Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

Company Overview
In the highly competitive world of cruise companies, Royal Caribbean International consistently earns top honors in the quality of its ships. Founded in 1969, the company has expanded rapidly both in the number of mega-liners and cruising regions. Formerly synonymous with Caribbean cruises, today RCI’s vessels are a mainstay in Alaska, Mexico, New England/Canada, Hawaii, the Baltic and Mediterranean.
Royal Caribbean is a leader in ship size and design. The innovative Viking Crown observation lounges originally wrapped around the ships’ funnels. In 1988, the first mega-liner with atrium, Sovereign of the Seas, was introduced and was so successful, the design concept was quickly adopted by other cruise lines. Sovereign’s sister ships Monarch of the Seas (1991) and Majesty of the Seas (1992) added staterooms with balconies to the design. (Sovereign of the Seas underwent a major rebuild in November 2004 which included the addition of balconies to 62 staterooms.)

The Vision-class ships made the viking-crown lounges more easily accessible by adding them to the top of the centrum (atrium). These ships are noted for the extensive use of glass making them lightfilled and offering exceptional sea views from public areas. Built in three pairs of sister ships, the Vision class includes Legend and Splendour or the Seas (1995, 1996), Grandeur and Enchantment of the Seas (1996, 1997) and Rhapsody and Vision of the Seas (1997, 1998). Enchantment of the Seas was stretched and refurbished in 2005. A 73-foot midsection was added, turning her into an 81,500-ton vessel with 151 additional staterooms and new public areas including Chops Grille specialty restaurant and Boleros Latin lounge.

In November 1999, RCI launched the first 138,000-ton Voyager-class vessel, Voyager of the Seas, which carries 3,838 passengers when full. Again, there were many “firsts”, including an ice skating rink, rock climbing wall and roller blade rink. Voyager also sports a Skylight Wedding Chapel, Aquarium bar (56 Tons! of saltwater with tropical fish), High Notes nightly jazz session, inside promenade cabins, Studio B (where live TV shows will be produced) and Scoreboard sports bar with satellite feeds from around the world. Voyager has another “first” — it’s own zip code i.e. 33132-2028. Voyager had four sister ships in service by the end of 2003: Explorer of the Seas (2000), Adventure of the Seas (2001), Navigator of the Seas (2002) and Mariner of the (2003). These ships held the record as the largest passengers ships in the world until the delivery of Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 in December 2003. RCI will take back the record, however, with the delivery of the first Ultra Voyager ship, Freedom of the Seas, scheduled for delivery in May, 2006.

The Voyager-class ships proved to be so popular RCI launched an even larger version of this class. Freedom of the Seas (2006) and sister Liberty of the Seas (2006) are 158,000-tons, measuring 126 feet by 1,112 feet and standing 18 stories high are nearly identical to the Voyager class ships except for the addition of a “surfing” area and enormous children’s pool.

RCI introduced the Radiance-class vessels starting in 2001. Smaller at 90,090-ton, but offering enhanced entertainment options similar to the Voyager-class, these 2,501-passenger vessels feature more glass than other RCI ships including all glass elevators facing the sea. They feature a new design of gas turbine engine which is smokeless and vibration-free, with azipod propulsion. The first, Radiance of the Seas entered service in March 2001 followed by Brilliance of the Seas (2002), Serenade of the Seas (2003) and Jewel of the Seas (2004).

Empress of the Seas is the former Nordic Empress which underwent a major revitalization prior to the 2004 Bermuda season. The major changes onboard include the addition of more dining areas, an expanded spa and gym, a new card room and the conversion of two existing lounges into a Latin themed bar and the nautical-themed Schooner Bar.

The Royal Caribbean Experience:
A Royal Caribbean executive once used the phrase “mass with class” in describing his company’s vessels, a fairly apt description. For me, what most distinguishes RCI’s 11 vessels is their beauty. For example, the “Vision class” series of six nearly identical ships (Legend/Vision/Grandeur/ Enchantment/ Splendour/Rhapsody of the Seas), and “Radiance Class” (Radiance/Brilliance/Serenade/Jewel of the Seas) have acres of glass ensuring the sea and sky are always within sight, beautiful spas with and subdued yet refined art. These are wonderfully romantic ships, popular with honeymooners and anniversary celebrants.

The most popular ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet are the enormous Voyager and Freedom-class vessels especially for younger, more active passengers and families with children. And indeed, they are beautiful vessels with so much to do it seems silly to stop in any ports. Due to their size, I don’t recommend these ships for people who have problems walking.

RCI’s distinctive Viking Crown Lounges are romantic glass-enclosed lounges high above the sea. These are wonderful ships for families with children of all ages, including teens, who have their own private club and disco; family staterooms and suites are also available on the newer ships. Service is friendly and efficient and, from our most recent experience, RCI’s cuisine has improved certainly on the Vision-class vessels. My one big gripe is the miniscule cabin size on the older vessels (Sovereign/Monarch/Majesty of the Seas, Empress of the Empress), although even the newer Vision ships have some smaller staterooms compared to other vessels in this price range.

Royal Caribbean still offers two seating, assigned dining in one large dining room. One area that needs much improvement is cuisine, which is far below what is served on competitor Carnival Cruise Line ships.

Fellow Passengers
Honeymooners, families and couples from their mid-30’s to retired in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Bahamas, Mexico and Hawaii cruises. Couples in the 55+ age group in other cruising regions and on 10+ day sailings.

Taking The Kids:
Royal Caribbean’s “Adventure Ocean” youth program has age-specific facilities and programs supervised by youth counselors for Aqaunauts (age 3-5, must be toilet trained), Explorers (age 6-8), Voyagers (age 9-11), Navigators (age 12-14) and Teens (age 15-17). A new program for infants and toddlers 6 months to 3 years, in partnership with toy maker Fisher-Price offers 45-minute playgroups for children accompanied by an adult, involving storytelling, creative arts, music and a variety of Fisher-Price learning toys and games. Aqua Babies are six months to 18 months old while Aqua Tots are 18 months to three years old.

Adventure Ocean runs year-round in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Bahamas, Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska. Parents can leave their children at Adventure Ocean while they take shore excursions. For this purpose, the facilities open 30 minutes ahead of morning shore excursion departures. Otherwise, organized activities are offered from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with group babysitting from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. for a fee. Teen centers are now open past 2 a.m.

Private babysitting is offered from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., provided sitters are available, for children from six months old. The rate is $8.00 per child per hour with a minimum of three hours and a $2.00 per hour charge for each additional child. Cash payment is made directly to the sitter. Private teen clubs and discos are found on the Vision, Voyager and Radiance-class ships. Supervised activities are available on RCI’s private islands, Labadee and CocoCay.

Educational programming is provided by the “Edu-tainment” of the Adventure Ocean activities. In addition to learning about the ports of call, there is Adventure Science and Adventure Art programming. On Voyager and Radiance-class ships, Adventure Ocean Computer Centers have age-appropriate software and staff-guided tutorials.
There are special menus for children and a “Fountain Soda Package” can be purchased for the cruise. The package includes fountain sodas and juices at all bars, lounges, dining rooms and private destinations. Kids 17 and younger pay $4.00 per person per day plus a 15% gratuity. For teens 17 and older, and adults, the charge is $6.00 per person per day plus the 15 % gratuity.

Family staterooms and suites are available on the Vision, Voyager and Radiance-class ships. Request cribs through your travel agent. Strollers are not available.

Past Passenger Program:
Crown & Anchor Society members receive discounts at onboard shops and special discounts on select sailings; 4 program levels with added amenities; admission to Crown & Anchor clubs in select ports; onboard recognition; quarterly newsletter. For more information call 800/526-9723.

Tipping:
Royal Caribbean suggests a per person per day gratuity of: $3.50 for the stateroom attendant ($5.75 if sailing in a suite); $3.50 for the waiter; $2.50 for the Assistant Waiter; .75 Head Waiter. These gratuities may be paid in cash or charged to your onboard account. For children sailing as third or fourth passenger in the stateroom, tipping is at the parents’ discretion.

A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to all beverage tabs. Gratuities for room service, spa, casino and other staff are at your discretion.
Copyright Anne Campbell, 2007.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Time to Ditch the Rolex

Sometimes you just don’t want to follow the rest of the crowd. In everyday life, you follow a certain routine – get up at 6:30, arrive at work at 8:30, lunch at noon, leave at 6, and dinner at 8. Wouldn’t it be nice to find a vacation where you don’t have to be a slave to the clock? Well, wait no more because NCL’s Freestyle cruising may be just what the doctor ordered.

The sleek cruise ships of NCL deliver modern, contemporary cruising with a unique twist. Instead of fixed dining times, NCL offers Freestyle cruising which allows you to dine when and with whom you please in a variety of restaurants. You can select from up to 13 restaurants on board. All meals in the main restaurants are included in your fare. But most passengers choose to dine at the specialty restaurants several times during their cruise. The cover charge in the specialty restaurants is very modest in light of the dining experience – ranging between $10 and $20 per person. Options include a steakhouse, Teppanyaki (think Benihana), French Country Bistro, Italian Trattoria, Asian Fusion, All You Can Eat Sushi Bar, Tapas and Tex Mex. Advance reservations are available or you can call for same day arrangements. In the event that the restaurant of your choice is full, the maitre d’ can suggest alternatives using the ship’s computerized system or you can elect to take a pager that will alert you when your table is ready.

Norwegian Cruise Line has carefully arranged the entertainment and activity schedules to complement the Freestyle dining approach with extra shows and more convenient timing of activities. In addition to the Freestyle features, NCL has not left out any of the traditional trappings found on conventional cruises – large casinos, vast pool decks, complete spa and workout areas, internet cafes, shopping arcades and more. And on their newest ships, they’ve thrown in something not found anywhere else at sea – regulation bowling alleys in a vibrant entertainment complex.

NCL operates a fleet of 14 ships to destinations including the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Europe, Bermuda, and (under sister brand NCL America) inter-island Hawaii cruises.