commission on your booking at no additional cost to you.  That’s the way it has been in the past and the way it should be now.  Again, you might not see that “processing fee” or “cancellation fee other than that charged by the cruise line” unless you read the fine print.  These are most often charged by Internet Cruise Brokers, not your best choice of booking sources.

Right now there are still a lot of very good values for Seniors and residents, not just Florida but other states as well.  Your Cruise Lines International certified travel agent is the best source for cruise vacation information.  Building a long-term business relationship with your travel agent will pay big dividends over the course of your cruise history

Cruise Dress Codes Get More Relaxed

As a result of guest feedback convincingly in favor of a less formal policy, most all cruise lines have relaxed the dress code in recent years. This week’s announcement by Regent Seven Seas Cruises is typical of even high end cruise lines who encourage their guests to adhere to the following guidelines:

Daytime Dress Code (until 6 p.m.)

During the day, resort style clothing (including shorts, warm-up suits, jeans and sneakers) is acceptable
in all public areas. Bare feet are acceptable only on the Pool Deck. Note: Bathing suits, while acceptable at the Pool Bar and Grill, are not considered appropriate in any indoor venue.

Evening Dress Code (after 6 p.m.)

Two types of dress code have been established for evenings in public areas: Elegant Casual and Formal Optional. The number of Formal Optional nights is dependent upon the length of the cruise, as follows:

• Cruises of fifteen nights or less will be Elegant Casual for the duration (that means NO formal night)

• Cruises of sixteen nights or more will have two Formal Optional nights

Elegant Casual: Skirt, or slacks (no jeans) with blouse or sweater, pant suit or dress for ladies; slacks (no jeans) and collared shirt for gentlemen. Sport jackets are optional. Note: Jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, shorts, sneakers and bathrobes are not considered appropriate in any public area after 6 p.m.

Formal Optional: While guests are welcome to dress each evening as per the Elegant Casual dress code, during Formal Optional evenings, guests may opt for a more formal choice of clothing including gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies; tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suit with tie for gentlemen

While the trend for a more casual vacation experience has been building for quite some time, it was Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) “Freestyle Dining” that started it all. Breaking away from the industry standard of an Early or Late Seating, NCL gave guests options of not only a main dining room experience but alternative restaurants as well, some included in the price, some for an additional charge.

Other cruise lines have engaged the alternative dining trend by offering specialty restaurants for an additional charge. Focused on a more upscale experience like a fine steakhouse or multi-course Italian feast, specialty restaurants were limited to one or two on each ship for the most part. But even on those ships main dining room diners are getting more and more options.

An ever-increasing option is open seating. Pioneered by Princess Cruise Line’s “Anytime Dining” the program works basically the same on all lines that offer it allowing diners to dine when and with whoever they want. Recently, Carnival and Royal Caribbean both added their own versions which, while administered a bit differently between brands offer the same flexibility and casual ambiance guests say they want.

Countdown to Oasis of the Seas- a primer

It all started as “Project Genesis” but is about to become reality as the world of cruise vacations gets ready for   Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas, arriving in Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades in less than a month.

As previously reported, Port Everglades has been working hard to prepare for the arrival of 220,000 ton Oasis of the Seas in November followed by sister-ship Allure of the Seas in 2011.  Now, the cruise line has started to release some of the details about inaugural events taking place starting on November 19th.

New ships are nothing out of the ordinary for Florida though. With more ships sailing from Florida ports than any other area in the world, we have seen all the latest and greatest the cruise industry has to offer.

Until now.

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships will offer a totally unique cruising experience, much like their Explorer class did years ago with the addition of the Royal Promenade, a shopping and entertainment area running the length of the ship on the inside.  So what is “new” with Oasis of the Seas? Here is a brief run-down on some of the areas causing the most interest.

• Loft Suites- There are several different categories.  The “Crown” Loft Suites- at 545 square feet, these two-level suites with floor-to-ceiling, double-height windows will include an upper-level bedroom overlooking the living area below with a fabulous view of the ocean and a 114 square foot balcony. “Sky” Loft Suites at 722 square feet features a bath with a shower for two and a 410 square foot balcony. “Royal” Loft suites- feature two deck high stateroom with panoramic views. Master bedroom and bath on second level. Bath has a tub, shower, two sinks and bidet. Stairway to second level. Four twin beds (can convert to Queens). Bath with shower on main level. Private balcony with whirlpool and dining area. Dining area with dry bar. Living room sofa converts to double bed. Closets on each level. (1,524 sq. ft., balcony 843 sq. ft.). Stateroom can accommodate up to 6 guests.
• Central Park- One of the highly touted “neighborhoods” on Oasis with 334 staterooms overlooking a park over 300 feet long and 60 feet wide, Central Park promises quiet areas for reading along with lush tropical foliage, flowers, shrubs and trees.  Taking a cue from the popular Promenade View staterooms on Explorer and Freedom class ships, the 254 non-smoking balcony staterooms open into the ship, overlooking the park.  Retail stores, shops and boutiques will be featured including a portrait studio, art gallery and more. Restaurants and dining options available include signature eatery Chops Grille, a Royal Caribbean favorite with top quality steaks open for dinner, 150 Central Park, an exclusive dinner restaurant with top quality cuisine and an observation window allowing a view of the food preparation. Vintages, another returning favorite and signature wine bar regular cruisers will remember from other ships serving a tapas menu as well as the Central Park Cafe for anytime dining at breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks and midnight treats.
• Royal Promenade- One of the most popular areas on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager and Freedom class ships, the Royal Promenade is included on Oasis of the Seas with some big differences including Crystal Canopies on the roof that let natural sunlight in during the day to illuminate the space. Twice as wide as previous versions, those familiar with the Royal Caribbean will recognize favorites, Sorrento’s Pizzeria, Cafe Promenade, the Schooner Bar, Boleros Latin bar and the Champagne bar as well as Jewelry, gift and souvenir shops plus the Guest Services and Shore Excursion desk.  New is the Rising Tide bar, the first elevating bar at sea which will slowly ascend and descend three decks to allow cruise passengers the ability to enjoy a cocktail as they move through Central Park and various public spaces.  The 18 Promenade View Staterooms will no doubt sell out fast on each sailing. Accessible by stairs from the Royal Promenade, the Entertainment Place hosts signature Casino Royale, an ice skating rink and the ships main theater, the Opal Theater.
• The Boardwalk- this neighborhood is all about families and introduces many of the coolest features on this new ship such as the AquaTheatre a new aft outdoor amphitheater-like area featuring the AquaTheatre pool, a technological wonder that will be the largest fresh-water pool at sea and the first-ever hand-carved Carousel at sea.  Favorite Johnny Rockets will be located here as well as the surfer-themed Seafood Shack along with a coffee and donut shop, candy shop, Ice Cream parlor and more.  Accommodations include 6 AquaTheatre View suites, 221 Boardwalk View balcony staterooms and 8 Boardwalk View staterooms.  High above it all, a thrilling zip wire ride will race diagonally over the boardwalk, 90 feet above the deck.
• When Oasis of the Seas enters regular service in December she will be the larges and most revolutionary ship at sea with 16 decks that will carry 5,400 guests on 7-day Caribbean cruises

Not about cruising: Let’s shake on it

So the other day I’m watching a new episode of the TV show Cops right?   I started recording the new season on FOX setting my TiVo for “New Episodes” only right?   I did this mainly because we have enjoyed the show in the past but syndication of the long-running series has episodes from who-knows-when all over the place.  We like watching shows like this though. MSNBC prison shows are a favorite too.

I’m not sure why but I’ve always liked prison shows.  Escape from Alcatraz, the Birdman of Alcatraz (to go back a while) and all-time favorite Brubaker with Robert Redford rate high.  So Cops has always been a favorite too.  Oh yes, it goes beyond reality too, this interest.  The CSI shows are tops on the series list (well, not the New York one, Lt Dan doesn’t work for me in that one), Criminal Minds, The Closer, etc, are of big interest somehow.  Maybe because I have never been arrested for anything in my life.  Maybe I was Al Capone in a previous life.  I really don’t know why but I know these shows.

I saw one brief scene on Cops though that made me pause the other day.

It wasn’t some buffoon criminal who had attempted to do something stupid (some of these people really need to find a different line of work).   It was not some unbelievable situation someone had gotten themself into that looked so simple sitting at home watching remotely.  It was something I simply take for granted that did not happen.

It was during an incident when a police officer was interviewing people to figure out who was at fault.  After a short exchange with one person of interest it was determined they were not involved  The suspect extended his hand to shake the hand of the police officer saying “Thanks for what you do”.  What came next said so much to me about where we are as a society.

The officer looked at the man’s hand and said “We don’t shake hands”

My traditional background has not been able to shake that thought ever since.  I was brought up to respect the law and those who work to enforce us and protect us from harm.  Long before the tragedy  of 9/11 made it fashionable to approach a member of law enforcement, a firefighter or emergency worker thank them for being keeping us safe,  my dad did that when I was a little boy.

What has made a show of respect and gratitude something that those people need to be concerned about?

At the time, it came across to me like the thought going  through the officer’s mind was “because I am not wearing gloves and I don’t know what disease you might have”.  Later I wondered if it was because of legal reasons they don’t want to touch people for fear of being sued for something.   Maybe it was for their personal safety the officer needed to keep a certain distance.   Regardless of why, It made me wonder.

We speak so much about building relationships but yet this most basic (to me anyway) of relationships between all of us and those who protect us has changed so much.   What does this say of us?

Port of Palm Beach- another choice for cruising from Florida

Great Lakes Cruise Company’s Clelia II recently made a call at the Port of Palm Beach on her way back up North for a series of Northeastern Fall Foliage itineraries.  This private yacht-like ship accommodates just 100 guests in 50 Oceanview suites.

The significance of this call at Palm Beach by the Clelia II is that the Port Authority has been promoting the facility as a destination of port of call for small, luxury cruise ships.   “The Clelia II’s visit reflects the Ports determination to expand its business during an economic recession said Port Chairman Edward Oppel.

Currently, the only regularly scheduled ship at the Port of Palm Beach is the Palm Beach Princess, a twice daily casino cruise.

But at just 35 miles South of Port Canaveral and 80 miles North of Miami, the historically cargo-oriented port has ambitions.  A new $26 million multi-level terminal with full passenger terminal facilities is up, running, and capable of handling two vessels carrying 1,200 passengers each.

The first question that comes to mind is “So how many ships are there that hold only 1,200 passengers or less? ”  Surely the mega-ships with thousands more won’t be calling there.  There are a number of seasoned cruisers who do like smaller ships though and that might be just where the Port of Palm Beach finds its niche.

Worlds Largest Cruise Sale

That’s no joke and you owe it to yourself to at least check it out

Sponsored by the Cruise Lines International Association and most major cruise lines, this is a one day event, today only, where travel agencies all over the world are working overtime to get the best values of the year for you.  They call it the “Worlds Largest Cruise Night”  because many travel agencies stay open extra late, invite people in to have cookies and milk then pump them for a booking.   I’ll be watching whatever we recorded on our TiVo last night and wishing them the best.   I like the “Virtual” version of this much better where you can click your way to a great value.

Check with your travel agent today for what they have to offer or click here for my personal favorites (ok so this is a self-serving advertisement- still, these are great deals)

On Twitter?  search for #WLCN (Worlds Largest Cruise Night) #Cruise and #Cruise Values.  That should do it.

CAUTION:  Watch out for the Internet Cruise Brokers. These guys will be rabid today, probably didn’t sleep all night, arm wrestled each other for breakfast and will be eating nails for lunch in preparation to take you on.

Oh and hey, if you see an unbelievable offer that you want me to check out for you, send it along.  I’ll cut through the hype and find out if it is real or not.

Port Everglades adds new gangways for Oasis of the Seas

Port Everglades

In preparation for the arrival of Royal Caribbean International’s new Oasis of the Seas next month, Port Everglades has installed two of the latest in Mobile Elevating Gangways.

Automatically following the ship’s movement if effected by tide, wave or wind fluctuations, they are connected to the ports data network providing remote on line maintenance.

Complying with new South Florida building codes, these new gangways featured tempered glass  and a more open environment, providing better orientation for guests both getting on and off the ship.

The addition of both Oasis of the Seas, starting year-round sailings in December and sister-ship Allure of the Seas in 2011 should make Port Everglades the number one cruise port in the world.  Each of the 5,400 passenger ships is anticipated to add 584,000 passengers annually at the port.

Why Port Everglades and not Port Canaveral or the Port of Miami?  One big reason would be the close proximity of the Fort Lauderdale airport to the cruise port, just a 10 minute cab ride away.

Carnival Cruise Lines keep us safe

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines has announced a new, improved system for conduction the mandatory Safety Briefing on board.  Formerly called the “Lifeboat Drill” passengers were required to go to their staterooms, pick up their lifejackets and proceed to designated areas of the ship to await further instructions either immediately before or after sailing.

With Carnival’s new program, guests will no longer be required to go to their stateroms to collect thier lifejackets but will go directly to their muster stations from whereever they are on the ship.  They will know where their designated muster station is by the letter indicated on their Sign and Sail card, the identification card given to each guest before they get on the ship.

No longer will guests experience unncecessary acctidents or heat exhaustion while waiting at the muster stations on a Summer cruise.

In another safety-related area, Carnival is taking extra measures to guard against the spread of infectious diseases including the H1N1 Influenza Virus.  All guests and embarking crew are given a pre-boarding health questionnaire and medical staff will be available toconduct additonal screening of guests, crew and visitors if necessary.  Anyone who ha an illness of international public health concern will not be permitted to sail

Celebrity Century Goes To Europe

Celebrity Cruise Line’s announced that they will be redeploying the Celebrity Century to the Mediterranean in the Summer of 2010.

The Century, popular with Floridians because of her 4 and 5 night Caribbean sailings, is being sent to Europe because of “even stronger demand” in that market said Celebrity Cruises President Dan Hanrahan adding that “with our new , widely-heralded Celebrity Solstice scheduled to sail in the Caribbean year-round, our guests can enjoy the best seven-night Caribbean cruise experience in the market”

Celebrity Century will continue to sail four and five-night Caribbean cruises from November 2009 until early May 2010.

We reviewed both the Solstice and Century with high marks for both in all areas. We will miss the Century’s shorter itineraries, perfect for those flying in with a week vacation who wanted to add a 2 or 3 day pre or post cruise stay in Florida.

Another great ship for a 4 or 5 night cruise from Florida?

Believe it or not: the Carnival Destiny. We sailed this one not long ago on a five-night and were astounded at how nicely everything went and especially how fabulous the food was.

New Video From Princess Cruises

Princess cruises puts out some pretty remarkable videos about it’s brand.  This one, titled “Experience Princess Cruises” gives a really good idea of what it is like to sail on a Princess Cruise Line ship.

New Pier 18 at Port Everglades

Construction of Cruise Terminal 18 at Port Everglades is right on schedule and will be completed for the November arrival of Royal Caribbean International’s new 5,400-passenger cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas.

As the largest cruise passenger terminal in the world, capable of handling the 5000+ guests that will be embarking on Oasis of the Seas and sister ship Allure of the Seas coming out next year it also has to handle the 5000+ guests disembarking at about the same time.

Royal Caribbean and Port Everglades worked together to add many new features to this terminal making it possible to board the ship within 15 minutes of arriving at the pier.

• Parking availability- 1000 parking space in flat lots (Parking lot 18 and Parking lot 19) within walking distance of the terminal, with overflow to pother port parking garages
• Entrances- The entrance for bus and trucks will be separate from the car and taxi entrance
• VIP Access/Check-in- There will be a completely separate entrance for Suite Guests
• Check-In- To make sure there are no lines, there will be 90 different check-in counters
• Children’s Area- While you take care of everything, let the kids hang out in the new children’s play center located on the second floor seating area
• Embarkation/Debarkation- How do they handle those crowds?  With separate arrival and departure halls
• Finding your way from Shore to Ship?  Lots of electronic signs offering directions and other informationOasis of the Seas arrives at Port Everglades on November 11

Princess Introduces New Alaska Cruisetour Designed Especially for Families

Family Fun Tour Adds Value with Variety of Included Extras and Discounted Fares

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (October 9, 2009) – With its stunning scenery, abundant wildlife, and plethora of active adventure opportunities, Alaska offers the perfect family vacation.  To make it easier for families to plan a trip to the 49^th state, Princess Cruises has added a fun new cruisetour option designed especially with family groups in mind.
The 12-night cruisetour offers the best of Alaska by land and sea and includes a variety of special features not usually included in a cruisetour package.  Families will have the opportunity to travel on a jetboat, pan for gold, take an interactive tour of Denali National Park, and experience what Alaska is like in the winter when it’s many degrees below zero.
The cruisetour (number: FUN) is offered at a 25 percent discount for all berths, so all members of the family are included in the special pricing.
“This is really the ultimate family vacation,” said Charlie Ball, president of Princess Tours. “Alaska is a wonderful travel destination with kids, so we wanted to make it easy and affordable to plan the perfect Alaska experience for everyone in the family.”
The Family Fun cruisetour includes a seven-night Voyage of the Glaciers cruise plus a five-night land tour featuring one night at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, two nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and two nights at Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge.  At sea, families can also take advantage of Princess’ many onboard programs especially for children, including a special Junior Ranger program in Glacier Bay National Park.
In addition, the following special extras are included in the tour:
Daily Breakfast – Everyone in the family can start their morning off with the most important meal of the day.
Direct-to-the-Wilderness Rail Service with Lunch – Princess’ acclaimed Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service gets families to their wilderness lodge faster, and includes lunch aboard the train.
Three Rivers Jetboat Tour (Mt. McKinley) – An exhilarating alternative to taking a motorcoach to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, this tour travels from Talkeetna to the lodge by jetboat, with stops along the river to view historic encampments and learn about the native wildlife.
Arctic Blast (Denali) – Family members can experience winter in Alaska – in the summertime.  This special chamber is chilled to wintertime temperatures, so visitors can find out what happens to hot water when it is thrown in the air and whether soap bubbles can survive the cold.
Music of Denali Dinner Theater (Denali) – This rollicking musical comedy tells the legend of the first expedition to the summit of Mt. McKinley, accompanied by a hearty, family-style meal featuring smokehouse ribs and Alaska salmon.
Experience Alaska with Alaska Geographic Tour (Denali) – A more intimate tour of Denali National Park, this special experience includes a variety of interactive experiences, including an enhanced view of the Denali ecosystem and current research taking place.  The narrated bus tour takes guests 15 miles into the park to a beautiful river valley where they embark on a short walk to the historic Savage River Camp, where they can participate in a number of hands-on experiences.
Denali Sourdough Expedition Breakfast (Denali) – While fueling up for the day with a family-style, Alaskan roadhouse-style breakfast, guests experience an unforgettable journey up Denali through breathtaking images in Laurent Dick’s Climb Denali.  Participants have the opportunity to meet this real mountain climber and ask questions about mountain climbing.
Riverboat Cruise and El Dorado Goldmine Tour (Fairbanks) – Families can enjoy traveling on an authentic sternwheeler for a fully-narrated cruise along the Chena River and try their hands at gold panning at the El Dorado Gold Mine, where they will learn about Alaska’s gold mining history.

Fares for the Alaska Family Cruisetour (#FUN) start at $1,743 per person for the first and second berths, and $1,191 per person for the third and fourth berth passengers.

Princess offers a variety of land/sea Alaska experience with itineraries ranging from three to eight nights.  All cruisetour options feature at least two nights in the Denali National Park area, stays in Princess’ own riverside wilderness lodges, and a seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers sailing with Glacier Bay National Park.

Royal Caribbean streamlines cruise check-in

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

Florida favorite Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines announced today a new Luggage Tag Mailer program for all guests who have Electronic Travel Documents.

Designed to “save time at the pier and expedite on board luggage delivery” said the cruise line in communication with travel agents, the new program addresses what was a big issue in the past with guests prior to boarding.

Previously,  with Royal Caribbean’s electronic document program, guests would receive luggage tags at the pier upon arrival which often proved awkward and time-consuming.

As part of an ongoing program to streamline the embarkation process at Port Everglades in anticipation of new ships Oasis and Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has looked very carefully at what they are doing and made bold steps to improve the process.

The cruise line has also been working on better procedures for getting off the ship as well.  last year they introduced new procedures fleet wide to further ease the departure process on all ships. The company also added programming for guests who are staying on board for multiple sailings. “We listened to our guests’ feedback regarding the opportunity to transform the departure experience and responded with the launch of a refreshed process fleet wide,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president-hotel operations at Royal Caribbean. “Early testing aboard Freedom of the Seas has yielded very positive guest feedback, with the enhanced communications cited as one of the most helpful tools for our guests on departure day. We also continue to see an increase in guests sailing with us for multiple cruises and our focus on special communications and programming for these guests will also greatly enhance their overall cruise experience.”

Disney Cruise Line wants you to host a party…but should you?

Disney Cruise Line

With social marketing all the rage now you would think that forward-thinking Disney should have the very best cutting-edge resources to draw from when setting out on a networking and community pitch.

Well of course they do silly; they just do it differently.

In an email, Disney Cruise Line tells us “you could be one of the 2000 Disney cruise enthusiasts selected to host a party of the year on November 14th- A Disney Cruise Line House Party”  House parties will be taking place all across the country, with hosts and guests relaxing, rejoicing and enjoying a taste of the Disney Cruise Line® experience right in their own home. Guests will also learn about Disney’s brand new destinations, itineraries, and the brand-new ship, the Disney Dream.

What is a House Party? It’s a party held in your home, celebrating something cool you want to share with your friends and family. You set up a free party page to get the buzz going and spread the word, and the folks at House Party provide you with creative party ideas, favors, tips, and more. Then you receive a fantastic party pack from Disney Cruise Line®, with products to make your party spectacular — all you do is invite your guests, share your great cruising experiences with them, and enjoy your party!
Host spots are limited — don’t miss out!

word-of-mouth-advertising.com

The “house party” much like the “cruise nights” hosted by local travel agencies, draw on the concept of a “pied piper” who brings in friends and family in a fun, familiar and relaxed setting to get them excited about travel.  In this case, Disney Cruise Line is skipping the travel agent and going right to the group leader.

As it turns out, Disney Cruise Line is working through a company called House Party that specializes in setting up these events.

At the end of the day, on line resources have been used to create an offline network of friends all talking about Disney Cruise Line.

As mentioned earlier, your local travel agent may also be involved in something like this for just about any cruise line.  In fact, the Cruise Lines International Association sponsored “Worlds Largest Cruise Night” is coming up in November and features live in-store cruise nights as well as Virtual Cruise Nights with information about cruising available at your convenience.  Check with your travel agent for details.

That’s the “but should you?” part in the title of this article.  You will gain so much more in the long-run by using a travel agent to do this.  Travel agents have the contacts and information on ALL cruise lines, not just Disney , and can determine a good fit for your group cruise which may or may not include a Disney sailing.

New Ships Coming To Florida

During a time that history may refer to as the “Great Recession” , cruise lines are debuting new ships giving guests sailing from Florida more choices than ever before.

Coming up in December, Royal Caribbean’s 5400 passenger Oasis of the Seas starts sailing from Port Everglades.  Almost 4 football fields long, the $1.2 billion, 18 deck high ship with a crew of 2,165 and 5400 passengers will be followed by sister ship Allure of the Seas in November 2010.

Carnival Cruise Lines new Carnival Dream, biggest ship in the fleet at 130,000 tons promises some new features NOT found on the last new one, Carnival Splendor, including what they call “Cove balcony” cabins, more secluded and quiet areas for adults and additional dining options to name a few.  Sailing from Port Canaveral the Dream adds another big ship in addition to recently acquired Freedom of the Seas sailing under the Royal Caribbean flag, an upgrade from Mariner of the Seas which was moved to the West Coast.

Celebrity Eclipse, sister ship to Celebrity Solstice and Equinox, sets sail on August 29th with a  four night Southampton Inaugural cruise.  We sailed on the Solstice’s inaugural sailing last year and really liked that one.  More…

The 4,200-passenger, 150,000-ton Norwegian Epic will begin seven-day eastern Caribbean cruises from Miami July 17

Regardless of what you are looking for; a short cruise or long cruise, one with non-stop action or laid-back relaxation, you will find it sailing from a Florida port.

Cruising from Florida? Expect to pay for checked luggage

While cruise lines allow an unlimited amount of luggage, airlines are limiting it and in most cases, charging to carry it.

United airlines just announced a new program calledPremier Baggage.  For $249 per year, the flier and up to eight fellow travelers under the same confirmation number can check up to two standard bags each with no additional fees.   It’s geared toward and tied to frequent flyer accounts but anyone can use it.  You can even give it as a gift to a friend or family member.  (What a great stocking stuffer?) Traveling with a family of four, those bag fees can add up fast.

I remember one cruise when we were living in Kansas and flying to Florida.  On that cruise we had 14 bags between the four of us in our family.  I remember that because I had to call a limo service at 4am the day of our flight to get us and all our luggage to the airport.  It was that or leave one of the kids home and since we already paid for them I figured we should bring them along.  If we did that today, we could have easily paid for this service.

OK now who is feeling smart for living in Florida or someplace else where you can drive to the port?  I may just bring a bunch of extra luggage on our next cruise just to show off curb-side at the pier for those poor saps who had to pay.

Many other airlines are charging for checked luggage as well as prime seat assignments and just about anything else the can think of.

Are the cruise lines next?   Not in the near future but they are starting to show signs that they want to leave this option open, much like they showed signs of zero tolerance for booze smuggling on to the ship.

While, “no limit” was the mantra of all cruise line rules on luggage, we are starting to see ” a reasonable amount” show up in cruise contracts and on the cruise line websites.  A couple years ago we saw “a reasonable amount” of soda, water and a bottle of wine per guest as pretty commonplace.  Now the wording is going much more strict to “Guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages…”

Carnival Cruise Lines Guests “are encouraged to limit their checked luggage to two suitcases per person” now along with other detailed information presented on their website.  No rules yet, but getting there.

I can see the point too.  I don’t know how many times I have been packing up to go home at the end of the cruise and noticed how much of what I brought along that I did not use.  Oh wait, that’s every time; even now that we have made a science out of packing to where one bag covers two of us.

Is $249 for a year of no fees for extra luggage a good deal?  It might very well be.  With the way so many air carriers copy one another this could show up on a number of airlines.  United notes that $249 is an “introductory price” indicating that they may raise the price in the future.

Somehow I am not feeling like they are being overly generous with the introductory deal.

How about you?

Cruise Discounts

Florida Department of State photo

Resident Discounts-

These are most commonly given to states from which the cruise lines are not drawing a lot of clients. The contagious satisfaction of going on a fabulous cruise is what they want to spread. In a virus-like manner, cruisers like to talk about their cruise. They’ll tell anybody about it. If the topic comes up in the office, the grocery store, church or with a complete stranger, everyone who has done it has a story to tell. Most all of them (95%+) are happy stories. If the cruise lines can get people talking in a state or country where they don’t do a lot of business, those people will sell it for them.

Royal Caribbean is the king of Resident Discounts, offering them most often. Princess comes in second with “regional discounts” . Others are hit and miss but none of them offer a resident discount all the time. Most common state to get a resident discount: Florida. There are a lot of ships and a lot of people who like to cruise and can do so often in Florida.

Senior Discounts

The basic rule of thumb is that at least one guest in a cabin must be 55 or older to get a senior discount. Be aware though, this is not like the movie theater; not every cruise line gives senior discounts. Those that do don’t all the time. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity commonly give a discount for seniors when they need to fill up a ship. That’s not only as they get close to sailing either.

Often, when a sailing first opens up for booking, a senior discount comes along. Later, if a sailing is not selling as well as the cruise lines had anticipated, they may offer a senior discount again

Last Minute deals

Don’t count on them. They exist for those who can sail with as little as 30 days notice. As recent as several years ago you could bank on last minute deals being there to the point where you could almost book airfare for a particular cruise on a given date but NOT buy the cruise until 30 days before sailing at a reduced rate. That really never was a very good idea as the ship could sell out then you would be stuck with airfare to nowhere. Royal Caribbean does this last-minute sale every Tuesday.

Military Discounts

Again, filling up the ships is good for business. If they can do it and benefit those who may have put their own lives in harms way to protect us, all the better. Carnival offers this most often but others do as well. Again, none of the cruise lines offer it all the time on all sailings but do ask your travel agent if you qualify. Active or retired as long as you have proper ID, you can get it for your entire cabin. Sometimes you can get it for more than one cabin.

Past Guest discounts

This is a very popular, common and appropriate discount. The cruise lines want to keep you coming back and will often make it worth your while to sail again and again with them. Perks, amenities and even pricing in some cases are afforded to repeat guests. After you’ve sailed a line, you are then a past guest. Record your past guest numbers and be sure they get entered into your bookings. Your good travel agent will keep these on file and use them to your advantage. Your Discount Internet cruise broker will most often fail to apply them to your booking even if you have them available.

How to find out about the deals?

Sign up for everyone’s mailing list
Get an email address other than the one you use for your regular daily email. Go to every cruise lines website and sign up for their mailing list. You will be the first to know of specials, discounts and extra-value sailings being offered. Using an email address like @gmail.com or @yahoo.com keeps the junk mail you eventually will get as the cruise lines sell your email address to others.

Twitter it
Following trusted sources of information is always a great idea.  Today that is made much easier with Social Media

Want to know if your “deal” is legit? Email it to me and I’ll tell you!

Shore Excursions- A primer

Good Morning

Last week we talked about using your cell phone wisely on the cruise to avoid a $5000.00 bill when you get back home which is kind of a buzz kill on the “oh my I am so relaxed from taking a cruise” thing. We also talked about taking advantage of the free stuff on the cruise as there is indeed a lot to do on the ship that is included in your cruise fare. Some say so much you can’t possibly do it all. I don’t know that I would want to even try to; sounds like work to me and that’s sure not what I go on a cruise for.

This week we’re going to talk about some of the shore excursions you can take on your cruise and which ones are the best values. See if this helps and if so, great; you’re on your way to taking care of that concern you may have had. If this does not help, send me an email or call me and we can go over each port to find some good choices for you.

Ok, Let’s get down to it then…

-Grand Cayman-

Stingray City
This is one of the most popular ones in the Caribbean and something everyone should probably do at least once. You can do this one of three ways, each of which take a short boat ride to a sand bar where these things live. Snorkeling is probably one of the most popular ways, SCUBA diving is another and a glass bottomed boat is the third. This is one were you can do it through the ship or through another vendor like www.Shoretrips.com (look online but call them and ask for Liz to book)

Atlantis Submarine ride
You can do this a lot of places. I mention it in Grand Cayman because that’s where we did it and, to me, this is a “once in a lifetime” is plenty ride but surely something everyone should do. If you have a fear of close spaces, not so much for you. But you will see any movie with a submarine in it through different eyes for the rest of your life if you do it.

-St Maarten-

Yacht Racing
Expensive but worth it and the experience of a lifetime. The America’s Cup Racing shore excursion you can book through the ship is an experience you’ll be talking about for a long time. This is not a ride though, they put you to work actually manning the ship doing sailor stuff.

Bae Rouge
A cab ride to the French side of the island and a few hours at a beach called Bae Rouge is a great day and not all that expensive. There are some facilities there but this is not about watersports and local cuisine. This is simply one of the prettiest beaches in the Caribbean and one that is NOT overrun by tourists. This is one of the places the crew members of the ships go

- Ocho Rios, Jamaica-

Dunns River Falls and more
The big attraction here is the 600 foot Dunns River Falls, a slopey, somtimes slimey, walking thing where you can actually walk up the falls which is pretty cool. But Jamaica is so much more and one of my very favorite places to go. One of the best ways to see it is by grabbing a cab for a half day tour of the island. My friend Lincoln Stewart has been doing this for years and whenever I have hooked up friends with him for a tour they have come back telling of it being the highlight of the cruise. Let me know, early, if you want more on this, he fills up fast.

-St Thomas-

Sapphire Beach
Shoppng is a big one here, especially jewelry. Megans Bay is the big tourist draw and that’s a beach thing. If it’s beach you’re looking for I suggest a cab ride to Sapphire Beach, another of the prettiest in the Caribbean. This one has a full array of water sports, a gift shop and more. It’s free to visit but you can rent chairs and umbrellas if you want to.

Obviously this is not a complete guide to shore excursions in the Caribbean. The idea here is to get you thinking about what you might want to do ashore. The best way to find the excursions that are good for you is to first explore the cruise line websites. While you’re looking, take notes on the excursions you find most interesting…and be realistic. If if there is no way Aunt Bertha would do the Extreme Hang Gliding Experience, don’t write that down. On the other hand, if doing the Extreme Hang Gliding Experience is just what the doctor orderd to snap Aunt Bertha out of her funk and back to life, maybe pencil that one in on the side.

Personally, I think you should not be looking for Shore “Excursions” but rather for Shore “Experiences”. I wouldn’t bother getting off the ship if you’re going to do one that requires getting on a big bus with 50 other people. You’ll get lost in the crowd, if you’re in the back of the bus you can’t hear, it will be hot and uncomforable and dilute the experience all to heck.

A good Shore Experience you’ll carry with you for a lifetime and the richer it is the better. You may visit a certain island many times or never again, who knows. Make it count!

Next week: More on Shore Experiences: we have just scratched the surface today!

Florida Cruise Ships Collide

Tampa’s Carnival Legend and Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas sailing from Port Everglades collided in Cozumel last night, leaving both vessels damaged.

The 88,500 ton Legend was pushed up against the 80,700 ton Enchantment by a strong wind while maneuvering away from the dock in Cozumel. Both ships received minor damage and will continue on their itineraries, a five-night Caribbean cruise for the Enchantment and a 7-night for the Legend. Still, passenger on board watched as a tug boat unsuccessfully tried to get between the two ships.

On a personal blog site,” TheOneBob” reports “OK, so we’re sitting in port. A few of us are on the pool deck watching the Carnival Legend pull out of port. As we’re watching it, it’s getting closer and closer. It looked like the wind was pushing the other ship toward us. I looked down and saw a tug boat try to get between the two boats, but it was too late. Then the collision became inevitable. There was some crunching and breaking glass noises and the ship rocked to one side a little. It was such a slow crash that it was barely noticeable. We could see scraped paint on the other ship, Really, nobody was hurt and we’re waiting for the all-clear from the Harbor master to leave port.”