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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