|
Greetings, Cruise Fans,
Welcome to another edition of the 7 Seas Cruise
News, brought to you by Pat Crane, Proprietor of 7
Seas Cruises and my favorite cabin-mate on land or
sea. We are just back from a delightful voyage on
the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas and I am
impressed! Keep reading for my impartial review
later in this newsletter. But first ,a reminder
that Pat is rested and ready to provide you with
the absolute lowest legal cruise prices anywhere!
Call him soon and let him find a cruise for you!
Our toll free number (now good in many countries!)
is 1-866-424-1090. You can also visit the website,
night or day, at www. 7seascruises.com or drop Pat
an email at cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com!
Now, a little cruise news??¦ Despite reports that
cruise prices are at their highest level in several
years due to increased demand, a cruise vacation is
a much better bargain than it was 25 years ago. The
current minimum price of a seven-day Carnival
Caribbean cruise from Miami is $599 - just as it
was 25 years ago. But when adjusted for inflation,
a seven-day Carnival cruise that sold for $599 in
1980 would cost $1,373 today. "Price is not the
story - it's value," said Bob Dickinson, Carnival
president and CEO. "And when comparing today's
ultra-modern 'floating resorts' to cruise ships of
25 years ago, your $599 buys so much more." Indeed,
where older ships were mostly converted
transatlantic ocean liners with smallish cabins and
little in the way of on-board amenities, today's
cruise ships are stocked with features such as an
array of formal and casual dining options,
expansive spa and children's facilities, soaring
atriums, and double-width promenades lined with
myriad entertainment venues -- all available at
roughly half what vacationers paid in 1980.
"There's really no comparison between the seagoing
vacations of today and yesterday. Everything -
from dining options and health and fitness centers
to children's facilities and in-cabin amenities -
has been upgraded dramatically. Factor in today's
affordable pricing, and cruising is the best
vacation value, hands down," Dickinson said. In
addition to a greater variety of culinary choices -
from expansive casual poolside eateries with 24-
hour pizzerias and New York-style delis to intimate
upscale supper clubs - today's mega-liners feature
a seemingly endless array of bars, lounges and
nightspots, everything from sports bars and wine
bars to multi-level theaters showcasing lavish
Vegas-style revues. Staterooms are not only
roomier but ships feature more ocean view and
balcony accommodations than ever before. For
instance, 80 percent of the 1,062 staterooms on
Carnival's 88,500-ton Spirit-class ships offer
either an ocean view or private verandah. Even
younger cruisers have spaces to call their own,
with expansive children's facilities -as large as 4,
200 square feet on Carnival's 110,000-ton Conquest-
class vessels -- stocked with computer labs, indoor
climbing mazes, arts and crafts centers and more.
Carnival currently has two 110,000-ton SuperLiners -
Carnival Liberty and Carnival Freedom - scheduled
to enter service between now and February 2007.
Speaking of Carnival, with capacity increases in
five U.S. homeports, new year-round programs from
Mobile, Ala., and Jacksonville, Fla., and its first-
ever Mediterranean cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines
expects to carry a record 3.3 million passengers
and operate an unprecedented number of voyages in
the coming year. Newer, larger "Fun Ships" have
been deployed in Miami; Tampa; New Orleans;
Galveston, Texas; and Long Beach, Calif.,
representing an average capacity increase of 31
percent over the vessels they replaced. In total,
Carnival will operate more than 1,300 cruises
aboard 20 "Fun Ships" departing from 18 different
North American homeports - the most in cruising -
during 2005.
Carnival Liberty will operate a series of 12-day,
seven-port cruises round-trip from Rome July 20 -
Oct. 12, 2005, calling at Naples, Dubrovnik, Venice,
Messina, Barcelona, Cannes, and Livorno. Following
this program, Carnival Liberty will operate a 16-
day transatlantic voyage departing Rome Oct. 24,
and arriving Fort Lauderdale Nov. 9, 2005, calling
at Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Funchal
and St. Maarten. European cruises were originally
planned for several years ago, but Sept. 11 changed
the plan. This is a great year for a European debut.
In spite of the weak Dollar against a strong Euro,
there is a great deal of interest in Mediterranean
and Baltic cruises this summer.
Now, here's an interesting summer vacation idea -
and an improved price! Norwegian Coastal Voyage
has reduced most cabin fares by $20 to $305 per
person, double, below the 2004 prices on its 14-day
" Scandinavian Sampler." The air-inclusive cruise
tour, part of the NCV Independent Vacations program,
combines city stays in Reykjavik, Iceland, and Oslo
and Bergen, Norway, with a seven-day northbound
sailing along Norway's fjord-indented west coast
between Bergen and Kirkenes, above the Arctic
Circle. Departures are daily from April 1 to
October 31.
As Celebrity Cruises celebrates its third
consecutive year sweeping Cond?© Nast Traveler
readers' survey of the world's best ships, the line'
s culinary and wine consultant, Master Chef Michel
Roux, marks his 20th consecutive year of receiving
three stars - the highest possible rating - from
the discriminating Michelin Guide. The European
restaurant guide features 5,500 entries. Only two
in the U.K. received a three-star rating. One of
them is Roux's Waterside Inn in Bray- on-Thames,
just outside of London. Celebrity has been long
recognized in cruise circles for the quality of its
cuisine. Some say it's "fussy," but remember, you
can always get those lavish sauces on the side!
And the mention of nice cuisine brings us
immediately to the Radiance of the Seas. I am
favorably impressed! After a nice, but somewhat
impersonal cruise on the RCCL Mariner of the Seas
last fall, I was not expecting to love the Radiance.
It is, however, a whole different experience than
the Mariner. First, the ship is smaller. It is a
practical size - large enough to offer so many
amenities, but small enough to allow a passenger to
go from dinner to the theater without packing a bag
of leftovers just to make the trip. The Centrum is
an 11-story tower of beautiful glass, art and air
and light. Our other favorite places included the
beautiful two-level dining room, the gorgeous
Aurora Theater (3 levels, perfect sightlines and a
fabric mosaic curtain that is the single biggest
piece of art on the ship), and the Solarium. Now
for those 16+, there is no need to pay spa fees to
relax in a spa-like environment. The Solarium
features a real pool (6' deep), a huge hot tub and
comfy lounges with padded cushions. The d?©cor is
African safari, with rope bridges, lots of greenery,
elephant sculpture and a reclining jungle cat. Love
it! The forward facing corners of this remarkable
area would be my pick for "best place to admire the
Alaskan scenery" when the Radiance heads that way
in a few weeks. As for cabins, ours was a modest
level 3 ocean-view. And it was fine. I have learned
I don't need a balcony (much as I like them) but I
DO need a window! This one was large and round. It
needed a good washing, but we managed. Storage was
great-plenty for 2 people on a 7-night voyage. We
had empty shelves and empty drawers, so a third
person could have been accommodated. Or we could
have stayed at sea for another week. The bed was
among the worst I've experienced at sea or in a
hotel. We got by, but it wasn't especially
comfortable. Truth is, that's about all I can find
to complain about. We found the casino to be
amazingly generous (if you stay away from the 5-
cent ones!), and the crew to be congenial, friendly,
happy and always focused on doing whatever possible
to make the guest feel special. Food was much
improved on this voyage, too. Beef was excellent -
almost as good in the dining room as in the $20
surcharged Chops Steakhouse. Some excellent
desserts, too. A nice assortment of sugar-free
goodies and some light and vegetarian dishes, as
well. I thought the buffets were pretty good, but
suffered from predictability. And cold scrambled
eggs. The lunch buffet did feature some excellent
potato salad, nice thick burgers, fresh sandwiches,
hot soups, good desserts, crispy salads. No one on
the ship was going to go hungry. Late night
options are fewer. There is nothing available after
1 a.m., when the cute little Seaview Caf?© closes,
except room service. This is not a deal breaker for
most cruisers, but if you need to eat all night,
better choose Carnival or Princess instead. There
were plenty of entertainment options, from live
music and good shows, to scrapbooking workshops and
lots of opportunities to interact with the ship's
ranking officers. There were also plenty of goofy
ship games for those that enjoy a good "Mr. Sexy
Legs" competition. The kids' facilities are superb.
From 3 to 17, there are carefully planned programs
with freedom for the older kids and more direction
for the kids. New from Royal Caribbean and Fisher
Price are special programs for babies from 6 months
to 3. These are "mommy and me" sessions held every
day. Like other kids' programs, there is no charge.
On this eastern Caribbean itinerary, our first stop
was Coco Cay (the recently upgraded private island
in the Bahamas). The $5 million invested recently
in amenities and groundskeeping really shows! This
is a perfect island paradise. Some said the water
was pretty cold, however. Next stop was St. Thomas.
Nothing much new there. Shopping. Beaches. Pretty
scenery. After dinner on St. Thomas night, however,
we had a nice little surprise - a stop at St. Croix.
Rarely offered on any ship itinerary, St. Croix has
a reputation for being a bit rougher than the other
US Virgins. Could be. We were carefully confined to
a small area that had a couple of bars, a handful
of small shops and some straw market-style vendors.
We were greeted by a fabulous local parade with
carnival-style stilt walkers and two fantastic
steel drum bands! Bus transportation was provided
to and from the area which was well-populated with
local police. This unexpected "extra port" is, in
reality, a fuel stop. I don't care what you call it,
it was a treat. Next stop: St. Maarten. We didn't
have any time to do much here this time because we
chose "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous in St.
Barth's" - a new shore excursion that whisked us to
trendy, upscale, very French St. Bartholomey by
high speed catamaran. Once there, we enjoyed an
island tour ($12 each) with a great local cabbie
name and number on request), a marvelous lunch in
downtown Gustavius, the capital, a look at some
great beaches and the miniature landing strip (no
jets) that serve the island and a peek at the
fantastic homes! (A villa can rent for as much as $
20,000 a week in high season) We strolled the main
street and looked in the windows at Cartier, Hermes
and Dior. I loved watching the color drain from Pat'
s face when he saw the $5000 Euro dress in the Dior
window. (He is NOT a shopper!) We saw Le Select,
the restaurant that inspired Jimmy Buffett's "
Cheeseburger in Paradise," and some fantastic
yachts in the $25 million range! All too soon it
was time to hurry back to St. Maarten where prices
looked pretty reasonable. Two sea days rounded out
an excellent week! If you have any questions, just
ask!
More news next week. Until then, call Pat for your
dream cruise. And wherever and whenever you sail,
may you enjoy the company of charming companions
like we did. Thanks, Cathy and John!
Smooth sailing,
Teri
|
|
