Back From Our Cruise

We're back from our NCL cruise and had a very nice time! We sailed out of Long Beach, and along with 3 enjoyable sea days, we visited Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta!

Cabo San Lucas is a great town with fun shopping and excursions. We actually swam with the dolphins at their new "Dolphin Center" located right next to the marina where the ship's tender brings you to port. We had a BLAST and would recommend the dolphin swim to anyone. If you haven't done it before... put it on your list! Amazing experience!

Next was the port of Mazatlan where we docked along the pier. My advise would be to definitely sign up for an excursion. You can take a taxi into the downtown area where they have an open-air market and butcher, and that is an experience... but after talking to other cruisers onboard that took an excursion... they had a much better time! We chose to walk around the town and really didn't get to see the beauty the Mazatlan has to offer. Still fun to see!

Puerto Vallarta was our last port on the cruise and such a great place! We jumped on the local bus for $1.00 (for both of us) and rode into downtown. The shopping and great, and the boardwalk along the beach is gorgeous! We also went into Old Town which is a definite must when visiting Puerto Vallarta! It is very charming indeed! We ended up finding the perfect ocean view table in an open air restaurant called "The Cheeky Monkey". Sat and enjoyed the ocean views while having some great Mexican dollar beers. Ahhhh... 'tis the life!

The Norwegian Star was a nice ship, one of their oldest BUT still only built in 2001. NCL definitely has the youngest fleet on the planet. It was interesting experiencing the "Freestyle Dining" option that they have onboard... and while it was enjoyable to not have to be at dinner at any particular time... I have to say that we still prefer traditional dining. There is really something to getting to know your waiters onboard and having them get to know you. It does make the dining experience more fun, personal and special!
We had a nice balcony stateroom. It wasn't the biggest and didn't seem to have as much storage as some of the other ship's we've sailed on but it was nice all the same... and of course Mark and I have a blast no matter what!!!
The nightlife on the Star was fun, and the entertainment was pretty fantastic! Some of the show they had were outstanding!
We probably don't need to cruise on NCL again in the near future, as we do prefer a little more elegance to our cruises... but all in all we really did have a fun time!

It was beautiful and 80 degrees in Mexico... and we came home to snow! What happened?? I'll get the pictures we took uploaded and on the blog soon!

Happy Cruising!

CRUISING ON NCL

Mark and I are getting excited for our next adventure... cruising the Mexican Riviera on Norwegian Cruise Lines!

We leave this weekend and can't wait to check out their product and report back our thoughts and some pictures. We have cruised many times on (almost) all the other cruise lines, but not NCL so this will be a great opportunity for us to experience Freestyle Cruising!

We will be sailing on the Norwegian Star and we're looking forward to seeing the highlights of this ship. Stay tuned for news upon our return!

Happy Cruising!!

Princess's New RUBY PRINCESS!

Princess Cruises has just taken delivery of their newest addition, Ruby Princess!

The 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess includes a dramatic piazza-style atrium featuring small-bite eateries and an ever-changing array of performing street entertainers. Passengers will also enjoy Princess' other array of dining venues including the signature Sabatini's Italian restaurant and the Crown Grill Steak and Seafood restaurant, plus a relaxing oasis just for adults called The Sanctuary. Their new ship offers many other innovations that define the Princess experience, including the popular Movies Under the Stars poolside movie screen, Personal Choice Dining, multiple entertainment venues, a relaxing Asian-style Lotus Spa with fitness center, an extensive children and teen's center, a wedding chapel and nearly 900 staterooms with private balconies.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is so much to be thankful for! Here's wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving day tomorrow.

And remember... Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence! Go Seahawks!!

Royal Caribbean Revises Disembarkation Process

Royal Caribbean International introduced new procedures fleetwide to further ease the departure process on all ships! The company also added programming for guests who are staying onboard for multiple sailings. “We listened to our guests’ feedback regarding the opportunity to transform the departure experience and responded with the launch of a refreshed process fleetwide,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president-hotel operations at Royal Caribbean. “Early testing aboard Freedom of the Seas has yielded very positive guest feedback, with the enhanced communications cited as one of the most helpful tools for our guests on departure day. We also continue to see an increase in guests sailing with us for multiple cruises and our focus on special communications and programming for these guests will also greatly enhance their overall cruise experience.

”On departure day, guests will have extended access to their staterooms, as well as continued in-stateroom TV entertainment. Guests also will receive an “As You Depart” notice, which communicates the new enhancements and the location of departure lounges offering refreshments and light entertainment. Among the departure lounges will be a dedicated Family Zone, which will include refreshments, toys and games geared toward younger cruisers. Guests in suites will be treated to an exclusive continental breakfast hosted by guest services or the concierge. Additionally, there will be a minimal amount of ship-wide public announcements all morning to maintain a relaxing atmosphere, with nearly all departure updates limited to the departure lounges and through the in-stateroom TV programming. Guests may also elect to carry their own luggage as part of the Express Departure option. Express Departure allows guests to disembark the ship first and as soon as the gangway is opened and cleared by local authorities!

Guests sailing on multiple consecutive cruises will receive a special Compass, a variation of the daily Cruise Compass program schedule. The special Compass will offer an overview that includes the following sailing’s itinerary highlights -- such as entertainment and dining events throughout the guests’ stay -- as well as special events exclusively for guests on consecutive cruises. Consecutive cruises guests will receive special attention, activities and dining options, including personalized services, a letter from the hotel director, calls from Guest Services, and assistance to ensure main dining room seating requests are made in advance of the following cruise.

We're very excited about this change and look forward to seeing it for ourselves!

GREAT DEALS FOR THE DAY!

Here are some great deals that we've found:

Carnival 7-Night, Exotic Eastern Caribbean - Fort Lauderdale r/t
Ship Splendor - New ship
Sail date 12/20/08
Inside $599
Ocean $799
Balcony $1049

Offering our customers coupon booklets and free upgrades to the best available cabins in select categories on most 2009 sailings.
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Royal Caribbean 7-Night, Western Caribbean - Galveston r/t
Ship Voyager of the Sea
Sail Date 01/25/09
Inside $499
Outside $649
Balcony $1149

Discounts of $50 to $200 per cabin for military personnel on select sailings. As an added bonus, this discount may be extended to non-military family or friends traveling on the same departure (limited to a maximum of 2 additional cabins). Royal Caribbean is also offering onboard credits of $100 to $200 per cabin on select 2009 cruise tours in Alaska, Australia, Europe and South America. Past passengers of Royal Caribbean will receive additional discounts of $25 to $200 per cabin on select sailings. Finally, Royal Caribbean is offering additional discounts of $100 to $200 per cabin on select 2009 Alaska and Europe cruises.
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Cunard - 15 Nights Caribbean
Ship Queen Mary 2
Sail Date 12/19/08
Inside $1295
Outside $2095
Balcony $2295

Reduced deposits plus onboard credits of $50 to $600 per stateroom on select Europe and trans-Atlantic sailings. Cunard is also offering our customers free pre-paid gratuities plus shipboard credits of $650 to $1800 per stateroom on newly released 2010 World Cruises and certain World Cruise segments. Finally, Cunard is offering shipboard credits of $50 to $300 on most upcoming sailings.
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Celebrity 7-Night, Western Mediterranean - Barcelona r/t
Ship Century
Sail Date 10/31/09
Inside $699
Outside $999
Balcony $1399

Celebrity is offering additional discounts of $100 to $200 per stateroom on select cruises.
Celebrity is also offering shipboard credits of $200 to $300 per stateroom on select cruise tours. And, Celebrity is offering shipboard credits of $25 to $100 per stateroom on select sailings.
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Norwegian 7-night Mexican Riviera - Los Angeles r/t
Ship Spirit
Sail date 4/11/09
Inside $599
Outside $699
Balcony $949
Also shipboard credits of $50 to $100 per cabin on select Alaska and Bermuda cruises. Shipboard credits of $30 to $60 per cabin on select Bahamas, Caribbean and Mexico cruises.
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Call to get your name on a stateroom with these prices today! These really are great rates and special descounts so take advantage.

More Pictures of the Celebrity Solstice!

Royal Caribbean and Nickelodeon Partner Again!

Royal Caribbean International and Nickelodeon announced plans to once again set sail together on two brand-new cruise adventures in summer 2009. Based on the success of the first-ever, sold-out "Nickelodeon Family Cruise With Royal Caribbean," the two companies are teaming up to offer families new cruises, one from each U.S. coast.

The first cruise departs July 26 from Los Angeles on the Mariner of the Seas, bound for the colorful Mexican Riviera (exact ports-of-call to be determined). Then on August 9 the Freedom of the Seas sets sail from Port Canaveral to call on the Eastern Caribbean ports of St. Thomas and St. Maarten, plus Royal Caribbean's private Bahamian island, CocoCay.

The "Nickelodeon Family Cruise With Royal Caribbean" brings families experiences that are unique to the cruise industry. Traveling to exotic destinations, the cruise vacation is designed for every member of the family - kids, parents, and grandparents. It brings together the entertainment expertise of Nickelodeon with the cruise expertise of Royal Caribbean. Onboard, Nickelodeon will provide families with such experiences as interactive game shows; meet-and-greets and performances by their favorite Nickelodeon stars; never-before-seen screenings and premieres of new, original Nick TV shows and movies; visits with favorite Nick characters including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Diego - and plenty of Nickelodeon's signature slime!

For more information, call us today!

Holland America's Personalized Shore Excursions

Holland America Line has launched a new shore-excursion e-brochure online systems for it's guests to view and print shore-excursion information for booked cruises. Now, you can receive up-to-the-minute, personalized information that is specific to your itinerary. This technological web enhancement allows you to access and update any shore excursions that apply to you cruise itinerary on a 24-hour/7-day basis.

Besides tailoring the shore excursion e-brochures to your ship and sail date, the online versions offer you the same useful information as the print versions but with two newly added and helpful features: tour pricing and excursion departure times.

By visiting the shore excursions page on Holland America's website, you simply need to input your booking number and last name, click on the "View Your Personalized Shore Excursion Brochure" link, and a personalized e-brochure will immediately download. The shore-excursion e-brochure will present all available shore excursions for your booked cruise. You have the option of continuing their shore-excursion viewing online, printing their personalized e-brochure for review at a later date, or booking their tours immediately. Additionally, you may review your personalized shore-excursion e-brochure from six months to a year before your cruise departure date.

Quote of the Day

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” - Samuel Johnson

FIRST VISIT TO CELEBRITY'S "SOLSTICE"!

As invited guests of Celebrity Cruises, Linda and Dorsey will be sailing on the inaugural cruise of the Celebrity Solstice!! They are VERY excited for their adventure coming up this week, and I know are looking forward to sharing their experience upon their return.

The new Celebrity Solstice has a half-acre lawn of real grass on the top deck, and is scheduled to cruise the Eastern Caribbean. The seven-night itinerary includes port calls in San Juan, St. Maarten and St. Kitts. The Solstice will continue with Caribbean itineraries through Spring 2009.

The lawn on the top deck isn't just for show! Guests will be able to play bocce and croquet, practice putting and picnic on the grass with wine and cheese. The ship also has two theaters, a casino, spa, shops, lounges, bars and clubs, five cafes and bistros, and four specialty restaurants in addition to the main dining room. A "Hot Glass Show" will feature master glassblowers from the Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York. For kids ages 3-12, there's a "Fun Factory". while teenagers get their own space, the X Club.

Check out the pictures below and more will be posted after the inaugural cruise!

Carnival's New "Dream" Reaches Construction Milestone

Carnival Cruise Lines’ 130,000-ton Carnival Dream achieved a significant construction milestone when it was floated out from its outfitting quay at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. The 3,646-passenger ship is set to debut in September 2009.
The initial stages of a cruise ship’s construction take place in a dry-dock facility. Once exterior outfitting is completed, the dry-dock is filled with water and the ship is floated out and moved to a wet-dock facility where construction continues.

Carnival Dream will offer a new concept in dining and entertainment called the Piazza, elaborate children’s facilities including an aqua park, whirlpools that extend out over the ship’s beam, and a variety of new stateroom categories to appeal to families. Carnival Dream is scheduled to enter service Sept. 21, 2009, with the first of three 12-day Mediterranean voyages from Rome (Civitavecchia) followed by a 16-day transatlantic crossing from Civitavecchia to New York Oct. 27 to Nov. 12, 2009. The ship will then operate two eight-day voyages from New York before repositioning to Port Canaveral to launch year-round seven-day Caribbean service Dec. 5, 2009. For more information, contact us today.

Double-Duty Vacation Items

Some new uses for old things:

Address Labels -
ORIGINAL PURPOSE: Telling the post office where to return a letter.
AHA! USE: Tagging precious travel items, such as your iPod and digital camera. If you accidentally leave one in your cruise ship cabin, a Good Samaritan will know where to mail it.
REWARD: A homing device for your traveling companions!

Book Cover -
ORIGINAL PURPOSE: Protecting your biology textbook.
AHA! USE: Letting you blend in with the locals. A travel guide screams "I'm lost!" but cloaking it in pretty paper or the jacket of a book in the native language will give you a much lower profile.
REWARD: Being asked for directions instead of taken for a ride.

Water Bottle -
ORIGINAL PURPOSE: Providing hydration.
AHA! USE: Preventing souvenir maps, ticket stubs, postcards, and museum brochures from bending or tearing in your suitcase. Just roll them up and drop them into a dry, wide-mouthed bottle.
REWARD: Well-preserved mementos without a wrinkle in time.

Plastic Wrap -
ORIGINAL PURPOSE: Keeping leftovers fresh.
AHA! USE: Avoiding suitcase messes. When packing shampoo or lotion, unscrew the bottle's cap and cover the opening with plastic wrap, then screw the cap back on. Liquid is less likely to ooze from an accidentally opened spout.
REWARD: A whoops-free travel wardrobe.

Royal Caribbean Announces Dubai Itinerary

Royal Caribbean International has announced a seven-night, roundtrip itinerary for its inaugural season from the homeport of Dubai. You can choose among 13 sailings aboard Brilliance of the Seas to destinations in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman. The Dubai cruises from January through April 2010 are now available for booking.

In addition to overnight stays in Dubai at the beginning and conclusion of the voyage, the itinerary includes a call at Muscat, the capital of Oman, and maiden ports of call at Mina Sulman in Bahrain as well as Fujairah and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. There is also an itinerary that sails to Europe, where you spend 14-nights between Barcelona and Dubai via the Suez Canal. A January 4, 2010 sailing from Barcelona will call at Aqaba, Jordan and the Egyptian ports of Alexandria, Safaga, and Sharm El Sheikh. The April 19 return voyage will call at Safaga, Sharm El Sheikh, Alexandria and Muscat.

Royal Caribbean joins Costa as a cruise line that is homeporting ships in Dubai. Costa Classica and Costa Victoria operate out of Dubai from November through April and Costa's sister company, Aida Cruises, also operates cruises from Dubai.

Celebrity's 3-Day Post Election SALE-A-BRATION!

SAVE 50% OFF THE 2ND GUEST!

It's Celebrity's 3-Day Post-Election Sale-a-bration - and you're invited to enjoy substantial savings!

For three days only, November 5-7, you can take 50% off the regular fare for the 2nd guest in your stateroom on most sailings in January and February 2009.

Contact us for more details. 1-800-570-6407