A great gift: Oasis of the Seas for $49*

*

Just in time to forget shopping for the holidays.  One stop shopping right here for as low as about $11 per person per week.

Yep, that’s right.  I have  a plan set up where you can join our group cruise on  Oasis of the Seas sailing in September of 2011 several different ways.

• Pay $50 per cabin by 12-23-09, just in time to tuck the ship under the tree.  Then start paying monthly, automatically, in February, well after the holiday gift-giving hangover has faded.  This we call the EZ Payment Plan because it is just that:  easy.  Starting price for an inside stateroom go for as little as that $50 deposit and then $46.45 per person per month does it from then on for double cabins
• Pay $50 per stateroom by 12-23-09 then another $450 per stateroom by 05-22-10 and final payment by 07-05-2011
• Pay $500 up front, pick a stateroom and have no payments until 07-05-2011 whenever convenient.

Could this be any less painless?  I don’t think so and you who read this get first shot at it.  Click here to go to the group website for all the details over the weekend.  Starting Monday the whole world gets to see and there are a limited number of staterooms available.   The whole program is based on double occupancy (two to a stateroom) but if you have more, you can still go, it just costs you more up front.  See the “fine print”, a few rules at the group website.

Oh, you get stuff with this package too; $100 per cabin Onboard credit, a group cocktail party, Onboard Enrichment Seminars and more coming up as we go along.

Take a look today.  Y0u can register right on the group website if you are ready or let me know what questions you may have.

Oasis of the Seas staterooms- a primer

Oasis of the Seas offers 37 different cabin categories.  That may sound like a daunting list so let’s see if we can make some sense of it.

Let’s start with some lingo about staterooms

First of all, on Royal Caribbean we use the term “stateroom” rather than “cabin” because that’s what Royal Caribbean uses.  (sort of a “when in Rome… ” thing) The two terms are basically interchangeable though and someone selling you one will not correct you for saying one over the other.

You could also accurately say “room” but that makes us look like we don’t know what we’re talking about and not very nautical at all so let’s stay away from that one.  Cruise snobs will totally look down on us if we say “room” on a cruise ship.

On a regular cruise ship the cabin types are basically three:  Inside, Outside and Balcony.  On Oasis too we have Inside, Outside and Balcony staterooms (stateroom does sound cooler doesn’t it?) But types is a very general term.  Let’s move along to categories

Inside staterooms

• A standard inside stateroom is, indeed, inside the ship with no window- all cruise ships have these. On Oasis that would be categories Q, N, M and L- the same size and configuration all, the only difference being where on the ship the stateroom is located.  Q will be the least expensive, located on decks 10, 11, 12 and 14 aft.  N will be deck 6, 7 or 8 more midship or forward, a bit more in price for what is considered a “better” location. For a bit more in fare, we can go up to deck M which is on decks 9, 10 and 11, higher on the ship and more towards the middle.  On standard inside staterooms, all the cabins are the same size (172 sq ft) .  The price is determined by where they are located.  This goes back to the days of ships with sails that bobbed up and down a lot.  On those, the dead center of the ship was the best place to be located because there was less movement.  Modern ships have made this concern negligible and Oasis’ sheer size affords a very smooth ride and pretty much throws the “movement” concern out the window.  Still, this is a very big ship and closer to the middle means closer to everything
• A Promenade view stateroom (category PR) is technically inside but has a window that looks out onto the Royal Promenade- Royal Caribbean debuted these popular alternatives on the Voyager class ships, continued them on the Freedom class ships and have kept them on Oasis class ships but not as many are available

Outside staterooms

• A standard outside stateroom, called “Oceanview” has a window with a view of the ocean (duh) slightly larger than an inside, Oceanview staterooms are 179 square feet and begin with category I, midship on deck 3, go up to ,category H, also 179 sq ft but on deck nine or ten forward and category F again 179 sq ft but on decks 10 and 11
• Another category of outside stateroom, Central Park View (category CV), oversees the Central Park neighborhood- also new to Oasis class ships and bigger at 199 sq ft on deck nine only
• Still another outside stateroom is Boardwalk view (category BV) in which you have a view of the Boardwalk and possibly a partial view of the ocean by looking back towards the Aqua Theater area and located on deck 7 at 191 square feet

Balcony staterooms

• These start with category D8, 182 sq ft on deck six or seven, D7, same size puts you on decks 9, 10 or 11, D6 puts you on decks 12 or 14 and we go all the way up to D1 which is midship on decks 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12.   All of these look out to the ocean
• On Oasis we also balcony staterooms that look inside the ship and start with the Central Park view balcony staterooms at 182 sq ft split between two categories, C1 and C2 all on decks 10, 11, 12 and 14
• Still another balcony stateroom category is B1 and B2, Boardwalk view, offering both a view of the action below on that Boardwalk, a view of the Aqua Theater and in the distance a view of the ocean as well.  These are also 182 square feet and located on decks 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14

That pretty much does it for the standard inside, outside and balcony staterooms.  Above these in price is a big assortment of suite accommodations, the top end, which we will explore next in Oasis of the Seas- luxury accommodations.

Do you have specific questions about any of these different staterooms?  Let me know with an email to Chris@YourCruiseDream.com and I will get right back to you with answers.

So, will I die if I go ashore Chris?

That has been the big question floating around for those booked on a cruise that stops in the Bahamas since I reported that crime against cruise passengers was on the rise lately.

On the rise?  Like it exists at all?

Well yeah but not to worry, odds are you will probably not be held at gunpoint.

Probably??  I’d like better odd than that please

Well let me ask you this:  Can you think of a part of town where you live that is not safe to be in?  Does crime occur where you live?  Sure it does and we know to stay away from those places or at least be more careful when going there.  Traveling is a lot like that no matter where you go.  Jamaica is a great example of a port of call that has an unearned bad reputation in that area.  We always go ashore there and have always lived to tell about it, gloriously.

Cruise passengers may not believe this but there are actually people who visit islands and are not on a cruise.  I know, who would want to you might ask.  There are those who do though and also live to tell about it.  Have you seen those commercials for Beaches or some other all-inclusive land vacation in the Caribbean?  You know, the one where this great looking guy and gal are walking into a huge olympic-sized pool all by themselves enjoying the lovely island?   Well, besides the fact that the only way they got that shot was to have the other hundreds of people get out of the pool for a while, those islands have bad places too.  And bad people, they have bad people there as well.

Those people manage to have a safe and fun time too and they don’t have a ship to decide if they want to get off of or not.

The point is, don’t let the news scare you away.   There are many different ways to get in trouble on vacation.  NOT paying attention to concerns or warnings from sources such as me (I won’t tell you wrong), the newspapers, travel blogs and the like is what gets you into trouble.

Pay attention and you should be safe no matter where you go

I remember one time in Miami, we had arrived a day or two ahead of a cruise and wanted to walk down to the beach from our hotel not far from the water.   It was me and my two then-teenage daughters headed in that direction when a rough bunch of guys came walking towards us.   The appropriate thing to do on that chilly (like 55 degrees) winter night was NOT for the girls to blindly go about taking off their sweatshirts because they were warm at the exact time we passed these guys.   No need to advertise the prey to the predator I thought.  I was wrong, they didn’t hardly realize we were there but being alert to such things is important even if your children think you are being overly cautious.

Daddy had no desire to have a conflict with a half-dozen young men who surely had knives, guns, were peddling drugs, had probably just robbed a bank and would find great glee having me watch them slice and dice his kids.

Yes, it is better to overreact than go crazy.

But this is the same guy who was out racing about the neighborhood at 3:01pm if the kids, normally home at 3:00pm from school were late.  Who knows if that diligence kept one of them from being a crime victim.  The way I looked at it at the time was it sure couldn’t hurt to be vigilant.   Ok so maybe that thought has been tempered by a few years of hindsight; maybe at the time it was terror of what might be going through me that got me behind the wheel.  Again, diligence paid off and will for you too when traveling.

So pay attention to good sources of information like this one, CruiseCritic.com, USA Today’s CruiseLog, your personal travel agent and other sources.  But don’t be afraid to get off the ship!

Oasis of the Seas- book it now, painlessly

Unless you’re here for the very first time, you know we have fallen in love with Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis of the Seas from reading this or our series of Examiner.com articles.  I promised a group cruise for anyone interested and here it is, just in time to forget shopping for the holidays.  One stop shopping right here for as low as about $11 per person per week.

Yep, that’s right.  I have  a plan set up where you can join our group cruise on  Oasis of the Seas sailing in September of 2011 several different ways.

• Pay $50 per cabin by 12-23-09, just in time to tuck the ship under the tree.  Then start paying monthly, automatically, in February, well after the holiday gift-giving hangover has faded.  This we call the EZ Payment Plan because it is just that:  easy.  Starting price for an inside stateroom go for as little as that $50 deposit and then $46.45 per person per month does it from then on for double cabins
• Pay $50 per stateroom by 12-23-09 then another $450 per stateroom by 05-22-10 and final payment by 07-05-2011
• Pay $500 up front, pick a stateroom and have no payments until 07-05-2011 whenever convenient.

Could this be any less painless?  I don’t think so and you who read this get first shot at it.   Click here to go to the group website for all the details over the weekend.  Starting Monday the whole world gets to see and there are a limited number of staterooms available.   The whole program is based on double occupancy (two to a stateroom) but if you have more, you can still go, it just costs you more up front.  See the “fine print”, a few rules at the group website.

Oh, you get stuff with this package too; $100 per cabin Onboard credit, a group cocktail party, Onboard Enrichment Seminars and more coming up as we go along.

Take a look today.  Y0u can register right on the group website if you are ready or let me know what questions you may have.

Oasis of the Seas Photo Gallery

First, Lisa and I took a spin on Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis of the Seas .  I took a bunch of photos, some of which you have seen in my Examiner.com column.  But I am horrible at taking photos, especially with my I-phone.  Yes, that’s it, the phone.  If I had a good camera I would do better.  Not my fault, the phone’s fault.

Luckily our daughter Whitney, a professional photographer, was on the ship a day after we were and took some photos without a thumb in the photo and where you can actually tell what it is you are looking at.

Take a preview look on our website or see them all in our photo gallery

Thank you Whitney, we have something good to look at.  Now go get married and have me a grandchild or two ok?   Thanks!

Behind the Scenes as Tahitian Princess is Transformed into Ocean Princess

Fifth Online Drydock Journal Lets Enthusiasts Follow Along with Regular Updates

Capping a year of taking viewers behind the scenes as ships go through drydock, Princess Cruises is again offering an opportunity to follow a vessel through the renovation process.  In the newest installment of the Princess online drydock journal, the current Tahitian Princess will not only undergo a makeover, but also get a new name.  The vessel, one of the small ships of Princess, will be transformed into Ocean Princess during the two-week process, giving her a new moniker reflecting her global range of fascinating itineraries.

The fifth in this unprecedented series, the Ocean Princess Drydock Journal will run through December 2 on www.princess.com, and will be updated regularly with photos as the ship progresses through its drydock at Keppel Shipyard in Singapore.  Viewers can follow along as the ship’s name is removed and replaced on the bow and throughout the vessel – including on equipment such as the lifeboats.  The journal will also chronicle changes as the ship is lifted from the water and receives a new coating of energy-efficient silicone paint, plus the interior refurbishments, with new upholstery, carpet and flooring.

“Response to our drydock journals has been remarkable – passengers love to see what’s done to the ship and how much work is involved in such a short time,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president.  “This latest journal will give cruise fans yet another insiders’ peek behind the scenes, with the added interest in seeing the name change.”

The Ocean Princess Drydock Journal follows the enthusiastically received online journals chronicling work on Golden Princess, Dawn Princess, Sea Princess and Coral Princess.  The journal can be found on the Ocean Princess page in the website’s “Ships” section, and it will be updated throughout the ship’s two-week drydock.  The photos will also be posted to Princess’ Twitter feed, Facebook page and Flicker photostream.

After the drydock the newly named Ocean Princess will set sail on a 16-day Treasures of Southeast Asia cruise from Singapore to Shanghai, beginning a season of unique Asia, India and Africa sailings, followed by a summer of European voyages.

Our ride on Oasis of the Seas- short but oh so sweet

If you have been following our coverage of the launch of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, you know there has not been anything this big hit Florida since hurricane Charlie.   Oasis gets a lot of press for being the largest cruise ship in the world.  But it is the little things aboard the ship that will separate her from the pack in the long run.

First, let’s start with pricing.

This one is going to cost you a starting price of somewhere around $150 per person per day to start.  Luxurious two-level loft suites and others will cost a bunch more as you might expect.  The opening prices though, are not all that much more (if at all) than cruise prices were a few years ago, before economic woes drove prices down.

I would love to compare the price of this ship to some other ship but there is no other ship on planet Earth like it.  Royal Caribbean’s Freedom and Voyager class ships with the Royal Promenade give us a glimpse of what Oasis is all about and probably served as seed for the ideas one sees aboard but that’s about it.

Strategy for booking, three must-do’s:

1. Use a travel agent.  You REALLY need someone in your corner on this one, way too many options to go it alone and make it someone who has actually been on the ship.  Unlike a traditional ship this one is very different and the idea I had in my mind of what it would look like in person was dramatically different than the actual experience.
2. Book as far in advance as possible.  Today I see Oasis sailing in September 2011 with prices starting at $729 per person.  That is a fabulous value.
3. Book a group if you can.  There is not just safety in numbers, there is a better value too.

This ship is so over-the-top, radically different that it has simply reinvented the cruise experience.

Sure, it is a ship that floats, goes through the water to places where people get on and off and all that but the resemblance to a traditional cruise ends right there.  Beginning with embarkation at Port Everglades new Pier 18, a 90-station check-in magic show that gets guests on board in as little as 7 minutes from curb to buffet, this ship does it her way.

Actually, the experience begins well before the sailing date when guests are able to book reserved seats for nightly shows, alternative dining restaurants (there are a bunch of them) and shore excursions from home on their computers.   A reader understandably concerned  about the 5000 passengers on the ship all trying to get to the show at the same time asked me how the cruise line would be handling that.  The advance registration system takes care of that for all those concerned.   Some seats will be held for walk-ins without reservations but savvy guests will take full advantage of the pre-registration capabilities for Oasis and lock in their seats in advance.

Onboard, dining options are plentiful with many included in the cruise fare such as the new Seafood Shack on the Boardwalk, just steps from the Aqua theater where you can also find a fresh donut , corn dog or ice cream.  Royal Caribbean signature Windjammer Buffet is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner on deck 15 along with the Opal dining room, a three level masterpiece of organization and culinary distinction.  Prompt room service is complementary except in the middle of the night when mostly just kids wasting food ordered it anyway so they charge a small fee to keep costs down.  I have no problem with that; seems fair to me as does a small fee for Johnny Rockets, a great hamburger, fries and a shake place on the Boardwalk open for lunch and dinner.

Here is a primer on the different areas of the ship

The Boardwalk

Johnny Rockets- Extending the signature “eat-ertainment” hours, a diner breakfast menu will be introduced. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; $3.95 breakfast and $4.95 lunch and dinner cover charge.

Ice Cream Parlor-An 1950s-style ice cream venue serving classic sundaes and 15 different kinds of ice cream mixed with toppings to order on a frozen slab. Open throughout the day Ala carte pricing.

Donut Shop-A classically styled shop with casual snacks available all day. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Boardwalk Bar-Full scale bar with specialty drinks tailored to the area. Also serves salads, sandwiches, and other quick food. Very popular, this overlooks the Aquatheater too

Seafood Shack-The indoor/outdoor casual family restaurant will bring the surf style of beach side amusement parks to the Boardwalk, serving a variety of seafood, as well an extensive beverage menu of non-alcoholic cocktails and over-sized desserts. Open for lunch and dinner; $7.95 lunch and $9.95 dinner cover charge.

The Royal Promenade

Mondo Cafe/Coffee Bar- A new addition to the Royal Promenade will feature coffee, sandwiches and pastries native to countries such as Italy, Spain and Cuba. Steps from Boleros and open around the clock, it is sure to be popular after an evening on the dance floor. Open for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and late night treats.

Sorrento’s Pizza- signature New York style pizzeria features the read-to-go items introduced not long ago on the Freedom class ships and made to order pizza’s just for you. Open for lunch, dinner and late night (but not 24 hours, that’s Carnival)

Cafe Promenade- our personal favorite “:quick” place to eat on other ships on the opposite end of the Promenade from Mondo Café (see above), this one continues the Seattle’s Best Coffee as a centerpiece for pastries, sandwiches, fruit shakes and a menu that evolves throughout the day. Take a glance over there whenever you walk by.

Central Park

150 Central Park- with an additional fee of $35 per person, this promises to be the most exclusive dining venue o the ship featuring multi-course meals paired with wines and an extensive wine list. I bet we will hear “Don’t eat all day if you are going here for dinner” comments right off the bat.

Giovanni’s Table- Open for lunch ($10) and dinner ($15), the casual Italian eatery (think Olive Garden at sea) serves family style pizza, salads, pastas, and I bet there’s a breadstick around someplace

Chops Grille-signature steakhouse with a $25 per person cover charge. Popular on all other ships in the fleet, I bet some of the new offerings on this ship give it a run for the money, literally.

Vintages- also a signature offering on other ships in the fleet, this one will have an extensive tapas menu (that alone will make it a busy place) as well as a selection of cheeses at this popular wine bar with a la carte pricing.

Park Café- A casual dining choice providing a high level of variety and flexibility, Park Café will be an indoor/outdoor gourmet market with walk-up counters. From freshly prepared salads and made-to-order sandwiches, to paninis, crepes and hearty soups, guests will order directly from the chefs behind food stations. European pastries, sublime chocolates and decadent fudge will round out the offerings. Open for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and late night treats.

Pool and Sports Zone

Solarium Bistro-Located in the Solarium, the contemporary bistro will offer health-conscious dining for breakfast and lunch in a casual setting. In the evenings, Solarium Bistro will transform into a romantic and intimate dining setting for specialty healthy-fare dinner and dancing under the stars. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; dinner has a $20 cover charge.

The Wipe Out Café-The casual self-service buffet will offer a variety of options from pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches and fresh salads to quick snacks and desserts, for young cruisers on-the-go. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center

The Vitality Café-Located at the entrance of the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, the Vitality Café will feature healthy snacks, sandwiches, wraps and fruit, in addition to refreshing juices and smoothies from the Vitality spa menu for the calorie conscious guest. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
More Oasis Dining Options

Opus Dining room-The three-level main dining room will revive the grandeur of the 1920s and feature French art deco design. Catering to guests’ varying preferences, the newly introduced My Time Dining and My Family Time Dining, as well as the traditional main and late seating options will be offered. My Time Dining provides guests with the option to enjoy the dining room ambiance with Royal Caribbean’s renowned Gold Anchor Service whenever they wish during dining hours. Guests choosing My Time Dining will not have a pre-assigned table, but will be seated in the ships main dining room and will order from the same traditional dinner menu. My Time Dining guests can make daily reservations for specific seating times or choose to walk in. My Family Time Dining accommodates parents and children by offering an expedited 40-minute dining service for young cruisers, ages 3-11. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Windjammer Marketplace-Offering great flexibility for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this next generation of the popular self-service buffet area will feature multiple islands, each serving a variety of different menu options

Izumi-The new Asian cuisine restaurant will feature a sushi bar and hot rock cooking, as well as other Asian fare in a more formal setting. Open for lunch and dinner;Ala carte pricing.

Room Service-guests wanting to enjoy a meal in the comfort of their staterooms will be able to choose from the complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, as well as the recently introduced Dine in Delights menu, which offers name-brand culinary options ranging from the Original Johnny Rockets hamburger to Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookies. Open 24 hours a la carte pricing for Dine In Delights and $3.95 service charge for in-room deliveries between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Sorry kids, no free steaks at 3am.

Long-time Royal Caribbean fans will like signature eateries, Sorrentos Pizza, Chops steakhouse and the Promenade Cafe (personal favorite) offering service 24 hours a day with a menu that changes appropriately as the day goes on.  We had some “Sunflower seed Granola bars” that I seriously doubt had anything really healthy for you in them, they were just too good.

We often talk about what there is to do on the ship, often remarking that there is no way you can do everything there is to do.

That’s on a normal ship.

On Oasis the activities are range from rock-climbing, Ice Skating to serene spa experiences for not just adults but for kids too (in their own area) and everything in-between.  I was impressed with the way they have organized everything from activities to dining availability to even how to find your stateroom though interactive boards located by elevators.  The stateroom televisions offer even more information and the ships daily newsletter in easy to read format, makes carrying around the days events in your pocket a breeze.

Also a breeze was getting on and off the ship

Royal Caribbean had promised that the new Pier 18 at Port Everglades was fully capable of disembarking 5000 passengers and putting another 5000 passengers on the ship with no problems. I have to admit a bit of skepticism, especially when the cruise line said the goal was to get guests on the ship 15 minutes after they arrived at the port.

We have waited much longer than that, up to several hours on a recent MSC cruise and are always prepared to kill some time. We will bring along books to read, music to listen to or just plan on doing some people watching as we sure do see a lot of them on what is called “turnaround day” by the cruise lines. That’s when the ships come in and actually do turn around in at the port, dropping off the old guests and picking up new ones.

Arriving at the port we were pleased with how very clearly marked the directions to Pier 18 were. It took just a few minutes from the first security checkpoint (pictured) to parking. Inside the new, bright terminal we found the promised 90 check-in stations fully manned, trained well and highly efficient. Our total time from arrival to actually stepping on the ship was 7 minutes.

If you have sailed from Port Everglades before, you will notice a big difference in the embarkation experience. These improvements are hard to miss. In less time that advertised to complete the embarkation process we were on the ship and I had my cupcake from the Cupcake Cupboard

Getting off the ship was even easier.  The huge expanse of space that makes up pier 18 is quite capable of handling the crowd as are the attentive Royal Caribbean shore-side staff members who have all the answers for any questions one might have.

While this was simply a one-night preview cruise, we were able to experience the ship fully.   No reports on ports of call yet for you but those will be coming soon as will a general consensus of opinion from guests aboard on the week-long experience.  We have several guests on most sailings in the next 6 months who will be reporting on their experience and I’ll pass that along too.

Surprises

• The Central Park neighborhood  was way more impressive than I thought it would be.  I never thought I would say it but a balcony not pointed at the ocean but inside to a lush and serene garden could be equally relaxing.  Located not far from the Spa, a weeks worth of treatments and that balcony location could be just what the doctor ordered for many.  I wish I had that in my bag of tricks when I quit smoking
• Embarkation and Disembarkation totally blew me away at how fast and efficient it was.The cruise line had promised on the ship in 15 minutes.  I was impressed that it only took 7.
• I studied deck plans, researched and read everything I could get my hands on before boarding but none of it prepared me for the actual experience.  Pre-oasis I had a hard time describing to someone who had never cruised how big the ships (in general) were.  On Oasis, it is totally NOT the size of the ship that blows you away, it’s the layout and design and how it all works together.  I felt as though I had never been on a ship before, it was amazing

Oasis of the Seas Vitality Spa

After our short preview cruise of Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis of  the Seas, Lisa and I were left thinking ” Let’s book a Central Park view stateroom and spend what we would have on booze, gambling and jewelry on spa treatments!”  Here, then, is my take on the Vitality Spa:

Pretty much every cruise ship in operation has a health spa.  Oasis of the Seas offers a new breed of facilities with something for everyone.

Most all ships offer a nice variety of treatments and are often integrated into a fitness center which ranges from basic equipment ot a full array of the latest machinery and highly trained staff members who know all about it.

On Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis of the Seas, manicures, facials and a ride on your favorite piece of exercise equipment are just the beginning of what they have to offer.

With a staff of 47 crew memebers manning the 22,000 square foot facility, guests can have everything from teeth whitening to holistic and other medical treatments performed under the guidance of an onboard doctor.  Acupuncture and Medi-Spa cosmetic services are available and attack issues ranging from Smoking Cessation to Weight Management.  Restylane and Perlane Dermal Filler Treatments as well as BOTOX Cosmetic and DYSPORT Wrinkle Treatments  both safe and FDC approved are performed with visible results within days.

Other facilities include

• Thermal Suite- Based on an ancient healing practice, the Termal Suite offers a theapeutic lanconium chamber (dry heat) with heated benches plus a caldarium steam chamber (smells wonderful), assisting the body in eliminating toxins and impurities. A social-optional spa experience, yhou can come along or with friends.  Daily and weekly passes are available
• Enrichment lounge- If you want to learn about ways to  maximize wellness through lifestyle choices then check out the Enrichment Lounge seminar schedule when onboard. They promise the programs will be entertaiing and educational
• Vitality at Sea Fitness Center- In the fitness center, you can participate in any number of complementary and specialized classes and seminars or simply opt to use the equipment from dawn to dusk daily.  Many machines are positioned to be looking out at the ocean while you exercise
• Vitality at Sea Salon- A den for divas equipped with nail, lash, brow and makeup services and lots of talent to enjoy a traditional shave at the barbers statioin
• Teen and Kid spa- something new, this is were kids can be kids and teens can be teens offering a full menu of services expecially designed for them
• Elemis Spa Bar- a fun, interactive tester zone gives guests the freedom to feel, smell and touch the Elemis range of products

Oasis of the Seas Staterooms

When Oasis of the Seas begins sailing 7-day Caribbean itineraries from Florida’s Port Canaveral, guests will have 37 different stateroom categories to choose from.

Rather than simply inside, oceanview or balcony cabins, Oasis and her sister-ship Allure of the Seas setting sail next year have some new cabin categories not before seen on other ships.

Loft staterooms are two level suites that have a unique layout featuring a totally separate sleeping and entertainment areas, double high floor to ceiling picture windows and, depending on the category chosen, can sleep from two guests up to 16.

Promenade view staterooms, technically an inside category, but with a window that looks out onto the Royal Promenade, a shopping, dining and entertainment venue have been popular on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager class ships.  Divided up into neighborhoods, Oasis offers similar staterooms looking out onto Central Park, a serene, upscale and lushly landscaped neighborhood and the Boardwalk, a high energy neighborhood featuring a more family-oriented area complete with zip-line rides, a working carousel, Johnny Rockets hamburgers and opening out to the Aqua Theater, a focal point of the ship and popular amphitheater located in the aft section of the ship.

The high-end category staterooms including Royal and Penthouse suites, offer the very latest in flat-screen televisions, upgraded amenities, extra large balconies, private jaccuzis and more.  These are fun to look at, have sold out on many of the available sailings as high-end accommodations tend to do but the majority of guests will not book these, opting for traditional balcony, oceanview or inside cabins instead.

That might be a mistake.

The new Central Park and Boardwalk balcony staterooms, for example, offer views of their respective areas which just might be worth giving up a private view of the ocean and what the ship is passing by for some.  Non-smokers will benefit greatly as these are totally non-smoking accommodations meaning an adjacent balcony or one up-wind when the ship is in motion with guests smoking will not be bothersome.  Often priced lower than an Oceanview balcony stateroom, Central Park View and Boardwalk View can be a better value.

One of the concerns we had before experiencing the ship was the noise level from the public space area of the Boardwalk and Central Park.  That was quickly put to rest when touring the staterooms by our Royal Caribbean tour guide who had guests stand on the balcony talking loudly while we waited inside the stateroom.  Once the balcony door was shut and locked, the interior proved to be sound-proof in both areas.    Sitting out on the balcony, Central Park was a more pleasant and serene experience than the Boardwalk area.  A huge trade off for the quieter Central Park location is the ability to view events unfold in the AquaTheater from the balcony of a Boardwalk view balcony stateroom.

The close proximity of Central Park staterooms to the Vitality at Sea Spa, a huge well-staffed area offering enrichment seminars, Medi-spa and holistic spa services, out-of-this-world fitness facilities and classes, separate spa for teens and a beauty salon that promises to make you look as good as you feel.  One could combine accommodations in the Central Park area with an intense array of services and treatments in the Spa for a fabulous week of relaxation and renewal.

We’ll take a closer look at the Sea Spa and Fitness Center next

Oasis of the Seas- Embarkation a piece of cake

Today we begin a series of articles telling of our preview cruise aboard Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Internationals new 220,000 ton cruise ship based at Florida’s Port Everglades sailing year-round 7-day Caribbean sailings.  First, the embarkation process piece of cake

A nice, leisurely drive from Orlando, we arrived at 11:30am, about an hour later than normal for us.  We usually always try to arrive at the port between 10:00am and 10:30am, just to be one of the first in line for when guests are allowed to arrive on board.

Usually by Noon, guests begin boarding and by the time the crowd gathers to get on the ship, we have boarded, gone to our stateroom to drop off our luggage, toured the ship, had lunch and might even be taking  a nap.  Today we wanted to go later and see how the process went at a more peak time.

Royal Caribbean had promised that the new Pier 18 at Port Everglades was fully capable of disembarking 5000 passengers and putting another 5000 passengers on the ship with no problems.  I have to admit a bit of skepticism, especially when the cruise line said the goal was to get guests on the ship 15 minutes after they arrived at the port.

We have waited much longer than that, up to several hours on a recent MSC cruise and are always prepared to kill some time.  We will bring along books to read, music to listen to or just plan on doing some people watching as we sure do see a lot of them on what is called “turnaround day” by the cruise lines.   That’s when the ships come in and actually do turn around in at the port, dropping off the old guests and picking up new ones.

Arriving at the port we were pleased with how very clearly marked the directions to Pier 18 were. It took just a few minutes from the first security checkpoint (pictured) to parking. Inside the new, bright terminal we found the promised 90 check-in stations fully manned, trained well and highly efficient.  Our total time from arrival to actually stepping on the ship was 7 minutes.

If you have sailed from Port Everglades before, you will notice a big difference in the embarkation experience.  These improvements are hard to miss.  In less time that advertised to complete the embarkation process we were on the ship and I had my cupcake from the Cupcake Cupboard

Embarkation rating: 5 stars

Next: Staterooms aboard Oasis of the Seas…all 37 categories of them

Oasis of the Seas- a whole new ballgame

The launch of Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas will go down in cruise industry history as a day of rebirth.

Even with an extensive personal cruise history on all major cruise lines, many of the travel professionals aboard the one-day preview cruise felt as though it was there very first cruise.   Noting “I feel like this is my very first cruise, this (cruise experience) is so exciting” said Jim Vander a 23 year travel agent who was skeptical about the experience before getting on board.

Others had commented that the ship was too big, too expensive the wrong ship at the wrong time for the economic environment the world is in today.

I asked many what they thought of the ship and every one’s initial impression was one of shock, disbelief and amazement.

“Royal Caribbean has given the cruise business the shot in the arm it needed right now” Jeff Woodson, not in the travel business but a cruise fan noted.  He went on to say how this ship, with all the neighborhoods, new features and amenities, “totally blows away anything else at sea right now”.

If you have followed our series of articles on this ship you know a great deal went into the planning, building and now the execution of the onboard programs and facilities.  I will send along details of all aspects of each area in the coming weeks but just the embarkation process was a quantum leap improvement in how things have been handled at Port Everglades in the past.

The cruise line had advertised and promoted that they expected embarkation time to be 15 minutes from the time guests hit the curb to when they were on the ship.  It took us 7 minutes total to complete the process, less than half the time of Royal Caribbean’s goal.

Other areas of the ship that will set new standards for the cruise business include Central Park, a “neighborhood” that I did not think all that much of in preview before boarding the ship.  This is an area that has balcony staterooms that open to the middle of the ship.  My first thought was that the noise level inside those staterooms could be a problem.   On a tour of the accommodations, Royal Caribbean representatives were quick to point out and demonstrate that inside the staterooms were sound-proof by asking some to stand on the balcony and yell as they closed the balcony door, revealing silence to those who remained inside.

We will get into all the areas and the inaugural events including a performance by superstar singer Rihanna and live broadcast of ABC’s Good Morning America shortly.  Stay Tuned

Oasis here we come!

Terminal 18, Oasis of the Seas’ boarding facility at Port Everglades has been specially designed to achieve an ambitious goal: getting from the curb to the ship in 15 minutes

Today,  we will see how well that works.

“We finished building Cruise Terminal 18 on time and under budget, which is a demonstration of government at its best,” said Port Everglades Director Phil Allen. Port Everglades, located within the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach, Florida, is governed by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.

“There may be bigger terminals that service two ships at the same time, but Terminal 18 was constructed specifically to handle one Oasis-class ship at a time.”

At 240,000 square feet (5.5 acres), Cruise Terminal 18 is more than three times larger than it was just 22 months prior to opening when Royal Caribbean International reached an agreement with Broward County to homeport both of the new Oasis-class of ships at Port Everglades.

“We are very appreciative of the efforts of Director Phil Allen and his team at Port Everglades to create a state-of-the-art facility that will provide a seamless experience for our guests,” said President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International Adam Goldstein. “Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will present an unprecedented vacation to guests and Terminal 18 is an integral part of delivering that offering.”

To accommodate these revolutionary cruise ships, the Port invested approximately $75 million to build Cruise Terminal 18. The terminal’s mega-size will accommodate the more than 5,400 cruise guests and their luggage so that both arriving and departing guests can go through processing procedures simultaneously.

To see the videos we take today, go to YouTube or check on Facebook

Oasis of the Seas- Central Park comes together

From shrubs to trees, the plantings aboard Oasis of the Seas bring the ship to life.

The work on this actually began quite some time ago when landscape architect firs Wilson Butler Architects and Waterfield Design Group faced the task of finding plants that would both tolerate salt water air and be approved with the USDA as plants unlikely to transport pests and diseases between the Caribbean and Florida.

57 Trees will be lifted by crane onto the ship along with 2000 individual planters all in a 24 hour period as 4 full time gardeners work with installation crews to get the job done

Join us tomorrow and ride along on our drive from Orlando to Port Everglades where we will board the ship, taking you along with us. done

Right now I am wondering what they will do to the kids that rip the leaves and branches off the trees and plants.  I say make them fish food.

Oasis of the Seas: It’s all about the cupcakes

Now in her new home at Port Everglades here in Florida, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas continues to draw attention.  Online message boards, bloggers and other sources are buzzing over the ship’s arrival and many of the new features.  While interest has reached a fevered pitch, not everyone is happy about what they see and hear.

Price is one of the first topics that comes up when discussing Oasis and her being-built sister Allure of the Seas, due out next year.  In a very price-conscious economy,  Oasis sells for as much as 30 to 40% more than other ships doing a similar itinerary.  As true as this is, equally true is that the Oasis class ships of Royal Caribbean are truly unlike any other ship in service.  To expect this ship to price along with others who have been in service for 5 to 10 years doing the same itinerary is not appropriate.  If you want a ride on this one, expect to pay more.

Size, rightfully so, is another topic that gets discussed quite a bit.  From environmental groups concerned over pollution potential to cruise purists who long for the olden days of smaller-ship cruising, many are eager to start and perpetuate a debate.  While both these groups and others mean well and are committed to their beliefs, at this point they are vocal over potential issues, not actualproblems.  The first revenue sailing of Oasis, marking the actual start of her cruise history,  has not even come to pass yet.  Yes, this is the biggest ship on planet earth.  Yes, more people will get on and off this ship on turnaround day than any other ship.  But also a resounding YES and kudos to Royal Caribbean for taking all that into consideration and building a ship for everyone.

Those opposed to this ship just don’t get it….or at least most don’t.  Some kind of do.

I read yesterday where someone said the ship was like a hotel on a floating barge.  Another said it should be called Theme Park of the Seas.  Those people kind of do get it.  They are right to a certain extent.  Where they lose it and don’t get it is the cupcakes.

Long ago and far away, cruise ships did not sell cupcakes.  Cruise ships might have made a cake or Baked Alaska might have been paraded around the dining room on formal night, but they did not sell cupcakes.

Oasis does.  Oasis gets it.  Oasis is relevant.

Dividing the ship up into neighborhoods, each with its own unique flavor was simply brilliant.   What if they had built this ship and done nothing different than make more cabins?.  There is no shortage of cruise ships to go from point A to point B.  But the cruise business has evolved from the transatlantic ocean liner that brought my ancestors here long ago to almost being put out of business by the airliner to being reborn by Carnival as a fun, hip thing to do to where they are today; poised to go off in yet another direction I believe led by visionary cruise lines like Royal Caribbean. Even Norwegian Cruise Line with their new Norwegian Epic coming out later which also redefines the cruise experience, maybe not to such an extent as Oasis, but in that direction.

Yes, Oasis of the Seas is all about being relevant.

From opening night this week with pop-singer Rihanna and a live broadcast of Good Morning America the next morning, to trendy gourmet cupcakes, food venues and areas of the ship embracing what is happening right now in the world, this one has it all.

But that is the flashy side of Oasis.  The company behind her, Royal Caribbean International, is  a solid organization that is in tune with it’s customers.  While other cruise lines may nickel and dime guests to death, make applying discounts and special offers difficult and are sticking with the old programs of yesterday, Royal Caribbean for many years has striven to be the one that is easy to do business with.  They commonly refer to what they do as “delivering the “Wow!” and work hard to make that happen.

When a guest steps foot on of their ships, they are totally into making that experience truly a “cruise of a lifetime” as they say.  There is a lot that goes into making and keeping this ship afloat as we have covered in our series of articles leading up to now. Those that get it will appreciate all that has gone into this ship, pay the price, and have a fabulous vacation that they truly can not get anywhere else.

Thinking about sailing on the Oasis?  Contact your travel agent today; right now Royal Caribbean is making it easier to enjoy those extras on Oasis and sister-ship Allure of the Seas with a special offer granting bonus onboard credit of $200 to those who book a December 2009 sailing of Oasis or $100 for a December 2010 through April 2011 sailing of Allure.  That’s not good for group sailings and other restrictions apply

I can get a whole lot of cupcakes for $200

Do be sure to join us right here, live on Oasis of the Seas starting early Thursday morning for the drive from Orlando to Port Everglades then look for reports throughout the day and night all about the ship

OK so Oasis has arrived, what’s next?

It’s going to be hard to beat that show this morning from Port Everglades this morning as thousands lined Jetty Park to welcome Royal Caribbeans 220,000 ton Oasis of the Seas.

Soon, Port Canaveral will welcome the new Carnival Dream.   I think about all they can do to beat this show is have veteran cruise director John Heald moon the crowd ashore as the petit (just 130,000 ton)  Dream passes by.

Carnival: Please no more CEO Gerry Cahill doing comedy.  Bob he is not.  Maybe before you leave the Big Apple, get  actor Eddie Cahill from CSI:New York to play the part instead.

In the mean time, next up is the new Carnival Dream, dedicated last night in New York.It was a lavish affair as most are but in a typical Carnival “Fun” way from what we could see on the live broadcast on Carnival’s Dream website

What I still want to know is the story behind the name of the ship…what with Disney Cruise Line coming out with their new Disney Dream followed by the Disney Fantasy.  I can see it pissing off Carnival that they used” Fantasy” since Carnival’s popular Fantasy class ships have been chugging around for years.  But hey, anybody who lives in Florida or pretty much any part of planet Earth knows that Disney has had the whole Dream and Fantasy thing locked up for a long time.

I suppose we could settle it with an arm wrestling match between all of Carnival’s characters and all of Disney’s characters.

Oh, maybe not

Our ship has come in

That’s right, the highly anticipated arrival of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas at Port Everglades is happening right now

But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words so here, check out these videos from today and from our past reports on the building, layout and todays arrival

• Here are in Florida!
• Live from Port Everglades
• Central Park
• Everything from our daily Examiner.com column

Stay tuned too, we’ll have more as get it then be reporting live from Oasis starting next Thursday!

 

 

 

 

Oasis of the Seas in arrives in Florida

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas has arrived at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale

Before her arrival I reported that you  can watch as the ship came in via the Fort Lauderdale Inlet Cam. This is a safe site with a camera pointed in the direction of where Oasis will be coming as she makes her way to pier 18, her new home in Florida.   Bookmark that site and you can wave at your friends as they pass by on their cruise.  If you’re on a cruise yourself you can snicker as you pass by the Inlet Cam which is clearly marked as if to say “Wave goodbye to reality folks!”

I suggested going there about 7AM to get in, sit back with a cup of coffee and watch history unfold before your eyes.  By 6:30 the streaming webcam was overloaded but oh my the great front-seat view we had when it worked

Kicking off the festivities was a “Welcome Flotilla” organized by the Winterfest Boat Parade committee, with watercraft of all sizes meeting up and escorting the ship to its new home at Port Everglades. En route, the ship will pass a 1,500 sq. ft. custom-designed “Welcome to Fort Lauderdale, Oasis of the Seas” sand painting on the shores of the inlet to the port. Cruise enthusiasts had the opportunity to celebrate and watch the ship approach nearby at a public welcome party at the Jetty Pavilion at John U. Lloyd State Park, including complimentary park admission, refreshments and giveaways.  It was one of those “dang it’s cold out here this early in the morning” moments until we saw Oasis.

Upon arrival, the new $75 million, 240,000 square foot Terminal 18 at Port Everglades, the world’s largest single-ship cruise terminal, aptly received the vessel. Built specifically for Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis series, the terminal will serve as the home port for both the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas (debuting in late 2010), which expect to generate more than 500,000 cruise passengers annually for Port Everglades.

Oasis of the Seas: big enough to see from home

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas is bearing down on Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and arrival is expected around 8am tomorrow.   You can watch as the ship comes in via the Fort Lauderdale Inlet Cam.  This is a safe site with a camera pointed in the direction of where Oasis will be coming as she makes her way to pier 18, her new home in Florida.

I suggest going there now as you will need to register in order to see.  Tomorrow, log on about 7AM to get in, sit back with a cup of coffee and watch history unfold before your eyes.

We are ecstatic to be serving as the year-round home port for the Oasis of the Seas,” said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “From conveniences such as the new Terminal 18 and central port location to our rich collection of hotels, restaurants and attractions, Greater Fort Lauderdale looks forward to welcoming these seafaring visitors and invites them to extend their stay.”

Kicking off the festivities will be a “Welcome Flotilla” organized by the Winterfest Boat Parade committee, with watercraft of all sizes meeting up and escorting the ship to its new home at Port Everglades. En route, the ship will pass a 1,500 sq. ft. custom-designed “Welcome to Fort Lauderdale, Oasis of the Seas” sand painting on the shores of the inlet to the port. Cruise enthusiasts will have the opportunity to celebrate and watch the ship approach nearby at a public welcome party at the Jetty Pavilion at John U. Lloyd State Park, including complimentary park admission, refreshments and giveaways.

Upon arrival, the new $75 million, 240,000 square foot Terminal 18 at Port Everglades, the world’s largest single-ship cruise terminal, will receive the vessel. Built specifically for Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis series, the terminal will serve as the home port for both the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas (debuting in late 2010), which expect to generate more than 500,000 cruise passengers annually for Port Everglades.

Bloggers, writers silent at sea

It might be something we don’t think about much of the time, but keeping our oceans safe and clean goes hand in hand.  From the US Coast Guard, the cruise lines, harbor pilots and environmental groups, many have a hand in protecting our oceans and keeping them safe to travel on, play in or just look at.  Groups like travel writers and bloggers, marine law firms, and others also weigh in.

Sometimes these different groups get at odds with one another, but in the end, it seems as though they all do the right thing; protect the oceans.

The US Coast Guard, known and respected world-wide for their protection of US waters, is much more involved than one might imagine.  As a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services, it is unique in that it has a maritime law enforcement mission with jurisdiction both domestically and in international waters and as a federal regulatory agency.

Operating under the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard can also be transferred to the Department of the Navy at a time of war by the President or Congress.  Besides rescue at sea, the Coast Guards missions include protecting against overfishing and protecting endangered species. On the environmental side they are also fighting against pollution, taking an active role in monitoring and investigating maritime accidents including oil spills, illegal discharges from ships plus cruise crew and passenger deaths   I feel good about what the Coast Guard does and commend them for their service.

The major cruise lines work closely with the US Coast Guard on a daily basis, relying on their assistance in an emergency.   The cruise lines also have fashioned environmental impact programs to help protect the oceans and keep crew and passengers safe at sea.  The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) weighs in on the topic, saying “The safety and security of cruise line passengers is the top priority of CLIA member cruise lines.”

Individual cruise lines all have their own programs to deal with health, environmental issues, safety and security.  Princess Cruises, part of Carnival Corporation who owns several different cruise lines, aims to exceed industry and governmental standards impacting the ocean.

Still, environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth report that “Cruise ships release vast quantities of pollution into our coastal and ocean waters” and supports the Clean Cruise Ship Act. As earlier reported, this group ranked Florida’s Disney Cruise Line low but without a lot of measurable  and comparable facts.   Let’s touch on one topic briefly.

Right now, cruise ships are permitted to discharge waste into navigable waters more than three miles from shore.  The Clean Cruise Ship act would prohibit cruise ships from discharging waste into navigable waters less than 12 nautical miles from U.S. Shore’s and would require that waste discharged beyond 12 nautical miles. The bill would impose liability for any criminal fines or civil penalties on the cruise ship itself.

Often, it is difficult to know who is telling the truth in these matters and sometimes the media is not much help.

When Friends of the Earth released their “Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card” earlier this year, they said “Millions of Americans take cruise vacations every year. However, most don’t realize that cruising is more harmful to the environment and human health than many other forms of travel. With ships that can carry up to 7,000 passengers and crew, these floating cities pollute the air we breathe and the water we use and enjoy.”

Ok, so they’re not exactly in the cruise lines corner on the topic.

The thing is: the cruise lines get it.

All major cruise lines have environmental policies and practices in place to minimize pollution and keep us safe at the same time.  Are they perfect?  Oh no, not at all.  But they are headed in the right direction fast by plugging into dockside electrical outlets instead of powering their ships by running their diesel engines, scoring high on health inspections performed onboard by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and complying with Federal and State pollution standards for cruise ships.

Here in Florida, Disney Cruise Lines takes big steps in that right direction with good transparency on their environmental efforts even offering a website with a closer look at their “Behind the Waves” program.

That program and others like it for cruise lines are not big news.  But say that cruise ships score low on a report issued by a fringe environmental group even without documentation to back it up and that’s big news.

Recently (as in going on right now), on a Princess cruise, a bunch of noted travel writers and bloggers were invited on board to write, blog and communicate via social media (search for #followmeatsea on Twitter) outlets about their experience.  I was disappointed that when the whole thing was hijacked electronically by foes of the cruise industry, aiming to discredit efforts made to improve environmental impact.

I was not disappointed that those environmental people and even a maritime law expert chimed in but that the travel writers and bloggers stood by and let it happen without standing up for the industry that, basically, makes them a living. It reminds me of a contrast I noticed when doing a story on Florida’s harbor pilots not long ago.

This is a group of professionals who find themselves at odds with the cruise lines who claim they make too much money.  That may very well be a debatable topic but these people are part of a system that works, keeps us safe and minimizes the environmental impact of cruise ships.  They know their role in all of it and the Captain on the ship knows what they do and how their roles interact.

I have a great deal of respect for all these people and all these groups, some more than others.  We can only hope that this system of interaction combined with regulation and enforcement continues to develop and improve.

Along the way, maybe I will learn to hang up that towel and help save the ocean too.

Oasis of the Seas = Safe

We are always told how safe cruise ships are.  As passengers we take that for granted.  Here, the Captain of  Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas introduces us to some extra measures on this ship like on no other.  No big surprise there, this ship is all about stuff that is on it and no other…at least for now.  As the latest and greatest the cruise industry has to offer, we expect cutting edge technology, unique and creative new ideas an exciting vacation that is everything we want it to be.

I said it on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom class ships and I’ll say it again for this one, not even having stepped foot on the ship yet:  If you can’t have a good time on this ship, you need to consider other vacation options.

I’m thinking that dropping acid might be a good shot for you.  It’s going to take a psychedelic trip of some sort to beat what Oasis has in store for us.  Be careful on that though ok?  The ship is probably much safer.

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Veterans Day; more than a day the post office and bank are closed

Veterans Day is much more than a day that the bank and post office are closed.  Oddly, that’s what touches most of our lives directly from year to year.

If you happen to have (or had) a friend or family member in the military, then it takes on a different meaning altogether.  I’m not much on poetry but I found this one today that says a lot about what I’ll be considering today

Heroes

By Jared Jenkins

In war, there are lives risked and lives taken

Men and women giving their best to defend what they love

They defend their country

Their honor

Their people

Some call them soldiers

Others call them heroes

Our veterans have risked their lives for us

They have lived through hell and fought with honor

Many have killed

And regret doing so

For every life, there is a soul

For every soul, there is a life

For those who have died, we show great appreciation and remembrance

For those who live, along with them live the horrific memories of battle

Some, memories of defeat

Some, memories of victory

Our veterans were more than soldiers

They were, and still are heroes

Oasis of the Seas update: Holiday sailings available

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, debuting in Port Everglades later this week, still has some staterooms available for this year’s holiday cruise season.

Normally sold out well in advance, the still-recovering US economy has a sliver lining for those in the market for a cruise vacation.  Holidays are special sailings and sailing on Royal Caribbean’s newest and largest ship with more amenities and features for guests would surely be a dream vacation for any avid cruiser.  Check with your travel agent for all the details and see the video below for more information on special things happening aboard Oasis of the Seas.

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Cruising from Florida: Carnival Dream update

The official naming ceremony of Carnival Cruise Lines’ new cruise ship Carnival Dream featuring Academy Award- and Tony Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden in the role of ship’s godmother will be broadcast live on the company’s web site, www.carnival.com/dream, beginning at 4 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 12.

The Carnival Dream debuted in Europe September 21 and will operate a series of voyages from New York before repositioning to Port Canaveral to begin year-round Caribbean service December 3rd with some new features not on other Carnival ships.

The Chef’s Art Steakhouse, located on Spa Deck 12, will seat 139 and specialize in dry-aged beef. Carnival will charge $30 per person for this alternative restaurant. Reservations are recommended.

The Gathering, a two-level eatery, will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Options within The Gathering include a pasta bar, a burrito bar, a Mongolian wok, a 35-item salad bar and a tandoori oven serving Indian specialties. There is no charge to dine at the Gathering.

Located along the Promenade Deck will be Wasabi, a sushi bar serving complimentary sushi.

The Ocean Plaza, an indoor/outdoor cafe, will have a dance floor and a stage for live entertainment. Ocean Plaza also will offer full WiFi access and 12 stand-alone kiosks where guests can access the FunHub, the Carnival Dream’s onboard social network.

Within Ocean Plaza, the Plaza Cafe will sell specialty coffees, pastries and milkshakes. There also will be full bar service.

According to Carnival, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream “ushers in an exciting new era in “Fun Ship” cruising”, offering a host of innovations. These also include Carnival WaterWorks, an expansive aqua park featuring the longest water slide at sea; more than 19,000 square feet of space dedicated to children and families; and a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa, the largest in the line’s fleet.

Tropical storm delays start of two Carnival cruises

Two Carnival ships preparing for cruises from Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans will be delayed due to the path of Tropical Storm Ida.

The storm, downgraded from a hurricane on Monday morning, is expected to make landfall Tuesday morning.

The Carnival Fantasy’s first sailing from Mobile will be delayed one day due to the temporary closing of Mobile’s port. The Fantasy will now operate a modified five-day cruise leaving Nov. 11. The ship will call in Cozumel and Costa Maya.The Fantasy was originally scheduled to operate a six-day cruise departing Nov. 10.

Carnival said that passengers on the shortened trip will receive a pro-rated refund of the paid cruise. Passengers also have the option to cancel and receive a full refund.

The Carnival Triumph’s first sailing out New Orleans will also be delayed due to the closure of the port there. The Triumph will operate a three-day cruise from New Orleans departing Nov. 11, instead of a four-day cruise departing Nov. 10.

Guests on that cruise will get a 50% refund of their fare and can also cancel for a full refund. Carnival updates their website with the most current information frequently.

Oasis of the Seas- animated virtual tour

If it is true that “a picture is worth a thousand words” then this virtual tour of Oasis of the Seas is worth a million.  Watch as we walk though all the different neighborhoods and areas of the ship as an animator believes it will be.  Soon we will have live video of this same tour but for now, this does give a good idea of the scope and size of Oasis of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas makes Port Canaveral in Florida home soon.  Take a look at what we will see when we board the ship later this month and stay tuned for updates on Oasis, other new ships, and whatever is going on in the cruise vacation world, as it happens.

 

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Princess Cruises next for digital documents

Princess Cruise Lines photo

Princess Cruises, next to stop sending paper travel documents,  has debuted an innovative array of digital documents designed to transform the way passengers plan for and learn about their upcoming cruise. The all-new electronic format will deliver more information about their cruise than ever before, arriving conveniently by email and right to their computer desktop from the time of booking and continuing through departure.  Already in place on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and others, Princess becomes the next cruise line to do away with paper travel documents sent in the mail that you can hold in your hand.

Still, while wildly UNpopular with guests, Princess has a few different twists on how they are going about it.

The timely digital documents include a brand-new email series filled with personalized pre-cruise information, a downloadable Princess Countdown ConnectionSM widget that delivers useful and entertaining information to a passenger’s computer, personalized online luggage tags, and customizable shore excursion eBooks. The change from printed information to fully digital documents applies to all North American passengers on voyages departing on or after January 21, 2010.

“These new digital enhancements are yet another example of our commitment to service innovation,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises’ executive vice president. “Not only will our passengers receive the most comprehensive array of pre-cruise information we’ve ever made available, the information is also fully personalized, and the content is designed to build excitement and anticipation for their cruise with a rich collection of multi-media experiences. Digital documents are also more environmentally friendly.”

Princess’ new digital documents include:

Personalized Pre-Cruise Emails

As soon as passengers book their cruise, they will begin to receive a new series of four emails that are timed to deliver just the right information needed for each stage of the cruise planning process. Replacing a printed Cruise Answer Book, the emails include the passenger booking details and interactive content that gives passengers a fun, engaging way to learn more about the signature amenities and activities they will experience on their ship.

The information will be customized to the itinerary and the ship the passenger is sailing, and greetings are featured from some of the senior officers who will be sailing on their cruise. An array of links are also provided to such things as ship videos and virtual tours, bridge cams, dining options, entertainment choices, shipboard features and amenities, travel logistics, weather information, packing tips, frequently asked questions, Captain’s Circle benefits, important notices and reminders, and how to stay connected to family and friends while onboard.

Princess Countdown ConnectionSM

To help passengers anticipate and prepare for their upcoming sailing, the innovative Princess Countdown ConnectionSM widget is an eye-catching online clock that ticks down the days, hours and minutes until their cruise departs. The new application, which can be downloaded from the pre-cruise emails, can live right on a passenger’s computer desktop, and will automatically deliver an array of personalized information to them about their upcoming sailing such as dining, onboard activities, shore excursions and notices.

Personalized Online Luggage Tags

Passengers will also be able to print their own personalized luggage tags from their home or office computer. These new tags not only include the passenger’s name, but also feature their Captain’s Circle membership status, cabin number and embarkation information. Passengers will be able to print as many tags as needed to ensure all their luggage is properly marked prior to boarding the ship.  Carnival was the first to do this.  I have yet to talk to anyone who really loves this part of it all.    I have tried this, it does work.  Still, I strongly suggest tagging bags with your own luggage tags and then tagging each one twice with these flimsy, print-your-own luggage tags.  It’s a good idea to print an extra to put inside your luggage too.  Make it the last thing you put in which will make it the first thing someone sees if they have to open your luggage looking something that might identify your luggage from the others that have lost their luggage tags too.

The printable luggage tags debut for all voyages departing after December 1, 2009, and are accessible through the Cruise Personalizer. They can be printed up to 75 days prior to the sailing date. Generic luggage tags will continue to be available at the pier for passengers who may need them.

Shore Excursion eBooks (something else not to hold in your hand)

Beginning in December, passengers will be able to print their own personalized shore excursion eBook for their cruise. Using this innovative tool, passengers will be able to select their favorite excursions from the wide array offered in each port, and create their own customized eBook of shoreside experiences. Further details will be available next month.

Oasis Update- The Captain is still alive and more about the Aqua Theater

Royal Caribbean International

With just 4 days until arrival here in Florida at Port Everglades, Captain Wright is looking a bit under the weather (see video below).  Tom asked me if maybe he was feeling the effect of the rough seas.  That was last week and sure could have been the case.  If I had to guess, it looks to me like he’s just really tired.  I could say he looks like he was rode hard and put up wet as we used to say back in Kansas and that would work too.

In any event, looks like a nice nap for the Captain is in order.   Maybe he can grab a lounge chair by the Aqua Theater, our little mini-topic of the day!

The AquaTheater on Oasis of the Seas is an engineering marvel, with parts constantly moving and disappearing before the audience’s very eyes. See the machinery behind-the-scenes that makes the magic of this 6000-square-foot stage come to life.

It is all about a celebration of water where the pool and lounge area by day is transformed into a theatrical venue with seating for 600 (reservations available) featuring hundreds of water nozzles shooting up to 65 feet high. The water show, Oasis Dream, is synchronized to music and lights with acrobatics and high-diving taking place in and around the pool.

Complete with under water cameras to film performers when they have disappeared out of sight and broadcast images on giant LED screens on either side of the stage, the area also features twin diving towers connected by a bridge and a trapeze behind and trampoline between. Sounds more and more like a Cirque water show to me. Soon, we will have live footage of the show to share

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Online Cruise Vacation Resources

Yesterday, it was announced that due to weather conditions on the way, arrival of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas at Port Everglades will be delayed by two days.

Today our extensive coverage of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas continues with some interactive Internet sources sure to be favorites.  There are a lot of websites that mention Oasis but here are some I have run across that really do a great job of making sense of the worlds largest cruise ship. These first two from SunSentinel.com, offer some great insight and are really helpful if you’re trying to find your way around the ship, always a good idea before sailing.

• Take a virtual tour of the world’s largest cruise ship- allows us to zoom in and see where all the different areas we have been talking about actually are
• Terminal 18: The largest single-ship cruise terminal in the world- enables us to see where to go for both embarkation and disembarkation (click on “Inside Terminal”)
• CruiseCritic’s Countdown To Oasis- steadfast source of information, CruiseCritic.com has a special section just for Oasis of the Seas updates
• USA Today’s CruiseLog- Gene Sloan is right on top of things in the world of cruising with breaking news, in-depth reporting of on-going topics and more
• About.com:Cruises- Linda Garrison does a great job with cruising all over the world. Linda has cruised on a variety of ships from small sailing ships to mega-liners, budget-priced cruises to ultra-expensive.
• Orlando Cruise Vacations Examiner- that’s me. My main focus is on cruises that leave from Florida and we have a whole lot of those

All these are great sources of information.   Use them to research, keep up with what is going on and plan for the future.  When it comes time to book your cruise vacation don’t make a critical mistake; use a professional, certified travel agent.   As more and more of them go broke, the bad move of booking with an  Internet Cruise Broker is more and more like a hangover, totally avoidable.    Rule of thumb:  If all you have to do is click to order, you’re in the wrong place.

Carnival Names Godmother for new Carnival Dream

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines announced today that Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden will serve as Godmother on the new Carnival Dream which will be homeported at Florida’s Port Canaveral.

When the ship makes her North American debut on November 12 in New York,  Harden will reveal Carnival’s Big Book of Dreams - measuring 15.5 feet high by 20 feet wide – in New York City’s Rockefeller Center today and will conduct a special reading of the larger-than-life story to dozens of schoolchildren.

As part of a multi-year partnership with St Judes Childrens Hospital also announced today, Carnival has a goal of raising $3 million to help the hospital with its ongoing mission of finding cures for children with cancer.

“As a mother and actress driven by the idea of dreaming big, I’m honored to take on this new role as godmother of Carnival’s largest-ever ship and to help bring the Big Book of Dreams to life for local children,” said Marcia Gay Harden. “I’m also inspired by Carnival’s dedication to support and encourage all kids to dream big through its partnership with St. Jude.”

“We’re excited to have a dream-worthy lineup of activities to celebrate the launch of the Carnival Dream, including the talented Marcia Gay Harden as godmother, and to bring kid’s dreams to life in the biggest children’s book ever,” said Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill. “We are also very proud and honored to work with St. Jude to further support its wonderful work and inspire the children and families of St. Jude to never lose sight of their dreams.”

“We are so fortunate to work with compassionate companies like Carnival,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., Chief Executive Officer of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude. “Every dollar donated by Carnival and its guests through the Care to Play fundraising activities will help St. Jude continue its efforts in finding the cures and providing the treatments that will save children’s lives. On behalf of everyone at St. Jude, thank you.”

Oasis of the Seas- Amazing Staterooms

Royal Loft Suite

One of the biggest differences Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas will offer guests is in the stateroom choices available to them.  With all the different “neighborhoods” there are even more different categories of cabins available from which to choose, 37 at last count.   It will probably take some time to see which are the most popular, which ones sell out first, or which ones are likely to be discounted.

Most impressive of the staterooms are the loft suites shown here.  The unique feature is the two deck high floor-to-ceiling windows with solid glasss for spectacular views of whatever happens to pass by.

Other accomodations are impressive as well with the latest features including RCTV television network allowing the booking of shore excurions, specialty restaurante reservations and more as well as oversized showers, telephone, private bath and more

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Oasis At Sea: Report from the Captain

Fully into the Atlantic, Captain Wright turns the ship into the ocean, slowing down to just 6 knots speed to allow for a smooth ride in near-hurricane force winds.

The ship “continues to perform wonderfully” he said in the video we have for you here today which shows those conditions at sea and gives us a glimpse of what Oasis is capable of in this environment.

The environmental impact of cruise ships is a topic that has been discussed a great deal. “The Oasis of the Seas will have such a dramatic impact that she will help more people understand all that cruising has to offer,” said Richard Fain, CEO and chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises, parent company to Royal Caribbean International. “We are seeing a halo effect on the rest of our fleet,” he added. “We saw it when the Freedom entered service, too.”

Harri Kulovaara, executive vice president of maritime, said the size is a result of responding to guest expectations, and that more “real estate” allows broader product offering, more energy efficiencies and less environmental impact, and more safety by scale (more space enables more redundancies and better engine rooms, including double hull protection).

See and hear the Captain and Today’s Report

Oasis: Lots of little things make for a cool big ship

Royal Caribbean International

Now fully into the Atlantic Ocean on her way to Port Everglades the Captain reported yesterday that the ship was handling well in winds up to 60 knots. Without a doubt, advanced technology built into the ship is playing a big role in the handling and maneuverability they are experiencing on board right now.  The video you see here tells more of the technology that went into building the ship.

But with the exception of this video and others like it, guests rarely get a chance to see that side of technology.  There are some pretty amazing areas, some big and flashy, some small and subtle, that are built into Oasis of the Seas that guests will indeed experience first-hand.

Let’s take a look at Royal Caribbean International Chairman Richard Fain’s blog for some insight to what is in store for guests.

Gangway Button- If you have been on a cruise before you might know that guests do not always disembark from the same deck or side of the ship.  It depends on which port they are docked at or even which pier at a given port.  Many guests disembarking head down and follow the crowd.  On Oasis, they added a special button in each elevator marked “Gangway” which will be programmed to change at each port.  It’s a little thing but now all guests will have to do is find an elevator to know where to go, rather than listening to sometimes annoying announcements

Royal Caribbean has been working on announcements too though.  According to Fain, “We had three objectives: (a) ensure all safety announcements are clear and properly disseminated; (b) minimize all non-essential ship-wide announcements; and (c) make sure that we properly accommodate people who do not speak English.”  A lot of that will be taken care of with the very latest in-stateroom communication system.

As reported earlier, the ship’s Royal Caribbean Television network (RCTV) will have Internet capabilities, details on all ship venues, menus, hours of operation, etc as well as traffic flow updates for food venues, informing guests of which venue could best accommodate their party at any given time.

Communication has long been a strong point in the management of Royal Caribbean International. It is no surprise that they have gone to great lengths to examine what they are doing in this area and improve upon it for the launch of Oasis of the Seas.

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A complex array of offerings in the Adventure Ocean children’s program is a good example of this communication in action.  ”We have never had such an exciting Children’s Program or such extensive facilities with which to present it” Fain said along with a PowerPoint presentation to explain it all.

Stay tuned for more updates as they occur, right here

Oasis of the Seas- What about the shows?

Royal Caribbean International

With over 5000 guests on the ship, I have had several people ask me “How will all those people be able to fit in the theater for the show?”  Darn good question.  Little did I know that the Captain would start me on a path to get the answer to that which we have for you here today.

On route to Port Everglades, the cast and crew take advantage of this time at sea to practice and rehearse their roles in the production of the Broadway show, Hairspray which will be in the big Opal Theater aboard Oasis of the Seas.

While entertainment on cruise ships has commonly been of the Vegas-style extravaganza with lots of feathers and kick lines, Royal Caribbean is going all out with this first production, sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Three months in advance of their sailing, guests may pre-reserve at seat at such entertainment options as ice shows, “Splish Splash,” or “Hairspray,” among other choices.

All shows onboard Oasis of the Seas are free to guests. Guests who pre-book shows will use their electronic cruise pass card to enter the theater. Charly McDonald, the line’s manager of guest activities and entertainment technical operations, said clients who pre-book a show will gain entry to the show but not be booked into a specific seat.

What if you are more spontaneous? What if you don’t want to pre-book? You will still be able to arrive at the entertainment venue unannounced and be granted entry if space is available. But if the show is fully booked, an on-site box office will give them a reservation at a show later the same evening or later in the cruise.

View a video about all this at today’s Examiner.com report

Oasis of the Seas: Technology at work…and play

Royal Caribbean International

As Oasis of the Seas continues her way to home here in Florida at Port Everglades, construction workers on board continue to ready the ship, crew members perfect their jobs and the world waits.

At 220,000 tons, the largest cruise ship in the world offers pretty much something for everyone…but don’t all cruise ships offer something for everyone?   So what makes this one so special other than her huge size?

One element is the technology that went into the design and building of the ship.  Obviously it takes a lot of work to make something that big, let alone to divide it up into 7 different neighborhoods.  A good deal of the technology it takes to make it all work we will never see.  What we will see though is many innovative design elements that will deliver what Royal Caribbean International calls the “Wow” factor.

Digital signage is one of those elements.  Through a network of 377 public area screens, 56 of which are interactive, guests can find information easily and navigate the ship, see real-time show availability and timely information on dining, guest services and port information.

The ship’s Royal Caribbean Television network (RCTV) will have Internet capabilities, details on all ship venues, menus, hours of operation, etc as well as traffic flow updates for food venues, informing guests of which venue could best accommodate their party at any given time.  Each stateroom’s personal calendar will show specialty restaurant reservations, shore excursion bookings, show ticket reservations plus boarding and departure time for each port.

Guests can also use their in-stateroom TV to

• Purchase and watch movies and trailers
• Browse the Internet
• Watch select broadcast TV and news
• Order wine and room service for delivery to stateroom
• View activities and events for each day
• View information about all the features on the ship
• Book reservations for onboard shows (ice shows, Opal theater, Aqua Theater and Comedy Club)
• Book shore excursions
• Review SeaPass onboard charge account
• View status of and sign up for pre-paid gratuities and more

SeaPass Cards, each guest’s onboard identification, stateroom key and onboard charge card will be different and incorporate advanced technology also

• Guests Muster Station enlarged on the card.  SeaPass card will be swiped at muster station during safety drill for attendance
• Photo number now printed (to easily locate photos)
• When guest signs Onboard Activity Waivers online, SeaPass card will contain which waivers they signed
• When guests pre-reserve Entertainment Reservations online, SeaPass card will contain which shows they made reservations for

Oasis will also be the first ship to have the new WOW Phone, a handheld WiFi devise that will enable telephone calling between devises and the shipboard telephone system, text messaging between devices and real-time ability to locate a member of your party.  In addition, guests will also be able to view their weekly calendar and the Cruise Compass, the ship’s daily newspaper.

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Royal Caribbean International: The Road to Oasis

As Oasis of the Seas makes her way to Port Everglades, let’s take a look at how this company, Royal Caribbean International, got to where it is today; building the largest cruise ship in the world.

Back in 1970, Song of Norway, Royal Caribbean International’s first ship had a gym in an empty cabin that consisted of a rowing machine and a treadmill. Not many people used the gym, or made any effort to find it. Today, Royal Caribbean’s newest ships feature the largest fitness centers and spas at sea, overlooking the vast expanses of the oceans, ports and global destinations the cruise line visits. Pools that were once inside the ship and on the lowest level have evolved into entire water parks and poolscapes running the length of the uppermost decks and on some Royal Caribbean ships, guests can actually surf! Innovative maritime architecture that can deliver the trademark “WOW” experiences for guests is a prime directive of the Royal Caribbean brand, and the cruise line’s newest ship, Oasis of the Seas, continues an evolution that is nothing short of revolutionary.

“The company culture at Royal Caribbean is about putting unlimited energy into design in order to make our ships as innovative and encompassing possible. Our ships offer a world of possibilities that the guest can cater to his or her, or their families needs,” said Richard Fain, Chairman & CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “We do not set out to build the largest ships in the world; we set out to build the most amazing collection of experiences, amenities and activities at sea.”

In the early 1990’s, Royal Caribbean unveiled one of its signature elements on Sovereign of the Seas, the Viking Crown Lounge, which wrapped around the funnel of the ship and served as the ultimate “observation deck” for cruisers. This design allowed for sweeping views of the sea (and the occasional whale and dolphin sightings) providing an aesthetically pleasing look to the top decks of the Sovereign-class ships.

In 1999, Royal Caribbean unveiled the anxiously awaited 137,276 GRT Voyager of the Seas. Carrying 3,114 guests, she was the largest cruise ship in the world and delivered an experience that was once thought impossible on a ship – the immensely popular and now iconic rock-climbing wall, an indoor ice-skating rink, and in-line skating.

In 2006, the cruise line topped its own benchmarks by building, yet again, the largest and most innovative cruise ship in the world. Freedom of the Seas made her spectacular premiere with never-before-seen features including: the FlowRider surf simulator, H2O interactive water park, cantilevered whirlpools, and a boxing ring, thus living up to Royal Caribbean’s standard of envelope-pushing amenities.

In its latest evolution in cruise ship design, Oasis of the Seas now takes the stage as the ultimate expression of Royal Caribbean’s legacy of imagination and innovation. Once again, the global cruise line has introduced elements never before seen on a cruise ship, including the neighborhood concept – seven themed areas providing guests with the opportunity to seek out relevant experiences based on their personal style, preference or mood. Within these seven neighborhoods – Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, Pool & Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone – are extraordinary elements such as the first park at sea; a thrilling zip line that races diagonally nine-decks above an open-air atrium; an original handcrafted carousel; 28 multilevel urban-style loft suites boasting floor-to-ceiling windows; an amphitheater-style space that serves as a pool by day and a dazzling ocean front theater with professional aquatic acrobatic and synchronized swimming performances by night; and an array of epicurean innovations that allow for new culinary experiences each day of a guest’s cruise vacation.

“Royal Caribbean continues to evolve, enhance and perfect the cruise vacation experience. Oasis of the Seas is truly an architectural and nautical feat. It offers a new kind of cruise that is personalized with neighborhoods designed around common functions and themes that are sensational yet intimate in nature and provides an immersive ambiance for each guest,” stated Harri Kulovaara, Executive Vice President, Maritime Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “This is truly the next step in cruise evolution.”

Oasis of the Seas is the largest and most revolutionary cruise ship in the world. An architectural marvel at sea, it spans 16 decks, encompasses 225,282 gross registered tons, carries 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and features 2,700 staterooms. Oasis of the Seas is the first ship to tout the cruise line’s new neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas, which includes Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone. The ship sails weekly from her home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Additional information is available at www.OasisoftheSeas.com. where you can find daily videos of the transatlantic crossing underway right now.

Oasis of the Seas: Dining Options

Royal Caribbean International

With just 8 days until Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas first calls at Florida’s Port Everglades, the crew on board the ship is busy getting ready for the first guests.

Part of that preparation includes testing the various dining options offered on the ship, 24 at last count, ranging from familiar signature restaurants and eateries to neighborhood-specific themed venues.  24 hours a day, there are more choices for dining on this ship than any other now sailing.

So here is a primer on all we can choose from, sorted by the neighborhood areas of the ship

The Boardwalk

• Johnny Rockets- Extending the signature “eat-ertainment” hours, a diner breakfast menu will be introduced. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; $3.95 breakfast and $4.95 lunch and dinner cover charge.
• Ice Cream Parlor-An 1950s-style ice cream venue serving classic sundaes and 15 different kinds of ice cream mixed with toppings to order on a frozen slab. Open throughout the day Ala carte pricing.
• Donut Shop-A classically styled shop with casual snacks available all day. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Boardwalk Bar-Full scale bar with specialty drinks tailored to the area. Also serves salads, sandwiches, and other quick food.
• Seafood Shack-The indoor/outdoor casual family restaurant will bring the surf style of beach side amusement parks to the Boardwalk, serving a variety of seafood, as well an extensive beverage menu of non-alcoholic cocktails and over-sized desserts. Open for lunch and dinner; $7.95 lunch and $9.95 dinner cover charge.

The Royal Promenade

• Mondo Cafe/Coffee Bar- A new addition to the Royal Promenade will feature coffee, sandwiches and pastries native to countries such as Italy, Spain and Cuba. Steps from Boleros and open around the clock, it is sure to be popular after an evening on the dance floor. Open for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and late night treats.
• Sorrento’s Pizza- signature New York style pizzeria features the read-to-go items introduced not long ago on the Freedom class ships and made to order pizza’s just for you.  Open for lunch, dinner and late night (but not 24 hours, that’s Carnival)
• Cafe Promenade- our personal favorite “:quick” place to eat on other ships on the opposite end of the Promenade from Mondo Café (see above), this one continues the Seattle’s Best Coffee as a centerpiece for pastries, sandwiches, fruit shakes and a menu that evolves throughout the day.  Take a glance over there whenever you walk by.

Central Park

• 150 Central Park- with an additional fee of $35 per person, this promises to be the most exclusive dining venue o the ship featuring multi-course meals paired with wines and an extensive wine list.  I bet we will hear “Don’t eat all day if you are going here for dinner” comments right off the bat.
• Giovanni’s Table- Open for lunch ($10) and dinner ($15), the casual Italian eatery (think Olive Garden at sea) serves family style pizza, salads, pastas, and I bet there’s a breadstick around someplace
• Chops Grille-signature steakhouse with a $25 per person cover charge.  Popular on all other ships in the fleet, I bet some of the new offerings on this ship give it a run for the money, literally.
• Vintages- also a signature offering on other ships in the fleet, this one will have an extensive tapas menu (that alone will make it a busy place) as well as a selection of cheeses at this popular wine bar with a la carte pricing.
• Park Café- A casual dining choice providing a high level of variety and flexibility, Park Café will be an indoor/outdoor gourmet market with walk-up counters. From freshly prepared salads and made-to-order sandwiches, to paninis, crepes and hearty soups, guests will order directly from the chefs behind food stations. European pastries, sublime chocolates and decadent fudge will round out the offerings. Open for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and late night treats.

Pool and Sports Zone

• Solarium Bistro-Located in the Solarium, the contemporary bistro will offer health-conscious dining for breakfast and lunch in a casual setting. In the evenings, Solarium Bistro will transform into a romantic and intimate dining setting for specialty healthy-fare dinner and dancing under the stars. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; dinner has a $20 cover charge.
• The Wipe Out Café-The casual self-service buffet will offer a variety of options from pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches and fresh salads to quick snacks and desserts, for young cruisers on-the-go. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center

• The Vitality Café-Located at the entrance of the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, the Vitality Café will feature healthy snacks, sandwiches, wraps and fruit, in addition to refreshing juices and smoothies from the Vitality spa menu for the calorie conscious guest. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

More Oasis Dining Options

• Opus Dining room-The three-level main dining room will revive the grandeur of the 1920s and feature French art deco design. Catering to guests’ varying preferences, the newly introduced My Time Dining and My Family Time Dining, as well as the traditional main and late seating options will be offered. My Time Dining provides guests with the option to enjoy the dining room ambiance with Royal Caribbean’s renowned Gold Anchor Service whenever they wish during dining hours. Guests choosing My Time Dining will not have a pre-assigned table, but will be seated in the ships main dining room and will order from the same traditional dinner menu. My Time Dining guests can make daily reservations for specific seating times or choose to walk in. My Family Time Dining accommodates parents and children by offering an expedited 40-minute dining service for young cruisers, ages 3-11. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Windjammer Marketplace-Offering great flexibility for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this next generation of the popular self-service buffet area will feature multiple islands, each serving a variety of different menu options
• Izumi-The new Asian cuisine restaurant will feature a sushi bar and hot rock cooking, as well as other Asian fare in a more formal setting. Open for lunch and dinner;Ala carte pricing.
• Room Service-guests wanting to enjoy a meal in the comfort of their staterooms will be able to choose from the complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, as well as the recently introduced Dine in Delights menu, which offers name-brand culinary options ranging from the Original Johnny Rockets hamburger to Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookies. Open 24 hours a la carte pricing for Dine In Delights and $3.95 service charge for in-room deliveries between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.  Sorry kids, no free steaks at 3am.

Oasis of the Seas update: 9 days to Florida

Royal Caribbean International

On her way to Port Everglades to sail year-round 7-day Caribbean sailings, Royal Caribbean Internationals Oasis of the Seas passed one more test barely making it under Denmark’s Great Belt Bridge with just two feet to spare.  (See Video)

Oasis will make her debut on November 20 when the ship will be shown to the world for the first time aboard ABC’s popular morning show Good Morning America.  We will be on board for that sailing and will send you all the latest information.  The official naming ceremony will be 10 days later and the ship will embark on it’s first cruise December 1.

Oasis is just one of the new cruise ship’s we are covering too. Subscribe to me today to get all the latest information on the new Carnival Dream coming soon as well as the two new Disney Cruise Line ships, Dream and Fantasy,  coming in 2011 and 2012.

Dang good question

So I get this email right?

“Is something going on with cruise prices?  I have been getting some emails about pricing for 4 and 5 day cruises for under $200 a piece.  Are the ships trying to fill up?  If so, this sure does sound like a great time to cruise. What’s the news?”

What to do but respond accurately:

Nothing new really.

A large number of people who might have booked far in advance didn’t and are tending to still cruise, they’re not stopping that…but they are waiting and cautious about committing to a vacation or other big ticket item…or they were I should say.

It appears that the tide is turning on the economy and people are out buying again. That’s just perfect for cruises. Since so many buyers did not buy a long time ago as they usually did, that created a huge surplus of cabins available. Not to let those cabins just sit the cruise lines encouraged the heck out of group cruises.

Well, see the thing about groups is that it makes the cruise lines feel good and feel confident because lots of cabins are “spoken for” meaning there are travel agencies with blocks of rooms to sell. So part A of their plan worked very well. They offered more incentives for groups and got lots of agencies to commit to group space.

The problem was with part B of the plan. Regardless of where the available cabin came from, people still were not buying. They might get in on a cruise but cancel when payments were due, not ready to commit. So while the cruise lines are feeling all warm and fuzzy about having so many cabins committed they really did not have anything special there at all. They just had more cabins back on their hands a bit later, when the travel agencies reached the end of their option period on the cabins and gave them back to the cruise lines. Now they’re having a fire sale rather than have cabins sail empty with nobody to pay the tips, lose money in the casino, have a drink, etc

That’s one reply to your excellent question.

Another would be; boys will be boys and the cruise lines are getting more creative in their marketing efforts, grabbing your attention one way or another. Look at the fine print. I see this every day; big flashy headline price that is a whole lot more by the time they pay.

There’s still no free lunch.

These deals that sound unbelievably good normally are not exactly as good as they seem.

If you are seeing ads from anyone other than the cruise lines themselves, more and more fees are being charged it seems. Lots of non-refundable processing fees, lots of extra, sometimes hefty, cancellation fees that you agree to let them charge when you buy.

I never liked those but have seen some that do make a bit of sense and are starting to crop up some. Those are the small handling fees some agencies are charging for handling short cruises. Often the cruise lines have those so low priced that the agencies are really not getting much at all out of it financially. You really don’t want them operating like that. Your professional travel agent can create such value for you over the years that you want to take care of them.

I realized that was one way to look at it and it reminded me of how very important the business relationship between travel agents and their clients is.  I get it.  I think more and more people who have been burned by their Internet Cruise Brokers, attempts to just “do it online themselves” or even those who deal directly with the cruise line…you would think at least that would be worry-free…and to a good extent it is, except that the cruise line is never going to look for a lower price for you and automatically apply it.    They would have to do that and then some to beat the value a good travel agent affords us.

I have a daughter who recently graduated college with a degree in public relations.  She moved to Chicago where she works with a major public relations firm on the cutting edge of social media.  You don’t have to read these people’s blogs, tweets, Facebooks, or what they doodle on the back of a cocktail napkin very long to see how front and center building relationships is.  Travel agents have known this all along.

A good one is waiting for all of us.