Let's Cruise!

Cruise the Southern Caribbean

  If you've cruised the Eastern and Western Caribbean, then sailing to the Southern Caribbean is a must!  The islands are beautiful and this was one of my all time favorite places to cruise.  I've made a list of possible ports that you may see if you go there.

1.  San Juan - you can tour the Old and New San Juan and see Fort San FelipedelMorro.
2.  St. Thomas - It's called the "Emerald of the Caribbean" and speaking of emeralds they have some great deals in their jewelry shops.
3.  St. Maarten - An island under 2 flags, with a French side and a Dutch side.
4.  Dominica - Go to Jacko Falls in their rain forest and also visit the Botanical Gardens.
5.  Barbados - great place to climb into a land-rover and go exploring or sail along the islands western coast on a Jolly Roger Pirate Cruise.
6.  St. Lucia - mountain bike and visit one of their breath-taking waterfalls.
7.  Antiqua - here's where you get to snorkel, swim and feed the stingrays.
8.  Martinique - Visit the famous museum that documents issues from slavery to colonialism on island.
9.  Aruba - beautiful coral reefs and colorful floating markets.
10. Turks & Caicos Islands - you can scuba dive, dune buggy safari or do the hop-on, hop-off island tour.
11. Curacao - Amsterdam like canals with Dutch Colonial buildings and a floating market.

Holland America - Operation Ship to Shelter

 In April of 2008 Holland America Cruise Line came up with a very unique community program called "Operation Ship to Shelter."  It began in the Port of Seattle by them donation hundreds of items to Northwest Harvest.  As a non-profit organization, receiving no city, state or federal money, Northwest Harvest relies solely on donations and contributions to help people in need.  I'm happy to announce that this program came to Florida this month and will be giving re-usable goods from their cruise ships to needy people in Broward County.  The items donated include:  linens, dishes, cookware, silverware, towels, bedding, mattresses and televisions.  This is an incredible program and hat's off to Holland America!

Learn the Ukulele on Carnival Paradise

  Carnivals Paradise has a 3-night cruise from Long Beach, California to Mexico on April 24-27.  They will be offering hours of ukulele instruction, hula parties and a talent show.  Here's your chance to not only take a great Mexican cruise, but to also learn to play the ukulele!

Recently I was on a long trip and sitting in an airport terminal waiting for my next connection, when a middle aged woman sitting nearby, pulled out a ukulele from her carry-on and started playing.  I remember thinking "Wow, what a great instrument to be able to play!  You can bring it anywhere and play just about anywhere!"  This Carnival Cruise could be lots of fun!  For more information contact a travel agent or call 1-888-CARNIVAL

Enrichment Cruises

  The biggest trend in theme cruises goes towards "Enrichment."  Some passengers not only want to see the world via a cruise ship, but they also want to learn something.  These programs focus on education topics, finance, history, computers and more.  You can also learn to paint, learn a new language or take a computer course.  Some cruise lines have partnered with well-known institutions to teach these courses.

The Cunard Line offers courses that are conducted under England's University of Oxford and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.  Astronomers are brought on board to enlighten guests in the Queen Mary 2 planetarium and illuminations.  Oceanographers educate about the world under the ship.

Crystal Cruises has enrichment programs to "enhance the quality of life" in areas such as:  technology, finance, wellness and food and wine.  All group classes are offered to all passengers free of charge.

Holland America has opened a new Exploration Center on many of it's ships.  The program centers around the history and cultures of Holland America's destinations including food & wine presentations.

Celebrity has a "Discovery Series" focused on the historical, cultural and geographical highlights of each port.  They also offer programs in finance, wine education and astronomy.  All lectures and classes are free of charge.

For more information on Enrichment Cruises you may contact the above mentioned Cruise Lines or check with your personal travel agent.

Norwegian Pearl To Air On Travel Chanel

 Norwegian Cruise Line sets sail in a Travel Channel's one hour special entitled "Great Cruises:  Norwegian Pearl."  The show will be aired February 12,2009 at 10:00 p.m.EST.  It was filmed in high definition during a 7-day Alaska Cruise.  The show will allow viewers to see Alaska's Inside Passage, with stops in Juneau,Skagway,Glacier Bay and Ketchikan,Alaska.  Throughout the hour long show ,cruise and travel experts provide their expertise including,   Gene Sloan USA Today's Cruise Editor.  Today, NCL has the youngest fleet in the industry with 11 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising Ships.  NCL is presently building a new third generation Freestyle Cruising project known as F3 for delivery in 2010.

How To Save Money On Your Next Cruise

 
1.  Take your cruise during non-peak periods.  Peak time is usually spring and summer.
2.  Book your cruise with a reputable cruise broker.  Always ask if there are any discounts for inter-liners, union members, senior citizens, children, military, etc.
3.  Cruise with your kids!  On many cruise lines, kids sail free or at a discounted rate if traveling in the same stateroom with 2 full-fare adults.
4.  Check for in-port deals.  Some ships offer great deals in their spa's while everyone else in on shore.
5.  Make sure you join the Cruise Line Club.  With every cruise you take with them your amenities grow.
6.  Consider taking an inside cabin.  Ocean-views and balconies are nice, but also costly.  After all, how much time do you really spend in your stateroom?  The answer to this is....NOT MUCH!
7.  Don't buy a glass of wine at your dining room table each night.  Instead, purchase a bottle the first night and your waiter will bring it to your table each night until it's gone.
8.  Photo-ops.....the ship's photographers are everywhere!  It's almost like being stalked by the paparazzi!  My advice.....bring a camera and take your own.  Ask a fellow passenger to click a couple of pictures of you and your party and you will save tons of money!
9.  Soft drinks, bottled water and alcoholic drinks add up.  Ask your ship if they offer a soda or drink package.  This will save you quite a bit of money, especially if your traveling with children.
10. See if your ship has a self-service laundry area.  I have found that some do and some don't.
11. Don't use the ship to shore phones to keep in touch with your families or friends at home.  Send an email instead.
12. Eat on board, it's included in your package.  Don't waste your money paying for meals while your on shore, when you could go back and eat on the ship.
13. If your planning on driving to your departure port, check and see if there is a cheaper parking garage off the port premises to leave your car.  Miami now charges $20. a day at their port and I'm sure you could find one for 1/2 the price a few miles away, with shuttle service to the ship!

Cruise Ship Humor

  A lady aboard a cruise ship was not impressed by the jazz trio in one of the ship board restaurants.  When her waiter came around, she asked "will they play anything I ask?"  "Of course!" replied the waiter.  "Then tell them to play shuffleboard!"

There was some mix-up with a woman's cabin and the clerk was trying to remedy the situation.  He asked her "would you like an inside cabin or an outside cabin?"  She replied "well, it looks like it might rain today, so I better take the inside cabin."

True Story.....
Canadian:  Please divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
American:  Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision.
Canadian:  Negative.  You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
American:  This is the captain of a U.S.Navy ship.  I say again, divert your course!
Canadian:  No, I say again, you divert your course.
American:  This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, the second largest ship in the United States Atlantic fleet.  We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels.  I demand that you change your course 15 degrees north, I say again, that's one five degrees north, or counter measures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship!
Canadian:  This is a lighthouse.  Your call.

Cruise Ship Entertainment

  All cruise ships have some sort of nightly entertainment, however some are spectacular and some....not so good.  Of course they all have the singers, comedians, magicians, etc. that are entertaining, but let's talk about the really great shows.  Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas has an absolutely awesome ice show.  The area is only about 1/3 of a regular ice arena and the things these professional skaters accomplish is truly amazing!  I've seen the show twice and I hope I see it many more times.

Carnival Cruise Lines by far, has the best "Vegas-style" shows of any of the ships I have cruised on.  The shows are beautiful and the costumes are just stunning!  They have a huge cast of singers and dancers that are quite talented.  It's as good as being in Vegas!

Disney will dazzle the whole family with Broadway style productions in their Walt Disney Theaters.  Disney Wonder  has a Toy Story-the Musical, featuring Buzz, Woody and all your Toy Story Friends.  On March 8 through the 12,2009 you can meet and greet actors from Pirates of the Caribbean film.

A few years ago on a Holland American ship we saw a marionette puppet show that was probably one of the best shows I have ever seen and....I don't like puppet shows!  One on a scale of 1-10 this was a 10!  After watching these little marionettes sing, dance and tell jokes for a few minutes, you literally have to remind yourself that they're just "puppets" , they're NOT real!  After being dragged into the theater by my husband, I did have to admit it was GOOD!

Princess Will Broadcast Presidential Inauguration

 The swearing in of President-Elect Barack Obama will be televised live on most Princess Cruise Ships on January 20.  Passengers will be able to follow CNN International event on "Movies Under The Stars" screens.  Seven ships currently offer Movies under the stars screens and the giant LED screen is more than 300 square feet.  Passengers will be able to view the oath of office and presidential walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Throughout the voyage ships will show a special biography on President-Elect Barack Obama, as well as movies such as, "The American President" and "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington."  On February 1 the ships will broadcast coverage of the Super Bowl XLIII and the 81st Academy Awards on February 22.

For more information on Princess Cruises you can visit:  www.princess.com or call 1-800-PRINCESS.

Gratuities On Cruise Ships

  If you've ever gone on a cruise, then I'm sure you will agree with me when I say, "the crews on these ships work extremely hard and also work very, very long hours."  They literally come from all over the world and most of them work on ships so they can send their pay home to their families.  For the most part, they receive very little pay and depend solely on their tip money.  I have compiled a little chart on what is "suggested" by the cruise lines on WHO and WHAT to tip.  This is based on per person - per day.

Waiter                         $3.50
Waiter Assistant          $2.00
Restaurant Manager         .75
Stateroom Attendant     $3.50
Chief Housekeeper            .50

Of course you can always consider tipping other people for their service to you that you think deserves it.  The porters at the pier are not included on my chart, however it is customary to tip them $1.00 per bag.  When my husband and I take a 7-day cruise, we generally set aside $200. to cover all gratuities.