Cruise Radio» cruise ship

Episode 67 – Norovirus Q’s Answered

admin — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 22:25:03 +0000

Our medical correspondent, Ed McDonough, answers all the questions concerning norovirus.
Cruise Guy drops by the catch us up on Cruise News.

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Subscribe to our weekly show on iTunes.

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DreamHost uptime

Episode 42 – Carnival and the Caribbean

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:46:02 +0000

Nancy Rubin, Communication Director for the Jacksonville Port Authority joins us about the latest on the cruise terminal in Jacksonville and its future plans.

Actor/Game show host Geoff Edwards talks about his latest trip on the Star Clipper.

Stewart Chiron joins us with his weekly commentary.

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Park and Cruise — Is it really worth it?

admin — Mon, 03 May 2010 09:00:44 +0000

While taking a cruise out of your home port is always a great idea…. it’s not always that easy.

Recently, I caught a cruise out of Miami, Florida so we will use that as our case study. Living in Jacksonville, Florida it was about a five hour road trip down to Miami. We left Jacksonville around 7:00 pm and arrived at the La Quinta hotel Airport East at exactly midnight (**TIP** Miami traffic can be a real pain in the butt, travel at night through Miami if you feel comfortable).

As with everything, park and cruising has its advantages and disadvantages.

Perks of Park and Cruise:

Get there a day early
Eat breakfast at the hotel
Not rushed
Avoid port parkings fees
Shuttle service to the ship
Get to sleep in

Disadvantages of Park and Cruise:

Leaving your car in an unsecured lot
Having to take a cab back to your hotel (varies per location)
Usually an open lot, while most ports offer parking garages

Cost Comparison:

Parking at the Port of Miami: $20 per day x 3 day = $60.00

Hotel with Free Parking (up to 7 nights) 89.00 + tax = $100.83 + $15 cab and tip back to hotel* = $115.83

As you can see after taking out the parking and cab, the hotel cost me roughly $55. Checking decent hotels in Miami and that close to the port, it wasnt a bad idea. What it all boils down to is if they extra $55 is worth an night stay prior to your cruise. I am a very last minute person and I will pay the extra $ to not be rushed.

I hope this was helpful to you in deciding which route to take when going on a cruise that’s not in your own backyard.

* most park and cruise hotel packages make you get your own transportation back to hotel. Prices and participation may vary and all that other legal stuff!

Episode 31 – Fuel Surcharges

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:45:19 +0000

This week, Stewart Chiron “The Cruise Guy” chats about a record breaking week for the Oasis of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale and Spirit Airlines carry-on baggage charges… will it impact you?

Paul Motter from CruiseMates.com discusses his recent article he wrote about Fuel Surcharges and its impact on you, the traveler.

Craig Cason, a computer programmer by trade was between jobs and spent a significant time traveling. Hear about his adventures, where he went and tips for first time world travelers.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter at CruiseRadio.

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Episode 24 – European Travel Trends

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:26:47 +0000

Stewart the Cruise Guy talks to us this week about Princess Cruises’ memo of understanding to purchase two new ships and he will answer some listener emails.

Whether your cruising, flying or driving — travel questions are inevitable. MSNBC’s travel guru , Chris Elliot joins us to answer your frequently asked travel questions. Read his latest article “10 Questions Most Frequently Asked by Travelers.”

It seems like all the cruise lines are choosing Barcelona as their home-port these days, John Lampl, a Vice President at British Airways talks to us about British Airways new Terminal 5 in London’s Heathrow airport and European travel trends.

How many times have you flown into your cruise terminal rushed? I doesn’t have to be that way and Bob Diener, President of GetaRoom.com tells us why.

Call our listener comment line: 866-874-7957

Suites on a Cruise Ship

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:44:26 +0000

This morning I saw a twitter message with my name on it so I checked it out. The twitter message was someone telling their friends about Cruise Radio (which you should check out). Turns out, they were planning a cruise and wondered what suites are like on a cruise ship… so here is my short answer:

Suite on Holland America

First off, a traditional stateroom offers your basic necessities. Bed, shower, and luggage storage.

The basic layout of a suite is pretty much the same no matter what cruise line you travel. You will find a over abundance of square footage, most the time a balcony, a nice size bathroom and additional amenities that you didn’t even think you would need. They all vary so you will want to check the cruise line that you are wanting to cruise with. I have seen wet bars, hot tubs, lounge chairs, marble tile bathrooms, and large couches in suites. Some suites can even accommodate up to 14 passengers!

As an added value, some cruise lines give folks different areas of access during the stay in a suite that would not be available to the passengers in traditional staterooms. For example: Holland America will give you exclusive access to their Neptune lounge when in a suite. Carnival Cruise Lines give you access to fitness classes. Cunard, who has always stuck to class separation which would give you access to your own restaurants and lounges.

There are some great resources online if you would like to dig deeper. If you would like to add anything, please comment.

What is a Bulbous Bow?

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:00:35 +0000

Earlier today I was talking to my dad who is a retired harbor pilot. See earlier post on river/harbor pilots.

We were talking about the different bow configurations of cruise ships and why some ships have bubbles on the bows (front of ship). Skating around the whole physics part of the bow bubble (bulbous bow the technical term) I asked me dad a few questions.

Wikipedia describes the Bulbous Bow: a protruding bulb at the bow (or front) of a ship just below the waterline.

A Bulbous Bow (yachtforums.com)

Questions and Answers:

What exactly does the bulbous bow do? The bubble breaks the friction between the ocean and the steel of the ship. In return, the ship is more fuel efficient and cuts through the water more smoothly.

What kind of material is it made of? The same type of material the hull of the ship is made of, steel.

What kind of ships have a bulbous bows? Passenger, container ships, car ships, military…. mostly any ship that draws more than 15 ft of water.

How long have they been around for? Most ships that were built in the 1980′s to current have these bubbles installed on them. The bubbles were used in early as the 1930s but were known as experimental.

You mentioned the bulbous bow is fuel efficient, how so? Depending on the metrics of the ship it can reduce the drag through the water up to 15%. Less drag, less friction, less fuel usage.

How deep does the bulbous bow go? The bubble goes down to the keel (bottom) of the ship.

Can a harbor tug hit the bulbous bow if it gets to close to it? Yes, and when it does, it will shake the whole ship …. steel touching steel is not good.

Could a tug hitting it compromise the integrity of the hull? Of course, any outside force can. Look what a sheet of ice did to the titanic.

Thanks for the answers!

Interview with a Cruise Ship Entertainer

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:01:34 +0000

The other day I got to sit down with Jason, the ‘piano man,’ of the Carnival Glory. He answered a few questions that I had about life at sea. I thought I would pass this question and answer session on to you.

What is your position? On board entertainer …. ‘piano man’

Tell us a little about yourself? I was born and raised in Jamaica, but now
living in TN for the past 7 years. I’ve playing the piano for the past 15 years, and have been on and off with Carnival since January 2001.

Do you do anything besides play piano on a nightly basis? Basically, my job is as a piano bar entertainer. It’s a bit more than playing the piano and singing, but bring humor and fun to the lounge.

How long are your contracts? The standard contract length is 6 or 8 months at a time, but because of my particular gig, it varies. I normally won’t do longer than 4 months, but I’ve been doing mostly 8 week contract this year. It’s quite a challenge for Carnival to keep good piano bar entertainers on, so we usually get to call the shots on how long we want to stay on for.

How is life below the deck? Life below deck, contrary to what people think, is NOT an ongoing party. Basically it’s just sleeping quarters and dining rooms and crew offices. We do have a crew bar that’s open every night, but only stays open until 1:30am. Most crew members are still at work at that time, including myself.

With over 50 nationalities on board, is there a language barrier? We do normally have crew from more than 50 different nationalities, but I can’t say that language barrier has been an issue. Everyone has a at least minimal English skills, and people are normally quite good about talking slowly and clearly.

What do you do on port days? I normally just find local food and hang out with friends. I’ve been to most of the ports many times before, so I’ve already done all the touristy stuff.

What are the perks? You get to visit a lot of places that some people can only dream of, and one of my favorite is that I get to meet some really cool people from all over the world.

Any disadvantages? The main dissadvantage is that you are always gone and sometimes you miss the simple things of everyday life on land. You are away from family and friends and you miss all the holidays with them.

Any advice for people wanting to work on a cruise ship? I think most people would enjoy working on a cruise ship, but there are a few things they need to consider; there are a lot of rules you have to abide by, and a lot of safety classes that you have to do. Also, unlike the real world, the workplace rules apply even when you are off duty. That’s kinda tough to get used to, but in general I’d say that the benefits outweigh the bad. It is not a job for everyone! Plus it’s way different for a piano bar entertainer than a cook. Some jobs require 10 hr shifts, everyday!!!

Another Person Overboard, SERIOUSLY?

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:51:06 +0000

What is the deal lately with people going over board on cruise ships?

The US Coast Guard just rescued a 31 yr., Robert Mado, a crew member from Royal Caribbeans ‘Majesty of the Seas,’ after a two hour rescue search.

The ship was en-route back to Miami from Key West when the man was reported overboard.

The Coast Guard answered the distress call about 4:30 am.

Mado appears to be in stable condition.

Avoid Getting Seasick

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:01:48 +0000

If you look the word “seasickness” up online, it will say: a sickness resulting from the pitching and rolling of a ship or boat in water, especially at sea. If you want to get all web MD, its your brain adjusting to an unstable environment. Today I was asked a question from a co-worker:

Whats the best way to AVOID getting sea sick on a cruise?

I had a lot of answers for him so I was briefly share with you what we chatted about from my personal experiences.

Book a room in the lower part of the ship and towards the center, the closer you are to the bottom of the ship, the less rocking you will experience.
Book a smaller ship (they go into small destinations and not out in the open waters)
Try to keep a full stomach.
Stay out of the sun
Pack Dramamine
Get a pressure point wrist band — its goes back to acupuncture. There is a pressure point about an inch above your wrist.
Easy on the booze
Stay hydrated with water
Eat bread/crackers to absorb the acid in your stomach
Lay down and look at the horizon, it will give your brain a reference point to focus on
Keep your ears clean

As you can imagine, after hearing all those he was sorry he asked, but those are some remedies that I swear by. These are just a few and I welcome your comments!!

We will be doing a radio episode on sea sickness in the near future that will answer all your questions.