This came from Modern Agent online
Ohio Cruise Agency Offers Commissions to Consumers
Published on: November 29, 2007
Cruises Etc., an Ohio-based travel agency that has been selling cruises for almost 20 years, launched a website that invites consumers to earn commissions in exchange for a monthly $20 "membership fee." The site, at www.MyCruiseBookings.com, invites consumers to book directly with the cruise lines and "earn up to 100 percent of the commission." The company said the website gives consumers "access to a unique set of tools that are easy to use, intuitive, and often times updated in real time. Booking cruise travel no longer requires highly specialized training or knowledge of special codes or commands. Members simply need a basic understanding of the Internet."
Cruises Etc. said the website is aimed at both professional agents and "the casual or self-booker." The site also features a forum where agents can ask questions of their peers. Subscribers also receive weekly emails with what it called insider offers and exclusive opportunities. The subscription to MyCruiseBookings.com is $20 per month, and there is no minimum subscription period and no minimum booking requirement. "Members can book one or 1,000 trips, and are guaranteed to earn up to a 15 percent commission on their very first booking!" the company said. President Kevin Kelly and Joanne Shikitino, vice president of sales, did not respond to a phone message by press time. For more information, visit www.mycruisebookings.com.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Fuel surcharges for cruise lines
To all TPV'ers,
I got this from an online cruise agency. I can't vouch for the accuracy but it will give you a good idea of what is going on within the cruise industry.
Here are the details of the fuel surcharge, by cruise line.
Lines with grace periods during which new bookings will not incur fuel surcharges
Regent Seven Seas has instituted a fuel surcharge of $7.50 per person, per day for all 2008 bookings that are not paid in full by December 1, 2007. This charge is applicable to all passengers in a cabin. Click here for a list of 2008 Regent cruises. Book and pay in full by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.
Oceania Cruises has announced a fuel surcharge of $7 per person, per day, applicable to new and existing reservations that are not paid in full by December 1 and effective for all published sailings now through April 2009. The fee is applicable to all passengers in a cabin. Click here to see a list of Oceania cruises. Book and pay in full by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.
Norwegian and Orient Line plan to assess a fuel surcharge for all new reservations made on all sailings on or after December 1, 2007. The additional charge will be $7 per person, per day for the first and second passengers in a stateroom, and $3 per person, per day for any additional passengers in the same stateroom. For a list of Norwegian cruises between now and June 30, 2008, click here. For a list of Norwegian cruises after June 30, 2008, click here. For Orient Line sailings, click here. Book by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.
MSC Cruises will apply a fuel surcharge of $6 per person, per day to all new bookings made on or after December 1 for cruises leaving on or after February 1, 2008, indefinitely. The surcharge will only apply to the first two passengers in each cabin. For a list of MSC cruises between now and June 30, 2008, click here. For a list of MSC cruises after June 30, 2008, click here. Book by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.
Majestic America will add a fuel surcharge of $8.50 per person, per day to all bookings that are not paid in full by December 15, 2007. The fee is applicable all passengers on all cruises departing now through March 2009. For a list of upcoming Majestic America cruises and river cruises, click here. Book and pay in full by December 14 to avoid this surcharge.
Windstar will add a fuel surcharge of $8.50 per person, per day to all bookings that are not paid in full by December 15, 2007. The fee is applicable to all passengers on all cruises departing now through March 2009. Click here to see a list of Windstar cruises. Book and pay in full by December 14 to avoid this surcharge.
Viking River Cruises will assess a fuel surcharge of $7 per person, per day, applicable to all passengers in a cabin, to bookings for all currently published sailings through December 2008 that are not paid in full by December 19, 2007. To see a list of Viking's river cruises, click here. Book and pay in full by December 18 to avoid this surcharge.
Crystal will institute a fuel surcharge of $7 per person, per day, applicable to all passengers, for all 2008 reservations that are not paid in full by January 1, 2008. Click here for a list of Crystal sailings. Book and pay in full by December 31 to avoid this surcharge.
Lines with no grace period that exempted existing bookings from fuel surcharges
Silversea is assessing a fuel surcharge of $10 per person, per day, effective immediately, on all new bookings for 2008 voyages. The surcharge is applicable to all guests in a cabin, and reservations made prior to November 14, 2007 are exempt from the additional fee.
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara will assess a fuel surcharge of $5 per person, per day on all cruises that depart on or after February 1, 2008. The fee will apply only to the first two passengers in each stateroom, and will not exceed $70 per person, per voyage. The three lines will not apply the surcharge to bookings that were paid in full prior to November 16, 2007.
Cruise West will add a fuel surcharge of $12 per guest, per day, applicable to all passengers on all sailings, effective immediately. Cruise West will not apply the surcharge to bookings that were made prior to November 12, 2007 and paid in full by December 7, 2007.
Voyages of Discovery has implemented a fuel surcharge of $10 per person, per day, on bookings for cruises departing between February 1 and April 26, 2008. The surcharge is applicable to all guests in a cabin, and reservations that were paid in full prior to November 20, 2007 are exempt from the additional fee. No announcements have been made regarding the line's summer 2008 itineraries.
Lines with fuel surcharges applied to all existing and future bookings
Carnival Corp., the largest cruise operator in the industry, will charge passengers an additional $5 a day on all new and existing bookings with Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess, and Seabourn for sailings that depart on or after February 1, 2008. The fee will apply only to the first two passengers in each stateroom, and will not exceed $70 per person, per voyage.
Cruise lines not listed here have not yet announced their policy regarding fuel surcharges, but are expected to follow suit.
I got this from an online cruise agency. I can't vouch for the accuracy but it will give you a good idea of what is going on within the cruise industry.
Here are the details of the fuel surcharge, by cruise line.
Lines with grace periods during which new bookings will not incur fuel surcharges
Regent Seven Seas has instituted a fuel surcharge of $7.50 per person, per day for all 2008 bookings that are not paid in full by December 1, 2007. This charge is applicable to all passengers in a cabin. Click here for a list of 2008 Regent cruises. Book and pay in full by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.
Oceania Cruises has announced a fuel surcharge of $7 per person, per day, applicable to new and existing reservations that are not paid in full by December 1 and effective for all published sailings now through April 2009. The fee is applicable to all passengers in a cabin. Click here to see a list of Oceania cruises. Book and pay in full by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.
Norwegian and Orient Line plan to assess a fuel surcharge for all new reservations made on all sailings on or after December 1, 2007. The additional charge will be $7 per person, per day for the first and second passengers in a stateroom, and $3 per person, per day for any additional passengers in the same stateroom. For a list of Norwegian cruises between now and June 30, 2008, click here. For a list of Norwegian cruises after June 30, 2008, click here. For Orient Line sailings, click here. Book by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.
MSC Cruises will apply a fuel surcharge of $6 per person, per day to all new bookings made on or after December 1 for cruises leaving on or after February 1, 2008, indefinitely. The surcharge will only apply to the first two passengers in each cabin. For a list of MSC cruises between now and June 30, 2008, click here. For a list of MSC cruises after June 30, 2008, click here. Book by Friday of this week to avoid this surcharge.
Majestic America will add a fuel surcharge of $8.50 per person, per day to all bookings that are not paid in full by December 15, 2007. The fee is applicable all passengers on all cruises departing now through March 2009. For a list of upcoming Majestic America cruises and river cruises, click here. Book and pay in full by December 14 to avoid this surcharge.
Windstar will add a fuel surcharge of $8.50 per person, per day to all bookings that are not paid in full by December 15, 2007. The fee is applicable to all passengers on all cruises departing now through March 2009. Click here to see a list of Windstar cruises. Book and pay in full by December 14 to avoid this surcharge.
Viking River Cruises will assess a fuel surcharge of $7 per person, per day, applicable to all passengers in a cabin, to bookings for all currently published sailings through December 2008 that are not paid in full by December 19, 2007. To see a list of Viking's river cruises, click here. Book and pay in full by December 18 to avoid this surcharge.
Crystal will institute a fuel surcharge of $7 per person, per day, applicable to all passengers, for all 2008 reservations that are not paid in full by January 1, 2008. Click here for a list of Crystal sailings. Book and pay in full by December 31 to avoid this surcharge.
Lines with no grace period that exempted existing bookings from fuel surcharges
Silversea is assessing a fuel surcharge of $10 per person, per day, effective immediately, on all new bookings for 2008 voyages. The surcharge is applicable to all guests in a cabin, and reservations made prior to November 14, 2007 are exempt from the additional fee.
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara will assess a fuel surcharge of $5 per person, per day on all cruises that depart on or after February 1, 2008. The fee will apply only to the first two passengers in each stateroom, and will not exceed $70 per person, per voyage. The three lines will not apply the surcharge to bookings that were paid in full prior to November 16, 2007.
Cruise West will add a fuel surcharge of $12 per guest, per day, applicable to all passengers on all sailings, effective immediately. Cruise West will not apply the surcharge to bookings that were made prior to November 12, 2007 and paid in full by December 7, 2007.
Voyages of Discovery has implemented a fuel surcharge of $10 per person, per day, on bookings for cruises departing between February 1 and April 26, 2008. The surcharge is applicable to all guests in a cabin, and reservations that were paid in full prior to November 20, 2007 are exempt from the additional fee. No announcements have been made regarding the line's summer 2008 itineraries.
Lines with fuel surcharges applied to all existing and future bookings
Carnival Corp., the largest cruise operator in the industry, will charge passengers an additional $5 a day on all new and existing bookings with Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess, and Seabourn for sailings that depart on or after February 1, 2008. The fee will apply only to the first two passengers in each stateroom, and will not exceed $70 per person, per voyage.
Cruise lines not listed here have not yet announced their policy regarding fuel surcharges, but are expected to follow suit.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Explorer of the Seas review
Our cruise got off to a very rocky start. The cruise was set to leave on Sunday 11/4from Bayonne (Cape Liberty NJ) just a 40 minute ride up the NJ Turnpike from us. Nice and easy- no airlines to deal with, luggage issues or delays. Saturday, our emergency contact, received a phone call from Royal Caribbean to say that the ship was delayed due to Hurricane Noel and would not be in port until 3pm so don’t plan on arriving before 4pm for a 7pm boarding.
EMBARKATION
We arrived at the cruise terminal entrance at 4pm and it took 1 hour to get to the point to drop off our luggage- not a good start. We parked the car, $112 for the week including taxes (they took a credit card) and proceeded through security. That was the easy part. We waited in a very short line for our sea pass cards (room keys) and took the photo for our cards. Then we tried to find a place to sit for our 3 hour wait in the terminal.
I must give RCI credit. There was food (sub sandwiches and drinks) for the people waiting inside. What we didn’t realize was that more than ½ of the guests were waiting on the outside of the terminal for over 2 hours in 50 degree weather. Apparently, since the ship first came into the port at 3pm, it needed to be cleaned and readied for the next cruise. The cruise terminal hit capacity and the remaining guests waited outside. After 2 hours, they were given chairs and water but nothing to eat. Not a great start to the cruise.
Once on board (around 9pm), we went to the dining room for dinner. It was pretty chaotic since they were now trying to feed all 3400 guests at the same time. We went to the dining room on deck 3 and were able to find a table. Since we had been fed in the terminal, we had a light bite and attempted to wander around the ship. The life boat drill was at 10:30pm. The 11pm welcome aboard show was poorly attended although the comedian was very good. You had to feel bad for the guy- he was very funny but this wasn’t a very jovial crowd.
CABIN
We took cabin- 8626 on deck 8. It is the standard balcony cabin. We knew that it was the smaller of the balcony cabins (E balconies vs D balconies) but they were more mid ship which is what we wanted for the Bermuda and Boston seas.
The cabin was a bit tight but manageable. Almost forgot what it’s like in the bathroom when you drop the soap in the shower. You have to shut off the water, open the door to bend down to pick up the soap. The bed is comfortable with nice European bedding. There is a mini bar in the cabin (which we did not touch) and the safe works on a personal # combination. Storage space is adequate. Balcony is small but a nice size. Didn’t get as much use out of it as we normally would because of the itinerary but we always love a balcony.
Cabin stewardess was ok, although a bit inconsistent with towels and ice.
CABIN NOTES: Bring your own shampoo and conditioner- the one in the dispenser had an odd fragrance to it. Also, there is no shower gel in the shower. Bring some extra moisturizer. Either the soap is very drying or the water is. Check the in cabin mini bar. We did not use it at all but we didn’t notice a lock on it so that we could ask for it to be locked. We didn’t get billed for anything in the bar but without a lock, we are always weary of additional charges from the bar that we didn’t use.
FOOD-
Dining is always a bit deal on a cruise ship. We felt that the food experience on the Explorer of the Seas is good to very good (this is not going to be gourmet dining). We never went hungry and found the many dining venues to be a major plus.
First, the Windjammer Café-
This is the casual dining venue open for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the pool deck. We ate there for breakfast and lunch- never dinner but our table mates ate at Windjammer many times for dinner and thought the choices were great.
My comments on Windjammer
1. No hand sanitizer at the entrance to the dining area. With the gastrointestinal issues that may occur on cruise ships- this was a major no-no.
2. No trays- only extra large oval plates. This can cause an issue for people with trying to balance the tray, silverware and a cane. I was told that the wait staff did assist these guests.
3. Lines were always longer in the front. Just scoot around back – there are the same foods offered in the back without the long lines.
4. Food choices were typical of a cruise. First time cruisers will be amazed but for repeat cruisers, it is pretty standard fare. They did have an assortment of Asian and Indian vegetarian selections. I did notice a group of Asian women eating soup for breakfast but I didn’t wander over to that section.
5. Food was good here but seemed to be pretty much the same every day. Salads, burgers, sandwiches- made to order are standard daily. What changes daily is the pasta with a couple of choices, a couple of main entrées with vegetables and some type of potatoes and a couple of soups. There are always a good amount of dessert choices. Frozen yogurt is available outside of Windjammer at a self serve machine.
6. Omelet station was at the back of the buffet line. Get fresh omelets rather than taking the pre-made if the line isn’t too long. They offer some odd ingredients like shrimp and jalepeno peppers which my husband tried daily.
7. The wait staff was there to assist with drinks and clearing the tables. I didn’t require help with the trays but was told that they did offer help for those who needed help.
Another dining option is the Café Promenade on deck 5. This is a great choice for fast bites and snacks. At the front of the Café, there is a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream stand (for an extra fee). They also offer Seattle’s Best Coffee. I am not a coffee drinker and I thought there was a fee for this coffee but other cruisers told me that it was not the case. Please check before ordering.
The Café is open until the wee hours of the morning for those late owls. In the AM, there are pastries and such for breakfast. For lunch and later, there are small sandwiches (changes daily), pizza, cookies and pastries. The chocolate chip cookies are great. Coffee, tea and iced water are always available, as is fruit such as bananas, kiwi and oranges. The café is great for snacks when coming back from excursions.
Johnnie Rockets- on deck 12 is lots of FUN.
It is very small and there is a $3.95 cover charge to get in. This was implemented as part of crowd control so that the kids and teens don’t make this their hangout. Crown and Anchor members get 1 free admission per person with the coupon book that is in the cabin upon arrival.
There was a 45 minute wait on the day we went to Johnny Rockets because there was no out door seating due to the cold weather coming back from Boston. We hung out near the arcade since it was too cold to wait outdoors.
Upon entering, you get a grand HELLO from the staff and fellow diners and are promptly given a plate of onion rings and a ranch dressing, and fries with a plate of ketchup designed in a smiley face. The menu is malts (extra fee for those but great), burgers and sandwiches as well as desserts. I ordered a classic burger, the others ordered a St Louis burger. All were good. The onion rings had to be replaced 3 times since we devoured them in no time. We regretted it later but they were great. Dessert was an ice cream sundae or apple pie.
The staff would dance and sing at set intervals and it was a blast. It is a must do on the cruise!
Portofinos
Well worth the $20 pp surcharge. Food was spectacular and so was the service. We literally rolled out of there we were so stuffed. We ordered the seafood skewer and the chef will substitute another lobster tail for salmon or scallops. The sampler plate for dessert was fabulous.
Highly recommended and would suggest making reservations as soon as you get on the ship.
Main Dining Room
We only ate in the dining room for dinner and 1 breakfast. We were on the deck 3 level of the dining room table 307, waiter Ramiro and bus boy, Clint. Ramiro greeted us by our first names daily and Clint was precious every time he said “it would be my pleasure.” The service was very good, very pleasant and a lot of fun. Every night, Clint would bring the bread basket around to offer us the “ever popular” sour dough roll, the “little bites” and others. The first night, he had the favorite “not so square rolls” which were never to be served again during the week. I had lots of fun with Clint over these not so square rolls.
Dinner options were always tasty. I’m not going to say that this was gourmet dining but I felt that the food was very good. There were always a number of options that I would have ordered. There are always standby’s if you didn’t like the choices, such as salmon, grilled chicken and steak. Lobster night was excellent. The lobster tails were among the best I have had a sea.
Please note that we were happy with the quality and taste of the food but I am not extremely picky. The thing with cruises is---- if you don’t like the dish you ordered, order something else! Portions were small but adequate. Again, if you want an additional entrée or anything else, just ask for it.
Room Service
Sorry- not a lot of help here. I glanced at the menu but didn’t use it. Someone else did to order a cheese plate and said it came quickly.
ENTERTAINMENT
There was literally so much to do that we couldn’t do it all.
Rock climbing- didn’t try it- wasn’t about to break anything since I can hurt myself just walking but it was always busy while we were onboard.
Ice skating- session were open throughout the day. Check the cruise compass for hours
Ice Show- free tickets are available at set times throughout the cruise. There were 4 sessions but you need tickets in advance. Check the cruise compass for the times that the tickets are distributed.
Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the show time. As long as you are not sitting behind a pole, the view is pretty good from all seats.
Parades-there were 3 parades and we watched all of them. Try to get a seat in front of the bars for the best views. They were a lot of fun. Our pictures didn’t come out great- sorry.
Pool side games- a few brave soles participated in the men’s belly flop contest in 50 degree weather. Most of the poolside games had to be moved indoors.
Bingo- the game we played was $35 for 5 sheets. We didn’t win but the guest in front of us won over $300. Please keep in mind that there are really serious bingo players here.
Daytime Activities- Trivia, napkin folding, towel folding, cooking classes, arts & crafts and more were listed throughout the day. There were so many that we couldn’t do everything.
SPA and Fitness Center
I can honestly say that I saw both but didn’t use either. There is a really nice and large indoor Jacuzzi in the fitness center.
Pool deck-
In addition to the main pool, there is a lovely adults only solarium. It is near the spa and has really comfortable lounges. Although it is not covered, it was partially enclosed so was not as cold as the main pool area.
Promenade-
This is one of my favorite features of this class of ship. It is a great people or gathering place. In addition to 2 bars and the café, there are the usual stores. During the week, there will be sales on watches, jewelry, pocket books and jewelry. This is also the location of the parades and the cooking demonstrations. For those who haven’t sailed on this class of ship before, the promenade is a great place to just hang out. One of the nice features was that the captain had his party in the promenade. The captain’s staff was introduced and they all stood on one of the bridges that over looked the promenade. It was a nice touch.
Entertainment Staff
The cruise director, Allan, was great. The guy could have done stand up comedy. He had us rolling at the newlywed game and the quest game. I didn’t see him around the ship much but on a ship this size, you rarely expect to see the cruise director.
His staff was good, mostly young, energetic people from all over the world. Bingo Spice, from London, handled Bingo and the napkin folding. She has an adorable British accent and had guests trying to mimic her throughout the napkin folding class. Trivia was handled by a number of the entertainment staff members. The entertainment staff had a lot of energy and it showed in everything they did.
General Comments
Although this ship is full, it didn’t really seems crowded. The sports deck was fully utilized for a staff vs. guest dodge ball contest and there were lots of people doing inline skating and watching the rock climbers. The promenade was bustling but there really wasn’t much in terms of crowded areas. It was difficult to get a table in the windjammer café during the peak breakfast and lunch hours but that is because so many people were sitting inside to stay out of the cold.
Being such a large ship, there were plenty of space for guests to find for themselves. Since part of the cruise was heading into cold weather, the indoor activities were very heavily attended. We found that we needed to arrive at each activity at least ½ hour before it started in order to get seats. Normally, guests would be spread out all over the ship but due to the cold weather, every one was indoors and getting seats at the activities was difficult.
Heading out to Bermuda can be rocky but despite the tail end of the hurricane, the seas are surprisingly calm. There were a couple of sways but nothing that I would consider to be rocky.
We went to the first show production. It was probably on par with most other Royal Caribbean show productions. The general consensus was that the show was ok- not great. We had all seen better but it was ok. Couldn’t stay up for the adult midnight comedy show but the comedian was really good the night before so I’m sorry I missed it. Word is that this show was great. The 2nd production show was better but it was the night we went to Portofino’s and we came in toward the very end. The headliner acts were better than I anticipated them to be. In general, the evening entertainment was on par with Royal Caribbean cruises.
The best of the entertainment was the newlywed game and Quest, a scavenger type game held in Studio B. Don’t miss either- since they are both hysterical.
The casino was pretty packed most of the time it was open. I didn’t stay long because even the non smoking areas were pretty smoky. My husband won about $400 at black jack. That was a pleasant surprise.
We kept on having a problem with my husband’s sea pass card. He keeps on demagnetizing it and couldn’t get into the room. Mine was fine. It must have happened 5 times and each time he had to go down to the purser’s desk to get it replaced. We had some minor billing issues. You can check the bill on the interactive TV. We had been over billed for internet service (it was removed) and the shipboard credit we were due didn’t show up until Friday, but it did show up.
All in all, we really enjoyed the Explorer of the Seas cruise that we took. We will cruise the Explorer or one of her sister ships. We have always liked Royal Caribbean and this cruise lived up to our expectations.
EMBARKATION
We arrived at the cruise terminal entrance at 4pm and it took 1 hour to get to the point to drop off our luggage- not a good start. We parked the car, $112 for the week including taxes (they took a credit card) and proceeded through security. That was the easy part. We waited in a very short line for our sea pass cards (room keys) and took the photo for our cards. Then we tried to find a place to sit for our 3 hour wait in the terminal.
I must give RCI credit. There was food (sub sandwiches and drinks) for the people waiting inside. What we didn’t realize was that more than ½ of the guests were waiting on the outside of the terminal for over 2 hours in 50 degree weather. Apparently, since the ship first came into the port at 3pm, it needed to be cleaned and readied for the next cruise. The cruise terminal hit capacity and the remaining guests waited outside. After 2 hours, they were given chairs and water but nothing to eat. Not a great start to the cruise.
Once on board (around 9pm), we went to the dining room for dinner. It was pretty chaotic since they were now trying to feed all 3400 guests at the same time. We went to the dining room on deck 3 and were able to find a table. Since we had been fed in the terminal, we had a light bite and attempted to wander around the ship. The life boat drill was at 10:30pm. The 11pm welcome aboard show was poorly attended although the comedian was very good. You had to feel bad for the guy- he was very funny but this wasn’t a very jovial crowd.
CABIN
We took cabin- 8626 on deck 8. It is the standard balcony cabin. We knew that it was the smaller of the balcony cabins (E balconies vs D balconies) but they were more mid ship which is what we wanted for the Bermuda and Boston seas.
The cabin was a bit tight but manageable. Almost forgot what it’s like in the bathroom when you drop the soap in the shower. You have to shut off the water, open the door to bend down to pick up the soap. The bed is comfortable with nice European bedding. There is a mini bar in the cabin (which we did not touch) and the safe works on a personal # combination. Storage space is adequate. Balcony is small but a nice size. Didn’t get as much use out of it as we normally would because of the itinerary but we always love a balcony.
Cabin stewardess was ok, although a bit inconsistent with towels and ice.
CABIN NOTES: Bring your own shampoo and conditioner- the one in the dispenser had an odd fragrance to it. Also, there is no shower gel in the shower. Bring some extra moisturizer. Either the soap is very drying or the water is. Check the in cabin mini bar. We did not use it at all but we didn’t notice a lock on it so that we could ask for it to be locked. We didn’t get billed for anything in the bar but without a lock, we are always weary of additional charges from the bar that we didn’t use.
FOOD-
Dining is always a bit deal on a cruise ship. We felt that the food experience on the Explorer of the Seas is good to very good (this is not going to be gourmet dining). We never went hungry and found the many dining venues to be a major plus.
First, the Windjammer Café-
This is the casual dining venue open for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the pool deck. We ate there for breakfast and lunch- never dinner but our table mates ate at Windjammer many times for dinner and thought the choices were great.
My comments on Windjammer
1. No hand sanitizer at the entrance to the dining area. With the gastrointestinal issues that may occur on cruise ships- this was a major no-no.
2. No trays- only extra large oval plates. This can cause an issue for people with trying to balance the tray, silverware and a cane. I was told that the wait staff did assist these guests.
3. Lines were always longer in the front. Just scoot around back – there are the same foods offered in the back without the long lines.
4. Food choices were typical of a cruise. First time cruisers will be amazed but for repeat cruisers, it is pretty standard fare. They did have an assortment of Asian and Indian vegetarian selections. I did notice a group of Asian women eating soup for breakfast but I didn’t wander over to that section.
5. Food was good here but seemed to be pretty much the same every day. Salads, burgers, sandwiches- made to order are standard daily. What changes daily is the pasta with a couple of choices, a couple of main entrées with vegetables and some type of potatoes and a couple of soups. There are always a good amount of dessert choices. Frozen yogurt is available outside of Windjammer at a self serve machine.
6. Omelet station was at the back of the buffet line. Get fresh omelets rather than taking the pre-made if the line isn’t too long. They offer some odd ingredients like shrimp and jalepeno peppers which my husband tried daily.
7. The wait staff was there to assist with drinks and clearing the tables. I didn’t require help with the trays but was told that they did offer help for those who needed help.
Another dining option is the Café Promenade on deck 5. This is a great choice for fast bites and snacks. At the front of the Café, there is a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream stand (for an extra fee). They also offer Seattle’s Best Coffee. I am not a coffee drinker and I thought there was a fee for this coffee but other cruisers told me that it was not the case. Please check before ordering.
The Café is open until the wee hours of the morning for those late owls. In the AM, there are pastries and such for breakfast. For lunch and later, there are small sandwiches (changes daily), pizza, cookies and pastries. The chocolate chip cookies are great. Coffee, tea and iced water are always available, as is fruit such as bananas, kiwi and oranges. The café is great for snacks when coming back from excursions.
Johnnie Rockets- on deck 12 is lots of FUN.
It is very small and there is a $3.95 cover charge to get in. This was implemented as part of crowd control so that the kids and teens don’t make this their hangout. Crown and Anchor members get 1 free admission per person with the coupon book that is in the cabin upon arrival.
There was a 45 minute wait on the day we went to Johnny Rockets because there was no out door seating due to the cold weather coming back from Boston. We hung out near the arcade since it was too cold to wait outdoors.
Upon entering, you get a grand HELLO from the staff and fellow diners and are promptly given a plate of onion rings and a ranch dressing, and fries with a plate of ketchup designed in a smiley face. The menu is malts (extra fee for those but great), burgers and sandwiches as well as desserts. I ordered a classic burger, the others ordered a St Louis burger. All were good. The onion rings had to be replaced 3 times since we devoured them in no time. We regretted it later but they were great. Dessert was an ice cream sundae or apple pie.
The staff would dance and sing at set intervals and it was a blast. It is a must do on the cruise!
Portofinos
Well worth the $20 pp surcharge. Food was spectacular and so was the service. We literally rolled out of there we were so stuffed. We ordered the seafood skewer and the chef will substitute another lobster tail for salmon or scallops. The sampler plate for dessert was fabulous.
Highly recommended and would suggest making reservations as soon as you get on the ship.
Main Dining Room
We only ate in the dining room for dinner and 1 breakfast. We were on the deck 3 level of the dining room table 307, waiter Ramiro and bus boy, Clint. Ramiro greeted us by our first names daily and Clint was precious every time he said “it would be my pleasure.” The service was very good, very pleasant and a lot of fun. Every night, Clint would bring the bread basket around to offer us the “ever popular” sour dough roll, the “little bites” and others. The first night, he had the favorite “not so square rolls” which were never to be served again during the week. I had lots of fun with Clint over these not so square rolls.
Dinner options were always tasty. I’m not going to say that this was gourmet dining but I felt that the food was very good. There were always a number of options that I would have ordered. There are always standby’s if you didn’t like the choices, such as salmon, grilled chicken and steak. Lobster night was excellent. The lobster tails were among the best I have had a sea.
Please note that we were happy with the quality and taste of the food but I am not extremely picky. The thing with cruises is---- if you don’t like the dish you ordered, order something else! Portions were small but adequate. Again, if you want an additional entrée or anything else, just ask for it.
Room Service
Sorry- not a lot of help here. I glanced at the menu but didn’t use it. Someone else did to order a cheese plate and said it came quickly.
ENTERTAINMENT
There was literally so much to do that we couldn’t do it all.
Rock climbing- didn’t try it- wasn’t about to break anything since I can hurt myself just walking but it was always busy while we were onboard.
Ice skating- session were open throughout the day. Check the cruise compass for hours
Ice Show- free tickets are available at set times throughout the cruise. There were 4 sessions but you need tickets in advance. Check the cruise compass for the times that the tickets are distributed.
Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the show time. As long as you are not sitting behind a pole, the view is pretty good from all seats.
Parades-there were 3 parades and we watched all of them. Try to get a seat in front of the bars for the best views. They were a lot of fun. Our pictures didn’t come out great- sorry.
Pool side games- a few brave soles participated in the men’s belly flop contest in 50 degree weather. Most of the poolside games had to be moved indoors.
Bingo- the game we played was $35 for 5 sheets. We didn’t win but the guest in front of us won over $300. Please keep in mind that there are really serious bingo players here.
Daytime Activities- Trivia, napkin folding, towel folding, cooking classes, arts & crafts and more were listed throughout the day. There were so many that we couldn’t do everything.
SPA and Fitness Center
I can honestly say that I saw both but didn’t use either. There is a really nice and large indoor Jacuzzi in the fitness center.
Pool deck-
In addition to the main pool, there is a lovely adults only solarium. It is near the spa and has really comfortable lounges. Although it is not covered, it was partially enclosed so was not as cold as the main pool area.
Promenade-
This is one of my favorite features of this class of ship. It is a great people or gathering place. In addition to 2 bars and the café, there are the usual stores. During the week, there will be sales on watches, jewelry, pocket books and jewelry. This is also the location of the parades and the cooking demonstrations. For those who haven’t sailed on this class of ship before, the promenade is a great place to just hang out. One of the nice features was that the captain had his party in the promenade. The captain’s staff was introduced and they all stood on one of the bridges that over looked the promenade. It was a nice touch.
Entertainment Staff
The cruise director, Allan, was great. The guy could have done stand up comedy. He had us rolling at the newlywed game and the quest game. I didn’t see him around the ship much but on a ship this size, you rarely expect to see the cruise director.
His staff was good, mostly young, energetic people from all over the world. Bingo Spice, from London, handled Bingo and the napkin folding. She has an adorable British accent and had guests trying to mimic her throughout the napkin folding class. Trivia was handled by a number of the entertainment staff members. The entertainment staff had a lot of energy and it showed in everything they did.
General Comments
Although this ship is full, it didn’t really seems crowded. The sports deck was fully utilized for a staff vs. guest dodge ball contest and there were lots of people doing inline skating and watching the rock climbers. The promenade was bustling but there really wasn’t much in terms of crowded areas. It was difficult to get a table in the windjammer café during the peak breakfast and lunch hours but that is because so many people were sitting inside to stay out of the cold.
Being such a large ship, there were plenty of space for guests to find for themselves. Since part of the cruise was heading into cold weather, the indoor activities were very heavily attended. We found that we needed to arrive at each activity at least ½ hour before it started in order to get seats. Normally, guests would be spread out all over the ship but due to the cold weather, every one was indoors and getting seats at the activities was difficult.
Heading out to Bermuda can be rocky but despite the tail end of the hurricane, the seas are surprisingly calm. There were a couple of sways but nothing that I would consider to be rocky.
We went to the first show production. It was probably on par with most other Royal Caribbean show productions. The general consensus was that the show was ok- not great. We had all seen better but it was ok. Couldn’t stay up for the adult midnight comedy show but the comedian was really good the night before so I’m sorry I missed it. Word is that this show was great. The 2nd production show was better but it was the night we went to Portofino’s and we came in toward the very end. The headliner acts were better than I anticipated them to be. In general, the evening entertainment was on par with Royal Caribbean cruises.
The best of the entertainment was the newlywed game and Quest, a scavenger type game held in Studio B. Don’t miss either- since they are both hysterical.
The casino was pretty packed most of the time it was open. I didn’t stay long because even the non smoking areas were pretty smoky. My husband won about $400 at black jack. That was a pleasant surprise.
We kept on having a problem with my husband’s sea pass card. He keeps on demagnetizing it and couldn’t get into the room. Mine was fine. It must have happened 5 times and each time he had to go down to the purser’s desk to get it replaced. We had some minor billing issues. You can check the bill on the interactive TV. We had been over billed for internet service (it was removed) and the shipboard credit we were due didn’t show up until Friday, but it did show up.
All in all, we really enjoyed the Explorer of the Seas cruise that we took. We will cruise the Explorer or one of her sister ships. We have always liked Royal Caribbean and this cruise lived up to our expectations.
Monday, November 12, 2007
NCL to Bermuda in 2009
NCL Has 10-Year Pact to Sail Freestyle Ships to Bermuda
Fri Nov 09 2007, by Travel Trade staff
Norwegian Cruise Line has reached an agreement with the government of Bermuda under which two of the line's newer ships, the 2,000-passenger Norwegian Spirit and 2,200-passenger Norwegian Dawn will be deployed to the country from 2009 through 2018.
Norwegian Spirit will sail from Boston on Fridays, calling on Bermuda from Sunday through Wednesday. Norwegian Cruise Line has been the only line sailing between Boston and Bermuda, and the new agreement continues this status.
Norwegian Dawn will depart from New York on Sundays, staying at the island Wednesday through Friday.
Also in 2009, Norwegian Majesty, which has sailed the Boston-Bermuda route for 15 years, will sail to St. George's, Bermuda from Charleston, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
NCL's 2008 Bermuda itineraries include: Norwegian Dawn sailing from New York, on 7-day cruises; Norwegian Dream replacing Norwegian Majesty from Boston; and Norwegian Majesty sailing to Bermuda from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charleston.
"Since NCL first began sailing to Bermuda, it has been one of our most popular itineraries, and we have developed a truly unique relationship with the community and government of our host destination," said Colin Veitch, NCL's president and CEO.
In a teleconference with the press, Veitch said the Bermuda agreement "represents one more layer of new products NCL is able to offer agents to sell - three nights in Bermuda on two of our purpose-built Freestyle ships is something we haven't been able to do before. This is a new product and we think the public will respond very strongly to it."
With its long-term agreement, NCL can develop the market for Bermuda committing one-fifth of its summer deployment and $800 million of its shipping assets to the destination, which Veitch called "a significant upgrade from our perspective and from Bermuda's."
He said, "Having this long-term commitment is very attractive to us because there is a strong demand for this destination -- people want to come here. Bermuda is a fabulous place - at the top of the league of destinations and worthy of the journey to get here.
"Over the past 15 years, we have deployed ships from more U.S. homeports to meet the growing demand to visit Bermuda," Veitch added.
As part of the agreement, NCL will partner with Bermuda's Department of Tourism and Chamber of Commerce to co-sponsor the annual Bermuda Music Festival, support the St. George's Foundation and the Bermudian Heritage Association and develop a new program to continue encouraging cruise guests to dine in restaurants ashore.
Bermuda is building a second pier at St. George's to accommodate the larger ships and Veitch said ground transportation from St. George's to points throughout Bermuda "is excellent, the best that I have seen."
Fri Nov 09 2007, by Travel Trade staff
Norwegian Cruise Line has reached an agreement with the government of Bermuda under which two of the line's newer ships, the 2,000-passenger Norwegian Spirit and 2,200-passenger Norwegian Dawn will be deployed to the country from 2009 through 2018.
Norwegian Spirit will sail from Boston on Fridays, calling on Bermuda from Sunday through Wednesday. Norwegian Cruise Line has been the only line sailing between Boston and Bermuda, and the new agreement continues this status.
Norwegian Dawn will depart from New York on Sundays, staying at the island Wednesday through Friday.
Also in 2009, Norwegian Majesty, which has sailed the Boston-Bermuda route for 15 years, will sail to St. George's, Bermuda from Charleston, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
NCL's 2008 Bermuda itineraries include: Norwegian Dawn sailing from New York, on 7-day cruises; Norwegian Dream replacing Norwegian Majesty from Boston; and Norwegian Majesty sailing to Bermuda from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charleston.
"Since NCL first began sailing to Bermuda, it has been one of our most popular itineraries, and we have developed a truly unique relationship with the community and government of our host destination," said Colin Veitch, NCL's president and CEO.
In a teleconference with the press, Veitch said the Bermuda agreement "represents one more layer of new products NCL is able to offer agents to sell - three nights in Bermuda on two of our purpose-built Freestyle ships is something we haven't been able to do before. This is a new product and we think the public will respond very strongly to it."
With its long-term agreement, NCL can develop the market for Bermuda committing one-fifth of its summer deployment and $800 million of its shipping assets to the destination, which Veitch called "a significant upgrade from our perspective and from Bermuda's."
He said, "Having this long-term commitment is very attractive to us because there is a strong demand for this destination -- people want to come here. Bermuda is a fabulous place - at the top of the league of destinations and worthy of the journey to get here.
"Over the past 15 years, we have deployed ships from more U.S. homeports to meet the growing demand to visit Bermuda," Veitch added.
As part of the agreement, NCL will partner with Bermuda's Department of Tourism and Chamber of Commerce to co-sponsor the annual Bermuda Music Festival, support the St. George's Foundation and the Bermudian Heritage Association and develop a new program to continue encouraging cruise guests to dine in restaurants ashore.
Bermuda is building a second pier at St. George's to accommodate the larger ships and Veitch said ground transportation from St. George's to points throughout Bermuda "is excellent, the best that I have seen."
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Chan's review of the Sandals Fam Trip to Antigua and St Lucia
Sandals’ FAM Charter Trip to Antigua and St. Lucia
Tuesday & Wednesday September 25 and 26, 2007.
Highlights:
Tuesday September 25, 2007.
From Newark, NJ, flew in USA 3000, a charter flight to Antigua (left at around 7a.m. arrived around 11.30p.m.). After a warm welcome, our entire group was transferred to Sandals Grande Antigua. Immediately upon arrival, our tour started. This is a Five Star Diamond Resort according to the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and voted the world’s Most Romantic Resort 10 years in a row at the World Travel Awards.
This resort has 373 rooms and suites in 17 categories on 27 acres. Accommodations range from one-story buildings with patios to exotic Mediterranean Penthouse one bedroom ocean view suites and luxury ocean view villa one bedroom suites with private pools and whirlpool. Part of our tour we visited at least 6 different category rooms and we were very impressed with cleanliness, location and decoration/luxury of each room. It also offers a Sandals Signature Resort late night buffets, champagne breakfast, turn-down service nightly, a la carte snake service. In addition, a brand new all-suite Mediterranean Village with additional restaurants. We finished the tour around 1.30p.m. and right-a-way started the beach party in the “barefoot by the sea”. This relaxing party lasted almost 3 hours and we left around 5p.m. to airport for St. Lucia.
Arrived St. Lucia around 6.pm. and it took us almost two hours to go to our Sandal Resort. We were broken-down into three groups and each group was taken to different Resort. We stayed in the Sandals Grande St. Lucia. At this resort we had dinner party with entertainment by the locals and we all went to sleep very early due to a very long day with a long flight.
Wednesday September 26, 2007.
It was a clear and beautiful day and took an early morning walk, before the breakfast, and took many pictures of the property. This particular resort is blessed with a natural beauty surrounding the entire resort. After breakfast we started our tour around 8.30a.m. This particular property voted as Sandals Resorts “World’s Leading All-Inclusive” 13 years in a row. Also voted as 5 star resorts by American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.
This resort has 301 rooms and suites in 14 categories on 17 acres of land. All rooms include a grand view, Mahogany furniture, tiled floors and are custom appinted with a large private balcony or patio and designer bath – all with mesmerizing water views. Once again we visited 5 to 6 rooms and some overlooked their unique lagoon pool that lets guests swim right up-to their rooms. Continental breakfast is served in all rooms. Their brand new Rondoval suites bring tropical elegance & seclusion with private pool, whirlpool & Hammock.
The second resort we visited was Sandals Halcyon Beach St. Lucia. One of the most attractive features is with only 169 rooms; guests can experience true personal service in the intimacy of a small resort. These 169 rooms, 7 categories on 22 acres come with air conditioning, king size bed and all other amenities including mahogany furniture and tiled floor. In this resort we visited 5 different types of rooms.
The third property we visited was Sandals Regency St. Lucia. This resort is one of their largest with 327 rooms including 116 suites in 16 categories on 210 acres including its own 9 holes golf course. We visited 6 verities of rooms including private honeymoon oceanfront one bedroom villa suite with pool. All rooms includes air conditioning, mahogany four poster king size bed, hair dryer, direct dial telephone, private bath and shower, safety deposit box, clock radio, coffee maker, cable TV and iron and ironing board and tiled floor.
It has also all kinds of water sports, three pools, 2 saunas, 2 steam rooms, 2 fitness centers and 9 holes golf course.
All these three resorts in St. Lucia are with one unique point. “Stay at one, play at three”. Exchange privileges with Sandals Regency La Toc golf resort and spa in St. Lucia and Sandals Halcyon Beach St. Lucia. Guests enjoy access to even more luxurious amenities and a total of 15 restaurants from which to choose from.
This evening we attended the farewell tropical cocktails party Sandals style, including verities of food and drinks, tropical fruits and deserts.
We were 2 hours late i.e. instead of leaving St. Lucia at 6.p.m., left at 8p.m. for Newark and arrived around 1.30a.m. Obviously it was very busy FAM trip but very educational and with lots of fun.
C/P/FAM trip to Antigua & St. Lucia-9-2007
Tuesday & Wednesday September 25 and 26, 2007.
Highlights:
Tuesday September 25, 2007.
From Newark, NJ, flew in USA 3000, a charter flight to Antigua (left at around 7a.m. arrived around 11.30p.m.). After a warm welcome, our entire group was transferred to Sandals Grande Antigua. Immediately upon arrival, our tour started. This is a Five Star Diamond Resort according to the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and voted the world’s Most Romantic Resort 10 years in a row at the World Travel Awards.
This resort has 373 rooms and suites in 17 categories on 27 acres. Accommodations range from one-story buildings with patios to exotic Mediterranean Penthouse one bedroom ocean view suites and luxury ocean view villa one bedroom suites with private pools and whirlpool. Part of our tour we visited at least 6 different category rooms and we were very impressed with cleanliness, location and decoration/luxury of each room. It also offers a Sandals Signature Resort late night buffets, champagne breakfast, turn-down service nightly, a la carte snake service. In addition, a brand new all-suite Mediterranean Village with additional restaurants. We finished the tour around 1.30p.m. and right-a-way started the beach party in the “barefoot by the sea”. This relaxing party lasted almost 3 hours and we left around 5p.m. to airport for St. Lucia.
Arrived St. Lucia around 6.pm. and it took us almost two hours to go to our Sandal Resort. We were broken-down into three groups and each group was taken to different Resort. We stayed in the Sandals Grande St. Lucia. At this resort we had dinner party with entertainment by the locals and we all went to sleep very early due to a very long day with a long flight.
Wednesday September 26, 2007.
It was a clear and beautiful day and took an early morning walk, before the breakfast, and took many pictures of the property. This particular resort is blessed with a natural beauty surrounding the entire resort. After breakfast we started our tour around 8.30a.m. This particular property voted as Sandals Resorts “World’s Leading All-Inclusive” 13 years in a row. Also voted as 5 star resorts by American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.
This resort has 301 rooms and suites in 14 categories on 17 acres of land. All rooms include a grand view, Mahogany furniture, tiled floors and are custom appinted with a large private balcony or patio and designer bath – all with mesmerizing water views. Once again we visited 5 to 6 rooms and some overlooked their unique lagoon pool that lets guests swim right up-to their rooms. Continental breakfast is served in all rooms. Their brand new Rondoval suites bring tropical elegance & seclusion with private pool, whirlpool & Hammock.
The second resort we visited was Sandals Halcyon Beach St. Lucia. One of the most attractive features is with only 169 rooms; guests can experience true personal service in the intimacy of a small resort. These 169 rooms, 7 categories on 22 acres come with air conditioning, king size bed and all other amenities including mahogany furniture and tiled floor. In this resort we visited 5 different types of rooms.
The third property we visited was Sandals Regency St. Lucia. This resort is one of their largest with 327 rooms including 116 suites in 16 categories on 210 acres including its own 9 holes golf course. We visited 6 verities of rooms including private honeymoon oceanfront one bedroom villa suite with pool. All rooms includes air conditioning, mahogany four poster king size bed, hair dryer, direct dial telephone, private bath and shower, safety deposit box, clock radio, coffee maker, cable TV and iron and ironing board and tiled floor.
It has also all kinds of water sports, three pools, 2 saunas, 2 steam rooms, 2 fitness centers and 9 holes golf course.
All these three resorts in St. Lucia are with one unique point. “Stay at one, play at three”. Exchange privileges with Sandals Regency La Toc golf resort and spa in St. Lucia and Sandals Halcyon Beach St. Lucia. Guests enjoy access to even more luxurious amenities and a total of 15 restaurants from which to choose from.
This evening we attended the farewell tropical cocktails party Sandals style, including verities of food and drinks, tropical fruits and deserts.
We were 2 hours late i.e. instead of leaving St. Lucia at 6.p.m., left at 8p.m. for Newark and arrived around 1.30a.m. Obviously it was very busy FAM trip but very educational and with lots of fun.
C/P/FAM trip to Antigua & St. Lucia-9-2007