Create Your Own Personal Travel Website

When you get back from vacation, you want to share your experiences right? Travelpod gives you a place to do just that for free. You can create your own blog, upload pictures, videos and even map out the places you have been and share it with anyone with an internet connection. Around since 1997, Travelpod has thousands of members already a part of its community. There is also a members forum where you can discuss with others, on a myriad of topics. For those who would like to keep there travelogue private there is an enhanced membership available which allows you to lock areas of your travelogue so that only the people you want access to can see, and removes the advertising (currently $39.95 a year).

This is a great site for someone looking to display photos, talk about vacation destinations, and see where others have been.

What are Interline Discounts

Interline rates are discounts offered to people working or retired from the airline industry. Some times these offers are extended to courier companies such as UPS and FedEX (although I unofficially was told that they may not be getting the discount offers anymore). The discounts are not just for airline travel, but extend to resort stays, cruises and even tours. In many cases the discounts can be used by friends and family that are sharing accommodations. There is even an option for parents and in-laws to be able to receive discounts when traveling without the eligible employee. So if you work for an airline, or other possible eligible company you should ask your travel agent next time if they offer the discounts and if you qualify. If your travel agent does not work with interline discounts, you may want to find one that does.

Packing for Victory!

I have started packing for our 5 day cruise on the Carnival Victory next month. Yes you read correctly, the cruise is not until next month, but I started to pack now. Packing early has become a tradition in our house (for me) ever sense our first cruise. It was our honeymoon. We spent a lot of time planing our wedding, and the honeymoon was the least of my worries or so I thought. It had been paid for many months in advance, so what could go wrong, right? Well, thankfully only one thing went wrong, but I would not find out until hours after we got on the ship and were well on our way.

After spending much of the afternoon exploring the ship, we head back to our cabin to find that your luggage had been delivered. We decide to unpack so we could get the bags put away and get back to enjoying our vacation. I open my bag and start putting my stuff away when I realize that I seem to be short on shirts. To be exact, I had my dress shirt for formal night, and one other shirt, for a 4 day cruise. I ask my new wife of just 2 days if somehow, maybe, my shirts were packed in her suitcase? Wishful thinking on my part.

Long story short, I got a souvenir that wasn't planned on board, and at every port we visited that week. Fun memories, but, now weeks in advance of our vacations (cruise or otherwise) I start planing out my packing. I have yet to come up short since.

Cruising With Children

When it comes to cruising for families with children, there a few things to consider. On a cruise, there will be plenty of activities that can be done as a family as well as activities that will be geared towards kids and adults separately. The thing to do is to look for a cruise line that fits the lifestyle of the family best. Here are my top 3 cruise lines that appeal to families:

Disney: Normally offering cruises from 3 to 7 nights, Disney is great for families with small children and preteens. The ships have a nursery capable of caring for children from 12 weeks to 36 months. There are areas dedicated to teenagers as well as a place or two just for mom and dad to get away and relax. Many people have said that its the best of both worlds when it comes to getting a cruise and a Disney vacation.

Carnival: With a motto of "the fun ships" Carnival offers a variety of activities for the young and young at heart. Camp Carnival is available for children ages two and older with groups set up by age categories. There is also Club O2, which is geared towards teenagers which even reserves times in the nightclubs for teens only. Carnival also offers and after hours babysitting service (for a small fee) that allows the adults to enjoy the nightlife on board knowing the kids are being taken care of.

Royal Caribbean: RCCL has brought the family fun to the max, with the signature rock climbing walls, and ships that have roller blade tracks, ice skating rinks and its newest attraction, the Flowrider wave pool, that simulates surfing. There is a program for children 6 - 36 months called Aqua Babies and Aqua Tots, as well as a program for kids 3 to 17 called Adventure Ocean.

A few family tips when researching a cruise:

• Find out the rules on the number of passengers in a cabin (each cruise ship is different).
• Most cruise lines require an adult be booked in the same room as the children.
• Most cruise lines do NOT discount fares based on child's age.
• Ages for youth programs differ by cruise line, so make sure the line you chose fits the ages of your children.
• Not all cruise lines have programs for kids or programs year round.
• Planing a cruise while school is in session will decrease the number of other children on board and participating in the programs.

Planing any family vacation can be a grueling but important task, but by planning and researching accordingly your vacation will be more relaxing, which is the goal in the first place right?

Themed Cruises

Theme cruises have been gaining popularity over the last decade. There are are theme cruises for just about anything you can think of. It can be a great way to combine to loves into one vacation. The most common theme is the Holiday theme. While I don't really classify these as theme cruises, the ships will be decorated accordingly and some of the entertainment and dining options will be holiday related. Popular themes recently are music and sports related. What if you could be on a cruise with your favorite band or sports figure? Rusty Wallace (Nascar) has been doing an annual cruise with his fans on Carnival for the last 7 years, with the latest being in December of this year and The Bare Naked Ladies (band) already have their Ships and Dips III cruise planed for February of 2008 just to name a couple of themed cruises going on. Other themes are hobby related such as scrap booking, sewing, and even murder mystery cruises. There really are to many themes to be listed here. One thing to note is that if the theme is not taking over the entire ship, that you must book the cruise as a member of the group, otherwise you will not be allowed to partake in the group related activities and depending on the size of the group, the activities some times will take over entire areas of the ship.

Here are a couple of links that I find useful when it comes to theme cruises:
Cruise Travel Theme Cruise Blog
Cruise Critic Theme Cruise Thread

Carnival Blog Makes News

John Heald, the cruise director on board the Carnival Freedom has been running a blog about daily life on the ship since March. In just a few short months, his blog has reached 1/2 a million visitors. It has become so popular that people want to go on the ship just to meet the famous blogging cruise director himself. There are t-shirts available, and a cruise dedicated to the blog set for January 19th 2008. CNN Money has an article about John, his blog and the popularity is has gained in just over 5 months.

The blog is a must read for anyone who is interested in cruising. John has a wonderful way of pulling you into what is happening on the ship and in the ports with his descriptions and wonderful pictures and the way he answers letters he receives from the passengers on board. The Freedom is currently cruising the Mediterranean, but will begin cruises out of Miami come November of this year.

A Vacation For The Person That Has Everything?

A little off topic but still vacation related:
Where does the person that has everything (and has a lot of money to spend) go for vacation? How about Necker Island? http://www.necker.com/

Located in the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, the entire private 74 acre island own by Richard Branson can be rented out for $46,000 per night with a 5 night minimum stay. This price includes accommodations, meals (prepared by resident chefs), drinks (including alcohol), access to water sport equipment, pools, wireless internet service, and a video and music library and more for you and 27 other guests (28 total) to use. In addition to renting the entire island, there are “celebration weeks” (which are adults only) which range from $22,000 to $25,000 per week per couple, in which you would be sharing the island with up to 13 other couples. For the rest of us, maybe we will get a glimpse of the island on one of our future cruises.

Entertainment On Board a Cruise Ship

A common question I get asked by a lot of people who have never been on a cruise before is "what kind of entertainment is there?" Here is a list of some things to expect to see on many of the cruise lines out there:

• Las Vegas "style" shows in the theater
• Comedy Shows
• Live bands by the pools
• Piano bar (some ships have dueling piano)
• Individual artists and small groups (i.e. string quartets) near lounges
• Game shows with passenger participation
• Karaoke (fun to watch even if you don't participate)
• Talent contest
• Food demonstrations
• Ice Carving demonstration

While this list can give you an idea of what to expect, it is not everything. Each cruise line is different, and they all are constantly searching for new forms of entertainment to keep passengers happy and wanting to come back.

Shore Excursions

There are plenty of things to do when the ship is in port. On possibility is to go an a shore excursion or tour. People can book some excursions through the cruise line, either by phone, on the internet, or while on board the ship. If the tour you are interested in is a popular one, it is best to book it as early as possible because on most tours space is limited. Prices from the cruise lines can range from $25 up to $200 depending on the activities planed. Tours can be as simple as getting a few hours to relax at a private beach, to very active such as scuba diving. There is a tour for just about every activity level and or taste. Some people prefer to book their own tours through independent operators. This can be done over the internet, or even the day of port. Many tour guides are usually waiting right next to the ship to whisk people away.

Booking through the cruise line:

• Pro: Cruise lines only use licenced tour operators. The time frame is set to "ship time". If a tour is running late, the ship knows where you are and will wait.
• Con: Prices are higher than booking independently. Many tours include "extras" that may not be what everyone is interested in. Large groups can slow down getting from one place to another. Tours may sell out before you reserve.

Booking independently:

• Pro: Smaller group size. Usually less expensive. Tour guide usually does what the group wants. Tour may not be offered by the cruise line.
• Con: Tour guide may not know what time you need to get back to the ship. If running late, the ship has no record of you being on a tour. May or may not be licenced.

Cruise Line Tipping Policies

Tips and gratuities are a part of life when taking a cruise that many first time passengers may not know about or understand. The main type of gratuity is the service gratuity. With the exception of "luxury cruise lines" such as Windstar, Regent, and Seabourn, most all mainstream cruise lines have a service gratuity policy. It goes to the dining staff, kitchen staff, and hotel staff. Passengers can expect the amount suggested to be between $8 and $15 per day per passenger depending on the cruise line. Tips are usually collected at the end of the cruise, either by envelopes that are supplied, or as many cruise lines have adopted, the tips will be added to the on board account to be paid however the account was set up. If the gratuity is added to an on board account, the amount can be adjusted by visiting the pursers desk. A third option a few cruise lines have been offering is the ability to prepay the tips in advance. Some passengers like this option when budgeting for their vacation. In addition to the service gratuity, many cruise lines also add a 10-15% gratuity on drink purchases. While this amount is no different than what would be expected in a bar on land, it is automatic.

Many people think that cruise line tipping policies are to high and unfair to the pasenger, especially when a family of four sees an extra $280 added to their bill at the end of a seven day cruise but this is one of the ways that the cruise lines have kept the cost of cruising from skyrocketing. These tips are a main part of the salary of the crew of people that work hard to make your vacation enjoyable. They work long hours seven days a week on contracts that are six months long or longer. So if you have have good service, they deserve it, and if you had great service (I know we have on many occasions) let them know because there is no rule about tipping more.

If you agree with me or not, leave a comment, I would like to see other opinions on this topic.

The Value of a Dollar (Cost of Cruising over the Years)

When Carnival Cruise Line started out over 30 years ago, a seven day cruise started at around $600 per person. Today, not including specials, a seven day cruise starts at about $600 per person on the same cruise line. However, a car that costs around $20,000 today sold for around $5000 30 years ago. Given those inflation numbers, had cruising followed the same path, a 7 day cruise would currently start at around $2400 per person. Given this, no wonder the cruise industry has become more popular every year. With more cruise lines and ships to choose from than ever, and even more ships on the way, cruising is a great way to get a lot of bang for your buck come vacation time. Today, a good bargain hunter can find deals in the range of $50 a day per person, bringing a 7 day cruise to $450 each (for an inside cabin, before taxes) at a time when on a land based vacation it can be difficult to get three meals a day and spend less then that before adding in hotel room and entertainment.

Special Needs While Cruising

I hear a lot of people say that they are afraid to go on a cruise because of their diet, a handicap, or because of medications. Let me just say that a cruise ship is well equipped to handle just about any type of special need. Give advanced notice of your need or request. Letting it be known at the time of booking will help ensure that anything needed will be ready when you board. If you require a handicap cabin, it is best to book a cruise early because there are limited cabins that may meet your need. Many cruise lines have a varied menu when it comes to meeting different diets. Low sodium, sugar free, and vegetarian options will be labeled accordingly, but letting the cruise line know ahead of time of your needs, may increase the options available for that cruise. When taking medications that need refrigeration (such as insulin), you may be given the option of storing your supplies in the infirmary on board, extra care in making sure you have ice in the cabin, and on some ships, a portable refrigerator may be available for your use. While I have only touched on a few needs, just remember that you don't know unless you ask. You may be surprised how much a cruise line can and will go to accommodate their passengers.

Fall Repositioning Cruises

As the seasons change, so do the itineraries of a few cruise ships. These changes are called repositioning cruises, and they happen in the Spring and Autumn. This fall, more than 50 ships from cruise lines belonging to CLIA will be moving away from their summer destinations in Europe, Alaska and Canada, to Winter destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Hawaii. A brief list of Cruise Lines, ships, and dates can be found here on the CLIA website. Repositioning cruises are great for the avid cruiser that is looking for a unique route, or destination.

Cruise Ship Cleanliness

After the recent outbreak of Legionnaires disease on the Fred Olsen's Black Watch Ship, the question of cleanliness has come up again. While Legionnaires disease is rare (last outbreak on a ship was 10 years ago) this latest incident reminds people of the more common outbreak of norovirus which makes the news every time there is a outbreak on a cruise ship. It is not that these are not newsworthy, but that many times, the news leaves out vital information that can scare people away from cruising. What normally happens is someone, whether passenger or crew, boards the ship already contaminated and unintentionally causes it to spread. This could happen at a concert or a sporting event and still spread, but with the short period together, people would already be home before ill effects took place. Now given the right environment, like a ship, or hospital, or even a school campus, where large numbers of people are spending a lot of time together, it makes it easier to spread and be noticed. The cruise lines take any outbreak at sea seriously and take every precaution to contain and not have a recurrence but their efforts do no good when some passengers don't take precautions them selves. Just about all of us have been in a public restroom and watched as another person left without washing their hands. The best thing to do no matter what kind of vacation you are on is to take the proper precautions yourself. Here is a PDF file that the Center for Disease Control made available for Cruise passengers with tips on how to reduce risks while cruising.

Along with checking into any type of illness, the CDC inspects every cruise ship that stops at U.S. port routinely and post the scores. It also keeps a log of every ship and the dates for any type of outbreak. In 2007 so far (as of this posting), there have been 16 such occurrences according to the their web page.

Carnival Victory Strikes Pieir in NYC

While docking this morning after a 4 day Canadian cruise, the Carnival Victory damaged the pier. No passengers or crew were hurt, but there was minor damage to both the pier and the Victory. The ship is not damaged enough to not make its next voyage according the Carnival Cruise Lines.

More info can be found here.

Trip and Travel Insurance

What is it?
Travel insurance is a policy that will protect you if your vacation is interrupted, and in some cases if you have to cancel your vacation. The insurance can be purchased from a variety of companies, including the cruise lines.

What does it do for me?
Depending on the policy purchased, travel insurance can cover many things including, emergency evacuation off the ship, airfare home, hospital bills, reimbursement of the cost of the vacation, and accidental death. The key is to make sure the policy has what you need, and you understand the policy.

How much is it?
Price depends on a few factors, including but not limited to, ages of insured, options of the package, overall cost of the vacation, and any predetermined health issues. Most base packages start at around 7 - 20% of the cost of the vacation (cruise, airfare, hotel etc.).

How do I get it?
When booking a cruise, many cruise lines will offer their insurance policy. Usually cruise line policies are only trip interruption policies and reimburse the cost of the vacation. For more detailed policies, there are plenty of insurance companies that offer something that may fit your needs. A great place to start looking is Insuremytrip which is a travel insurance comparison site.

What else should I know?
Travel agencies are rated based on performance (called the A.M. Rating). The rating system is alphabetical A, B, C with + and - as well Making A+ the rating to look for is you ask me.

Cell Phones At Sea

The majority of cruise ships offer the ability to use your cell phone while at sea. The way it works is by a cell tower located on the ship beaming the calls to a satellite, basically turning your standard cell phone into a satellite phone while on the ship. On most ships the system now works with both GSM & CDMA phones for voice calls made and received. Internet, e-mail, and text messaging may or may not work depending on the cell carrier. The system will only be operable when the ships are at sea. When in port the on board system will be turned off, allowing people to use the land based cell towers, so you need to know if your phone will work in the locations being visited if you plan on using your phone on land as well. Currently most carriers are charging around $2.49 - 4.99 per minute plus a toll charge per call while at sea. You may want to check with your provider about missed calls. I have heard but cannot confirm that incoming calls that go to voicemail may be charged to you if your phone is on.

For more information on what ships and what carriers go to http://www.wirelessatsea.com/.

Who To Book With Revisited

Last week, I discussed three ways to book a cruise however, I only touched on online booking agencies, mentioning the big names. There are many good agencies that do business mainly online that were neglected in that post. Here are a few tips on finding the right online agency:

• Make sure they are a member of CLIA (Cruise Line International Associattion) and in good standing.


• Check the company out at the Better Business Bureau. Don't just look at the number of complaints, but look to see how many were resolved.


• Only deal with an online agency that can be contacted by phone as well as email.


• Try to find a physical address for the company on the site.


• Read the small print. Good online agencies disclose what is included either above or below the prices.

Freestyle Dining

Norwegian Cruise Lines started this program. Basically, on a standard cruise vacation, if you want to eat in the dining room, you go at your assigned time, and sit with other guests that were assigned the same table. With freestyle dining there are no set times or table mates. NCL ships have as many as 13 different restaurants on board offering different cuisine. But now, other cruise lines are looking into adding a freestyle or anytime option on some of their ships. Holland America is in the process of rolling out there program called "as you wish" and Princess has a program where you can have dinner on your balcony (for a small fee of course). I see the dining options becoming a trend among most if not all the cruise lines as they try to cater to what the people want.

A side note on the NCL program: Reservations are required at some of the more popular restaurants on board and some also have an added fee.

Five Interesting Cruise Ship Facts

The average cruise ship, on average, costs around ½ a billion dollars to build. Royal Caribbean has a ship on order, due to be finished in fall 2009, capable of carrying 5400 passengers, at a cost of 1.25 billion dollars.

It takes between two to four years to build a ship.

A modern cruise ship goes through somewhere between 100 and 200 gallons of fuel for every nautical mile when moving. This does not include fuel that is used while in port, to keep the generators that are responsible for all the electrical on board.

On any given sailing, there will be 1 crew member on board a cruise ship for every 2 to 3 passengers (depends on ship size and cruise line), with many of the crew doing work behind the scenes that keep everything running smoothly.

Modern cruise ships in U.S. waters are required to carry survival craft (lifeboats, rafts) with seating capacity that exceeds the maximum capacity of the ship itself. A drill is required for all sailings to familiarize passengers with the locations and procedures shall the use be needed.

South America in Carnival's Future

From the article here, it looks like Carnival fans will have some new destinations to choose from. With ports of call in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and a few others, the Carnival Splendor will be offering 14 to 18 day cruises in the beginning of 2009, before it moves the Long Beach to do 7 day Mexican Riviera runs displacing the Carnival Pride which will move to San Diego for 8 day Riviera runs.

The west coast has become a hot commodity for Carnival. They currently have the Carnival Pride doing year long 7 days out of Long Beach, the Carnival Spirit doing three different itineraries depending on time of year (including Alaska, Mexico and Hawaii), the Paradise doing 3 and 4 day baja cruises, and most recently the Elation moving to San Diego to do 4 and 5 day runs to Cabo San Lucas.

Disney May Venture from Port Canaveral

According to the article here, Disney Cruise Line is looking for other ports for its two current ships, and the two ships on order which will double the fleet by 2012. This doesn't mean that Disney will abandon Port Canaveral all together, but looks to increase the number of ports that will be available for sailings. This will be a plus for fans of the the line who would like to see more cruises take place from other ports with newer destinations as well.

Currently the Disney cruises out of Canaveral with both ships, with one doing some cruises out of the west coast as well as the Mediterranean.

New Orleans and CCL Agree to Contract Extension

A new contract, retroactive to October of last year has been signed between the Port of New Orleans and Carnival Cruise Lines to keep the Carnival ships visiting. The contract has an option for another 2 year extension renewal to carry over into 2010. More information on the contract and what it means to the city of New Orleans can be found here.

Strike avoided at Los Angeles Ports

Eleven days after the union threatened to go on strike, a deal was made. Both sides have agreed on a new deal. Had the deal not been made, it could have cost the shipping industry Billions of dollars with the amount of import and export that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach deal with. This also will put the cruise industry at ease. Altho it has not been mentioned during the almost two week standoff, the cruise industry relies on the same longshoreman that would have honored the picket lines.

Details of the tentative contract can be found here.

What Cruiseline Fits You?

OK. You have been looking around the Internet, and this site, and want to go on a cruise. The first question to ask yourself is how do I decide. It sounds like a simple question, but it can be broken down into some things to think about.

• Is price an important factor?

If yes, mainstream lines should top your list such as Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Also, this would be an indication you may want to do some shopping around and be more flexible with dates. Some really good deals can be found on dates that the cruise lines consider the least appealing.

• How many days can you a lot to your vacation?

Cruise vacations range from 3 short trips that only visit one port to trips that are weeks long. IF you only have a set amount of time, and small window in which to take a cruise, it will decrease the options available, and in some cases increase the cost of the cruise. For example people that only have vacation around spring break will find the cost of the shorter cruises can be just as expensive as a longer one.

• Will it just be you, two people, or the whole family?

For a solo traveler, you may want to search out singles cruises, or see if singles events are on board.

As a couple, the options are endless. Smaller ships with more intimate dining and few if any children may appeal to you. Or you want a ship with plenty of nightlife, where the bars don't shut down.

With a Family trying to please everyone is not easy. Staying with the mainstream lines will offer plenty for everyone, or depending on the age of the kids Disney may be worth investigating.

• Where do you want to visit?

Not every ship goes to every port. So if you have your heart set on visiting a specific local, it can limit you to not only what cruise line, but the dates that are offered.

Answering these questions to yourself will aid you in finding the perfect cruise vacation for you.

Formal Night Attire

How many formal nights are there, and how formal are they?

How many?
The number of formal nights may differ by particular sailing or cruise line but here is the norm:
One formal night on sailings of five days or less
Two formal nights on sailings of six to 12 days
And I would suggest contacting the cruise line on longer cruises.

How formal?
Again, depends on the cruise line and in some cases where the ship sails from. If the dress of others is important, you may want to consider a higher end cruise line. While mainstream lines such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean suggest a tux or dark suit and tie for men and evening gown or cocktail dress for the ladies, the enforcement of the rule is not always a high priority. The thing to remember is, this is not just a night to dress up, but a night to get some pretty snazzy professional looking pictures taken. And if the dressing up thing is not for you there are alternative dining options on board.

Tip for the husbands that don't like to dress up: Its only one or two nights. Just think of the brownie points you can earn for it!

Flying to Port? Here are a couple of tips.

Lets face it, the majority of us don't live near a cruise terminal. This means either a long drive, or flying. Here are a few cruise related tips for flying.

• Fly in a day early if possible: You would hate to have a delay at the airport cause you to miss the ship. Living on the West coast, we fly in early for all cruises out of the East. This also gives us a chance to experience the city we depart from.
• Rethink how you pack: A big concern for many people is lost luggage. An airline is more apt to lose one piece of luggage over losing every piece of luggage in a set. Don't pack all of one persons belongings in one bag, but share the load between bags. Another thing to do is, make one of your carry on bags a clothes bag. A few days clothes will be comforting if the airline is trying to get your luggage to the next port to meet you which may be a day or two out.
• Buy insurance: Insurance is a good thing just for the fact that you are investing good money on the vacation. Just make sure you get the coverage you need. Many plans will cover delays or missed flights, so you want to make sure that its covered in the plan you choose.

Royal Caribbean Bans Smoking in Cabins

It was talked about recently on the cruise critic forums about the possibility of this happening. According to "The Cruise Ship Report" the smoking ban will become effective after the first of the year on the majority of RCCL ships, with the entire fleet following the ban by summer of 2008. Smoking will not however be banned on balconies.

I have to agree with the article. It looks like a win-lose situation for non smokers. While the thought of getting a cabin that wasn't previously occupied by a smoker will be a welcomed change for many, the ability to smoke on the balcony will still be a sticking point.

Nautical Terms

While on board, there are a few terms that you will hear used. Below are some of the most com on ones used with non nautical definitions.

• Aft - Near the rear of the Ship
• Bridge - Where the ship's speed and direction is controlled
• Cabin - Passengers "hotel" room on board
• Deck - Floor. Decks can be referred to by number or a name (i.e. Main Deck or Deck 4)
• Forward - Near the front of the ship
• Galley - Kitchen
• Muster - Boat drill. All passengers on a cruise ship must complete the muster drill
• Naut - Short for nautical mile - approx. 1 and 1/8 of a mile.
• Port - Left side of the Ship (tip: port and left both have 4 letters)
• Starboard - Right side of the ship
• Tender - Smaller vessel used to ferry passengers to land when the ship is to large to dock.

A little history on "port" and "starboard": It has been said that in Viking days, the rudder used to steer the ship was put on the right side of the ship. This became the Steer Board (later to become starboard) side of the ship, and because of this, ships would always dock with the left side of the ship toward port to not damage the rudder, thus making the left the port side.

Bringing Video Game Systems

We all have them. Our electronic toys that we just don't want to leave at home. The laptops, ipods, and even video game systems seem to find their way into the luggage before clothes do for some people. Game systems you ask? Yes. You know kids, or husbands want to bring that Xbox or Wii with them on vacation, the question is can they. While some ships do have TVs with the RCA hookups in the front, not all do. Because the ship is a moving vessel, the TV is usually bolted down, so finding out what type of hookups are in the back is not an easy quest. Also, if considering bringing anything that you hook up to the TV, you may need to bring an extension cord because the location of the TV may not be close to the outlet in the room. One last thing to think about (and this holds true for all your electronics) is that a ship is generating its own electricity, and you don't know what kind of surge could happen. Reading the fine print, you will find out that the cruise line does not have to take responsibility if your item is damaged.

For those that want to talk their kids out of bringing their game systems, depending on the cruise line you are going on, many have a kids area that will offer the same systems. A great suggestion I heard from a friend was to see if they would be allowed to bring their favorite game to the kids area and play it. A good bet is that once they see all the other things they will be doing on board, the game system would just sit in the room unplugged anyway.

Keeping In Touch While At Sea

For the first time cruiser, wondering how to stay in contact while on board the ship is a perfectly understandable question. Unlike in the movies from the 1970s, you don't have to go to the bridge and have the captain radio land. Some people are surprised to find that there will actually be a phone in the cabin, internet service on board, and on many ships your cell phone may work. Here is a little information on all three:

• In Cabin phone: Expensive, at $5-$7 per minute or more but in an emergency, thinking about the cost is not a priority.


• Internet Service: Usually a small area or room with 8-20 terminals. Much cheaper than the phone, but not cheap. Packages vary by cruise line. Most will offer a per minute rate for those not wanting to purchase a bulk minute package. Printing is available usually for a per page fee as well. Also take note that some cruise lines will charge a one time activation fee the first time you use the internet.


• Cell Phones: Yes it is true, SOME cell phone carriers will work while you are at sea on certain cruise ships. International roaming charges will apply. The process of rolling out this service has been slow and not well organized over the last view years, so while some carriers may work on one ship, they may not work on another.

An in depth article on cruisecrittic.com has taken the time to detail out what each cruise line offers and even on what ships.

Group Cruise Perks

Most cruise lines offer group booking perks. Groups start at 8 cabins (based on 2 people per cabin). These perks vary from shipboard credit, free gifts, or discounts on the cost of the cruise. Sometimes families, businesses, and reunions are organized in order to qualify for these perks. Often, cruisers book through a travel agent and then use posting boards such as cruisecritic.com to let people know that they are organizing a group cruise with all the pertinent information on the upcoming cruise and how to join the "group." These groups can grow large which adds to the excitement when on board. Another type of group is a theme cruise group. These can range from cruising with your favorite music star, to scrap booking. If you can think of a group activity, there is probably someone planing a group cruise for them somewhere.


Be sure to come back to Time2Cruise as we will be posting information on our next group cruise soon.

Cunard Line to retire the QE2 in 2008

Since launched in 1967 the QE2 has put enough sea miles on her to have traveled to the moon and back over 13 times. But after 40 years in service, Cunard is going to retire her at the end of the 2008 season. Farewell Voyages are currently on sale now. With the anticipation of the retirement, Cunard will be launching the Queen Victoria, entering service later this year.

In retirement, she will become a first class hotel at The Palm Jumeirah. If you are not familiar with The Palm Jumeirah, it is a man made engineering marvel in Dubai. This island oasis is built in the the shape of a palm tree jetting off the coast. It is so large that it can be seen from the space station.

Cruise Ship Casino

Gambling is one of the many forms of entertainment you will find on board. Altho, you can use your card (for a fee) the casino is one place on board where cash is used. The casino on board will have many of your favorite games available, such as craps, poker, blackjack, roulette, and plenty of slot machines. Gaming lessons are often offered on many of the games, usually prior to the casino opening for the day. Games like craps and roulette, will have similar if not exactly the same odds as on land, however you will find many variations of the card games. Slot machines on board while modern have not kept up with land based casinos, and many will still accept coins (for some people this is a plus especially if you don't like the new paper based systems in Vegas and other land based casinos) along with paper money.

Tournaments are a fun way to interact with the casino. For a small entry fee, black jack, and slot tournaments are held a number of times during the cruise for cash and prises. A lot of ships now have Texas holdem rooms (electronic tables) now, with both casino sponsored tournaments and the ability for passengers to form their own games as well.

I suggest getting to know the casino host and staff if you plan on spending a lot of time in the casino. Try to email them ahead of time to see what kind of "players club" is offered and if your favorite game or machine is on board. Carnival has made it easy to contact their casino staff through their OPC web site. You never know what could be waiting for you.

There are some other things to mention about on board casinos. For one, unlike in Vegas, the drinks are "usually" not free. I use the word usually, because I have heard of high rollers getting a free drink or two, but this is not the norm. The are will be small compared to a land based casino and if there are a lot of gamblers on board, finding your favorite machine or table can be difficult at times. Also, as with most casinos, this will be a smoking area.

Smoking on a Cruise Ship

Smoking is allowed on board in designated areas. Someone may correct me on this, but last time I checked, there is no such thing as a non smoking cabin. Many lines do not advertise that smoking is allowed in the rooms, but don't state otherwise either. As for the other designated areas, on many ships, its in certain bars, the casino, and certain areas on deck. These areas will vary from ship to ship. One rule that stays the same among all cruise lines is the rule against throwing cigarette butts overboard. For one its polluting, and another is that most times, the cigarette usually will be sucked back on board on a different level of the ship which can be dangerous. Carnival had the Paradise, which was a 100% non smoking ship, but that was changed after the ship stopped moving from port to port and started using California as a home port. With the way regulations are changing in many states, its only a matter of time before the cruise industry starts to rethink its policies. Smoking may not be banned all together, but I can see cabins becoming a smoke free area, if only for the safety value alone.

Cruise Line Loyalty

Sticking to one particular company over another has its perks. Going back just a second time leads to things like past guest discounts and and invitations to past guest party with free drinks. Start hitting the five and even 10 cruise mark and the perks get better. These perks can be anything from coupon books that give you discounts on board for things like drinks and souvenirs to priority when requesting dining times, and debarkation. Some cruise lines even have different color cards that distinguish you from first time cruisers. The draw back of cruise line loyalty is simply that you don't get to experience what some other lines have to offer. For many, this is a trade off they are willing to make.

Who do you book with?

Picking a travel agency may not sound like a big deal, but for some it can be. There are three kind of agencies to pick from. First is the "brick and mortar" agency, where they have an office you can visit and most of the contact is either in person or by phone. The second is the online agencies. The third is the cruise lines in house booking agents. Each have pros and cons as always.

Brick and Mortar

• Pros: Its nice to be able to talk to a person. Most questions you may have can be addressed quickly. Making changes can be easier (sometimes). Some agents can get deals that you wont find elsewhere. Building a relationship with your travel agent can pay of on future vacation deals.Many brick and mortar agencies also have web pages to help with frequently asked questions that may not require making a phone call,
• Cons: Many agents specialize. Having an agent that normally does land based vacations help book a cruise may not be any more informed than you. With large agencies, you may not deal with the same person every time, and lose the personal touch that a smaller agency would give. Once booked, most cruise companies will not discuss your booking with you and require all inquiries got through the travel agent.
• Tips: When going the route of Brick and Mortar, make sure its a credible agency by doing a search online, and checking the Better Business Bureau. Take take to talk to the agent before laying down money. Try to make sure the person you deal with is adept at booking cruises.

Online Agencies: (Travelocity, Orbits, Priceline)

• Pros: Finding rates and dates online is easy. Many offer package deals with hotel and flights. Making the booking is quick and convenient.
• Cons: Online booking may not be good for the first time cruiser because (unless you have spent a lot of time reading sites like this one) small details can be left out. There wont be anyone call with simple questions. Due to cruise line rules, you wont find many deals online because many cruise lines require that online prices cannot be lower than the ones offered on their site.
• Tip: When online agencies are your choice, the best thing to do is to have more than one you may like to work with, and see what kind of perks may be offered if you use a certain credit card. Try to find out what day of the week the site is updated on.

In house booking agents:

• Pros: They know more about specials offers that are not advertised. Many cruise lines will assign one person to address your account but any in house agent can talk to you if your agent is not available. Specific requests can be addressed directly.
• Cons: While building a relationship may help with future cruises with the one line, it doesn't help with other cruise lines or other types of vacations.
• Tip: Don't be afraid to call and ask for a discount or on board credit if you see that the cost of the cruise has gone down since you booked. You can try this with a TA as well, but I have seen it work the most thru the cruise lines more.

Top Five Recomended Items people may not think to take

These are my 5 things that I have seen people wish they had after getting on board. They are simple, but at the same time simple to not think about until you need/want them.

1. Night light - Necessity for inside cabins, but comes in handy for any cabin. Just imagine the middle of the night trip to the bathroom. You turn on the light switch and a flood of industrial fluorescent light fills the room, hurting your eyes.
2. Power strip - You will find that the cabin will usually only have 1 outlet, normally located near the desk/dressing table. A power strip or outlet expander (we have a small 1 to 3 version found at the local grocery store) comes in handy.
3. Binoculars - These fall under the "why didn't I think to bring" category that first time you up on deck and spot another ship or pod of whales off in the distance.
4. Watch - In the age of cell phones, many people just don't wear watches anymore. You learn when visiting port, that the ship does not always go by the same time as where you are visiting. Having a watch that you can set to ship time can mean the difference between getting back to the ship ontime or watching as it leaves without you.
5. Travel Alarm Clock - Unlike hotels, most cruise ships do not have clocks in the room. They do have phones, and a wake up call system, but its just not the same thing.

Three Seasons for the Addicted Cruiser

Most addicted cruisers will agree with me on this one. There really is only three seasons.

• Booking season
• Cruising season
• Can't wait to book my next cruise season

Booking season starts the moment after the booking in made. Activities during this season include, but are not limited to, day counting, weight management, swimsuit shopping, watching the mail for the documents, and trying to find out everything you can about destinations and the ship. While this season tends to feel slow, there is a mystic surrounding the anticipation of embarkation day will soon be here.

Cruising season is like the first day of summer vacation as a kid. It's the most anticipated but at the same time the shortest. It starts with a flood of ideas and thoughts, from what to do first to did we forget anything. The next thing you know, your standing in line for embarkation. Once on board, its time to run around, explore, and visit the buffet! Then, just like childhood, you get hit with chores. Say what? Its off to do the lifeboat drill dragging your feet. But its soon over, and as you head off to your cabin to put the life jackets up, you notice something. The ship is moving and the next thing you know, so are you. The rest of the season is filled with days of fun, relaxation, and exploration. But, before long its time for this short season to end. They kick you off the ship kicking and screaming (or was that just me). Now the gloomy season is about to begin.

The "can't wait to book my next cruise" season starts when the euphoria wears off from being on vacation. Usually right around the time you step off the ship. Some people hate this season so much that they try to avoid it by going right back to booking season. There are people that will even attempt fate and manage back to back cruising seasons! We must worship these people. For everyone else, this season will drag. Many stories will be told about the previous season. The only way to put an end to this season is to book the next cruise. Maybe this one will be longer!

What do you mean, it costs extra?

Most cruises are NOT all inclusive. If they were, the price of the cruise would be much higher. Here are my 10 things one should know costs extra. They are in no particular order. Most are costs that get added to your on board account to be settled at the end of the cruise but a couple do require cash.

1. Soda - can be purchased by can/bottle/glass depending on the line, and many lines offer a soda pass (in the form of a card or sticker) that for one price will allow unlimited soda for the duration.
2. Laundry mat - Not a big deal if you never need it, but there are washers and dryers on board. They usually take quarters and run about $1 a load each.
3. Duty free shops - You will find jewelry, watches, clothes, souvenirs, alcohol, gum, aspirin etc.. here. Some things are awesome deals (alcohol by the bottle) and some are not.
4. Alcohol - Ok, most people know this one, and if soda is gonna cost, you know the alcohol would. There are occasions on board when drinks are free, such as the welcome aboard party, art auction, and even occasional free tastings at the duty free shops.
5. Specialty shop - Every ship I have been on has had a specialty coffee shop, some kind of sweets shop. Royal Caribbean ships have places like Johnny Rockets, and Ben and Jerry's on board. The prices at these places would be a steal if on land, but with all the included food items available, many people pass on these.
6. Upscale Restaurant - Aside from the buffet, and main dining rooms, most ships now have a pay restaurant with prices ranging from $25-$50 a person. Personal opinion on this one is, its a nice thing for a one time special event (anniversary etc..) but wouldn't recommend it for groups.
7. Spa - Manicures, pedicures, teeth whitening, massages, step class, you name it, they offer it at the spa, for a price. Money saving tip: they offer discounts for appointments while in port.
8. Gambling - This is a no brainer. Not only in the casino, many ships have drawings, raffles, and bingo as well. Gambling is the one thing that uses cold hard cash, however, many cruise lines will let you draw from your card to feed your gambling habit, usually at a cost of a small percentage of the total width drawl.
9. Excursions - There will be a number of tours that you can sign up for on the ship for the ports of call. Some people choose to book tours themselves, either in advance, or once in port, and not use the cruise line which has its pros and cons. Research is the key if you plan to do this.
10. Tipping - Touchy subject for some. Tipping is a large part of cruising, and actually starts before you even get on board when you hand your luggage over to the porter. Many cruise lines now do an auto tipping system of some sort in which the tip amount (varies by line but averages 10/day/person) is added to the bill at the end of the cruise along with all the other things listed above. I plan to have more on tipping on a later post.

There are probably a couple of other nickel and dime areas I am missing.

Sea Sickness

We are cruising with a small group on a four day cruise to Cabo San Lucas in December. More than half of the group have never been on a cruise before and the subject of sea sickness has come up. More importantly, the question of how to deal with it came up. There are plenty of prescription, over the counter, and other remedies to choose from, but do they really work? Thankfully the Mythbusters, took on the task of seeing what works. Both the over the counter pharmaceutical drugs and the ginger pills worked. We learned about ginger pills about three years ago, tried it, and have taken ginger pills with us on every cruise we have taken since. In the past we have Dramamine (off the shelf motion sickness med) but with these kind of drugs, they left us drowsy, and shouldn't be taken with alcohol, and that's not going to work on our vacation. I have talked to people that wear the patch onboard, and the consensus was that it works, but some said that if affected their sleep if they didn't remove it before going to bed. I have yet to talk to someone that has used one of the bracelets and said it helped any.

The only drawback of the ginger pills that I know of is that they are a natural blood thinner, so people on medication for blood or heart related issues should talk to their doctor before taking them. Otherwise, we have had no problems with em.

Also, in a pinch we have recommended ginger ale, ginger cookies, or the ginger from the sushi stand on board to people that were feeling queasy with good results.

Strike looms in Los Angeles Ports!

As of 12:01 AM Monday July 16th, a strike deadline has passed for a clerical union dealing with the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach. The long shoreman plan on honoring the strike. This will have an effect on loading and unloading of cargo and luggage with the cruise ships. How much of an effect remains to be seen.

You can read more about it at "The Washington Post"

P&O Star damaged by storm

Ten meter High waves and strong winds damaged the bow of the P&O Star, ending a cruise vacation for 1200 passengers. According to a news article (link) at "The New Zealand Herald" the cruise line had to charter flights for passengers due to the holiday season in the area.

Hurricane Season

A large concern when booking a cruise is about hurricane season. The season officially starts on June 1st and runs thru November 30th. While rare, it is not impossible for a hurricane to happen out of season. While most hurricanes happen in the Atlantic, they also happen in the North East Pacific (off the coast of the United States and Mexico) as well. In the North West Pacific the storms are called Cyclones.

Given the quantity and severity of three of the last four previous seasons, the 2007 season is expected to be an active but not overactive one by one set of forecasters. Prior to the start of the season, the forecasters predicted 17 named storms for the Atlantic, with nine of them becoming hurricanes. Of the nine, five are predicted to be major (category 3 or higher). So far, for the months of May and June, there have been a total of two tropical storms in the Atlantic, and two in the Pacific. None of the four became hurricanes.

What does all this mean for the rest of the season? In 2006, a heavy season was expected but was not as bad as predicted. Hopefully, this season will not live up to its expectations as well.