Cruise on the Radiance of the Seas

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Radiance of the Seas

Radiance of the Seas

Jason and I have returned from our Baja cruise on the Radiance of the Seas.   We sailed out of San Diego and visited the ports of Ensenada and Cabo.  What a different experience from our cruising in the Caribbean.  First of all, we had to wear long sleaves and jackets for the first couple of days, it was quite cool!  The seas were a bit rough as well, making for an interesting evening on board, felt like we were intoxicated, unable to walk straight! 

As expected, Royal Caribbean delivered on their exemplary service.   Our room was always serviced promptly and our wait staff in the dining room were attentive.   You couldn’t walk by a staff member without them saying hello. 

We went into Ensenada on an excursion to two wineries.  It was a rather long bus ride, but worth it.  The countryside was interesting, sometimes even beautiful.  The wines tours were great, we tasted a lot!  The had us back to the ship just after noon.  Not sure I’ve ever had wine and cheese at 10:00am!  It was a great way to spend our day. 

Cabo was hopping.  We did some shopping and sampled Mexican Coca-Cola.  It is sweetened with sugar cane instead of fructose corn syrup, very yummy!  We also went to Cabo Wabo and had a cocktail.  My banana margarita was terrible!!  We can at least say we’ve been.   Jason bought me a pair of red coral and sterling silver earrings to match a bracelet we bought in Cozumel last year.  That was pretty much the extent of our purchases. 

Back on the ship to return.  We had a fabulous time sleeping , eating, evening shows, casino, reading, karaoke, eating……  Oh and did I mention that we were able to see whales???  There was a whole school swimming off of the starboard side of the ship.  We had a perfect view from our balcony, definitely a highlight of our vacation.

World’s Largest Cruise Night

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Did you know that October is National Cruise Vacation Month?  Time to celebrate one of the most fantastic ways to spend your vacation time off!  My business, Curious Compass, will be hosting a Virtual World’s Largest Cruise Night on October 14, 2009.  Watch for more details starting October 1st.

CLIA’s Virtual World’s Largest Cruise Night

The World’s Largest Cruise Night (WLCN) is just one of a series of innovative initiatives launched in celebration of October’s National Cruise Vacation Month (NCVM), a North American celebration of the cruise experience. CLIA member Travel agencies across the U.S. and Canada are focusing their promotional efforts to educate travelers on the value and diversity of today’s cruise vacations

CLIA member travel agencies across North America are going high tech to get the cruise vacation message out in October with a “Virtual World’s Largest Cruise Night”. This provides you with an opportunity to view up to 5 brief cruise line videos online, hosted by a CLIA member travel agency, Curious Compass.

Click here to visit my World’s Largest Cruise Night site and find out more information about your favorite cruise lines!

 

Happy Sailing!

Norwegian’s New Ship

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We are anxiously awaiting the new Norwegian Epic! 

Here’s the scoop from Norwegian Cruise Lines:

The 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic incorporates many innovations including several new types of accommodations – the curved New Wave staterooms; the largest ship-within-a-ship suite complex at sea, comprising 60 suites and villas on two private decks at the top of the ship; a new category of inside staterooms for the value-conscious traveler – The Studios and Living Room; and spa and family-friendly accommodations.  The ship also boasts unique nightlife options with the first Ice Bar at sea and Spice H20 with non-stop entertainment day and night; an expansive Aqua Park with the only tube slide and largest bowl slide at sea — The Epic Plunge; seven decks of Freestyle Family Fun with highlights including a 33-foot high, 64-foot wide extreme rock climbing wall and the first ever rappelling wall at sea; the most bowling lanes at sea with six in two venues; a mixed-use sports deck with the ability for guests to engage in eight different athletic activities; as well as three separate kids’ and teen activity areas and the first squash court at sea.  In addition, Norwegian Epic will offer the next generation of Freestyle Dining with 14 restaurant choices – the most at sea – and 18 bars and lounges.  Click here for more fun facts.

Another great piece of news about the Norwegian Epic:

NEW YORK – May 20, 2009 – Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) today announced it is changing the face of cruise line entertainment on its next generation of Freestyle Cruising ship, Norwegian Epic.  In another industry first, the company will welcome  Blue Man Group, performing in the 685-seat Epic Theater.  Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The blissful party atmosphere created at their live events has become the trademark of a Blue Man Group experience and beginning in the summer of 2010 will be seen for the first time ever at sea only on Norwegian Epic.

The Norwegian Epic is taking reservations and will sail it’s maiden voyage out of South Hampton on June 24th, 2010 arriving in New York on July 1st.  Then on to Miami where it will sail the Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries for several months.

Disney Cruise Line for Adults, too!

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We all know that the Disney Cruise Line is an absolutely, fantastically, amazing vacation for a kid, but what about adults?  Well, they take care of us, too!  Parents seek plenty of family time on vacation, but also want some time to relax and pamper themselves. 

 There are several adult-only places on board the Disney ships.  Enjoy a romantic dinner in the adult-only restaurant Palo with a glass of wine and quiet conversation.  Visit the Vista Spa and Salon where you can indulge in a couples massage in a private spa villa.   The Quiet Cove Pool is adult-only as well, that has outdoor bars and a whirlpool to enjoy.  There are several nightclubs and lounges to indulge in  a crazy night of dancing or a low key evening of music from world-class musicians.  

All of this can be experienced knowing that your children are safe and having a fabulous time themselves sharing one of a kind moments with other kids their age.  The kids clubs are open until midnight every  night and provide non-stop entertainment that will be remembered for years to come.  

Do you have to be a parent to cruise Disney?  Absolutely NOT!!  I have spoken with many adults that are Disney lovers and have chosen to go sans kids.  They say they would go again in a heartbeat.  I, for one, can’t wait to experience Disney by sea.

Look for 2 new Disney ships:

Disney Dream in 2011

Disney Fantasy in 2012