Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Norwegian Epic - Main Pool

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING

 

Where is Chris?

Treetops - Vancouver, Canada

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already. Where did 2010 go? As has become my tradition, I'd like to share with you some of the things that I'm thankful for and highlight some of my adventures this year.

I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year.

While this has been another tough economic year, it appears that the cruise industry has weathered the storm once again. Just this month, we have been highlighting the introduction of Allure of the Seas. Just a year ago, her sister ship was added to Royal Caribbean International's fleet.  The two ships are the largest ships afloat.

The value of cruising has never been stronger. Even in these tough times, more and more families have taken to the seas.  Indications are that the record discounts offered the past two years will be coming to an end.  In the meantime those discounts have made cruising an even better value, and consequently we have seen a surge in first-time cruisers.

The photos above are from some of our cruises this year.  Cruises Inc. and Cruise One held their National Conference on the brand new Norwegian Epic and we were fortunate to be able to attend.  Just like the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, several new innovations were introduced on the Epic.   Although it isn't quite as large as the RCI ships, it is no small ship.   The entertainment and food on the Epic take center stage along with the studio suites, which allow solo travelers their own haven at a price point to match. The Epic has much to offer cruisers.

Norwegian Epic alternates between Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.   Our conference was on the latter itinerary which included stops in Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel.   The picture of me in front of the Epic was in Roatan where we hired a local cab driver to take us around the island after we did a bit of shopping near the pier.


In June this year we attended Cruise3Sixty, CLIA's annual conference.  This year it was held in Vancouver, Canada.  We extended our stay following the formal conference which allowed for touring of some of the local attractions, which despite many trips there in the past, we had not had time for.  I'm pictured here hiking through Treetops at the  Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Boardwalk

The highlight of the year is yet to come.   We will be sailing on Allure of the Seas for one of the pre-inaugural sailings.   The final cruise of the year will be on Azamara Club Cruises Journey.   We will tour the West Indies on that cruise.

We wonder what the Pilgrims, who came to the New World in Tall Ships, would think about the Allure of the Seas.  Their ships measured 110 feet, held 150 passengers at most, and took months to cross the Atlantic.  The Allure is more than 10 times that length (1182 feet), holds almost 8000 passengers and crew, and took just a couple weeks to cross the Atlantic.

Thank you for making our blog column a part of your lives in 2010.   I hope that the information we share helps you to dream about future cruises of your own. I'd be honored to help you plan those trips. I have the best job in the world - helping make dreams come true. For that, I'm truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

  

Cunard Celebrates Royal Wedding At Sea

Three Queens to Celebrate Royal Wedding at Sea

Prince William and Kate Middleton are to be wed 

on Friday, April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey.

After a week of speculation, the royal couple have
announced their wedding plans.

Prince William's private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton,
said the couple chose the 1,000-year-old abbey in central
London because it has a sense of intimacy.


The wedding day will be a national holiday in Britain,
known there as a bank holiday, and has been described
as a semi-state occasion. It's also the feast day of St.
Catherine of Siena, whose name Middleton shares,
though that is a coincidence.

Engaged at last

On Nov. 16, the royal family announced that Prince William and Kate Middleton were engaged. The prince had popped the question to his longtime girlfriend during an October 2010 vacation to Kenya, it was revealed. William and Kate pose for the media at St. James's Palace in London on Nov. 16, after they announced their engagement. The couple are to wed in 2011. (Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP) 

"The wedding of Kate and William will be a happy and momentous occasion," said Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday. "We want to mark the day as one of national celebration, a public holiday will ensure the most people possible will have a chance to celebrate on the day."

Three Queens to View Royal Wedding at Sea

Guests on board Cunard's three ships - Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth - on 29 April 2011, the day of the Royal Wedding, need have no fear of missing one second of the historic union of the future King and Kate Middleton.

Each of the three ships feature Royal Court Theatres - West End in style and West End in size - where the wedding ceremony will be broadcast live. 

• Queen Mary 2's Royal Court Theatre (capacity 1000)
• Queen Elizabeth's Royal Court Theatre (capacity 800)
• Queen  Victoria's Royal Court Theatre (capacity 800)

 Additional venues will be used, such as Queen Mary's Planetarium and lecture room, Illuminations, which seats a further 450 passengers, should demand exceed seating capacity in the theatres.

A Day of Celebration

The day will also be one of celebration on all ships, with that evening's dinner featuring a commemorative menu and a champagne toast.

"Cunard is a company with an enviable heritage and unparalleled links to the Royal family - our ships were named either by Her Majesty The Queen or by her apparent successor, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall," said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard. "It follows then that our passengers are likely to have an above average interest in the pageantry of a Royal wedding. We intend to cater for that and ensure they do not miss one minute.

"Royal weddings don't happen that often and with our impeccable Royal connections we intend to ensure that our red ensign ships lead the British merchant marine in marking this momentous day." 

At the time Queen Elizabeth will be at sea heading for Southampton, Queen Victoria will be at sea in the Mediterranean, and Queen Mary 2 will be on a seven-night Transatlantic Crossing.

Congratulations to the Royal couple and to Cunard Lines for quickly responding to the announcement and assuring that their guests have an opportunity to participate in this festive occasion.

Size Does Matter - They Come In Many Sizes

Grandeur of the Seas Next to Oasis of the Seas

We've taken many pictures of cruise ships over the years and perhaps none was as striking as this image we captured in Cozumel, Mexico, during our recent National Conference aboard Norwegian Epic.  Shown here are two Royal Caribbean ships:  Grandeur of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.

It should come as no surprise that the Oasis of the Seas would definitely stand out in a crowd of ships since it was (until the Allure of the Seas) the largest ship afloat.   Allure of the Seas, its sister ship, beats it out by 2 inches in length technically making the Allure larger.     Is that taking things to the extreme?  Well, maybe, but
Captains Zini and Wright had something to say about it amongst themselves.   That story was picked up by the media and has become one of the talking points about the two ships.

Watch the video of the two captains: Allure of the Seas Arrives in Fort Lauderdale

Well, back to the story about different size cruise ships.   Here are the facts about these two vessels:

Grandeur of the Seas Passenger Capacity: 2,446 Gross Tonnage: 74,000 Length: 916' Beam: 106' Draft: 25' Cruising Speed: 22 knots

Oasis of the Seas Guest Capacity: 5,400 double occupancy Gross Tonnage: 220,000 Length: 1,187' Max Beam: 184.40' Draft: 30' Cruising Speed: 22 knots

We published this picture and details before, but it is worth repeating.   Click on the image to really get an idea of scale of both Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

Oasis of the Seas is 47 metres wide and 360 metres long, i.e. 40 m longer than the height of the Eiffel tower! Height over the water line is 65 m. Building the vessel has been compared to a huge 3-dimensional puzzle. 

The vessel consists of 180 grand blocks, the biggest with a size of length 22 m, width 30 m and weight 600 tons! The vessel´s weight is 12 times the weight of the Eiffel tower.  The Statue of Liberty does tower over the ship but you could put several Boeing 747s, London Double Decker buses and Mercedes Benz autos end to end and have room to spare.

Size Does Matter

Just to give you an additional sense of scale,  the first cruise ship we went on in the 80s was Carnival Celebration which  weighed in around 37,500 tons.   At the time, that was one of the largest vessels in Carnival Cruise Line's fleet.   The Oasis and Allure are almost 6 times heavier than the Celebration.

If you have been following our blog, you are well aware of all the activities on Oasis and Allure.   Size is obviously an advantage to ship builders - they have more canvas on which to create.  So with the introduction of these ships, we have some of the most amazing innovations at sea.

Of course, size costs more. The price tag of these state of the art vessels means someone has to pay for the ship.   The good news is there are more cabins on a large ship which means more passengers to share the weekly costs.    It does however mean that, at least for the foreseeable future, guests will pay a premium over smaller ships owned by the same companies.

More passengers can mean more wait time, but Royal Caribbean has taken that to heart in planning these ships, and you might not experience long wait times.   There are so many different attractions onboard, passengers will be scattered over the entire vessel, so it shouldn't appear crowded most of the time.  Loading and unloading the ship will be one time where you'll see most of your fellow passengers, but Royal Caribbean has taken steps to make that run smoothly.

We have focused on Royal Caribbean in this article, but there are other examples within the remaining cruise lines.   One important take away is that size is just one factor when planning your cruise vacation, but it is an important one.   Take advantage of the expertise among cruise specialists in deciding the right ship for you and your traveling partners.   The last thing you'd want would be to be expecting a ship the size of Grandeur of the Seas and step out of your cab to find Oasis of the Seas in front of you at the pier.

No matter what size you are looking for, you'll find a ship in one of the cruise line's fleets that meets your needs.   They come in many sizes, shapes, and with many different attractions.   Personally, the fun is in selecting the ship you want to try next and enjoying everything it has to offer once you start your cruise vacation.

Introducing Royal Advantage

Royal Caribbean International® has announced new enhancements to their fleet for 2011. They  call it the Royal Advantage^SM- the drive to provide the best, most innovative ships, features, destinations and personalized service to guests. In 2011, the Royal Advantage will be more apparent than ever. That's when Royal Caribbean will begin enhancements to expand their most popular innovations to select ships, giving more to see, more to do, and more to love, to more guests than ever before.

 

Liberty of the Seas ........... January 30, 2011

Oasis of the Seas .............. February 26, 2011

Freedom of the Seas ......... March 27, 201

Radiance of the Seas ........ Summer 2011

Splendour of the Seas ....... Fall 2011

More memorable moments are in store when DreamWorks® Experience and 3D movies  come onboard. Sails 7-night Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 


Even more imagination comes onboard with the DreamWorks® Experience, Broadway hit Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, and other amazing features. Sails 4 to 7-night Caribbean itineraries, and the Western Mediterranean.


The matriarch of the Freedom class will be enhanced with the BRITTO Gallery, ImagineOcean! Puppet Show, a nursery and more. Sails 7-night itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida, to vibrant Caribbean destinations.


Parents will love the addition of the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, and everyone will enjoy more dining options. Sails from Seward to other adventurous Alaskan cities, including Juneau and Skagway.


Balcony staterooms and refreshed public areas are in store, along with more dining options, lounges and the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery. Sails South America's most amazing and diverse ports.


Our Facebook Fans can learn more about these new enhancements in the near future.  Be sure to  Like Us so that you will be in the know. 

Carnival Splendor Repair Status

Carnival Splendor Being Towed to San Diego
Photo courtesy John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Splendor Repairs Underway
UPDATE:

Carnival Splendor to Leave San Francisco and Return to Service

UPDATE:  NOW EXPECTED TO RETURN TO SERVICE FEBRUARY 20, 2011

Carnival Splendor Cruise Cancellations Extended

UPDATE:  JANUARY 19, 2011 (click following link)

Carnival Splendor Heads North for More Repairs

After Carnival Splendor arrived back in San Diego and the passengers headed for home, the long process of determining what happened and returning the ship to service began.   A joint task force made up of Carnival technicians, NTSB, Panama Government representatives, USGC and others descended on the vessel and started the process.

After an initial assessment, it was decided that cruises needed to be cancelled until January 16.  This left passengers and their agents, including yours truly, scrambling to reschedule stranded passengers who had planned holiday sailings on the Splendor.

You might recall that during the incident, Captain Cupisti had to order the release of CO2 in the engine room to distinguish the cables.  The fire crews had also used water to cool down the engine room.

Thus, the engine room must be cleaned up from the CO2 and water before the actual damage can be repaired.   As you might expect, this is a huge job.  We will bring you updates as we learn more about the cleanup and repairs.

Related Blog Posts:

Carnival Splendor Fire Investigation 
Assisting Carnival Splendor 
Carnival Splendor Without Power After Engine Fire
Carnival Splendor Cruises Cancelled until January 16

The Pictures Tell The Story

TODAY Samples Alluring Food and Beverages

TODAY Show Hosts Sample Allure of the Seas Food

What Do You Feed 

5000 Hungry People?

18,000 lbs. Watermelon

14,000 lbs. Pineapple

10,000 lbs. Fish

4,000 lbs. Vegetables

Allure's executive chef  takes you behind the scenes to show you how much food is needed each week and how the staff prepares it.

All We Do is Eat & Drink

Cruise vacations are well known for fabulous food and beverages served 'round the clock.  While some people may gain weight during their cruise, that doesn't have to be the case as we'll learn in this video clip.

One thing for certain, Allure of the Seas does have some "alluring" food for you to chose from.   Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb were able to sample selections from the various venues including Samba Grill and Cupcake Cupboard.   Watch this video to get an idea about the mouth watering foods available on the Allure of the Seas.

Video: Royal Caribbean's 'alluring' fare

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Video: Cruising for Cocktails

Kathie Lee and Hoda sampled some of the signature libations that can be found on the Allure of the Seas. Whether you are poolside or at one of the specialty dining venues, there is a colorful and tasty drink awaiting for you. Just ask one of the friendly bartenders to pour one of their specialties and enjoy.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Related Blog Posts:

TODAY Ship Shape Swimsuits on Allure

Today Show Broadcasts Live from Allure of the Seas

 

 

TODAY Ship Shape Swimsuits on Allure

TODAY Show Visits Allure of the Seas - Watch Videos

Also see Related Blog post (click this link): 

Today Show Broadcasts Live from Allure of the Seas

Swimsuit Fashion from the Allure of the Seas

We continue our coverage of Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb broadcasting the TODAY show live on the Allure of the Seas. In this segment, they take a look at what to wear on a cruise. Also, we'll look at great products to take on weekend getaways (which of course could be on a cruise ship).

The hosts were onboard Allure of the Seas November 19, 2010.   For the full story, see MSNBC's website.. The cruise portion started at 10 AM Eastern time.

Video:  Look Hot in These Cool Bathing Suits

TODAY style editor Bobbie Thomas sought out the greatest in swimsuits for when warm weather calls. Watch what happens when this red bikini gets wet ...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Video: Bobbie's Buzz on Weekend Getaway Goods

For products featured in the following video, check out Bobbie's buzz: Top tools for trips on MSNBC's TODAY Show website.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Coming Soon:  Our behind the scenes report from Allure of the Seas