Posts Tagged ‘Cruise’

Snapshot Story - ATX Rail Expedition

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

snapshotatx rail expedition in cozumel

“The best and most memorable excursion for us was in Cozumel.  We booked the ATX Rail Expedition through Shore Trips and it was a blast.

(6 of us) went on this excursion and every single one of us was unprepared for what we were in for.  We read that close-toed shoes were mandatory however they should have also advised us to wear clothes that we didn’t mind ruining.  Basically the excursion was conducted on all-terrain vehicles and we drove over rocky terrain and through mud/water-filled trails.  We made a stop at the Jade Cavern which also housed bats and had a bat cave so it was rather aromatic but the boys decided to go ahead and take a brief swim, which, in essence, just stirred up the stink even more.

I will forewarn you, this is not for the meek and mild.  This is a very active and physically demanding excursion.  We were told not to hit any trees or vegetation on the side of the trails, but as far as what was on the trail … we were told not to try to avoid it, just drive right over it.  Now, this does not include the livestock that may occasionally be crossing the trail (i.e., horses, cows)!  They do drive rather fast, you have to have a fair amount of upper body strength to make the turns and keep the vehicle on the trail and, under no circumstances should one go on it if they have neck or back issues.  The seats were comfortable and did absorb the majority of the shock, but it still rattled the bones. I could really go on and on about this excursion … how we laughed and laughed, how the DCL staff and passengers reacted to six people coming back to the ship filthy from head to toe, etc., etc.  Basically, this is my type of an excursion.  Get me out of the shopping areas and away from the tourist areas and I am happy as a clam!”

From our client Michele from Illinois

Disney Cruise Line Is Great For Kids

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Disney Cruise Line continues to be a great option for a family vacation. We’ve been on many cruises with our kids and while most ships we’ve experienced have had excellent kids programs, Disney’s offerings are unique. We especially like that Disney kids clubs are open for more hours when compared to other lines (9 am to midnight with no extra charge for late night hours). The shows in the big theatre are more family oriented on Disney than what we have seen on other cruises, too. Here’s a short video from Disney on the features of the Disney Cruise Line kids program:

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Oasis of the Seas Bridge and Shipyard

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

For those of you interested in the “behind the scenes” workings of a cruise ship here’s a video from Royal Caribbean on the Oasis of the Seas. The operation of the Bridge is described as well as some details on the construction of this huge megaship.

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www.familytravelgurus.com

Holland America floats out Nieuw Amsterdam

Friday, November 6th, 2009

The new ships keep coming! Holland America floating out of its newest vessel, the “Nieuw Amsterdam” at a shipyard in Italy last week. From this video simulation this ship looks great! She will first sail in the summer of 2010.

Oasis of Seas Barely Clears a Bridge

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Here’s a cool video from Royal Caribbean about their new Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship afloat, barely making it under a bridge on her maiden voyage.

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www.familytravelgurus.com

Disney announces new cruise ship details

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Disney yesterday announced details on the first of their two new ships - the Disney Dream. The Disney Dream will sail 3,4, and 5 night Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida starting January 26, 2011. We are already receiving a number of requests for Disney Dream reservations from our clients. This new addition to the Disney Cruise family is sure to be popular!

See the video from Disney below for a sneak peak at some of the innovative features on the Disney Dream.

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www.familytravelgurus.com

Snapshot Story: Palo on the Disney Cruise

Monday, July 20th, 2009

 

snapshot 

Our favorite restaurant on any cruise ship is Palo on the Disney Cruise. We were one of the fortunate 100 passengers (out of 2700) to eat brunch at Palo on our October 2008 cruise. Here is our waiter Zoron from Bosnia describing to us the many food choices available. I loved the shrimp, Margaretta Pizza, my main entrée Chicken Parmesan, and other delicacies. There was so much food to choose from!”

from Tim Larison

www.familytravelgurus.com

Princess A Great Choice for Alaska

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

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We recently chatted with Carolyn Szekeres from Princess Cruises about Alaska and what Princess offers in general. 

“At Princess, we consider ourselves to be the Alaska leaders.  We have invested so much in our Alaska product that we think we really offer the very best Alaska experience.  We have been named Best Cruise Line in Alaska 4 of the past 5 years by
Travel Weekly,” says Carolyn.

We especially like the Princess “cruisetours” -where you combine a cruise with several days exploring the interior of Alaska. Carolyn agrees: “A cruisetour is the only way to see all the best of Alaska. Glaciers with Glacier Bay are included on every cruisetour, Mountains with at least 2 nights at one or both Princess lodges in the Denali area, and Wildlife. We offer our exclusive Direct to the Wilderness rail program that takes our passengers on the domed rail car directly from the ship to Denali on the same day.”

Read our complete interview with Carolyn here.  Alaska is one of our favorite cruise destinations and Princess offers a variety of itineraries to see this Great Land.

Snapshot Story: Disney Magic at Tortola

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

 

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“Here’s the Disney Magic docked at Tortola…this was our favorite port!  We took the island tour and had a blast!!!  We went all over the island and then to Cane Garden Bay.  This was awesome!! “

from our client Tammy from Kentucky.  Read Tammy’s full trip report here.

www.familytravelgurus.com

Interview with Kathleen Kavanagh on River Cruising

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

by Tim Larison

artistry Last summer I took an Avalon River Cruise on the Danube through parts of Hungary, Austria and Germany.  It was a fantastic trip!  Tim was fortunate to have sailed with a river cruise “expert” on that voyage – Kathleen Kavanagh from Globus.  We recently talked with Kathleen about river cruising and what’s new with Avalon Waterways.

FamilyTravelGurus: Many of our readers have cruised on the big ocean ships - what about a River Cruise is different and would appeal to people who like cruising?

Kathleen: “River Cruising is a much more intimate cruising experience. Think of it as similar to a huge hotel versus a boutique hotel. Our largest ship holds only 180 passengers and our newer ships only hold 132. River Cruising takes you into the villages, towns and major cities on the rivers versus commercial shipping ports. In many instances, you walk to the city center and truly can experience the area. River Cruising appeals to the more experienced traveler who looks to combine the unpack once concept but experience the different destinations. River Cruise ships are dry docked every year for two months for cleaning and updating versus the dry docking of larger vessels is every 2-3 years for upkeep so our vessels maintain their ‘newness’ for much longer than ocean vessels.”

FamilyTravelGurus: What has been your favorite River Cruise and why?

Kathleen: “My personal favorite is Rhine and The Moselle because I like wine and the smaller towns. The Moselle has over 150 vineyards and the villages are like pictures from fairy tales. The castles on the Rhine are a must but the trade off is the Danube because everyone equates the Danube with Vienna and music so it depends on the type of person you are. I would personally love to take our North Sea to the Black Sea which is a 21 night cruise that goes all the way from Amsterdam to the Black Sea. That way, I would sail every major river in Europe on one vacation.”

Read our complete interview with Kathleen on our website.  After my river cruise experience I am a big fan of this type of cruise experience!