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The DeBorde family of Galveston, Texas had high hopes for their first-ever cruise vacation – a four-day sailing on the Carnival Ecstasy from their hometown to Mexico. According to the DeBordes the cruise didn’t live up to what was promised in Carnival’s brochure or website and they wanted the line to own up to its “Vacation Guarantee” so they could get off the ship and get their money back. There was just one big problem – they didn’t tell Carnival they wanted to leave.
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“Champagne?” the tuxedoed waiter asks, “Yes, that would wonderful,” I reply. I have just boarded the brand-new Silver Spirit in Monte Carlo for its first sailing with passengers. The moment is surreal and a far cry from my previous voyage a few months earlier during Silver Spirit’s sea trials when the vessel was still under construction and where instead of champagne I shared breakfast pizza and espressos with the shipyard workers onboard.
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Stacey and Jason Bandish were looking forward to some much needed sun and fun on their September Caribbean cruise. The Pennsylvania couple boarded Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas in Port Canaveral in a festive mood and felt at ease when they handed over all their luggage to the porter, which would later be delivered to their stateroom. As the ship headed off into the sunset the festive mood turned into frustration when their luggage never showed up.
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With seven themed neighborhoods, from the open air Central Park with live plants and trees to a Boardwalk with a Coney Island feel, including a carousel and a zip-line, Oasis of the Seas is so much more than the world’s largest cruise ship – it’s on another level and has changed the face of cruise travel. But will cruise travelers want to sail with 5,400+ passengers and pay high fares for the experience?
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Last week, Carnival Cruise Lines christened its newest, largest ship the 3,646-passenger, 130,000-ton Carnival Dream. It boasts such features largest water park at sea, new family cabins with two bathrooms, a nighttime poolside laser show, and what the line is calling “the most elaborate” children’s facilities at sea.
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It’s early September as I arrive at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard in Trieste, Italy. Dawn is breaking and the winds are howling down from the mountains. Hundreds of yard workers, vendor specialists, technicians, and Silversea Cruises employees are gathered on the pier to board the Silver Spirit. There’s excitement in the air as Spirit is about to taken out for sea trials.
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With the outbreak of the swine flu virus dominating headlines many are putting cruise travel on the backburner. Still there is a way to cruise and safely protect your vacation investment.
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Next year the Disney Magic will spend five months in Europe and gee whiz do they have a treasure trove of activities and tours planned for the kids from a treasure hunt in Tunisia to a grand ball in a real Russian palace.
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Year-round cruising from Baltimore on the Carnival Pride offers the 40 million people that live within a six-hour drive of the city to look beyond the traditional cruising seasons and sail throughout the year. What they will find is tremendous value for the money.
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