Setting Sail on Celebrity Beyond

Join us on Celebrity Beyond to experience Modern Luxury at it's finest.  We are setting sail on November 9th from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in a Magic Carpet Suite.  This Sky Suite gives us access to The Retreat.  Be sure to follow us on FB and IG to share our experiences. All suites at The Retreat come with a dedicated butler who’s just a message away. You get access to an exclusive sundeck and lounge that make you feel like you have the ship to yourself. Your table awaits at Luminae, your private, suites-only restaurant. And, you’ll enjoy more perks and amenities than ever before. The Retreat isn’t just a suite. It’s the most elevated experience at sea, period.

The Retreat. Suite Life. Elevated.

Watch this video for a preview of The Retreat.

Learn More About Beyond 

Welcome to a place where you can experience all the things you’ve been missing for so long. Only now, those things are even better than you’ve imagined. This is a place where the possibilities are as endless as the views. where you can disconnect entirely while you reconnect with each other-and the world. This place is Celebrity Beyond℠. 

The Third ship in our revolutionary Edge® Series takes our innovative outward-facing design further than ever, creating an even closer connection between you, the sea, and every exciting place on the horizon. Unwind in expanded open-air spaces. Savor fine dining that rivals anything you’d find on land. And discover even more ways to relax and renew. 

Celebrity Beyond is sailing with Starlink - the world’s most advanced broadband satellite internet - to bring you high-speed connectivity for a better onboard experience. 

            Explore Celebrity Beyond Itineraries

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Most Anticipated Ship of 2018 Arrives Florida

Celebrity Edge Arrives  

Port Everglades (Ft. Laudedale) Florida

Photo Credit:   Barbara Julian, Celebrity Cruises

As the sun rose on Ft. Lauderdale, Florida this morning, November 19, 2018, Celebrity EDGE, the most anticipated ship of this year, arrived to Port Everglades.  Our General Manager, Drew Daly, and Barbara Julian, from Celebrity Cruises, were on the jeti capturing some of the first images as she made her way into port.   The traditional fire boat salute escorted the ship into port.

We have the privilege of sailing on Celebrity Edge next week, along with fellow travel professionals and press.  Follow us on our social media, and here, for an inside look at this brand new ship.   This is the first ship to be designed in 3D.  She is much more than a ship, she is truly a work of art.

“Celebrity Edge is one of the most exciting, innovative and transformational ships I have ever been involved with,” said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO of Celebrity’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “The new features and refined design will establish a new baseline for ships from here on out.”

Bookmark this Page - we will be posting more soon

BLOG POST LINK (click title)	Photo Albums / Videos
Celebrity Edge Revealed	First Glimpse
Xcited to Meet Celebrity Edge	Concierge Cabin
Setting Sail on Celebrity Edge	Resort Deck
Introducing Infinite Veranda	Solarium
Celebrity Edge Resort Deck	Magic Carpet
How Suite it is on Celebrity Edge	Edge Villas    Sky Suite      Luminae Royal Suite    Iconic Suite
Pamper Yourself on Celebrity Edge	Edge Spa & Fitness

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

Natiional Conference 2014 in Review

Can You Find Me?

We've just returned from a very successful CruiseOne Cruises Inc. National Conference on board the new Regal Princess.  Our sailing was the inaugural North American sailing to the Eastern Caribbean.

This was our largest conference ever with more than 900 franchise owners, agents, and families attending.

Pre-Cruise (Ft. Lauderdale)

Water Taxi Tour

Shortly after arriving in Ft. Lauderdale, Saturday November 7th, we boarded a Water Taxi for a private tour of the yachts and mansions along the Ft. Lauderdale canal system.

Our guide provided background information about the properties and boats we saw along the way.   The tour is very informative and a good way to pass the time before your cruise.

Renaissance Hotel Ft. Lauderdale

Our pre-conference activities were based out of the Marriott Renaissance Hotel Cruise Port which was walking distance to the water taxi.

Following the water taxi tour, we had time to freshen up and then had a welcome cocktail party which was hosted by Crystal Cruises. 

Several of us went to dinner at Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill which was just across from the hotel.   Despite having tables empty, we had to wait to be seated.   The food was fantastic, but we weren't crazy about the wait since we were hungry after traveling earlier that day.  

Our day had actually begun at 4:00 AM so we were really starting to drag.  Following dinner, we went back to our hotel room and went to bed.

We had prearranged transfers from the hotel to the pier, so after some breakfast, we boarded a shuttle to the port.

Welcome to Port Everglades

The town rolled out the red carpet for us with this sign at the entrance to Port Everglades cruise terminal.  As you can see, there is a lot of traffic entering the port.  Make sure you allow enough time when embarking from here.

It wasn't long after this photo was taken that we got our first glimpse of Regal Princess which would be our home for the next 7 nights.

We will update this article with links to additional stories and photos about our National Conference Cruise on board the beautiful Regal Princess.  Be sure to visit again or better you follow us here and our other social media sites to stay up to date on the latest cruise industry news and reviews.

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc

Travel Bus Visits Cruise3Sixty Conference

Get America Moving

Vote Travel

We've just returned from the Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) successful annual cruise3sixty conference at the Broward County Convention Center.   

Stopping at the convention center was the U.S. Travel Association’s (USTA) “Vote Travel – Get America Moving” travel bus which is making its way across America to get its message out during this election year.  In fact the bus will travel 20,000 miles to raise awareness of the significant economic impact of the $1.8 trillion U.S. travel industry.  Travel supports 14.4 million American jobs that cannot be outsourced, which is why we need policies that allow the travel industry to thrive.

USTA is encouraging the public to get out and vote for candidates and elected officials that will support the travel industry.  Speaking to cruise3sixty delegates earlier, USTA president and CEO, Roger Dow, said, “We are galvanizing support and asking all Americans to “Vote Travel” this election season."

CLIA's President and CEO, Christine Duffy, said “Travel is a bipartisan industry.  Vote Travel is not an endorsement of any political candidate or political party; it’s a vote to Get America Moving.  The cruise industry’s economic contribution is substantial, contributing more than $40 million annually to the U.S. economy and generating more than 350,000 jobs a year. It’s vitally important that this industry and the public stand up and advocate for the importance of travel and tourism.”

Everyone love's travel, but we often take for granted the impact we can have on our nation.  So, please visit the USTA website to learn more about this grassroots movement.  Perhaps the travel bus will be visiting near you soon.

Allure Adds to 2012 Mishaps

Allure of the Seas

Minor Engine Fire

The year 2012 continues to have its share of cruise ship mishaps.   Friday, while on its way back to its homeport of Port Everglades, Florida, Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas experienced a small, short-lived engine fire.  There were no injuries as a result of the fire.  It broke out around 7:45 PM according the the cruise line.


High-tech Fire Protection


Allure of the Seas, weighing in at 225,282 Tons and accommodating up to 6,360 Passengers, along with her sister ship Oasis of the Seas, is the largest cruise ship in the world.   The ship was built with state-of-the-art features, which played a key role in this event. The ship's high fog system was immediately activated, which contained and extinguished the fire.

Allure of the Seas continued under its own power from St. Maarten and is expected to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on schedule Sunday.   The ship sails 7-night Caribbean itineraries each week.

Related Blog Posts:

Powering the Allure of the Seas

Allure of the Seas Construction Update 

We are happy to hear the no crew or passengers were injured in the incident.  There have been no reports of upcoming delays or cancellations in connection with the engine fire, but we will keep watch for any breaking news.

Disembarkation Day Allure of the Seas

Royal Caribbean
Allure of the Seas^SM

Disembarkation Day 

It is the wee hours of the morning and Allure of the Seas has pulled into Port Everglades, its home port in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

There is much to do in preparation for arrival in Ft. Lauderdale.  The ship arrives between 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM and shortly thereafter begins the process of turnaround.   The U.S. Customs officials must clear the ship before anything or anyone is allowed to disembark.  This process on the Allure of the Seas went by without anyone even noticing as they were having their final breakfast onboard the ship.

Waiting for Departure 

Just like on most ships, disembarkation is done based on color-coded numbered luggage tags.  There is an option for early walk-off, without assistance, for those that can manage their own luggage and want to get an early start.

The remainder of the luggage tags are assigned based on information provided to guest services regarding your travel plans.   Guests traveling on post-cruise shore excursions and elite Crown & Anchor members are among the first that may disembark the ship.   

 When completing the disembarkation form, guests provide details about the flight arrangements which factors into the luggage tag assignment.   We had a flight at 11:30 AM from Ft. Lauderdale International Airport, so our tags were #14.   Since we knew approximately when our number would be called, we had proceeded to some benches near the gangway.  We monitored the electronic screen to see when our number was called.   According to the time on the screen, our number was called around 7:35 AM, but we took our time disembarking.

Where's Our Bags

Once off the ship, we proceeded to the customs luggage hall where all the bags were lined up by tag number.  It's amazing to think that the ship only docked 90 minutes ago and all this luggage was already in place and ready to be picked up.

We found our bags right away and headed towards the U.S. Customs counter where our passports were checked and our declaration form collected.
Taxi cabs can be found straight ahead and other transportation, such as tours and Royal Caribbean transfers are to the right as you exit Customs.

We found disembarkation to be a very efficient process !!    We were in a cab and on our way to the airport by 8:10 AM, plenty of time to check-in at the airport and go through security before heading to our gate.

Welcome Aboard Allure of the Seas

Royal Caribbean Allure of the SeasSM Day 1

First in a series of articles about our 7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Allure of the Seas. Virtually tour with us as we explore the Allure of the Seas and all she has to offer.  We'll highlight some of our adventures on land and sea during the week. 

Allure of the Seas & Emerald Princes - Ft. Lauderdale

Waking early Sunday morning, we went out on our hotel balcony to see the  Allure of the Seas and Emerald Princess completing their docking maneuvers.  Soon we would be onboard the Allure for our National Conference cruise.

We left the Hyatt Ft. Lauderdale hotel around 10:45 AM with another agent couple. After returning their rental car, the shuttle took all of us to Pier 66, which is within sight of the hotel.  We had to wait while for the shuttle, so we got to the pier around 11:30 AM.   By noon we were onboard the ship.


Embarkation Process

Most of you are aware that Allure of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world at present.  She and her sister ship, Oasis of the Seas, are the latest ships in Royal Caribbean International's fleet.   Allure is coming up on her one year anniversary, while Oasis celebrates her second birthday this year.  Fully loaded, these ships accommodate around 6,000 passengers.  Allure sailed at full capacity for our sailing.

The amazing thing is that Royal Caribbean guarantees that you won't have a long wait for embarkation.   This was our second cruise on Allure, and they delivered on their promise both times.  

We are Diamond members, which means there would be a special line for us at embarkation, but we didn't even need to go in that line.   After passing through security, we headed to the check-in lines where we were directed to a gentleman holding up his sign indicating that he was open and waiting for guests.  

The embarkation stations are grouped by deck making for a very efficient process.  After giving the check-in agent our completed paperwork, showing our passports, providing the credit card for onboard purchases, and having our picture taken for our cabin keys, we were off for our first photo opportunity, the Welcome Aboard photo.  He had given us our cabin keys, The Cruise Planner (pictured above), and a fold-up pocket guide map of the ship.   These can be very useful throughout the ship, but if you read our past article, Navigating the Allure of the Seas, you'll discover that there are more efficient ways to find your way around.

Getting Onboard

After our photo, we gathered our carry-on bags and headed to the gangway.   We showed our cabin key several times, including having it scanned, and then we were headed up the gangway to the Allure's entrance.  At the top of the gangway, it's time to sanitize your hands and step aboard the ship.  Cabins weren't ready for occupancy, so it was time to explore the open public areas.

What's the first thing you do when you get onboard - read our next article to see what we did on Allure of the Seas...