Cruising Quest

Most times I tend to talk more about cruising in terms of great cruises for lower prices.  But, the fact is that at the lowest priced cruises are often those that are in the most modest staterooms. Sometimes you want to have a little more space to spread out in, especially if you are going on a lengthy cruise and are traveling with family.  So, this post is going to be about the staterooms designated as suites.  The floor plans for suites will change from cruise line to cruise line as well as the amenities offered when you book a suite.  This post will talk about what you can expect in a suite on the cruise lines listed. Also, this will be a multi part topic.

Carnival

A suite with Carnival is based off of the Carnival Conquest’s plan and is basically just a bigger stateroom.  Along with what looks like a king size bed you get an entertainment area, a separate sitting area, a fridge, a VCR (hopefully a DVD player in this age), a private balcony, a dressing table, and a walk in closet. These suites are also in better areas of the ship as they are categories 11 and 12 which can be found on the Lido and Empress decks.  These suites are still one room but will give you a little more space and a little more luxury.  Don’t forget to ask about the additional perks for booking a suite on this liner, often you get some complementary gifts to welcome you to your room.

Celebrity

This cruise line actually has 4 types of suites, the Sky Suite and Century Suite are actually similar to the suites on Carnival as they are just bigger, nicer rooms with more amenities. However, the Royal Suites and Penthouse Suites are a little more to write home about.  Both have a separate bedroom and “living area” with a fold out sofa, which is nice if children are in tow and mommy and daddy want to have your own space away from them at nights (hubba hubba). They both have the big fancy entertainment systems that include 40” TVs and DVD players.  They both have wireless internet, walk in closets, separate showers, and verandas with sliding glass doors.  And this is where the two top suites separate. 

The Royal Suite has a private whirlpool tub, but the Penthouse Suite has its own oversized bathroom with double sinks  and an additional guest powder room, not to mention the private whirlpool on the veranda.  Along with these things the Penthouse suite also has a separate dining room with a butlers pantry/wet bar. And a couple of smaller bonuses to the Penthouse Suite is the king size bed in the bedroom is actually a king size bed rather than the usual twin beds converted to a queen size, and then there is a fax machine.  What more could you want! 

Oh wait!  There’s more!  Celebrity has Their exclusive European Butlers service when you book a sweet. I am just going to cut and paste here, this is what you will get with that: Welcome champagne, Daily fruit selection, Fresh-cut flowers, Daily hors d’oeuvres, Menu of pillows - Conformance, Body, Goose, and Isotonic®, Duvets and pillow-top mattresses, Leather key holder, personalized stationery and tote bag, Double-thick Frette bathrobes, Complimentary espresso & cappuccino. Holey Connolly!  That’s a lot of stuff.  And the cool thing about the European Butler Service is you get this with any of the four types of suites you have to choose from. Nice! All four types of suites are found on the penthouse deck of the ship, Sky suites are also found on the sports deck. 

 Now I want to make sure you know that I didn’t write down the suite features from each ship for Celebrity, there are differences on almost every ship and there’s just to many to cover them all.  For example on the Century Suite is not available on some of the ships, where you might find the Celebrity Suite on a few ships (really great windowed sitting area.  Also the butler service may change from ship to ship. And let me just say check out the penthouse suites on the Infinity and Millennium; 1432 square feet of posh luxury and 1098 square feet of awesome veranda!  My point is from ship to ship the suites may look very different so check them out before you book; but they will always be in prime ship locations, be the larger rooms available and will have some pretty sweet butler service!  So, enough about Celebrity, obviously in terms of the suite life, they rock.

Disney

Disney has three types of suites but only two of them have two bedrooms so I will just write about those.  The first suite is the Two-Bedroom Suite with Verandah.  This room sleeps seven people in its two bedrooms with queen size beds and living room with convertible sofa.  There are 2.5 bathrooms that have whirlpool tub, walk-in closets, and wet bar. As the name suggests there is private veranda and then all kinds of in room amenities like TV and VCR (hopefully DVD here), mini fridge, safe, climate control, etc… And you get some great suite amenities like in-suite dining from any of the rotation restaurants and Palo, Egyptian cotton linens, gifts, and all kinds of other features (similar to Celebrities European Butler Service). Rockin!  The Royal Suite with Verandah on Disney’s cruise line has all of the same setup as the Two Bedroom Suite but the second bedroom has two twin beds and two pull-down upper berths rather than a queen size bed.  Also there will be a pantry, and media library with this liner.  Disney knows how to make a family feel welcome!  These suites can be found on deck 8.

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I got an email from Carnival a couple days ago and thought I would pass along the information.   There is a music festival hosted by popular band Barenaked Ladies.   This is the second time this festival has been held, but it has been said that the first one was so much fun they are skipping to the thrid, hence, the second festival is called Ships and Dip III.

This cruise sounds like a great time with some fantastic artists to see.  You can find out more information from the official Ships and Dip III website, but here are the basics:

The festival will be held on Carnival’s Victory

The Victory set sail on January 27th, 2008 from Miami, Florida and return on February 1, 2008.

CRUISE ITINERARY (subject to change)

• Sunday, January 27, 2008 - depart Miami FL on the Carnival Victory (approx 4:00pm ET) * You must be on board by 3:00pm - Please plan your travel to the port accordingly

• Monday, January 28, 2008 – Rock Day At Sea!

• Tuesday, January 29, 2008 – Grand Cayman (approx 7:00am – 4:00pm ET)

• Wednesday, January 30, 2008 – Ocho Rios, Jamaica (approx 7:30am – 3:30pm ET)

• Thursday, January 31, 2008 - Rock Day At Sea!

• Friday, February 1, 2008 - arrive Miami FL (approx 8:00am ET)
* It is not advised to book a flight any earlier than 12 Noon on the 1st - Customs could delay debarkation

The Artists Playing the Cruise

Barenaked Ladies
Guster
Great Big Sea
Gaelic Storm
Carbon Leaf
Oakhust
New Odds
Jason Plumb
Howie Beck
Sarah Perrotta
Sarah Hamer
54 Seconds
Brian MacMillan
Thin Buckle
David Aiken
Debra DiGiovanni
Boothby Graffoe

There are very limited tickets left for Ships and Dip III so be sure to check out the details and book soon if you plan to attend!

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Click on this link to book this cruise. Click “Top Deals” and then Carnival’s link for “Last Minute Cruises” to find this cruise and other great opportunities!

3 Night Bahamas on Carnival 

This Cruise of the Week is part of the “Last Minute Deals” on Travelocity and the pricing starts at $299 per person (double occupancy) for an inside cabin. The cruise I have selected is short three night cruise suitable for a luxurious long weekend.

Although the best pricing for this cruise is for the long weekend beginning November 8th, you can also book this cruise for a nice mini break departing November 15th, 22nd, and 29th.

Itinerary: (Day one of this cruise will begin on a Thursday for which ever date you book)

Day 1: Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida - Departure 4:30pm

Day 2: 10:00am arrival in Nassau, Bahamas. You will leave this port of call at 7:00am the next morning for a day at sea.

Day 3: Day at Sea!

Day 4: Arrive in Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida again at 7:00am.

Nassau, Bahamas

“The laid back atmosphere of the islands of The Bahamas make them the perfect ports to relax and unwind. The sun drenched shores of Nassau and Freeport feature sophisticated shopping, sizzling nightlife, delicious Caribbean cuisine and much more. And, the pristine white sand, turquoise waters, gentle surf and exotic marine life provide a paradise for any beach aficionado. With world-class fishing, historical forts, Victorian mansions, museums, vibrant bazaars and colorful Caribbean houses — there’s always plenty to see and do.” - www.carnival.com

On this cruise you will get to spend a full day in Nassau so there is plenty of time to go on excursions, and there are so many to experience. Whether you like visiting tourist places like gardens, zoos, or historical tours; or you like to soak up some adventure by going kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, or maybe even a treasure hunt; there is so much to choose from. Click here to checkout some of the excursions available to you on this cruise.

For this vacation you will cruise to the Bahamas on Carnival’s Sensation.

The Sensation includes many wonderful public rooms for your entertainment which include:
Fantasia Lounge
The Oak Room
Fantasy Dining Room
Ecstasy Dining Room
Plaza Lounge
Polo Lounge
Kaleidoscope Dance Club
Michelangelo’s Lounge
Joe’s Cafe and Internet
Mirage Bar
Club Vegas Casino

You will never be board when you are cruising on Carnival’s Sensation!

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For some people trying to figure out where they want to go on a cruise is just too much. There are so many places to go how do you choose? And then there are some who just don’t really want to go anywhere particular, they just want to go somewhere to have a good time.

Well, for these people, and of course, for anyone else who is interested there is always the private island. While the concept of a private island vacation is nothing new a handful of cruise liners have setup their own private islands as a destination point.

Here is a list of a few cruise lines that offer their own private island vacations:

Disney Cruise Line’s Castaway Cay

Carnival Cruises’s Funship Island

Royal Caribbean’s Labadee and Coco Cay

Holland America’s Half Moon Cay

Princess Cruise’s Princess Cays

Now a couple of these are more “private beach” than “private island” but that’s ok, the effect is probably very similar.

So, if decision making is not your cup of tea and you just want to go “somewhere” than this is a good options for you. Heck, it’s a good option anyway. Private islands are loads of fun! Check out their websites to see what kinds of activities and beaches these islands have and find one that suits you.

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It’s not the motion of the ocean, it’s a conflict in the brain :p

When discussing the topic of cruising someone will always bring up motion sickness (or sea sickness), and often there is a colorful story to go along with their reasons for behind being worried about boats. The concern about motion sickness is completely with merit as once motion sickness starts it is hard to get it to go away.

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart because I suffer from motion sickness under certain circumstances, one of those circumstances being in a boat on the water. However, for me, it’s not a straight equation “me + boat = green gills and groaning”. It seems like my motion sickness starts inside, where there are no windows; or it starts when there is a lot of movement. But I digress.

What I want to discuss in this post is how to deal with motion sickness, because the last thing you want to do is get on a cruise ship and find out that there will be no fun because you can’t muster the energy to get out of your bed because of motion sickness.

So first, what is motion sickness? It helps to know what we are dealing with. According to WebMD, and in simplest terms, motion sickness is basically a disconnect between what you are sensing and what you are seeing. So, you are on a cruise ship in your cabin that as no windows. You can feel or “sense” the ship moving (maybe you have hit some choppy water or something like that) so your body sends your brain a signal that says “we have movement here we need some balance”. But since you are in your windowless cabin everything looks steady and grounded so you do not “see” the motion and your eyes are sending a signal saying “every thing is a-okay, sure and steady no need for extra support”. So, your body and brain are all confused because how can this be “I can FEEL the movement but I don’t SEE it!!”; your brain is getting conflicting signals and Thus, your stomach goes all funky, you might get a headache and feel the need liberate your lunch. Not a fun day at sea.

So now that I have freaked you out with a little science let me assure you of a couple of things. First, not everyone gets motion sickness. Second, motion sickness comes in degrees so even if you have a tendency to get a little motion sick it might not be as bad as you think on the cruise ship.

Also, it bears mentioning that these cruise ships are very large and made of sturdy stuff, it take some pretty big waves to create even moderate movement on them. It is very likely that for the majority of your trip you will not notice much movement at all and thus will not have to worry much about motion sickness.

However, motion sickness does happen, so what do you do if you should develop some green around the gills?

Well, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (always wanted to say that ) The nature of motion sickness is that it is a lot easier to deal with before you get green and grumpy. So here are a few ideas (and please talk to your your doctor to decide which is right for you) :

• Ginger Pills (capsules filled with powdered ginger): I swear by ginger. I get seriously motion sick during pregnancy, I used to keep ginger suckers around and they helped a lot. I also caught an episode of the popular science show Mythbusters (episode 43) in which they tested some motion sickness remedies and they found that ginger worked even better than the popular Dramamine.
• Antihistimines: For example, Dramamine (dimenhydrinate), Benadryl (diphenhydramine), and Antivert (meclizine). These are some over the counter medications.
• Promethazine hydrochloride (Anergan, Phenergan). These are prescription medications.
• Scopolamine patch (Transderm Scop) or pills (Scopace). This medication is also prescription.
• Acupressure bands. These work by applying pressure to key pressure points that are supposed to alleviate the symptoms of motion sickness. I have heard mixed reviews regarding this method.

One thing to keep in mind regarding any of these methods is to start using them BEFORE you start feeling the symptoms of motion sickness. So, if you know you get motion sick take your pills, stick your patch, or put on your band before setting foot on the ship. It is way easier to keep your self from getting the symptoms than getting rid of them once you have them.

So what happens if you do get motion sick, is all hope lost? Nope. Just find the most still place you can and stay there until the symptoms go away. For me going outside helps; I think there is a mental aspect to motion sickness and just being outside where I see, feel, and know there is movement seems to help. Also, you will make plenty of stops along the way, so if you get motion sick take advantage of that. Get off the boat, setting your feet on land for a few hours will go a long way to make you feel better, and while you are on land pop your pills and have a good time for the rest of the trip. And don’t forget there is a ship infirmary, if you need some help do not hesitate to go ask for it, the folks that work there want to help you.

Don’t be afraid of a little motion sickness, you can get around it and have a great time. One of my favorite book series (called Outlander by Diana Gabaldon) has a main character who gets terribly and completely motion sick just standing on a docked boat found a cure in acupuncture, apparently some people actually do this; the thought of walking around with little needles sticking out of my ears always made me laugh. Just goes to show that where there is a will there is a way!

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There are lots of questions revolving round the passport issue right now. To make this a simple issue lets just say that yes you need a passport and so does your child, regardless of age.

International security has become a huge issue and requires that anyone traveling outside of the U.S. have a passport to get back into the country; other countries require a passport for entrance. It’s best to be prepared for the unexpected when traveling. For example, if you miss the boat after an on shore excursion you may need to fly out of that country to get to the next port, or to get home. Or perhaps you miss the boat at the beginning cruise port and need to fly out of the U.S. to the next port of call to get on the ship. So, since you never know what might happen get yourself and anyone who will be traveling with you a passport.

Okay, so you need a passport, how do you get one? Basically you get a passport picture, get your identification and proof of citizenship together, fill out the application, submit the application, submit the fees and wait. Simple right? Kind of. The first time I got my passport I ended up going to the post office three times because my picture wasn’t right and then the application wasn’t exactly right. Save your self some time and make sure you get everything in order BEFORE standing online at the post office.

The U.S. Department of State Passport Page is the best place to get up to date applications and information on getting yourself a passport, renewing your passport, replacing a lost passport, and obtaining a passport for your child.

Some things to keep in mind (and please verify on the Passport Page in case I forgot something):

• DO NOT SIGN YOUR APPLICATION until you are instructed to do so by the passport acceptance agent.

• BOTH PARENTS MUST SIGN A MINOR’S PASSPORT APPLICATION.

• The passport applicant must appear in person (regardless of age) when applying for the first passport or replacing a misplaced or damaged passport.

• Passports generally take 6 to 8 weeks to process and be mailed back; you can expedite that for $60 + overnight shipping costs in addition to the normal cost.

• Currently the cost of a passport is $97 for anyone 16 and older, and $82 for children under 16.

• You will need to submit your certified birth certificate, if you don’t have one there are other options listed on the passport site.

• You will need proof of identity (like a drivers license or millitary ID)

• For minors without ID parents must provide proof of identity and vouch for the child.

• You will need to have 2 passport photos that meet the photo requirements (I’ll post those below).

• You will need to provide a Social Security Number.

These are basic application requirements but there are a whole slew of alternate options that will serve in place of the standard birth certificate and drivers license options. These will be listed in the document How To Apply For A Passport.

Also, the photo requirements are as follows:

• 2×2 inches in size

• Identical

• Taken within the past 6 months, showing current appearance

• Color

• Full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background

• Between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head

• Taken in normal street attire
  • Uniforms should not be worn in photographs except religious attire that is worn daily.
  • Do not wear a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline.
  • If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture.
  • Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons. A medical certificate may be required.

There are a lot of places that offer passport photos. I went to CVS to get mine and ended up having spend more money to get new photos made since the CVS cashier I got that day didn’t understand the passport photo requirements. My suggestion is to get your picture from a place that understands the requirements and knows how to produce a picture with them. Kinko’s worked well for me, and many U.S. Post Office locations offer passport photo service as well. The little photo booths in the mall are not going to work.

You can use this link to find the Passport Acceptance Agency closest to you.

So now you have an idea of what to do and where to find more information, get this process started early you will be happy you did. Have fun!

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When someone mentioned cruising I used to get a mental picture of cute white haired old couples decked out in white linen pants, Hawaiian shirts, and big floppy hats playing shuffleboard and swarming the buffets. Besides being a really bad stereotype this image is not particularly true; so when Rich and I went on our first cruise I was surprised to see lots of people from all age groups and backgrounds.

While my mental stereotype of cruising may have had some truth to it at one time, today cruising is becoming a wonderful vacation option for the whole family. Many cruise lines are adding children’s programs, or beefing up their existing programs, to accommodate the needs of the traveling family. In addition to simple family vacation programs some cruise lines are also implementing schooling programs which are wonderful to supplement a conventional education or to be a part of alternative schooling methods (like homeschooling).

The coolest part about vacationing with your family on a cruise is that mom and dad can have quite a bit of time to themselves knowing their children are safe and cared for and having a good time. Cruise lines are really going all out to give the kids some great on board programs to keep them busy and entertained. What could be better than an experience where everyone has a great time, plenty of family together time and plenty of alone time for mom and dad?

Some of the programs you might be interested in for your kids are as follows:

• Carnival: Carnival has several programs that are based on age groups. Some of the bigger programs include Club O2 for teens 15-17, Circle “C” for teens 12-14, and Camp Carnival for kids 2-11. The Camp Carnival is further broken down into three age groups 2-5, 6-8, and 9-11. Age appropriate activities, parties, movies, and tons of other entertainment is available for the kids in each of these programs.

• Disney: For kids 3-12 Disney has the Oceaneer’s Club, for children 13-17 there’s the Oeaneer’s Lab. Both of these programs offer activities separated by age, as well as offering special teen only areas and family play areas. In addition Disney has pools that are reserved for families only including a pool for the little ones wearing swimmers. Another cool feature Disney offers is a pager for the parents so that they can feel confident that they are within reach should their children need them. True to Disney style their cruises have so much for families to do it is hard to list it all here.

• Royal Caribbean: Royal Caribbean has a parent participation program called Fisher Price Playgroups for kids between 6 months to 36 months old. This program offers activities for small children to do with their parents that will help them learn while they have fun, each session is 45 minutes. This cruise line also has another program for children who are 3 (and potty trained) to 17 called Adventure Ocean. Adventure Ocean splits the children into the following age groups: 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, and 15-17. The activities will be age appropriate, and the older teens will have a little more freedom to come and go and to participate in the teen only night club. Adventure Ocean is a great program that is fun but also engages your children in educational experiences.

• Celebrity: For children under 3 there is a parent participation program called Toddler Time where parents can accompany their toddler into the Fun Factory to play with toys, participate in activities, and interact with other children their age. For children 3 (and potty trained) and over there are several programs to chose from; program name and age group are as follows: Ship Mates 3-6, Celebrity Cadets 7-9, Ensigns 10-12, and Admiral Ts 13-17. Celebrity tends to cater less to families than the other three cruise lines listed.

Cruise lines are going the extra mile to make cruising family friendly and that is evident in the programs they offer for the youth experience. One thing I might suggest would be to consider waiting until your child is potty trained before bringing them along on a cruise as both you and your child will have a better experience for it. On many ships, those children who are not potty trained will not be able to get into the pools or participate in some activities without their parents. Most cruise ship will cater to your needs should you bring your toddler with you, however, if you want some alone time with your traveling companion you will have to make use of the babysitting services that most cruise ships offer which will incur a per hour cost.

Having said that, cruising, no matter how old your children are, is a great way to expand your families world, to learn new things, and to spend some quality time together.

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Have you ever planned a great vacation only to end up spending half of it in your room because of bad weather? All of that planning wasted due to rain or snow or another sort of vacation dampening weather. So one of the most common cruise questions is “when is the best time to book a cruise to avoid bad weather”?

Most people would think that being in a ship on the water would cause weather to be of even more concern than if you were visiting a land resort or other inland vacation spot. This is not so. If you look at your options for cruising you will likely notice that most cruises are not available year around, there are specific seasons for most destinations. The seasonal aspect of most destinations is due to strategic scheduling done by the cruise lines in effort to guarantee their cruisers the best possible vacation.

In addition to strategically scheduling their cruises around locational weather patterns, cruise liners track current weather patterns and if they see a weather event that has even a slight chance of interrupting the cruise for their customers they reassess whether the route needs to change, or even the itinerary. The object is to offer their cruisers a great time, so if they have to cruise around the bad weather to avoid it they will.

So with all of this planning the cruise liners do, and the versatility they have with route and itinerary it is very unlikely your cruise will even encounter bad weather. However, if your ship does encounter a storm of some sort, you are on a cruise ship! You can just move the party indoors and still have a blast! So, while there is no guarantee that bad weather won’t find you, there are plenty of contingency plans in place to make sure your vacation is still just as fun and safe as it can be.

But still, some of you will still want to know when the bad weather is. I will give you a few rules of thumb to consider when scheduling your cruise.

The first rule of thumb is to pay attention to destinational seasons, if you book your trip in the middle of peak season you will likely not have to worry about weather. The Seasons are as follows (approximately):

• Alaska - May through September

• North America/Canada - May Through Early November

• Caribbean - October through April

• Europe - April through November

• Mediterranean - Mid January through December

• Africa - November through March

• South America - November through April

• Asia - October through April

• South Pacific - Year around with off peak season cruising from March through October

• Antarctica - January through February with an off peak season cruising in December

With the exception of the South Pacific and Antarctica, which have off peak seasons stated, the off peak season cruising times will be the first and last weeks of the seasons listed for each of the above destinations. (If price is a factor for you the off peak seasons will be less expensive).

The next rule of thumb is to remember that if you cruise during the off peak seasons there is a greater chance of seasonal weather impacting your vacation, but usually it will not be greatly impacting.

The final rule of thumb is to check with the cruise line or a good weather service like The Weather Channel to find out what the local weather is expected to be during the dates you are planning to travel. The Weather Channel has an online Vacation and Travel Planner that has great information about when to travel various destinations around the world.

If you follow these guidelines weather should be the least of your concerns during your trip, which will leave you plenty of time to worry about whether to go snorkeling in the crystal blue Caribbean or perhaps whale watching in the cold wild of Alaska. Either way, sounds like an adventure to me!

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