Just Cruises Plus

Crown and Anchor members may book cruises on the new Quantum of the Seas beginning on Tuesday May 28th.

– Diamond Members and above may book on Tuesday*

– All other Crown and Anchor members may book on Wednesday*

– Non Members may book beginning  Monday, June 3rd

Call us with your Crown and Anchor number and Credit Card.  Deposit is required at time of booking during the first week.  If you don’t know your Crown and Anchor number, call us and we will get it for you.

The Quantum will offer 4 different itineraries from its homeport, Cape Liberty (Bayonne), NJ.  It’s  first cruise from  will be on November 23rd 2014.

The schedule is not yet official.  Itineraries that we are aware of so far:

12 Night:  Labadee (Private Island); St Marten, St. Kitts, Martinique and Barbados – January 11th, March 1st and April 12th

11 Night:  Labadee, San Juan, St Thomas, St Kitts annd St Marten – December 1st and February 2nd

8 Nights: Labadee, San Juan, Samana (Dominican Republic) – January 3rd and March 21st

7 or 8 Nights:  Labadee, Nassau and Coco Cay – November 23rd, December 12th, December 20th, December 27th, February 13th, March 13th and 29th and April 24th

*Note:  Due to the reciprocity of benefits between Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, if you are a Celebrity Captain’s Club member with Elite status, you are automatically considered to be a Diamond member on Royal Caribbean.  If you are a Captain’s Club member with Select status, you are considered to be a Platinum member on Royal Caribbean.

For years, Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas has called Bayonne “home”.  It’s hard to believe, but the Explorer is about to become a teenager.  In November of 2014, the brand new Quantum of the Seas will replace the Explorer in Bayonne.  We first boarded the Explorer 13 years ago; we were wowed by the radically innovative design.  With each new iteration, Royal Caribbean expects ever-bigger WOWS.   Based on the initial reports, the Quantum won’t disappoint. 

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.

Following the loss of power of the Carnival Triumph, we expressed concern about the management team of Carnival Cruise Line but we did suggest that their troubles might be the result of bad luck.  Today, Carnival is faced with two additional mechanical issues which are affecting the vacations of their passengers. 

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.

Effective March 1^st, Royal Caribbean will begin adding tips to your ship board account.  Each day, you will see a $12 per person charge on your account.  All of the other cruise lines have been automatically adding tip for several years so Royal Caribbean is playing catch up here.  You are able to change the amount of the gratuities by visiting guest relations while on board.

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.

Heroes – The staff of the Carnival Triumph.  From all indications, the staff worked tirelessly to make the passengers as comfortable as possible even though they had to suffer the same privations as the passengers.

Heroes – The vast majority of passengers.  They made the best of a very difficult situation.  I experienced a multi-day power failure on the Norway and I can tell you that it’s no picnic to be on a ship with no air conditioning, limited bathroom facilities and cold food.

Goats – The news media who emphasized the negative and engaged in fear-mongering.  Their “news coverage” was an embarrassment to the profession.

Goats – Carnival Cruise Line management.  They have a lot of questions to answer.  My main question is…why do all of the major incidents happen to Carnival Corporation ships.  Two years ago the Carnival Splendor went dead in the water off the West Coast. Last year, the Costa Concordia (a Carnival subsidiary) went aground with loss of life.  Also last year, a Costa ship lost power in the Indian Ocean and had to be towed back to port.  And now we have another serious incident with a Carnival ship.

To Carnival Management…. Are your problems due to:

a) Poor ship design

b) Poor or deferred maintenance

c) Poorly trained technical crew

d) Bad luck

Carnival cruises are generally lower priced than their competitors.  Is this an example of “you get what you pay for”?

A third 250,000 ton behemoth will join the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas in 2016.  These ships are twice as wide as most passenger ships and therefore they can’t even dream of passing through the Panama Canal.  Royal Caribbean built a superstructure on each side of the ship.   Between the superstructures are “Central Park” (mid ship) and “Boardwalk “(aft).  The superstructures house all of the balconies, most of which face the ocean.  However you can get a balcony overlooking Central Park (quiet and not very interesting) or Boardwalk (where there is lots to see and HEAR).

The ships are truly amazing, which they need to be since the number of ports that they can visit is very limited.  Royal Caribbean built a port facility at Falmouth, Jamaica just to handle these giants.  With a zip line, ice skating rink, rock climbing walls (2) and flowriders (2), the ships are a dream-come-true for young people.  Mature folks are not forgotten either — the very professional broadway shows, water shows and late-night comedy are a must see and are included with your ticket.

With over 5,000 people, one would think that getting aboard the ships would be a nightmare – not true.  We were on the Allure in less than 15 minutes of entering the terminal.  Congratulations to Royal Caribbean on their people moving skills. 

From our viewpoint, they got everything right – almost.  If you like to commune with the sea, be sure to get an oceanview balcony.  There is no “Promenade” and, for the most part, much of the outdoor space is directed inward (between the superstructures).    There are two jogging tracks which face the ocean but without a balcony, you would have to actively search for a spot with a clear view of the ocean.

Last week, we asked for your opinion on Royal Caribbean’s new beverage packages.  We got some serious responses as well as humorous ones   A large majority of respondents would not buy the packages, in most cases because their drinking habits are moderate.  Some felt that having a liquor package might encourage irresponsible drinking behavior.

Based on the price of drinks on Royal Caribbean ships, the break even point would be about five drinks per day.    While a ship is at sea, this might not be too hard to do.  However, when your ship is at a port and you are off the ship, you might have a hard time breaking even.

If you enjoy alcoholic beverages these packages could be a good deal.  However, plan to spend your non-drinking time in the gym because that is a heck of a lot of calories you are consuming.

We completely agree with those who were outraged by Royal Caribbean insistence that if one person in the cabin purchases a package, everyone over 21 years must also buy it.

Of those who responded, Malachy Chodorov of Warwick,PA was randomly selected to win a $25 gift card.

Last Wednesday, Royal Caribbean announced  two new all-inclusive beverage packages.  The classic package is $45 per person per day.  That adds up to $315 for a seven day cruise.  This gets you all the beer and house wines you can drink plus free sodas and juices.  The Premium package is $55 per person per day or $$385 for a week’s cruise.  You get the beer, wine, soda and juices plus frozen drinks and cocktails using premium brands.  There’s a big catch however.  If any person in the cabin buys the package, everyone (over 21) in that cabin must also buy the package.

They have rolled these beverage packages out on 13 of the 22 ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet.  What do you think?  Will people buy them?  Email us with your opinion by this Thursday, December 20th and we will enter you into this week’s $25 gift card drawing.

The winner of this week’s contest will be announced next week.

ABC’s Smash Hit “Dancing with the Stars” Sizzles on Board Holland America Line

“Dancing with the Stars” is one of the biggest television shows on earth, and soon everyone will be able to learn the steps, meet the stars, and join in the fun.

Six theme cruises in 2013 and early 2014 will feature “Dancing with the Stars” events including dance lessons; a chance to meet the dancers, ask questions and take photos; and a dazzling production starring celebrities and the famed dance pros, complete with glamorous costumes and routines from the TV show.

Currently scheduled to appear on select sailings are two-time champion pro dancers Mark Ballas and Kym Johnson; pros Tristan MacManus and Lacey Schwimmer; and some of your favorite celebrity competitors.* More dance pros and celebrities to be announced.

In addition to the theme cruises, every sailing on all 15 ships in the Holland America Line fleet will feature an exclusive “Dancing with the Stars” program including dance lessons and an opportunity for some lucky guests to dance center stage in an exciting dance-off performance. These activities will feature the ships’ professional dancers and will be developed in collaboration with the show’s dancers and choreographers.

Dancing with the Stars Cruise Dates & Ships

February 16th  Eurodam  7 night E Carib

June 22nd  Veendam  7 night Canada/New England

June 30th  Oosterdam  7 night Alaska

July 7th  Oosterdam  7 night Alaska

January 12th, 2014  Nieuw Amsterdam 7 night E Carib

January 12th, 2014  Nieuw Amsterdam  7 night W Carib

New Program Highlights

Azamara Club Cruises just announced that its guest experience will soon include the new “AzAmazing Evening”, an immersive complimentary destination event featured on every voyage.  In addition, the cruise line is introducing a selection of complimentary standard spirits, wines and international beers throughout the ship during the bars’ opening hours.  Both offerings will begin with Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey’s next Europe season, March 27 and May 15 2013, respectively.

Guests aboard Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest already enjoy many inclusive amenities, such as included gratuities for housekeeping, dining and bar staff; complimentary bottled water, soft drinks, specialty coffees, teas, and complimentary red and white boutique wines to accompany lunch and dinner, complimentary self-service laundry; English Butler service for suite guests; and shuttle transportation to city centers in ports, where available.  And now, guests will also enjoy the new AzAmazing Evening event on every voyage, and selected standard spirits, wines and beers throughout the voyage from bars and lounges.

Beginning with Azamara’s  2013 Europe Sailings…

What to expect during the new AzAmazing events?  One-hundred percent of Azamara’s 2013 itineraries feature late-night departures and overnight port stays, some as long as two or three days. This concept of slowing the ships down to offer guests the opportunity to experience a city’s night life is a rarity in the cruise industry that will now be further showcased through AzAmazing Evening, destination affairs to remember.

Guests sailing a Baltic voyage, for example, could enjoy a private ballet performance in St. Petersburg, Russia, while walking the red carpet and sipping champagne. Or those on a Mediterranean voyage may find themselves sampling Jerez, Spain’s, famous sherry wine at Gonzalez Byass and later enjoying a private equestrian ballet at the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art.  The complimentary evening ashore varies from voyage to voyage, offering guests sailing consecutive voyages a wide variety of experiences.

What to expect from the new complimentary beverage offerings?  In addition to Azamara’s existing selection of complimentary boutique wines, served at lunch and dinner, guests will enjoy a wider complimentary selection that includes a selection of standard spirits, wines and international beers throughout the day at any of the ships’ bars and lounges.

Is Azamara for you?

Azamara Club Cruises is a destination-immersive cruise line for discerning travelers who want to not only see the places and cultures they visit, but to live them. Azamara’s two intimate, 694-guest ships, Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, with a combination of 347 suites and staterooms, offer a European-boutique hotel ambience with extraordinary service, fine cuisine and wines from around the world, all while sailing to a host of destinations larger ships cannot reach.

Azamara Club Cruises sails European destinations, including the Baltic and Scandinavia, British Isles, Western Europe, French and Italian Rivieras, Greek Isles, Croatia, Holy Land and Black Sea, as well as Asia, South America, lesser-traveled islands of the West Indies, and in 2014 the West Coast of the United States, with more overnight and late-night stays in every region. Travelers also can choose even more immersive experiences with Azamara cruisetours in four of the world’s most exciting destinations, including Asia, Buenos Aires, India and Turkey.