Promal Vacations Travel Blog

New Dominican Republic News

2012-02-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

One of the fastest growing countries for tourism is the Dominican Republic. Key to the growth in tourism is the addition of more flights to the country. Punta Cana is the most popular area for all inclusive resorts is Punta Cana, but more flights to other areas such as La Romana are being added, allowing more diversity in choice of resorts. In addition, a new section of the Autopisa del Coral Highway from the capital of Santo Domingo to La Romana was completed last year, allowing reduced travel times between the two cities.

New resorts in the DR include Riu Palace Bavaro at the Riu Pnta Cana complex. This resort joins two other Riu Palaces in Punta Cana and has 610 rooms. Opening this month is the Eden Roc at Cap Cana that will offer 34 free standing suites and three luxurious bungalows. This resort will have a full service spa, three Jack Nicklaus signature golf courses, tennis facilities, a Beach Club and Kids Club.

Secrets Sanctuary Cap Cana recently opened close to the Punta Cana airport. This 176 room resort is the newest addition to the Grand Resorts of Cap Cana. Casa de Campo, one of the most well known properties on DR, recently underwent a $52 million dollar refurbishment.

Under construction is the huge Gems of Cap Cana, part of the all inclusive AM Resorts. There will be four separate resorts in this property - Zoetry Gems at Cap Cana, Secrets Gems at Cap Cana, Now Gems at Cap Cana and Now Preferred Gems at Cap Cana. This will add 1100 new rooms and construction should be completed in 2012.

The four resorts will share "The Promenade" a center with 148,000 square feet of retail and recreational facilities.

AMResorts recently opened the 373 room adults only property, Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana and the adjacent Now Larimar Puna Cana in Playa Bavaro.

Want more information or are you ready to book? Contact us at 516-608-0568.

Beaches Boscobel

2012-01-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Looking for an all inclusive family friendly resort with plenty for the kids to do? How about a private beach with a Pirates Island Waterpark and the only all inclusive golf program for kids? Look no further than Beaches Boscobel in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Beaches Boscobel has been rated one of the Top 10 Best Beach Resorts by Parents Magazine. With five gourmet restaurants, three swimming pools, a scuba practice pool and loads of water sports, your family can't go wrong at this resort.

There is a variety of family friendly rooms, from deluxe family rooms in the main building to Owners Penthouse Suites - something for every budget.

There are a myriad of food choices - Eleanors, a fine dining venue caters to families with children over the ages of 12. The Venetian offers Italian food. Bayside offers breakfast, lunch and dinner via buffet. Arizona is a beach side retreat offering a variety of foods from burgers to Tex-Mex fare. And BBQ Park offers delicious barbeque.

Beaches Resort offers the most inclusive activities you'll find at an all inclusive resort. Free activities include kayaks and canoes, snorkeling, windsurfing, glass bottom boats, 11 waterslides, three pools and two whirlpools, one swim up bar, sail boats and Hobie cats, Hydrobikes and Scuba Diving. You can even become resort certified to scuba dive (extra cost). On land, activities included are table tennis, basketball, board games, outdoor chess, beach volleyball, billiards, themed nights, weekly events, 5 bars, a fitness center and day and night tennis.

For the kids, there is a staffed nursery, "Cuda" kids club, self-serve ice cream, Pirates Island, supervised activities, Sesame Street characters, kid friendly pools, XBOX 360 games, 11 waterslides and Liquid nightclub.

The entire family can make a big splash at Beaches Boscobel's Pirates Island, an expansive 27,000 square foot waterpark overlooking the Caribbean Sea. There are nine exhilarating water slides that twist and turn, a Kid’s Zone with a misting crab and a squirting sea turtle, an Aqua Play Area and so much more. It really is the adventure of a lifetime!

At Beaches Boscobel, unlimited rounds of golf, greens fees and round-trip transfers are included for everyone at Sandals Golf & Country Club.

Located in Ocho Rios, there also are plenty of nearby option excursions you can take advantage of. There is a nearby Dolphin Swim, horseback riding, ziplining and even a bobsled run.

So what are you waiting for? Call us for pricing and to reserve your summer vacation. 516-608-0568.

Join Us On The NCL Epic Mediterranean Cruise - Oct. 10, 2012

2012-01-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

Join Promal Vacations on our 2012 Mediterranean Cruise out of Rome on the Norwegian Epic Oct. 20, 2012 for 7 nights. The cruise goes to Livorno (for Florence & Pisa), Nice France, Provence (Marseilles) France, Barcelona Spain, Naples (for Pompei, Sorrento) and back to Rome.

As of today, Jan. 2, 2012, prices start at an unbelievable $759* plus tax per person for an inside cabin, $959* plus tax per person for a balcony, $1149* plus tax per person for a mini-suite, $1099* for Studio Cabin for solo cruisers, $1759* plus tax per person for a Spa cabin, and $3409* plus tax per person for a suite.

Also as of today, there is an unbelievable price for air out of JFK on Aer Lingus starting at $752** per person, including all taxes. These flights are not direct - they stop for a change in Dublin - but are nearly $500 per person lower than a non-stop flight. Non-stops flights start at $1285** per person out of JFK.

You may never see pricing this again. You can also do the same itinerary leaving round trip from Barcelona.

We will be flying into Rome three days before the cruise and doing sightseeing. We'd be happy to arrange this for you as well if interested.

*taxes not included. Price, with the exception of studio cabins, is per person based on two people in a cabin. Gratuities of $12 per person per day, air, insurance not included. Prices as of Jan. 2, 2012 and subject to change at any time.
**Prices as of 1/2/12 and can change at any time.

Celebrity Silhouette - WHAT A SHIP!

2011-12-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

We recently had the pleasure of touring Celebrity's newest Solstice class ship, the Silhouette, when she was docked in New Jersey. Having sailed and been "wowed" by the Celebrity Solstice - all we can say about the Silhouette is "double wow"!

This ship is truly a beautiful ship. Still smelling brand new, we viewed the latest innovations making this ship a bit different than the Solstice.

First is the big change in the Lawn Club. Gone is the Glass Blowing and in is the new restaurant, Lawn Club Grill. There will be cooking demonstrations here and specialty dining as well.

Next is the new Alcoves, the cabana style retreat on the Lawn Club for 2 - 4 guests. These can be reserved by the day. Al la carte food and beverages are delivered in a picnic basket and have wi-fi. These can be booked online for full day access, 9 AM - 9PM, or even for the entire voyage. Price is $99 on port days, $149 on sea days per day.

Also new is the Art Studio. The Art Studio will offer guests a wide variety of lectures, demonstrations and interactive classes ranging from jewelry creation to sketching to painting, all led by master artists.

Qsine is another unique innovation. This alternate restaurant has a modern twist on the restaurant experience. Guests are handed an Ipad to choose small plates. The food is delivered in a very unique way. For instance, spring rolls are served in a spring. Food is continually brought out to you and served family style. This is one case where it is better to eat with friends, as you will be served too much food for just two people.

Celebrity has a one price policy for all of the Specialty Restaurants - $40 per person.

As an added benefit, all Celebrity Solstice^®, Celebrity Equinox^SM, Celebrity Eclipse^® and Celebrity Silhouette^SM suite guests receive complimentary dining in their choice of Specialty Restaurants. Suite guests can choose from Murano, Tuscan Grille, Silk Harvest Restaurant and Qsine^®:

1 complimentary dining reservations per suite for cruises of seven nights.
2 complimentary dining reservations per suite for cruises of eight nights or longer.

Book an Aqua Spa cabin and you'll have special access to the Aqua Spa and also be able to dine in Blu, the restaurant specially made for Aqua Spa Cabin guests.

Cabins are also well laid out and nicely decorated. You'll have a glass door in the shower and no shower curtain to wrap around you.

This ship is currently sailing from New York on 12 day Southern Caribbean itineraries that go as far as St. Lucia - a first from New York. The ship will be leaving New York in April though, so book now while you'll have no air fare!

Click to see pictures of this gorgeous ship here.

Cruise Review - Norwegian Gem

2011-11-29T16:08:00.000-08:00

We recently had the pleasure of sailing right out of our own backyard in New York on the Norwegian Gem, going to Florida and the Bahamas.

One advantage of cruising from a home port is NO FLYING. We drove to the Manhattan pier, paid $210 to park for the week, unloaded our suitcases, dropped them with the porters and checked in. We arrived at 11:15 AM and were on the ship by noon. At the end of the cruise,there is nothing easier than rolling luggage right to your car and finding yourself at your front door in less than an hour.

The GOOD:

Embarkation: Arrived before noon and the embarkation process, even with the size of the ship and terminal, was amazingly smooth. There are three lines - one for passengers in suites, The Haven and who are gold and platinum Latitudes passengers. Another for Bronze or Silver Latitudes Members and a third for those who have never sailed NCL before. Within 20 minutes we were through the line and on the ship.

Disembarkation: Another thing NCL does right. You can choose when you want to disembark the ship. Two days before the end of the cruise, simply go down to Guest Services, choose the time you want to get off and take the corresponding color tags. We opted to carry our luggage off (without having to put it out in the hall the night before) and were among the first off the ship. They began calling us to disembark at about 7:45 AM and by 8:10 we were in our car and on our way home.
Balcony cabin

Cabins: We had a balcony cabin on this ship which was the best cabin we've had yet on an NCL ship. The size was much better than our balcony on the Epic. Straight walls instead of curved equals much more space. A normal bathroom with a shower door instead of curtains that mysteriously entangle themselves around you as you are showering. There was ample storage space in the cabin for hanging clothes and for folded clothes. Lots of shelves and a few drawers.

Cabin had the regular size balcony holding 2 chairs and a small table. Flat screen t.v., coffee maker, hair dryer and small couch in the cabin.

Entertainment: Having sailed on Royal Caribbeans Oasis and Allure of the Seas and the Norwegian Epic, I expected to be disappointed in the shows, as I haven't yet seen entertainment that exceeds what those ships offer. We were pleasantly surprised at the shows. Our favorite was The Man From Mars, a wonderful comedy, acrobatic and a bit of magic show. We also enjoyed the crew's final evening performance and a must see is their "Fountains" show.

Man from Mars Fountains

Behind the Scenes Tour: If you have the opportunity to take this tour, we highly recommend it. We were taken to what they call the I 95 corridor, the main corridor deep in the ship that has almost all the staff areas, from the kitchens to the laundry. We were shown how the food is brought on and separated (there is a separate prep room for fish, chicken and beef, separated as far down as having color coded cutting board so that they are never used for anything other than the meats they are assigned to). We saw the cooking area and how the waiters have the meals prepared and ready for them to pick up. We were taken to the laundry area, the recycling and garbage area, where you could eat off the floor it is so clean. We were shown the dressing rooms for the entertainment staff, were taken backstage, and then ended at the bridge, where we could see the two officers who were guiding the ship and all of the bridge machineries. Note to anyone sailing on this ship - you can see this area anytime. It is located on Deck 11, port side all the way forward. Take the forward elevators.

Sheet Folding Machine The Bridge

Buffet Set Up: On almost every ship we've been on,the layout of the buffet is terrible. People are usually tripping over themselves going from station to station. On this ship, the buffet is very well layed out, almost in a cafeteria style, and there were no long lines that got in the way of people trying to obtain food.
Buffet Chocolate Buffet

The seating was a different issue, which we'll detail later.

Freestyle Cruising: We love NCL's Freestyle Cruising. Not having to eat dinner at the same time is very liberating. We first sailed NCL when they first began this policy and had issues with long waits. NCL has perfected this and we never waited when we wanted to dine. And not being foreced to dress formally is another plus. There are two "formal" nights on this cruise and one dining room is dedicated to those who want to dress formally and one is dedicated to those that don't. That satisfies everyone. Many cruise lines have copied this type of dining, and we'd love to see them copy the option to not dress formally on their cruises as well.

The MEDIOCRE:
Staff: Staff were hit or miss as far as enthusiasm and service. Our room steward did not appear to be interested in ensuring our needs were met. As soon as we arrived n the cabin, we noticed the liquid soap dispenser in the shower was missing - just a blank hole in the holder. We also like to have the mini-bar items removed so we have an empty refrigerator for our own water and soda we bring. We asked our steward for the missing body wash and to clean out the mini-bar. He handed us a small bar of soap and said to take the mini-bar items out and put them on a shelf. Needless to say, the first impression left us with a sour taste in our mouths.

The second day, we found two mini bottles of shower gel on the sink. The fourth day, the dispenser in the shower was finally fixed and filled. When I thanked him, he said to leave him a note if we are missing things, because he can't see everything that might need to be fixed or is missing!

We also found the staff hit or miss in the dining rooms and buffet. This sailing had nearly 1,000 children on it, as the schools in New Jersey were closed for part of the week. We opted to eat breakfast and lunch in the dining room, after seeing too many kids putting their hands in the food in the buffet. (Not too mention some adults doing the same thing and not using the tongs).

In the dining room for breakfast, some servers brought us a small pot of coffee so we could refill our cups ourselves, some didn't so we had to keep asking for refills. In the buffet, we saw many occasions where the tables were not cleaned off promptly and too many instances of silverware not being replaced promptly on the table and having to continually ask for silverware. We noticed the silverware issue on the Epic as well. The tables have a silverware holder that is supposed to be filled with a fork and knife wrapped in a napkin. If you miss the first hour of the each mealtime, it is likely that the silverware dispensers will be empty. They also do not add a spoon in these and we were always searching for spoons for coffee, ice cream or soup.

On the day the ship missed Great Stirrup Cay, many people decided to get a book from the library. The library was scheduled to open at 4 PM. At 4:30, a crew member danced to the door to unlock it. ( He really DID dance). One woman who had been waiting was furious and asked why he was opening a half hour late. His response was to shake his hips and walk away. I was floored by this - I've never seen anyone so blatantly disrespectful of a passenger.

The Food: NCL is not known for the finest quality food. On past NCL cruises, we've found that paying extra and eating in the specialty restaurants usually ends up being a much better experience than eating in the dining rooms or buffet. Not on this ship. The food was either oversalted or under seasoned - there didn't seem to be the perfect in between. But we certainly did not starve.

On the NCL Epic, I found the food in Le Bistro, the French Restaurant, to be superb. Not on the Gem. We both ordered escargot as an appetizer. Mine was fine, my wifes' was oversalted. Coq Au Vin was tasteless. Roast Rack of Lamb was two small lamb chops. Lobster and premium rib eye steak was an additional $10 on top of the $20 per person cover charge.

In the main dining rooms, steaks were tough and underseasoned. A dish called New Orleans Shrimp and Steak Fillet consisted of breaded shrimp that looks like Mrs. Pauls and a tough piece of meat that was far from a fillet.
New Orleans Shrimp and Fillet

One meal we did enjoy was sushi at Sushi. The Sesame Seaweed Salad was different than any salad we've had. The Godzilla Roll was excellent as were the Rock & Roll and Spicy Tuna roll. Each piece was separately priced ranging from $3 to $4.50 a roll. Well worth the price.

Buffet food was buffet food. Nothing extraordinary. We did enjoy the ice cream bar but they do not offer dishes of ice cream - they tell you they only serve ice cream in cones. We took soup dishes and asked them to put the ice cream in the bowl. There was a chocolate buffet one evening. Every dessert had some kind of chocolate in it and there were huge chocolate sculptures of a dragon, a walking death figure, a chocolate Gem ship reproduction, a white chocolate Eiffel Tower and even what appeared to be a chocolate Jesus.

The ship: This ship has a very odd set up. On the lower decks, some of the corriders led to no where. On deck 6 forward, there is an area where Le Bistro is located that goes to no where. To get to the aft of that deck, you must go back up to Deck 7, walk all the way aft and go down the steps, which lead you to the stairways into the two dining rooms.

In the buffet there is not enough seating for the 2900 passengers that this ship holds. A normal buffet has seating on the port and starboard side. Not the Gem. There is only seating on the starboard side and on the aft deck (which is called the Great Outdoors). On the port side of this deck is La Cuchina Italian Restaurant, the teen lounge and video arcade. There was never enough seating here, which resulted in us eating most breakfast and lunches in the dining rooms.

The pool area is also too small for the number of passengers. There are two small pools, one for families and the other for adults only. With the number of kids on this sailing, the family pools was simply overrun with kids. The kids did seem to enjoy the slides and the hot tubs. The seas were very rough going south on this sailing and one day was so rough that they had to close the pools. That resulted in a lot of chaos throughout the ship as there was not enough for the kids to do.
Pool Area

Another area that was way too small for a ship of this size was the Crystal Atrium. It is small to begin with, but when they have sales in the gift stores and bring out tables into this area, it is impossible to navigate. There is entertainment going on during the day here and not enough room for people to sit.
Atrium with selling tables set up

One other thing that is a hazard on this ship is that there are no telephones near the elevators on deck, with the exception of the areas where there are restaurants. We found this out when my wife fell down the stairs on Deck 11 and couldn't walk. I had to run down a deck and halfway through the ship to our cabin to call the ships Dr. She said other passengers who stopped to help did the same thing - went back to their rooms because there were no phones. This is a safety hazard and the ship never should have been built like this.

Another thing we noticed is that this ship didn't handle rough water as well as larger ships do. Whether this is because the stabilizers weren't used to their full extent going south to save time, or whether the draft is not deep enough, we really felt a lot of rocking on this ship. Many people were sick the first two days. We've sailed on three larger ships and we never felt a ship rock like this ship does. We don't get seasick, but if you are prone to it, make sure you take a midship cabin on a lower deck.

Itinerary: Out of New York, there are usually three itineraries available - Bermuda, Canada/New England, and the Bahamas. We opted for this itinerary because we wanted to go to Florida and NCL's private island. We've been to Nassau several times and didn't care about this port.

We enjoyed Florida and chose a one park pass to Universal Studios. We were sorry we didn't purchase a two park pass. We wanted to see Harry Potter and bought only the Islands of Adventure, plus we added a Speed Pass. We were through the Island of Adventure in 2-1/2 hours and had more than enough time to do Universal Studios too. The best part of this excursion was that the park was fairly empty. The busiest area was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We could not use the speed pass on that ride, but we only spent a half hour on line (well worth the wait). We were able to go to the head of the line with the speed pass on the other rides here. Contact us for these tickets - we sell all Universal Orlando Tickets!

A big disappointment was the fact that we could not get to Great Stirrup Cay. The water was too rough for the tenders to get in and out of the island. What I found surprising was that this is a very common occurance. I spoke to one cruiser who told me this was the third time she sailed and that stop was cancelled. (Royal Caribbeans' ships also couldn't make their nearby private island either). NCL could avoid this by building a pier so the ships can dock, as Royal Caribbean did with Labadee. We heard they are putting 25 million dollars into renovating the island - why not put that into building a pier so passengers can avoid disappointment because the water is too rough for the tenders?

There was nearly a riot on the upper decks when people heard that the stop was cancelled. People that had pools seats and left them to get ready to get off the ship were furious. Parents were angry. The entertainment staff had to come up with some entertainment to try and keep people busy. With the amount of kids on the ship, it was not a pleasant day.

If your itinerary includes Great Stirrup Cay, don't be surprised if you are unable to tender and you end up with another sea day. It is what it is.

Nassau is Nassau. Shopping is not great here, so we recommend going to the beach or to Atlantis.

The BAD:

There were two things we really didn't enjoy. The first was the fact that much of the staff spoke very poor English and it was extremely difficult to understand what they were saying, including the Cruise Director. We attended a trivia game one afternoon and couldn't understand the questions because the man who was leading it spoke such terrible English. All we could hear from people playing was "What did you say?" or "Can you repeat it?" One question was repeated five times before we could understand what was said.

The night before our Behind The Scenes Tour, we found a message on our phone. It was someone calling to tell us to bring something on the tour the next day. We listened to the message nine times and could not understand what we were to bring. After desperately trying to determine what this gentleman said, my wife figured out one of the words sounded like "shuss". Was that supposed to be shoes??? How about closed toe shoes? We wore closed toe shoes the next day and indeed that was what we were supposed to bring. Every other passenger on that tour said they could not understand the message either.

The T.V. Stations: The second things we really didn't like - the available t.v.stations. Six stations were available - Fox News, CNN, ESPN, E, BBCNews and a channel showing reruns of the same t.v. shows over and over. There were no movie channels, or even cartoons channels for the kids. If you wanted to see a movie - it cost $10. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but many people were sick in their rooms on the way south because of the rough water and were in bed the first two days. In addition, one day the pools were closed because the waves were too rough. Add that on to the day that the ship didn't make Great Stirrup Cay, and we spoke to many parents who were exasperated that they couldn't put the kids in the cabin to watch cartoons or a movie. I've never heard so many complaints about the terrible t.v. That is not in the control of the Captain, but is an NCL issue. The Cruise Director said that they used to have more channels, but they recently purchased a different package for the t.v'.s throughout the fleet.
NCL - FIX THIS!

Bathroom Amenities: There are none. There was shampoo and hand soap. That's it. No body lotion, no conditioner, no shower caps - nothing that other lines provide you with. It reeks of cheapness.

Final thoughts - all in all, this was not a bad cruise. Had there not been so many kids and if the water was calmer, it would have likely been an even better cruise. And the bad points were minor points that should be looked at by NCL but should not ruin anyone's cruise. If you like a casual cruise - NCL will probably meet your expectations.

Be prepared that if the waters are rough, you may not make Great Stirrup Cay. You won't receive any compensation other than a refund of any excursions you pre purchased.

One recommendation I would make - if I could do it over again, I wouldn't sail this itinerary after the first week in October. It was too cold to swim in the pools or even in port for me and the water was the roughest I've ever experienced on a ship, especially going south. We are used to having rough water on the last day back to New York once we hit Cape Hatteras - it was smooth as glass on the last day.

Take a look at our ship photos here:

Behind the Scenes Tour, Click here

Gem Pictures, Click here

Cruise Etiquette 101

2011-11-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

We’ve sailed on some of the largest ships at sea and lately it seems as though common courtesy goes out the window when folks cruise. When the ship has a lot of children sailing, it becomes even worse. Everyone wants to enjoy their vacation, but rude behavior can affect the enjoyment of your fellow cruisers.

Here are a few tips to making your cruise pleasant for you and your fellow passengers:

1. Wait for elevator occupants to exit before getting in an elevator. That should be done anywhere, not just on a cruise ship. And children should be taught this as well. And please teach kids not to press every button – there is nothing worse than making what should be an “express” trip into a “local”.

2. Keep your hands out of the buffet food. It is no wonder norovirus can spread so quickly on a ship. Tongs and serving spoons are there for a reason – use them to prevent disease. I can’t say this is limited to kids – I saw just as many adults taking cake with their hands from a display in a coffee bar not using the tongs as I did kids. It’s gross and unsanitary.

3. Use the hand sanitizers at the entrance to the restaurants. That helps prevent germs from spreading. Some cruise lines are very good at this – NCL employees favorite saying is “Happy Happy, Washy Washy”. If they don’t see you use the hand sanitizer when entering the buffet, they will spray your hands for you when you walk in.

4. Don't be a chair hog. For some reason, people think that getting up at the crack of dawn to put a towel and book on a chair to save is a sport. These same people don't bother to use the chair until 2 PM. This is selfish - if you aren't going to be using the chair at 6 AM, don't save it. I have yet to see a cruise ship that I could not find a chaise lounge on it I went down to the pool late.

5. Don't yell or run in the hallways. There is nothing worse when you are dead asleep in bed to hear late night revelers who have had too much to drink yelling and laughing their way down the hallway to their cabin. Or to hear the "bang,bang,bang" of stomping on the floors when running down the hallway. And when in your cabin, please don’t be too rowdy – the walls are thin and you can hear what goes on in the next cabin.

6. Stick to the dress code. Your daily program will advise you of the dress code for the day. Sitting next to someone in sweaty clothes in the show theater or casino is not pleasant. There is a line that allows casual clothing for the full cruise. Sail on that line if you don't want to adhere to the dress code.

7. Don't save seats. While it is okay to save a seat for your traveling companion, forget about saving a whole row of seats for every person traveling with you, be it in the theater or at a buffet table. If your companions want to see the show or eat with you - they should arrive with you.

8. Be a considerate smoker. Light up only where you are permitted to. Many lines no longer permit smoking in the cabin and you might find a large charge on your final bill if you don't adhere to the rules.

9. Be a considerate cell phone user - or tablemate. The entire ship or bus (if you are on an excursion) doesn't want to hear your conversation. But that is no different than using your cell phone at home - right? When not on a phone, be aware of how loud your voice is when speaking. On a recent cruise, we heard a woman four table away loudly discussing the Penn State abuse case in front of her three small kids. I didn't want to hear it and her kids didn't need to hear it either.

10. Control your kids. For EVERYONE'S safety , you should not allow kids to freely roam the ship,play in elevators, splash others in the pools, eat in gangs at the buffet or jump around in hot tubs. My wife was recently tripped by kids running on the stairs, causing her to fall down the steps and tear tendons in her ankle. Our vacation was ruined because some parents had no idea what their kids were doing. If an ship area says "Adults Only" - your kids aren't the exception to the rules.

11. Remove your hat when eating. I can't blame this on kids - we see grown men on every cruise eating with their hats on. While we know Emily Post is no longer required reading, basic etiquette tells you to remove your hat when eating. Or going to church when you are home.

12. Tip accordingly. Cruise ship employees do not make a fortune and try their best to provide good service while working very long hours. Please don’t remove the auto tips. If you have an issue with service, go to Guest Services and try and have it corrected while you are sailing. If your ship offers a back stage tour, take it – you’ll get some insight into what the staff has to deal with.

13. Don't push to make yourself the "first" anywhere. Don't you think everyone wants to get off the ship when it arrives in port? Or waiting on line for anything? Wait your turn - you are no more important than the person waiting behind you. And while you are waiting, don't whine - nothing is ever perfect on a vacation. No one wants to hear your complaining.

14. Wipe down the machines in the gym when you are finished. I don't like it when I sweat on a machine and always wipe it down with a towel when I am finished. You should do the same. And don't hog the machines - if people are waiting, please adhere to the gym guidelines on the amount of time spent on the machine.

15. Jog at an appropriate hour. Passengers on the deck below are sleeping at 6 a.m. and don't want to listen to running above them. Please review the hours for jogging in your daily news paper.

Thankfully, rude passengers are the minority but just a few inconsiderate people can ruin a cruise for many others. Let courtesy be your guide and you’ll have a great time on your cruise.

Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort and Hotel

2011-10-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Located in a Cloud Forest near San Ramon, Costa Rica is Villa Blanca Resort and Spa, another Greentique Hotel owned by Jim Damalas. The resort is literally located in the middle of nowhere – you’ll be driven up and down huge mountains and up a dirt road to the resort.

But once you arrive – the view will take your breath away.

The main lobby is atop a hill overlooking the Arenal Volcano in the distant (it is one hour to get to the volcano from the resort). We had a clear day view of the volcano spitting smoke from the top. The lobby is wonderfully warm and inviting – with leather couches, beautiful wood throughout and fireplaces. The resorts restaurant, movie theater, game room, gift shop and internet computer are located here. (There is also free wireless access in the lobby).

After checking in, you’ll be directed to a private (or semi-private) cottage of your own. Each cottage has a king sized bed, a fireplace with two chairs facing it, mini-bar and bathroom. The bathrooms have full glass around them with a view of the forest outside your room. Our room was a connecting room perfect for families. There is a porch with rocking chairs where you can sit and enjoy the quiet and views.

There are two unique features to this resort – a beautiful wedding chapel, where weddings can be held, and a bio-research station. The resort was originally owner by President Rodrigo Carazo Odio and his wife Estrella . For his 50^th wedding anniversary, he built the chapel for his wife as a gift. The ceiling consists of hundreds of hand painted tiles his sister-in-law created, a replica of a church their daughter visited outside of Rome. The church is situated on perfectly manicured gardens with a view of the cloud forest behind it – a stunning view.

The bio-research lab studies butterflies and moths. Moths are affected very much by climate change and studying the changing habits of them are increasing worldwide knowledge of how global warming is affecting the planet.

There is one restaurant located on property and the food was very good here. The chefs cook right in front of you and Mr. Damalas has a female head chef, which we were told is very rare. A continental breakfast is included in your resort rate and lunch and dinner prices are reasonable - a good thing because there is nothing at all near the resort. You can book canopy excursions, hiking excursions, and even trips to the volcano from here.

There are no air conditioners or televisions at this resort. Ceiling fans cool the room nicely. There is a small movie theater that has a weekly menu of movies each night. There is a spa with extremely good prices. At the time we were there, Management was negotiating a contract with a new spa company and there were only four treatments available – but I had a Swedish Massage that cost $76 and was supposed to be for 50 minutes – but lasted an hour and 20 minutes. It was a wonderful way to end the day before bed!

One of the very unique things about this hotel are the many hiking trails. You can do a self guided tour on one of the trails or have a guide take you on one of the other three. The guides are excellent – they pointed out many of the different species of trees we were looking at and explained much about how the cloud forest interacts with vegetation. We saw many butterflies as well on the trails.This hotel is wonderful for a few nights or nature, romance and relaxation.

Call us for more information or to see our pictures. 516-608-0568.

Sandals Halcyon - St. Lucia

2011-10-17T19:11:00.001-07:00

They say bigger is better - but not in the case of this lovely resort in St. Lucia. Sandals Halcyon is the smallest of the three Sandals resorts in St. Lucia - but certainly the most charming. We were captivated by this resort.

This lovely resort is located an hour and 15 minutes from the UVF Airport. It is the smallest of the three Sandals resorts but the most charming. The grounds are lovely - lots of beautiful flowers blooming and a pretty beach. There is an activities pool near the lobby and a quiet pool behind the rooms.

You'll be greeted upon arrival with a drink and a cool towel. If you are staying in a Concierge or Butler room, you'll be taken to the concierge room to check in - otherwise, you'll complete your check in paperwork in the lobby and be escorted to your room.

We usually don't recommend the lowest prices rooms when booking Sandals, but the rooms at Halcyon are more than enough for a traveler who isn't fussy for details. My room was 202. I was on the ground floor and had a little patio with a table and chairs in front, where I had an oceanview. Upon entering, there was a queen sized bed, desk, small table and chair, t.v and a mini-bar. There was a large bathroom and a good sized closet.

Food is also very good here. Breakfast started at 6:30 AM. You can choose from several restaurants for dinner, including the Pier Restaurant, built over the water, Mario's for fantastic Italian and one of the best filet mignon's we've ever tasted, Bayside Restaurant, and the Beach Bistro.

You can have three vacations in one staying in St. Lucia, as Sandals offers "Stay at One, Play at Three" here. You can use the free shuttle to go to Sandals La Toc or Sandals Grande St. Lucian, and you'll have the choice of 18 restaurants between the three. Want a little more nightlife than Halcyon offers? Go over to Sandals Grande, where nights are hopping a bit more.

This resort has a fine beach and plenty of options for water sport, including:

Canoes/Kayaks
Windsurfing
2 Pools, 2 Whirlpools
2 Swim-up Pool Bars
Glass Bottom Boat

Hydrobikes
Water-skiing
Beach Volleyball
Kneeboarding
Sailboats

There is plenty to go round at this wonderful resort. Halcyon has the best pricing of the three and offers a romantic setting to enjoy some quiet time - and use of two other resorts to indulge in your wilder side.

Call us for more information or to book. 516-608-0568.

Si Como No Resort, Spa and Wildlife Refuge

2011-10-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Three hours from the San Jose airport in Costa Rica lies a beautiful romantic resort near Manuel Antonio Beach called Hotel Si Como No Resort and Wildlife Refuge. The words translate to “Yes, why not” and this is the attitude you will find here from the wonderful staff.

Upon entering the beautiful wood lobby, you’ll be greeted with a drink and a warm welcome from your hosts. Check in was quick and easy. Let the room stewards bring your bags to your room – the rooms are situated in the mountains with many steps to maneuver and they are pros at getting your luggage to your room for you.

After you check in, you’ll be met with a magnificent view of the natural forest beneath the resort and the Pacific Ocean. The ground are unbelievably beautiful, with many of the trees and exotic flowers labeled so you’ll know what you are looking at.

Continue on to your room either at the top of the hotel, or one of the luxurious cottages nestled within the mountain, all with spectacular views. We enjoyed cottage 53, a honeymoon suite. Inside was a kitchenette with a sink, mini-bar and the usual assortment of snacks and liquor for purchase. There was also a sofa bed facing one of the three sliding glass doors that give you wonderful views on three sides of your bedroom. On the side was a very comfortable king sized bed. There was a balcony we spent hours on lounge chairs listening to howler monkeys and a huge variety of birds throughout the day and night. There were also a few bats flying at dusk!

The bathroom was beautiful, with a whirlpool tub, separate shower and beautiful wood vanity. There is a hair dryer in the bathroom.

The rooms are air conditioned and there are no t.v.’s! Many of us groaned when we heard that, but the fact of the matter is that no one missed them. Instead of watching t.v.’s, we sat outside and watched birds.

There are two pools on property and a naturally heated whirlpool. Both pools had pool bars and one was strictly for adults. The family pool had a small water slide. A small spa with a wonderful menu of massages and other beauty treatments is on site.

There are two restaurants – Rico Tico and Claro Que Si , a seafood restaurant that also had some awesome steaks. A continental breakfast is included and the price of meals was reasonable. Drinks were a little expensive though – but you can easily take the hotel shuttle to a supermarket in Manuel Antonio and buy the liquor and drinks you’ll need.

There are several restaurants within walking distance if you feel like going off property. One we enjoyed was El Avion. The restaurant is built around an old plane. There is a daily Happy Hour and the meals are reasonably priced. Our meal consisting of two entrees, a drink and a beer cost all of $29 including the tip.

There is no beach access at the resort, but that is not a problem. A shuttle runs almost every hour to and from the beach at Manuel Antonio. You can also do a great nature walk through Manuel Antonio Park – well worth it for the surprise fun with monkeys and raccoons at the end.

Across the street from the resort is Si Como No’s private butterfly and bird farm. You can walk through or have a guide take you in to see many wonderful birds and butterflies, including Toucans and more.

This resort is a member of Greentique Hotels. Costa Rican hotels are heavily into recycling and this particular hotel recycles 82% of it’s garbage and plastic. The hotel and two others owned by Jim Damalas, an ex-pat Californian are CST certified – Certified Sustainable Tourism. These hotels are inspected by the government to ensure they are adhering to strict recycling and reusing standards. Costa Rica is way ahead of the rest of the world in eco- tourism and in their attempt to save the natural beauty of the country.

If you’d like to hear more about this resort, give us a call at 516-608-0568

Costa Rica - A Little Heaven on Earth

2011-10-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Looking for a place less than five hours from New York that offers some adventure, a little romance, some lessons on recycling and great beaches? Then come to Costa Rica, where you’ll find all that and more.

A few hours outside of bustling San Jose finds volcano parks, rain and cloud forests, and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world.

Stay a night or two in the San Jose area, a bustling city with a new soccer stadium and interesting malls and restaurants. You can do excursions to the Arenal or Poas Volcanos, a day trip to Tortuga Island, a tour of San Jose City, Canopy Tours and White Water Rafting. The Barcelo San Jose Palacio hotel offers this and more a mere 20 minutes from the airport.

A must see is the Arenal Volcano. Stay at one of the many beautiful resorts in the area and go to the Hot Springs for a wonderfully relaxing day of jumping in and out of naturally heated water pools and waterfalls. How about a hiking trip around the Arenal Volcano area, where one of the most active volcanoes in the world is located. In fact, if you stay in one of the many hotels in the area, you may even feel the ground jostling if the volcano is having a very active period.

Or see the Poas Volcano, which is one of the worlds largest geysers with a crater over 1.5 km wide. Your tour may begin with a drive through the many lush coffee plantations located in the high mountains, where the best coffee is grown. At Poas, you can actually walk on the crater and look into the volcano.

There are Rain Forests galore here throughout Costa Rica, where you’ll see monkeys, exotic birds, perhaps some unusual frogs, leaf cutter ants, three toed sloths and more.

Or visit a beautiful Cloud Forest, where the vegetation is lush and butterflies and beautiful moths are plentiful. The Villa Blanca Resort has wonderful cabin rooms with a romantic fireplace and a bio reserve where you can see scientific experiments being done with moths. Did you know moths are one of the animals affected by global warming and that studying moths is helping us learn about the effect of global warming on forests?

Or go southwest to beautiful Manuel Antonia, and visit the Manuel Antonio National Park. Take a hike through the park - you may see snakes, frogs, leaf cutter ants and you will definitely see capuchin monkeys, who know where their bread is buttered and go to the end of the trail looking for food – or beach bags. There is a marvelous beach at the end of the trail that is a bit more private than the public beach – but subject to raccoons or monkeys escaping with your beach towel or beach bag!

Is it rainy? You bet ! During the rainy season from April to December, mornings are usually beautiful and rain may come in the early afternoon. Perhaps you may be as lucky as we were and only have rain at convenient times – night or dinner time, which allowed us to enjoy the days. And does it rain! We have never seen it rain as hard as it does in Costa Rica – but the result is a lush beautiful green country with orchids growing wild in some spots.

All visitors must pay a departure tax when leaving the country. Upon arrival at the modern airport, you'll need to head to the right in the airport to the line to pay - then take your stamped forms to your airline and check in.

Some suggestions for traveling in Costa Rica:

1. Book through a travel agent who uses a well known supplier in the area. Local suppliers offer the best value and will be there to assist if there are any problems. In addition, if there are any surprises at the resort you choose, you'll have the help of an agent to get you moved to another hotel if need be. This is one area that the expertise of an agent who has actually been to the country will help to ensure you see as much of the features as you possibly can.

2. If you decide to drive yourself, make sure you rent a 4 wheel drive car and a GPS. There are many dirt roads and if it is raining, some washouts. There are no street signs and a GPS to get where you want to go is a must.

3. Don’t leave valuables in the open if you rent a car.

4. Buy excursions before you leave. Tour operators use excursion companies that are insured and maintain their vehicles. Some people in our hotel did an ATV Adventure they found in town. Their guide’s ATV ran out of gas in the middle of the forest, resulting in having to go back for more gas. The guides didn’t time the excursion right and they were in the jungle when it got dark – and had a harrowing ride back to the start of the adventure with lights from three helmets. And finally, the bus broke down on the way back to the resort and they had to walk to rest of the way to the resort. You can avoid this by using a licensed vendor.

5. Do see one of the volcanoes.

6. Be ready for bugs and little critters, which are found even in the most upscale and spotlessly clean resort. We had a few ants in two of our hotels, another couple had a gecko visiting that they had to shoe out of the room, and one couple had a scorpion in their room. It is a fact of life when visiting - you can find them anywhere.

7. Costa Rica is a difficult place for those who cannot walk long distances or up and down stairs or steep walkways. Almost every hotel is situated in a mountain or on the side of a mountain. Some have tremendous walks to get to rooms, even many of the beach resorts. You will need to find a hotel that is handicapped accessible or that have golf carts to take you around the resort. These resorts are few and far between – but we have some suggestions, so contact us - we are Costa Rica Specialists and can help find the right resort for you.

Be ready for a great vacation in Costa Rica. Call us – we can personalize your vacation with as much or as little as you’d like to so or see to ensure you will have the vacation of a lifetime. 516-608-0568.

Cruising on the Norwegian Epic

2011-06-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Looking for a fun filled vacation on a ship with the most modern amenities and some of the best entertainment at sea? Then consider the Norwegian Epic! This wonderful ship is a very different ship and experience than any other Norwegian ship we've cruised on. Our seven night itinerary departed from Miami and went to Costa Maya, Cozumel and Roatan.

Here is our report card for our cruise.

Embarkation: A+

We arrived at the port at about 12:30. Handed our luggage to the porters and were on the ship within 15 minutes. The embarkation process was a pleasure. You are directed to a line based on the deck you are on. Very quick and painless.

Our Cabin: D

We had a balcony cabin, number 10028. Norwegian went with a new concept in cabins on this ship, what they call "wave" cabins. These cabins have a wavy wall that sticks into the room and is a huge waste of space in a very tight room. We were two singles traveling together, so we requested the beds be apart. There was literally 1" in between the beds pulled apart.

Norwegian also doesn't have a traditional bathroom on this ship. Inside the room, looking towards the door, an enclosed show is on the left, a glass enclosed toilet is on the right, and a sink is in the room. We were lucky enough to have our bed near the balcony door. We spoke to our cabin mates next door who had their bed next to the shower and sink and they complained that the bed shook when they flushed the toiler, and the bed got wet if they tried to wash their hands at the tiny sink.

There is a curtain that pulls out next to the sink that blocks off the bathroom area from the room. While this is fine if you are traveling with a family member, two singles traveling in the same room have no privacy.

It is difficult to maneuver in the room as well because they are narrow. If one is sitting at the desk drying their hair, the other person cannot get past them. These cabins can accommodate three people, but I can't see how three people could ever be comfortable in one of these cabins. The rounded wall wastes valuable space and the couch is too large. A smaller couch would leave more room to walk. Our balcony room is 216 sq. feet including the balcony.

While NCL employees will say that they don't get complaints about the bathroom situation, we didn't buy it. We asked many guests we met what they thought about the cabins and they all said the same thing - cabins are too small and the bathroom set up was terrible. NCL just signed for new builds - we hope that they will get rid of the wave rooms and put traditional bathrooms back.

Studio Cabins/Villa Courtyard: A+

We commend NCL for their studio cabins. These cabins are meant for solo travelers who no longer have to pay a single supplement to sail by themselves in a cabin. The studio cabins are considered interior cabins (even though they have a window into a hallway). There are two twins beds pushed together and plenty of storage - the closets are the same size as the other cabins, so they have twice as much storage for one person. The cabins are 100 sq. feet. It also has a regular toilet enclosed in a small room, instead of a glass enclosed toilet.

While these cabins have no couches and are small, there is a wonderful plus for those booked here - The Living Room, which is a private lounge with a bar, coffee bar and plenty of seating. It is meant for solo travelers to meet others so they can get together for various shipboard activities and to even dine together. There is a daily happy hour and different activities planned just for these guests.

The Courtyard Villas and Suites have the nicest Courtyard pool area of any of the NCL ships. There are wonderful pool beds, and Epic Lounge and restaurant, and they have access to the Posh Beach Club.
The Studio Lounge

Entertainment: A+

We thought no ship could match the quality of entertainment on Royal Caribbeans Oasis and Allure of the Seas. The Epic does. From the Blue Man Group, to The Second City, to Legends in Concert and Nickelodeon entertainment, you won't be bored. All of these shows are included in your cruise price. If you paid for tickets to these shows on land in Vegas or New York, you would easily pay at least $300 per person and up for all this entertainment. All free here.

In addition, there is a Cirque Dreams and a Murder Mystery at additional cost with a meal included (lunch for the Murder Mystery, dinner for the Cirque show). You will probably be disappointed in the good, it wasn't very good. The Cirque show was worth the extra money but don't pay for premium seating on the lower level. We sat upstairs and had a great view and we were not squeezed together at tables. Seated on the lower level, if you are stuck at a table where your back is to the entertainment you will be straining your neck to see. The Murder Mystery is done by the Second City troupe and is all improv. Everyone was seated downstairs for this and our seats were uncomfortable.

Other entertainment venues were excellent. The Second City did different shows in Headliners throughout the cruise. There was also Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano show, and Fat Cats Jazz Club, one of the most popular venues on the ship. This ship also has one of the largest casinos at sea.

One thing we loved was a session in the Atrium with the Blue Man Group - Behind the Scenes. It was a q & a session with the men from the Blue Man Group without their make up and a chance to learn what it entails to become a Blue Man. It was lots of fun.

Food: C

Food in very subjective. The main dining room food was fair. Steaks were tough, seasoning was okay, but there were no standouts. O'Sheehans Pub has pub fare that was okay. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had a burger there, it was okay, not outstanding.

The Specialty restaurants were better. We ate at Le Bistro and I had absolutely delicious lamb chops. Chinese food at Shanghai was good, but not outstanding. Sushi at Wasabi was delicious, fresh and tasty. While we didn't eat at Cagneys Steakhouse or Moderno, we did speak with others who raved about the food.

The Buffet was typical buffet food. What we did enjoy was their selection of ice cream - they had a huge selection of flavors that changed daily.

At Spice H20, there is a healthy choice restaurant where we had some delicious chicken and salad. There is an Atrium Bar where you can go for coffee and cake and pastries, all free unless you are ordering specialty coffees.

It's our opinion that the quality of food any any cruise line is not the same as it was even five years ago, but it annoying that to get a really good meal, you need to pay for an alternate restaurant. However, NCL isn't the only line we find this on.

Pools: A+

Another A+ thanks to the Epic Plunge, slides and children's area. Only issue we had was the tiny pool area at Spice H20, the adult only are of the ship. The pool was so tiny there was literally no place to swim and the water was very warm.

Ports: Our itinerary was Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel. We enjoyed Roatan, we did a tour with Victor Bodden Tours, including going to his monkey farm. In Costa Maya we did an excursion to the Chacchoben ruins through NCL and enjoyed it very much. In Cozumel, the Epic ports in town, which was a great place to either spend time in town or grab a cab for something else. We arranged to go to an All Inclusive resort for the day.

The Ship: A

Despite our dissatisfaction with our cabin, this cruise was very enjoyable thanks to the unique design of this ship. There was plenty to do on the ship and we were never bored with four days at sea. The many venues, such as Fat Cats, offered plenty to do day and night. There is always a place to sit and have a quiet book read or to be as active as you want. Pool chairs were, as usual, a little tough to come by at sea days, but you could always find seating if you didn't have to be next to the pools. There is even a private area of the ship you can go to if you choose to sunbathe topless.

The gym is huge and has the latest and greatest in weights and machines as well as some great classes. The spa was a good size with some good sales on port days. There is bowling and Wii.

Staff: B

All staff was courteous and friendly. Our room steward did what we asked but nothing extra. For instance, one day we used our beach towel and put it in the wet towel bin. It was not replaced. I had to call twice to get another beach towel. Our room gal said if we had left the towel on the floor, she would have replaced it right away. Huh? We were penalized for being neat?

In the Garden Cafe, there was staff at the entrance armed with spray bottles of hand sanitizer. If you did not use the hand sanitizer dispensers at the entrance, these gals made sure to spray your hands before allowing you to walk in. I applaud NCL's attention to this and the friendly way the staff ensured that hands were sanitized.

Wherever we went, we were greeted with a hello throughout the ship. At Guest Services, someone stood at the front of the line (there really was no line) to speak to guests to see if they could be helped right then and there or if they needed to actually see someone at the desk. Overall, good service.

Disembarkation: A+ (with exception)

NCL is the only line we are aware of that allows you to choose when you want to get off the ship, regardless of whether you carry your luggage off or not. You pick up your disembarkation luggage tags based on the time you want to get off the ship. Since we had early flights, we opted to carry off our luggage to be among the first off.

Unfortunately, so did many others, which would not have been a problem if there were enough Customs and Immigration officers. For some reason, there were only half the number of officers available as there usually are, which caused a line of over one hour once we were off the ship to get through Customs. Not the fault of NCL, so we didn't lower our score for that.

All in all, we truly enjoyed this ship with some exceptions and we would not hesitate to sail her again. If you are traveling with a family, either book a suite or get two cabins - there is just not enough room for more than two people in the cabins. If you are traveling as two single people - be aware that you will have no privacy in the cabin. And be aware of the bathroom situation. Ask your travel agent to look at the bed placement on deck plans before you book - if there are only two people traveling, get the bed away from the bathroom. If you are traveling with three in a cabin, get a cabin with the beds near the bathroom, because the couch will be on the outside of the room and you will be able to get to the bathroom at night with the couch pulled out as a bed.

Check our pictures of this ship on webshots:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/580390517SDsqpB

Call us to book: 516-608-0568

Golden Princess Review - Part Four - The Bad

2011-06-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

The Bad

Embarking/Disembarking in Port: The fiasco in Vancouver, while not Princess’ fault, could have been handled better per our suggestions in part one of this review. Yet problems getting on and off the ship in each port were Princess' problem and should be addressed by the Security officers on the ship.

The ship was over an hour late getting to Juneau and Victoria. Of course, people panicked, thinking they were not going to make their excursions. In Juneau, a group of people began lining up on Deck Six over an hour before the ship was scheduled to arrive. When people walking by see a line, for some unknown reason they think they are going to miss something, so they had better get on that line! By the time the ship arrived late into port, the line was snaking through three decks and there was fighting going on between passengers about who was or wasn’t cutting the line. Security people were dispensed to try and hold the crowd, but even they appeared to be frazzled and started looking the other way when passengers started arguing with them.

Getting back on the ship was another problem. We’ve sailed on the three biggest ships at sea, RCCL’s Oasis and Allure of the Seas, and NCL’s Epic and never experienced long lines getting back on the ship. While there were many similarities between these ships (two doors open to get on and off the ship), NCL and RCCL have TWO x-ray machines at each location as well as two metal detectors, which allow passengers to embark quickly. This ship didn't use two x-ray machine until the last night in Victoria – resulting in huge lines to get back on the ship after a few hours in port.

Because the ship is only in port a few hours, passengers want to make the most of that time and many arrive back at the ship as close to the final boarding time as possible. In Juneau, it was dark and getting quite cold and the line we were on suddenly stopped dead for almost a half hour. (There was a second line at the rear of the ship that kept moving.)

What we later learned stopped the line was a member of the group we were traveling with. When they first got on the ship (after 3-1/2 hours on line) the Security officer who took the initial pictures for their cruise cards put the wife’s photo on her husband’s card. When they attempted to get back on the ship in Juneau, Security would not allow the husband on the ship – and apparently had no idea how to handle it other than stopping the entire line until they could figure out what to do. This couple was made to stand to the side- embarrassed- for almost an hour before they were taken to have new cards made. The situation was handled very poorly by Security, who denied the problem was theirs, further infuriating everyone.

There were no problems getting off the ship in Skagway and Ketchikan, but there were very long lines again in Ketchikan to get back on – over a half hour in line to get back on the ship. In Victoria, we had long lines to get off because - again – the ship was late getting into port. But it was handled a little better.

Putting two x-ray machines and two metal detectors at each embarkation door should avoid this.

Passenger Services: The biggest disappointment on the cruise. The line at passengers services started on embarkation day and never seemed to go away. On the Juneau night, I went to Customer Service on behalf of our client who had the picture i.d problem. This person I spoke to was actually shaking when I was speaking to him/her to complain about the line processes (we will not divulge the name because I actually felt sorry for this person but will refer to this person as "Shakey").

I was on line with a woman who was also having problems. This was her 29^th cruise with Princess and third on the Golden and she was livid about the problems she was experiencing on the ship,saying she had never seen such poor service in all of her Princess cruises.

When I was speaking to “Shakey” about the problem with the card and the issues getting off the ship, Shaky agreed with me about the lines and said there was already a staff meeting about the Juneau line and the line was caused by the passengers who lined up before the ship was in port. My suggestion was that they should have told those passengers to wait elsewhere or in their cabins. Apparently that suggestion wasn’t such a stupid one, because when we were arriving late in Victoria, that is exactly the announcement that went over the loudspeakers.

While I was speaking to Shakey, our Agency Owner started talking to an officer about the problem our clients had with their card. Stated we had been talking to other passengers and many of them had never sailed Princess and were so annoyed they said they never would sail Princess again. The officer said if passengers can’t see the big picture and are that narrow minded, perhaps they shouldn’t sail Princess again. The next day, we learned this “officer” was the head of Passenger Services. As we walked away from him, we saw another passenger grab him to speak to him about problems they had getting back on the ship. We waited and spoke to them and they too had the same problem with pictures on their cards! And they were equally as outraged because he also "passed the buck" and didn't think it was a problem.

We opted to use EZ check to disembark. Princess has a wonderful program where for a fee of $20 per person, they will print your boarding passes and take your luggage to your airline for you. Once you put the bags out the last night, you do not need to touch them until you arrive at your home airport after your flights. We are Delta Amex card holders and when we use our card, we do not pay for luggage. I had asked Shakey about this to ensure we would not be charged a luggage fee if we used the service. Shakey told us if the airline didn’t charge, we wouldn’t be charged. When we received our final bill the last morning, there were two $25 luggage fee charges. I went to passenger services again and was told that Delta charged them so they had to charge me. I asked for a supervisor, a very curt woman who told me “Delta charged us, we charged you – take it up with Delta”

Of course, when talking to Delta, they said we should not have been charged and the only way to resolve it is stop dispute the bill on the credit card because Princess charged us, not Delta – which is what we’ll have to do.

When we arrived home, we sent an e-mail to Customer Relations and received a response back within 24 hours that they knew that Delta Amex holders are not to be charged the luggage fees, the ship is supposed to know that and were assured Princess will be refunding the two fees - within three billing cycles.

If you are a Delta card holder, bring a copy of the Amex policy with you, write it out on your EZ check application along with your credit card number and staple it to the form. Even though I had brought a copy of the policy, staff on the ship still had a problem but I am hoping that addressing it with the California offices ensured the information was relayed back to the ship.

Did the “bad” outweigh the good? Absolutely not. While it takes longer to detail problems, Alaska is such a fantastic cruise experience, there really is not much that can ruin a cruise.

Would we sail Princess again? Since this is not anything typical of our past Princess experiences – yes we sure would. But most of the passengers who traveled on our group would not.

If there were a repeat performance on another ship – then I’d have to re-think ever sailing Princess again.

Golden Princess Review - Part Three - The Mediocre

2011-05-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Continuing the seemlessly never ending review of the Golden Princess to Alaska cruise, here are our thoughts on the "mediocre" aspects of the cruise.

The Mediocre

Food: Food is subjective so this is our opinion – we were not impressed with the food on this ship. We ate in the Dining Room four times - twice for dinner, once for lunch and once for breakfast. Not being a seafood fan, we've always had an issue with Princess’ menus, because there are least two seafood entrees every night - we prefer chicken or beef. The beef and chicken on this ship were okay but nothing to write home about. One night we ordered a lamb entree and it was satisfactory but not outstanding.

I love the cold fruit soups served on many cruise lines and this was the first time that my soup came in a glass with a straw. I don’t enjoy drinking soup - that no longer makes it soup but a glass of juice. Last we sailed it was thicker and served with a spoon but that is not how Princess serves it any longer. The best meal I had in the dining room was a delicious “blueburger” for lunch.

There was a pub lunch twice on the ship in the Crown Grill. The offerings were pub style – Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips, Steak and Kidney pie, etc. Ordered the Fish and Chips, which was very greasy and eating it the first day when the ship was in rough waters wasn’t a good idea.

Most other meals were enjoyed in Horizon Court, which was typical buffet food. There was nothing outstanding – at least two pasta dishes, fried fish, a slicing meat (one day was prime rib with is one of my favorites but was dry) and a few Indian dishes along with salad and sandwiches. When you get excited about finding a BLT sandwich for lunch, something is wrong with the menu. Plenty of desserts offered, but they were also very rich and calorie laden. Found that eating fresh fruit was a better option.

Hot dogs from the grill were mostly burned, but the pizza was FANTASTIC. When all else failed, a slice of pizza always hit the spot.

Our favorite food spot on the ship was the International Cafe. Don't shrug off the food here. They have an egg sandwich for breakfast, panini's and a very good Chicken Waldorf Salad at lunch time. The best Tiramisu is found here.

We did not opt to eat at the alternate pay restaurants. We've eaten at both Sabatini's and the Crown Grill on other ships and while the food is good - we don't feel should have to pay extra to get a great meal on a ship.

Entertainment: Had we never sailed Royal Caribbeans' Oasis and Allure of the Seas and NCL's Epic - we likely would have had a more favorable review of the Entertainment on this ship. However, after sailing on the three ships with the most unbelievable shows on the seas, anything else seems amateurish. There were a few production shows we tried to sit through that felt like going to a high school musical.

There are the usual port shopping talks on the Golden but we are past thinking that we will get any special deals sitting in on those.

One thing we did enjoy was the naturalist who was onboard who did several lectures. His name was Michael Modzeleski and his discussions were quite enjoyable. He was very knowledegable. On the day in Glacier Bay, some US Park Rangers boarded the ship and discussed what we were seeing while sailing. They were also on deck to answer individual questions.

Tomorrow - the final part four of our review - "The Bad".

Golden Princess Review - Part Two

2011-05-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Part two of our Golden Princess review is "The Good" - what we liked.

The Ship: For an older ship that was refurbished last year, the ship is in pretty good shape. The Passenger Service and Excursions Desks are done in a beautiful wood and look very classy. As usual, the International Café is one of our favorite areas on a Princess cruise and we always purchase a coffee card. The public areas and shops on Deck 5, 6 and 7 are lovely.

Our cabin: We had a balcony cabin, B309 on the Baja deck. We were in a perfect location – a little before mid ship, just a few doors down from the elevators. Baja deck balcony cabins are covered on top – which was great if it rained, as we could stand on the balcony and not get wet. The room was spacious enough with plenty of storage. Our cabin steward, Araceli, was excellent. The cabin was clean and anything we requested (bathrobes, a mattress topper for the hard mattress, extra shampoo and conditions, etc) was brought promptly. There was some wear and tear, particularly on the lamps, but that is to be expected from an older ship. I highly recommend getting a balcony for ANY Alaskan cruise. We constantly saw whales, otters, seals, and dolphins frolicking in the sea from our deck. Several in our group booked interior cabins and did not get to see any whales – where we saw an abundance of them.

Ports: We enjoyed the ports more than we thought we would. Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria were wonderful ports. The day spent in Glacier Bay was also great (and one of the reasons we chose Princes, since between them and HAL, they hold 80% of the permits to sail in Glacier Bay). Victoria was a particular surprise, as it was such a lovely city to visit.

Weather: We could not have had better weather. Temperature in every port was 60 degrees and no rain! The only days we had rain were the first day at sea going to Juneau (and the ship rocked and rolled on heavy seas – it was the first time in 15 cruises I ever had a twinge of sea-sickness) and Glacier Bay (and after getting wet on deck 15, once we went back to our cabins with the roof over us, we were able to enjoy the view without getting wet).

Excursions: We wisely chose excursions that were outstanding – but since the ship was in port late in Juneau and Victoria, we lost an hour on excursions in both ports which we felt hurt us. In Juneau, we booked a Whale Watching/Mendenhall Glacier tour which took us up fairly close to whales. We then visited the Mendenhall Glacier by bus. Losing the hour because of being late, we were rushed through the Mendenhall Glacier and had less than an hour there. We were fascinated by the stop – not only was it beautiful, the history and seeing how much the Glacier has receded, even since the 1930’s, was amazing.

In Skagway, we did the White Pass Railway through an outside company, Shore Trips, with a return by bus. Another fascinating tour where we spotted a moose, bear and eagles.

In Ketchikan, we booked a float plane excursion. Because it wasn’t raining and it was so clear, we had a birds’ eye view of Misty Fjords and could see full mountain tops and spots where an October storm had done much damage to the trees. The pilot landed the plane in a glacial lake and we were permitted to get out of the plane and stand on the pontoons for a picture.

In Victoria, we booked a trip to the Butchart Gardens, which was the most beautiful garden we’ve ever seen. There were thousands of tulips and other beautiful plants. However, because the ship was an hour late getting into this port we had a very short time frame to take pictures before it got too dark.

Glacier Bay was also very interesting. We were lucky to see calving at the Marjorie Glacier – the sound of the ice breaking is unbelievable!

Staff: Having just disembarked an NCL ship six days before this cruise, I can say overwhelmingly that the staff on this ship was cheerier, more professional, and more friendly than many other cruiselines – for the most part. We met some delightful waiters and waitresses in Horizon Court that we thoroughly enjoyed speaking to. Most were very helpful and if I needed to stop and ask a question, I never once experienced a cross word or short response from the “little guys” on the ship. Passenger Services was another story which will be detailed lin "The Bad" in part four.

International Café: Our favorite spot to eat was the International Café. They had a wonderful choice of muffins for breakfast, paninis’ for lunch and dinner as well as excellent desserts and coffee. The best tasting food on the ship was located here. Buy the coffee card- well worth the money for some delicious specialty coffees and all you can drink brewed coffee. If you don't finish all the card punches on the card you can use it on a future Princess cruise!

Say tuned for part three!

Cruise Review- Golden Princess to Alaska Part 1

2011-05-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

Each year, our agency puts together a group cruise that many of our clients join us on. This years cruise was on the Golden Princess to Alaska. This was an Inside Passage cruise leaving from Vancouver and disembarking in Seattle. Ports visited were Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Victoria British Columbia and Glaceir Bay.

It is impossible to detail the entire week in a short blog, so to make it easier for our readers, we will split this review into four parts - Part One :pre-cruise, Part Two: The Good, Part Three: The Mediocre and Part Four: The Bad. While it is impossible to "ruin" a cruise to Alaska, as the itinerary is outstanding, there were issues with the ship and some parts of the cruise that we would be remiss in not pointing out.

We arrived one night early and stayed in downtown Vancouver at the Metropolitan Hotel, which was a terrific choice. The staff was outstanding and we really liked the rooms – large, spotless, and with real doorbells at each room.

A week before our cruise, we heard there would be “chaos” in Canada Place, the pier our ship would be leaving from. There would be four ships in port in Vancouver, with three leaving from Canada Place. Having sailed from many ports that have multiple ships leaving on the same day, we were a little surprised at all the media attention to this both on t.v. in the hotel and in the Vancouver newspapers. Dire predictions of cab shortages were on t.v. in the morning before we checked out. We left our rooms shaking our heads trying to figure out what all the fuss was about.

It didn’t take long find out. We checked out of our hotel at about 11:15 AM and the concierge called for a van to take four of us to the pier. (There were another six people in our group at the hotel who opted to do a city tour in the morning and would arrive later at the pier). We waited about 15 minutes for the cab. The driver said that it was a little “crowded” at the terminal. What should have been a $5 four block cab ride turned into $25 ride because the pier was over run with people departing the ships and arriving for new cruises. There was a massive traffic jam caused by hundreds of cabs trying to get passengers in and out of the pier.

What was the problem? Cruise ships piers normally have a separate pier and check in line for each ship. Not Canada Place – there was one line for at least 18,000 passengers getting on and off three ships."Chaos” was the most mild choice of words we heard that day. The line to get on the ship took three hours and up depending on the time you arrived.

I've never heard so many complaints in one place - ever. While Princess was not responsible for the pier only having one line, this was not the first time this happened (nor will it be the last time this cruising season) and they were not prepared. There should have been representatives handing out bottled water and snacks. There should have been some type of seating in various areas for passengers to rest a bit. Alaskan cruisers are generally older is pitifully and unacceptable that passengers as old as 85 had to painfully stand in line with not even a drink of water.

We assumed people arriving a few hours later might be better off as the lines would have shortened with so many passengers already on the ship. That was not so – the later people arrived, the longer they waited. Some passengers arriving after 1 PM did not get on the ship until 6 PM. The only way the wait could have been worse was if it had been raining – which started just after the ship finally left port.

Our ship was scheduled to depart at 4 PM. People were still boarding at 6 PM. After a long day, the ship finally left Vancouver at almost 6:30 in a light rain. We were off to a day of rocking and rolling (literally) on the high seas - and we do mean high seas!

Check here tomorrow for Part Two - "The Good".