Playa Mia Beach Park

Posted on October 12, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Palancar snorkel boat

Cozumel Mexico

Following our excellent snorkel adventure in Cozumel, the Palancar docked at Playa Mia Beach Park. They had tables reserved in a large roofed restaurant area for our excursion group. Workers served us all some lunch and we could get whatever we wanted to drink at the bar. They even served non-alcoholic pina coladas upon request. I don’t suppose they got a whole lot of requests for that since most people would take full advantage of free alcohol, but it worked for me. Somewhere in that somewhat vast restaurant area my watch fell off my wrist and I never saw it again. It was a cheap watch with a tendency to come undone, but losing it meant I had no watch for the rest of the trip. I could buy a new one on the ship, but I never like any of the ones they sell.

restaurant at Playa Mia

We had a couple hours to spend there before our excursion boat would return us to the Norwegian Pearl at the cruise ship dock. John forgot to take his watch off before we went snorkeling. His was supposed to be waterproof, but it quit working shortly after I noticed mine had disappeared. Though we knew what time we needed to get back to the boat, we now had no way of knowing when that time drew near.

kayak and water trampoline

sailboat at Playa Mia

The wrist bands they put on us at the start of the tour also gave us access to all the beach toys at Playa Mia. They had kayaks and a small sailboat with a brightly colored sail as well as the paddleboats you operate with foot pedals similar to those on a bicycle. Out in the water they had trampolines and a blow-up slide people could climb up on and either jump off or slide down.

people in a paddleboat

We got in one of the paddle boats with foot pedals and paddled about taking photos of whatever struck our fancy for a bit. Eventually we ended up out at the far end of the roped off area where we were allowed to go, near the slide thing. A couple girls had climbed to the top and wanted to jump off the highest point, but felt a bit scared to do so.

slide at Playa Mia

We sat there with camera poised waiting for them to jump in hopes of a better picture than we’d taken of other people jumping earlier. Glancing toward the dock, I noticed the other people walking toward the boat. The picture forgotten, we started to pedal as fast as we could. Wait for us please, we thought. Furiously pedaling toward shore we noticed more and more people heading to the boat. It’s one thing to pedal about without a care, quite another to go a distance at top speed. Our legs got tired, but we pedaled madly anyway, unbuckling the required life jackets along the way for a quick exit once we reached the beach.

It’s a long way back to the beach

“Our boat is leaving,” we called to the guy working at the boat shed area as I pulled the boat as far as I could on the shore. John started heading up to the life jacket area, but since the guy who worked there had started moving the boats further up the beach I just ditched mine on the boat we’d just gotten out of so John dropped his there too while letting the worker know we had to leave in a hurry.

Playa Mia beach

Luckily we did make it to the boat on time. While I’d love to interview someone who’s been left behind in port when they didn’t get back before the cruise ship departs, or better yet have them write a guest blog for me, I’d prefer to have someone else’s story on that and not a first hand experience. While getting left behind could become quite an adventure, it would have a hefty price. At least in Playa Mia we had our clothes, credit card, and ID, unlike if we had gotten left behind in the water while snorkelingat the reef where everything but our swimsuits stayed on the boat.

We saw people parasailing near the beach

This was one of the better shore excursions we’ve ever done, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who likes to snorkel. We had one first time snorkeler in our group and she loved it too. They do offer an excursion that goes straight to Playa Mia, so for those who just like beach breaks that would be a good one as it was quite a nice beach with a lot to do. It also had a whole lot of hammocks and beach chairs for those who would rather just rest, and a swimming pool too.

pool at Playa Mia

More Adventures in Cozumel: Palancar Reef Snorkel, Tulum Mayan Ruins, Atlantis Submarine, Cave Snorkel

Posted in Caribbean, Mexico, Norwegian, Pearl, Port Cities, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions | Tagged beach, beach park, Cozumel, fun, photo, photos, Playa Mia, travel, vacation | 12 Comments

Antigua Kayak & Snorkel

Posted on October 5, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Breeze in Antigua

After our five beautiful sunny days at sea crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Carnival Breeze made a port stop in Antigua. Anyone disembarking a cruise ship with no plans for that port would have absolutely no problem finding something to do. Walk off the ship straight into town where free wi-fi and shopping await. Boats at nearby docks have signs posted advertising their cheap harbor tour schedules. And once you walk a short distance to a large plaza sort of area, people with signs everywhere offer taxis or tours. You don’t have to look for cheap bus tours or taxis to beaches, they’ll find you.

Antigua tour bus

We bypassed all that, having booked a Kayak and Snorkel Eco Adventure prior to our cruise. We just had to find the person with the right sign, which didn’t take much looking with the person holding tour sign right out on pier in front of ship.

fence made from old auto parts

We followed them for a little stroll through town to get to tour bus. We saw quite a bit of the area riding it to other side of the island while the driver talked about the sights along the way. When Antigua was a British colony, it had sugar plantations and a sugar mill. England paid more than the market rate for the sugar because it was a colony. After gaining independence, they could no longer collect a premium price for the sugar. Between that and high taxes, growing sugar cane lost its profitability. Now land once used for farming sugar cane gets used for new houses. We passed one old government building the driver said had gotten destroyed in a hurricane. After rebuilding and restoration it became a museum.

motorboats at the dock

We got off the buses at a clubhouse with a dock out back and public restrooms. After a short stop to allow people time to use the restrooms everyone boarded motor boats that took us to the kayaks. Our group filled 4 boats. Two boats headed for the snorkeling first. Ours and one other went to the kayaks.

waiting to board kayaks

At a floating dock in shallow water, the guides pulled strings of brightly colored open ocean kayaks from where they had them tied in the mangroves to the waiting cruise ship passengers on the dock. Some people had issues getting on and got wet, but since the water was only waist deep falling off the kayak didn’t matter much.

kayaking between mangrove islands

Those who wished ditched their life jackets in the motorboat. Some chose to keep them on. The boat stayed there waiting for us so anything other than cameras stayed in the boat. Most people ditched their shoes as well. I wore quick-drying travel clothes, a good choice since the kayaks started out with a bit of water in them, and more tended to drip off the paddles. We had warm enough weather not to mind getting wet.

“Where’s Spongebob? I found Patrick.”

We paddled about the mangroves in a loosely packed group, some hustling to stay near the front while others felt quite content to paddle about near the back and catch the scenery. Now and then the guides stopped and grouped everyone together to give tidbits about the flora or fauna of the area, or pass around a starfish, sea urchin, or sea cucumber they’d fished from the shallow waters near the many islands we paddled by.

motorboat

After the last stop the guide called for a race back to the dock – a fun way to get the whole group back quickly. They gave the old timers a head start, probably in hopes they would arrive first as they would likely take longest to unload. Everyone had a cup of water at the dock while waiting for the rest to unload. Then we all got back on the motorboats on which we’d arrived.

locals rest in a tree while there’s nobody on the beach to buy their goods

We arrived at a small marine sanctuary island called Bird Island where our guides beached the boats. Nobody lives there, but locals from the area had a booth set up selling hand crafted clothing and jewelry as well as local beer and other refreshments.

lizard at the top of Bird Island

We hiked to the top of the island where we saw little lizards, awesome views, and giant gaps in the rock, one of which had the ocean splashing about at the bottom, which looked quite far off. I wouldn’t want to fall down that hole.

hole at the top of Bird Island

After the short hike we climbed back onboard the motor boats, which took us to the snorkeling area. Like much coral in the Caribbean, the coral there looked like most of it had been destroyed at some point. Likely by a hurricane. The area had young coral starting to make a comeback.

boat on the beach at Bird Island

Quite a few colorful fish swam near the rock structure and coral. Some areas were very shallow and others a bit deeper. After swimming a bit farther from the boat than everyone else, I found some fan coral near the shore of one of the many nearby islands. It was part of a sort of coral garden with several types of young coral and quite pretty.

fan coral

As usual, John got back on board early and I stayed out snorkeling as long as possible. That’s why I chose an excursion that included kayaking as well as snorkeling – he likes to kayak and I like to snorkel.

coral near Bird Island

Although on this particular excursion the kayaking was better than the snorkeling because it covered a broader area and had more to see than the small shallow area where we snorkeled. Plus the open ocean kayaks were quite easy to paddle without getting sore arms.

What does a photo with this parrot cost?

parrot on a shoulder

After snorkeling time we returned to the dock and at the clubhouse they had some cake and a choice of rum or fruit punch for us. Cute little geckos scurried about the driveway and someone had a parrot people could pose with for photos. They also had gardens with some lovely plants, though I don’t know if any of them were native to the island.

old church

The bus returned us to the ship by a different route, while the driver pointed out different landmarks and historical sites so we got quite a grand tour of the island on our way to and from the excursion.

view of Antigua while leaving port

Posted in Breeze, Caribbean, Carnival, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions | Tagged Antigua, Carnival, cruise, kayak, shore excursion, snorkel | 9 Comments

Cruising Gluten Free

Posted on September 28, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Holland America Westerdam

Do Cruise Ships Accommodate Gluten Free Diets?

With two sisters on gluten free diets, cooking gluten free has become somewhat of a hobby for me so I have things I can serve them when the need arises. One of my sisters came on the Westerdam Alaskan cruise with me, so I got the chance to see first hand how well the ship handled her special diet.

Pavlova on the regular dessert menu – gluten free, but it has dairy

One thing the ship asks is for people on special diets like gluten free to let them know ahead of time to make sure the proper food is available on the ship that cruise. Her travel agent initially only included lactose free in her booking information, so the ship did not know she needed gluten free as well until after their actual deadline. When checking your cruise documents, make sure all your dietary needs are listed. It’s a good idea to contact the cruise line directly to confirm, or if anything is not included that should be, to insure that they know.

Because of the missing information she was not sure whether or not they would have any gluten free food available for her so she packed herself a suitcase full of snacks and things to insure she had enough food if the ship could not find food to meet her needs. She says this probably would not be necessary because she could always find rice or potatoes to provide starch.

On boarding day the ship has a buffet available to all guests. There are normally some safe foods at buffets – things like salad, rice, and fruit. For other items she asked the server which things she could eat. Some understood quite well and others did not so getting a straight answer could be hit or miss from buffet servers.

waiter at the Pinnacle Grill plating lamb kebobs

At diner the first night she had to order off the regular menu, which meant not eating anything with bread or dairy in it. She did return to the room ready to dip into her snacks that night, as her meals had lacked in enough carbs all day. Asking for extra rice at dinner would have given her enough, but on the first day she had not yet started to ask for things.

She did not have that problem again because while we were in the dining room the waiter gave her the menu for the following day. He did this each day from then on and she chose her next night’s dinner which they would then make gluten free. After that first day where she’d had nothing pre-planned, dinners in the dining room worked out quite well for her as she always had something specially prepared. For desserts she stuck with the sorbet for the most part. Safe for her to eat and always handmade fresh in a different flavor each day. One night the regular dessert menu included a flourless chocolate cake which she enjoyed.

We never ordered breakfast off the room menu as is my usual habit on days with early shore times. The breakfast menu had nothing much for her to choose from, though they would have substituted gluten free for her if we’d asked. It really just didn’t work out for us to use room service because with three people in the cabin we had nowhere to eat. At night when the stateroom steward made up the couch bed he put the little table out on the balcony.

Our first breakfast on board came on a sea day, so we ate in the dining room. They had gluten free muffins available for her there, both in English muffin style and regular muffins. They also had gluten free bread if she wanted toast. Breakfast in the dining room can take a lot of time though, and our port stops tended to start quite early making the quicker buffet our preferred choice.

One of the waiters said they could send some gluten free muffins up to the buffet to have available for her. Thankful for that tidbit of advice, we ate at the buffet most mornings. She preferred the omlette station, where I preferred anywhere without a line. In looking for the absence of lines one day I found an eggs Benedict station, and it often had no line. If someone were to arrange it in advance they could probably get one of those English muffins the dining room had and make the eggs Benedict gluten free.

One day I came at the right time to find the normally crowded waffle station line-free. Sometimes the line there got long as they made waffles fresh and hot on the grill right there. Regular ones anyway. Gluten free waffles came in the frozen variety, which we never would have known they had available if my sister had not asked if they had them.

The first morning that we had breakfast at the buffet they had the gluten free muffins at the waffle station, and set one near a waffle iron to thaw for her since they came in a frozen package. Subsequent days finding them became a bit hit or miss. Sometimes the waffle station had them and knew what was up, sometimes they hadn’t a clue and someone in a higher position had to hunt them down. A couple times they set out a whole box of gluten free muffins somewhere, making them quite easy to get if you happened to find them. I did overhear another gluten-free passenger quite excitedly pointing out the box of gluten free muffins on the buffet one day as that person had not previously asked for them or even known the ship had them available.

chicken dinner at the Pinnacle Grill

We ate at the Pinnacle Grill one night, and they did not do advance ordering, but rather adjusted to her needs by leaving the sauces off her meal. They did let her know which sauces had no gluten, but as those had dairy she opted to go sauce free. She said her lamb kebobs tasted great without sauce and she did not miss it at all.

Regular food at afternoon tea is not gluten free

After going to afternoon tea a couple times and having really nothing she could eat other than picking toppings off sandwiches, she decided to try calling ahead one day. She only called about a couple hours or so ahead so the person on the phone said tea sandwiches would probably be about all they could do.

cruise ship accomodates gluten free diet

gluten free tea sandwiches

When we got there instead of sending us to the next spot according our position in line, they re-routed us to a table they had previously chosen to serve her special food. They brought her more sandwiches than she needed on gluten free bread. She was pleasantly surprised to see a special custard dish of some sort and a plate of very rich chocolate filled meringue style cookies in varying colors. They served a lot more of those than she could ever eat, so I tried one and it tasted quite good. For once she left the tea fuller than me, having eaten more than she really wanted because they had gone to the trouble of making it all just for her on such short notice. She said all tasted delicious.

gluten free treats at afternoon tea

We learned a valuable lesson on the Westerdam. The crew can accommodate a gluten free diet quite well for the most part if they have advance notice, but without it you won’t have much to choose from. I imagine people with other special diets would probably have a similar experience. Once on board she found out that if you want something ask because specialty items are not normally set out where anyone can take them, but are often available upon request.

So many people have special needs diets these days that most major cruise lines can accommodate their passengers. The key is definitely in advance notice. Once the ship sets sail they can’t exactly run down to the corner grocery and buy what you need. If booking through a travel agent, make sure to tell them about all your dietary needs right away. That way any forms that your chosen cruiseline needs to accommodate your diet get filled out and turned in on time so they can purchase in advance any special food they would not normally serve as part of their regular menu. Onboard you may need to ask where and how to acquire the specialty foods.

If you book online and do not find anywhere to make note of your needs make sure to call one of that cruiseline’s cruise consultants to find out what you need to do to insure your dietary needs will be met onboard. Even if you have filled out forms it’s still a good idea to call and double check that they have the correct information.

Booking through a company such as Cruiseabout that has cruises available on a variety of different ships on varying cruiselines gives you access to cruise consultants who can recommend which ships best cater to special diets and to help make sure the requirements for the line you choose are fulfilled. The amount of time for prior notice before the ship sails differs depending upon which cruiseline you choose, so it’s nice to have help from someone who understands what needs to be done when.

Posted in Alaska, Cruise Food, Holland America, Shipboard Life, Westerdam | Tagged cruise food, food, gluten free, gluten free cruise food, photos | 10 Comments

The Liebster Blog Award

Posted on September 25, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

The Liebster Blog Award

Thank-you to the Weekly Day for nominating me for the Liebster Blog award. It takes awhile to do all the things these blog awards require and time is one thing I don’t have a lot of. I’m not real speedy to respond to award nominations, but little by little I get them done for eventual posting.

I found the rules for this award well researched on Lorraine Reguly’s blog. Since she’s already done the work on that I won’t need to. Apparently this award has morphed from something for people with 200 or less followers to something for people with up to 2000. Not that everyone displays their followers, so I guess just don’t give it to blogs displaying over 2000 followers or blogs you think would probably have more than 2000.

These blog awards usually come with a set of rules. For this one they are:

1. Link back to the person that nominated you.

2. Answer the questions asked by that blogger.

3. Nominate ten other blogs for this award.

4. Ask ten questions for the people you nominated to answer.

5. Tell your nominees you nominated them.

Posting the award on your blog probably ought to be included there, as that is rather the point of awards. It is there in some versions of the rules. Some people post awards in their sidebars. Others (like me) use an awards page. There’s quite a variety of images to choose from for this award.

Questions

These are the questions the Weekly Day asked of me, and my answers.

1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

Somewhere in the Caribbean. I’ve been on a few Caribbean cruises and loved everywhere we’ve stopped in that region.

2. If you had to eat the same food for every meal every day for a month, what would it be?

Chicken soup with all sorts of veggies and rice, topped with fat-free sour cream and some pineapple so I’d have all the basic food groups covered.

3. Do you watch TV? If you do, what’s your favorite show? If you don’t watch TV, what’s your favorite movie?

I pretty much only watch TV only when someone else turns it on, and movies even less. I’m at my sister’s house quite a lot and she’s been recording the Game of Thrones series from the start for us to watch together, so that’s my favorite show at the moment. I did read the books some time ago……still waiting for the next sequel. Sigh.

4. If you could be any animal, what would you be?

A crow perhaps. They’re really smart and live a long time. They aren’t domesticated so they do what they want. And they can fly. OK so maybe birds aren’t technically animals, but close enough.

5. Which would you rather be – a bag of trash or a cigarette butt?

If I were a cigarette butt I’d be allergic to myself, so the bag of trash wins.

6. Do you believe that dinosaurs are still at large?

Dinosaurs are everywhere – in movies, books, museums, the imagination of small children, and of course our gas tanks.

7. How many languages do you speak?

Sadly only one.

8. Are you a morning person or a night person?

Both actually.

9. Would you rather be able to fly or turn invisible?

Flying definitely. I’m already invisible. Just ask any server at a buffet line. When I get to the front they serve the person behind me.

10. What kinds of people annoy you the most?

Um, annoying people?

Nominees

These are my nominees. Why these particular blogs? They’re the first 10 I got to (in completely random order) out of the blogs I wanted to nominate that I did not see a posting somewhere on their blog proclaiming that they don’t participate in awards.

1. Juliacastorp’s blog

2. Our Adventure In Croatia

3. Isabella Rose Photography

4. Long Life Dogs and Cats

5. The Panama Adventure

6. Keeping Up With Carol

7. It Pays to Know

8. Souphaiphone

9. Trek Ontario

10. Travel Oops

Questions for the Nominees

It would be so much easier if I could just use the same questions the Weekly Day asked me, but that’s not the way this award works so I guess I will have to come up with something else.

1. Where would your dream vacation take you?

2. Is there a particular meal you look forward to having when traveling that you never eat at home?

3. What kind of animal is/was your favorite or most unusual pet?

4. Would you rather skydive or scuba dive?

5. Where would you prefer to go, Las Vegas or Disneyland?

6. If you could choose between meeting your favorite movie star or seeing the last living animal of an endangered species which would you do?

7. Where would you rather live – big city, small town, rural area, farm, or ranch?

8. Would you eat a worm for $100.00?

9. Which form of transportation is the most fun – bicycle, horse, motorcycle, car, train, monorail, bus, ship, or airplane?

10. If you could see the same show as a play, a movie, or on TV, which would you choose?

Alrighty then, that covers everything. Answers, nominees, and questions. Nominees don’t have to accept of course, but doing so does create an opportunity to get a link in other blogs where people might find your blog that otherwise wouldn’t have.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blog awards, blogging, blogs, Liebster blog award | 22 Comments

Full Speed Ahead on Mount Roberts Tram

Posted on September 21, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Mount Roberts Tram Descends Toward the Westerdam

Mount Roberts Tram

Much like the time I came to Juneau on the Norwegian Sun, on our trip on the Westerdam we returned to town from a shore excursion with just enough time left to ride up the Mount Roberts Tram. Once again we had pre-purchased tickets on the ship to save time. Unlike the last visit when things at the tram were normal, this time brought surprises our way. We waited in a bit of a line to get on, unaware anything was amiss. The next tram did seem to arrive more quickly than I remembered, but it had been a few years and I’d only gone up there once before so still didn’t know about anything unusual.

a crowd waits to get on the Mt Roberts tramway

tram car arrives at the lower tram station

After packing more people into the tram than on my previous visit, it started up the mountain at a very rapid rate.

Why Are People So Mean?

“Do you want to hear the spiel?” the girl at the helm asked. “I don’t have time for all of it.”

“Yes, we want to hear it,” the captive crowd replied.

abuse is not in the job description for tram workers

It’s not her fault, she just works here

She did her best, but as soon as she tried to talk the tears began to flow. Soon she couldn’t deliver the canned speech through her tears. Apparently the last group down had treated her quite badly. My imagination had not run wild, the trams really did run at a higher speed that day.

It turned out that the tram had not fared well during the brief windstorm we had experienced at Mendenhall Glacier. It lasted much longer at Mount Roberts, with high winds closing the tram down for several hours. Instead of just enjoying their time at the top, many people lined up waiting to catch the first tram down, or at least the earliest tram possible.

people in line could have entertained themselves pondering whether or not they’d have to leave that gift shop stuffed bear behind

In spite of packing the cars far fuller than usual and running at high speed, they still could not get such a long line of people down the mountain as quickly as the tired-of-standing-in-line crowd would like. So the people took out their aggressions on the most convenient tram worker – the girl on the tram. She did not make them stand in line all that time when they could have done something else. Obviously she had no control over the weather and did not make the safety decisions on closing the tram, but she was there and she got their abuse.

There Is Still Kindness Left In This World

The people on the way up did their best to cheer her up, and as we walked past the line waiting to get on many could be heard telling them to be nice to that poor girl. Apparently they weren’t though because by the time we left someone else was in the tram and she was watching over the line, still looking very sad.

You can find snow at the top of Mt Roberts in June

Since most people on the mountain had come from one of the cruise ships in town the tram people called all of the ships to alert them that passengers could return late if they didn’t make it down before their scheduled departure time, and all ships agreed to wait until everyone came down the mountain before leaving.

Fledgling eagle tries to leave the nest?

On my last visit to Mount Roberts we had taken a very short hike, but this time we looked around at some of the things in the buildings there. Out in front of a little gift shop they had a model of an eagle nest that people could climb into. My aunt wanted me to make like an eagle for a photo, but she ended up in the photo while I took it instead. I did the see how your arms reach compared to an eagle’s wingspan thing for her though.

Who’s got the bigger wingspan?

They had a little theater of some sort nearby, but we didn’t watch the movie or even look in to see what it looked like. We probably should have gone in and watched one and gave the line more time to clear before leaving, but we had no idea they would hold the ships until we were about 2/3 of the way through the line to get back.

view from Mount Roberts

Back at the main building we found a bigger gift shop and a restaurant. We didn’t have dinner there. (After all we’d have to pay for food there when perfectly good food awaited us on the ship for free.) Later we found out my cousin and one uncle had done that and then taken the last tram back down and avoided the line completely. They said the food at the top tasted good and didn’t cost too much.

tram leaving the upper station with Westerdam in the background

By the time we finished looking around the line had dwindled some from where it started, though since more people kept getting in it the line did stay longer than normal. At least the angry people had all left by then. Once we got near the front of the line I got a few chances to get photos of the ships in port, something I had not gotten a chance to do on the way up with the crowd and the speed. I even managed to get a couple with tram and ship(s) in the same picture.

got to click fast when the tram moves at top speed

Zuiderdam and Westerdam with Mt. Roberts tram

The tram ride is nicer under normal circumstances when passengers get a chance to enjoy the view and hear the tram operator’s spiel, but that day they had to take the weather into account and did the best they could…..though I’m not sure why they let more unsuspecting people go up at the time they needed to get the others down. In the end it all worked out though. People probably would have been upset had they not got to go up when they wanted to, and they did get everyone back to their ships without missing the boat. I don’t imagine that’s the first storm ever to happen on a summer day in Juneau so the people working there probably all know what they’re doing.

looking at Juneau from under the upper tram station

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, Port Cities, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions, Westerdam | Tagged Alaska, cruise, Juneau, Mount Roberts Tram, photos, travel | 2 Comments

New Ships are Cruising

Posted on September 19, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Norwegian Getaway

By Erica Kritt, The Cruise Web Team

If you are thinking of cruising soon, you are in luck because the cruise lines have just unveiled new ships and their plans to build even newer ships. So far in 2013 there have been 15 ships christened.

Why was 2013 such a big year for new ships?

The answer in two words is: river cruises. Recently river cruises have become so popular, that in an effort to keep up with demand, river cruise lines are building new ships to accommodate the interest. In March, Viking Cruises set a record when it christened 10 ships at once. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection debuted one new ship, the Queen Isabel and Avalon Waterways christened two of their Suite Ships, the Avalon Artistry II and Avalon Expression.

Viking Star Infinity Pool

This year also saw the christening of two highly anticipated big ships. Princess Cruises finally added a new ship to their fleet, the Royal Princess. This was their first new ship since 2008. The ship is 20 percent larger than any other Princess ship and was christened by Her Royal Highness Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge (a.k.a. Kate Middleton). Norwegian Cruise Line made headlines with the Norwegian Breakaway, which debuted in May, featuring a boardwalk, a two-story ropes course and five waterslides.

What’s ahead in 2014?

The answer is still river cruising. Despite adding 10 ships this year Viking plans to unveil 12 more ships next year. Avalon will debut three more ships and two other big ocean vessels will be revealed by the major cruise lines.

In February the Getaway, the sister ship to the Norwegian Breakaway will start sailing out of her homeport in Miami. The ship will have many of the same features of the Breakaway, but a few unique ones like a magic show and a collection of music memorabilia at the GRAMMY experience.

At the end of the year Royal Caribbean will unveil Quantum of the Seas. This ship will come complete with bumper cars and a simulated sky diving experience. The Pièce de résistance on the Quantum will be the North Star, which is a feature that transports passengers over the side of the ship in a capsule for amazing views.

Still more in 2015

Viking will debut its first custom-built ocean ship. The Viking Star will only have 928 staterooms, which will all have verandas. The intention is to bring the spirit of Viking’s river cruises to the oceans. The spring will see the debut of Anthem of the Seas the sister ship to Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas, although details on this ship have yet to be announced.

Which ship do you want to sail away on? Do you think we’ll see even more ships in 2016?

Erica Kritt works at The Cruise Web. The Cruise Web is a travel agency that specializes in cruising. The expert cruise consultants focus on providing travelers with the best value for their time and money in finding and booking a cruise vacation! Visit The Cruise Web for the best Caribbean cruise deals.

Thanks Erica. Who knew there were so many new ships? Which ship do I want to sail on?….ALL OF THEM!! I hadn’t really thought of taking a river cruise before, but it sounds like lots of fun.

Posted in Guest Blogs | Tagged cruise, new ships, river cruise, travel | 7 Comments

Snorkeling on Palancar Reef in Cozumel

Posted on September 14, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

shore excursion boat waiting for passengers

Palancar snorkel boat docked near the Pearl in Cozumel

The second largest coral reef in the world, the Meso-American reef, runs from Cozumel Mexico to Honduras. Many people visit Cozumel to take advantage of the bounty of diving or snorkeling opportunities in its warm clear blue waters.

Temple of the Frescoes at Tulum

On our first visit to Cozumel on last year’s Carnival Liberty cruise, we took the excursion to visit the Mayan ruins at Tulum. This excellent excursion took us to the mainland of the Yucatan Peninsula. We had a great time and learned a lot, but did not see much on the island of Cozumel.

you don't have to chase these fish - they'll chase you

fish at Palancar reef

Our cruise on the Norwegian Pearl made a stop at Cozumel. This time we decided to stay on the island and see the reef. We pre-booked a shore excursion called Palancar Snorkel and Playa Mia. Palancar is the name of a particular reef, and after snorkeling time on the reef we then would go to Playa Mia beach park.

something’s fishy around here

Our ship arrived into Cozumel at 11am. We passed two other Norwegian ships on the way in, the Dawn and the Star, both docked in town. We docked at the international pier next to Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, which had anchored near us at Grand Cayman the previous day. On Carnival’s nearby pier the Conquest sat next to the Magic, which also came from Grand Cayman.

on the Palancar going to the reef

We had a short time to browse the shops at the pier before meeting up with our shore excursion group. After waiting a bit for everyone to arrive, we left about 10 minutes past the time we were supposed to. They seemed to be waiting for someone as they would count the tickets and look at the time, then wait a bit longer until giving up and just taking those who managed to show up on time. People tend to miss the boat in Cozumel as shore time is an hour behind ship time. Perhaps they miss shore excursions that way too.

if they say follow the guide you should probably do it

Wait…what? We were supposed to follow the guy with the flag?

The guide led us to a boat waiting at the dock, aptly named Palancar, just like the reef. On the way to the reef they handed out snorkel gear to the people who needed it and gave out hand signals to use if you wanted to get back on the boat or if you were OK. They said something about swimming toward a guide with a flag and a life ring and not trying to follow the boat, but we thought that meant if you wanted to get back on board. We’ve snorkeled many times and really didn’t pay attention.

ready for snorkeling with my Lumix underwater camera and my new dry snorkel

Every other snorkel excursion we’ve ever taken the boat stayed in one place and people just snorkeled on their own around it. They did mention seeing reefs in three different depths, but we just assumed you swim here a bit then get back on the boat and go someplace else like the rest of the snorkel excursions we’ve done. As soon as we got in the water, we saw a turtle. We happily followed the turtle around awhile, me with my trusty Panasonic Lumix underwater camera. After a bit the boat took off. Odd, we thought realizing we were all alone.

What’s wrong with being an ass?

The guy with the flag had swam quite a distance away, the others following him. Who knew? We thought he was just out there for safety. Apparently we should have paid attention to the instructions before we got into the water and not just assumed this excursion would be like the rest. At my day job they always say assume makes an ASS out of U and ME.

distracted by this turtle, we did not notice everyone else swim away….but they missed the turtle

We spent a bit of time catching up to the group. I pretty much wanted to snorkel leisurely along the way. As long as we could see the others I really wasn’t concerned that we weren’t with them. Fish in this area offered better photo ops than any I’ve seen elsewhere as they would actually come right up to us rather than swimming away when they saw people. In this incredibly clear water I could actually see what was in the picture on the camera screen instead of shooting blindly like usual. Sometimes a group of fish would swim alongside us for awhile. I even got a photo of one chasing after John while he nagged at me to hurry along and catch up to the group, which kept swimming away from us. He mostly kept his head above water watching them and missed the undersea wonders right below him.

chased by a fish and didn't even know it

he had no idea that fish was there until he saw the picture

It turns out the three different depths of reefs we saw were swim overs. That was why they all kept going, we swam from one reef to the next. We did catch up to the rest of the group about the time one lady signaled that she wanted back on the boat. John decided to get on with her so he could take photos from the boat. He has always preferred to take photos of other people having fun over having any fun himself. He’s also not nearly as into snorkeling as I am. I stayed with the group after that, but rather missed the open space we’d had without them. Not to mention swimming off with them at the start would have meant missing the turtle.

coral at Palancar reef

The coral at Palancar looked bigger and healthier than most of what I have seen in other places in the Caribbean, though not as bright and colorful as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Some was quite a distance below us, other parts just a few feet down. Coral needs structure to grow on, and rocks tend to come in all shapes and sizes so the coral goes up and down with the rocks in addition to the actual depth of the water.

We did see some pretty big fish at Palancar

I saw bigger fish at Great Stirrup Cay, but a lot more of them at Palancar. The water there is so clear that even after we got back on the boat we could still look down and see the ocean floor as the boat moved on. The reefs at Cozumel are definitely worth seeing for anyone who likes to dive or snorkel.

get on the boat before it leaves without you

all aboard

Posted in Mexico, Norwegian, Pearl, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions | Tagged coral reef, Cozumel, Norwegian, Palancar reef, Pearl, photos, snorkel, travel, tropical fish | 11 Comments

Turning Tragedy into Triumph – Making the Most of Getting Left Behind on a Cruise

Posted on September 10, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Things To Do When Left Behind by Your Cruise Ship

When your ship leaves port you want to be on it

Touring Australia from Port to Port

Your cruise ship is already a hundred feet away from the port on an Australian cruise and continues to fade away in the horizon. Despite efforts of calling the passengers’ attention to stop and wait for you to board, the ship is too far to turn back. You pace back and forth with a puzzled look. You have just been left behind. Now what?

Although this scenario may be over-hyped on our television sets or in movies, these instances do happen, whether by accident, by a schedule misunderstanding, or by simply forgetting the call time. Now you have to find a way to get to the next port.

Alternately, you can turn this misfortune into an opportunity to stay and tour more of Australia and even the rest of the world. So, whether you fancy a quick travel to Australia by air via Dial a Flight or you prefer to try and book a last minute cruise on another cruise ship and experience more of the country’s beaches, then there’s plenty of choices set out for you. Here are some cruises to try while you’re stranded in the country’s rich seascape.

Staghorn Coral at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Comedy Cruise

Getting left behind by your ship is no laughing matter but if you’d like to cheer up from being left behind, then the Comedy Cruise on Sydney Harbour may be the perfect place for you. With picturesque views of Sydney Harbour, you may even wish you had scheduled a cruise here in the first place. With some of Australia’s finest comedians and spectacular magicians and illusionists, this alternative cruise home can be a delightful experience not only for you but also for your family. From dancing to Caribbean music, this cruise has it all.

Carnival Cruise

If you are only a few port stops away from home, then you’re quite in luck since the Carnival Cruise may just be around the corner. The ship offers short cruises so if you want a quick trip, make sure you check out their schedules. This is also a perfect cruise for those traveling with children who love to play in onboard water parks. You can’t just get on any ship you see at the dock though. Cruises are booked in advance and don’t board new passengers in all ports so check online for available bookings. Of course your luggage has already sailed away with your ship so making arrangements to catch up to it is a better – and expensive though it may be cheaper – idea than looking for a new cruise. Catching up could also prove to be an adventure in itself, and a chance to see things you otherwise would not have.

Cunard Cruise

If you fancy a little peace and quiet after stressing over the fact that you got left behind, then Cunard Cruise Line is your best bet. With plenty port of calls around Australia and almost 80 available cruises in the Australasia and Pacific Islands, finding a worthwhile vacation is quick and easy. Sometimes ships do have last minute bookings available close to their sail date – but again your luggage is still on the other ship so you would need to make arrangements get that back if for some reason you were unable to meet the ship at the next port.

Cunard Cruise Line’s Queen Mary 2

If you can’t or don’t want to catch up to your ship after getting left behind in port, these ideas for branching out on your own from Marsha, an experienced Australian traveler, certainly sound a lot more fun than moping about or going into panic mode, although of course you would need to make some sort of arrangements for your luggage.

Marsha says alternative options are always a good idea because sometimes things don’t go as planned. However you can’t just jump on any ship in port as only booked passengers are allowed to board and some ports are just stops along the way rather than embarkation ports.

How to Get Back To Your Ship

Getting left behind on a cruise happens more often than most people think. On some itineraries it happens to someone nearly every cruise. Ships normally sail at their scheduled time and anyone who is not on board before the ship leaves the dock is on their own…..or are they?

Some cruise lines have a representative meet left-behind guests on the dock. If you have left your passport where they can find it (like in the stateroom safe) they will have it in hand, often a necessity for flying to the next port. This, and the possibility of medical evacuation make traveling with your passport important even if you are just visiting places where a passport card or enhanced ID would get you onboard.

The cruiseline representative can also help with things like arranging a hotel for the night, but paying for it all is the passenger’s responsibility.

You can take your passport with you in any port. If the ship has announced that you should do so it probably means they do not have a representative there and have no way of getting it to you should you be left behind.

Not all cruiselines have their own representatives in all ports – but most of them do have daily newsletters delivered to each cabin. On port days that newsletter will normally contain an emergency phone number for passengers to call if they meet dire circumstances in port – like getting left behind. So it is always a good idea to either bring the newsletter with you, or at least bring the phone number listed when you get off the ship. One easy way is to take a photo of the phone number and that way you will at least have the information in your camera in the unfortunate event that you need it.

It’s always a good idea to take a credit card with you in port too in case of emergencies or just to buy stuff. Just be sure to keep the card where it can’t get lost or stolen. If you miss the ship, the adventure of catching up to it at the next port would make quite a tale to tell, but it won’t likely come cheap.

Only once have I ever seen a ship return to the dock after it started to pull away. That passenger got quite lucky to have a sympathetic captain see him running down the dock at the last port before a transatlantic crossing.

If you want to insure that you never miss the ship you can book all your excursions through the ship as they will wait if their own excursion is late. Otherwise make sure you are aware of whether or not ship time is the same as shore time. If it is not make sure you are on board before the scheduled all-aboard time according to ship time. If you plan to be back at least an hour before the all-aboard time it gives you a little leeway for anything unexpected that might cause a delay on your return.

Posted in Guest Blogs | Tagged Australia, cruise Australia, fun, left behind on a cruise, photos, travel, vacation | 9 Comments

Five Days at Sea

Posted on September 7, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

sunshine and calm water in the middle of the ocean

the sea is all there is to see

For ages I wanted to take a transatlantic cruise, I love cruises, but they just never seem to have enough sea days. Besides having a longer cruise, crossing the ocean means more days at sea. A ship can’t stop in ports every day from the middle of the ocean far from any land. Time enough to see everything on board. Or so I thought. As it turns out, five days in a row at sea plus the other sea days on the voyage still did not give us time enough to try out everything the Breeze had to offer.

mini golf and ropes course

Of course when spending those five sea days in a row in flat calm seas under sunny skies with 80 degree days as we did, most of that time gets spent enjoying the outside areas of the ship….waterslides, serenity deck, ropes course, mini golf, fitness track – the list goes on. Both inside and out the Breeze had many things to do.

Serenity deck – where the kids can’t find you

Perhaps an ocean crossing in rough seas and stormy weather for five days might feel too long, or at least long enough, but who wouldn’t want more of beautiful sunrises and sunsets on a floating resort with so much entertainment when mother nature cooperates so well with the weather?

waterworks has two slides and lots of things that spray water

Transatlantic cruises often come with bargain prices compared to round-trip cruises of a similar length. After all, they often fall under the repositioning category where the ship needs to move from point A to point B. Having people on board to help pay the cruiseline’s expenses in getting there translates to savings for the passengers.

afternoon tea on Carnival Breeze

our favorite thrill theater ride was the bamboo roller coaster

More days at sea means more time to lounge around on deck, more time to try all the different eateries on board, and more time to discover the many things a ship has to offer. In addition to all the places on board a person can go to entertain themselves, the crew provides entertainment as well. With things like afternoon tea, art auctions, movies, stage shows, and games like trivia or scavenger hunts, the ship has something for everyone. Not to mention nightclubs, parties, live bands and dance lessons among the many ways the crew has of entertaining passengers onboard. We particularly enjoyed the Thrill Theater motion ride, and returned numerous times to see all the different movies,

Hasbro Connect 4 Basketball

This cruise even included several episodes of Hasbro The Game Show, one of Carnival’s Funship 2.0 upgrades. Favorite childhood games grown to lifesize proportions, with opportunities for a few select passengers to play these former board games gone wild. Anyone who missed the live performance can catch it later with onboard TV.

one of theoutside bars on the Lido

Of course the ship has shops, a casino, and a number of bars to help people part with their money – made easier by using the room key card for all onboard expenses. Flash the card now and pay later, why keep track of what you spend when not counting out actual money?

lunch at the C-Side BBQ

Sea days on the Breeze also mean the ever-popular and very tasty C-side Barbeque opens for lunch outside on the deck 5 lanai. Passengers line up across the deck to access the delicious pulled pork sandwiches and other barbequed treats along with excellent side dishes.

I took one of my entries while we crossed the Atlantic

Our transatlantic cruise even included a photo contest. Every entry was a winner since each person got to keep the 8 x 10 photos made free for their entries. The photo department on the ship always had the option for people to have large photos made, but not normally for free. Since first price consisted of a larger photo yet, just getting back the entries really meant prizes for all.

We didn’t particularly care for the winning photo, which was just a footprint in the sand photoshopped to unrealistic colors, but apparently the judges liked it. The person who entered it must have as well. Like anything that gets judged it is all subjective to a person’s opinion. I once entered a double judged horse show that gave out two complete sets of ribbons – one from each judge. I got first place from one judge and nothing at all from the other and they placed all the way down to eighth.

Bitter and Blanc, dessert in the dining room mmmmm

After having a bit of rainy weather in some of our European ports, we felt quite lucky to have such a lovely crossing. Not every transatlantic cruise fares as well. Weather varies crossing oceans just as it does near land. We had great weather in our Caribbean ports as well.

One day we woke up and found that towel animals had taken over.

all the ship’s stateroom stewards made towel animals for the Lido deck

This cruise lasted just over two weeks, and we still wished we could stay onboard longer.

Posted in Breeze, Carnival, Cruise Food, Shipboard Life | Tagged Breeze, Carnival, cruise, food, fun, ocean, photos, sea, transatlantic, travel, vacation | 6 Comments

How to Fold a Better Towel Seal (or Sea Lion or Walrus)

Posted on August 29, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Towel Seals

The first animal in this series was the easy towel seal. When the stewards make that one on the ships, a lot of passengers aren’t quite sure what it is. There’s no mistaking this bigger, better, more detailed towel seal. Other options with this animal include using brown towels to make a sea lion, or adding tusks to make a walrus.

Supplies Needed to Make a Towel Seal/Sea Lion

1. Two Bath Towels

2. Googly Eyes or bits of felt or cloth or paper eyes

3. Any other decorations desired such as a fish hanging from the mouth, a tongue, or whatever strikes your fancy

4. For a walrus, add tusks made of pipe cleaners, straws, felt, paper, or whatever you have that resembles tusks.

5. For a baby towel seal use two hand towels instead of bath towels and follow the same directions as for big seal.

baby towel seal

Starting the Towel Seal Head and Flippers

Fold one towel in half across the short side and then fold in half again parallel to the first fold. Set aside.

fold towel in half across the short side

how to fold the head and flippers for a towel seal

fold towel in half across the short side again

How to Fold a Towel Seal Body

fold about 3/4 of the towel over across the short side

Fold about ¾ of the towel across the short side so that about a quarter of it hangs out the end in a single layer.

fold corners to center on folded edge of towel

On the doubled end, fold both corners to the center so the end folded end resembles the point of a triangle.

roll both sides to the center

Roll both long sides to the center of the towel.

set the towel rolled sides up onto the previously folded towel (rolls will be tighter if you don’t let go to take pictures)

Place the pointy end on the center of the head and flipper towel.

fold the corners of the flat towel down over the rolled towel

Fold the corners of the head and flipper towel to the center over top of the body towel so the whole thing resembles an arrow.

it looks like an arrow with both corners folded

Fold the two triangles together and flip the whole thing over.

fold in half

roll seal over and shape head, flippers, and tail as desired

Raise the head and flipper end and shape as desired. Shape the tail end into tail fins.

finished towel seal

Decorate with eyes and any other desired embellishments.

plastic knives for tusks turn a seal into a walrus

What’s next in towel folding? My Cruise Stories very own ~~towel anteater.~~ With the holidays coming up, the anteater will have to wait. Next up is now the towel turkey.

Towel Anteater

You can find instructions on how to fold all sorts of other towel animals in My Cruise Stories towel animal archives or on the Towel Animal Page.

towel turkey

Posted in Towel Animals | Tagged cruise ship towel animals, how to, photos, towel animals, towel art, towel folding, towel origami, video | 6 Comments

Cozumel Mexico

Do Cruise Ships Accommodate Gluten Free Diets?

The Liebster Blog Award

Questions

Nominees

Questions for the Nominees

Mount Roberts Tram

Why Are People So Mean?

There Is Still Kindness Left In This World

By Erica Kritt, The Cruise Web Team

Why was 2013 such a big year for new ships?

What’s ahead in 2014?

Still more in 2015

Things To Do When Left Behind by Your Cruise Ship

Touring Australia from Port to Port

Comedy Cruise

Carnival Cruise

Cunard Cruise

How to Get Back To Your Ship

Starting the Towel Seal Head and Flippers

How to Fold a Towel Seal Body

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

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