Royal Caribbean Cruise Line recently announced that it is changing its disembarkation process. Instead of passengers having to rush out of their staterooms, gulp down breakfast, and then do the "hurry up and wait" routine in public areas of the ship, they will be allowed to access more areas of the ship and have access to more services.
Royal Caribbean's plans will allow guests to have extended access to their staterooms, as well as continued in-stateroom TV entertainment. Guests also will receive an “As You Depart” notice, which communicates the new enhancements and the location of departure lounges offering refreshments and light entertainment. Among the departure lounges will be a dedicated Family Zone, which will include refreshments, toys and games geared toward younger cruisers. Guests in suites will be treated to an exclusive continental breakfast hosted by guest services or the concierge. Royal Caribbean will also cut down on the amount of ship-wide public announcements all morning to maintain a relaxing atmosphere, with nearly all departure updates limited to the departure lounges and through the in-stateroom TV programming. If you'd like to get off the ship right away instead of waiting around, guests can also take advantage of the Express Departure option, where they carry their own luggage off the ship. With this option, you get to disembark the ship first and as soon as the gangway is opened and cleared by local authorities.
I think this is a great step forward on Royal Caribbean's part and I'd really like to see other cruise lines follow along. On my most recent cruise on the Norwegian Star, their disembarkation process allowed passengers to stay in their staterooms while they were waiting to disembark, and it made for a much more comfortable and relaxing experience. Bravo, Royal Caribbean!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
NCL's Freestyle: Free to Be You and Me!
I just recently returned from a Seminar at Sea aboard the Norwegian Star, a beautiful ship in NCL's "youngest fleet in the industry". This was my first opportunity to experience NCL's signature "Freestyle Cruising" for myself, after hearing much about it through other agents and clients. I have been a fan of the dine-at-your-own-leisure-type experience offered by several cruise lines for many years, even though each line's system seems to work a bit differently. I enjoy being able to eat dinner early one night if I happen to be hungry earlier than my set dining time; or being able to relax for a while after a long day ashore and have a late dinner instead of having to rush to the dining room to be there on time for my seating. I also enjoy being able to choose with whom I'd like to dine, instead of having to sit with the same table-mates for the duration of my cruise. I'm all about choice, you see?
What I really liked about NCL's Freestyle program is that it truly IS freestyle. You get to choose when you want to eat, where you want to eat, and with whom you want to eat. Now, I knew this already as a cruise specialist, but to be able to experience it for myself really made me understand what NCL was aiming for when they developed this program. I really enjoyed the FREEDOM granted to me and I found the process to be very well-run. You simply pick which restaurant you'd like to dine in, whether it be one of the main dining rooms on the ship, or one of the many specialty restaurants on the ship (each of which charges a small cover charge); and you can either make a reservation, which is recommended, or you can simply walk in when you're ready to eat.
Reservations are only allowed 24 hours or less in advance, so that prevents people from picking the "best" or most popular restaurants for every night of the cruise, blocking others from getting a chance to dine there as well; and passengers are encouraged to actually keep their reservations, because failure to cancel with enough notice means a cancellation charge (the amount of the cover charge) being added to their shipboard accounts. Some people may balk at being charged for failing to cancel on time, but I think it's a smart idea. After all, if you reserve a table and don't show up, you could be preventing someone else on board from being able to dine there at that time.
For those of you who don't like to make reservations and prefer to just walk in to a restaurant and get a table, this can be done; just keep in mind that if you pick the most popular dining spot onboard at 6:00 pm, you may have to wait to get a table. I mostly live by the "fly by the seat of my pants" method, and usually wait to decide what to have for dinner until about 10 minutes before I want to actually EAT dinner, and the whole process went very smoothly for me. Our sailing was full and my traveling companion and I never had an issue getting in to eat where we wanted on a given night. We did make reservations a couple of times, but only about two hours or so before we wished to dine that evening; and several times we just walked in to a restaurant and were seated right away. It worked great.
If you didn't feel like actually sitting in a "restaurant" to eat, there was always the poolside grill, the buffet, the ice cream bar, and room service to keep you full. And, of course, the Blue Lagoon (sort of a diner) was a great place to sit and have a bite if you were just looking for something to do.
I really felt free on this ship, and my traveling companion, who enjoyed it so much, even booked her next cruise while onboard the ship! NCL's Freestyle cruising is a giant step away from the typical cruising experience, and it may not be for everyone. After all, some people really enjoy the set dining times, formal nights, and shuffleboard of traditional cruising; and that's wonderful that they do, as there is an air of elegance to it. But if you're a part of Generation X or you just enjoy doing things a little differently and at your own speed, then NCL might be for you. You really can be free to do what you want where you want and when you want -- at least for a week or so aboard a cruise ship!
Oh, and by the way, the food was pretty darn good and the entertainment was fantastic, too!
What I really liked about NCL's Freestyle program is that it truly IS freestyle. You get to choose when you want to eat, where you want to eat, and with whom you want to eat. Now, I knew this already as a cruise specialist, but to be able to experience it for myself really made me understand what NCL was aiming for when they developed this program. I really enjoyed the FREEDOM granted to me and I found the process to be very well-run. You simply pick which restaurant you'd like to dine in, whether it be one of the main dining rooms on the ship, or one of the many specialty restaurants on the ship (each of which charges a small cover charge); and you can either make a reservation, which is recommended, or you can simply walk in when you're ready to eat.
Reservations are only allowed 24 hours or less in advance, so that prevents people from picking the "best" or most popular restaurants for every night of the cruise, blocking others from getting a chance to dine there as well; and passengers are encouraged to actually keep their reservations, because failure to cancel with enough notice means a cancellation charge (the amount of the cover charge) being added to their shipboard accounts. Some people may balk at being charged for failing to cancel on time, but I think it's a smart idea. After all, if you reserve a table and don't show up, you could be preventing someone else on board from being able to dine there at that time.
For those of you who don't like to make reservations and prefer to just walk in to a restaurant and get a table, this can be done; just keep in mind that if you pick the most popular dining spot onboard at 6:00 pm, you may have to wait to get a table. I mostly live by the "fly by the seat of my pants" method, and usually wait to decide what to have for dinner until about 10 minutes before I want to actually EAT dinner, and the whole process went very smoothly for me. Our sailing was full and my traveling companion and I never had an issue getting in to eat where we wanted on a given night. We did make reservations a couple of times, but only about two hours or so before we wished to dine that evening; and several times we just walked in to a restaurant and were seated right away. It worked great.
If you didn't feel like actually sitting in a "restaurant" to eat, there was always the poolside grill, the buffet, the ice cream bar, and room service to keep you full. And, of course, the Blue Lagoon (sort of a diner) was a great place to sit and have a bite if you were just looking for something to do.
I really felt free on this ship, and my traveling companion, who enjoyed it so much, even booked her next cruise while onboard the ship! NCL's Freestyle cruising is a giant step away from the typical cruising experience, and it may not be for everyone. After all, some people really enjoy the set dining times, formal nights, and shuffleboard of traditional cruising; and that's wonderful that they do, as there is an air of elegance to it. But if you're a part of Generation X or you just enjoy doing things a little differently and at your own speed, then NCL might be for you. You really can be free to do what you want where you want and when you want -- at least for a week or so aboard a cruise ship!
Oh, and by the way, the food was pretty darn good and the entertainment was fantastic, too!
How about a nice round of golf --- in Vietnam?!?
According to Cruise Industry Wire, Luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises is expanding its "Experiences of Discovery" Golf theme cruises into Asia, giving golf enthusiasts the rare opportunity to play at four world-renowned courses in Thailand and Vietnam. Guests can sharpen their skills on board and ashore with instruction from a guest celebrity golfer and PGA golf pro. Crystal Symphony's 11-day itinerary from Hong Kong to Singapore offers a roster of onboard lectures, clinics, contests and events, including the chance to win a free Crystal cruise.
Every detail of the Crystal Golf Program is arranged in six-star fashion, from onboard practice with TaylorMade equipment -- the No. 1 driver on the PGA Tour -- to cocktails, caddy and cart service on the greens. Complimentary cleaning and storage of golf clubs and golf shoes will be offered after each round.
Courses include:
•Vietnam Golf & Country Club, Ho Chi Minh City -- The country's first 36-hole golf club, widely regarded as the premier club in Vietnam,
•Burapha Golf, Bangkok -- A 36-hole championship course set amid lakes, hills and tropical vegetation,
•Laem Chabang International Country Club, Bangkok -- Three distinct nines: The Lakes, Mountain and Valley courses, each offering its one-of-kind challenges, and
•Montgomerie Links, Da Nang, Vietnam -- Asia's first "Montgomerie" branded golf links set against the Marble Mountains and China Beach coast.
Departing April 20, the Golf Cruise calls at Chan May and Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam, Bangkok/Laem Chabang, Thailand. Fares start at $4,805 per person, double occupancy. Golf excursions begin at $347 per person. Crystal also offers golf-themed itineraries in the British Isles and Northern Europe, and Canada/New England in 2009.
I am really excited to hear about this not only as a wife of an avid golfer who'd love to be able to take this cruise, but as a cruise specialist. With many cruise lines now cutting back on their more exotic itineraries and focusing on ports closer to home, it's really great to see Crystal adding to its already spectacular cruise opportunities by bringing the golf element onboard. Combining golf and cruising is really a no-brainer, but to be able to offer the opportunity to play golf at courses many, many Americans would never otherwise have the chance to play, is a stroke of genius. I applaud Crystal for offering this awesome golf cruise and hope to see other cruise lines doing the same.
If you are interested in booking this golf cruise or any other cruise vacation, please feel free to contact me at (630) 868-6719 or toll free at (877) 823-8597.
Every detail of the Crystal Golf Program is arranged in six-star fashion, from onboard practice with TaylorMade equipment -- the No. 1 driver on the PGA Tour -- to cocktails, caddy and cart service on the greens. Complimentary cleaning and storage of golf clubs and golf shoes will be offered after each round.
Courses include:
•Vietnam Golf & Country Club, Ho Chi Minh City -- The country's first 36-hole golf club, widely regarded as the premier club in Vietnam,
•Burapha Golf, Bangkok -- A 36-hole championship course set amid lakes, hills and tropical vegetation,
•Laem Chabang International Country Club, Bangkok -- Three distinct nines: The Lakes, Mountain and Valley courses, each offering its one-of-kind challenges, and
•Montgomerie Links, Da Nang, Vietnam -- Asia's first "Montgomerie" branded golf links set against the Marble Mountains and China Beach coast.
Departing April 20, the Golf Cruise calls at Chan May and Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam, Bangkok/Laem Chabang, Thailand. Fares start at $4,805 per person, double occupancy. Golf excursions begin at $347 per person. Crystal also offers golf-themed itineraries in the British Isles and Northern Europe, and Canada/New England in 2009.
I am really excited to hear about this not only as a wife of an avid golfer who'd love to be able to take this cruise, but as a cruise specialist. With many cruise lines now cutting back on their more exotic itineraries and focusing on ports closer to home, it's really great to see Crystal adding to its already spectacular cruise opportunities by bringing the golf element onboard. Combining golf and cruising is really a no-brainer, but to be able to offer the opportunity to play golf at courses many, many Americans would never otherwise have the chance to play, is a stroke of genius. I applaud Crystal for offering this awesome golf cruise and hope to see other cruise lines doing the same.
If you are interested in booking this golf cruise or any other cruise vacation, please feel free to contact me at (630) 868-6719 or toll free at (877) 823-8597.
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