For many first time and veteran cruisers alike, the motion of the ocean can be a worrisome aspect of a cruise. While many cruisers may not enjoy the actual motion of the ship, many suffer from seasickness. Luckily, there are solutions to help cruisers combat the infamous illness and get them out of their cabin.
Sea-Bands Possibly the most popular option nowadays is the Sea-Band. Worn on both arms, right on the wrist, these bands help alleviate motion sickness and vomiting through acupressure. The bands thankfully have no side effects and use no drugs, making them very friendly for cruisers of all ages.
Dramamine For those looking for an over the counter solution, Dramamine is a fast acting medication that helps alleviate motion sickness and vomiting. The medication is available in both tablet and liquid form as well as adult and child dosages.
Additional Remedies Over the years, many cruisers have discovered alternative remedies to alleviating motion sickness at sea. These remedies include eating green apples, saltines, chewing on ginger, watching the horizon, acupuncture, ambien, and many others.
Note: We here at Cruise Addicts are not medical professionals, but we do advise you to consult yours before using any medication for sea sickness.
If it seems that cruise lines have sales, special offers and bonus deals all the time, there is good reason: they do. Cruise lines constantly bombard buyers with reasons to sail their line over another and deciding can sometimes be difficult. Still, perfect cruise line for us identified we look for the best value and often find it in familiar places.
January through March is Wave Season, that time of the year when it is bitterly cold in many places, prompting dreams of a warm Caribbean island. There are deals out there during this time but beware: demand is also great at this time so cruise lines do not have to offer their best values to lure buyers. With that in mind, book flexible fares that can be converted to a better offer that might come along later.
The last few days of the week or month we often see prices go down or bonus deals offered as cruise lines, like airlines, hotel chains and other travel products, strive to make sales quotas and projections. In the arena of cruise travel, look for “flash deals” or special offers that might require non-refundable deposit to get…they might just be worth it.
Booking as far in advance as possible still offers unique advantages to cruise travelers. In addition to having the best selection of cabins, cruise lines are once again offering low fares far in advance of sailing, often the lowest we might see. Don’t want to tie up $ in a deposit for over a year? Look for far out sales offering reduced deposit and/or onboard credit. Cruise lines want us to book far in advance. Royal Caribbean, for example, gives a hefty discount to upper level Crown and Anchor loyalty program passengers booking 6 months or more in advance in a balcony or above stateroom.
What your travel agent knows that you don’t can often add up to huge savings. Agents have all the sales from all the cruise lines before them at any given time. They also get advance notice of upcoming sales which helps avoid the “I booked this last week and my price is $500 more” problem, which they can also solve easily. Probably the best reason to use a travel agent has to be what happens down the line, after booking. When a new, better value becomes available, your travel agent will know it and, if you qualify, get it for you.
Booking On Board,even if you don’t have any idea where you would like to go, is often a very smart move. Onboard credits and reduced deposits granted while when booking while sailing are almost always ‘stackable’ with other offers that may come along down the line.
One of the best pieces of advice I have for getting the best value out of a cruise vacation is to consider booking the starting point in the process, not the end. Odds are that if booked six months in advance or more, some offer will come along that can be applied to your existing booking and gain more value.
Last week, Ketut Pujayasa, a 28 year old Indonesia crew member of Holland America Line’s ms Nieuw Amsterdam, was arrested in Fort Lauderdale for assault and attempted murder.
Pujayasa, who was working as a stateroom steward at the time, entered a female passenger’s cabin, hid on the balcony, and waited for the passenger to return to her stateroom. Once the passenger returned to her stateroom, Pujayasa attacked the women. The confrontation soon moved to the stateroom’s balcony, where Pujayasa attempted to throw her overboard. The women soon moved the confrontation back inside the stateroom and escaped into the stateroom corridor. Pujayasa escaped from the balcony and returned to his crew cabin, confessing the attack to his roommate.
Pujayasa was detained by the ship’s security team and turned over to the FBI upon arrival in Fort Lauderdale.
A statement from Holland America Line reads,
“We are terribly saddened by the senseless assault that took place on the ms Nieuw Amsterdam this past Friday, Feb. 14. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and her family during this difficult time.
While no words can adequately express our shock at this event, this has shaken the entire Holland America family to our very core. We continue to work closely with authorities to understand how this incident occurred and what additional actions we can take to help ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.
As confirmed through the initial investigation:
• A 31-year-old female U.S. citizen onboard the ms Nieuw Amsterdam was assaulted by a 28-year-old crewmember in her stateroom in the early morning hours of Friday, Feb. 14.
• The guest was cared for and her condition was stabilized in the ship’s hospital. She disembarked the ship on Saturday in Roatan, Honduras, and was transferred by air to a hospital in the United States.
• Holland America Line is continuing to provide full support to the guest and has flown her family to be with her while she receives treatment.
• The FBI and other relevant authorities were notified of the incident immediately. The crewmember was then placed under guard on the ship and the crime scene was secured by the ship’s officers and security personnel. He has been terminated from the company.
• The former crewmember was remanded to the custody of the FBI and Broward Sheriff’s Office Sunday upon the ship’s scheduled return to Port Everglades at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Holland America Line performs careful screening of all our employees. We require police clearance from the country of origin for nearly all crewmembers before they can work onboard our ships, as was done for the former crewmember involved here. In addition, all crewmembers undergo rigorous visa requirements for the routes they will be sailing. For example, virtually all of our crewmembers must obtain a visa from the U.S. Embassy and are vetted by the U.S. Government prior to issuance of a visa; foreign national crewmembers arrive at international airports within the U.S. and must undergo U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) vetting against all watch lists; and all crew are subject to a full crew vetting by CBP every 90 days and subject to the same vetting as outlined above.
This individual was hired in 2012 following a careful screening that included a clean criminal history check. He had no performance issues and came with good references. To know if someone has a criminal record, visit lookupinmate.org.
“At Holland America Line, the safety of our guests is our highest priority, and we are shocked and deeply saddened by this incident,” said Stein Kruse, president and CEO of Holland America Line. “To our knowledge, no incident like this has occurred in our company’s 140-year history.””
Cruise travelers sailing from North American ports often ask for something new, tired of the standard Eastern or Western Caribbean itineraries. The problem is that to get there takes a couple days sailing from most North American ports, pushing the limits of time available when on vacation. Still, the Southern Caribbean offers a variety of unique ports, often visited only by small to medium-sized ships. On a sailing of Star Clippers tall sailing ship Royal Clipper, we visited several of those unique islands.
Barbados
We embarked Royal Clipper in Barbados, a port visited frequently by big ships on a long Caribbean sailing from a North American port or one sailing round-trip San Juan, Puerto Rico. Flights into Bridgetown are frequent and getting to the port takes a 15-minute cab ride. Unique to Barbados are the Volcanic black sand beaches on the Atlantic side and a robust tourist trade from cruise and land travelers.
St Lucia
At St Lucia, our first port of call, we spent the day at Rodney Bay, a port we had visited once before on Seabourn Quest. Dropping anchor just off the coast, as we did on nearly all ports visited, Royal Clipper’s tender boats took passengers ashore in a triangular pattern, one that would be repeated on each call. The first stop was the island’s marina where passengers would find shopping and begin shore excursions. The next stop was the beach where the ship’s sports crew would be on hand with kayaks, sailboats and host watersports activities for those interested. The tender would then return to the ship and start the process all over again, stopping at each place about every 15 minutes.
Dominica
Sailing to Dominica, we first anchored off the coast at Cabrits, home to a national park and the first of two ports we would visit on the island. A unique element of Star Clippers operation, those on shore excursions are dropped off at one place then picked up at another, allowing more time at the destination rather than covering the same ground when returning to the ship later. This is also an element we commonly experienced on our Viking River cruises that allowed more quality time at the destination.
Hiring a local driver, we went high up on the island to explore what was once an active volcano. Later, we would sail to Roseau, Dominica, stopping briefly to pick up passengers who had
Antigua
Our arrival in Antigua brought those on yachts and ashore out to see Royal Clipper arrive with sails fully deployed, something that would happen at every port we entered. Anchoring off Falmouth Harbour in Antiqua, we stayed for the day with the ship’s culinary crew preparing a beach barbecue while passengers enjoyed provided watersports.
From Basseterre, we sailed to South Friars Bay, also on St Kitts, for a day at the beach and to pick up those on shore excursions, which ended not far away. From South Friar’s Bay we could still see the profile of Independence of the Seas but were far removed from the hustle and bustle of the main port.
Iles des Saintes
Terre de Haut is a small French fishing village that we stopped by on the way to Martinique. Again operating the triangular tender pattern, we stopped at the marina first and found photo opportunities in all directions. The aroma of fresh baked bread led us to a French bakery where we enjoyed a warm baguette while we strolled the streets of the enchanting little town, also accessible by air.
Martinique
In Martinique, I was tempted to stay on the ship in an abundance of caution, due to widely-reported crime incidents involving visitors. Still, in port with Costa Magica, I watched from the deck of comparatively tiny Royal Clipper as many passengers made their way toward the city. Following some French-speaking guests from our ship into town, we found security police widely dispersed as well as easily located tour guides, eager to answer questions and point us in the right direction.
Verdict: Martinique is safe to visit …as long as we stay in the tourist areas, like so many other destinations around the planet.
Like our Royal Clipper 7-day sailing, other ships also sail round-trip from Southern Caribbean ports. Carnival Valor, for example, sails round trip from San Juan, stopping in Barbados, St Lucia and St Kitts as well as St Thomas and St Maarten. Look at longer sailings and we find Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises heading to the Southern Caribbean on sailings of 10 or more nights.
When flying in to the port of embarkation, cruise travelers have options. They might choose to navigate the local public transportation system and that is often the least expensive choice. Getting from the airport to the cruise port is probably done most efficiently with a taxicab, going directly there with nothing to slow you down. Using cruise line transfers has a down side; the first people on the bus often wait for the bus to fill up which can take some time as other flights arrive. But the overwhelmingly positive side of letting the cruise line take care of transfer to the ship far outweighs any negatives. Here’s why:
The Cruise Line Knows Your Flight Is Late
Required to add cruise line transfers to a booking is your flight information. On the ground, cruise line representatives keep an eye on flight arrivals, know yours is late and will wait for you. Using any other option, they don’t and can rightfully consider you a “no show” at the pier, leaving you and your cruise dreams behind.
No Need To Know The Airport And City
If nicely-priced flights bring cruise travelers in to the port city early or the day before sailing, there is a temptation to rent a car and handle it all themselves. While an early flight if not a day in advance flight is recommended, the driver is faced with navigating an unfamiliar city. This is not normally an calm, serene experience and puts their minds in the wrong state. Getting around in strange land = frustrating. Cruise travel = lovely. The two don’t mix well.
Complementary Baggage Assistance
There is a good reason why cruise line representatives meet travelers who have purchased transfers in the baggage claim area. They can help wrangle luggage and know the lay of the land. While travelers might wander around looking for the right carousel, they know which one it is and where we should stand to see our luggage arrive. If luggage is missing, they know where to go and how to begin the tracing process at that airport.
The Price Is Guaranteed
That direct route taxi can often be not so direct and end up costing more, not only in price but in time. Again, we don’t know the city like someone who lives there and can easily think we are going directly to the ship but are actually taking the long way there.
First Chance To Meet Other Passengers
Probably one of the very best reasons to use the cruise line transfers is the opportunity to begin meeting other passengers. One of the best parts of travel is sharing the experience with others. Why not let this integral part of what makes cruise travel a wonderful choice start even before getting on the ship? Odds are you’ll see those people met at the airport and on the bus later too.
Flickr photo by OiMax
So you booked a cruise, planning on sailing through the Caribbean for several fun and sun-filled days, only to find out that on board with you was a huge group of (enter name of topic you do not care for)-lovers and it really turned you off. What to do?
Easy answer: Ignore them and go about your business as planned. Cruise lines can and do book partial charters, choosing to lock in sold cabins in one swooping booking rather than market them to individuals throughout the booking cycle. Who wouldn’t? We can’t really blame them. A farmer selling oranges on the side of the road is happy if, at the end of the day, he sold them all. If someone comes by early in the day, buys all of them and drives off, he’s ok with that too. Such is very much the case with partial charters which feel very much like Princess Cruises second Cruising For A Cause.
The theme is heart health and those on board for the 5-night sailing got a hefty dose of it right up front. The round-trip Port Everglades itinerary sails to Grand Cayman and Cozumel with two days at sea. It is those days at sea when the majority of the heart-specific programming occurs, much like any other themed sailing or charter group. That leaves plenty of time for passengers to get off the ship while in port and plenty of time on board for whatever the theme is to play out.
The first day at sea on the heart cruise brought a variety of events including a cooking demonstration, book signing, CPR class and more. If it is true that a nicely choreographed cruise experience enables us to Come Back New as Princess promotes, stacking themed events on top of what they already do can be looked at in a couple different ways.
If someone happened to wander in to the Princess Theater on the first programming day, they would have come away with some interesting information.
Pulled Pork can be healthy and tasty? Sure,Chef Marc Anthony Bynum showed them in a cooking demonstration full of lifestyle tips that can have a positive effect on heart health, if not life in general; “We should eat to live, not live to eat.”
I don’t have to drop dead of a heart attack like my dad did?Nope. World-class heart surgeon Dr. Kathy Magliato gave specific ways to avoid heart disease. “Why are you in here rather than out there?” Magliato asked the audience, answering her own question “Oh, you want to live.”
Want to live longer? “What if this cruise could save your life?” asked Cookbook Author Diana Wentworthwho penned Love Your Heart: Follow The Red Theread To A Heart Centered Life, extolling the virtues of nurturing women’s hearts, a result of her own heart attack.
On board also are passengers and invited guests who are passionate about their personal heart experience and/or what they can/are doing to promote the prevention of heart disease, the number one killer of women in America. In addition to a ship full of Come Back New elements that, if engaged, can bring back passengers with a refreshed, renewed outlook on life, the heart-specific content accelerates the process.
On the heart cruise, everyone was invited to take part in the heart-themed events, regardless of if they booked specifically for them or not. On a partial charter, those themed events are usually only for those who booked into the group.
Cruise vacations often contain common elements that vary from line to line but are an important part of the experience. Getting away from real life, having a good time with new friends, dining, entertainment and more are often key ingredients in the recipe for success on any given line. That’s true with the tall sailing ships of Star Clippers too, as we found out on a Windward Islands sailing of flagship Royal Clipper recently.
Small, But Nicely Appointed Cabins
We had stateroom 208, an Ocean-view cabin with two porthole windows that was laid out quite nicely. Two twin beds that could be converted to a double like most other cruise lines are standard. Under-bed storage took our biggest pieces of luggage and a built in storage drawer was a nice addition. Cabin lighting options provided a number of different possibilities ranging from full light to sectional lighting appropriate for working at the built in desk, illuminating a curtained changing area only and more. One closet with hangars was about half what many other lines offer but with hangers mounted high, additional storage below made up for it. The star of the show in cabin appointments though is the marble-floored bathroom which is a generous size with adequate storage behind a triple pane mirror and under the sink.
Complementary DVD’s Are Available, Not That You Would Want To Watch Them
At the Purser’s Desk/Sloop Shop on-board clothing and logo shop, DVD’s are available to borrow at no charge. Passengers can choose from hundreds of titles but I can’t for the life of me see why someone would want to watch television on this ship. Cabins have TV’s and a DVD player but we turned on CNN once and it was such a bad fit for the ambiance of Royal Clipper that we turned it off rather quickly.
These are sailing ships with sailors that man the decks as the captain calls out commands. They make quite a show of it too, playing grand orchestral compositions of seagoing music as the ship’s sails are set, every single time. Initially, I thought that would get old pretty fast. On the contrary, as the voyage proceeded and we learned more about sailing ships from the crew and well-traveled passengers we came to appreciate it more each time. As I write this we have two more sailaways left on our itinerary and I’d imagine that the last one will be quite difficult to bear.
A Captain’s Captain
Never has the term “master of the vessel” had more meaning than on this ship. Frankly, I respected that position on other sailings and appreciated the tremendous weight of responsibility that rested on the Captain’s shoulders. Still, on Royal Clipper we see navigation happening in many ways as it has for hundreds of years at sea. Sails are made of longer lasting material now and not canvass. Voyages take weeks rather than months. Modern technology supplements age-old sailing ways. But the Captain is an active, working part of the crew and is constantly present.
One day we met up with another Star Clipper ship and a traditional salute had crew members on the Bow Sprit (pointy thing on the front) of both ships, displaying the flags of their home nations. Another day passengers boarded tender boats to see Royal Clipper with all sails deployed. The masterful seamen on board were able to do that and not outrun the tenders but place the ship in nearly a station-keeping position (to borrow a Star Trek term), one sail set for forward motion while another compensated with equal force in the opposite direction.
After that event, when passengers were back on the ship, they were invited to take a photo of the crew, assembled as a group on deck. Captain Tunikov was quick to give credit to his crew, inviting passengers to get a photo of “the best sailing crew in the world,” a hearty approbation of which no passenger had any doubt.
The Cuisine
Sure, food is a big part of any cruise experience and it has evolved over time. Big ships have gone from “let me fill my gaping maw” buffets to healthy-choice options and a variety of on-board venues from which to choose. On Star Clippers, the attention to detail on culinary offerings is nearly beyond description. I say “nearly” because this is the topic of an upcoming post covering dining from A to Z and we will get into great detail there.
But researching this cruise line and ship prior to boarding, we found very little information about dining. Few details, reviews, menus…nothing. We’ll correct that omission from the body of knowledge available about Royal Clipper shortly. For now, describing the culinary offerings on Royal Clipper one word stands out as quite appropriate: Fabulous. No, really fabulous and not in a gaudy, showy way. Stay tuned for more on that topic shortly.
Let’s put it this way: I can’t remember the last time I had food so good on a cruise ship that I wanted and nearly did eat everything on the menu.
Not long ago, we gave you Five Reasons Why A Carnival Cruise Might Be Your Best Value. At the time, Carnival was coming off a round of bad publicity due to the Carnival Triumph “poop cruise”. While regular cruise travelers were not concerned that a similar event would happen to them, they commonly asked “do you think my price will come down?”, and in many cases, it did. A diverse fare structure gave and still gives travelers a lot of flexibility when it comes time to book a cruise too. Carnival solidly continues to be the value leader. But now, some in addition to a great deal, Carnival has bumped up the experience onboard, beyond the huge gains afforded by the massive Funship 2.O initiative.
FunShip 2.0 brought Guy Fieri Burgers (a personal favorite) along with other dining and entertainment venues. Now comes the encore and what an encore it is.
Carnival LIVE Concert Series represents 49 performance dates for the 2014, offering Carnival guests the opportunity to enjoy an exclusive onboard performance by a diverse roster of popular music artists while ships are docked at select ports of call.
Artists include 38 Special, Chicago, Daughtry, Foreigner, Gavin DeGraw, Jennifer Hudson, Jewel, Kansas and others. See the full list and details at the Carnival Live Concert Series website. Good enough reason for many to sail the Funship line. But Carnival is taking a fine tooth comb through every aspect of what they do, touchin other areas as well.
Carnival Rules The West Coast
Not all that long ago, cruise lines were avoiding the U.S. West coast to the point where it seemed soon, no ships would be set to homeport year round. But Carnival Cruise Lines hung in there. Recently 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination kicked off a new West Coast cruise schedule when it departed on a four-day cruise from Long Beach.
The one and only time we sailed from the west coast was on Carnival Ecstasy, then doing the Catalina Island and Ensenada run. We liked the ship, had a good time but shortly thereafter ships went on the move. Carnival’s unique experiment with Carnival Paradise, then a totally non-smoking ship faded away. Ships were repositioned on a number of lines but Carnival remained standing, growing into now a three-ship operator on the west coast, carrying 550,000 passengers annually.
A New Look On Being Married At Sea
Being married at sea has some distinct advantages. Cruise ship wedding programs can be a cost-effective alternative to being married on land. While a pierside wedding before the ship sails away is a popular and comparatively inexpensive option, tieing the knot on a beautiful island can make life-long dreams come true. Taking another look at weddings, Carnival Cruise Lines has totally revamped its program, allowing couples to make their “big day” even more special and memorable. No other cruise line has taken a new look at what they do in this area recently.
Upgrading everything from floral arrangements, decorations and photography to culinary selections and a greater variety of romantic on-island ceremonies, Carnival weddings are a viable option to be considered. Expanding on the inclusive nature of a cruise vacation, Carnival weddings are available both aboard ship on embarkation day or in tropical ports of call.
Paying Attention To Details In A Shareholder-Friendly Way
Carnival Cruise Linesrecently announced two new partnerships, one with a sunscreen manufacturer and another with a land-based casino operator. The result of these Carnival partnerships will bring sunscreen-related products and activities to passengers when sailing and Carnival Players Club members benefits at casinos scattered around North America. It’s an interesting move by the most popular cruise line in the world and one that could affect a number of Carnival fans, both at sea and at home.
Of note here is not so much that Carnival is passing out free samples of sunscreen but that they are looking at something as simple as the beachy, pool element of what they do, right down to the small details; a harbinger of good things to come. It’s the little details, the small things that make a product great that usually fall by the wayside when profit rules over experience and, in my humble opinion, this is very much something that has happened to Carnival if not the entire cruise industry.
Yet Another Look At Dining As cruise lines continue to differentiate themselves from one another, the onboard experience is evolving. One line has Broadway shows, another has a Cirque dinner show, another gets into audience-participation games and cruise travelers like it. Once thought to be heavy on 70’s Vegas-like variety shows, entertainment options are now diverse. And so it goes with activities, accommodations, shore excursions, planning and booking: Cruise lines are listening and delivering a product that travelers are excited about.
And then there is dining.
Looking back a decade or so ago, it was the main dining room experience that we looked forward to, if for no other reason than it was the only game in town. Then Carnival Cruise Lines introduced the concept of ‘alternative dining’ which changed the entire culinary landscape of cruise vacations. One after one, cruise lines added new venues, tapped celebrity chefs, changed to address the concerns of a more health-conscious traveler and just kept going.
Now, Carnival is back with what we believe will be the next big thing in dining on cruise ships. “Dining has always been a hallmark of the Carnival cruise experience and we’re constantly looking for new ways to provide our guests with exceptional meals and service that become a highlight of their vacation, bringing people together while creating fond memories,” said Mark Tamis, senior vice president of guest operations for Carnival Cruise Lines in a press release.
Indeed, Carnival’s bold past efforts have included adding a 24-hour pizzeria, a chain of unique steakhouses on every ship in the fleet, multiple relevant dining options came from their Funship 2.0 initiative including my first stop on any Carnival ship, Guy’s Burger Joint created by celebrity chef Guy Fieri.
Just off a seven day sailing of Star Clippers ship with sails, Royal Clipper, it is quite apparent that these ships are not for everyone. Those prone to motion discomfort, forget it; the ships bob up and down and side to side more than any big ship we have ever been on. Travelers requiring handicap access, not for you: there are no elevators and there are raised thresholds on every door. Cruise fans who like lots of onboard features will be bored as will kids; there is little to do on the ship. But for those who value a unique sailing experience, there is simply no comparison to a Star Clippers voyage. They are truly one of a kind.
Royal Clipper is the largest sailing vessel in the world with over 50,000 square feet of sail, a fact that might not mean much to a lot of people. It’s only when the crew of the ship sets the sails to head out to sea that we began to appreciate just how unique these ships are.
These are sailing ships and much of the propulsion of them comes from the wind. Royal Clipper does have engines that supplement wind power and provide electricity for lights, air conditioning, nicely appointed cabins and more. But it is the wind power that enables these tall ships to ply the waters of the Caribbean six months a year.
On our first sail-away as the sails were raised, grand seagoing music played loudly on the top deck and most passengers gathered to see the event. My first impression was “if they do this every time they sail away it is going to get old fast.” Quite the contrary, each time the sails were raised the process got better and better, fueled by our increasing knowledge of the ships and what it takes get them out to sea. On the last sail away, leaving Martinique and heading back to Barbados where our journey began, we had grown as travelers in a way not experienced on “cruise” lines. Indeed, comparing this to any other “cruise” line is totally inappropriate. These ships are on “sailings” and that term all of the sudden had an entirely different meaning, as did another term we commonly use when on other lines “setting sail.”
The abled-bodied sailors on board Royal Clipper are quick to point out that ‘setting sail” is more accurately stated as “setting the sails”, a process that begins before the ship moves an inch. On the bridge, in plain sight of all, the Captain calls out commands to the deck crew to steer in a certain direction, raise specific sails and bring the vessel out to sea. It’s a timed exercise that happens every time the ship leaves port and a defining part of the Star Clippers experience, something no other cruise line in the world does.
While it is inappropriate to compare this to any major cruise line experience, the Star Clipper way of doing things does share some common elements with them:
Food? So good I ate every thing on the menu and was hungry for more.
Service?The crew knows your name before you get on the ship and by the end of a couple days aboard you know their names too.
Itineraries? Unique and totally different due to the small size of the ship that can go places big ships can’t.
Staterooms- Small but very nicely organized and elegant with dark wood walls and marble bathrooms
Officers-Always visible, all over the ship and eager to talk about what they do or help with any request
Amenities-The ship did have a small gym and spa, two small pools and at each port, complementary water sports are included…but that is not what this is really all about
Focus- Like other small ship lines, the focus is very much off the ship at the fabulous destinations visited. Unline other small lines there is a tremendous amount of attention given to the sailing part of the experience.
Dining at the Captain’s table one night, it was mentioned that “all of your life you are taught and are learning how to survive. When you sail, you are learning how to live.” That pretty much nails the experience and makes it a bucket list item for those who “get it” about cruise travel.
Those who buy into the big ship cruise experience, leave the real world behind for a bit; effectively resetting their lives would love this.
Norwegian Cruise Line has confirmed multiple reports of a young boy drowning aboard the Norwegian Breakaway, and a second boy being airlifted to a hospital in Tennessee.
Norwegian Cruise Line released a statement regarding the incident on their Facebook page earlier this evening:
“We are extremely saddened to report that a tragedy occurred on board Norwegian Breakaway this morning. Our emergency medical team was called and notified that two small children were rescued from the adult pool, but were unresponsive on the pool deck. The team responded immediately and quickly administered CPR to both children. The older child was then airlifted by the U.S. Coastguard to the closest medical facility, accompanied by his grandmother and a nurse from the ship. Devastatingly, after many resuscitation attempts, the younger child passed away on board.
We extend our deepest sympathies to the family during this extremely difficult time and are providing full assistance and support.
The family is in our thoughts and prayers and we ask that you please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as well.”
Reports from local news stations along the East Coast have confirmed the youngest boy to be four year’s old and the oldest to be six years old. The six year old boy has been airlifted to a hospital in Tennessee and is currently in stable condition.
As more information becomes available, the Cruise Addicts team will update this article.
For many first time and veteran cruisers alike, the motion of the ocean can be a worrisome aspect of a cruise. While many cruisers may not enjoy the actual motion of the ship, many suffer from seasickness. Luckily, there are solutions to help cruisers combat the infamous illness and get them out of their cabin.