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Archive for the ‘Family Cruising’ Category

Fantastic family cruise offer on sale Monday 23rd May 2011 with Royal Caribbean.

Saturday, May 21st, 2011 - 1:56 pm by admin

Sailings on Grandeur of the Seas from 29/05/11 till 23/10/11 will have an offer on them whereby if you book a balcony or suite then children under 12 years of age will only pay £149 per child.

Grandeur of the Seas is sailing a 7 night itinerary to the Mediterranean from Palma.

Prices start at £1907 for a family of 3 (2 Adults/ 1 Child) and £2056 for a family of 4 (2 Adults/ 2 Children) based on a departure date of 29th May 2011 in a Balcony Stateroom.

Peak season prices based on 14th August 2011 start at £2507 for a family of 3 and £2656 for a family of 4.

Flights are available from East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, Gatwick, Belfast, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham, Doncaster and Glasgow. (A small supplement may apply).

This offer is only valid for 8 days and ends on 30th May.

Posted in Family Cruising, Royal Caribbean, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Norwegian Epic 22nd -24th July 2010

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 - 4:33 pm by admin

Posted in Family Cruising, NCL, Norwegian Epic | No Comments »

Sailing at last…….

Saturday, June 26th, 2010 - 4:59 pm by admin

Our second day onboard Norwegian Epic begin for me in a very relaxing way. As I was up early I decided to go check out the spa and decided to book a manicure as I have finally given up biting my nails. I was able to be seen immediately and had the most wonderful experience of a Fire and Ice manicure which cost $50 for 1 hour and 20 minutes. The manicurist was a lovely lady from Jamaica and I can honestly say it was the best manicure ever.

Janet came up to meet me and we headed to the Garden Cafe for breakfast where there was a wide variety of cereals , fresh fruit, pancakes, pastries and cooked breakfasts to name but a few. After this we decided to go and lie in the wonderful sun. We decided to lay near where one of the water flumes came out-bad mistake as we kept getting the spray from the ride although very cooling in the heat.

We sailed out of Southampton at 1pm and headed out round the Isle of Wight!! The deck area has three water slides and a childrens area as well as two small pools which I personally thought were a little inadequate for the size of the ship. At lunchtime we had the joy pf listening to a Caribbean style band whilst relaxing. At three o clock most people heade to the aft end to H2O where there was a large screen showing the England match. I am surprised the ship did not tip with the amount of people trying to see the screen. At least Engkland won – roll on Sunday!!!

This evening we had pre booked the Blue Man Group for 7pm and as a headline act and the fact that they have played Vegas we were really excited about seeing them. All I can say is WEIRD!!!!! I think I liked them but really not sure. Their act was a variety of drumming, spitting food and paint out of their mouts and covering the whole audience in toilet roll!

After this we experienced Morenos (Speciality Restaurnat) which is a Churrascaria. This means that you help yourself to the salad bar then when you are ready to receive the meats you turn over a ticket on your table from red to green to alert the Pasadores (waiting staff) to start serving you. They then come around with skewers of meat which they slice on to your plate at the table and when you have had enough to eat you turn the card over to red.

We certainly enjoyed the experience of the ship and are sorry we cannot cover it in more detail however if you need any advice then please do not hesitate to call either myself, Julie McIntyre or my partner in crime, Janet Baren.

Posted in Entertainment, Family Cruising, NCL, New Ships, Norwegian Epic | No Comments »

Dining, bar and entertainment venues!

Saturday, June 26th, 2010 - 4:31 pm by admin

Well have finally managed to get a few minutes to tell you all about the Epic.

Epic is certainly a great name for this magnificent ship with its 21 dining venues and 20 bars there is certainly something for everyone.

Janet Baren and I (Julie McIntyre) were only on for 2 nights and although we tried to get round every bar and dining venue I am afraid we failed miserably.

Embarkation for us should have been at 1pm but due to propulsion problems with the ship coming from Rotterdam we did not get onboard until 6pm. Note to anyone considering an inaugural or shakedown cruise – BE AWARE THAT THERE STILL MAYBE TEETHING PROBLEMS ONBOARD. Fore warned is fore armed.

As I have discussed the cabins on a previous blog I will concentrate more on the public rooms. As I said earlier the choice is staggering but if you do want to eat in a speciality restaurant, see the show in the Spiegel Tent or Blue Man Group or go in the Ice Bar. ENSURE THAT THESE ARE PRE BOOKED BEFORE YOU EMBARK TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.

First evening we dined in one of the main dining rooms, Taste, the other being the Manhattan Room with the Legends show. The food and service was excellent.

A must do is the Ice Bar which has a cost of $25 per person which does include a drink. Unfortunately we were unable to do this as it was fully booked and we were unable to just take a peek as the air temperature inside is very carefully monitored.

Shaker’s Martini Bar was our favourite bar with lots of different Martinis on offer with our favourite being Chocolate Raspberry. I do have to say that we saw a couple of our competitors of the male sex having very pink girly drinks in the bar. We have promised not to tell their colleagues!!!! You know who you are!!

Entertainment after dinner is varied and the first night we went to Fat Cats Jazz Club followed by Headliners Comedy Club. Later on janet, the party animal, persuaded me to go to Bliss which was the nightclub which was amazing. You entered via asmoky curtain with a projected image of the DJ on it. As you entered you were greeted with a DJ on stage with passengers dancing around him, over sized seats and in fact two seats that resembled double beds along with a dancing cage at each side of the bar. We did not stay too long and managed to get back to our cabins at a very respectable 1.15am.

Posted in Family Cruising, NCL, New Ships, Norwegian Epic | No Comments »

New images loaded!

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 - 4:01 pm by admin

Check out the Independence of the Seas photographs under “Pages”.

Posted in Family Cruising, Independence of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Surfs up with Royal Caribbean.

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 - 12:12 pm by admin

Posted in Family Cruising, Independence of the Seas, Royal Caribbean | No Comments »

Flexicruise with P & O – the new way to Cruise!

Monday, June 7th, 2010 - 12:47 pm by admin

If you can be flexible with your departure date and stateroom location you will get a great discount on your holiday. You pay a set, reduced amount for your preferred stateroom type on a 15 night Caribbean fly-cruise and we’ll allocate you a cruise subsequent to booking but in good time for your departure. You can benefit from substantial savings off the brochure fare with Flexicruise – from £150 to £1000 in this case.

There are two groups of cruises to choose from, you simply need to decide whether you would like to cruise before or after Christmas. The first group of pre-Christmas holidays consists of five Caribbean cruises, each with a Friday or Saturday departure date and the second, nine Caribbean holidays, also with Friday and Saturday departure dates. With Flexicruise you may be allocated any of the holidays within the group you’ve chosen, but there’s really no mystery – your cruise will be one of the two itineraries featured and there is one guaranteed price per stateroom type (Inside, Outside, Balcony or Superior Deluxe) .  Booking is easy – just like usual you will be asked for your personal details and need to state your stateroom and dining preferences.

What’s the catch?


There really isn’t one. You’re assured of a 15 night Caribbean fly-cruise on either Azura or Ventura upon which you will enjoy exactly the same enviable standards of P&O Cruises service for a lower price than would usually be available at this time. In addition, you’ll be notified at least 70 days before departure of your allocated departure date, so you’ll still have plenty of time to prepare, pack and look forward to your holiday. The only condition is that you are able to accept any date offered within your chosen group of holidays and are able to pay a 20% deposit at the time of booking
(see full terms and conditions on the back page).

Your holiday itinerary

Route 1: UK • Barbados • Bonaire • Aruba • Ocho Rios • Grand Turk •
St. Maarten • Antigua • Dominica • St. Lucia • Barbados • UK

Route 2: UK • Barbados • Curacao • Aruba • Catalina Island • Tortola •
St. Maarten • St. Kitts • St. Lucia • Grenada • Barbados •  UK

For full details and terms and conditions please check out www.cruiseoffers.com/brochures and click on Flexicruise – P & O.

Posted in Family Cruising, P & O | No Comments »

Disney Cruise Line Adds Final Building Block To New Cruise Ship Disney Dream

Monday, June 7th, 2010 - 12:05 pm by admin

The final building block for the newest Disney Cruise Line ship, the Disney Dream, was placed yesterday at the Meyer Werft shipyard signalling completion of a major milestone in the ship’s overall construction.  On January 26, 2011, the Disney Dream will set sail from Port Canaveral, Fla. on her maiden voyage and take family cruising to all-new heights, embracing the spirit of innovation, magical family entertainment and immersive experiences that have made Disney Cruise Line the preeminent choice for families since 1998.

The final block placed was a 260-ton portion of the ship’s bow, complete with the signature Disney Cruise Line golden filigree.  With all 80 building blocks for the Disney Dream now in place, the focus shifts to outfitting the interiors spaces that include the whimsical, Disney-infused children’s spaces, dynamically chic adult nightclubs, spectacular restaurants and elaborate theatres.

Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz and Captain Mickey Mouse were at the Meyer Werft shipyard to commemorate this important milestone. 

“With the steel construction process complete, we’re now looking forward to exciting new milestones such as the installation of AquaDuck, the first water coaster at sea,” said Holz. “Each day, the ship gets closer to its Maiden Voyage, and it is clear that the Disney Dream is destined to be one of the most spectacular ships afloat.”

The Disney Dream will expand the one-of-a-kind family experience guests enjoy while on a Disney Cruise Line vacation.  Some of the highlights:

  • The ship will feature a first-of-its-kind water coaster that will send guests racing above and around the upper decks of the ship. 
  • Animator’s Palate restaurant will magically transform into an undersea wonderland with live, impromptu interactions with Crush, the animated sea turtle from Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Nemo.”  
  • Elaborately themed children’s spaces will immerse children in their favourite Disney stories and feature some of today’s most innovative technology. 
  • A night time entertainment district just for adults will be filled with sophisticated, trendy, fanciful and fun-filled venues. 
  • Inside staterooms will have a “special” view thanks to a cruise industry first virtual porthole concept. 

The Disney Dream will sail alternating three and four-night cruises to the Bahamas and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. During summer 2011, the ship will sail four- and five-night itineraries with two stops at Castaway Cay.

To learn more about Disney Cruise Line or to book a cruise vacation onboard the Disney Dream, guests can visit www.disneycruise.com

Posted in Family Cruising, New Ships | No Comments »

Shrek to appear on Royal Caribbean Ships!!

Monday, June 7th, 2010 - 11:30 am by admin

Royal Caribbean International has forged a strategic alliance with DreamWorks Animation to screen 3D films on board its newest ships.

Some of the studio’s most popular movies, including Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon, will be featured together with new releases.

DreamWorks characters such as Shrek, the Penguins of Madagascar, Po of Kung Fu Panda and Hiccup of How to Train Your Dragon will be on board for special events and character meals.

The cast of characters will first take the stage in the AquaTheater on Allure of the Seas, which enters service in December from Fort Lauderdale in Florida, performing a one-off aquatic show of acrobatics and high-diving stunts.

The ice-skating venue on 5,400-passenger Allure of the Seas will also feature How to Train Your Dragon characters in an ice show.

DreamWorks Animation-themed activities will then be incorporated onto Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas.

The cruise line’s president and CEO Adam Goldstein said: “Royal Caribbean and DreamWorks Animation share many of the same philosophies when it comes to high-quality family entertainment, so there is quite a lot of synergy going into this strategic alliance.”

Posted in Family Cruising | No Comments »

Kids Clubs-Adventure Ocean

Sunday, May 30th, 2010 - 4:20 pm by admin

For any families out there here is some information for you:-
Royal Caribbean has its own kids club called Adventure Ocean. They are all fully qualified and all of them hold a qualification in child care of some description. There are 16 members of staff so plenty of care for your little ones.
The clubs are splt into 3 groups:-
Aquanauts for 3-5 years (must be potty trained). Daily activities are printed on a blue headed form called the Daily Compass.
Explorers for 6-8 year olds and thir activities are on a red compass.
Voyagers 9-11 year olds and theirr activities are on a green compass.
Royal Caribbean also have parent led sessions for Babies from 6 months as follows:-
Royal Babies 6-18 months
Royal Tots 18-36 months
A parent must stay with the children for this.
If safety is an issue for you Royal Caribbean has the YEP which stands for Youth Evacuation Plan. This means that upon boarding all children aged between 3-11 have to wear a mandatory band on their wrist which denotes their muster station in case of emergency. If there ever was an emergency members of the ships crew would ensure that your children are taken to their muster stations.
If as a parent you want to stay out lat tere is the Late Night Party Zone form 10pm – 2am which is charged at $6 per child per hour.
Special dining arrangements can also be made and on our four day cruise on Days 2-3 children were dropped off at Johnny Rockets at 4.45pm with the Adventure Ocean Staff were they had a complimentary dinner before being taken back up to the kio the kids clubs.
M Family Time Dining is also popular but the parents must book the 6.30pm sitting. After the kids have been fed a member of the Adventure Ocean staff will pick them up an tke them to the club for the night until you pick them up again.
If anyone has any queries then please give me a call about the facilities.

Posted in Family Cruising, Independence of the Seas, Royal Caribbean | No Comments »