Well, lets not kid ourselves,,,those of us who cruise KNOW all about the food on a cruise! But if you've never been on a cruise, you may be thinking,,,what's the big deal about food? They gotta feed you,,,,yes yes they do, but the WAY and the presentation and all of it before it even is put in front of you,,,,,bears a whole lesson unto itself. First off, no matter what you like to eat, what kind of restrictions you may have, dietary needs, they can all be handled on the ship! All that is required of you is to inform them ahead of time, and this is where either your travel agent (if he/she is worth their 'salt' comes in) or yourself can make the arrangements. By the time you have decided to book, we ask if you would like early or late dining, and this is the time to tell us what your needs are. We can get that taken care of then, or when you go online to pre-register, you can make it known there. Don't wait until the day of sailing! They may be able to accomodate a lot but as with anything, the sooner the better! That being said, let's dig in to the meat and potatoes of this lesson :)
Once you board, there is usually a buffet already going on the upper level, and here you begin to see what awaits you on your sailing, no matter how long or short of a time! They say you eat with your eyes, and that is the truth! There are always several entrees to choose from, no matter what time of day you are there,,,its all about choice!!! This dining venue is casual and usually open for longer hours during your whole cruise. There is the formal dining room where you are seated as you would be in a fine restaurant. You may be seated at a table with 6-8 others which gives you a chance to meet new people! Should you desire, you can opt for a smaller table and more intimate dining. (This decision is also made at booking time). Or if you are traveling with others, we cross-reference you to all dine together, if thats what you like! You may opt for all 3 meals in the formal dining room, or whatever you please. We usuallly go to the buffet for breakfast and to one of the other eateries for lunch. Each ship is different in what their menus are. On Princess, we had a different country featured every night, and they served dishes known to the country: for instance, French and escargots, and chateaubriand; Italian was pasta, veal parmigiana and killer alfredo sauce!!!, American was turkey and dressing. Of course they also have a standard menu where you can get steak, chicken or fish dishes every night should you not care for what they are offering. We always enjoyed this because it gave us a chance to try a different cuisine that we may not have had exposure to before! And they usually have a Surf and Turf meal one evening, and if you are still hungry, you can always request another serving! One of the highlights of the formal dining room is the night the waiters do the Flaming Baked Alaska dance for everyone. It is something to see!! Of course they may ask for audience participation to join the conga line, and what could be more fun??? Bring cameras :)
There are usually other dining options should you not want the dining room or the buffet. Most ships now offer pizza places, hamburger and hot dog grills, soft serve ice cream set ups out near the pool areas. There may also be different food venues. Cunard had a fish and chips place, a Chinese place, a sandwich bar that made excellent reubens (the author's favorite,,,), high tea in the afternoon along with a spread that made it impossible to not stop and have a nosh. Cunard was non-stop eating! We would eat in the dining room with our tablemates, and here we had 4 of the lovliest British people I would ever hope to meet, and hope one day our paths will cross again, along with 4 of the not so pretty side of Americans. We actually apologized to our British friends for their actions and lack of couth, and before you think these were young people acting like ingrates, they were retired couples acting very class-less. Anyway,,,back to the food! We would eat and go for a walk or see what the entertainment was for the evening and always wind up back on the deck with the buffet for a late night coffee, extra piece of dessert, pick up a plate and have another small serving of soup or something. Let's not forget, there is always 24 hour room service too!!!! If you get hungry, you can order a sandwich, salad, fruit and cracker plate, a killer brownie, nachos, etc. (Don't forget to tip your room service waiter!!) Many ships now offer steak houses, Tex-Mex, Japanese cuisine (to name a few) separate dining rooms for a small surcharge. Reservations are usually needed. We always check when we get on the ship and make them then. Its always a great way to have another memorable dining experience during your trip! Aboard Carnival's Valor, we dined at a 6 course dinner in Scarlett's, which looked like it came straight out of an antebellum mansion.
If you have opted for a balcony cabin, (on some ships) they now offer Balcony Dining, for a surcharge. You are served a multi-course dinner on your balcony with your own waiter to tend to your every dining desire! This is a very imtimate choice for dining!
One last note: most ships have done away with the Midnight Buffet and have replaced it with a one-time all out feast. The theme may be desserts, or on one cruise, it was all things chocolate! The ice sculptures and the fruits and veggies that are cut into designs for decorations run anywhere from monkeys with a violin to elaborately carved melons that are works of art themselves. They are worth staying up late to see! The craftsmanship and skill that goes into everything once again shows the knowledge, caring and level of service that has made cruising what is has become.
On that note,,,i think its time for a slice of chocolate cake!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Fall cruising in the North East
Well its been raining for the past 3 days and that brings to mind water and with water comes oceans and with oceans comes the big ships :) and I'm back to cruising! I guess Noah was the first cruiser and Captain that we know of, and he spent 40 days! Now we spend an average of a week and come away with good memories of new and exciting places and people we have met. Sometimes we decide to go back and sometimes we decide to try someplace different. Usually I travel with my partner in crime, Liz. We started off at a travel agency and became fast friends. I had returned to the agency in August of 2001. 3 weeks later 9/11 happened. That day and for several days afterward, the travel industry was hobbled. It ran the gamut from grounding the airlines to cruise lines dropping their passengers off at the nearest port and going out of business to agencies closing their doors overnight. Our boss made the decision to cut way back on staff and laid off all but 3 of us; 1 agent (Liz), 1 accounting admin (me) and 1 computer person. I was back on the phones with Liz trying to get people's confidence back that travel was safe and life shouldn't stop because of the extreme actions of a few degenerates. By the end of the month, I had sold 9 cruises. That's not a very impressive number, but it showed confidence was coming back, and we weren't going to go under after all. Liz was the true backbone of the company with her bookings and in time, we got staffed back up. About a year later, Liz, who was top sales agent, and I 'earned' a seminar-at-sea cruise aboard Princess Cruise Lines for Canada-New England. This sailing takes place in the Sept-Nov time frame to capture the lovliness that is associated with New England in the fall. Since we lived in upstate NY and were also accustomed to the beauty, we went to learn more about cruising. And to have a good time :) We flew to NYC and took what was probably the most memorable cab ride from the airport to the pier. Our cabbie definitely needed better driving skills, but he was so entertaining we had to overlook the driving up on the sidewalks, the U-turns in front of the hotel in Manhattan, his prolific honking where there were 'NO HONKING" signs on every post, singing Gilligan's theme song with his fractured English when we told him we were going on a cruise. He definitely got us started in the right direction! We boarded the beautiful Golden Princess and were in awe of the design, the classiness, everything! We boarded and were docked right next to the USS Intrepid, so we were waving to the sailors below :) The ships have a Bon Voyage party as you are leaving port, and we set sail and passed lower Manhattan where the Twin Towers had only a year ago stood tall and proud. Now there was just an empty space in the landscape and our Captain asked that we all gave a moment of silence as we passed. We headed out into Atlantic waters and after a day of seminars, woke up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. There were several options but Liz and I took off on foot and went to the public gardens and hoofed up to the Citadel where there was a lovely view of the harbor. We walked thru the historic section, stopping in old churches and shops before heading back to the ship. We sat down at the pier to people-watch, and all of a sudden this idiot came out of nowhere from below the seawall and pops his head up like a Jack-in-the-box and shouts out "Helloooooooooo" I can't do it justice even trying to describe it here, but we watched him in total oblivion pop up and yell at passers-by. Liz and I were trying SO hard not to laugh and give him an audience, but he managed to pop up and scare a little boy out for a stroll with hid Dad, and even gave the Dad a jolt! We were almost rolling watching him, wondering if this was some kind of Canadian Candid Camera episode we were witnessing, when all of a sudden he mustered up all his strength and hurled himself over the seawall and onto the sidewalk, where he dusted himself off and walked away! I don't think I have ever witnessed anything before or since to top that! We set out for our next stop and enjoyed the colors on shore from the ship, passing the famous lighthouse at Peggy's Cove and marveling at the beauty of our world.
Next morning we found ourselves in St Johns, Newfoundland where we were met at the terminal by a group of men singing for us, barbershop-style as we disembarked. We didnt go too far since we had only a few hours' stay here and then headed to Bar Harbor, Maine. This time we took a tour and went to the Acadia National Park. To get there we rook a trolley that I didn't think had the power to make it up the mountain, but it did! It did! We got to the top of Cadillac Mountain with all its rugged granite beauty intermingled with the pines, colors of fall and the occasional pristine blue lake. We hiked a little bit of the area and then decided to take in some of the local flavor of Bah Hahbah. Everything is quaint, with the Victorian-style homes and lobstah theme prevalent but in a classy way, very old-timey stores and laid back. We still had time to kill, so we decided to go on our own on a 1 hour whale watch. It had been quite warm that day and we were in lighter clothes. (Should you ever go on this excursion, take a sweater and a pair of light gloves,,,and Dramamine). None of us realized that as you get further away from shore, the weather gets much colder, and we had to go a ways out to see the whales in their habitat. Well, we got cranking going out and it got pretty choppy and soon several people were feeling the effects, and getting sick. Combined with the on-board eatery that only fried everything, there weren't too many people upright by the time we got to the whales! Liz and I were helping people and reaching inside to grab napkins and paper towels for as many as we could. One elderly lady lamented that she didnt sign up for this! It was neat tho, we did get fairly close to a family and several of them breached as they came by and gave us a nice show. There's never a guarantee you will see whales so we were lucky. Its something I would recommend, just be prepared!
Our next stop was Boston. The weather had turned rainy so we took in a tour of the old city and walked part of the historical Freedom Trail to the Old North church. We went to Harvard campus and thru Cambridge and back to Fanueil Hall. If given the chance, do take in the Freedom Trail. It is very interesting and encompasses a lot of our early history. The next day was at Newport R.I. where we basically stayed close to the ship. Our last night at sea was spent with our group, being thankful that we had been able to take this trip and enjoy the beauty that we had seen, and share it wth prospective customers! Our highlights definitely had to be our NYC cabbie ride and the guy in Halifax. Hands down!
Next morning we found ourselves in St Johns, Newfoundland where we were met at the terminal by a group of men singing for us, barbershop-style as we disembarked. We didnt go too far since we had only a few hours' stay here and then headed to Bar Harbor, Maine. This time we took a tour and went to the Acadia National Park. To get there we rook a trolley that I didn't think had the power to make it up the mountain, but it did! It did! We got to the top of Cadillac Mountain with all its rugged granite beauty intermingled with the pines, colors of fall and the occasional pristine blue lake. We hiked a little bit of the area and then decided to take in some of the local flavor of Bah Hahbah. Everything is quaint, with the Victorian-style homes and lobstah theme prevalent but in a classy way, very old-timey stores and laid back. We still had time to kill, so we decided to go on our own on a 1 hour whale watch. It had been quite warm that day and we were in lighter clothes. (Should you ever go on this excursion, take a sweater and a pair of light gloves,,,and Dramamine). None of us realized that as you get further away from shore, the weather gets much colder, and we had to go a ways out to see the whales in their habitat. Well, we got cranking going out and it got pretty choppy and soon several people were feeling the effects, and getting sick. Combined with the on-board eatery that only fried everything, there weren't too many people upright by the time we got to the whales! Liz and I were helping people and reaching inside to grab napkins and paper towels for as many as we could. One elderly lady lamented that she didnt sign up for this! It was neat tho, we did get fairly close to a family and several of them breached as they came by and gave us a nice show. There's never a guarantee you will see whales so we were lucky. Its something I would recommend, just be prepared!
Our next stop was Boston. The weather had turned rainy so we took in a tour of the old city and walked part of the historical Freedom Trail to the Old North church. We went to Harvard campus and thru Cambridge and back to Fanueil Hall. If given the chance, do take in the Freedom Trail. It is very interesting and encompasses a lot of our early history. The next day was at Newport R.I. where we basically stayed close to the ship. Our last night at sea was spent with our group, being thankful that we had been able to take this trip and enjoy the beauty that we had seen, and share it wth prospective customers! Our highlights definitely had to be our NYC cabbie ride and the guy in Halifax. Hands down!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
my, my how cruising has changed!
well I have finally made it to the Land of Blog! Since I am a travel agent, I figure how better to inform the public of such an exciting way to travel and be able to do so with the enthusiam I have for it!!! My first 'cruise' (and I call it that tongue-in-cheek,,,,) was almost 30 years ago when I was living in Germany and saw an ad to go to Sweden, land of my grandmother's family! Oh how very exciting I thought THAT would be!!! Get a taste of a new country, see where I came from,,,So I booked the 3 day 'cruise' and started on my way to the port of Kiel, where, after a hellish 12 hour ride, my bus-mates and I boarded what looked to be a tuna boat! Hesitant that we might not last in the frigid iceberg-ish North Sea, we departed and slugged thru the night, arriving at Goteborg, Sweden the next morning. We spent a day and a half there before returning to said tuna boat and returning to Kiel. What I did manage to come away with was that there were some opps on a 'cruise' such as entertainment, casinos, smorgasbord, and a cabin that could qualify as a utility closet, and that included the bathroom! I loved the idea of being on a mode of transport that could easily take one to a new and exciting destination! I always knew one way or the other that I would definitely do this again!
Fast forward 20 years (that flew by in a blink) and I am entering a new phase of my career, and that is to start working as a travel agent. It was a very part-time job, not enough to pay the bills, but whetting my appetite for travel once again! I had traveled around Europe when we were stationed there in the Air Force and had itchy feet to do so again, if I had the chance to. One day our boss came up to 3 of us and offered to take us on a 7 night cruise to Bermuda! I just had to accept, turning that down would show that I was not interested in continuing or learning more about being a top-level agent, plus just downright rude! So off we set to Bermuda, on the Nordic Empress from Royal Caribbean. She was a smaller ship but to me she was beautiful!!! Everything was in pristine shape, there were fresh flowers everywhere and the service was impeccable! There were none of the tin can tuna-boat flashbacks, this was a true resort on the seas! Our cabins were ok for what we used them for, which was sleeping and changing clothes. Of course we wanted to explore every nook and cranny, and we had all heard about the wonderful food!!! Midnight buffets, the entertainment, etc...there was somethign for everyone! People think they won't enjoy a cruise because 'what will I do?" well if you go on a cruise and are bored, its not for lack of things to do! While we were there in port, our boss suggested we each take a side tour and then come back and compare notes. I went to the Botanical Gardens there and saw so many neat plants, flowers and trees, and I fell in love with the Birds of Paradise flower, because they were just about everywhere! Our boss and his entourage went golfing, and the golf course there was beautiful! We also took in the Zoo there and went diving off the reef there. That was neat to be about 10' underwater and see all the fishies and sea life going on!
Since Bermuda, I have cruised several more times, including the Eastern and Western Caribbean, Canada-New England, trans-Atlantic on the Queen Mary2!!! and adding the Southern Caribbean to the list in a month or so! I had taken a break from travel to manage a trucking company that I thoroughly enjoyed. Full time at the same agency became a possibility and I jumped at the chance to get back into it. The very first day I met Liz, who has since become my travel partner and one of the best friends I could and will ever have! She and I have since had many 'adventures' and stories and pictures!!! We have done the gamut of cabins, from inside to ocean-view to balcony. They are all nice! It just depends what you want/need at the time!
I can't say enough about cruising!! Gone are the days of bare-bones sailing. Today you have opulence and glamour and the service is just out of this world!!! You board the ship, you unpack one time, someone else does all the 'driving', someone makes your bed, someone else cooks 24/7. If you like, you can wake up in a new place almost every day! One morning you may look out and see Grand Caymans and the next day you see the mountains of Jamaica! You can do as much or as little on the ship. You can exercise, take classes, play in the casino, do an art auction, first-class entertainment, wine tasting, even napkin folding if thats your heart's desire...there's always something to do! And its not expensive! When you figure a land-based vacation, or sitting in Cancun for a week, that tends to get pricey! There's a cruise for every budget and time frame, from 3 days to 100+ days, and exotic ports around the world! It truly IS your best value!!! When you are ready to sail, let me know! I will be glad to work up a quote for you! Or if you have questions, I will be glad to answer. Just contact me at travelwithmarty@aol.com. I look forward from hearing from anyone who wants to go and have FUN!!
Fast forward 20 years (that flew by in a blink) and I am entering a new phase of my career, and that is to start working as a travel agent. It was a very part-time job, not enough to pay the bills, but whetting my appetite for travel once again! I had traveled around Europe when we were stationed there in the Air Force and had itchy feet to do so again, if I had the chance to. One day our boss came up to 3 of us and offered to take us on a 7 night cruise to Bermuda! I just had to accept, turning that down would show that I was not interested in continuing or learning more about being a top-level agent, plus just downright rude! So off we set to Bermuda, on the Nordic Empress from Royal Caribbean. She was a smaller ship but to me she was beautiful!!! Everything was in pristine shape, there were fresh flowers everywhere and the service was impeccable! There were none of the tin can tuna-boat flashbacks, this was a true resort on the seas! Our cabins were ok for what we used them for, which was sleeping and changing clothes. Of course we wanted to explore every nook and cranny, and we had all heard about the wonderful food!!! Midnight buffets, the entertainment, etc...there was somethign for everyone! People think they won't enjoy a cruise because 'what will I do?" well if you go on a cruise and are bored, its not for lack of things to do! While we were there in port, our boss suggested we each take a side tour and then come back and compare notes. I went to the Botanical Gardens there and saw so many neat plants, flowers and trees, and I fell in love with the Birds of Paradise flower, because they were just about everywhere! Our boss and his entourage went golfing, and the golf course there was beautiful! We also took in the Zoo there and went diving off the reef there. That was neat to be about 10' underwater and see all the fishies and sea life going on!
Since Bermuda, I have cruised several more times, including the Eastern and Western Caribbean, Canada-New England, trans-Atlantic on the Queen Mary2!!! and adding the Southern Caribbean to the list in a month or so! I had taken a break from travel to manage a trucking company that I thoroughly enjoyed. Full time at the same agency became a possibility and I jumped at the chance to get back into it. The very first day I met Liz, who has since become my travel partner and one of the best friends I could and will ever have! She and I have since had many 'adventures' and stories and pictures!!! We have done the gamut of cabins, from inside to ocean-view to balcony. They are all nice! It just depends what you want/need at the time!
I can't say enough about cruising!! Gone are the days of bare-bones sailing. Today you have opulence and glamour and the service is just out of this world!!! You board the ship, you unpack one time, someone else does all the 'driving', someone makes your bed, someone else cooks 24/7. If you like, you can wake up in a new place almost every day! One morning you may look out and see Grand Caymans and the next day you see the mountains of Jamaica! You can do as much or as little on the ship. You can exercise, take classes, play in the casino, do an art auction, first-class entertainment, wine tasting, even napkin folding if thats your heart's desire...there's always something to do! And its not expensive! When you figure a land-based vacation, or sitting in Cancun for a week, that tends to get pricey! There's a cruise for every budget and time frame, from 3 days to 100+ days, and exotic ports around the world! It truly IS your best value!!! When you are ready to sail, let me know! I will be glad to work up a quote for you! Or if you have questions, I will be glad to answer. Just contact me at travelwithmarty@aol.com. I look forward from hearing from anyone who wants to go and have FUN!!
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