Fun Family Cruising

Keep track of your children on the Oasis of the Seas!  No, not by following them around. The muster station wristbands that all young children on cruise ships must wear will be enhanced with an electronic device that will allow their parents to track them in real time as they wander the ship; an industry first.

Guests can also rent Royal Connect phones for $17.50 which can be used to track their children, call and text other passengers who have Royal Connect phones and call cabins.

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We sailed from W 41 St down the Hudson River toward Battery Park, Staten Island Ferries around South Street Seaport, made a turn going up the East River passing the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge & Williamsburg Bridge, headed to the Statue of Liberty (up close) and back to W 41 St. on the West Side.  The New York skyscraper was breathtaking.  As the sun set and the sky became dark with buildings lighting up, the view was magnificent!  

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Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell signed legislation Thursday that will sharply lower the state's tax to $34.5, with additional savings of up to $15 for ships that stop in Juneau and Ketchikan.  Most cruises to Alaska include a stop in Juneau and Ketchikan.

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All four of Celebrity's Solstice-class ships will be in Europe 2011 – the ships are Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse & Silhouette.

Celebrity Silhouette sets sail for the first time in July 2011.  It will offer a maiden voyage from Hamburg to Rome and a nine-night Mediterranean voyage. Then, it will operate 12- and 13-night Holy Land sailings roundtrip from Rome. After Celebrity Silhouette makes its debut in Europe, it will homeport in Bayonne during winter 2011-12 with a series of 12-night Caribbean voyages.

Celebrity Equinox also will sail from Rome, offering 10- and 11-night roundtrip Mediterranean cruises.

The Constellation (although a Millennium class ship) will undergo a series of refurbishments later this month which are inspired by the Solstice-class vessels.  The Celebrity Mercury & Constellation will also be in Europe, This marks the first time Celebrity will have six ships in Europe.  In total, Celebrity will visit 70 ports in 23 countries in Europe,

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How does this sound on a cruise ship?  Morning Tai Chi, Sudoku, afternoon Pilates, Wii bowling, yoga, step classes, spinning, Golf Challenge, ballroom dance classes, team trivia, and more……ready to sign up?!  Explore Wellbeing has extended the offerings of the Greenhouse Spa to incorporate new entertainment. 

Other interesting activities include the Party Planner hosting Explore Food & Entertaining events in the Culinary Arts Center.  More than 70 culinary experts come onboard each year, in addition to classes and demonstrations on every sailing.

The Techspert will offer Explore Technology classes and Digital Workshops where guests learn how to blog, work with digital photos, arrange a digital scrapbook, create a slideshow or edit a movie. On cruises lasting 14 days or more, there will be a book club.

The Travel Guide will be giving multimedia presentations about the ship’s itinerary and be a one-stop source for port-of-call information.

This is what you call “Edutainment”!!

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Carnival Dream, the newest and largest ship of the Carnival fleet earned a perfect 100 score on its first full U.S. Public Health inspection conducted in Port Canaveral, Fla.  The Carnival Splendor also earned a 100 score on its USPH inspection two weeks earlier.

In order to earn a 100, cruise ships must receive perfect marks on all 42 items that comprise the USPH’s Vessel Sanitation Program checklist. These inspections are unannounced and are conducted twice a year.  The checklist includes proper food handling, preparation and storage procedures, proper filtration of water supplies used in spas and pools and overall galley cleanliness. This is required for any cruise ship with an international itinerary calling at a U.S. port.

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Norwegian Cruise Line announced that the Norwegian Spirit would begin sailing year-round out of New Orleans.  Norwegian Spirit will operate weekly seven-day Western Caribbean voyages every Sunday from April 2011 through April 2012.

The itinerary will take the ship to Costa Maya and Cozumel (Mexico); Roatán, Bay Islands (Honduras); and Belize City (Belize).

Three months earlier, it was announced that Carnival Triumph was coming to New Orleans.  This is the first time since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that a vessel of its size has sailed out of the city.

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Princess Cruises will be starting a new program in March which will allow non-cruisers to board ships on departure day.  This gives them the opportunity of coming onboard to wish their friends and family a "bon voyage."  This was a common practice which stopped more than twenty years ago as security procedures tightened.

Princess says visitors who sign up for the new program will get a four-course dining room lunch with wine on the ship, a tour of the vessel and a souvenir photo. They and their passenger friends/family will have access to priority embarkation.  A charge of $39 for the four-hour experience can be applied to a future Princess cruise.

The program will debut in March in the ports of Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, and later to New York, San Francisco and Seattle. Princess says passengers will be notified about the program through the pre-cruise emails they receive from the line as their cruise date approaches.  In-port visits can be booked through a travel agent or by calling Princess beginning 120 days before a cruise and up to six days before the sailing date.

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Besides all the exciting & adventurous activities offered on the Oasis of the Seas, here are some special points of interest to know:

• WOW phones can be rented onboard and..

       -  Used to call other WOW phones, or guest rooms

       -  Used to text message between devices

       -  Retrieve onboard real-time & can locate another member within the traveling party

       - Track your children onboard

       -  View ship activities & events

• Guests can pre-book online Flowrider lessons for up to 8 people in a group
  
  
• Guests can pre-reserve tickets online for Ice Show, Opal Theatre, AquaTheatre & Comedy Show
  
  
• Adventure Ocean Theatre is the first ever children’s theatre at sea. Children can learn about theatrical productions, take art in talent shows or sign up for hip hop dance classes.
  
  
• Guests will not have to bring life jackets from their cabins before reporting for muster drills.  There will be life jackets there.
  
  
• Digital signage with real-time updates will be communicated easily & clearly for:

       -  Muster drills

       -  Entertainment schedule

       -  Departure information

• The pier at Ft Lauderdale, built to accommodate this large ship, has 4,000 sq ft of skylight

      -  TVs with security & check-in info are provided

      -  Monitors provide, 15 min easy-in

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Norwegian Epic, launching this July, 2010 introduces “Studios” which are staterooms designed and priced for single occupancy, starting from $799 on the ship’s seven-day alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean. The Studios are a private key-card access complex on two decks consisting of 128 staterooms and the Studio Lounge. 

Each Studio is approximately 100 sq ft with a full-size bed and separate areas for the bathroom, sink and shower.  In addition, Studios passengers have private access to the exclusive Studio Lounge where they can meet up with fellow cruisers and plan their day or relax with a drink in the evening.  Since many of the Studio staterooms are connecting, there is also an opportunity for friends to travel together while giving each their own private space.

Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer said,  “Historically, the cruise industry has not embraced the large number of people who enjoy traveling solo. We are breaking the mold of traditional cruising once again by offering a stateroom designed and priced specifically for solo travelers, making cruising a more attractive travel option.  We invite all solo travelers – whether they are first-time cruisers or cruising veterans to sail on our incredible new Freestyle Cruising ship, Norwegian Epic.”

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Disney Dream, the 3^rd ship to join the fleet is due to come out in 2011. In addition to the water coaster called AquaDuck, which was announced back in Nov 2009, Goofy’s Sports Deck will feature Goofy and his son, Max. The sports deck leads guests through nine themed holes of wacky fun. Each hole offers special golf instructions with a goofy twist. To make it even more challenging and fun, some of the golf clubs are crooked and bent.

There are also two digital sports simulators which will provide a variety of virtual game experiences such as soccer, tennis, basketball, golf and more. With the simulators, guests can kick, swing and throw, in some high-action sports without the hassle of chasing the ball. The sports deck will also have table tennis and foosball tables, surrounded by a walking track.

Nemo’s Reef is water-play area featuring water jets, a small water slide filled with Disney friends like Nemo, Dory & Marlin within a glass enclosure.  There will be a Mickey Mouse shaped pool for small children and a family pool called the Donald Pool.

The ship will have an adults-only decktop pool area with a swim-up bar. The pool will be fresh water, as all pools on the Dream will be.  The adult only area is called Quiet Cove.

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Norwegian Cruise Line has teamed up with Nickelodeon at Sea.  SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and other characters will be sailing on the Norwegian Epic & Norwegian Jewel.  

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A family vacation with teens doesn’t have to be a trying experience......

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1 1/2 oz light rum
2 oz Coco Lopez® cream of coconut
2 oz pineapple juice
1 cup crushed ice

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I just got off the Carnival Dream, which is Carnival’s newest ship in their fleet.  She’s 130,000 tons and accommodates 3,652 passengers (based on double occupancy).  She is the biggest the line has ever built; her sister ship, the Carnival Magic is expected to enter service in June 2011. For a Carnival ship, this was quite upscale and tastefully designed.

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