Caribbean

5/26   Allure of the Seas  7 night E Carib from Ft Lauderdale -  Oceanview Balcony $1519; Oceanview $1169

6/2    Allure of the Seas 7 night W Carib from Ft Lauderdale – Balcony $1199

6/9    Allure of the Seas  7 night W Carib from Ft Lauderdale – Boardwalk Balcony $1269; Inside $999

6/15   Oasis of the Seas 7 night E Carib from Ft Lauderdale – Boardwalk Balcony $1249

6/16   Allure of the Seas  7 night W Carib from Ft Lauderdale – Boardwalk Balcony $1079; Inside $949

6/22   Oasis of hte Seas   7 night W Carib from Ft Lauderdale – Oceanview Balcony $1249; Oceanview $1049; Inside $849

6/23   Allure of the Seas  7 night E Carib from Ft Lauderdale – Boardwalk Balcony $1299; Inside $1149

6/23   Freedom of the Seas  7 night W Carib from Pt Canaveral – Balcony 4999; Oceanview $899; Inside $649

6/29   Oasis of the Seas  7 night E Carib from Ft Lauderdale – Oceanview Balcony $1499; Oceanview $1249; Inside $1149

6/30   Freedom of the Seas  7 night E Carib from Pt Canaveral – Balcony $1099: Oceanview $1049; Inside $599

Celebrity Cruises Exciting Deals Must Be Booked By Thursday, May 23rd 

Alaska

6/21    Solstice  7 night Tracy Arm Fjord from Seattle – Veranda $1149

6/28    Solstice  7 night Tracy Arm Fjord from Seattle – Veranda $1199

7/5      Solstice  7 night Tracy Arm Fjord from Seattle – Veranda $1299; Oceanview $999; Inside $799

7/12    Solstice  7 night Tracy Arm Fjord from Seattle – Veranda $1399; Inside $849

 Bermuda 

6/23   Summit   7 nights from Bayonne – Aqua Class $1099; Veranda $1149; Oceanview $799

6/30   Summit   7 nights from Bayonne – Aqua Class $1449

7/7     Summit  7 nights from Bayonne – Veranda $1199; Oceanview $1049; Inside $699

7/14   Summit  7 nights from Bayonne – Veranda $1249; Oceanview $1049; Inside $799

Europe

6/15   Silhouette  11 night Italy/Croatia from Venice -  Oceanview $799; Inside $749

6/22   Equinox  12 night Med with overnight in Venice from Barcelona – Concierge Veranda $1599; Oceanview $1499; Inside $999

6/24   Infinity  11 night Iceland/Fjord from Harwich Veranda $1149; Oceanview $1099

6/25   Constellation  12 night Scand/Russia from Amsterdam – Veranda $1099; Oceanview $899

6/28   Reflection  10 night E Med from Rome – Veranda $1099; Oceanview $999; Inside $899

7/4     Equinox  12 night Med with overnight in Venice from Barcelona – Veranda $1499; Oceanview $1249; Inside $849

7/5     Infinity  10 night Norwegian Fjords from Harwich – Veranda $1249

7/7    Constellation  12 night Scand/Russia from Amsterdam – Inside $1149

7/8    Reflection  11 night E Med from Rome – Veranda $1149; Oceanview $1049; Inside $699

7/15   Infinity  11 night Iceland and Fjords from Harwich – Veranda $1299; Inside $849

7/16   Equinox  12 night Redetore Festval from Barcelona – Veranda $1299; Oceanview $1099; Inside $799

7/19   Silhouette  12 night Italy/Croatia from Venice – Veranda $1399; Oceanview $1299

7/19   Reflection  10 night E Med from Rome – Veranda $1299

7/26   Infinity  10 night Norwegian Fjords from Harwich – Veranda $1299; Oceanview $1149; Inside $849

7/28   Equinox  12 night Italy/Greek Isles from Barcelona – Veranda $1349

7/29   Reflection  11 night E Med from Rome – Veranda $1299

Apple Vacations

Punta Cana

8/26 to 10/18   Dreams Punta Cana Resort and Spa 6 Golden Apple – 7 nights from $999 including airfare

Rivera Maya

8/31, 9/6, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5 and 10/12  Ocean Maya Royale 5 Apple – 7 nights from $799 including airfare

This is just a sampling of our last minute deals.  If you do not see the cruise or land package you are looking for, call or email us!

Contest Photo 4/26/13 - S.S. John W. Brown

The answer to last week’s photo contest question is the S.S. John W. Brown.  The photo was taken of the ship as she was hosting a Project Liberty Ship cruise from Baltimore.  Congratulations to Donna Cunningham of Philadelphia, PA whose name was randomly selected from the four correct responses.

The John W. Brown is one of two surviving Liberty ships out of the 2,710 built during World War II.  The other is the Jeremiah O’Brien, based in San Francisco, California.  During the first few years of World War II, the Allies were losing more than twice as many ships as were being built.  Most of these losses were the result of U boat torpedoes in the Caribbean and Atlantic.  To counteract these unsustainable losses, the Brits and Yanks designed an expendable vessel that could be built cheaply and in great numbers.  Thus, the Liberty ship came into being.  They were built in an average of 6 weeks with the record being less than 5 days.

John W. Brown - on deck

The priority was quantity over quality.  Some were so poorly constructed that they broke in two while at sea.  They were slow and made good targets for U boats. Over 250 Liberty ships were lost during the war.  Their design life was 5 years, so it is a tribute to the men and women who keep the memory alive by the loving care they give to these two surviving septuagenarians.

We cruised for a day on the John W. Brown last year and can tell you that they only thing it had in common with today’s luxury cruise ships was that there was plenty of food.  However, the hot dogs and hamburgers were not served in a splendid dining room with white table cloths and attentive waiters.  They were served buffet style in a converted cargo hold.

If you want to experience hot, visit the engine room where the temperature reaches over 110 degrees.  Watch the massive connection rods as they pound out a rhythm of power.

Japanese World War II vintage aircraft

A highlight of the cruise was the “attack” by several Japanese World War II vintage aircraft and the victory of the American P-51 over these “aggressors”.

Project Liberty Ship will operate 4 special cruises this year from Baltimore.  If you would like to experience one of these “living history” cruises, go to www.liberty-ship.com for dates and rates.

Last week’s trivia question asked: What do Hopalong Cassidy, John Wayne, Judy Garland, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Marilyn Monroe and the Mona Lisa have in common?

The correct answer is that they all sailed on the SS United States.  Congratulations to Mark Shapiro of Mission Viejo, CA whose name was randomly selected from the eight correct responses.

The SS United States

She was the fastest of her breed.  More than 50 years after breaking the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, the SS United States still represents the epitome of speed at sea.  She routinely “cruised” at 35 miles per hour.  During her record shattering maiden voyage, she averaged 44 miles per hour, so fast that she shed the paint from her bow.  The SS United State’s steam turbines produced twice as much power as the largest cruise ships of today despite being less than half the weight.

The SS United States - Then

A Philadelphia native, William Francis Gibbs, designed the ship to very high military standards (he also designed many ships of the US Navy in WW II).   Subsidized by the US government, the SS United States could be converted to a 15,000 person troopship within 48 hours and was nearly used during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  She plied the Atlantic for 17 years after her maiden trip in 1952 and never experienced a breakdown (listen up Carnival Cruise Line).

Now she is in trouble.  During the last 17 years, this national treasure has been rusting away at a South Philadelphia pier waiting for a knight in shining armor to come to her rescue.  Five years ago, philanthropist H. F. “Gerry” Lenfest gave the United States Conservancy more than 5 million dollars to purchase the ship and find a way of preserving her for future generations.

The SS United States - Now

Now the money is gone and, in a few weeks, this proud example of the genius of American engineering know-how will be become Toyotas and razor blades if she is not thrown a life ring.

Should the ship be saved?  Should the government step in?  We’d like to hear your views.

For more on the rescue effort, go to http://www.ssusc.org/.

Quantum of the Seas' North Star

 North Star.  A capsule that holds up to 13 people is attached to a long arm which raises it  to more than 300 feet above the ocean as it rotates above the ship.  The “ride” is about 15 minutes and is complementary (except for some special occasions).  A definite WOW!

 Rip Cord by iFly   It simulates the experience of sky diving.  A Wind Tunnel keeps you in the air while you “parachute to earth”.  A super WOW!!

 Sea Plex  Bumper cars.  We did the bumper cars along Stillwell Avenue at Coney Island last summer and it was OK but not WOW (the Cyclone is WOW). Maybe if the ship gets rocking and rolling, it will become a WOW.   We’ll wait and see on this one.

 A plus are the larger staterooms.  The standard rooms are 9% larger than their counterparts on the Oasis class ships, which are more than adequate in size and comfort.

 Bookings will open up for Crown and Anchor members on May 27^th.  Non-Crown and Anchor members will be able to reserve rooms on June 1^st.

Oasis of the Seas

Azamara Cruises – Special Promotion

Azamara Journey – Pool Deck

Contest Photo 3/15/13 - Ortakoy Mosque

Last week, we asked you to name the domed structure shown in the contest photo (on right) and to tell us the city in which it is located.  Congratulations to Alan Heller of Baltimore, MD, whose name was randomly selected from those who answered correctly.

The name of the structure is the Ortakoy Mosque (officially, the ”Buyuk Majidiye” Mosque).  And the city, of course, is Istanbul, a city with a ”split personality” in more ways than one.  First, it is a city in which the modern and vibrant coexist with a history that goes back over 3000 years.  Second, the city resides in both Europe and Asia.  It is split  by the Bosphorus Straight which connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea.

Our visit to Istanbul was both adventurous and amazing.  The adventure included a public ferry ride, which zigzaged along the Bosphorus between European and Asian ferry stops.  Although we tried to blend in with the locals, our oohs and ahs must have given us away as tourists and a kind local took us under his wing  and gave a running commentary of the sites we saw along the river, albeit in Turkish.  However, we still appreciated the friendly hospitality and asked for repeat pronunciations of the sites he was naming.

Fishing from the Galata Bridge

Our adventure also included an unsuccessful pickpocket attempt on the Galata bridge  (unsuccessful due to Wayne’s quick reaction to the unfamiliar and unwelcome hand in his pocket) and a mild fender-bender that occurred when a Mercedes Benz cut in front of our Taxi.  Words between the drivers ensued and, because at that point we were a 5-minute walk from our destination, we quickly paid the driver and continued on our way.

While in Istanbul we also visited the amazing historical sites located in the Sultanahmet section of the city.  These included the Topkapi Palace (the sultan and his his harem lived here), the Hagia Sophia (at one time an Eastern Orthodox church, later a mosque and now a museum), the extraordinary and multi-minareted Sultan Ahmed Mosque, (commonly known as the “Blue” mosque due to the blue cast of the intricate tilework on the inside of the mosque).  Our nostrils were delightfully stimulated on our walk through the Egyptian Spice Market.  The Grand Bazaar is a sight to behold but is a bit on the touristy side (practice your negotiating skills).  We ended our stay in Istanbul with dinner and a local street fair in Ortakoy, a neighborhood located on the European bank of the Bosphorus.

If you are cruising to or from Istanbul, consider extending your stay for a few extra days to experince this wonderful city.  See below for a sampling of  photos taken on our trip!

View of the Old City from the Ferry Terminal

Coming Home from Work

Moving Day?

Waiting for the Ferry

Fishing Boats on the Bosphorus

The Egyptian Spice Market

Blue Mosque

Hagia Sophia

Ortakoy Street Fair

The Carnival Dream experienced a failure of her backup generators while at a pier in St Martin and the Carnival Legend has a problem with one of her Azipods¹ which necessitated a sharp reduction in the speed of the ship.  The problems with the Dream and the Legend probably would not have made the news had it not been for the far more serious failure of the propulsion system of the Carnival Triumph.

The evidence seems to be building that bad luck is less of an issue than bad management.  We’re coming to the conclusion that the Carnival Corporation is far better at marketing ships than they are in operating ships.  They may be starting to recognize this sad situation since on Tuesday, Carnival announced it was conducting “a comprehensive review” of all 23 of its ships after the fire last month that crippled Triumph in theGulf of Mexico.  Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said the investigation will focus on the prevention, detection and suppression of fires, engine room redundancies, and what additional hotel facilities might be provided and might run off the emergency generators.

This is a much needed step that should have been done years ago.  Should you book a Carnival cruise?  Reality is that the vast majority of Carnival cruises are fun filled and come home with happy passengers.  Carnival is cheaper then the competition so that might be a factor in your decision.  Thus far, no one has been seriously injured as a result of the mechanical failures.  However, there is no denying statistics.  Carnival ships have experienced more mechanical issues than their competitors and we have very serious questions about how Carnival handled the Triumph issue and we think that they were very lucky not to have had serious injuries.

1 Azipods are used in most modern cruise ships.  They are pods that are attached to the ship.  The functions of the propulsion motors, the propellers and the rudder are all part of the Azipod system.

What We Like About It

First, it insures that the staff are rewarded for good service.  Second, you don’t need to bring as much cash.

What We Don’t Like

We just returned from a Royal Caribbean cruise (before automatic tips).  We requested that the gratuities be added to our account.  When we did this on previous cruises, Royal Caribbean gave us a “chit” to place in envelopes which we gave to the appropriate staff.  Now they give you nothing except the envelopes which they say are for additional tips.

Frankly, I resent that.   When I asked why they didn’t provide “chits” for the envelopes, they said that it is to save paper.  I notice that they are not worried about paper when they are urging folks to go to the spa or bingo or the shoptalks, all moneymakers for them.  Royal Caribbean raised their recommended tip a whopping 23% since 2010 so you should not feel compelled to give additional tips.

For the March 30^th sailing, the price drops to $999 for a balcony.  This represents a significant discount but it still did not beat the discount for Celebrity’s Reflection on March 9^th or the Silhouette on March 16^th.  They are both $749 for verandas.

Cost Per Day

I like to look at the cost per day to determine value.  The price for a balcony on most major cruise lines runs in the area of $200 per day.  This drops to about $150 per day during tropical storm season and through January (except for the holidays).  The verandas on the two Celebrity cruises mentioned above have a daily rate of $107.00 — an excellent rate.

If you really want to take advantage of a fantastic value and you need to catch up on your reading, take a transatlantic repositioning cruise.  On the Brilliance of the Seas, you can take a cruise from San Juan to Lisbon for $49.90 per day.  You’ll pay more for a Motel 6 room with meals at Burger King.

Wait Until Last Minute?

Do consider waiting for a last minute deal if you are flexible and looking for discounts.  Remember that the amount of the discount is correlated with the time of year that you cruise and the space left on the ship.

Don’t wait for a last minute deal if:

-You need a room for 3 or 4 people.
-You want to be mid-ship (so does everyone else).
-You have your heart set on a particular cruise.  Many cruises sell out and therefore do not offer last minute deals.

We update our website with a sample of last minute deals every week.  Feel free to check them out.