Vanny from CruiseExpertsTravel joins us this week to tell us all about her experience on board the Oceania Riviera including first hand tidbits about what sets this "premium plus" ship apart from premium or luxury cruise lines. Cruise news features stories of strikes in Oslo, Royal Caribbean new deployments to China and a missing iPhone found via an interesting way on the Disney Wonder.
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This week we are at Disney World, which got us thinking about the differences between cruising and land vacations. We examine the pros and cons of each, and talk about the things we take for granted while cruising that we miss in a land vacation. Cruise news features stories of recent deployment announcements including Royal Caribbean and Costa in China, and increased summer ship capacity in the Caribbean.
This week our friend, Becca, tells us all about her experience on Princess Cruise Line's Sapphire Princess. She details her cruise on the California coast with information on dining, staterooms, entertainment, activities and more. Our cruise news features stories from Celebrity, Oceania, and new itineraries from Princess.
Show Outline Coming Soon! Mikey of mikeyscruiseblog.com joins us this week to talk about his recent tours of the Holland America MS Maasdam and the Carnival Liberty. We also cover lots of cruise news including stories about the Titanic II, new features on the Carnival Breeze, and new regulations from Costa.
Show Outline Cruise News al Qaeda considered terrorist attack of cruise ship Costa institutes new safety measures Australian Billionaire to build Titanic II Carnival Breeze to feature new sushi and barbecue restaurants Cruise3Sixty Tours with Mikey MS Maasdam from Holland America Carnival Liberty Guy's Burger Joint Stories from Cruise3Sixty Wrap Up Find Mikey at mikeyscruiseblog.com, Marian at travelshopgirl.blogspot.com & Hans at disneycruiseblog.net Join us on facebook, twitter or email us at james@cruizecast.com In this episode, we give tips and advice for touring Florence, Italy from the cruise ports of Livorno or LaSpezia with details on attractions and much more! Cruise news includes some new ship features from the Norwegian Breakaway and Royal Princess, as well as a new MSC ship in Miami and a new route for Carnival. Show Outline Cruise News Norwegian Breakaway to feature waterpark, Spongebob Squarepants kids area & Nickelodeon events Royal Princess will have a television studio, Princess Live! for morning show with audience & more Brand New MSC Divina will homeport in Miami Carnival Glory heading back to Boston next year with Fun Ship 2.0 Features Florence Itinerary From the cruise ports of Livorno and LaSpezia, we suggest the "Florence on your own" shore excursion transfer, usually around $79 per person, due to the difficulty in getting there on your own which requires two bus rides and a train each way. Transfers usually drop you near Santa Croce church, where we begin our itinerary. Don't visit Santa Croce unless you have time to spare and want to see elaborate tombs. Head to Piazza della Signoria to see outside gallery and Palazzo Vecchio. Go to Piazza del Duomo (or the square with the Duomo) Santa Maria de Fiore, and see outside of baptistry and church. Climb dome if you wish and have time. Eat at La Mescita Visit the Accademia to see the statue of David by Michaelangelo Visit either the Pitti Palace or the Uffizi Gallery, depending on your tastes. See the Ponte Vecchio
Shopping and General Tips Eat Gelato (in this article, the one we recommend is the second gelateria discussed) Who should take an organized shore excursion in Florence and why General Florence gushing ;) Closing Mikey's Cruise Blog's Cruise3Sixty coverage Our Florence port touring page Our Florence Review Our friend and resident Norwegian expert, Scott, joins us with his friend, Tracy, to give us a full and detailed review of the Norwegian Epic. They discuss food, the controversial staterooms, ship layout, entertainment and activities. Cruise news includes a rumor from Royal Caribbean, new cruise regulations and a tragedy involving the Star Princess.
Show Outline Cruise News Viking Cruises to build new ocean going vessels Rita's Cantina to be replaced with Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville? New Cruise Industry Regulations Star Princess fails to aid fishing boat in distress Norwegian Epic Review Embarkation and First Impressions The Controversial Staterooms Ship Layout Dining- main and free restaurants and specialty Entertainment- Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, other entertainment Daily activities and outdoor decks Spa and fitness center Casino and gambling Final Reflections This week we delve into the subject of staterooms. We look at the pros and cons of each category and give tips on how to select the best stateroom for you.
Episode Outline Cruise News Dutch Exploration Ship Stranded in Antarctica After Losing Power American Queen Back on the Mississippi River Norwegian Getaway to be Home Based Year-Round in Miami All About Staterooms Inside Staterooms- Pros and Cons Guaranteed Staterooms Oceanview Staterooms- Pros and Cons Balcony Staterooms- What not to do on a balcony Suites Stateroom Blog on Mikey's Cruise Blog Wrap Up Listen to our detailed (as always) and fun review of the Celebrity Eclipse, and find out what we think about the much-lauded Solstice Class from Celebrity.
Show Outline Cruise News Azamara Quest Fire Carnival Triumph "Arrested" Cruise Review Embarkation and the Port of Miami Layout of the Ship Stateroom Review Interior Guest Areas: Lounges, Theatre and more Upper Deck Guest Areas: Pools, Adults Area, Spa, Sky Lounge, Lawn Club Food: For a detailed food review, here is the link to the previous episode Celebrity Cruise Line Food Entertainment Activities Officer Interaction Service Our overall thoughts Episode Outline:
Cruise News Silverseas Ship Collides with Commercial Vessel Norwegian Breakaway to Feature Outdoor Promenade with Restaurants and Bars Royal Princess to Feature Expanded Buffet and Pastry Shop Listener Johnathan suggests we talk about the detailed costs of cruising Marian, the TravelShopGirl and Deb Gordon, our MEI Travel Agent provide much needed advice The Cost of the Cruise Itself When to book, rebooking, fave seach engine www.cruise.com lets you select discounts like military, regional, and senior. Higher prices when kids are out of school; watch out for unusual holidays. Don't assume one line will always be cheaper, although Carnival and NCL are usually cheaper than Royal Caribbean. Upgrades can be automatic if cruise is not selling or requested if sailing with RCI or Celebrity and the price drops after final payment. Gratuities 11 or 12 dollars per person per day. Refer to our episode on tipping and a listener guide to tipping Getting There Airfare or gas for driving, hotel, parking and transfers. Parking for $4.50 per day in Miami Parking for $12 per day in New Orleans Specialty Dining Can range from $5 up to $75. Our favorites include Palo, Qsine, Bistro on 5 Drink Packages Soda Packages are usually $7 per day and Alcoholic Drink Packages range up to $50 Other controllable costs Gambling, spa services, shopping Shore Excursions Cozumel- Nachi Cocom Falmouth, Jamaica- Hilton Rose Hall St. Thomas- Coki Beach and San Juan- Flavors of San Juan European Excursions- Episode on pricing, A Day in Rome, A Day in Barcelona, A Day in Venice, A Day in Naples Vanny of Cruise Experts Travel joins us to tell us all about her hometown and frequent cruise port, Vancouver. She details transportation and attractions options as well as day trips. Cruise news features stories of the Costa Allegra and the cruise excursion robbery in Puerto Vallarta. Additionally, Royal Caribbean orders a new ship and Norwegian wants you to "Deal or No Deal".
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CruizeCast CrewA travel podcast with a focus on cruising. Archives
August 2015
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