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November28, 2005 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Greetings, Cruise Fans, Welcome to a long-overdue edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News. October was really a nasty month. Thus far, November is much better. I'm sure my neighbors are cheering with the news that Tropical Storm Gamma decided to bypass Florida. With trees still lying in disarray and some people still without lights, we didn't need another one! Our November began aboard the Carnival Victory in the Eastern Caribbean. My review is later in this newsletter, but first a reminder to please call Pat toll-free at 1-866-424-1090 to start your cruise planning. Pat is hoping to wind up the year on a high note, so he'll be cutting his commission (on all cruises he legally can, of course). Princess, NCL, Carnival? Pat has the prices and he will be giving monumental discount! And now, a bit of cruise news... Cozumel's piers were damaged when the eye of Hurricane Wilma passed directly over the island, so passengers will have to tender until the piers are repaired. The downtown area sustained minimal damage, so visitors can enjoy the shops, restaurants and bars near the tender drop-off points. Most shore excursions will be available - and the crowds will be lighter. Cruise ships are limited to four per day! Pat and I are supposed to be there right after Thanksgiving, so I will have more details first hand. Conde Nast Traveler readers recently selected their top 10 large ship cruise lines ( those with more than 500 passengers. In order, they selected Crystal, Radisson Seven Seas, Celebrity, Oceania, Disney, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Cunard and Orient. So where, you might ask, is Carnival? Not forgotten, because the readers of Porthole magazine selected Carnival number one in all of these categories... Best Children's Program, Best Short Duration Cruises, Best Computer Facilities, Best Entertainment, Best Value for the Money, Best Onboard Activities, Best Art Auction Program, Best Medical Facilities, Best Caribbean Itineraries, Best Mexican Riviera Itineraries, Best Party Line. Clearly no one asked me! Royal Caribbean has better computer facilities. I've never gone to an art auction or a medical center, so I can't refute those. I agree with the Caribbean itinerary, but not the Mexican Riviera! NCL has them beaten there! NCL's Mexican Riviera goes all the way to Acapulco and include four ports rather than merely three. And as for party ships, Royal Caribbean wins that, hands-down! Carnival Cruise Lines' 2,642-passenger "Fun Ship" Carnival Destiny recently completed a 21-day dry dock that included an expansive new teen club, a renovated Lido restaurant and children's pool, a redesigned casino, and updated suite accommodations. Following the multi-million- dollar renovation, which took place in Freeport, Bahamas, the 101,353-ton Carnival Destiny resumed its regular schedule of year-round seven-day southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan. On this route, Carnival Destiny departs every Sunday on week-long voyages to St. Thomas/St. John, Dominica, Barbados and Aruba. Highlighting the renovations is a new teen club, part of the line' s recently expanded "Club 02" teen program. Located on Spa Deck 11, the modern facility includes dance floor, high-tech sound/light system, three large-screen plasma TVs displaying the latest movies and music videos, music listening stations, video game pods, and a " mocktail" lounge serving non-alcoholic specialty drinks. Other renovations include a revamped Sun & Sea poolside restaurant on Lido deck which now features colorful tile work, updated lighting, new carpeting and chairs, and a new espresso bar. A poolside stage has been relocated to a covered area on Lido Deck, providing guests with more space for sunning and relaxing. Whirlpools have been replaced on Lido Deck, as well. The ship's 48 suites and penthouse suites were upgraded to include updated lavatories, carpeting and wall coverings. New lighting rigs and backdrops were also installed in the 1,400-seat Palladium Theater, which serves as the venue for two elaborate Vegas-style production shows each week. The Millionaire's Club Casino has been refurbished, as well, with a new poker pit, new lighting and furniture, and various other cosmetic enhancements. In addition, virtually all other public areas, including the Onyx Lounge, Point After Dance Club, and Apollo Piano Bar, were renovated to some extent. The Carnival Destiny entered service in November of 1996 and is the namesake vessel in the line's popular Destiny-class which also includes Carnival Triumph and Carnival Victory. Which brings me to the Carnival Victory! First of all, I like this ship. I like the size-and I am not usually a fan of ships that can accommodate more than 2500 passengers. This is a large ship - 101,509 Gross Registered Tons - and a capacity of 2758 passengers. Somehow, for all of this bigness, this ship manages not to feel crowded. There are so many lounges and bars that they don't seem crowded. In fact, the only clogged and crowded areas I saw were lunch hour in the Mediterranean Restaurant (Lido cafe), the South China Sea Casino, and the shopping area. Otherwise, there were always plenty of elevators and lots of room on deck and below decks. Decor-wise, I liked it too. Each public room is named for a sea or ocean, so you find a lot of blues and greens and aquas - which is a nice color scheme for an ocean-going vessel. For the first time, we tried a rear-facing balcony and appreciated how large the balcony was! It was just about twice the size of an ordinary balcony. The cabin was excellent -lots of storage space, big bathroom, a comfortable bed plus chair and stool and sofa bed! The only thing to complain about was the jumbo duvet that covered the bed. This thing was huge. It was soft and plump, but it must have weighed 40 pounds. Sleeping under it required turning the air conditioning on full blast. My conclusion: For your next Antarctic cruise, this is just the ticket. For the Caribbean, it is way too much bedding! Carnival will sell you a set, according to a brochure we found in the cabin. With the predicted rise in natural gas and heating oil prices, this may be the way to go! The dining rooms were nice. Service was attentive and genuinely friendly. Food was mostly fabulous. Exceptions included the steaks, which just weren' t very tender; and pumpkin pie from the sugar- free menu. Imagine what pumpkin jello might be like. Not a keeper! The wait staff delighted in the shows they put on following desert. When our waiter jumped on a service bar to dance, well, it was a real crowd pleaser! The Eastern Caribbean itinerary was fine. Arriving in San Juan around dinner time, there isn't a lot to do on shore. The Sheraton Hotel down the waterfront has a nice casino, so we strolled there and strolled home in time for the midnight sailing. We had a full day in St. Thomas and another in St. Martin. There was a good crowd in Charlotte Amalie, but the real surprise was how crowded Phillipsburg, St. Maarten was! Shops jammed. Sidewalks packed! It was like St. Thomas on those days when 11 ships are in port! All in all, it was nice to return to the ship to relax! There was a non-stop program of activities on board, but we skipped most of them. We were recovering from our terrible October and just preferred to enjoy the balcony, the food and the excellent company of the Metzgers from California. We did take in the big production shows and they were excellent! Carnival's live orchestras are so much better than other cruise lines' canned music! Well, that's about it for this Sunday evening. May each of you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by those you love! Smooth sailing, Teri |
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