It’s winter & it’s snowing, again. \u00a0I’m growing rather impatient for Spring. \u00a0It’s been a while since I blogged so what better way to pass the day than to daydream of cruising & warmer weather.<\/p>\n
For those that follow certain cruise message boards, you may have caught the amazing deal posted on New Years Day for Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas this summer. \u00a0I happened to be checking prices for a friend at work and noticed the amazing deal. \u00a0I of course couldn’t pass it up. \u00a0I tried to no avail to get others onboard as well but they missed out. \u00a0We paid $481 per person in \u00a0a balcony cabin for a week long cruise to the Caribbean & I can’t wait! \u00a0There was only one week posted at about 50% the normal rate. That’s not the best deal we’ve ever gotten but still pretty amazing. The best deal we ever got was on the Serenade of the Seas in 2010 for a week long Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan for $214 per person in a balcony cabin. Yup we pretty much freaked out at the price and booked it without hesitation. Were these prices a mistake of some kind? Maybe but I kept waiting for a phone call regarding the mistake and one never came. \u00a0At checkin for the cruise, no one said a word. \u00a0I jumped up and down with glee once they donged our sea pass cards. \u00a0It was an awesome cruise. \u00a0I have no doubt this one will be as well. \u00a0Our Roll-Call awaked with life when people caught this amazing deal. \u00a0So you may be wondering how to catch such a deal for your self. \u00a0Well first watch the message boards a couple times a day. People will book their deal and spread the news for others. \u00a0Or check prices a couple times a day yourself because you never know.<\/p>\n
I realize I haven’t blogged since our last cruise. \u00a0In September of 2013 we cruised on the Carnival Magic out of Galveston, Texas to Belize, Roatan & Cozumel. \u00a0It was a good cruise & a good ship but overall not great. \u00a0Carnival just isn’t what it used to be. \u00a0There wasn’t as much entertainment as there used to be – no big shows in main theater every night, there were some but just not every night. \u00a0The comedy club is too small for their very popular comedy acts. \u00a0We really enjoyed the comedy shows but you had to get there at least 30 minutes early to get a seat and then we had a hard time seeing around all the poles in this venue. \u00a0They should just move these to the theater. \u00a0Our biggest complaint for this cruise was our cabin temperature. \u00a0We complained on day 1 and they came try to fix it a couple times & brought us a box fan. \u00a0It was tolerable for me (I’m always cold) but my DH was uncomfortable the entire time. \u00a0We came back to our cabin on Roatan day at lunch and our cabin & hallway reeked of paint fumes. \u00a0At this point DH was very grumpy so we complained to guest services. \u00a0They gave us 4 drink vouchers and a temporary cabin on deck 2 which was a Cove Balcony. \u00a0We had a balcony cabin on deck 8 and I was excited to see a Cove Balcony first hand myself. \u00a0I must say we wished we would have gotten a Cove Balcony. \u00a0These cabins are located on deck 2 under the life boats. \u00a0They are higher from the water line than you’d think. \u00a0Because they are under the life boats they are more shaded and less warm. \u00a0Plus you have a direct line of sight down to the water. \u00a0If you’re on any other deck in a Balcony Cabin you will have a view of the public deck called the Lanai and the life boats. \u00a0We didn’t find it to be a huge deal however it was pretty cool to have an unobstructed view of the water. \u00a0Next time we cruise on Carnival we will for sure book a Cove Balcony. \u00a0The other big disappointment was the Main Diningroom. \u00a0The food and menu weren’t as good. \u00a0Only 1 other couple showed at our 10 person table. \u00a0It would have been more fun if we had a full table. \u00a0The advantage of fewer people however was quicker service. \u00a0We don’t particularly care for long 2 hour meals. \u00a0The food on the Lido deck was pretty good though. \u00a0We really enjoyed the pizza, the burrito\u00a0bar & Cucina\u00a0Del Capitano. \u00a0We prefered Cucina Del Capitano for lunch but found the atmosphere odd and the food mediocre at dinner. \u00a0I really had hopes to try the Ropes Course however it was never opened any of the times I went to check it out. \u00a0I tried out the slides one day and they were fun but not many kids on our sailing to liven up that area. \u00a0The best part of the entire cruise for me was definitely the Cloud 9 Spa. \u00a0I got the week long Spa pass to enjoy all the different therapy rooms and I so wish I had a place like this at home to enjoy. \u00a0All in all we left that cruise disappointed and missing Royal Caribbean. \u00a0See below for some videos on the Carnival Magic & Cove Balconies.<\/p>\n
Cove Balcony<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0Carnival Magic<\/a><\/p>\n The Navigator of the Seas just came out of dry dock this week and sets sail for the first time post dry dock tomorrow. \u00a0I’m very much looking forward to seeing all the changes. \u00a0A few things she received in dry dock are a Flower Rider, virtual balcony inside cabins, Royal Babies & Tots Nursery, big screen on the Lido and a new Modern Mexican restaurant a first for Royal Caribbean called Sabor. \u00a0When more first hand experience and details are posted regarding this ship & its new amenities I’ll come back here and update you on everything.<\/p>\n Other Recent News – Norovirus\/Mysterious Stomach Bug<\/p>\n In recent news you may have seen that the Explorer of the Seas and the Caribbean Princess both to cut short their sailings for a stomach\u00a0bug that spread quickly. \u00a0I received flack from family & friends about it and the media hyped it up of course. \u00a0Since the Splendor, Concordia & Triumph mishaps the media latches on to every little thing they can. \u00a0That’s ok, the more cruising makes the news the better. \u00a0Let me say though that Norovirus or something like it is in no way fun and I can’t imagine the atmosphere onboard a ship with over 600 ill passengers. \u00a0I have had Norovirus before. \u00a0I caught it from my son who caught it from daycare. \u00a0It’s quite common to catch and not just on a cruise. \u00a0I try to avoid illness as best I can when we cruise. \u00a0I’ve caught a cold and had migraines in past cruises. \u00a0I take meds for colds & stomach upset with me just incase. \u00a0We also sanitize our cabin when we board, use the hand sanitizer offered onboard, bring our own & wash our hands often. \u00a0Take precautions as best you can but don’t let fear of illness keep you from cruising or traveling.<\/p>\n New Ships<\/p>\n Quantum of the Seas: I’ve talked about this ship before and I must say I’m still not excited about it. \u00a0Not much else has been released about it but I’ll talk more about her when she goes into service.<\/p>\n