Royal Caribbean Cruises "Voyager of the Seas" - 2000 Caribbean
During the planning of our cruise on the "Grand Princess" we started to hear more and more details about the ship that was to eventually take the place of the "Grand Princess" as the largest cruise ship ever built. This ship, Royal Caribbean's "Voyager of the Seas", was entering the final stages of construction and testing at the time we were on our cruise onboard the "Grand Princess". The final stats for "Voyager" are staggering. Over 1000 feet in length and over 130,000 tons, she can carry over 3500 passengers at a time. She entered service in October 1999 and there was an immediate buzz in the industry. The ship represents a complete departure from conventional cruise ship design. Industry firsts such as an onboard ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, rollerblading track and 50's style diner were incorporated. The most striking design feature is the Royal Promenade which runs down the center of the ship and is basically a suburban shop and bar lined boulevard in the middle of the ship. According to industry sources, the CEO of Princess Cruises was given a tour of "Voyager" and he admitted that Royal Caribbean had outdone Princess and was successful in achieving what Princess was not able to do with the "Grand Princess". Having now been on both ships, he was right.
After booking our cruise, time seemed to fly and it was soon time to get our flight to Miami for our cruise. The ship is so huge it was easily visible from the airplane as we were approaching the airport for landing. It can also be seen for over a mile while we were being shuttled to the ship. It was quite a site. Again we made use of the cruise line's airfare and transfer package so we didn't have to worry about our bags once they were checked at the airport in New Jersey. All the boarding and check in procedures were relatively painless and the lines moved quickly. Our cabin, a deluxe outside stateroom with a balcony, was very well appointed and roomy. The balcony, our first, was a very nice addition. Once done settling in we embarked on our tour of the ship which basically took the rest of the week to complete. We were still finding lounges and bars on the final day of the trip. The ship was amazing. There is not enough room here to describe it in detail. Both Lisa and I agreed, hands down, that this was by far the best cruise we had ever been on. The food and entertainment were exceptional, especially the onboard Italian Restaurant. The children's program is one of the best in the industry. This was our son's first cruise and he had a great time in the Adventure Ocean program. The real attraction though is the ship. It is as good as any land based resort with the only difference being that it also takes you to exotic places.
The itinerary was OK. It was our first trip to the Eastern Caribbean. The ship stopped at Labadee, a small portion of Haiti owned by Royal Caribbean. It contains private beaches and recreational areas. Only Royal Caribbean ships have access to Labadee. It was lots of fun and lunch was served at two cafes on the beach by the ship's personnel. The second stop was Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We did not leave the ship in Jamaica because we did not have an excursion planned and we just felt like exploring the ship some more. Our final stop was Cozumel, Mexico. We had a great shore excursion there which was the highlight of the trip. We took the Jeep Safari tour where you get assigned a Jeep to drive in a caravan that takes you across Cozumel Island. The best part was that most of the trip was off-road on dirt trails. It was great. The tour stopped at some Mayan ruins and finally a private beach where a complimentary Mexican lunch buffet was served before the return drive.
For those of you who are wary of the size of the ship, let me just say that it was the smoothest ship we have ever been on. Most of the time you could not tell that the ship was moving. Yes the ship does hold over 3500 passengers and many critics have said that these large ships are too crowded. Prior to this cruise I would have agreed, but this ship was not in any way overcrowded. An announcement by the captain shortly after we left Miami revealed that the ship was completely booked and that our cruise was going to be in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest number of passengers ever carried by a passenger vessel in peacetime. The total passenger number was in excess of 3600 and it did not feel overcrowded. Royal Caribbean has now become our favorite cruise line and you can check out their web site at royalcaribbean.com or rccl.com for more information.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Past Cruise Review:
Princess Cruises "Grand Princess" - 1999 Caribbean
Shortly after returning from our cruise to Bermuda, we learned of the "Grand Princess". As you know, Princess Cruises is famous from the Love Boat series on TV. They had recently undergone a huge expansion with several new ships. This ship was to be the pinnacle of that recent expansion. The "Grand Princess" was still being built when we learned of her specifics. Projected at a cost of $450 million, she was to be the largest cruise ship ever built. When completed, she was to be over 950 feet in length and in excess of 109,000 tons. Shortly after completion and her sea trials she set out from Italy, where she was built, to New York for her christening. I could not resist making a trip to the pier to take a look. It was incredible. I could not have imagined the size of this ship. I could see it from 10 blocks away. It was taller than any of the buildings in the area. She barely fit into the dock. It was awesome. As soon as I got home, we immediately booked our cruise.
This was to be our first cruise to the Caribbean. The ship leaves from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I admit I was a bit nervous about having to fly down to Florida to get the ship. Not because I am scared of flying, but because I could see some of our luggage getting lost. Not only did it have to get onto the plane but it also had to get to the ship on time. All my fears were for nothing. The air package was arranged through Princess and we also purchased the transfer package for an additional $25 per person. It was worth it. For that additional amount we were met at the airport by representatives of the cruise line and led to a special waiting lounge. We never had to claim our bags at the airport as they were immediately taken by the cruise line personnel and taken to the ship. That was great. We were then taken by bus to the terminal to board the ship where our bags were waiting onboard. The last time we saw our bags was at the airport in New Jersey.
Once on board the ship, we were in awe. The ship was only about six months old at the time, and it was beautiful. It would take too long to describe everything but suffice it to say that I used up an entire two hours of video tape just wandering around after we got on board. It is something you have to see for yourself. We had a great time on this cruise. The entertainment was good and the food was decent. The ship was the real destination, it was spectacular. We weren't however, very fond of much of the crew we encountered. I don't know what it was but they seemed to have a poor attitude and weren't very helpful at times.
The itinerary on our cruise was the Eastern Caribbean with stops at St. Thomas, St. Marten and Princess Cays, which is a part of an island owned exclusively by Princess Cruises. This was our first trip to the Caribbean and we had a great time. St. Thomas is a nice island and is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It has beautiful beaches and tons of shopping. St, Marten was our second stop and it was just as nice as St. Thomas but not as much shopping. St. Marten is not a U.S. territory. Instead it is divided into two sections. One is French owned and the other is Dutch. It provides for an interesting combination on one small island. Unfortunately we were unable to go to Princess Cays due to weather conditions. This was the stop we were most looking forward to. All kinds of water sports are provided on Princess Cays along with a barbecue and picnic type atmosphere. That was the only real disappointment in our entire cruise. Princess offers a wide range of tours and excursions at each destination. We advise that you choose the ones you are interested in and book them immediately upon embarkation. They go fast.
We would recommend Princess to someone looking for a nice cruise and we would be willing to cruise with them again. They have great itineraries and are known for some of the best Alaska cruise packages in the industry. You can check out their website at princess.com.
Shortly after returning from our cruise to Bermuda, we learned of the "Grand Princess". As you know, Princess Cruises is famous from the Love Boat series on TV. They had recently undergone a huge expansion with several new ships. This ship was to be the pinnacle of that recent expansion. The "Grand Princess" was still being built when we learned of her specifics. Projected at a cost of $450 million, she was to be the largest cruise ship ever built. When completed, she was to be over 950 feet in length and in excess of 109,000 tons. Shortly after completion and her sea trials she set out from Italy, where she was built, to New York for her christening. I could not resist making a trip to the pier to take a look. It was incredible. I could not have imagined the size of this ship. I could see it from 10 blocks away. It was taller than any of the buildings in the area. She barely fit into the dock. It was awesome. As soon as I got home, we immediately booked our cruise.
This was to be our first cruise to the Caribbean. The ship leaves from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I admit I was a bit nervous about having to fly down to Florida to get the ship. Not because I am scared of flying, but because I could see some of our luggage getting lost. Not only did it have to get onto the plane but it also had to get to the ship on time. All my fears were for nothing. The air package was arranged through Princess and we also purchased the transfer package for an additional $25 per person. It was worth it. For that additional amount we were met at the airport by representatives of the cruise line and led to a special waiting lounge. We never had to claim our bags at the airport as they were immediately taken by the cruise line personnel and taken to the ship. That was great. We were then taken by bus to the terminal to board the ship where our bags were waiting onboard. The last time we saw our bags was at the airport in New Jersey.
Once on board the ship, we were in awe. The ship was only about six months old at the time, and it was beautiful. It would take too long to describe everything but suffice it to say that I used up an entire two hours of video tape just wandering around after we got on board. It is something you have to see for yourself. We had a great time on this cruise. The entertainment was good and the food was decent. The ship was the real destination, it was spectacular. We weren't however, very fond of much of the crew we encountered. I don't know what it was but they seemed to have a poor attitude and weren't very helpful at times.
The itinerary on our cruise was the Eastern Caribbean with stops at St. Thomas, St. Marten and Princess Cays, which is a part of an island owned exclusively by Princess Cruises. This was our first trip to the Caribbean and we had a great time. St. Thomas is a nice island and is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It has beautiful beaches and tons of shopping. St, Marten was our second stop and it was just as nice as St. Thomas but not as much shopping. St. Marten is not a U.S. territory. Instead it is divided into two sections. One is French owned and the other is Dutch. It provides for an interesting combination on one small island. Unfortunately we were unable to go to Princess Cays due to weather conditions. This was the stop we were most looking forward to. All kinds of water sports are provided on Princess Cays along with a barbecue and picnic type atmosphere. That was the only real disappointment in our entire cruise. Princess offers a wide range of tours and excursions at each destination. We advise that you choose the ones you are interested in and book them immediately upon embarkation. They go fast.
We would recommend Princess to someone looking for a nice cruise and we would be willing to cruise with them again. They have great itineraries and are known for some of the best Alaska cruise packages in the industry. You can check out their website at princess.com.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Past Cruise Review:
Celebrity Cruises "Horizon" - Bermuda 1998
If you haven't figured it out by now, we really like cruises. This was my sixth cruise and Lisa's first and all of my prior cruises were also to Bermuda. This is not because of an extreme fondness for Bermuda, but instead it was, for a long time, the only destination you could choose if you wanted to leave from the New York area. Don't get me wrong, Bermuda is a wonderful and beautiful little island. I would happily go back again and again. The island is one of the cleanest places I have ever been. The people are extremely friendly and it has a great European feel due to it being under English rule. The only problems I can see someone having would be the lack of nightlife, which you can easily find aboard the ship.
Speaking of the ship, the "Horizon" was a wonderful ship. She may not have been the biggest or newest ship around, but the quality of the staff, entertainment and especially the food is top notch. Having previously been on the "Horizon" in 1993, shortly after she was built, I was pleased to find that she was the same as I remembered her. Every aspect of this vacation met or exceeded our expectations.
We left from the cruise ship terminal in New York City which was very convenient since we live just across the river in New Jersey. Getting there was easy but using a car service to drop you off and pick you up is the best choice since parking at the terminals in NYC is limited and traffic on a busy weekend is a nightmare. Getting on and off the ship in NYC is fairly painless. Nothing beats the views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as you slide down the Hudson.
All in all we had a great cruise. Even though the ship is small and offers less amenities than most ships around today, we still had a lot of fun. It was the perfect starter cruise for Lisa.
Celebrity is a great cruise line and they are regularly awarded four and five star ratings in the cruise industry. The line has continued to grow and grow especially since being bought by Royal Caribbean Cruises while maintaining their top ratings in the industry. They have may great itineraries besides New York to Bermuda, including cruises from Florida to the Caribbean, Alaska cruises, European cruises and Panama Canal among others. You can check out their web site for more information at celebritycruises.com. We highly recommend this cruise line. Sadly, the "Horizon" is no longer in service with Celebrity but she continues to sail under the name "Island Star" for Island Cruises in the Mediterranean.
If you haven't figured it out by now, we really like cruises. This was my sixth cruise and Lisa's first and all of my prior cruises were also to Bermuda. This is not because of an extreme fondness for Bermuda, but instead it was, for a long time, the only destination you could choose if you wanted to leave from the New York area. Don't get me wrong, Bermuda is a wonderful and beautiful little island. I would happily go back again and again. The island is one of the cleanest places I have ever been. The people are extremely friendly and it has a great European feel due to it being under English rule. The only problems I can see someone having would be the lack of nightlife, which you can easily find aboard the ship.
Speaking of the ship, the "Horizon" was a wonderful ship. She may not have been the biggest or newest ship around, but the quality of the staff, entertainment and especially the food is top notch. Having previously been on the "Horizon" in 1993, shortly after she was built, I was pleased to find that she was the same as I remembered her. Every aspect of this vacation met or exceeded our expectations.
We left from the cruise ship terminal in New York City which was very convenient since we live just across the river in New Jersey. Getting there was easy but using a car service to drop you off and pick you up is the best choice since parking at the terminals in NYC is limited and traffic on a busy weekend is a nightmare. Getting on and off the ship in NYC is fairly painless. Nothing beats the views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as you slide down the Hudson.
All in all we had a great cruise. Even though the ship is small and offers less amenities than most ships around today, we still had a lot of fun. It was the perfect starter cruise for Lisa.
Celebrity is a great cruise line and they are regularly awarded four and five star ratings in the cruise industry. The line has continued to grow and grow especially since being bought by Royal Caribbean Cruises while maintaining their top ratings in the industry. They have may great itineraries besides New York to Bermuda, including cruises from Florida to the Caribbean, Alaska cruises, European cruises and Panama Canal among others. You can check out their web site for more information at celebritycruises.com. We highly recommend this cruise line. Sadly, the "Horizon" is no longer in service with Celebrity but she continues to sail under the name "Island Star" for Island Cruises in the Mediterranean.
Background
I had been on five cruises prior to meeting my wife, Lisa who, hopefully, will also be contributing to this blog from time to time. I talked her into going on a cruise in 1998 and she has been hooked since. My son is also hooked. His first cruise was in 2000 at the age of 6. He is now 13 and has been on five cruises so far and he has loved them all.
Recently I've had a "thing" for the really huge ships out there. Out of the last 5 cruises we've been on, 4 of the ships have been the largest in the world at the time of our sailing. I'm just amazed by the technology and design behind building these "cities at sea". The amount of activities and amenities on board are overwhelming especially compared to what they were on my first cruise over 20 years ago. I cant wait to see what the future of cruising holds
To start things off, I've got some reviews of past cruises we've taken that were on my website as well as reviews of some of our more recent cruises. Hopefully you enjoy them and find them informative as well.
Recently I've had a "thing" for the really huge ships out there. Out of the last 5 cruises we've been on, 4 of the ships have been the largest in the world at the time of our sailing. I'm just amazed by the technology and design behind building these "cities at sea". The amount of activities and amenities on board are overwhelming especially compared to what they were on my first cruise over 20 years ago. I cant wait to see what the future of cruising holds
To start things off, I've got some reviews of past cruises we've taken that were on my website as well as reviews of some of our more recent cruises. Hopefully you enjoy them and find them informative as well.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Hello
Hello and welcome to our blog. My wife, son and I are avid cruisers. We absolutely love taking cruises and they are by far our favorite kind of vacation. We'll share some of our experiences, knowledge and tips with you right here. We'll also try to keep you up to date on the latest news and travel info. There is really nothing like a great cruise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)