The Lollipop Road

Posts Tagged ‘cruise’

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.

It has been 24 years since Royal Caribbean’s Labadee, on the island of Hispaniola, first opened. I stepped foot on the tropical paradise for the first time 22 years ago; my, how things have changed. Long heralded as one of the best private retreats by its visitors, Labadee has been an extremely popular port of call, luring passengers in with its beauty and cultural diversity.

In January of this year, Royal Caribbean received a great deal of grief for continuing to call at Labadee despite the horrible suffering that was occurring in Haiti after its devastating earthquake. Royal Caribbean stood its ground and stood by the people that had long made their private retreat a success.

When you visit Labadee today, you’ll pull alongside a new concrete dock that juts out into Buccaneer’s Bay. This massive undertaking was completed last year, just in time to accommodate Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship afloat. Labadee is now only the second cruise line private “island” to allow passengers to simply walk off the ship and into paradise (the other is Disney’s Castaway Cay). Eliminating the need to tender has resulted in a significant upgrade in the resorts appeal to families.

The walk from the ship to the tram station at Dragon’s Plaza is about 1,500 feet. The developed areas have concrete walkways that will take you around most of the resort, so a stroller might not be a bad idea if you have a young child. Just be warned that certain areas do get a bit overrun with sand.

The tram offers two stops, one at the Barefoot Beach Club and the other at Town Square. Most passengers are going to the second stop, so be sure to let the driver know if in advance if you plan on getting off at the first stop. The trams run frequently and hold about 40 people.

The nicest ares, Barefoot Beach Club is dedicated to Suite guests (yet another good reason to book a suite) and offers beach cabanas, a private buffet and lots of shade. For the general population, there are three beach areas: Nellie’s Beach, Adrenaline Beach or Columbus Cove. The smallest, Nellie’s Beach offers kayak and paddle boat rentals as well as a tavern nearby. You’ll find a few snorkelers in the area as well. Nellie’s is a great family beach.

Adrenaline Beach is the largest stretch of beach, but most of it is not open to swimming. Although you will be told that there is no swimming at all, there were indeed people wading in the water toward the far end of the beach. This area is popular with couples who are looking to utilize the free shade shelters that dot Adrenaline Beach.

The farthest and most crowded beach is at Columbus Cove. Although there is ample beach to stake out your spot, it can get a bit hectic with all that is going on. Many of the tours leave from this beach and you’ll also access the Aqua Park from here as well. If you have a choice, Nellie’s Beach would be preferable for families.

Adults were actually enjoying the Aqua Park more than the kids. Royal Caribbean requires that children under 48 inches be accompanied by an adult, but I would say that even kids up to 54 inches or 8-9 years of age may still need assistance. Climbing on the various trampolines and icebergs is definitely one of those activities that is fun for the entire family. At $15 for 50 minutes, it is a great family activity that won’t break the bank.

One thing that you will find is plenty of beach chairs, hammocks and swaying palms that provide shade from the shining Caribbean sun. Restrooms are located at Columbus Cove, Town Square, across from the Beach Club and at Dragon’s Plaza. The largest and nicest facility is at Dragon’s Plaza, so may I suggest making that stop before boarding the tram.

Labadee also offers some fun family friendly activities. The recently added Dragon’s Tail Coaster takes you up into the hills on a two-person coaster car before dropping you into a 360 degree spiral, back to where you started. This approximate 90-second ride is lots of fun. There is a weight limit of 360 pounds per car and children must be at least 5 years of age. Only children 12 and up may ride alone as you will need to do your own braking to stop the car. The cost is $19 for one ride or $25 for two rides. Combining this with the Aqua Park offers a $5 discount.

Racing across the sea and above your head, you might notice the Dragon’s Breath Flightline that stretches 2,600 feet from the top of a hill above Adrenaline Beach, across the water, to its end point at Dragon’s Plaza. You don’t need to do any work with this one; you will be strapped into a sitting position and gravity does the rest. I especially like it, because it accommodates five riders (there are five parallel lines), so a family can ride the line all at the same time. At $85, it is a bit steep, but it is one of those experiences that you’ll never forget. You must be at least 60 inches and 75 pounds to participate. Maximum weight is 250 pounds.

With all of this activity, you’re bound to be tired. Next stop, lunch. Lunch pavilions are located near Adrenaline Beach as well as Columbus Cove. Serving the usual fare of hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, corn, ribs and salads, there is enough to fill you up, but the quality and freshness was not up to par. The best offerings were the fruit and the cookies, everything in between was a bit disappointing. Drinks (water, punch and iced-tea) are also available.

Labadee also offers a small kid’s play area across from the Beach Club. Staffed by a couple of counselors, it was empty for much of the day. Behind it, however, is a splash zone with squirters and buckets that was entertaining for younger kids on a hot day. For more family activities, you’ll find a few sports courts at the end of Adrenaline Beach as well.

The one negative that has gone from contained to out-of-control on Labadee is the Artisian Market. The original marketplace building, which still houses a dozen or so low-key merchants was a pleasure to shop. Unfortunately, the trail that leads to Columbus Cove is now lined with aggressive merchants who make traversing that area a little less pleasant than it should be. If you are going to Columbus Cove, I recommend getting off the tram at the Beach Club, then walking to Nellie’s Beach. To the front left as you face the water there is a stone path that will lead you over to Columbus Cove. This route will bypass the Artisian Market.

We have long enjoyed our hand-crafted items that we brought back from Labadee over the years and I did make a purchase on this trip as well. However, the merchants made the shopping experience neither pleasant nor one that reflects positively on Royal Caribbean. By the way, you should pay no more than one-third the original price that you are quoted. If you see something you like, ask them “how much?”, offer them one-third and don’t budge. There are what seems to be 100 or so merchants all offering mostly the same crafts, so you’re sure to find what you want at the price you want.

Overall, I still love Labadee and I love the new and improved Labadee even more. It isn’t Castaway Cay, but it is still a great place where families can have fun.

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.

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

For those folks who follow us regularly, you probably know that we’ve been working hard on a book that we believe is not only long overdue, but that will also revolutionize the way that families approach cruise vacations. We’ve made incredible progress since we began back in May and we’re still looking to get it to press by the end of the year. In conjunction with that goal, I’m making one last “research” trip on November 15th aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas. Yeah, I know, “research” – lots of people poke fun at how hard it must be to take vacations for a living – my fellow travel writers know the truth – it really is hard work testing all those lounge chairs, swimming in every pool, relaxing in every hot tub and trying to sample every type of food onboard…no, really, it is a burden.

Okay, enough of that, now on to why I’m writing today. Earlier this year, we put together a month-long cruising event that was quite a success. So, in conjunction with my upcoming sailing, we’ll be putting together a “mini” live cruising event that will give readers the opportunity once again to follow the adventure day by day. We’ll be publishing the following articles with plenty of special insights and tips into cruising with Royal Caribbean International.

• November 16th – A Day Aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas
• November 18th – Royal Caribbean For Kids – Adventure Ocean and Beyond
• November 19th – The New and Improved Labadee
• November 20th – Twitter Digest (of all tweets from onboard)
• November 21st – Cruise Review – Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas

If you’ve ever thought about cruising with kids, cruising with Royal Caribbean or just cruising period, you won’t want to miss this event. You can also follow our live tweet stream on Twitter @thelollipoproad or follow our dedicated hashtag #noslive. This time around we’ll also be doing something a little bit different, so be sure to check back on Monday, November 15th, because we believe everyone will want to participate.

For those who haven’t already subscribed, take a few minutes to Subscribe to our alerts. As an incentive, we’ll send you a discount code to be used toward the purchase of our new book, Cruising Family Style – A Guide to Cruising With Kids once it is launched later this year. Also, in 2011, we’ll be launching a monthly newsletter that you won’t want to miss. Sign-up and stay tuned for more details.

Disclosure