Princess Cruises and Discovery Channel

Princess Cruises and the Discovery Channel

 

From April 2015 Princess Cruises are partnering up with the Discovery Channel to offer something different in the way of excursions and activities on their ships.

The programme which will be called 'Discovery at Sea' will feature themed tours/activities and hands on games based on the various Discovery channel programmes such as Animal Planet, TLC and the Science Channel.

There will be something fun and different for all age groups! The kids can take part in science experiments 'Mythbusters' style or learn about different animals they may seen on 'Animal Planet'.
Competitions and quizzes about famous landmarks and sites in the region you are cruising and also further afield, with prizes to be won, will also feature which are not only fun but educational for the kids. 

On select cruises 'Discovery under the Stars' will give an insight in to the night sky from the top decks.

Discovery under the Stars

One of my favourites in the programme is 'Bake at sea with TLC' where you can learn to bake and decorate cakes.

The shore excursions will take on a different form with things such as panning for gold in Alaska a la 'Gold Rush' and getting up close with the animals on the 'Animal Planet' tour and a 'How its made' tour which will show how various food and drinks go from farm to table.

The final points to mention are the enhancement to the TV channels in your stateroom which will feature a variety of the Discovery Channel shows and for a limited time only a selection of Discovery merchandise will be available to purchase on board.

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Quantum of the Seas arrives in Southampton!

Southampton welcomes Quantum of the Seas

The much anticipated arrival of the most innovative ship to date has finally come around!
Quantum of the Seas arrived on 29th October in Southampton ready to take on travel agents and media for 2 short sailings prior to her maiden voyage to New York on 2nd November where she will home port for the winter season.

If you don't know too much about the new innovations on the new Quantum Class ships, below is a brief outline of what to expect;

The North Star - A pod suspended high above the top deck giving a very different view to your destination from above!

Robotic Bartenders - A dedicated bar on board features only robotic bartenders to mix your favourite cocktail! I personally can't wait to experience this!

SeaPlex - The largest indoor entertainment and sports complex at sea, featuring dodgem cars, roller skating and much more!

Ripcord by iFLY - Indoor sky diving experience.

The ship will also feature the first 'Jamie's Italian' restaurant at sea.


The next ship in the Quantum class will be the Anthem of the Seas, arriving in April 2015 and spending her first season based out of Southampton.

The Ovation of the Seas has also been named as the third ship in this class and will launch later in 2015.

Lots of exciting times ahead for Royal Caribbean and avid cruisers, like myself, looking for a new experience!

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Oasis of the seas revamp!

Oasis of the Seas.... Whats new??

Fresh from refurbishment the Oasis of the Seas has come back with a whole host of new facilities!

I have sailed on Oasis prior to the refurbishment and I have to say I loved it! The huge ships are of course not suited to everyone but if you are looking for plenty of entertainment, dining options and bars/lounges this ship would be a great choice. 

One big change is the phasing out of the main dining room. From March 2015 Oasis will be adopting the new dining concept 'Dynamic Dining'. This is to follow in the footsteps of the Quantum and Anthem of the Seas and is a big change for Royal Caribbean.

The existing 3 tier dining room has been transformed into 3 restaurants;

American Icon Grill - American comfort food with a twist.

Silk - Asian fusion

The Grande - For those who enjoy the classic cruise dining experience, where every night is formal night.

The main restaurant will operate as normal until the official change to dining in March.

Another 4 speciality restaurants have been added, again which will be available from March 2015. These are as follows;

Izumi - Sushi and Teppanyaki. I personally loved this restaurant when I was on the Granduer of the Seas.

Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar - Modern Mexican food and cocktails, located on the Boardwalk area of the ship.

Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine - A very contemporary restaurant with food to match! Definitely one to try for an experience like no other on board.

Coastal Kitchen - Exclusively for suite guests, cuisine is Californian with a Mediterranean twist.



Sabor Taqueria

Wonderland


 

A brand new Broadway show will feature on the Oasis... Andrew Lloyd Webbers CATS will be performed every evening on board.

New shops such as Michael Kors and the Britto Art Gallery will feature on the Royal Promenade giving a superior shopping experience to the norm.

Finally the whole ship has had a tech update giving internet access speeds as you find on land. There is also a new 'app' called Royal iQ where you can make you dining reservations, book spa treatments and also shore excursions. There will also be iQ stations located around the ship to do this if you don't have a smart phone.

If this sounds like the ship for you, feel free to contact me for the best price on Oasis of the Seas!

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MSC Renaissance Programme

MSC Cruises Renaissance Programme


MSC Cruises are investing 200 million Euros to update the Lirica class ships in the fleet. This is a 2 year project and will see the MSC Lirica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Opera and MSC Armonia made bigger and better than before!

The first ship to undergo the programme is the MSC Armonia which is currently in dry dock at the Fincantieri ship yard in Palermo, Sicily, until the middle on November.

The ship will be 'stretched' by adding a 24 metre section in the middle of ship, creating more balcony cabins and other extra public areas.

MSC Armonia in dry dock

So what's new on the MSC Armonia......

• 94 balcony cabins will be added.

Restaurants

•  La Pergola - This will have exclusive service, 3 times a day, for balcony and Aurea experience customers. The restaurant will have panoramic views and offers a variety of cuisines from around the world. The restaurant will also be open for an international breakfast and bistro menu at lunch time with an upscale dinner option in the evening.

• Marco Polo - Open for breakfast and lunch this restaurant offers a relaxing setting.

• La Brasserie and Lido Buffet - This buffet option will be open for 20 hours a day and will offer hot and cold options for breakfast, burgers and handmade pizza and pasta for lunch and a range of casual options for dinner in the evening.

Bars

• Bar Del Duomo - Serving wine and aperitifs, also bar bites and snacks

• Red Bar - Alchemist and Martini experience - Serving Martinis and Cocktails with creative techniques and recipes.

• The White Lion - English pub featuring a selection of traditional 'pub grub' which is complimentary.

• The Coffee Bar - Hot and frozen coffees with sweet treats throughout the day.

• The Gelataria - Serving traditional Italian ice creams.

• The Vitamin bar - Serving fresh fruit smoothies made to order.

Kids features

• Outdoor Spray Park - Featuring musical fountains and slides plus interactive water jets. The kids will love this addition I'm sure!

• Baby Club - This is brand new for MSC, now catering for this little ones under the age of 3 in a dedicated area on board. They have partnered up with the brand 'Chicco' to create this new area.

•  Kids and Teen areas - A new youth centre will house the different clubs for the kids and teens on board.

I have to say, I am very impressed with the new additions and I think these will be a huge hit for MSC and a great pull for regular and new customers alike.

If you would like a price on any MSC Cruise, please just get in touch with me!

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Drinks packages

Drinks Packages




Most cruise lines are now offering some form of drinks package, either included as standard, part of an early booking offer or as an extra add on.
A question I am asked frequently is ' Are they value for money? ' if you pay to add it to your booking??

The simple answer to this is, on the whole, is YES they are exceptional value! This of course depends on the individual and how much is normally spent on the bar bill.

When you take out one of the drinks packages the service charge ( usually approx. 15% ) will be included so there is extra to pay for the tips on top of your bar purchases. 

Below is a brief overview of each cruise lines packages and cost, at the time of this blog of course, as they are subject to change!

First of all lets look at the lines who offer a package as standard....

Azamara Club Cruises - Included in the price is all soft drinks, speciality teas and coffees, house wines, beers and spirits.

Silversea and Regent Seven Seas - Included in the price is all soft drinks, speciality teas and coffees, wine, champagne, beer and spirits.

Seabourn - Open bar including fine wines at lunch and dinner.

The cruise lines below offer a variety of packages, both non alcoholic and alcoholic, but I am just concentrating on the all inclusive packages as they tend to be the most popular and sought after....

Carnival and Holland America - Both of these lines packages have a maximum threshold of 15 drinks per day which can be alcoholic or non alcoholic. This is approx. $45 per person per day.

Fred Olsen - If pre booked in advance, this is charged from £10 per person per day.

Costa Cruises - One of the best value all inclusive packages out there that is extremely popular with our customers. This is charged from £21 per person per day.

MSC Cruises - As with Costa above, this is a similar price and excellent value for money from £22 per person per day.

NCL, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises - These lines all offer their all inclusive drinks packages at a similar rate which is from $55 per person per day.

Princess Cruises - Slightly more expensive that the above lines from $57 per person per day.

Finally... the exceptions.... At present, Cunard and P&O Cruises only offer soft drinks packages, wine packages or coffee cards. If the all inclusive option is important to you it is worth bearing in mind.

I hope you found this informative!

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My Alaskan Adventure! - Part 5 - Vancouver

 

 

 

DESTINATION CANADA - VANCOUVER

 

 

This was the end to a fantastic week on the Coral Princess cruising around Alaska. The ship docked back in Vancouver in the morning and we had a full day to explore before our flight home.

We were taken to the Four Seasons Hotel where we had the use of a large conference room to leave our luggage and had refreshments provided. This in itself was such a great benefit!

 

I had never been to Canada before and it had not really crossed my mind as somewhere on my hit list but the day in Vancouver definitely changed my mind!

There was a large shopping centre next to the hotel so was great to pick up some last minute bargains from shops that you don't find in the UK. 

The city itself is so pretty with tree lined streets and some lovely buildings dotted around, it reminded me slightly on New York but not as high rise.

Downtown Vancouver

Downtown Vancouver

Once we had wandered around the shops we took a walk and ended up at Stanley Park. The park is over 1000 acres and is almost entirely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean! It even has its own marine centre which we paid to go in and I saw my first Beluga Whale and the biggest Sea Lion I have ever seen!  

Stanley Park

Stanley Park

Stanley Park

 

 

This is definitely a city I would love to go back to and explore in more detail, 8 hours just wasn't enough!

 

This concludes my Alaskan adventure. I will be bringing more destinations to life in future blogs so stay tuned for more of my travel stories and cruise news!





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My Alaskan Adventure! - Part 4 - Skagway

DESTINATION ALASKA - SKAGWAY

I have to say that Skagway was probably my favourite port of call on the trip. The picture below was my first glimpse at breakfast time on the ship and it just had me from there!



View of Skagway from the ship

The town itself is quite small and only has around 1000 habitants but back in the gold rush days it was a bustling town with great promise for the gold prospectors to make their fortune in the surrounding area!

The 'Red Onion Saloon' is one of the oldest buildings standing with a great museum to explain the history of the Saloon and the brothel that was once above it! Apparently it was the finest around at the time! The tour was great fun with the ladies running the tour dressed in what would have been the clothing worn at the time. A definite must see when in town.



Red Onion Saloon!



 

I did a horse riding tour from the ship for something a little bit different. I have only ever been on a horse once so something like this is suitable for novices like myself through to avid riders as they match you to a horse for your level of experience. We had a short drive through some beautiful mountains to a small ranch outside of town where we saddled up and off we went through the countryside. We trekked through some of the old mining areas and were given lots of information about what would have happened in the gold rush era in the area. We also saw the husky dog sledding camp which was lovely, although pretty loud with all the dogs barking getting ready to go out for the day! If you are looking for something out of the ordinary to do in Skagway this is a great option.

Other things to do and see around Skagway;

• White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad
• Outdoor Adventures
• Klondike Summit
• Gold Rush History
• Dog Sledding

The town itself is so quaint and picturesque with plenty of souvenir shops and local stores selling all kinds of handmade goodies. There is even the obligatory Starbucks Coffee shop which I don't think you can go anywhere in the world now without having one on a corner somewhere!



Downtown Skagway

Downtown Skagway

 

Stay tuned for my last port of call....Vancouver! COMING SOON!

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My Alaskan Adventure! - Part 3 - Juneau

DESTINATION ALASKA - JUNEAU

Juneau is the Capital of Alaska. The city sits at sea level at the bottom of some steep mountains, at the top is the Juneau Ice Field.

A little history for you.... the city was named after a gold prospector called Joe Juneau and prior to this the city has been known as Rockwell and Harrisburg ( after Mr Juneau's co gold prospector Richard Harris )
When we went up to breakfast the first thing that caught my eye was all the ship logos painted on the sides of the mountain. There was every ship you could think of there and apparently whenever a ship first visits Juneau it is right of passage to have the date and logo etched on the mountain. What a great moment to capture and fascinating to read!




Ship logo's painted on the wall



More ship logo's

Juneau is normally always featured on the Alaska cruise itineraries and is the best place to do a whale watching tour.
My tour came with a guarantee that if no whales were seen, I would get a full refund so it was a win win really.
Due to the amount of boats in the area the skippers all communicate with one another and if they spot a pod they will quickly give their location so other boats can come to the area. With this in mind it is pretty much a guarantee to see some whales and it is very exciting when the call comes through and the boat suddenly changes direction and off you speed!
I saw humpback whales and a pod of Orca's, very close up in some instances, on my tour. I didn't manage to catch a photo of the humpbacks but there are a few of my Orca pictures below.



Orca Whales in the Distance

Orca Whales

Orca Whales again

More Orca's

Juneau is also great for picking up some local souvenirs and again their very own locally smoked salmon and other fish. Yummy!

Some other popular choices of things to do in Juneau are as follows;

• Mendenhall Glacier
• Outdoor Adventures
• Glacier Flightseeing
• Macaulay Salmon Hatchery
• Glacier Gardens
• Dog Sledding
• Mount Roberts Tramway

I can remember seeing this island full of sunbathing Seals on sailing near to Juneau! They just look liked slugs all over the rocks but on closer inspection with binoculars obviously I could then see they were Seals not huge slugs! The picture is below as is did make me laugh seeing this spectacle.


Seal Island!



Stay tuned for my adventures to Skagway and Vancouver! COMING SOON! 

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My Alaskan Adventure! - Part 2 - Ketchikan

DESTINATION ALASKA - KETCHIKAN

Ketchikan is known as the Salmon Capital of the world! I bought some lovely locally smoked Salmon when I was there and it was beautiful, I even took some home it was that good!
There are Totem Poles scattered all around the town and there is a heritage museum to tell all about the history of them which is very interesting.

Fun fact: Ketchikan has the highest amount of standing Totem Poles in the world

The town of Ketchikan gets its name from Ketchikan Creek which runs through the middle of it. You can see the creek on some my pictures below. 'Creek Street', as it is known, is very pretty and has bars, restaurants and shops on the stilts running alongside. I really enjoyed strolling around for the day it is very picturesque and quaint.

Other popular things to do in Ketchikan are as follows;

• Outdoor Adventures
• Totem Bight State Park
• Saxman Native Village
• Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary
• Misty Fjords National Monument
• Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
• George Inlet Lodge

View from the ship of the dock area

Another view of the dock area

Ketchikan Creek

Another Ketchikan Creek pic

And another one!

Stay tuned for my adventures to Skagway, Juneau and Vancouver! COMING SOON!
 

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My Alaskan Adventure! - Part 1 - Coral Princess and Glacier Bay

DESTINATION ALASKA - ONBOARD CORAL PRINCESS

Coral Princess in Whittier

I was lucky enough to experience Alaska with Princess Cruises on a 7 night Inside Passage cruise from Whittier, Alaska sailing through to Vancouver, Canada.

Well what can I say.... just amazing! The views of the glaciers and mountains whilst sailing on a ship of this size was awesome in every sense of the word. There was an eerie silence sailing through Glacier Bay and every now and again you would hear the glaciers creak and sometimes a big crash from the ice falling in to the water beneath! Spectacular! I even saw a guy in a canoe just underneath one of the glaciers shortly before the ice fell down, crazy if you ask me, but he was not hurt luckily.

Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay



Canoe Guy was under this Glacier!

Glacier Bay

As it was a very early arrival in Glacier Bay, around 5am, Princess Cruises provided teas, coffee, hot chocolate and liqueur coffees on deck so as not to miss any of the scenery which I thought was a great touch.

Top tip: Take some binoculars! They will come in very handy to spot the Dolphins, Whales, Eagles, Seals and various other wildlife that are sometimes hard to see in the distance with the naked eye.




Sailing in Glacier Bay

I was in Alaska at the start of the season which is the end of May and as you can see from my pictures the weather was beautiful most of the time, still with the snow covered mountains, and not too cold at all, I was very surprised. I even saw people sun bathing on deck which I never thought I would see on an Alaskan cruise! My best suggestion would be to take layers of clothing so you can add or take off as needed.

Coral Princess was a great ship to do Alaska on board. She is a relatively large ship so you still have all the facilities you would expect such as; Casino, Pools, Bars/lounges, Theatre, Spa and Gym, numerous speciality restaurants along with the main restaurant and casual buffet.
I do love Princess Cruises anyway, this was my first experience with them and have since sailed a further 3 times with them around the Caribbean. There was a huge deck buffet one evening in Alaska featuring lots of local delicacies such as smoked salmon and huge Alaskan crabs amongst other things!

The ship tended to be very quiet in the evenings I guess everyone was getting early nights ready for a full day of sightseeing the next day. I found the daylight hours very intriguing as the sun only sets for a few hours a night so even at midnight it is still bright sunshine! I have never experienced anything like it before.

I would highly recommend having a balcony cabin when sailing around Alaska. The decks do get very busy during the scenic cruising and having your own personal balcony where you are free to enjoy the scenery without the crowd is a bonus.

Some pictures of Coral Princess are below to get an idea of what it is like on board.



Atrium

One of the Pools



Explorers Lounge

Sabatini's Restaurant



Library

Wheelhouse Bar

 

 

Obstructed Ocean View

Stay tuned for my adventures to Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau and Vancouver! COMING SOON!

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Oceania completes $50 million fleetwide refurbishment

REGATTA RE-JOINS THE FLEET

 

 

 



Regatta is the final Oceania ship to complete the extensive dry dock refurbishment costing $50 million!! She will re-join, also recently renovated, sister ships Insignia and Nautica. The refurbishment took place over 6 weeks and has seen some new features and design elements on all the ships.

 

Changes include; 

ALL cabins on board having updated décor with the owners and vista suites bathrooms incorporating new marble and granite materials. The penthouse suite has had all new furnishings.

 

The Terrace Café, the lines casual dining restaurant, has had all new furnishings introduced, including new flooring, and enhanced lighting to complement the floor to ceiling windows. The cook to order station will feature items such as chops, steaks and lobster tails! Yummy! 

  

Debuting on Regatta is the Baristas Coffee Bar, serving complimentary espressos and cappuccinos.

 

The Sports deck, located on top of the ship, has new putting greens, shuffleboard and various other deck games. The main pool area has had mosaic tiles fitted.

 

Canyon Ranch SpaClub has also had a refurbishment with new changing areas, featuring a mosaic tile design, and steam rooms introduced.

 

All of the ships main lounges have been enhanced. Horizons Bar and Martinis have had new furnishings with Regatta Lounge benefitting from new carpeting, chairs and upholstery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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MSC Announce 2 new additions to their fleet

MSC ANNOUNCE PROJECT 'SEASIDE'


These 2 new ships on order from Italian ship yard Fincantieri will be the largest cruise ships they have ever built.

The ships will be 154,000 tons and will cost around 700 million euros each! The first ship is scheduled for delivery in November 2017 and the second in May 2018.

Project 'Seaside'

MSC have described the new design as 'Revolutionary' and are hoping to inspire a new generation of ship. New features will be a sea level wrap around promenade with outdoor spaces, dining venues and shops. This sounds lovely and if anything like the Norwegian Getaway that I was recently on board I imagine will be a very popular addition.

The ships will have 2070 cabins and can hold up to 5,300 passengers at full occupancy plus 1,413 crew.
There will be a huge 468,000 square foot of passenger spaces including a terraced balcony, theatre and panoramic sea view lifts.

Comments courtesy of  Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises;

"From the moment we started talking with Fincantieri, we had in mind to design and build two completely new ships, revolutionary in their structure, unlike anything that exists on the market today"

"Seaside is a futuristic prototype because of its structure, shape and versatility. It will be a real revolution in the world's cruise market, an excellent product for its unique and innovative architectural features and cutting-edge technology.”

I'm sure these ships will prove very popular for MSC and I can't wait to find out more information!

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River Cruising with CMV Signature

CMV Signature River Cruising

This is a great new product for 2014 offering 7 and 14 night Premium Plus River Cruises on the scenic Danube and Rhine on board the stylish Vienna 1.

Vienna 1

Vienna 1 - Bar

Vienna 1 - Lobby

The prices include;
Flights from Manchester or Gatwick
Overseas transfers
Complimentary house wine, beer and soft drinks at lunch and dinner
Complimentary tea and coffee
Full board
Half day tours at selected ports of call
Evening entertainment


River cruising is becoming increasingly more popular and there hasn't really been a value product for those on a strict budget. This fits the bill perfectly in my opinion, a lovely looking ship travelling to some interesting destination with great opening deals to be taken advantage of, what's not to like!

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