The Lollipop Road

Archive for the ‘Cruising’ Category

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Royal Caribbean’s kid’s program, better known as Adventure Ocean has many facets and is far reaching in terms of activities. The program is divided into 5 age groups, Aquanauts (3-5), Explorers (6-8), Voyagers (9-11) and two teen groups (12-14 and 15-17). On board the Voyager Class of ships, including Navigator of the Seas, you’ll find one large space broken up into two sections for the youngest groups. The tweens have their own space as well. The two teen groups then share two separate spaces, a lounge and a nightclub. On the Navigator, the aft sun deck is reserved for teens; however, on some Voyager class ships, this area is occupied by Adventure Beach, a play area with fun pools and slides.

Despite this being a relatively new ship, the teen spaces on Navigator are somewhat sparse and dated, as compared to the hip teen lounges found on many ships these days. There are computers and video game terminals for the Explorers and Voyagers, but not much else. The Aquanauts space is a little bit more fun with a mini-slide and cool play table. One of the unique features that I haven’t seen produced on any other cruise line is an outdoor game deck just for kids. There is also a huge video arcade, which is situated in the middle of all of these spaces.

Adventure Ocean requires that children be 3 years old to participate and all participants must be potty-trained. Parents are not allowed in the club area, so for those families with shy or apprehensive children, there will be no transition time allowed. We see this as a potential problem for some children that may result in them not participating at any time during the cruise.

From a security perspective, there are no gates, so in order to prevent kids from wandering out, they block off the exits with small stool-type seats, ropes or chains. All you will need to pick up your child is your cruise card. According to the youth counselor, once they know the parents, identification is not necessary. Unfortunately, these security controls are a bit reminiscent of what we experienced on NCL. We’d like to see Royal Caribbean update their spaces and at the same time improve the security process, which then might allow parents access to the club to transition their children.

Although there were 179 kids under 18 on the ship, program participation was slim and age groups were being combined. Again, countless family activities were scheduled (family golf tournament, family ice skating, family water balloon toss, family science fun, etc), but there was a lack of participation. I cannot determine if this was indicative of the program or the mix of passengers. They definitely get an “A” for effort; the staff was very courteous and professional. I love the fact that they also offer a lunch and dinner program on select days. Their extended hours, from 10:00 PM until 2:00 AM ($6/hr) are also helpful when you need a night out. Babysitting is available in-cabin for $12/hr.

For the youngest cruisers, there is the Royal Babies and Royal Tots programs that offer activities and play time during select hours each day (participation requires parent supervision). The quality and extent of this part of the program is one of the best in the industry, simply based upon the fact that counselors are dedicated to interacting with the parents and children. That leaves us even more puzzled and disappointed in the security and transitional issue that makes it difficult for some parents to make this program work for their kids.

Overall, it seems that all of the family friendly facilities on board have lured families away from the kid’s program (at least on this sailing). Admittedly, with an ice rink, rock climbing wall, mini-golf course, two pools, a huge arcade and lots of outdoor sports opportunities, perhaps family time is more fun on Royal Caribbean.

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Disclosure

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

After 30 cruise, I’m not sure if I’ve ever had two days that are alike. I’ll admit that there are similarities and common themes, but rarely doesn’t a surprise or two crop up in the middle of what would otherwise be another ordinary day on the sea. So, why do I always do an article on “A Day On Board”? Well, I think that it provides a unique look at what to expect and why you should always keep an open mind and a good attitude. Now on to “A Day On Board The Navigator of the Seas”.

Today started out like many others; I was on my way to the cruise terminal at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale. I was being brave this time around and decided to fly down on the same day as the cruise. I say “brave” because one never knows what flight delays can occur and I’d hate to be the one sitting on the dock waving goodbye to the ship. Other than sitting next to a linebacker, then a college B-ball player on the flights down, nothing unusual. Oh yeah, other than I walked with a slight lean the rest of the day as a result of the aforementioned seat mates.

I decided to carry-on all the way and it worked out perfectly. I zipped through the airport and into a taxi for the 10-minute ride over to the port. When I saw that the new (as in no one has sailed her other than crew) Allure of the Seas was docked directly across the channel from the Navigator I was stoked. A few short minutes and I’d be on the ship. Um, wait a minute, what is that line? It appears that they experienced a wee bit of a power outage and were a wee bit behind. Argh! No worries, that is why they make rollers on them there bags.

Once they had everything restored, the Royal Caribbean folks got to moving…and fast. Despite the glitch, I was on the ship exactly one hour from when I arrived – with my luggage. I immediately made a bee line for the Promenade, where I would start snapping photos of the Allure. It is so large that it wouldn’t fit in one photo frame from thousands of feet away. Ten minutes later I was in my cabin and reminiscing about how tiny the bathroom/shower really is on this ship. Soaping up the walls and spinning seems to be the best way to take a shower.

I had been on a 32 hour fast (because I forgot to eat), so I presumed I was hungry. Although I like the layout of the buffet on the Navigator, it is a bit strange that the grill is indoors and that there is like, no (or little) outdoor seating. I scoped out the pickings as I always do before making final selections. Glad to see there was some Indian cuisine a nice salad bar and at least one good dessert (yummy coconut slice). Soon I was off to check out the ship.

I made a commitment to use the stairs the entire trip and was successful so far. I made a stop at the expansive kid’s area and chatted it up with one of the counselors. It appears that there are only 179 passengers under 18 on this sailing. “Only 179?”, I asked. Apparently it’s all relative. Anyway, that meant combined age groups – bummer for the 6-11′s. Anyway, the facilities are a bit sparse and there is no Adventure Beach. In its place, there is a teen sun deck in addition to a teen lounge and a teen nightclub. Lots of teen spaces, but where are all of the teens?

We chatted on for a bit and apparently Royal Caribbean does not allow parents to transition kids into the club, which means that if you have a shy or apprehensive child you are flat out of luck. Perhaps that is why I’ve seen so many young kids wandering the ship with their parents on this cruise. It could be a deal breaker for some families, mine included.

Any-who, it was time to move on to the rest of my self-guided tour. I like the layout of this ship, the ample public space and the Royal Promenade. It can be a bit touristy (the aforementioned RP), but hey, I enjoy noshing in the Cafe Promenade, so it’s all good. Are people really lining up to book shore excursions already? Don’t get me started…

Since I had my luggage, I decided to unpack, write for a bit, then head to the muster early. Good thing I did as I got one of the last seats. No life vest required and you get to sit the whole time…I like it. Afterward, I went back out on deck for sail away. I listened to the music, wrote a bit more and snapped photos of the departing Coral Princess and Celebrity Equinox and Allure once again as we departed.

I selected My Time Dining and made an advance reservation (before sailing) for 7PM to see how it all worked. I showed up early and the dining room dedicated to flexible dining was like, empty. I was seated with 7 other folks who had been there for about 5-10 minutes. I’m always hesitant about joining a large group, but this time we had a blast. We had an ex-minor league hockey player and his wife, a couple who worked at a sky diving school/place/thing, a retired gent who travels around in an RV and a young couple who balanced the insanity.

So, lesson learned,a big table can be fun. Oh, and I have an invitation to go sky diving. As it turns out, they’re only a hundred miles from where I live. Stay tuned for those photos! After we broke up, I headed up to the buffet to check out the food up there and see if there was an edible dessert – nope none there either. I had opted for the safest choice at dinner – butter almond ice-cream…yummy.

As I staggered back to my cabin, I had the notion of writing a bit more, right after my 5 minute nap. Well, I didn’t wake up until 6:30 AM; I think I was tired. It was a long hard, but fun day on board the Navigator of the Seas.

New to family cruising? Check out some of our great family cruising resources.

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Disclosure

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

I’ve addressed lots of safety concerns from first time cruisers in the past and amazingly, what to do in a real emergency has never come up. Most parents are concerned about kids falling over the balcony, climbing through the railings or getting sick from swimming with toddlers who aren’t potty-trained. I’ve even put together an extensive article on keeping kids safe from the Norovirus. Never did it occur to me that I would need to cover the topic of what happens in a real emergency – like that which occured on the Carnival Splendor this week. I guess I’ll be adding another page to my book. In the meantime, let’s take a look at a few things that you need to know about the situation and what you can do to prepare your kids in case of an emergency at sea.

What occurred this week on the Splendor probably occurs more often than you realize. Luckily, most of the incidents that do occur are minor and never amount to more than a slight inconvenience, if any at all. As a matter of fact, I’ve been on a cruise where a small fire has erupted; fortunately, all was well in short order. By now, however, we can all agree that the fire that broke out onboard the Carnival Splendor was a rather major inconvenience, but seemingly never did rise to the level where the seaworthiness of the ship was in danger. Nonetheless, being prepared is important. I’m about to sail on my 31st cruise and each and every time I step aboard, I wince when thinking about having to sit through yet another muster. Well, perhaps it is important after all.

Update – As we sat at dinner last evening, the dreaded announcement…Alpha Alpha Deck Six Zone 1 6-2-0-0. My tablemates looked puzzled, so I kindly informed them that there was a fire and that there was no need to worry. Like I said, it happens more than you know and there is NO need to worry.

The incident on the Splendor occured during the early morning hours when most everything was still closed, but what if it had happened while your kids were somewhere other than with you? Do they know what to do? Do you know what to do?

Not surprisingly, the youth counselors are well-trained to handle such emergencies. They, like all crew onboard, receive emergency training even before they begin working on the ship. During an emergency where evacuation orders have been given, all children within their care will be evacuated directly to their muster stations. However, what if your kids are just roaming the ship by themselves? You should always have a contingency plan on what to do in the event of an emergency and discuss it with your kids during the mandatory muster that occurs before you set sail.

Here are a few tips:

• Make sure that your kids know their muster station number, its location and how to get there.
• In a non-evacuation emergency, choose a meeting place. The cabin can be a good choice, although there should always be an alternate in the event that the primary location is not accessible.
• Make it clear to them that if there is an emergency situation, they should follow the instructions of the crew.
• Most cruise lines have taken the additional step of providing participants in the kid’s program with bracelets that identify their muster station, but if they haven’t, make sure your child has the information in writing and with them at all times.
• Finally, do not panic. The crew is well trained for such an event and your safety is their top priority.

All crew members sailing with the major cruise lines serving North America go through frequent emergency training exercises that keep them current. I encourage anyone who is concerned about incidents such as this to read the recent account directly from the Cruise Director of the Carnival Splendor, John Herald. As luck would have it, he already posts a personal blog and with the permission of Carnival’s CEO, he has been allowed to recount the event in great detail for his readers.

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Disclosure

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

We recently named one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, Nassau, the capital of The Bahamas as the most family friendly port in North America. In short, we love the fact that there are plenty of activities within walking distance or a short (inexpensive) taxi ride away, which make this a great port stop when it isn’t too crowded. Having visited on 2010’s busiest day (over 17,000 passengers in port), however, I can attest to the chaos that can take over this historic port. So, if you have a choice, check the port schedule in advance and try to avoid the crowds.

There are sometimes dozens of shore excursion choices and quite frankly it can be a daunting task to find one that works for your family. Having ported in Nassau countless times, we have our old favorites and our “we wish the kids were older” list. We’ve taken the best of both and put them together to make our list of the most family friendly excursions in Nassau.

Family Favorites

Blue Lagoon Island – A private island retreat located about 20-minutes by boat from Paradise Island, Blue Lagoon Island is ideal for young and old alike. You can enjoy a simple beach experience in the sheltered lagoon, relax in a hammock, enjoy a BBQ lunch, take a short hike, enjoy the limited watersports or participate in a dolphin or sea lion encounter (no minimum age for encounter). Easy.  $$-$$$  Ideal for all ages.

Atlantis Aquaventure – Expensive, but absolutely amazing, the Atlantis Aquaventure waterpark offers waterslides, pools, river rides and rock climbing. Younger kids can enjoy one of three water playgrounds while older kids can splash down a river or zoom down one of several waterslides. Dolphin and sea lion encounters are also available at Atlantis (4 years and up). Easy – Moderate.  $$$-$$$$  Ideal for all ages.

Money Saver Tip: Rent a room at the Comfort Suites Paradise Island and admission into Atlantis Aquaventure is free!

Power Snorkeling – An adventure like you’ve never experienced before – this isn’t your average snorkeling tour. Trade in your fins for a personal water scooter that will propel you through the water (just like in National Treasure) at a whopping 3 mph! You’ll cover more area and get to see more underwater action. When you’re done, you can relax onboard your awaiting double deck catamaran before returning back to shore. Moderate.  $$  Must be 12 years of age.

Close to the Pier

British Colonial Hilton Beach Pass – About a 10-minute walk from the pier you’ll find a quiet stretch of white sandy beach where you can relax and frolic in the ocean. Your beach pass includes access to their pool as well as a food and beverage credit voucher. Kayaks and snorkeling gear are complimentary. Stroller friendly.  $  Ideal for all ages.

Nassau Walking Tour – Pick-up a map from you Port Lecturer onboard or from the information desk in the cruise terminal building. Highlights include the Nassau Pirate Museum ($12 – under 4 is free), Queen’s Staircase, Fort Fincastle, Fort Charlotte and plenty of shopping along the way. Stroller friendly (but challenging at times).  Free – except as noted.  Ideal for all ages.

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Disclosure

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

There are over 100 cruise ports to choose from in North America alone, providing a veritable buffet of culture, adventure and activities. Because there is no possible way for families to wade through all of those options efficiently, we’ve come up with what we consider the five best cruise ports for families and you just might find a surprise or two in the bunch.

1. Nassau, The Bahamas – Nassau, one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, and the capital of The Bahamas is located on New Providence Island. We love that there are plenty of activities within walking distance or a short (inexpensive) taxi ride away. Walk to the British Colonial Hilton for a beach day or visit the Pirate Museum. Shopping and history abound in this very walkable city. A short taxi ride over to Paradise Island gives you access to Atlantis and their amazing waterpark, or you can hop on a ferry and head over to Blue Lagoon Island for a relaxing private island experience that also offers a dolphin swim. We also like that the port days are typically long, allowing ample time to enjoy the island. This really can be a great port stop when it isn’t too crowded.
2. Castaway Cay, The Bahamas - One of the most popular private retreats with families, Disney’s Castaway Cay has just completed a major upgrade to its facilities in order to accommodate the Disney Dream, scheduled to begin calling in January, 2011. The family beach has been expanded by 70% and Scuttle’s Cove (the kid’s area) now has a water splash zone. There are countless family activities. You can dig for whale bones, zoom down the waterslide or relax in one of the beach cabanas. Adults have their own private beach, while teens have a private hangout, making Castaway Cay the best private island experience for the entire family.
3. St. Thomas, USVI- With some of the best beaches in all of the Caribbean (like Magens Bay or Coki Point), easy access to nearby islands (like St. John, Jost van Dyke and Tortola) and an incredible variety of excursions, St. Thomas provides a full day of activities and then some. Within walking distance of the pier, you’ll also find the Skyride, soaring to 700 feet above the town and providing panoramic views of the harbor and beyond. You’ll also find Coral World, one of the most popular family attractions in the Caribbean. Whether you love water activities, island adventures or shopping and relaxation, St. Thomas is an excellent choice.
4. Juneau, Alaska - Alaska’s capital city is accessible only by air or sea, resulting in the majority of its visitors arriving by cruise ship. Despite its compact design and remote location, Juneau is a busy city with fun family adventures everywhere. Mendenhall Glacier is just a short ride from town. There you can hike, kayak near, float by or even walk on the glacier. Normally we don’t recommend culinary type tours to families, but the Alaskan Salmon Bake really is a great excursion for all members of the family. Add the potential of sightseeing in Glacier Bay, bear viewing on Admiralty Island or riding a zipline while taking in spectacular views and you have the perfect port for family adventure. Not that adventurous? Step off your ship and onto the Mount Robert’s Tramway located adjacent to the pier. There is actually so much to do in Juneau that you’ll wish you had more than just a day.
5. Labadee, Haiti – Another port that may not have made our list a year ago has now taken the number five spot. Royal Caribbean’s private retreat on the island of Hispaniola has made significant improvements aimed at making the port more family friendly. The second private island retreat to boast its own dock, Labadee provides the convenience of not having to tender, which has alone skyrocketed its family appeal. Add the floating aqua park, pirate themed splash park, zipline and an alpine coaster and you’ve got a family adventure in the making. The only problem you’ll likely encounter is that the kids won’t want to leave.

Looking for more information on family friendly ports? Watch for our new book coming out later this year. Inside, we’ll cover over 50 North American ports in detail, providing the family friendly scoop. Subscribe to our alerts to receive a special discount.

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

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