Galveston Carnival Cruise Inspection of Magic and Triumph

We went down to Galveston over the weekend to inspect Carnival Triumph and the new Carnival Magic.

We drove to Galveston from Dallas and it took approximately 5 hours. If flying, you would want to travel to Hobby (HOU) as it is only a 45 minute transfer to the port.

We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton this trip, but we prefer the Hilton. The Sheraton was modern, clean and a full service hotel.  Most hotels in Galveston offer free parking during your cruise and free transfers to the dock if you book a room before departure.

Friday night we had dinner at Landry's Seafood House a very nice restaurant with a good wine selection right across from the beach on the seawall. Saturday morning we had breakfast compliments of the San Luis Resort - AAA Four Diamond Award winner since 1999.  FYI - Landry's Corp. owns the San Luis, Hilton Galveston, Holiday Inn Resort on the Beach, Rainforest Cafe and Landry's Seafood and all are adjacent to the official Galveston Island Convention Center. Landry’s is also scheduled to open "Pleasure Pier" over Memorial day weekend 2012 which will have several rides, restaurants, and clubs all on a pier along the seawall.

Our first ship inspepection was the Carnival Triumph which is doing 4 and 5 day western Caribbean cruises year round. This is a major upgrade from the Ecstasy which has moved to Port Canaveral. This ship was in dry-dock in 10-11 and had routine hotel maintenance, cosmetic enhancements such as new carpeting, wall coverings, tile work, lighting in lounges and public areas and Suite 7288 was converted and now ADA compliant.

Carnival Triumph is a great ship for families, singles and couples who want a short cruise on a nice big ship. Air pricing may be more favorable to the Houston area from many cities in the US.

Saturday evening – Moody Gardens Tenth Annual Festival of Lights and Dinner at Moody Gardens Hotel.  We visited the mile long walking tour of lights. It was beautiful and all the families truly enjoyed this evening. Moody Gardens http://www.moodygardens.com/ is a great pre or post cruise destination. They have a 10-story glass Rainforest Pyramid filled with free roaming Saki monkeys, two-towed sloths, tamarins, birds, lizards, butterflies, a spectacular canopy walkway and beautiful plants from the rainforest of Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Dive into the oceans of the world at their Aquarium with over 130,000 square feet of exhibit space and 1.5 million gallons of water. Come face to face with thousands of colorful tropical fish, penguins, and seals in one the largest "underwater classrooms" on earth.  You can also experience what’s happening in the Discovery Museum with hand-on interactive exhibits and displays.

Within minutes away, enjoy 32 miles of sandy beaches, the Lone Star Flight Museum, the Mary Moody Northern Mansion, Bishop’s Palace, the Tall Ship Elissa and the Railroad Museum. For added adventure, slip and slide at Schlitterbahn http://schlitterbahn.com/gal/ , the world’s most popular water park, adjacent to Moody Gardens.

Sunday Morning we had Breakfast on our own before heading over to the beautiful new ship Carnival Magic. This is truly a great ship for everyone. There are some great family rooms which sleep 5 with split baths. If you have not seen these rooms they have one bath with a toilet, standup shower and lavatory through one door and a small tub and lavatory through a second door Category 6M and 6N. This is a large ship with full occupancy of 4724. There are public areas for all age groups. Adults have new lounges with specialty drinks and the kids have their own areas with dance floors, arcades and the mandatory video games.

There is also a rope course, water park, putt putt, full court basketball court. The Spa has a Thermal Suite area with five rooms which are free to use if you are in a "Spa Room" or $35 for a day pass or you can get a cruise pass (check for pricing). There is also a Thalassotherapy Pool which is a therapeutic oasis that has been based on the concept of a natural bubbling spring. As you are immersed in its effervescence all you worries and stiff and sore joints will simply wash away. For both you can get a single VIP Pass $149 and Couples VIP Pass $249.

We saw a wedding party boarding early (10ish) and they had the wedding in the Conference room and reception in one of the lounges so the guest could be off the ship by 3ish. We dined in one of the main dining rooms and the service and food was outstanding.

We would highly recommend cruising out of Galveston. Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas is also sailing out of Galveston during the winter months and Princess and Disney are moving ships here next season.

Please let me know if you have any questions about Visiting or Cruising out of Galveston.

Carnival Triumph Pool

Moody Gardens Feastival of Lights

Carnival Magic Thermal Suite Area 

Carnival Magic WaterWorks

Carnival's Infamous Molten Choclate Cake - Magic

Kim Quimby – kimqy@verizon.com

Cruising is the perfect family reunion...

Cruises are the perfect family getaway which works for a single family as well as large extended family reunions.  Cruises are all about making memories which last a lifetime and are as much fun to plan as they are to experience and to reminisce about for years to come.   

When bringing multiple generations together it can be difficult to keep everyone happy and entertained but that is not the case on a cruise.  You can be super active and athletic or enjoy total relaxation with a good book, a wide array of spa treatments or just hanging around the pool.  Let’s look at an average day at sea and what the choices are for everyone to do.  I am using a Cruise Compass (a newsletter delivered to your stateroom with daily activities) from Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas for Day 4 day at sea for this example.   http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/CruiseCompass.pdf

For the active family member who wants to be doing something and does not want to miss a thing:

                7 am – Breakfast in the dining room meeting new friends.   (Eggs Benedict)

                9 am – Baggo Tournament (sign-up 8:45 am) – Country Club          Deck 12

                10 am – Napkin Folding Class – Colony Club                                          Deck  6

                11 am – Cash Bingo – Colony Club                                                           Deck  6

                Noon – quick lunch at the Windjammer Café                                       Deck 11

                1 pm – Slot Tournament – Casino Royale                                              Deck  6

                2:15 – Beginner’s Salsa Dance Class – Colony Club                             Deck  6

                3:30 – Service Clubs Meeting (Rotary makeup), Schooner Bar         Deck  6

                4:30 – Trivia Challenge – Hollywood Odyssey                                        Deck 13

                5:30 – Black and White and Saloon Costume Portraits, Centrum      Deck  5

                6 – 7 Get a shower and dress for dinner

                7:30 – Headliner Showtime (pre-dinner)  Aurora Theatre                  Decks 5, 6

                8:30 – Dinner with the family (late seating) - Cascades                      Decks 4,5

                10 pm – Dance the Night Away – Starquest                                          Deck 13

                Midnight – sleeps well to the rocking of the ship (fun day)

For the Athlete –

                7 am walk-a-mile, 7:30 Sunrise Stretch, 8 Wheels in Motion, 9 Shape Up, Step Up, 10 intro to Pilates,  10:30 Secrets to a Flat Stomach ,  11:30 Salad bar lunch, 1 pm Adult Basketball Knockout,  2 pm Rock Climbing Wall, 4 Core Motion, 5 Pathway to Yoga,  6 hit the steam room and hot tub before getting ready to meet family for dinner,  10:45 Radiance Quest,  Midnight – stop by the casino on the way to bed

For those who want to relax –

                8 am coffee delivered to stateroom,  9 am breakfast in the Windjammer, 10 spa treatment, 11:30 a little shopping or read a bit before lunch,  12:30 lunch in the dining room,  1:15 Diamond and Gemstone Seminar, 2 movie – Bruce Almighty,  5:30 Big Band Dance Music,  7:30 Port and Shopping tips, Dinner with family, 10 listen to piano music in the schooner bar before bed. 

Sun lovers  -

                9 am breakfast in the Windjammer on the way to the pool.  10:30 laying out with a fruity umbrella drink,  12 grab a burger and bring it back to the pool,  bucket of ice cold beer, 1 pm Belly flop Competition,   1:30 Horse Racing and Horse auction, poolside, 3 Ice carving Demo, pool side,  4 walk a mile (maybe),  5 get out of the sun for a while and have a snack before getting ready for dinner,  8:15 Singles Mix ‘n Mingle,  Dinner with family,  10 Wild West Dance Party with new friends

Teens and kids-friendly activities

Teen-only lounge area, Scratch DJ Academy, Airbrush tattoos, Internet Café, Generation Y spa Treatments for kids and teens, Theme parties, Nintendo Wii gaming, Sports Court, Rock climbing wall, miniature golf, pools, Kids program – Aquanauts 3-5, Explorers 6-8, Voyagers 9-11, Teens 12-14, Teens 15-17 include age-appropriate facilities and activities experienced and certified Adventure ocean staff

As you can see from just this one day of activities there is something for everyone.  You can see as much of each other as possible or only get together for dinners.  This is life onboard the ship and when you are in port there are any number of activities which will match your style of vacation desires.   https://secure.shoretrips.com/default.asp  Some guests even decide to spend a quite day onboard the ship during port days. 

Cruising also offers the widest range of pricing in a single vacation.   There are interior staterooms which can hold up to 4 guests for as low as $200 per person for short cruises and go all the way up to lavish suites which have butler or concierge service on the same ship and they all include meals and entertainment. 

Cruise vacations allow you to unpack once and see the world.   What better way to do this with your extended family with everyone doing the things that make them happy.   Call your travel agent and start dreaming about the premiere vacation of a lifetime.

Top Tips for Best Value Travel

The economy and our government officials continue to make me a bit nervous about spending and investing my hard earned money.  One day the experts tell us things are improving, the next day we are told to buy gold and hide it under the bed.  (Tough to do at over $1700 an ounce!)   Today, luxury and budget travelers alike are looking for best value for their vacation dollars.   Below are a number of tips you might consider when planning your next vacation:

Book the Best-Value fully refundable fare early, then continue reviewing the price for saving opportunities.   This tip will allow you to achieve that early saver price, but be positioned to jump on a savings opportunity later if the supplier drops prices to reduce inventory.  Purchasing “cancel for any reason” travel insurance can provide the same benefit if buying non-refundable travel.

Remain Flexible!  Offsetting travel days by + or – 3 days can result in significant savings on airfare and other transportation.

Alaska in May

Plan your vacation during shoulder periods.   For an Alaskan cruise, this would include May and September – the weather may not be as warm as June/July, but savings can be greater than $1000 per person on a cruise/land tour package.  Travel October through April in Europe and avoid other tourists, save on hotels and airfare, and enjoy a more authentic experience.

Patiently Waiting

If your travel schedule permits, arrive at the flight counter early and add your name to volunteer for a bump.   If the flight is full, you could end up with a later flight and a valuable flight voucher to use on your next trip.  Afternoon and evening flights often provider a greater opportunity to be bumped.  Kim and I had an opportunity for a $500 voucher each a couple of years ago, but we did not want to give up our first class upgrade.  Turns out the later flight arrived at DFW before we did.

Destination Awareness!  Many countries continue to provide savings opportunities on hotels and dining.  As an example, the Argentina peso continues to provide great exchange rates and their seasons are opposite of ours in the US providing great escapes from our temperature extremes.

Kids eat free.   If traveling with children, look for family friendly hotel/resort with additional savings.

Don’t forget your travel reward programs.   You don’t have to be a road warrior to gain significant benefits through travel rewards.   Credit card reward programs provide valuable travel benefits.  Be sure to check your balances and be aware of benefits that expire.

Consider Vacation Rentals.  This is a great savings opportunity for groups and multi-family vacations.   Condos and Villas in gated resort settings around the world often provide numerous amenities that hotels and resorts do not offer.   This may include a cook, butler and even a driver for your group’s safety and comfort.  Many owners have multiple properties and can be booked together for large groups at a greater savings.

Check alternate airports for flight savings.

Use a travel agent.   Go ahead and find your dream vacation and lowest price available then ask us to beat it.   Even if we only match the price we often can find that extra amenity or find additional services that create a memorable travel experience.   We are your advocate and are able to work with travel providers resolving issues while you are on the beach drinking a Pina Colada.

What are your favorite ways to save money when you travel?

The feel of Key West

Key West is one of the most interesting places on earth.  OK let me explain interesting.  I should have said eclectic, hippie, laid back, cool, happy, rockin, beautiful, and fun… 

This is a place where happy hour starts at 7 am but most people don’t bother to get up till around noon.  So the morning happy hour covers those who have not yet gone to bed.  The first time we were in Key West was off a cruise ship and we had a nice long day in port.  We scheduled a walking tour which hit most of the famous tourist spots; Hemmingway’s house with the six toed cats, the Audubon House and Tropical Gardens.  We also ate the mandatory Key Lime Pie and Conch Fritters at Mallory Square.  On this tour was the inspration for our outdoor fireplace.  I took a photo of a fireplace on the tour and saved it for a few years before Keith built this from the photo. 

Also on this first trip to Key West we wanted to take a small bottle of rum back on board our ship and so we went out to find the a bottle store.   The first small liquor shop we came to was the size of a walk-in closet with two ‘interesting’ people inside. (use definition above) I am not sure they actually knew we were there but we were able to find what we were looking for and paid and left with a memory not to be forgotten. 

On our next trip to Key West we decided to just walk around and go to Duval Street to see what it is all about.  We will never have a trip which does not include a walk down Duval as you can see the most ‘interesting’ people.   This trip we also decided to do our first and I think last official ‘Pup Crawl’.   This was a walking pup crawl and we hit 8 or so pups where we each received a drink and a bit of history.  Our guide was very ‘interesting’ and knew a lot of history about the pubs and Key West.  Our very favorite pub was/is the Schooner Wharf Bar.   We have made sure to visit this rather ‘interesting’ place every time we go, it is hidden behind many buildings beside the boat docks, looking just the way it did many years ago.  Their motto is “A last little piece of Old Key West”, and that it is and does not disappoint if you know that is what to expect.   Imagine where the ship captains would hang out after being at sea for months. 

I know we have missed a lot of attractions in Key West and we might find our way to see more of them if we can just get past all the ‘interesting’ people.  We would be happy to return to Key West at any moment and maybe we will even find a beach or go snorkeling their someday. 

50th Wedding Aniversary Cruise

My first cruise was aboard the Carnival Imagination sailing from Miami in 2000 celebrating my parents 50th wedding anniversary.  There were 12 family members (eight adults and 4 kids) aboard plus one young family friend that was not going to be left behind!  The cruise turned out to be a fantastic way for the family to enjoy a vacation, celebrate the parents milestone, enjoy time together and create great memories that help build lasting relationships.

If you are considering an extended family celebration, I'll pass on the things that we got right and maybe a few things that I might change.

Done Well:

• The family all arrived in Miami the night before and had a wonderful dinner together.  This eliminated any concern about missed flights or delays.
• The Imagination provided a very good mix of facilities and activities for all age groups.  The dining room staff served flawlessly delivering special requests nightly and keeping the kids engaged.
• We booked one large suite for Kim, Randi, Maggie and me and that provided a hang out for our extended family's informal gatherings and a central meeting place to begin the next adventure.
• The onshore excursions were based on individual family preferences and not planned as a group.   The kids selected what excursion and family members they wanted to go with - giving them a chance to have a say in what they wanted to do.
• The Caribbean itinerary of  Jamaica and Grand Cayman provided great opportunities for shopping and activities.

Room for Improvement:

• The cruise was for five nights.   My father may not agree, but seven would have been better.
• We booked seperately and our staterooms were in different parts of the ship.  

Travel Recipes

Kim’s interpretation of Frangipani Jamaican Fish or Chicken

All this talk about Jamaica reminds me of the time we rented a villa in Ocho Rios.  The name of the villa is Frangipani (sometimes we call this Plumeria).  These plants were all over the property and used to decorate the villa by the housekeeper every day.  We also had a butler and a cook.   We had 8 people in this 4 bedroom villa which made it very affordable.  I learned the following recipe from our cook.  She cooked fish and chicken using this method.  This makes a wonderful dish with a rich tomato garlic sauce which can be served over pasta or rice. 

  She would take onions and slice them to cover a large shallow frying pan (which can go into the oven) with a bit of Olive Oil in the bottom.  Then she would add a couple of chopped celery stalks, 3 smashed garlic cloves and some pepper flacks.  Add a jalapeno if you want more heat.   Our cook would then thinly slice about two nice size tomatoes and place them on top of the onion mixture.   I have use canned if I don’t have fresh. 

Now for the best part and what intrigued me the most.  She would simmer this on low heat for at least an hour adding chicken stock if it became too dry.  This made the villa and probably the villas all around ours smell wonderful.  She had a “special” blend of spices she added but could not extract the special blend recipe out of her. (I add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning) Now is a good time to taste for salt and pepper.   If we were having this with fish she would simply lay the fish on top of the mixture and put a lid on the pan for 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fish) until the fish flakes with a fork.  This steamed the fish in these wonderfur flavors. 

With Chicken you would brown the chicken in the pan first in olive oil and remove.  After your sauce has simmered for 20 to 30 minutes add the chicken back on the top, add a bit more stock, put the lid on it and cook in a 350 oven till the chicken is done (30 to 45 mins). 

This may sound like a lot to do but it almost cooks itself.   I hope you can try this and enjoy the enticing aromas and tastes.   





Plumeria
Frangipani

 

Couples Negril - The Quintessential all-inclusive for romantics

Kim and I decided to inspect the Couples Resort property by walking from Breeze's along the beach to the property next door in Negril, Jamaica.  The beach is access controlled and once we left the ocean front and started our hike to the lobby area we were met with a large but very friendly security guard that offered to escort us to the lobby to arrange a tour.   The sales management staff quickly responded and we were given complete access and a guided tour of the property and the rooms. 

Couples Negril takes the all-inclusive package a step further by offering the following off-site excursions:

• Shopping shuttles to the town of Negril offered four time weekly
• Shuttles to scenic local bar available four times weekly
• Catamaran Cruise
• Golf - transfer and green fees to Negril Hills Golf Club

This resort has the feel of a Jamaican rain forest/jungle with 7 ponds and lush plant life that provides comfortable shade throughout the property.   Couples is situated on 18 acres facing the crescent shaped Bloody Bay and 1000 feet of white sand beach.  This all-inclusive gem sets a high standard for luxury and excellence with very competitive pricing. 

Everything You've Heard Is True!

On our recent trip to Jamaica Kim and I spent 3 days at Super Club's Breezes in Negril.  We inspected the Breezes  property and asked our Sales Manager to arrange an inspection of their sister property just across the street - Hedonism II.   Wow - I had heard about this resort but never in my wildest imagination could I have been prepared to witness first hand the uninhibited exhibition that unfolded as we entered the lobby.   The staff was professional, well trained (completely dressed) and had a complete understanding of their customer (that may not have been dressed!).

Is really does not matter what you have heard about this resort - It's true.  The rumors, the legends, the myths.  ALL TRUE.  And as the brochures advertise:  "And best of all, just about everything you can eat, drink and do is included."   I would include pictures, but we were asked to be discrete as we were guided through the property fully clothed.  Wow!

Serenade of the Seas, March 2011 with Family

LUXURY CATAMARAN WITH 2 SNORKEL STOPS in Barbados.  We booked this trip through a private company and they see the turtles 95% of the time.  Ran 103 for adults and 58 4-12 years old.  We would recommend this trip.  Good music, plenty of food and yummy drinks.  Many were dancing on the decks on the way back to the ship.