Plan a Royal Summer

We’re thrilled to announce that cruising is BACK! Beginning in June 2021, departures will resume as Royal Caribbean introduces Adventure of the Seas® to her new homeport of Nassau, Bahamas and Vision of the Seas® sets sail from Bermuda.

Offering weeklong getaways, vacationers can enjoy a day in Cozumel, Mexico, as well as an island-hopping sampler of popular Bahamian ports – including Grand Bahama Island and two consecutive days at our very own private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay. You can also get a chance to venture into Maya history during a visit to Cozumel. And unwind on Grand Bahama Island’s beautiful white-sand beaches. Island time is now. 

Health & Safety Requirements - Adventure

These exciting new itineraries will set sail June through August 2021, inviting fully vaccinated guests 18 years of age and older, as well as children under the age of 18 with proof of negative COVID-19 test results. Rest-assured, the well-being of our guests and crew remains a top-priority and we look forward to a gradual and safe return to cruising. 

 As we return to sea, your health and safety remains Royal Caribbean's top priority. They’ve partnered with expert medical and scientific minds to guide them in developing protocols to protect you and the ones you love. And they are working with local health authorities in  homeport countries to ensure  guests meet current inbound travel requirements. 

Read more about their Healthy Sail Panel and their efforts as well as their Cruise with Confidence policies.

Beginning June 26, 2021, you can enjoy a much-needed 7-night getaway soaking up the sun on Bermuda's pink-sand beaches and keep the vacation going after dark, as well as an adventure-packed day at our private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas. 

Health & Safety Requirements - Vision

The safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is at the forefront of our resumption to cruising. For that reason, travel requirements are quickly evolving and may vary by port and country of departure. 

For Vision itineraries from Bermuda, we look forward to welcoming fully vaccinated guests 18 years of age and older, as well as children under the age of 18 with proof of negative COVID-19 test results. Details on additional health and safety measures will be announced at a later date.

Capacity Controlled - Book Early

As your professional travel advisor, I'm here to help take your travel dreams and turn them into a reality while demystifying the new protocols which are in place.   Plans are very fluid, sometimes changing daily.   Take the worry out of keeping updated on the ever-changing requirements and focus completely on having a great vacation.    Call me today to start planning your dream vacation.

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Pack For a Purpose

CONNECTING WITH CHILDREN OF THE BAHAMAS

Our final port of call during our 2015 National Conference cruise on Norwegian Escape was at Nassau, Bahamas.  We were among the more than 75 Independent Cruise and Vacation Specialists who partnered with the Sandals Foundation, the non-profit arm of Sandals Resorts International, to donate school supplies to Bahamian children as part of Pack for a Purpose®. 

Conference attendees that participated in this fundraiser donated almost 600 pounds of school supplies to underprivileged children in the Bahamas. What a great way to bring  the "Connect" conference theme to life.

The mission of Pack for a Purpose is to positively impact communities around the world by assisting travelers who want to take meaningful contributions to the destinations they visit through five different initiatives including education, health, child welfare, animal welfare and socioeconomic development. The education initiative supports more than 520 education projects around the world including schools, after-school programs and libraries. 

Since 2011, The Sandals Foundation has been a partner with Pack for a Purpose in the Caribbean to positively impact local communities by assisting visitors who want to take much needed school supplies to support educational initiatives in the region.  Visitors are encouraged to pack up to five pounds of needed supplies in their suitcases, such as school supplies, medical supplies, sports equipment, etc., to meet the needs of people in nearby underdeveloped regions.

Please consider participating in Pack for a Purpose as you travel to areas with PfaP partnerships.  The website is www.PackforaPurpose.org. 

Greetings from Nassau ET Phone Home

Staying Connected

During Your Cruise

 

You've waited for this trip to get away from your daily routine.   You aren't quite ready to be cut off from the outside world completely however.  There are several possible "solutions" to this situation.

In this day and age, most people are walking around with one or more smart devices (phones, tablets, PCs, or some combination of these).  Prior to sailing, you are usually still connected to the outside world via your normal telephone / internet provider.  Once you sail, you can still be on their network in many cases, but the price of communication can go up dramatically since you are roaming.  

Tip:  The price for data and phone calls increase substantially, so you'll want to check with your provider before you travel to understand your options and costs.

Carnival Conquest Network

Carnival Cruise Lines, as well as the majority of the other lines, have enhanced their onboard internet capabilities to meet the demand of the always connected public.  Of course, this comes at a price and reduced speed compared to your back home experiences.

There are several plans available that provide internet access during your cruise.   You can use the ship's PCs or your wireless device throughout the ship to connect to their internet.   Prices range from 75 cents per minute for pay as you go to around 30 cents or less if you purchase a package.

For those that need to be in contact with home or office, this keeps you in contact at any time, provided there is adequate satellite coverage.  As mentioned already, expect communication to be much slower than your normal experience, which translates into increased cost per activity.

In Port Alternatives

If you don't need to be in contact constantly, finding connectivity on shore is perhaps a more attractive solution.   Options range from free WiFi to purchased plans that are usually much cheaper than those onboard the ship.

As you might expect, when you own your own business, you need to be in contact with your office and clients even when on "vacation".   We find ourselves in that situation.

For this particular cruise, we had one of our associates covering for us, but we did promise to keep in periodic contact.  In order to do so, we went with the in port approach.

A short walk from the pier in Nassau puts you outside the Festival Marketplace where you'll find many of the ship's crew and passengers camped out on their cell phones and other devices.  WiFi is free in this area, but the signal isn't always the best.   It did suffice for our needs in checking emails and posting a few pictures for our followers.   You might want to wait until the crowd thins out to increase the odds of getting your emails sent.

Click for Mini-Series Articles / Images

Often coffee shops and restaurants provide internet passwords to their patrons.   We suggest checking out sites in every port prior to your cruise so that you have an idea where to look during your trip.

More about Day 2 of our cruise in our next post.  Be sure to check all the articles in this series to get the complete story about our cruise.   If you have tips you'd like to share, feel free to contact us here or on our Facebook page.

Carnival Conquest Day 2 Breakfast

Do What You Want

When You Want

When you've been on as many Caribbean cruises as we have, you are bound to repeat a port or so.  The great thing about that is you don't feel obligated to get up early, rush your breakfast, and be the first person to the gangway.

Our second day on Carnival Conquest was an early call at Nassau, Bahamas.  You guessed it - we've been there many times before.   So for us, this was for all practical purposes, a bonus sea day.

Leisurely Breakfast

Despite the 7 AM arrival in port, we slept in until around 9 AM. We then went up to Lido Deck for a buffet breakfast.  Buffet Breakfast is served from 6:30 AM - 10:30 AM in Cezanne, so we still had plenty of time. 

Do you usually eat a big or small breakfast?

Typically we aren't big breakfast eaters, but on a cruise we tend to have more than normal since it might be awhile before our next meal, especially on a port day.

The buffet had a wide selection of items ranging from continental breakfast, consisting of cereal, fruit, yogurt, and pastries, to made-to-order omelets, waffles, french toast, pancakes, and breakfast meats.  The image above shows some of the selections available.

Tip:  Omelets are very popular, so give yourself extra time to wait in line.  Bacon and ham are available in the center section of the Grill near the omelet station.  We mention this because it's hard to find if you don't know where to look.

Buffet not your cup of tea?

The buffet is only one option.   One day you might consider breakfast in bed.   Room service can be delivered to your cabin at no extra cost.   You can go to the main dining room for a sit down meal if you want to have a nice relaxing breakfast.   BlueIguana Cantina serves breakfast burritos if you have a taste for Mexican cuisine.  It's all about choices - you are on vacation and you can decide.

Click for Mini-Series Articles / Images

After breakfast it was time to go ashore for a bit. Keep in mind that our main objective was to have a nice relaxing voyage and experience the changes on the ship.   We were off to  a good start on embarkation day by trying the burgers and tacos, so now on to part two of our mission - relaxing.

Come back next time to see what we did the rest of day 2.

Massive Fire Destroys Nassau Buildings By Cruise Port

The entire Kelly's dockyard was burned to the ground by a fast moving fire. The blaze completely gutted the Kelly's buildings on the harbourside, and destroyed the buildings on the Bay Street side. At 12:45pm firefighters were still trying to put the fire out. (Photo: Jessica Robertson/Tribune)

Massive Fire in Downtown Nassau 

Destroys Buildings Near Waterfront

Cruise Passengers Disembark Late

UPDATE: February 16th:  Could cost up to $100M to rebuild the damaged downtown stores.

Hope is that this could spur the revitalization of downtown Nassau.   Read More

According to The Tribune, fire broke out at Kelly's dockyard around 7:45 AM Monday and spread to nearby buildings east of the Bacardi Store on Bay Street and East Street.

Firefighters finally contained the blaze after about  8 hours, but not before several buildings were completely destroyed and several others suffered damages including Green Parrot Crew Pub, the Bacardi Building, the old John Bull Store, and Betty K Agencies Ltd.   According to police reports the entire block of buildings affected by the fire have been extensively damaged and are not salvageable.

Tribune photographer Felipe Major was injured in the blaze after falling off of the Bacardi Building's balcony. The Tribune posted Felipe Major's Photo Album of the Fire (click to see amazing photographs of this tragic fire).  Felipe is being treated at Princess Margaret Hospital and has been put on a ventilator to clear his lungs of smoke.  Speedy recovery, Felipe.

The Tribune posted a time line of the day's events and will be providing an update in tomorrow's edition. For more information on the fire, see Fight to control downtown fire.

Also see Blaze in downtown Nassau destroys several buildings and threatens others [NEW PHOTOS] which was published by Bahamas Island Info.

When passengers on Disney Dream and Carnival Glory arrived in Nassau, Bahamas, early this morning, they thought they were about to disembark on a pleasant day in this charming island town.   Instead, they were kept from disembarking the vessels until it was deemed to be safe.   Both ships extended their stays to allow passengers time in port.

Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean International all have ships calling in Nassau, Bahamas this week.   At this time there is no word of itinerary changes as a result of the fire.    We will bring you updates should that become necessary. 

We thank the Tribune for their excellent coverage of this fire.   We hope that Felipe recovers from his injuries.  Our hearts go out to all that were impacted by today's fire. 

Mary Hart Christens Oceania Marina

Oceania Marina Arrives in Miami - Courtesy Oceania Cruises

"May God Bless Marina and All Who Sail On Her"

Entertainment Tonight''s host, Mary Hart, was onhand in Miami to do the honors of christening Oceania Cruises newest ship, Marina.  She presided at the ceremony last weekend, saying of the opportunity, "It’s very exciting, and a bit humbling. ... I'm truly honored to serve as the Godmother for Marina -- she will be a very special ship."

The christening, which is part of maritime tradition, was held in conjunction with a lavish invitation-only gala ceremony which culminated with a 15-liter Nebuchadnezzar of champagne, custom-made by Armand de Brignac, crashing against the hull.

Marina, which set sail on its inaugural voyage to Nassau, Bahamas, is a 66,000 ton ship that can carry 1,250 guests. It has 10 dining areas, luxury boutiques and a full-service Canyon Ranch SpaClub.  It is a ship of firsts, featuring the first Bon Appétit Culinary Center, Master Chef Jacques Pépin’s first namesake restaurant at sea, Ralph Lauren Home-furnished Owner’s Suites, luxurious accommodations by Dakota Jackson, a Wine Spectator wine program and a Lalique grand stairway.

Watch the video to see what luxuries this mammoth ship has to offer and to find out what special Cartier gift Mary is given!  Spend time with Mary onboard Marina before the actual ceremony.

Click to watch video

Oceania Cruises’ new Marina arrived in Miami on February 4, after her maiden voyage from Barcelona. Following a short preview cruise, on February 8 she will depart on the first of two 18-day Panama Canal transits that visit San Francisco and San Diego, both new ports for Oceania Cruises. Marina then operates a 12-day Caribbean cruise, round-trip from Miami, departing March 16, before sailing along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and on to Europe to begin her inaugural Mediterranean season.

Spend Halloween At Sea

Are you looking for something different to do this Fall?   Why not Spend Halloween at Sea?

Have a ghostly good time on a Carnival Cruise Line Ship. As you can see in the picture above, the ships are decorated for the holiday.   You can enjoy special costume contests for adults and kids as well as trick or treating around the ship during your cruise.

4 night cruise to Key West and Cozumel from $200 per person

7 night cruises to Nassau, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk from $380 per person

Now is the time to book your Fall and Winter get-a-way cruise vacations.   Carnival Cruise Line offers their Early Saver Rates when you book in advance.   Learn more about these money-saving rates.

Greetings from Nassau, Bahamas

Back home the temperature is in the 60s but here in the Bahamas it's a balmy 90 with humidity. What a perfect day to spend under a palm tree in a hammock. The ship arrived in Nassau around 11 AM and we departed shortly after that for Blue Lagoon.

It's a short boat ride from the pier to Blue Lagoon. On the way to the private island, the boat passes Atlantis resort and many expensive homes. There are plenty of photo opportunities along the way for capturing the beautiful turquoise waters of the Bahamas.

After arriving we found a location with several hammocks and picnic tables and put our bags down on one of the tables. It was time to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, catch some rays and enjoy the various water sports.

I'll leave you with that image for now. When I return from our cruise, I'll tell you more about our stay and include some pictures.

Meanwhile, I suggest you take a look at my website for Carnival Pride itineraries out of Batlimore. This is the perfect vacation for families, especially those that live near Baltimore.