16 Days Until Embarkation

Ooh!! Ooh! Only 16 days to go and the excitement factor is sky-high. Quick, where are the suitcases? No, only joking!
No I'm not!!!

I think everything has been covered - insurance done, tickets printed, gratuities(!!) paid for. Still need to arrange for some euros, for our excursions, but they won't be difficult to obtain.

Looking forward to meeting up with everyone this weekend, and no doubt the conversation will be very one-sided...

The Nation of Why Not?

You may have noticed a new section on the left hand side of the screen.

I've added the blog of the President & CEO of Royal Caribbean International. Now, don't go assuming this is all boring stuff. What it includes are the decisions, thoughts and changes that are being made; all based on previous customers' comments.

For example, the one called Bark Blog is all about the changes to the disembarkation process; including the reduction in on-board announcements, to the addition of a specific family zone. More importantly, there's no more "kicking out of the room at 6am"!!

They make for interesting reading.

And finally.... I've not forgotten the second part of the history of cruising, that will be here tomorrow.

19 Days Until Embarkation

I'm so excited - as the song goes, And I just can't hide it.....

Yep - just under 3 weeks until we set sail.

Just 18 days for the pain in Andrea's back to subside completely. We've been considering how she will make the journey from Manchester to Southampton without her back seizing up completely. One idea is for her to take the train.

I had a look today, at thetrainline.com and there is a non-stop journey which takes 4hours and 48 mins; with no changes necessary. The only downside; it costs £89 ONE WAY!!!!
However, for peace of mind, and allowing her to stand up, walk about and keep moving, it may be worth it. We'll continue to discuss it.

Next weekend, we are all getting together (all 14 of us) and it will be lovely to see everyone before we leave. No doubt there will be no room in the conversation for anything but cruising, as we swap ideas and suggestions, thoughts and views, about who will be doing what, where and when.

So much else to think about.

For example; what to take on a 14 night cruise?
A floating hotel, where everything is taken care of.

Here is an extract from the Royal Caribbean website:

Onboard attire...Shorts, t-shirts, slacks, trousers, casual skirts, blouses and sundresses are all perfect during the day, whether indoors or out.
For lounging by the pool, pack two swimsuits (an extra one in case the other is wet) and a pair of casual shoes (e.g. flip-flops, sandals, trainers).
You'll also need some casual shorts and a couple of t-shirts or a cover-up for getting to and from the pool areas.
If you're planning to visit our onboard fitness centre (yeah, right!!!), make sure you bring extra shorts, t-shirts and socks that you won't mind working out in – plus a pair of tennis or running shoes/trainers.

Over the 14 nights there will be:

• 8 casual nights
• 3 smart casual nights
• 3 formal nights

Suggested guidelines for these nights are:
Casual: Polo shirts and trousers for men, sundresses or trousers for women
Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or trouser suits for women
Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women

It goes on, but I don't want to bore you here. Not to mention, I need to arrange for a tuxedo!!!

History of Cruising - Part One

As promised, here is the first part of my brief look at the history of cruising.

In the early days, passengers were the less important fare on large merchant vessels, carrying freight.

The first ship built exclusively for passengers was the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, designed by Albert Ballin, general manager of Hamburg-America Line. The ship was completed in 1900.

In the late 19th century, Albert Ballin, director of the Hamburg-America Line, was the first to send his transatlantic ships out on long southern cruises during the worst of the winter season of the North Atlantic. Other companies followed suit. Some of them built specialized ships designed for easy transformation between summer crossings and winter cruising.

The practice of cruising grew gradually out of the transatlantic crossing tradition, which never took less than four days. In the competition for passengers, ocean liners added many luxuries — the Titanic being the most famous example — such as fine dining and well-appointed staterooms.

As jet travel 'took off' in popularity in the 1960s, intercontinental travellers largely switched from ships to planes, sending the ocean liner trade into a slow decline. Eventually, services aimed at passengers ceased in 1986, with the notable exception of transatlantic crossings operated by the Cunard Line, who, to this day, cater to the niche market who enjoy the few days of luxury and enforced idleness that a liner voyage affords.

As liner crossings diminished, cruising voyages started to gain in popularity; slowly at first but at an increased rate from the 1980s onwards.

Initially the fledgling industry was made up of small, redundant, liners, and even the first purpose built cruise ships were small. This changed after the success of the SS Norway as the Caribbean's first "super-ship".

Since then the size of cruise ships has risen dramatically to become the largest passenger ships ever built.

Thank You

I've had some great reaction to this blog, so thank you very much! I just hope that the cruise lives up to every expectation!
******
After much deliberation I have decided to pre-pay the gratuities for the cruise. The price is a bit gratuitous, but if I don't pay now, it'll be added to the bill at the end, priced in US Dollars, which will then be converted at a less than favourable rate, meaning it'll cost even more!!! Well, that's my thinking anyway.
******
And finally... Royal Caribbean told me, this very afternoon, that the cruise is 'almost full'!
That was in response to my question "Is there any chance of upgrading to a family sized suite?"


That's all for now.

31 days until embarkation

Not that I'm excited, or anything, but I love seeing those words when I check on the Royal Caribbean Cruises website.

There's something very romantic about the word 'embarkation'. It evokes memories of a bygone era; an era of cruising that was seen in the early part of the 20th Century.

In a future blog, I'll be looking at the history of cruising, and what the 'fuss is all about'.
For now, though, I am enjoying the anticipation of what is to come, in just 31 days time.

38 Days Until Embarkation

Just over a month to go. Sooo excited!

I mentioned the other day that I would tell you about the excursions we might do. I say "might", because we have decided not to pre-book anything, due to the extortionate cost involved. For example; to see the City of Barcelona, for 4 hours, it costs £26 each (£14 child). So for the princely sum of £80 we can get off the ship and see Barcelona.
Or - for the lower price of... nothing, we can get of the ship and see Barcelona ourselves.

So where have we decided to see? Well, I've not been to Gibraltar before, so intend to do that one. Italy is a preference for Andrea, and then we'll 'jump off' in the South of France and Spain.
I've also never been to Lisbon; so we'll do that too. G-d, we'll need a rest after this holiday!!

We'll be doing the online check-in, and the Guest Documentation packs have arrived. They contain all the vital information we need to ensure we have a good time, not to mention the luggage labels for our suitcases. Somewhere, it mentions an allowance of 200lbs per person - that's a lot of luggage!!!

In due course we'll write lists, and start to pack. I've already done a great deal of shopping, and almost bought a complete wardrobe just for the cruise. See, I told you it was going to cost half again!

That's all for now, and I'll write again soon, to keep you updated on our preparations.

Excursion Exploits

The excitement continues to build, and we recently received the brochure for the on-shore excursions.
Now; I like to consider my self a seasoned traveller, and am not one for the organised tours. I prefer to 'go it alone' and when I saw the prices for the tours, well, the phrase 'daylight robbery' springs to mind.
It costs a small fortune for the privilege of sitting on a coach, and traipsing with other people.
All we need to do is get off the ship, wander (or short taxi ride) to the centre and spend some quality time doing what we want to do. Plus, if the boys don't fancy it, they can stay on board. And we can also return to the ship for lunch, therefore saving more money, and taking advantage of the amazing cuisine we are looking forward to, on board.