Blog

The largest NCL cruise ship ever, the “Norwegian Breakaway” will be making New York City her home port.

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My favorite port of call was Amsterdam.  I wouldn’t mind going back there one day.  We took a canal cruise excursion and it was mesmerizing.  Houseboats of all sizes and shapes moored on either side; colorful, narrow, 3 to 6 story homes built side by side; some leaning dangerously as they are all built on pilings.  The canals are narrow and intertwining.  The locks bring in fresh sea water, so although the water is murky, it is not smelly and has no algae growth.  It’s amazing how the long tour boats navigate through the sharp turns.  We sailed past Anne Frank’s home.

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The spaciousness, the convenience of no waiting on lines and not having to save lounge chairs or theatre seats is a relaxing luxury. The theatre has a very intimate atmosphere, unlike the larger ships. And how often are you able to disembark a cruise ship, go through customs, pick up your luggage from the baggage area and depart the terminal in 10-15 minutes?! 

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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.

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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!!!!

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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.                 

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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!

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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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Delta Air Lines has launched direct flights from Detroit Airport hub to Seoul, Hong Kong and expanded service to Shanghai. This is Delta’s development of Detroit as a major gateway to Asia

This new service from Detroit is part of Delta’s summer 2010 schedule - the first fully consolidated schedule published following the airline’s merger with Northwest.

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The 2010 World Expo in Shanghai has brought in more than 8 million visitors in the first month since it opened on May 31, 2010. The largest daily total was 503,600 visitors. More than 190 countries and more than 50 international organizations have registered to participate in the Shanghai World Expo, the largest ever.

China expects to receive almost 100 foreign leaders and millions of people from across the world to come and visit the World Expo. More than 70–100 million visitors are expected to visit the expo, which would make it the most visited in history.

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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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Delta has requested authorization from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to introduce two weekly flights between Detroit and Sao Paulo beginning Nov. 4. Delta already holds certain rights to operate Sao Paulo service, but requires DOT permission to fly from Detroit.

Delta would operate the flights on Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 35 seats in BusinessElite and 181 seats in Economy Class. Both governments (United States and Brazil) have agreed to this expansion of U.S. carrier and Delta has separately applied for new rights to increase Detroit-Sao Paulo to daily service as soon as permitted by Brazil.

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