Location, Location, Location
Important in business, real estate and even on cruise ships. How can you make sure that you pick the best location in your chosen stateroom category? A good answer for this question is to view the ship’s deck plans in the cruise line brochure or on the web. While the plans are often not exactly to scale and cabin size is not always in proportion to the drawings there are a few things that are very helpful. First, locate your cabin on the plan and then look up, down, left, right, and forward of your cabin. What’s there? And knowing what to look for can help you avoid a less-than-ideal stateroom.
Ok, so here’s the short list:
Look for elevators and staircase exits near your stateroom. (Some people love to be close to everything so this might be a positive feature but with activity comes noise)
Look up. Oops! A basketball court, jogging track or day pantry might result in the wakeup call you did not ask for.
Look Down. Is the bandstand for one of the show lounges right below your room? Even with good sound proofing there is a chance for ambient noise.
Look across the hall. Is there a room service pantry shown or other service area. A potentially busy area to avoid.
Look Right and Left. If you are at the end of a hallway, make sure that the disco or other high energy lounge is not adjacent. Avoid hallways that lead to these lounges unless you are a night owl. Late night revelers sometimes carry on with the partying outside your door.
The good news is that modern cruise ships have been designed with passenger comfort in mind and the architects strive to develop a deck plan that confines public rooms and lounges to areas far from the staterooms. A little advance review of the deck plans and the advice of a good cruise specialist can help deliver an extra measure of peace and quiet in your stateroom.
And please don’t slam your door in the morning when you get up for early risers’ coffee. Those partiers next door are still sleeping. Then again. . . . .
What’s the Big Deal?
Poker seems to be the answer. More and more cruise lines are adding Texas Hold ‘em poker to their casinos. Unlike other games on board, poker players compete against each other and the house takes a percentage of the pot also known as the “rake”. Most of the contemporary cruise ships of moderate size and larger feature at least one live poker table or an automated game that does not require a live dealer. The tables are generally open in the evening for cash games and often one or more tournaments are offered during a cruise.
Carnival Cruise Lines, known for large, action packed casinos, recently announced the PokerPro Challenge, a series of No Limit Texas Hold’em poker tournaments that will take place on the 22-ship fleet now through October. The winners of the preliminary tournaments will face off for a cash prize of $25,000 in the Grand Final during Carnival Freedom’s Jan. 24 six-day voyage from Fort Lauderdale. First place winners of the preliminary tournaments will be automatically entered to participate in the Grand Final and will receive a certificate toward the Jan. 24 cruise. The tournament entry fee is $150. Your cruise specialist can provide information on the initial tournament schedule.
Dancing at the Bars?
Royal Caribbean doesn’t want to be left out of the latest reality dance show craze. First there was “Dancing with the Stars” and then “So You Think You Can Dance?” on TV. And now, “Gotta Dance” takes to the high seas aboard Royal Caribbean’s ships. Based on the documentary film by Dori Bernstein, the program offers passengers of all ages the chance to learn hip hop routines with a shipboard dance team member. The program is inspired by the film that chronicles the first senior citizen hip hop dance troupe, for the New Jersey Nets basketball team.
Each cruise will start with a screening of the film, and passengers on select ships before the nationwide roll-out of the movie this summer will get an advance viewing. Participants will then divide into teams to learn choreographed routines. The program will culminate with a farewell show performance in the ship’s main theater.
If you are Fred and Ginger challenged however, don’t despair because you can still twist’ n shout in a dark corner of the disco or slow dance accompanied by the house orchestra in one of the lounges! Something for everyone on Royal Caribbean.
Too Many Sites Make Sore Eyes
Another “cutting edge” travel website was just announced. It leads to the question of “how many websites does a person need to visit to get information about travel offers?” Since we focus on the cruise business, let’s take a look at this particular segment to see if we can shed some light on the question.
The first thing to understand when you let your fingers do the shopping online is that virtually all cruise travel sites develop their prices from the same “feed”. For the digitally challenged, this just means that the cruise lines deliver pricing from their central computer. This means for all practical purposes, cruise travel sites offer up the same rates. One great myth is that the cruise lines who sell directly to the public (mostly the mass market lines) have special, direct rates different from cruise agent. Wrong, my fellow cruisers! In fact, an independent cruise agent can often find you rates lower than the cruise line. More on how to take advantage on some insider tips in a moment. But first we have to get this off our chest. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU ONLY SHOP DIRECTLY WITH A CRUISE LINE???? First of all, that cruise line employee is paid to get your booking as fast as possible and move on to the next sale. And, heaven forbid, maybe instead of cruise line ABC, you really belong on cruise line XYZ, what is the chance that the cruise line agent will say “Oh you really belong on cruise line XYZ and not us”. Sure, the next thing that will happen is that the Toyota sales person will send you next door to the Volvo dealer. Your local cruise agent invests time and interest in YOU and has a goal of creating repeat business. Where, When, and How you cruise is very important to your specialist.
Now onto those hot tips. Your local cruise agent not only views the pricing feeds from the cruise lines, but also may have access to what is known as group rates. Also, there are often unadvertised specials that are made available from time to time that might include special benefits such as upgrades, onboard credits, spa treatments, complimentary alternate dining. Your agent can also check for regional promotions, senior and public safety discounts, past passenger specials and lots more.
Get the picture? Maybe instead of surfing a dozen web sites and seeing the same information over and over put a local cruise agent to work for you. They don’t charge for their basic services and often find these hidden lower rates. Let them play detective for you!
Is the Man Upstairs Mad?
You might think that perhaps, a “higher power”, is mad at the travel industry. First it was pirates and now Swine Flu. From a cruiser’s standpoint the one advantage a ship has over other destinations is “portability”. Ships can be moved but hotels, can’t. For example, only a small handful of passenger vessels – generally the smaller upscale ones – ever come within 1000 miles of that paradise known as Somalia. And the few that included this area on their itineraries have quickly modified ports and routes to avoid the area.
Now, Swine Flu is a little different story. Because it is a somewhat more global issue, it affects quite a few cruise ships, mainly those that call on Mexican ports. The cruise lines have been very diligent in their anti-viral procedures since the days of the Norovirus. And while viruses do impact some passengers, the percentage of the nearly 11 million people who cruise every year is very small. That being said however, the cruise lines are exercising prudent caution by intensifying their sanitation efforts and making itinerary changes. Western Caribbean and Mexican Riviera cruises are most impacted. The major lines have dropped ports like Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan from their schedules until further notice. In some cases a full day at sea is being added but in the case of the “Mexican Riviera” cruises, entirely new itineraries are being substituted. The best source for the latest information about a planned or booked voyage is your cruise specialist who can provide invaluable guidance and advice. Keep in mind that the cruise lines have the safety and comfort of their guests as their first priority and make changes with that in mind. You can still expect to enjoy all the great service, food and entertainment cruise ships deliver, regardless of where you make landfall.
Cruise Chatter
There was recently a rather large dust up when it was disclosed that a major cruise line had given away some free cruises to a core group of its fans who posted regularly on a large cruise community site. There were many cries of “foul” and “reverse censorship”. While this may have been blown a bit out of proportion, it does open the door to a question lots of novice cruisers ask. And the question is “Should I trust the reviews I read on sites like Cruise Critic?” The answer is Yes and No.
Why the ambiguity? Because the most important thing to remember that what you are reading is just one person (or couple’s) opinion about a particular ship, cruise line or service amenity. Have you ever gone to a shore side restaurant that a friend raves about and found it to be very disappointing? I think we all have. And what about that fabulous plumber who was recommended strongly? The one who broke the pipe and flooded your new carpet? Oops.
So, it is best to consider these reviews with a grain of salt. They are good for general trends and recommendations and certainly provide some insider tips. Generally, if there are a large number of reviews and all or most of them are negative on a topic, there is likely to be some underlying cause. Then again, there is a certain group of people that would complain if they got a million dollars in cash that it was in old bills and not crisp new ones. Go figure.
The fact that 80% of all people who cruise indicate they will sail again points out that if you work with a knowledgeable cruise agent and he or she matches your needs with the most suitable ship, it is almost inevitable that you will have a great vacation.
Gizmos, Gadgets and Cruise Ships
If you don’t know a USB device from a motherboard and are otherwise “electronically challenged”, then this news from Crystal Cruises will be welcomed. The cruise line has just announced that they are placing on-board technical concierges to assist guests with all types of personal electronics from iPods and iPhones to Blackberrys and plain old laptops.
The concierges will provide consultation at no charge to anyone onboard. They’ll be located in the ships’ computer centers, where guests can check e-mail and use the Internet, beginning in April aboard Crystal Symphony and in May aboard Crystal Serenity.
Personally my favorite button on these devices is the one that turns it off so I can enjoy a holiday on my holiday. A lot of folks today, go on vacation to get away from it all and then try to bring as much of “it” with them as they can. While staying in touch on your cruise is an important consideration, too much of a good thing can be distracting. However, like everything else connected with vacations at sea, there are multiple choices and options and this is just one more to be added to the list.
Crystal operates two 5 Star luxury lines on voyages to ports throughout the world.
Super Sizing Luxury Ships
There’s all sorts of hoopla about the gigantic cruise ships that are being introduced over the next 18 months or so, but what about their smaller cousins in the deluxe and luxury sectors? It seems that growth spurts are not confined to the mega liners. Even the luxury ships are getting a little bigger as they strive for economies of scale. For example, although three times the size of her smaller 10,000-ton sister ships, Seabourn Pride, Spirit and Legend, the Seabourn Odyssey will carry just over twice as many guests, and boast the same ratio of hospitality staff to guests and offer more dining options than her sisters, as well as more types of suites, more verandas, more entertainment venues and enhanced spa and recreational facilities.
In a recent press release, the Yachts of Seabourn touted ‘Six things you didn’t know about Seabourn Odyssey’ which is due to enter service on June 24 in Venice:
They include iPods and laptops for loan, with Seabourn-branded netbook computers (also available for purchase) to take advantage of Wifi connectivity in all suites and most public spaces.
Also, Seabourn Odyssey will have a private diamond showroom, The Collection, and it will be the first ship to offer SkinCeuticals products in the spa. In addition, Molton Brown’s new Therapies line of plant-based products will make its sea-going debut on board.
In a new space for Seabourn, The Retreat at Sea provides a nine-hole mini golf course, chess on a giant board and shuffleboard. It’s also the spot for organized stargazing.
The sixth thing ‘you didn’t know about Seabourn Odyssey’ is rarely offered treatments at sea, including personal training on the Kinesis Wall in the Motion Studio and Thai massage in the spa.
How Low Can They Go?
Ask anyone who has been around the cruise business for several years about the low prices being promoted right now. They will all probably agree that we are seeing some of the lowest prices ever for some destinations that previously commanded premium pricing. Take Alaska for example. This week NCL is offered cruises during a one day sale to Alaska for as low as $379. And Celebrity followed suit with Alaska voyages starting from $429. Perhaps the most enticing deal is a Celebrity CruiseTour – cruise plus land at only $989.
Europe has also been on “blue light special” recently with $699 lead rates from Celebrity and Royal Caribbean promoting a 12 night cruise for $1149 during high season. The general softness in the economy has affected land travel to Europe this summer meaning there are more air seats available at reasonable prices than last year. People are even reporting that they have been able to use their air miles for almost peak period travel.
The pundits also know that in the cruise business, the law of supply and demand is king. So as the deals begin to get snapped up, the rates will slowly ratchet upward. The easiest way to find the best deals is to ask a cruise agent to monitor prices on your favorite itineraries and let you know when they find a great price on the cruise or itinerary you want. It’s sort of like playing the stock market, without the pain.
Super Size My Port Please
Don’t look now but Fort Lauderdale’s cruise port is more than tripling the size of one of its cruise terminals in time for the arrival of Royal Caribbean International’s 5,400-passenger Oasis-class of ships, the largest cruise ships in the world. When completed, Terminal 18 will become the largest single-ship cruise terminal in the world. Guests will be treated to the Oasis experience as soon as they enter the terminal according to port officials. The grand opening is planned to coincide with the arrival of the ship in November 2009. Oasis of the Seas will use the terminal initially and will be joined by its sister ship, Allure of the Seas, a year later.
The terminal will be more than three times larger than existing terminals, with a total of 240,000 square feet on two floors. The terminal will be large enough to accommodate both arriving and departing cruise passengers and their luggage simultaneously. In the new Terminal 18, guests will debark and embark through entirely different sections of the building, permitting the simultaneous debarking of guests from the ship while embarking guests are processed and seated inside the terminal waiting to board the ship. The terminal area for debarking guests is 102,000 square feet on two levels, while the arrival hall for embarking guests is in the new section and encompasses 138,000 square feet on two levels. The goal is that once the ship is cleared for embarkation, the transition for guests to go from curbside to the ship can be completed in 15 minutes.
There will be 22 booths for U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to process guests after their cruise. The embarkation area will feature 90 check-in counters and a bank of overhead video screens that provide arriving guests with directions and information. Terminal 18 is located in the center of Port Everglades directly on the port’s main thoroughfare. It is separated from other cruise terminals so that vehicular traffic to and from the terminal is isolated and can move smoothly.
