Get a Good Nights sleep on Ventura!

If you are in search of a perfect nights sleep on your Cruise Holiday, then look no further than the P&O Ventura!

Ventura is one of the largest ships in the P&O fleet with an incredible choice of facilities from bars, restaurants, a sports court, 4 pools, Spa and Theater along with many exciting features that are exclusively to the ship. these include its Signature Restaurant, The White Room, by the very own Marco Pierre White. 

To top all of this off she was recently refurbished with state of the art luxury Sealy Beds. This means you can sail off to a deeper more comfortable sleep than you would probably even get at home in your own bed!

I personally tend to get a good nights sleep on most ships I have been on as I find the beds and bedding extremely comfortable, so I would be very keen to give these a try on the Ventura. 

Do's and Don'ts on the first day of your cruise

So the day of your cruise has arrived, you are excited and anxious to get on-board. If it's not your first cruise then you will probably have your usual ritual that you do. If, however, you have never cruised before it can all be very daunting! You wont really know the protocol and what the best things for you to do are on your first day on-board. this is where I am here to help. Here are some top tips on the Do's and Don'ts on your first day:

DO's 

• Tour the Ship. You need to do this to get your bearings as ships can be a minefield to navigate around when you have never been on one before! Start at the top and work your way down, this way you wont get lost or miss anything out. You also can walk down the stairs then and won't tire yourself out!
• Make your Specialty Dining reservations as they tend to get booked up quite early. Especially if you have a special occasion you are celebrating one evening, you wont want to be disappointed.  
• Book your Spa treatments. Again, this is one of the things that gets booked up quickly, especially for days at sea! Top tip, book your treatment on a port day  (if you have been somewhere already) the Spa tends to offer big discounts on treatments on port days. 
• Buy your Alcohol or Soda packages if you haven't already pre booked. Royal Caribbean and MSC do some fantastic value ones that will save you a small fortune on your spending money. 
• Take lost of photo's whilst the ship is fairly empty and in order as once the activities begin and everyone is on-board it will be hard to get a clear picture of the ships fabulous features.
• Visit your cabin and freshen up, maybe even change your clothes to something a little more comfortable and holiday like.
• Finally, head up deck for the sailaway. It will really get you in the mood and set you off on an exciting foot for your cruise ahead.

DON'Ts

• Head straight to the Buffet - I know you will be staving by now as breakfast would seem a lifetime ago but  everyone tends to head here first and it can be very hectic and hard to find a table! Maybe pack a snack for whilst you are embarking and then visit once the crowds have died down. Often other venues are open for lunch so maybe explore these instead.
• Take the lift if you don't have to! It will be packed and will take you ages just to get anywhere. Use the stairs where possible. 
• Presume your cabin will be immaculate and in working order. It should be, but on occasion things can be missed by the cabin steward so make sure you are happy with it and the condition it is in when you arrive. 
• Skip the muster drill. It is tempting as you will be off exploring no doubt but this is a vital part of the cruise and you MUST attend! Even for those who have cruised 100 times before.

Follow these simple rules and it should get you off to a cracking start to your cruise! :) Oh and DO make sure you have a cocktail or 2! Enjoy....

Quantum Leap for Crown and Anchor Members

As a Loyal Customer to Royal Caribbean, Crown and Anchor Society members will be given priority booking for the brand new and eagerly anticipated ship the Quantum of the Seas!

You will be able to priority book from the 28th May!! 

Here are some of the AMAZING new features that will be on-board:

RipCord by iFLY® That’s right: fly! This skydiving simulator lets your customers experience the sheer thrill and exhilaration of flying. RipCord by iFLY’s air machine will keep you afloat in a safe, controlled environment. So guests can feel the utter WOW of flying, without ever having to leave the ship. Learn more » North StarSM The exclusive North StarSM promises to elevate your customers both physically and emotionally, revealing 360-degree views of a world that’s never been seen before! North Star’s intimate, jewel-shaped capsule lets guests gently ascend over 300 feet above sea level, to take in breathtaking views of the ocean, the ship and exciting destinations. Learn more » SeaPlexSM SeaPlexSM is the largest and most groundbreaking indoor active space at sea. By day, guests experience a circus school and flying trapeze, as well as a regulation basketball court. By night, the first-ever bumper car and roller skating offerings at sea will deliver thrills, with music from a DJ booth that hovers overhead. Learn more » Two70°SM Your customers can immerse themselves in spellbinding performance art, mind-blowing light shows, and dazzling digital scenery. During the day, the space is a modern, open area living room with magnificent 270 degree panoramic views. By night, Two70°SM transforms as the lights go down and the music comes up. Learn more »

I think you will agree, this looks absolutely spectacular, you will not want to miss it! Don't forget, 28th May - have your Crown and Anchor membership number at the ready!

Fat Busters - what to eat to avoid the extra lbs on your cruise!

We all know that a good cruise is all about the food food food. It is in abundance on a cruise and can be very hard resist! They say on an average 14nt cruise you can expect to put on about 1lbd a day - that's a whooping stone in 2 weeks! Eeeeeeek!

I have been on lots of cruises where the food has been just amazing, you want to try everything on offer! From the 5 course meals in the main dining room to the buffet options practically 24hours a day, it can be rather difficult to say no can't it?!

So what are the main contenders on a cruise ship for this weight gain and what can you do to avoid it? Read on...

BURGERS AND FRIES

No poolside day is complete without a good old cheeseburger and a big portion of fries. Or a trip to the infamous Johnny Rockets on a Royal Caribbean ship is definitely not to be missed. But with the Smoke House coming in at 1100 calories and then another 480 at least for a portion of fries and washed down with a creamy milkshake at 920 calories you are in for a heart attack!

DIET SWAP - why not try a grilled chicken fillet burger instead, these carry much less calories than the beef burger and if you ditch the mayo and cheese you are saving even more calories. Or go Atkins style and skip the bun and fill up on more salad instead of fries.

SUGARY DELIGHTS

Most modern cruise ships have little havens of Sugary Wonders on board, take Royal Caribbean with its Ben and Jerry's ice cream parlour and the Oasis and Allure of the seas Boardwalk donut shop. and cupcake cupboard. not to mention pudding with your evening meal every night. It can be very hard to say no to these sweet treats!

DIET SWAP - Instead of having a whole cupcake or donut to yourself, why not break it in half and share with somebody, that way you are literally halving the calories! Have a frozen yoghurt instead of ice cream, much healthier choice and just as tasty! Instead of choosing the chocolate cake for your pudding opt a few evenings to have the sorbet instead.

COCKTAILS

We are all guilty of indulging in a few of these on our cruise holiday, mine is a strawberry daiquiri or 4! I like a Pina Colada....but not at aprox 645 calories I don't! A long Island Iced Tea comes in at a huge 780 calories and a margaritas has 740 - wow! Maybe we should really be looking at what we are drinking rather than eating on our cruise??

DIET SWAP - A glass of wine is much lower at about 100 calories a glass. Vodka or Gin and slim line tonic is always a dieters choice of drink. A Cosmo is only about 150 calories. But if you really must have a fruity, creamy cocktail then try having it as your pudding instead.


Happy Healthy Cruising (hmmmmmm, maybe not!) :)

Raising the Concordia

I was sent a very interesting email from one of my clients the other day about the plans to raise the Stricken Costa Concordia, so I thought I would share it with you all....It is quite long, but mainly pictures so bare with it as it is an interesting read!

Here's The Ingenious $400 Million Plan To Deal With The Wrecked Costa Concordia     CBS News In January, the cruise ship Costa Concordia struck a rock off the  shore of  Isola del Giglio, In the  Mediterranean . 30 people on board the largest passenger wreck of all time lost their lives; Two are still missing. Nearly a year later, the wreck is still sitting off the Italian coast, mostly submerged. Because the Costa Concordia is in a nationally protected marine park and coral reef, It must be removed from the area before it can be dismantled, posing countless difficulties. In a report on the efforts to remove the wreck, 60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl visited the site And recounted the remarkable salvage operation, which has a $400 million price tag. Not only is it the riskiest, most complicated, and most expensive salvage plan Ever undertaken, but no one is sure if it will work. The ship weighs 60,000 tons and is filled with seawater. CBS News It is sitting on two underwater mountain peaks. 65 percent of it is below the surface. CBS News The wreck is an official crime scene. CBS News The operation, which will cost about $400 million, Is being paid for by insurance companies. CBS News The plan is to rotate the ship upright, and onto an underwater platform. CBS News Then it will float up, leaving more of its structure above the surface. CBS News And it can be towed away. CBS News Before getting on the inclined ship, Workers must take a 4-day mountain climbing course. CBS News The underwater platform is being built in northern  Italy . The steel must be transported through the  Adriatic Sea , Around the boot of  Italy , and up to the wreck. CBS News The steel that makes it up weighs three times as much as the  Eiffel  Tower . It will be embedded in the seafloor. CBS News The drill bit will be enclosed in a large tube, To keep debris from contaminating the protected area. CBS News For now, the ship is held in place by steel cables, But strong storms could dislodge it. Then it would sink to the seafloor, Making the salvage operation near impossible. CBS News 111 salvage divers are currently working on the salvage operation Around the clock, in 45-minute shifts. They attached the cables holding the ship where it is. CBS News They all live in floating barracks, next to the wreck site. CBS News How exactly will workers rotate Costa Concordia onto the platform? The plan essentially involves "weld[ing] a new ship onto the shipwreck," Stahl reports. CBS News That new "ship" will consist of huge, hollow steel boxes. CBS News Called sponsons, the biggest are 11 stories tall. CBS News 9 will be welded onto the exposed side of the ship, With just 2 inches between them. CBS News Then steel cables will connect the sponsons to the steel platform. CBS News Hydraulic pulleys will pull the 'Costa Concordia' upright. CBS News More sponsons will be welded onto the other side of the ship. CBS News Once the ship is upright, the extra buoyancy should make it float. CBS News The ship will be floated next summer. Once the process begins, there is no way to stop it, even if something goes wrong. CBS News The backup plan is to break it up where it lies, at a huge cost to the local environment. CBS News If all goes well, the 'Costa Concordia' will be cut up for scrap, far from Giglio. It is so large, the process will take 2 years.

Mother and Godmother all in a year!

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge will not only be a new mum this year but she is also set to be a Godmother too!

It has been announced today by Princess Cruises that the Duchess is set to be the Godmother for the new Royal Princess which is launching in June this year. The Grand Ceremony is set to take place on the 13th June in Southampton and is sure to be a Royal Affair.

The Duchess will be joining the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and more approriately her late and beloved Mother in Law Diana the Princess of Wales. I'm sure she will be extremely honoured to follow in Diana's footsteps in becoming a Godmother to this amazing looking ship.

Royal Princess will arrive at Ocean Terminal in Southampton on Friday 7th June for a week of festivities before the official inauguration. 2 short cruises will follow this and then she will emabark on a maiden voyage followed by Grand Med cruises through the summer and then the Eastern Caribbean starting in the Autumn.

Cruise the Mississippi in 2015!

Being a huge fan of River cruising, having done one myself, this really caught my eye as a piece of interesting news. Especially for all my fellow River Cruisers out there...

It is thought that Viking River cruises let slip last week they are planning on adding a North American sailing on the infamous Mississippi River to their itineraries!

They are going to use a modified Viking Long ship design, which will be similar to the European ships but different in dimensions and passenger capacity.

Currently there are 2 River Boats that sail the Mississippi - the American Queen and Queen of the Mississippi - which has the classic paddle wheel that you see in the movies. The Viking Long Boat will not feature this.



At present we are not 100% sure who the cruises will be marketed to, whether they will only sell them to the US market or if they will open it up to the European market, but watch this space!

Is the Mississippi something you would like to try? It would be a great way of tagging a River Cruise with a Deep South stay and tour to extend your holiday. Personally I love the idea, it would really give something different to the River Cruise Market.