Where is the Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat Last Seen on Carnival Breeze Last Week

Boys and Girls, Moms and Dads, the Cruise Director and Staff all met at the Liquid Nightclub lounge (deck 5 aft) on Carnival Breeze last Monday at 4 PM in hopes of finding the Cat in the Hat.    

Where was that cat?

They searched from the lounge all the way to the Ovation Theater (deck 3 forward). They went down the hallway on deck 5 to the stairway and followed the winding staircase down two decks below. Still they had not found the Cat in the Hat.

Oh my, what to do now ... They continued their quest onto the stage in the Ovation Theater.

We were there live and captured all the action in three videos.  In the first video, we see the search party descending the staircase.  In the second, they continue onto stage where some volunteers are requested to help the Cruise Director and team.   Finally, the Cat in the Hat appeared and the reading of the Dr. Seuss book "The Cat in the Hat" was hosted by Cruise Director, Matt, with character appearances and audience participation.   Sit back and relax as we bring you live from Carnival Breeze...

SEUSS-A-PALOOZA PARADE & STORY TIME

     

Carnival Seuss at Sea Program

 

Late last year, Carnival Cruise Lines unveiled an exclusive partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. to bring the beloved children’s brand to the lines fleet of 24 ships. In an industry first, the Carnival Seuss at Sea program will offer a variety of exciting and immersive on board youth, family, dining and entertainment experiences featuring the beloved characters and words of Dr. Seuss.

Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast

On the final sea day, you and your children can join the Cat in the Hat and friends for green eggs & ham breakfast.   Reservations are required and there is a nominal charge added to your sail 'n sign card.  (Read More...)

Carnival & Dr. Seuss Enterprises Comment on Program:

Our youth and family programming continues to be highly rated and extremely popular with the millions of families who sail with Carnival, but we’re constantly challenging ourselves to uncover unique and interesting ways to further enhance our guest experience,” said Mark Tamis, senior vice president of guest operations for Carnival Cruise Lines. “We are thrilled to bring the fun, whimsical and wonderful world of Dr. Seuss to life for our guests of all ages to create even more fun and memorable moments during our cruise vacations"

“Dr. Seuss inspires imaginations across generations and encourages a playfulness and whimsy that is often lost in today’s ‘always on’ society,” said Susan Brandt, president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. “We’re excited to be working with Carnival Cruise Lines to bring some of the timeless magic of Dr. Seuss to the families that sail each year. Seuss at Sea will let kids and parents alike explore their imaginations through the memorable onboard experiences we’re building together.”

The Seuss at Sea program is available across the full fleet; coming soon to Carnival Panorama and Carnival Sunrise.  Learn more about Seuss At Sea here:  www.carnival.com/seussatsea

Images courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P.

We applaud the two companies for partnering to expand the youth programs across the Carnival fleet.

 

National Plan A Cruise Month Promotions 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

We will be co-hosting a very special #FoodTravelChat for #ChooseCruise month

Port of Galveston Recovering from Harvey

RECOVERING FROM HURRICANE HARVEY

The port of Galveston closed to all marine traffic prior to Hurricane Harvey making landfall and remained closed until today.   This caused Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line to alter several sailings scheduled to use the port.

Below is important information for passengers on the current or next sailings of impacted ships from Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

According to the Port of Galveston's website:

Current Status:   the Port of Galveston/Galveston Ship Channel is now open to vessels with less than 33ft draft limited to daylight. The Port’s administration offices will be closed today, Thursday, August 31st and will reopen on Friday, September 1st. The Port Police and the Incident Command Post will remain open.

INFORMATION: PORT CONDITION, PARKING, CRUISES, ROAD CLOSURES ... 
Read More

IMPACTED SHIPS


TROPICAL DEPRESSION HARVEY 
WEATHER UPDATE #10 – 08/30/17 – 9:00 PM (EST)  

Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom departed New Orleans this afternoon and have resumed course to Galveston. Carnival Breeze will overnight in New Orleans today and will start making her way to Galveston on Thursday evening.

The Port of Galveston has reopened with certain operating restrictions. 

Carnival Freedom is expected to dock on Friday and debark guests from its previous cruise. Embarkation for the September 2 voyage will take place on Saturday.

Carnival Valor will also arrive in Galveston on Friday to disembark guests. As previously mentioned, the August 31 sailing of Carnival Valor has been cancelled. However, the September 4 sailing will operate as scheduled.

Carnival Breeze is scheduled to arrive on Saturday morning to disembark guests from the previous cruise. Embarkation for the September 3 sailing will take place on Sunday.

We are in the process of finalizing docking and check-in times for this weekend’s sailings. We will update this page as soon as our plans have been confirmed.

To stay up to date on any changes that may affect your upcoming cruise, we encourage you to sign up for text alerts by texting the codes below to CRUISE (278473). 

Carnival Freedom 09/02/17 - CCL1
Carnival Valor 09/04/17 - CCL2
Carnival Breeze 09/03/17 - CCL3


ITINERARY UPDATES 

August 31, 2017 at noon. (next update at 7 p.m. ET tomorrow)

We received some good news from the Port of Galveston yesterday. The U.S. Coast Guard has opened the Port to vessel traffic in specific areas. Port officials anticipate Liberty of the Seas should be able to return to Galveston on Friday morning.

Houston airports are also slowly getting back up and running. Authorities at George Bush International Airport and Hobby Airport expect to resume full service by this weekend. We will continue to monitor both airports and encourage you to visit www.fly2houston.com for the most up-to-date information.

If you are driving to Galveston, you can check the latest information on road conditions at the Texas Department of Transportation website – http://conditions.drivetexas.org/current.

James Van Fleet, Chief Meteorologist for Royal Caribbean International, continues to keep an eye on the situation in the Galveston/Houston area.

We understand that some guests may not feel comfortable joining the ship on Sunday, September 3, once we arrive to Galveston. If you have any questions about your upcoming Liberty of the Seas sailing, or if you are coping with significant storm impacts that affect your ability to take your cruise, please call us at 1-800-256-6649.

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Staying Connected At Sea

When selecting your dinner location, do you check to see if they have Wi-Fi?   While shopping, do you tend to frequent malls and other stores that also have Wi-Fi available?   If you answered yes to these questions, you'll also want Wi-Fi access during your vacation.

Having internet access at sea is nothing new.  It has been available for many years.  If you've been cruising for years, you are also painfully aware that speed of your connection typically was not on par with your land experience.   At the same time, it wasn't free either and in combination with the slow speed your time online could be pretty costly.   For some people, like us that need to be connected, it was a cost of doing business, but if you are just getting online for pleasure, that was a different story.

The "always-connected" Society 

New Demands on Cruise Lines

With the increase in social networking, passengers have been requesting faster and less expensive internet access.   The cruise lines have made this one of their tasks to address.

The first line to address the speed aspect of the request was Royal Caribbean.  They've partnered with O3b Maritime (see our previous article)
Largest Ships Fastest Internet at Sea

The first major announcement for 2015 from the cruise lines is from Carnival Corp.



Carnival Cruise Line  Launches Carnival Hub & New Pricing 

Carnival Breeze is piloting two new changes that should begin to address the largest complaints about cruise ship internet pricing. A new app has been developed for iPhone and Android phones which can be installed for free and provides the user with ships schedules and other important information to help make your cruise enjoyable.   Optionally, you can sign up for the "chat" feature for $5 for the length of the cruise.  With this feature you can communicate with your fellow passengers individually or in groups.

Some of the key information provided by Carnival Hub on Breeze:

day-by-day schedule of all onboard events 

 real-time balances for passengers' Sail & Sign accounts

information on alternative, casual dining venues

searchable deck plans with key areas highlighted

itinerary details, including the ship's current time

estimated arrival/departure times for upcoming ports 

Getting to Know Carnival Breeze Cabin

New to Cruising?
Not Sailed on Carnival Breeze?
What to Expect?
 
Once you get on board the ship money is no longer needed so you can tuck your wallet and other valuables in your room safe.   Select a four digit code to lock the safe.

It's dark in here...  

Modern ships are designed with energy conservation in mind.  In order for the lights to operate you need to insert your Sail 'n Sign card, or other card, into the slot.   When you remove the card, lights stay on for a bit allowing you to get out the cabin door before they go off.

Privacy Please!

When you are sleeping, just as in a hotel, you can hang a "Snoozin" sign on your door so that noone disturbs you.

Time to head off for breakfast...   Just put the "Cruisin'" sign on your cabin door so that your steward knows you are out of the cabin.   By the time you return from breakfast your bed will be made and new towels hung in the bathroom.

The Temperature is Just Right !

Each cabin's temperature is individually controlled by the guests.  Next to the bathroom door, you'll find the temperature controls.  They are simple to operate just press the arrow in the direction you wan the temperature to go.   The green LED light shows the current setting.

Rub a Dub - Time to Scrub

If you've not sailed on Carnival before, you might look at the shower controls and say - now what do I do.  You'll notice there are two nobs on either end.  There's also a warning sign that says to be sure to test the water to avoid scalding.   It goes on to say, make sure water temperature is set to 38 degrees.   The right-hand knob has a line which you need to line up with 38.   I suggest taking the shower head from it's holder and turning on the left knob.   Check the temperature and then put the shower head back in the holder.  

Instead of small bottles of shampoo and bath gel, the shower has a built-in dispenser of the two liquids.   There is also a place to hold a bar of soap or any other bottle you might have brought to use instead of the ones supplied.

There are several shelves on both sides of the sink for you to place your various toiletries.  Since we only brought carry-on bags for our cruise, you'll notice several 3 oz. size bottles in our image.   The mirror is a nice touch to get a close-up of your face (eg. when shaving).   There is an outlet that can only be used by a shaver, if you don't have a rechargeable shaver.

Electrical Outlets

There are two 110v outlets and one 220v outlet over the desk / storage unit in the cabin.   We bring a small power strip which makes it easier when you need to charge all your tech gadgets at one time.   Just be sure that you don't overload the circuit or you'll have someone knocking on your cabin door and probably confiscating anything that is not allowed.

There are certain devices which you should never bring with you.  They include things like irons, hair-curlers, and anything with an open flame (eg. candles).  Refer to your cruise documents or Carnival website for details.

How many times have you entered a hotel room and gone on a hunt for a hair dryer?   You'd have to go on the same hunt here unless you were clued in on the secret in this article.   The top drawer of your storage unit pulls out and has a compartment for the hair dryer.   This means you need to dry your hair outside the bathroom, which shouldn't be an issue since you are provided with robes.

Finally, on the back of the cabin door is the safety information, just like you would find in a hotel room.  Be sure to familiarize everyone in the family with the safety information and do attend the mandatory safety drill.   The ship is required to complete the drill within 24 hours of sailing, but usually this happens before departure (just like on an airplane).  

We've focused on Carnival Breeze in this article because we just completed a seminar at sea on her.  Most of the ships in the Carnival fleet are setup similarly.  There might be variations in the safe and hair-dryer on some of the older ships as the models have changed over time.

We'll touch on a few more pointers in other articles.  In the meantime, if you have a specific question and can't wait, do leave us a comment or contact us by clicking above.

Color Your World With Orange

Once Upon A Time We Saw Everything in Black & White

Now We Can See The World in Living Color

Today's #FriFotos Theme:

#Orange

#FriFotos is a weekly photo forum by @EpsteinTravels @TravelDesigned @CharlesYap. Theme is revealed every Tues 12pm ET. Participants from all over the globe share their personal images with the audience. Here are some that we shared this week, we hope you enjoy this mini journey across the globe.

Plenty of Orange on Cruise Ships


The image above was taken last week on Carnival Breeze at the Water Works slide.  I'm not sure if it was the orange color that drew me to the challenge, but I just had to try out this water slide.   It was great!

Another water slide entry is this one from Norwegian Cruise Line's Epic ship.  After sliding thru the enclosed tube, you find yourself dumped into the orange and yellow bowl.  Once again, this was a lot of fun.   BTW, did I mention that I can't swim?

Cruise lines invest a lot of money in interesting art which you can explore during your cruise. This eagle, which has its fair share of orange, was sited on Celebrity Cruise's Mercury. In this other image, taken on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas, someone brought their imagination to life on the ship.

Not pictured here, but can be seen on our Twitter profile, are images of life boats, life preservers, and more art which you can find on a cruise vacation.

Nature Paints with Orange

Not all the color in the world is man-made.  There is nothing more beautiful than a gorgeous sunset at sea.  As the sun sinks slowly into the water, the sky comes alive with shades of red, orange, and yellow.   

Images like these can be yours when you explore the world by cruise ship.   We suggest giving yourself a photo assignment to seek out more images where the world has been painted with orange.

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc for more images from around the globe.

How to Spend Summer Vacation

When we think of Summer...
CRUISING comes to mind

We missed the "live" tweeting on #travelpics because we were on a Seminar at Sea on board Carnival Breeze.   We still wanted to share our responses, so pardon the late entries.

Questions for last Monday’s summer-themed #travelpics chat: 

(3:00) Intros: Please introduce yourself and tell us where you’re tweeting from today!

Key West, FL during Carnival Breeze #cruise #travelpics (picture above is Carnival Breeze in port)

(3:05) Q1: Home or abroad, where is your favorite place to spend your summer? Why?

A1: On a cruise - doesn't matter where it is going. Great way to #seetheworld  #travelpics

Seeing the world by cruise ship is one of the easiest ways to get around.  You embark your ship and unpack and each day you are either somewhere at sea or in a new port of call.

This cruise took us from Miami, Florida to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico before returning to home port of Miami.

(3:10) Q2: Share a photo from your most recent quintessential summer vacation.
A2: Relaxing is what #summer #vacation means to us  - by the pool, in the sun or shade #travelpics

I guess we can't be more recent than the vacation in progress during this #travelpics chat.  Truth be told, it was a mix of business and pleasure, but our trips always are that way since we are constantly learning and gathering images and information to share with our followers.

In this image, you see the Carnival Breeze main pool area on Lido deck.   It's not far form there to your favorite meal venue, such as Guy's Burger Joint.

The perfect ingredients of sun, shade, water, and plenty of places to simply relax can be found around the pool area.  Top that off with perfect weather, and it doesn't get much better than this.

 
(3:20) Q3: BESIDES swimming at the beach, what do you think of when you picture summer? Favorite activities?

A3: #summer fun activities for me include #waterparks Carnival Water Works #travelpics

At home we've been known to take a summer vacation that includes some time at a water park or two.  Carnival Breeze's Water Works is a great place to splash around.  I opted for the slightly slower orange tube which dumps you into the "drain" at the bottom of the slide.

(3:30) Q4: Show a summer photo of yours that ISN’T sand, surf, or sunglasses.

A4: as I get older, I'm getting braver Carnival Breeze Rope Course was my next conquest #travelpics


This definitely doesn't include sand or surf, but since it was bright, but glasses did automatically darken.  Here I am waiting for the people ahead of me to clear this next section of the rope course.  It took some figuring out at first, but once I got the hang of it, the rest was "easy".

(3:40) Q5: What is the most unique place you’ve ever spent your summer?

A5: it was end of #summer when we visited #galapagos Celebrity Cruises #travelpics

We explored this Land Beyond Xpectations via Celebrity Xpedition.  Here you'll see species that can be found nowhere else on earth.  You can snorkel with turtles, sea lions, and other marine line.   Walk along paths where Darwin explored over a hundred years ago before writing his famous publication.

(3:50) Q6: From hiking to wildflowers, show off your favorite view of summer anywhere in the world!
A6: #galapagos islands have many beaches like Urbina Bay #travelpics


We traveled by zodiac from Celebrity Xpedition to this landing site in Urbina Bay.  You can't tell from the picture, but it is one of the more difficult wet landing sites on our trip due to the inclination of the beach.   After landing on the beach we went on a short hike in search of Giant Land Tortoises and Land Iguanas before returning to spend some time snorkeling and swimming in the bay.

This concludes our #travelpics chat about #Summer.  We'd be happy to share other images from our summertime cruising adventures if it helps you plan your escape.

This final image was captured in Cozumel at Secrets Aura Resort.   We spent the entire day there relaxing, swimming, and enjoying a fabulous fresh fish lunch.  We'll write more about our day there in future posts, as well as the rest of our trip, so be sure to follow our blog.

Have you seen the  #travelpics recap? http://bit.ly/17RRaFq

Join us for #travelpics on Monday's at 3 PM ET every week for a fun-filled hour related to travel and photography.  Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc for more ideas.

Where is the Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat Last Seen on Carnival Breeze Last Week

Boys and Girls, Moms and Dads, the Cruise Director and Staff all met at the Liquid Nightclub lounge (deck 5 aft) on Carnival Breeze last Monday at 4 PM in hopes of finding the Cat in the Hat.    

Where was that cat?

They searched from the lounge all the way to the Ovation Theater (deck 3 forward).   They went down the hallway on deck 5 to the stairway and followed the winding staircase down two decks below.   Still they had not found the Cat in the Hat.  

Oh my, what to do now ... They continued their quest onto the stage in the Ovation Theater.

We were there live and captured all the action in three videos.  In the first video, we see the search party descending the staircase.  In the second, they continue onto stage where some volunteers are requested to help the Cruise Director and team.   Finally, the Cat in the Hat appeared and the reading of the Dr. Seuss book "The Cat in the Hat" was hosted by Cruise Director, Matt, with character appearances and audience participation.   Sit back and relax as we bring you live from Carnival Breeze...

SEUSS-A-PALOOZA PARADE & STORY TIME

     

Carnival Seuss at Sea Program

 

Late last year, Carnival Cruise Lines unveiled an exclusive partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. to bring the beloved children’s brand to the lines fleet of 24 ships. In an industry first, the Carnival Seuss at Sea program will offer a variety of exciting and immersive on board youth, family, dining and entertainment experiences featuring the beloved characters and words of Dr. Seuss.

Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast

On the final sea day, you and your children can join the Cat in the Hat and friends for green eggs & ham breakfast.   Reservations are required and there is a nominal charge added to your sail 'n sign card.  (Read More...)

Carnival & Dr. Seuss Enterprises Comment on Program:

Our youth and family programming continues to be highly rated and extremely popular with the millions of families who sail with Carnival, but we’re constantly challenging ourselves to uncover unique and interesting ways to further enhance our guest experience,” said Mark Tamis, senior vice president of guest operations for Carnival Cruise Lines. “We are thrilled to bring the fun, whimsical and wonderful world of Dr. Seuss to life for our guests of all ages to create even more fun and memorable moments during our cruise vacations"

“Dr. Seuss inspires imaginations across generations and encourages a playfulness and whimsy that is often lost in today’s ‘always on’ society,” said Susan Brandt, president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. “We’re excited to be working with Carnival Cruise Lines to bring some of the timeless magic of Dr. Seuss to the families that sail each year. Seuss at Sea will let kids and parents alike explore their imaginations through the memorable onboard experiences we’re building together.”

Roll-out of the Seuss at Sea program will begin aboard Carnival Splendor in March 2014 with implementation across the full fleet by 2015, as well as Carnival Vista when that ship enters service in early 2016.

Learn more about Seuss At Sea here:

www.carnival.com/seussatsea

Schedule: 

Carnival Legend (August 2014), Carnival Liberty (September 2014)

This Experience Is Available On: Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Magic, Carnival Splendor and Carnival Sunshine.

Images courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P.

We applaud the two companies for partnering to expand the youth programs across the Carnival fleet.