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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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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New ship sailing from the UK in 2015

Explorer of the Seas 

Explorer of the Seas

Royal Caribbean have announced the Explorer of the Seas will be sailing from Southampton in 2015! She will be taking the place of her sister ship, Adventure of the Seas, who was originally scheduled to be based out of the UK.

Explorer of the Seas is currently based out on New York but is going in for a month long 'extensive revitalisation' before arriving in the UK at the end of April 2015.

A  'Virtual balcony'

The revitalisation will see 'virtual balconies' being added to inside cabins. This will bring live ocean and destination views to the cabins. I think this is such a great idea and to me makes the idea of having an inside cabin more appealing.

The new touch screen signs will also feature on board. These are so handy if you get a little lost in finding your cabin or to see what activities are going on and where.

A poolside outdoor cinema screen will be added, perfect to watch the sports action or a film during the day whilst catching some sun! The new 3D cinema will bring something a little different to life, quite literally, in front of your eyes!

Numerous speciality restaurants will feature on board including the addition of Izumi which is one of my favourites with Royal Caribbean. If you enjoy sushi and Asian flavours this is a must to visit, the food is fantastic!

Of course there will also be the rock climbing wall, new Flowrider surf simulator, basketball court, ice skating rink and Royal Promenade which is synonymous to this class of ship.

All in all, another great reason to sail out of the UK next summer.

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Quantum of the Seas is China bound

Exciting news.......

Quantum of the Seas

Royal Caribbean have announced that the Quantum of the Seas will be based out of Shanghai following on from her inaugural season out of New York next year!!

Details released so far is that there will be a re positioning cruise over to Shanghai from New York in May 2015 with the ship then doing 3 - 8 night itineraries from the end of June, year round, visiting Japan and Korea.

At present Royal Caribbean already have the Voyager of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas based out in Asia so with the addition of Quantum of the Seas there is a ship out there for everyone.

Not only is this destination on my 'to do' list, so is the ship! What a fantastic trip that would be!

If you would like further details on these sailings, once they have been confirmed, drop me an email and I can send the information on to you.

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