Caribbean

How would you like to stay at a “LUXURY” all-inclusive resort?!  Boy, do I have the place for you!  If you want adults only, no children, then it’s ‘Sandals Luxury Included Vacations’.  If you have children and you want adult and children’s activities, then it’s ‘Beaches by Sandals’.

I just returned from Beaches in Turks & Caicos and it was beautiful and relaxing, yet, filled with exciting activities with 16 restaurants to choose from.

For the adults, they have:  Red Lane Spa, unlimited premium brand drinks & wines, karaoke, nightly entertainment, nightclubs, golf.

For the children:  Xbox 360, certified nannies, Kids Camp, Camp Sesame, tween & teen programs, game rooms, movies, dance/nightclubs, night parades, campfires on the beach, talent shows, DJ classes.

Watersports include:  scuba diving, waterskiing, ocean trampolines, snorkeling, windsurfing, kayaking, paddle boats, swim-up bars (swim-up sodas for the kids).  The land sports include:  tennis, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, shuffleboard, horseshoes, croquet, board games.

As far as all-inclusive resorts, Beaches have probably gone the furthest in creating a specialized program to include the teenagers.

Read More

Beaches, Negril located on the breathtaking stretch of the world famous 7-Mile Beach in Jamaica; this wonderful luxury all-inclusive resort for families. The fun & laughter never stop with supervised camps for kids of all ages.

There are 5 specialty restaurants & a beach bistro; 3 pools (2 have swim-up bars); scuba diving programs; spa & fitness; Sesame Street themed activities; Kid Kamp & Nursery; Pirates Island Waterpark with its gushing lazy river; state-of-the-art XBOX 360® Game Garage; teen-only nightspot called Liquid, DJ Academy classes and so much more.

I took pictures with the Sesame Street Characters Elmo, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Count Dracula & Zoe.  What Fun!!!!

Read More

Just spent 4 days in Sandals, Whitehouse, Jamaica.  It’s a luxury all-inclusive couples resort with three European-inspired villages – Italian, French and Dutch.  Each room & suite are oceanviews offering magnificent views overlooking the two-mile long beach, some with Butler Service.  We had the butler service.

At first, we couldn’t think of what to do with a butler…???  One night, a small, frog (Whistling Frog) got into our suite.  I wanted to call the butler to help us get rid of it, but I felt a bit embarrassed asking, so we didn’t….we did however, have breakfast on our porch and he drew a hot bath for us (without us asking).

There’s unlimited gourmet dining at seven restaurants with unlimited brand drinks and Beringer wines at 6 full service bars including 2 signature swim-up pool bars.  They have tennis courts, squash, fitness room, Red Land Spa, 2-story amphitheatre, pool tables, great entertainments, water sports, including a terrific scuba diving program.                 

Read More

Just returned from seeing Sandals, Negril which is a luxury all-inclusive couples resort. They offer suites called Beachfront Crystal Lagoon Suite which are set upon a relaxing pool where you can dip your toes right outside of your patio.  That's where I'd like to stay next time I return!!

The resort has seven miles of unbelievable silky white sand beach.  Spectacular sunsets can be seen sinking into the sea from this westernmost tip of Jamaica.  Great watersports & scuba diving.  Unlimited gourmet dining at their restaurants with unlimited brand drinks and Beringer wines including swim-up bars.  What a fantastic resort!

Read More

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.

Read More

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”!!

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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

Read More

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.”

Read More

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.

Read More

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.  

Read More

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

Read More

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.

Read More