Artistry II Embarkation Evening

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Schedule at a Glance

Besides the printed schedule that was on our bed in the cabin, the computer monitor in the lobby had the day's events posted. You could also pull up the schedule, as well as other information, on the TV in your cabin.

It is very easy to find out about the schedule.

Safety Exercise

All passengers assembled on the sky deck at 6:15 PM where they were provided with a life jacket. Unlike large ocean cruise ships, the life jackets are stored in compartments on the open top deck. Instructions were given on how to put on the vests and after everyone was accounted for, we returned them and headed to the lounge for the actual safety briefing.

Welcome Aboard

Our Cruise Director (CD), Mark, introduced the First Captain who welcomed us onboard and introduced the rest of the crew.  This was followed by a champagne toast (the crew had ginger ale).

Mark then took over and provided the safety briefing.   In the event of an emergency, we would assemble on the sky deck where we'd be given life preservers like we were in the exercise.


Port Talk

Prior to dinner every evening, our CD held a briefing about the next day's activities.  On this first evening, he gave an overview of the first few days by showing us a presentation.   Most days started with an included excursion in the morning, followed by lunch, and one or more optional excursions in the afternoon.  There were some days where we'd have an afternoon sailing to our next destination.  Some days included overnight stays, where we could explore on our own in the evening if desired.

Following the talk, there were sign-up sheets for those passengers that had pre-booked included and optional excursions or for those that might have changed their minds after hearing more about the ports.  Then it was time to head for the dining room for our Embarkation Dinner.

^{Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page}

Basel - Embarkation
Artistry2 - Embarkation Evening

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Artistry II Embarkation Basel

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Embarkation Process

If you've been on ocean cruises before, and not on a river cruise, you'd notice several differences upon arrival at the embarkation port.

You'll probably first notice it's a much smaller ship with not as many people.  Perhaps one of the most dramatic, and welcome differences, was how easy the embarkation process is. 

As our motor coach approached, we got our first glance at the ship.   Within minutes, we were onboard the ship, with just our hand luggage.  There were no porters greeting us, since our checked bags would be handled by the crew.   We walked up the gangway and were directed to the lounge.

Checking In

Once everyone was in the lounge, one of the crew members directed each family to the reception desk.  We turned in our passports and were given our cabin "keys" (plastic cards with a magnetic strip keyed for your cabin).   One of the crew members then escorted us to our cabin.  That was the entire embarkation process.   We'd pick up our passports the next day and could provide our credit card information, for the onboard account, at any time during the cruise - no hassle.

Embarkation Day Information

Once we were inside our cabin, we found welcome aboard information about the schedule for the rest of the evening.  We had some time before the mandatory safety drill, so we went up on the sky deck to start checking out the ship.

It's time to freshen up a bit before the evening program, so we'll take a break and continue with the rest of the story in our next post.

^{Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page}

 
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Cloud 9 on Carnival Breeze

Just Onboard Carnival Breeze
 What to Do

Sunday August 24th we began our seminar at sea onboard Carnival Breeze out of Miami, Florida. Since we had priority boarding, it wasn't long after completing the embarkation process that we were on our way to our cabin. Most ships wouldn't have the cabins ready that early, but starting around 12:30 PM, you could go to your cabin and drop off your bags.

As usual, we had some lunch, which in our case was one of Guy's Burgers. We'll write about those in another post because we want to skip ahead to the relaxing part of the day.

After having our burger, we headed to Cloud 9 Spa for a tour of the facility.  After all, it was #SpaSunday, so we needed to get some images for our Twitter followers.   That was a good excuse don't you think?

One of the therapists, pictured above, demonstrated the hot stones technique on our arms.  This is by far our favorite treatment, so it didn't take much convincing that we should start our cruise out right.

Couples Hot Stones Massage

Pictured here is one of the couples treatment rooms that we saw on our spa tour.   At the conclusion of the tour we booked the hot stones treatment for right after the mandatory safety drill.

TIP:   If you plan on having a massage or other spa treatment during your  cruise, go to the spa tour and book your appointments.  If you can, take advantage of embarkation day specials as well.

Feeling Like We're on Cloud 9

When we were done with our 75 minutes of the full body massage with hot stones, we certainly felt like we were no longer on a ship, but floating on Cloud 9.  We headed back to our cabin after the massage.

This wouldn't be our final visit to the spa.  In fact it was just the beginning because we also booked the couples pass to the thermal suite which we'll describe in another article.  Welcome aboard Carnival Breeze - visit us again to continue the journey.

So You've Just Gotten Onboard - What to Do

 You Just Boarded 

Allure of the Seas^SM

So What Do You Do?

Well, if you are like us, you probably got to the pier around mid-day so the cabins aren't ready for occupancy yet.  We had a light breakfast at the hotel because we knew that once we got onboard, there would be several venues open for us to grab a snack.

Boardwalk Dog House, Sorrento's Pizza

The gangway of Allure of the Seas is on Deck 5 which is the Royal Promenade.   Here you'll find Sorrento's and Cafe Promenade which have extended hours and offer snacks.   A slice of pizza at Sorrento's was our choice for something quick.  After pizza we stayed awhile people watching, one of our favorite things to do onboard the ship.

Unlimited Coca Cola 

For those that like to drink Coca Cola products with their meals or while lounging by the pool, you may want to consider purchasing the "Coke Fountain Sticker" which entitles you to as many fountain drinks as you like throughout the cruise.  The cost is $6.90 per person per day plus tip and includes a limited edition Royal Caribbean Coke bottle which can be refilled at any bar or restaurant on the ship or on Labadee, the private island.  These can be purchased on the first day of the cruise on the Royal Promenade.

On the Boardwalk

We stopped for a sausage at Boardwalk Dog House before heading to our cabin.  Passengers were getting their first glimpse of all that the Allure of the Seas has to offer on the Boardwalk.   Go for a ride on the carrousel or enjoy some refreshments in one of the dining venues.  

We would reassemble here before we sailed for the mandatory safety drill.  It is not necessary to bring life jackets with you to the drill.   In a real emergency, life jackets would be provided by the crew at the muster stations.

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...

Still Time for Streamwood Summer Celebration Offers

Streamwood 

Summer 

Celebration 2011

This year's summer celebration is now in the history books.   Unlike past years, we didn't have any rain or thunder storms to contend with, but Mother Nature turned up the heat and humidity keeping attendance lower than in past years.   Temperatures were in the 90s with high humidity.

Welcome to Old and New Friends

It was good seeing many of our friends that have been on cruise or land vacations that we have helped plan.  In some cases, it was the first time actually meeting in person, while for others we'd had the pleasure of meeting before.  We had a great time talking with people that were just in the early stages of planning.  We loved talking with people about cruises, especially those that have never sailed before.   The first cruise experience is so important because if you don't have the right fit, it could be your last cruise.

As you can see in the photo, we had many brochures on hand for both land and sea vacations.  The cruise lines have fewer brochures now then when we first started doing the Streamwood Summer Celebration five years ago, but we still seemed to have a lot of boxes to unload.

In conjunction with the event, we had two exclusive sales on Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises.   For those that weren't able to attend, or those that are across the country from us, you can still take advantage of those special offers for a few more days.

Exclusive Offers for Summer Celebration

•	Exclusive Royal Caribbean Summer Celebration Event
•	Princess One Week Cruise Sale - July 29 - Aug 5th

For those that signed up for our eSavers Newsletter, watch for that in your inbox within the next week.   Call or email us anytime for help.   We are glad to offer suggestions and provide assistance in your planning, because our service is what sets us apart and makes us feel good.  The most important cruise or land vacation we ever plan is yours!

Welcome Aboard to all our new friends.   Be sure to follow this blog and also "Like" our Facebook Fan page to take full advantage of all that we offer.