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May11, 2006 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Greetings, Cruise Fans, Welcome to the May 7 edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News. Pat and I got an invitation this week to sail aboard the brand new Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas when it arrives here in Florida at the end of the month. The first "real" cruise will be a western Caribbean itinerary (St. Thomas, San Juan and St. Maarten) departing on June 4, but the cruise line has scheduled a couple of travel agent preview cruises on May 29 and May 31 and we'll be sailing on that second departure. Not going anywhere, but surely a ship that big will have plenty to entertain us for 2 days and nights! I have been a bit skeptical about these new mega-mega ships. I am prepared to be dazzled, however, And I promise you an unbiased assessment in the June 4 edition of this newsletter. A couple of questions arrived this week. One reader asked about our favorite Caribbean ports. Since I' ve visited a view more than Pat, he deferred this question to me. Among my favorites are: Martinique. Some believe the haughty Frenchness of this beautiful island is a reason to skip it. The problem with that is you miss gorgeous beaches, a breathtaking tropical forest, and one of the most interesting shore excursions anywhere- a visit to the once-populous city of St. Pierre which was leveled by the 1902 eruption of Mt. Pelee. This 4,000+ foot volcano is still active. St. Pierre's Volcano Museum is fabulous. The city was frozen in time. St. Lucia. Simply as pretty as a picture. The towering green Pitons rise straight out of the blue sea. Roatan Island, Honduras. The day will come when this port will be as visited as St. Thomas. For now, it is sleepy and charming. People are amazingly friendly. The beaches are beautiful. And the beer? If you're a fan of that beverage, you need to treat yourself to a Port Royale! Icy cold perfection! Seriously, I am not a connoisseur, but this is my idea of a perfect brew! Belize. If you want to feel far from home, Belize fits the bill. Visit the zoo and encounter animals you never knew existed. Take a river trip and note the iguanas in the trees, the manatees in the river, and the alligators on the banks. Foreign, friendly. And fun! Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Even in the rain, this is a great port call. Last time, Pat and I toured a banana plantation and took a fantastic river trip on a storm- swollen river. Monkeys and sloths in the trees above your head and blue butterflies as big as your face. Wow! San Juan, Puerto Rico. Love those old forts! Love the charming old downtown. Just once, I wish we had time to really explore this place. We've done the highlights, but I know there are more treasures to seek out. And I would love to have time to tour the rain forest. Ok, I left out a lot of great ones, I know. But this is just a short list of favorites. I'd like to hear from you about the ports you like best, too. Drop me a line at cruiseplanners7seascruises@ msn.com . And while you're at it, this is a "last call" for summer cruises. There are some excellent fares and itineraries out there. Let Pat give you a hand. Call him, toll-free, at 1- 866-424-1090. He' ll pull together a list of good fares and trips you might like and we'll include them in a mid- week newsletter! And now, some cruise news... When the 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom debuts in Europe in March 2007 it will feature an interior design theme that takes guests on a journey through the centuries by decade. From ancient Babylonia to the heyday of disco, from the 19th- century Victorian era to the contemporary style of the 1990s, the public rooms of Carnival Freedom celebrate many periods in time. Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the 2,974- passenger Carnival Freedom is scheduled to enter service with a series of 12- day Mediterranean cruises -including the line's first- ever visit to the Greek Isles and Turkey - beginning March 14, 2007. When guests step into Freedom's Millennium atrium, they will be transported into the near-future decade of the 2010s represented by cylindrical forms painted in iridescent lacquers that take on red or gold tones - depending on the angle - and cutouts of wood veneer that have been dyed to look like tiger skin, lined with polished copper. Curved railings are done in blue glass, and the theme is carried on to the elevator lobbies where stainless steel elevator doors are decorated with applied copper designs. Glass and copper chandeliers hang from the ceiling amid columns and beams accented with special iridescent glass tiles. Smaller versions of the chandeliers are used as wall lights with color-changing internal lighting. The Victoriana show lounge is named after Britain's Queen Victoria, whose name also is associated with the fashion style that peaked in the 1880s. The room' s design evokes theaters in London's West End with ornate moldings, fancy marble and gold leaf. The walls adjacent to the stage feature scattered giant curlicues with twinkling lights, and arches between the windows contain pre-Raphaelite paintings from the era. The eye-catching centerpiece of the theater is a mural-decorated dome with a crystal chandelier. The 1890s were all about style, and that is reflected in the forward and aft restaurants - the Chic and Posh Dining Rooms, respectively. The walls feature a combination of striking polished marbles and a special wood veneer laminated in a fashionable python skin pattern. Marble and antique gold grillwork with fruit, vines and leaves is mounted between the banquettes. The mood of the restaurants can be changed dramatically through innovative lighting strips containing small color- changing light bulbs that meander around the rooms and create a sparkling effect. Named after Louis XIV, the Sun King Supper Club represents the glory days of the 18th century. A statue of Louis as the Sun King - a nickname given to him from a role he played on stage - greets diners as they enter the restaurant and an impressive period chandelier hangs in the skylight dome with smaller versions suspended throughout the room. Other design features of the era include elaborate tapestries, antique mirrors on the walls and a large mural depicting the court of the King in trompe l'oeil. Guests will feel at home in platform shoes at the Studio 70 dance club which will focus on the 1970s when disco was in its prime. An updated version of the famed Studio 54 disco in New York, Studio 70 will have giant "70s" on the walls done in a colored stainless steel with interior color- changing, pulsating lights, while sofas are done in giant seven and zero shapes with upholstered seats and glass backs. The room's black interior comes to life with spinning mirror balls hanging from the ceiling, completing the distinct retro atmosphere. Representing the earliest epoch featured in the ship's design - 1000 B.C. - the Babylon Casino recalls the Babylonian palace of its most famous king, Hammurabi, and takes its theme from the famed Hanging Gardens of ancient Babylon. A reproduction of the legendary Ishtar Gate is done in blue-glaze brick with applied mythological animals and decorations of flowers and geometric designs, while brick columns with Babylonian winged figures are found throughout the casino. The fabled Hanging Gardens are depicted on polished stainless steel with painted flowers. Among other decades represented in Carnival Freedom's public rooms are the 1940s in the Habana Cigar Bar, with barstools and tabletops resembling cigars; the 1770s in the Monticello Library evocative of the American colonial style; the 1910s in Scott's piano bar, named after ragtime piano master Scott Joplin; the 1930s in Swingtime jazz club, hearkening back to jazz's early days; and the 900s in the Dynasty Room, an homage to ancient China. Carnival Cruise Lines' 2, 642-passenger "Fun Ship" Carnival Destiny will launch a new seven-day southern Caribbean schedule from San Juan featuring port calls to five different tropical destinations beginning in Jan. 7, 2007. The island-intensive itinerary features extended day-long visits to a variety of magnificent southern Caribbean ports, including St. Lucia, Antigua, Dominica, Barbados, and St. Thomas/St. John, along with a fun-filled day at sea. According to an AP story, a combustible plastic on the balconies of a Star Princess cruise ship may have played a major role in the quick spread of the March fire aboard the vessel that killed an American man and injured 13 passengers, a British marine agency said Thursday. A type of widely used plastic called polycarbonate found in the ship's balconies is highly combustible, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said in a report in connection with the fire, which broke out on the Bermudan-registered cruise ship while it sailed from Grand Cayman to Montego Bay, Jamaica, on March 23. If this story proves to be true, expect some rule changes and some new balcony surfaces on Princess (and other?) ships. That's it for this edition. Until our mid-week visit, I wish you smooth sailing! Teri |
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