Cruise Knowledge Travel Blog

Are You Concerned About Getting Sick On A Cruise?

2010-07-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

I've never had Norovirus on a cruise but I know it could ruin an otherwise perfect vacation. Cheryl McCann has written an excellent article about what you can do to aid in the prevention of this disruptive illness:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5548670/how_to_avoid_the_real_and_present_danger.html?singlepage=true&cat=16

"Go West Young Man".....no wait...."Go East Young Man"!!

2010-06-27T14:54:00.000-04:00

The age old saying has always been, "Go West Young Man, Go West!" Carnival Cruise Lines however, believes that West isn't the only direction that's possible from Tampa. Beginning next year, The Carnival Legend cruises to the Bahamas! Starting from Tampa and sailing around the Southern tip of Florida, cruise passengers can enjoy Nassau, Carnival's private island - Half Moon Cay and to top it all off they stop and explore Key West on their way back to Tampa.

I would prefer the ship use the two days at sea for getting back from the Bahamas by sailing straight to Key West first. You could then use the two days at sea for relaxing all the back to Tampa.

The other thing I wish they would change is the time of evening the ship leaves Key West. By leaving at 6:00PM the cruise passengers miss out completely in the daily watching of the sunset and the boardwalk celebration that follows. I believe the boardwalk celebration to be a major highlight of a visit to Key West. I would think they could leave a little later for the benefit of their customers, but no doubt leaving late in the evening would cost the cruise line more.

Roy Delgado Blog: Cruising is Amusing cartoon book

2010-06-18T19:37:00.001-04:00

Roy Delgado Blog: Cruising is Amusing cartoon book

I love these cartoons! The book is available from Carnival Cruise Lines.

Cruising While Disabled

2010-06-18T14:15:00.002-04:00

A cruise is a wonderful change of scenery and a complete alternative to a person's "normal" daily activities and surroundings. This wonderful change is amplified if you're disabled, handicapped or physically challenged. Any attempt to make such a vacation better and smoother for a disabled person is applauded. Yesterday, a new ruling by the Department of Transportation was approved and opened for comment that will require public passenger vessels, including cruise ships, additional regulations designed to benefit disabled persons.

You can read the details here:

http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480b03822

Because of personal family experience, I've witnessed the provisions made for disabled passengers and the lack there of on cruise ships. For the most part, they excel in their attempts especially when you consider all that has to be contended with while trying to make a cruise vacation a happy experience for everyone.

Areas where cruise ships excel, with regard to disabled persons, are in the embarkation and disembarkation process but, for the days that lie in between, there certainly is a need for some improvement. My pet peeve is the problem the disabled have in getting from one deck of the ship to another. Your immediate thought may be with the question,"Are there no elevators?" Yes, there are elevators but getting on one is like trying to get a ride on a moving bus! Ninety percent of cruise passengers are able bodied but when an elevator door opens, you would think you were at a bus stop in a third world country! No offense to third world countries but it is what it is. Cruise ships, in their fear of inconveniencing their greater number of able bodied customers, refuse to give the disabled priority passage into the elevators.

Enjoying the ship is great but what about the ports? Ship employees are usually very helpful in getting passengers off at the ports but better coordination between the ship, the port and the excursion operators need improvement. Sometimes after disembarking the ship, there is little regard for a person that has difficulty in getting to and in a tour bus or the shops at the port. Don't get me wrong, improvements have been made but more needs to be done.

When it's meal time, the main dining room is great for individuals with disabilities. If you're interested in the buffet, however, good luck! After filling your plate, if you can reach everything, a person can go in circles and circles and circles trying to find a table that hasn't been quickly grabbed by somebody that can move quickly and assert themselves.

The above problems are no doubt indicative of life in general for a disabled person but this is supposed to be a memorable vacation we're talking about and cruise ship operators could, if they would choose to, improve in these areas.

Something I feel should be mentioned, but have no solution to, is the attitude of able bodied individuals that is often expressed when a disabled person and their attendant is allowed to walk past them in a line. Some people, regardless of how much they try to hide it, express disdain against anyone allowed to go the the head of the line. That in turn, causes the disabled to have feelings of guilt which can absolutely ruin their vacation experience. One thing I've noticed that helps suppress the expression of disdain, is when an official attendant takes an active part in helping with the movement of the disabled through the long lines.

My two cents worth,

Leland Garner

Cruise Knowledge Travel

Royal Caribbean Places A Band-Aid On The Slashing

2010-06-02T09:30:00.000-04:00

I love Royal Caribbean but I'm confused....let me explain. Last year, Royal Caribbean quietly slashed almost in half the value of their Crown and Anchor Club's ultimate value coupon booklet. Before it was slashed there were several things free but the slashing changed them to only small discounts. Others, like the Johnny Rocket coupons and free 8X10 photos for Diamond Members, were taken out completely! I realize you can't just "give away the store" but with yesterday's announcement about enhancing the program, they have placed a Band-Aid on the slashing! I've read over the enhancements and it looks like they've given back a free photo.

I applaud Royal Caribbean for at least giving something back. Usually when a company takes something away - it's gone forever. Royal Caribbean is spinning the giving back of the photo as a new enhancement. Don't get me wrong - I think in today's business environment you need to put a positive spin on everything you do, so once again they deserve to be applauded :-)!

The enhancement states that only club members can receive on-board credit for booking your next cruise while on a cruise....but they also state if you're not a member of the club, you can sign up right then. That's a good thing of course (I'm starting to applaud again) but it sounds like talking in circles - I guess that's where the spinning comes in from the "positive spin".

We've always had $100 on-board credit for booking a future cruise of at least seven days but looking at the details it looks like they've actually reduced the on-board credit for a short cruise by $25 by changing it from $50 to $25. That's okay though, I see they've increased the balcony discount to $225 rather than $200 if you book 6 months or longer in the future. I guess you could say the $25 that was reduced was not really reduced but just moved. Is that similar to when a used car lot moves the cars around?

I know it sounds like I'm being sarcastic but I really do love Royal Caribbean and I'm still very thankful for all the things the company does for all of us that love cruising so much. Thanks Royal Caribbean!

Seattle's Best Coffee

2010-05-13T10:48:00.007-04:00

One of my favorite cruise lines, Royal Caribbean International, understood years ago that the perfect vacation was not really perfect without the Perfect Cup Of Coffee! Their solution? Seattle's Best Coffee became RCCL's coffee of choice in all of their on-board Latté-tudes coffee bars .

Just a few days ago the owner of Seattle's Best, (a company you may recognize) Starbucks, announced the re-branding of Seattle's Best. Their new logo is bright and beautiful - just like their future!

Here's a cute re-branding video:

28 Cruise Group Leader Responsibilities

2010-05-07T12:39:00.001-04:00

Cruise Group Leader Responsibilities
Author: Leland R Garner

1. Get everyone to fill out a Guest Information form. ( If you can't contact each person in your group you can't do your job! You'll need their complete name as it appears on their passport and when their passport expires. You'll also need their contact information, as well as in which country they were born and in which country they are a citizen.)

2. Near the end of your cruise, get debarkation tags of the same color for everyone in your group. This can usually be arranged by the Guest Services Desk for the purpose of arranging for everyone in your group to disembark together.

3. Arrange an official Group Photo with the ship's photo department for one of the formal nights - preferably just before dinner. Contact everyone that day to remind and encourage them to get dressed a little early for the photo shoot. Make these arrangements with the ship's photographer on the first day of the cruise. (Be aware that the photo department may charge a hefty fee for taking the group photo.)

4. Make arrangements with the Head Waiter concerning who in your group is celebrating a special occasion and which day is best for the waiters to gather around the table and sing to them. There will be an extra charge if you order a small cake but a decorated dessert is usually free. Make these arrangements on the second day after you learn which Head Waiter or Maitre' De is in charge of your group's section of the dinning room. Be inconspicuous when you do this so it will be a nice surprise. (Always be prepared to give the Head Waiter a nice tip when making the request to insure that he doesn't forget.)

5. If there are any performances on the ship that are capacity controlled (like Royal Caribbean's Ice Performances,etc.), be sure your group members have access to the shows. Depending on the cruise ship, this may be handled with free tickets or even electronically. Check to see if this can even be handled in advance. Ask for enough for your whole group and deliver them at dinner or to each person's cabin if applicable.
6. When setting up your group, find out which members of the group would like reservations at the Specialty Restaurant. If possible, collect the payments and make those those reservations through the cruise line several months before you sail. To insure the ambiance of the Specialty Restaurant you may have to sit in small groups. Deliver the confirmations for those reservations with each person's cruise documents.

7. If traveling by charter bus to the port, it's VERY important to get the driver's cell phone number in advance. If the charter company uses a passenger manifest, get a copy in advance and check for errors. Communicate to the charter company concerning any physically challenged members with wheelchairs or electric scooters. Be sure to stay with the driver until all luggage is loaded and be double sure no luggage is overlooked. Another responsibility is to count and make sure everyone is on the bus, not only after first boarding but also after any stops along the way. Depending on the distance to the port, you may want to choose in advance a restaurant to stop for breakfast. About fifteen minutes before the end of the bus ride, collect tips from everyone in the group and give them all at once to the driver. Let your group know in advance to have dollar bills put back for the tip. Be sure to bring a DVD or VHS tape of a good movie appropriate for your group to watch on the bus ride.

8. Find out in advance if the group wants to go on an excursion together. For those that do, find a reputable tour company and make arrangements. Make the smallest possible deposit in advance just in case the ship has to by pass that port because of weather, etc. Collect the remainder of the money no later than the morning of the excursion if you want to make sure everybody pays. Otherwise, let each person be responsible for paying the tour representative. Never schedule a tour for the afternoon but rather schedule morning tours to allow for the possibility of transportation problems. Encourage everyone to have Travel Insurance.

9. Greatly emphasize the importance of everyone completing their online information and make sure you verify that they did and that they printed out their boarding passes.

10. If you have access to a template, print out extra generic luggage tags and include them with the documents.

11. Find out, well in advance, if anyone has a preference as to who sits with them at their dinner table and even if there's any individual they do not want to sit with. Find out also which dinner time the majority of the group prefers. With this information, make a list of your preferred dinner seating arrangement and insure the Travel Agent makes the request right after final payments are made. This will increase the chances that the cruise line will be able to fulfill your dinner seating arrangement. Let everyone know the seating requests are never guaranteed.

12. If you intend to bring a laptop computer and pay for a package of minutes for internet access, arrange a schedule for when and where members of your group can send emails home for free.

13. Make a card to be placed under everyone's cabin telephone with the cabin numbers of everyone in the group. Also put any information on the card that the group as a whole needs to have handy during the cruise.

14. As soon as you board, ask to rent a cordless DECT phone and call everyone in the group with the number. Be aware these phones are usually reserved for suite passengers.

15. Just for fun, many groups make little door signs for each member to put on their door as a way for them to show pride in their group. This could be a joint project to work on in the weeks leading up to the cruise.

16. Design and purchase, or make available for individuals to purchase, T-shirts for the group. Be sure T-shirt sizes were included on the Guest Information Forms.

17. Plan a "Pre-cruise Get Acquainted Party" or "Document Dance Party" two weeks before the cruise. For this you will naturally need a lot of help to make it a success. Usually a simple covered dish would be fine. This would be the proper time to hand out the documents for the cruise as well as T-shirts if they were ordered for the group. You can have travel related door prizes, a free excursion or even onboard credit for the winners. Make sure everyone is introduced and answer any questions they may have.

18. If the group is large enough and you have enough amenities provided by the cruise line, arrange to have a party in one of the meeting rooms on the ship during the cruise. This would be a good time to celebrate any special occasions in addition to the celebrations in the dining room. Most people on a cruise already have a full schedule so only attempt this if a majority of your group is very interested.

19. Plan an "After-Cruise Party" for everyone to exchange vacation photos about two or three weeks after the cruise. Show videos of the cruise and hand out information for your next cruise.

20. Tell everyone about the availability of forums such as at cruisecritic.com and Meet And Mingle parties and help with instructions on how to take advantage of them.

21. Encourage everyone to sign up for the Member Loyalty Club or similar organization and help them with the form to mail in or sign them up in their behalf so they can take advantage of the available perks and discounts.

22. Check to make sure everyone has a Passport and provide forms and assistance for those that don't.

23. If the group prefers, make arrangements for and collect advance payment of gratuities.

24. On the first day of the cruise, provide the ship's group representative or loyalty ambassador with a list of members, their membership numbers and cabin numbers. Try to insure every member gets their proper perks.

25. As an extra practical perk for your group, provide everyone lanyards for their ID cards. Distribute them on the morning of the cruise.

26. If there are many church members in the group, you can arrange for a devotion for them in the chapel or in a meeting room.

27. Advise everyone concerning the dangers of traveling without travel insurance. Offer to help with purchasing travel insurance for your group members and if needed, help them with the forms.

28. Check every week before your cruise is scheduled to sail to see if the cruise company has dropped the prices and if they have, negotiate a lower price for the group.

The Independent Traveler Comes Through!

2010-04-22T23:40:00.007-04:00

Knowledge is the key to having a fun and stress free vacation. My goal is to pass along cruise tips even if it means telling everyone about the excellent information on other websites. Let's share the information for the greater good of traveling families and give great writers their just due! Caroline Costello has a great article that shows that simplicity can save a traveler money and eliminate inconveniences:

Top 10 Travel Essentials You Can Find in the Trash

The Radiance Of Jewels and Cruise Ships

2010-04-16T09:34:00.000-04:00

Jewel of the Seas

There's a countdown to the arrival of the Radiance of the Seas here in Tampa and excitement is building. The excitement, however, was mixed with mixed emotions last month when Royal Caribbean announced that the Radiance was here for only one Winter season before sailing down under to Australia. I wondered why just one season? What are we chopped liver?

Well, I'm happy again because while the Radiance is beautiful - she's not a Jewel. The even more beautiful Jewel of the Seas will be sailing from Tampa beginning in 2011. What a perfect place for the Jewel of the Seas because after all, Tampa has always been every pirate's treasure chest!

Special Cruise For $99 !!!

2010-04-14T16:14:00.001-04:00

$ 99 Dollar Cruise Special

A blonde walks by a travel agency and notices a sign in the window, "Cruise Special -- $99!"

So she goes inside, lays her money on the counter and says, "I'd like the $99 cruise special, please."

The agent ties her to a large inner tube, then drags her out the back door and downhill to the river, where he pushes her in and sends her floating.

A second blonde comes by a few minutes later, sees the sign, goes inside, lays her money on the counter, and asks for the $99 special. She too is tied to an inner tube and sent floating down the river.

Somehow drifting into stronger current, she eventually catches up with the first blonde. They float side by side for a while before the first blonde asks,
"Do they serve refreshments on this cruise?"

The second blonde replies,"They didn't last year...."

The Opposite Approach Works

2010-04-14T15:14:00.001-04:00

I've often tried to advise cruise vacationers on the right way to do things. Like the right way, the right thing, the right attitude or the right timing. Sometimes that works but Chris Owen has written an article that will never become outdated using the opposite approach and it works!

Check out his article here:

11 Great Ways To Ruin Your Cruise

Royal Caribbean Plans To Increase Tourism To Haiti

2010-04-14T10:52:00.000-04:00

The Citadel

Royal Caribbean, one of my favorite cruise lines, has always recognized the need and opportunity to support tourism in the country of Haiti. Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, has tentative plans to turn it up a notch by expressing his desire to do more. First of all he would like to see a school for Haitian children built and supported in part by Royal Caribbean.

Just as exciting and of special interest to all adventure seekers is a plan that would allow guests of Royal Caribbean to make an all day adventure tour to the mountaintop fortress in Haiti known as The Citadel! The Citadel (also known as Citadelle Laferrière) is on top of a 3000 ft. mountain and known to be the largest fortress in the Americas and has withstood several earthquakes.

Sounds like this could be the highlight of an already wonderful Royal Caribbean cruise!

Choosing Your Stateroom Category

2010-01-19T11:21:00.001-05:00

Edwin Cathey, an excellent writer for the TRO Blog, has put together an accurate and humorous article about how to choose a stateroom. Click here for a link on my website that will open up a PDF of Mr Cathey's article:

CLICK HERE!

Click this link for the original article

Reggae Music Embodies The Wonderful Feeling Of A Caribbean Cruise

2009-12-25T20:58:00.002-05:00

The slide show of our Caribbean cruise at www.tampabaypartypirates.com
shows what a great time we had and everyone has been commenting to me about the great music in the background. That wonderful music is provided by a Jamaican artist known as Ever-G. You can purchase his albums here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/everg2

Just For Fun - A Video of Cruise Ship Rooms:

2009-12-24T09:47:00.002-05:00

Are you joining us on The Oasis next year?

Here's a great way to choose your stateroom,

I'll take the balcony but you can have the suite :-)

Eighteen Things You'll Never Do On A Cruise

2009-12-10T23:28:00.004-05:00

Eighteen Things You'll Never Do On A Cruise:

Drive A Car
Purchase Gasoline
Wash Dishes
Vacuum The Floor
Make A Bed
Cook A Meal
Get Called In To Work
Walk Your Pet
Hear Dogs Barking At Night
Get Stuck In Traffic
Have Hunger Pains
Hear An Alarm Clock
Receive Unwanted Phone Calls
Receive Complaints From Neighbors
Look For A Parking Space
Need A Designated Driver
Do Laundry
Pack Your Luggage Twice

Can you help me think of even more?

Cruise Ships and Time Zones

2009-12-10T13:21:00.003-05:00

1-Ask if your "ship's time" changes when it crosses time zones.
2-Stay on ship's time while in port & use your own watch.

~ Most cruise ships these days keep their clocks set on the same time zone as their home port. If you are of course arriving to the port from another time zone, like where your home is located, the first thing you should do is set your watch and travel alarm to the current time as the port where you embark (or board) your cruise ship.

~ The second thing you should do is ask at the Guest Relations desk whether or not the ship will be changing "ship's time" at any point during the cruise. If they say yes, ask for the details. If they say no, you're good to go.

~ My third point is the fact that when you get off the ship at the ports you visit, always go by your own watch which is set for ship's time. Never schedule your day and especially your return to your cruise ship by looking at the clocks in the shops or visitor centers at the port. There's a good chance those times will be different from your ship's time. Always stay on Ship's Time!

~ The reason this is important is because if you're not on the correct time, you could actually miss your ship and get left behind. I've never been left behind by failing to change my watch but I have missed breakfast. If you know me, you know that also would be a tragedy!

Be sure to visit my regular web page:
www.CruiseKnowledge.com