Episode 21 – Alaska Cruises
In this episode Stewart the Cruise Guy talks to us about picking out an Alaskan Cruise.
Mark Orwoll, Editor of Travel + Leisure Magazine talks to us about some of the Worlds Worst Travel Scams.
Carrie from CruiseBuzz.net shares her Top 5 Reasons To Cruise.
Francois Guillaume Jr. Executive Director of The Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Florida shares his story of escaping Hotel Montana just minutes before it crumbled during the earthquake in Port au Prince, Haiti.
In Cruise News, the Carnival Miracle had a little cosmetic damage over the past week…. get the full report.
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Carnival Cruise Lines Returns to Europe Summer 2011
MIAMI– Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, the 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic, will debut with a schedule of seven-, nine- and 12-day Mediterranean cruises operating round-trip from Barcelona from May to October 2011.
This marks Carnival’s first full season of Mediterranean cruises in three years, as well as the first time the line has home-ported a ship in Barcelona. To commemorate the line’s return to Europe, for the first time ever Carnival is offering an exclusive pre-sale for past guests from January 19 to January 25, including complimentary two-category upgrades, along with special pricing with rates starting at just $829 per person, based on double occupancy.
For consumers new to Carnival, the line’s full range of cruise fares, including highly attractive Early Saver rates will open on Tuesday, January 26. The 130,000-ton Carnival Magic will offer a host of features popularized on its sister ship Carnival Dream, including a WaterWorks aqua park, a stunning café/live entertainment venue called Ocean Plaza; Serenity adults-only retreat; spacious, modern facilities for children and teens; and a wide range of stateroom categories.
Several innovations unique to the Carnival Magic will be announced in the coming months. “Our past guests and travel agent partners have provided a tremendous amount of feedback in terms of their desire for more Mediterranean cruises from Carnival,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s president and CEO. “This extensive program in 2011 will offer an excellent variety of itinerary lengths and options for consumers to experience and explore one of the world’s most beautiful and fascinating regions aboard the new Carnival Magic.” Cahill added, “Making the decision to return to Europe is an indicator of our confidence in the increasing willingness of North Americans to travel internationally as we move toward 2011.”
Carnival Magic’s 2011 Mediterranean schedule will encompass three seven-day departures, six nine-day cruises, and eight 12-day voyages round-trip from Barcelona May 10 – October 16, 2011.
A special one-time nine-day voyage from Venice to Barcelona will operate May 1-10, 2011.
Each of the three itineraries start and end on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, which reflects consumers’ traditional vacation patterns and provides convenient opportunities for adding a pre- and post-cruise stay. Seven-day cruises will feature Monte Carlo, Monaco; and Livorno, Rome (Civitavecchia), Naples and Messina, Italy. Departure dates include July 3, 10 and 17, 2011. Nine-day cruises will call at Marseilles, France – the line’s first call at this charming coastal town – followed by Monte Carlo (excluding the August 26 departure); Livorno, Rome (Civitavecchia), Naples, and Messina; and Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Voyages will operate June 3 and 24, August 5 and 26, September 16, and October 7, 2011.
The special nine-day cruise departing May 1 will visit Dubrovnik, Croatia; Messina, Naples, Rome (Civitavecchia), Livorno; and Monte Carlo. The 12-day Grand Mediterranean voyages will feature Monte Carlo or Marseilles; Livorno, Rome (Civitavecchia), and Naples; Dubrovnik (excluding the May 22 departure which will visit Palma de Mallorca); Venice (overnight call) and Messina.
These voyages will depart May 10 and 22, June 12, July 24, August 14, September 4 and 25, and October 16, 2011. On the Carnival Magic’s Mediterranean cruises, guests can sample the region’s renowned cuisine, experience unique sightseeing opportunities, view stunning architecture and visit centuries-old historical landmarks and museums. All three itineraries will operate round-trip from Barcelona, a bustling, cosmopolitan city whose modern cruise terminal is considered one of the finest in Europe.
As the line’s newest ship, Carnival Magic will offer a host of on-board amenities and facilities, including Ocean Plaza, an indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue with full bar service, a patisserie and a dance floor; Serenity, an exclusive adults-only retreat offering magnificent sea views; and The Lanai, a wrap-around promenade encircling the ship with cantilevered whirlpools that will extend over the ship’s sides.
Carnival Magic will also build upon the line’s distinction as the family cruise leader, with dedicated facilities and programming for children in three age groups – Camp Carnival (2-11), Circle “C” (12-14) and Club O2 (15-17) – along with a miniature golf course and an expansive WaterWorks aqua park with multiple water slides and other features. Extensive formal and casual dining options, including two two-level main dining rooms, an expansive poolside Lido restaurant, an elegant steakhouse serving U.S.D.A. prime dry-aged beef, a sushi bar, and complimentary 24-hour stateroom service, will also be available.
High-tech features aboard the Carnival Magic will include the Fun Hub, a comprehensive intranet portal and shipboard social network, along with ship-wide Wi-Fi access. Health-conscious guests will enjoy a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa featuring a thalassotherapy pool, thermal suite and elaborate spa and gymnasium facilities. Carnival Magic will also feature 1,845 staterooms – the most ever on a Carnival ship – and will offer a wide range of accommodation categories. These include the affordable cove balconies, located on Deck 2 and closer to the water line, and a wide range of staterooms including deluxe ocean views with two-bathrooms, some of which feature five berths. The past guest promotion is capacity controlled and available until midnight Monday, January 25.
A valid past guest number is required at the time of booking. The promotion applies to new individual bookings for stateroom categories 4A and higher. Offer is capacity controlled and certain restrictions apply. Upgrades are available within specific stateroom accommodation types (i.e., interior to interior, ocean view to ocean view, balcony to balcony, etc.). Ship highlights and itinerary details are available at www.carnival.com/magic. Itineraries for Carnival Magic beyond October 2011 will be announced at a later date. For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.
Episode 20 – Royal Caribbean Catches Criticism from Media
If you have watched this news this week, the Cruise Lines have been front and center.
In this episode, The Cruise Guy, Stewart Chiron, sets the record straight about all the media hype criticizing Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for continuing service into their private beach in Labadee, Haiti.
Julie Watson, Communication Consultant for VisitJacksonville.com talks about things to do if your cruise is departing out of Jacksonville, Florida.
Chris Elliott, founder of Elliott.org joins us to talk about the Top 5 Travel Mistakes.
Author Daniel Hall talks to us.
Why I Love Cruising
Yesterday at work someone asked me:
Why do you love cruising so much?
I couldn’t help but laugh as I gave him a laundry list of reasons.
- Everything is all inclusive
- You only have to unpack once
- It’s impossible to get a DUI on a cruise ship!
- Where else can you walk out of your back door and basically spit in the ocean?
- Does someone clean your room twice a day at home?
- Where else can you wake up in a different city every day (without teleporting)?
- If you want to work out, there is no gym membership required
After I started rattling off a few, he told me he got the point and may look into cruising in the future.
The fact of the matter is, no matter if you are eight or eighty, there is something for everyone on a cruise ship.
What other reasons can you think of on why cruising is so great?
Meals on a Cruise Ship
Every day I get questions from first time cruisers or just folks who have general questions about cruising. Now, while I have never claimed to be an expert, if I don’t have the answer, I will get it.
I checked my email after getting back into town today and someone asked me a question about dining on a cruise ship and it’s a common questions that I get asked a lot.
How much do I have to pay for my meals on a ship?
A big misconception of cruising is that people think they have to pay for every little thing. The good news is , you don’t! Especially when it comes to on board dining.
When you book your cruise, you are booking a all inclusive package that includes three meals a day, more if you want. The dining on a cruise ship consists of a buffets, regimented forms of dining, and little restaurants scattered through the ship (pizza, sushi, tacos).
While most of the restaurants are free, there are some that come with charges (alternative dining). These restaurants are commonly a step up in atmosphere, food quality and service. Most of the steakhouses for example come with a surcharge that is not included in your cruise price. Typically the surcharges range from $25 and up.
So you won’t go broke eating on a cruise ship because the food is included. Just don’t eat too much! 
Episode 19 – Haiti Earthquake Cruise Show
Episode 19 – Haiti Earthquake Cruise Show
From the Cruise One Studios in Jacksonville, Florida…….
Stewart the Cruise Guy joins us to talk about Haiti and post earthquake. (since the show, RCCL, along with many other cruise lines have jumped aboard to support the Haiti relief fund)
In Cruise News, we talk about Carnival Cruise Lines no longer allowing the ‘Cougar Cruise’ to prowl on their ships.
Scott Lara talks to us about his trip to Haiti.
We revisit passenger Laura talks with us about her recent sailing on the Carnival Dream.
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Military Cruise Discounts
I got an email this morning asking me if cruise lines gave military discounts and if so, what are they? Fair enough.
Taking advantage of a military discount is a must if you are or were in the armed forces. Cruise lines often offer discounts up to 50% off the booking rate with proper military ID. You might as well bring the whole family along because the military discounts apply to them too. Some cruise lines even allow you to book up to three rooms with your military discount. On the other hand, some cruise lines don’t give military discounts but will give you a discount in other forms (shore excursions, on board spending, etc.)
You will want to check with the cruise line you plan to sail on but usually the following fall under military discounts:
- Active or retired military
- All injured or disabled military personnel
- Air Force, Marines, Army (including Army National Guard), Navy, and Coast Guard members
- Military reservists
Sometimes the cruise lines will extend these discounts out to Fire, Police, EMT, and teachers.
There is a lot of companies out there that offer military cruises and packages. It never hurts to call the cruise lines direct either and get information straight from the horses mouth. Google is your friend J
Once your cruise is booked, it is crucial that you have your military ID, discharge papers, etc….they must be submitted to the cruise line by 24 hours of sailing.
Hope this helps!
American Red Cross Pledges Initial $1 Million to Haiti Relief
American Red Cross Pledges Initial $1 Million to Haiti Relief
Send a $10 Donation by Texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999
WASHINGTON, January 13, 2010 – The American Red Cross is sending money, supplies and staff to Haiti to support relief efforts there after yesterday’s earthquake, which caused catastrophic damage and loss of life.
According to reports, as many as three million people may have been affected by the quake, which collapsed government buildings and caused major damage to hospitals in the area.
The Red Cross is contributing an initial $1 million from the International Response Fund to support the relief operation, and has opened its warehouse in Panama to provide tarps, mosquito nets and cooking sets for approximately 5,000 families.
In addition to Red Cross staff already in Haiti, six disaster management specialists are being deployed to the disaster zone to help coordinate relief efforts. At this time, the American Red Cross is only deploying volunteers specially trained to manage international emergency operations.
There has been an outpouring of support from the public. To help, people can make an unrestricted donation to the International Response Fund at www.redcross.org or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). The public can also help by texting “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross, through an effort backed by the U.S. State Department. Funds will go to support American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.
Debris and collapsed bridges are making access to many areas extremely difficult. Telephone service and electricity are out in many places. Haitian Red Cross staff worked throughout the night to rescue people still trapped in their homes and provide first aid. The priority remains to provide food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.
The American Red Cross already had fifteen staff in Haiti providing ongoing HIV/AIDS prevention and disaster preparedness programs. All are reported to be safe and responding to the disaster.
To date, there have been no requests for blood products from the government of Haiti. However, some patients at an affected facility in Haiti have been moved to a Guantanamo Bay hospital, and the Armed Services Blood Program has asked both the Red Cross and Florida Blood Services for support for those patients. In addition, the American Red Cross will be sending a shipment of blood products to the United Nations Mission in Haiti.
While communication with those in Haiti is still difficult, people should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747 if trying to reach a U.S. citizen living or traveling in Haiti. If trying to reach a Haitian citizen, callers should continue to call or contact other family members who live nearby.
While donations are coming in for Haiti relief, the initial American Red Cross response is made possible in part by contributions from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). The following partners designate a portion of their ADGP commitment to the International Response Fund: American Express, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Morgan Stanley and State Street Foundation.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
On the Prowl for a New Ship
So I see them out all the time at the clubs where we do radio station events, I am talking about cougars. No, not the animals. I am talking about women in their 40’s or older scouting out younger men. They are actually quite comical to sit back and watch as they sharpen their claws and prey on the under 25 crowd.
The first and last annual Cougar Cruise on one of Carnival’s ships took place Dec. 3-7, 2009. Since then, the Miami based Carnival Cruise Lines announced it would no longer participate in the ‘Cougar Cruise.’
Carnivals officials said it wasn’t anything that the ‘cougars’ did in particular while aboard, it was just a decision they made NOT to book on this certain theme in the future.
Industry experts speculate that it’s because Carnival Cruise Lines is known for their family ‘FUN’ ships.
Could that leave the cougars on the prowl for a ship?
The cougars will now be preying on the Mexican Rivera this year aboard Royal Caribbeans ‘Mariner of the Seas,’ May 16-23.
Do you think Carnival pulled the plug for a certain reason?
