Announcing Celebrity Reflection

I've just read that Celebrity Cruises has announced the name of the fifth Celebrity Solstice Class ship - Celebrity Reflection.

Michael English, Head of Field Sales for Celebrity Cruises, UK & Ireland, stated "I’m excited to announce the fifth Solstice Class ship will be named ‘Celebrity Reflection.’ Further details to follow soon."

 

Celebrity Reflection will be joining Celebrity Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse and the shortly awaited Solstice as the fifth of the class. As names go, it's not my favourite but the class she is joining definately gets top marks. I've been on Equinox and Eclipse and can not fault anything. There is a certain 'je ne sais quoi' as soon as you step on board; with some of the most attractive features I've seen on a ship, fantastic staff, and exceptional food.

All the ships offer great itineraries and Celebrity Eclipse sails straight from Southampton meaning you can step into the 5* luxury without the hassle of a flight!

To pre-pay or not to pre-pay, that is the question...?

Over the last couple of months Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises have been encouraging UK customers (through agents) to pre-pay their gratuities before they get on board. It's turned out to be a bit more controversial than I expected.

The UK and the US have very different habits when it comes to the subject of tipping, otherwise known as gratuities. In the US they are accustomed to tipping for anything and everything, and at least 15%. In the UK we tip for good service and probably more around the 10% mark and we generally dont appreciate when it's included in the bill regardless of the standard of service given. So what about on cruise ships?

Pluses...

• Avoid the hassle whilst you're on board
• Great for budgeting
• Utilise the more flexible dining options (e.g. My Time Dining with Royal Caribbean)
• Generally benefit from better currency conversion rates so you save money
• You get given vouchers to allocate out as you wish
• You still still have the option to remove it or reduce it should you feel that the service you have been given doesn't meet your standards

Negatives...

• .....I can't think of anything!!! Unless you have a personal dislike for doing it this way, as far as I can see there is no down side.

Generally speaking Royal Caribbean add on about £5 per day. When you think of all the people that you would tip on a normal cruise (your canin steward, waiters, bartenders, etc), I think this is a really reasonable amount when you think of what you would spend normally.
People also think that they would get a reduced level of service because the crew have 'nothing to prove' but they are made aware if you have paid already and are generally happier beacuse they know that they are going to get it at the end of the voyage rather than potentially nothing at all.

So, in short, would I pre-pay my gratuities before cruise? The answer would have to be yes!

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises have great offers on for September including free parking, free spend and some complimentary upgrades. These offers end 30th September after which prices are set to rise!

National Cruise Week - 19-26 September 2010

National Cruise Week has come around again and is promising to be bigger and better than ever!

The main aim of the week is to bring cruising to the forefront and increase awareness of the excellent value for money that these holdays offer.

Here is ten grest reasons to cruise...

1. You can visit a number of places, without the hassle of packing and re-packing. There is a cruise for everyone; whether you're looking for a 6* luxury voyage or a 2 night mini break to Cork. Regardless of the number of ports, you'll only need to unpack once!

P&O Cruises sail out of Southampton all year round. Click here for more information.

2. Freedom! When you're on board a ship, travelling from port to port you have the freedom of the ship and all its amenities, most of which are free of charge, which beats being stuck in a single seat on a flight each time. You can even sail straight from Southampton, avoiding flying completely should you wish.

3. Meet like minded people are you feast on delicious courses around a shared table, sipping a cocktail at the bar or lazing on a lounger by the pool. There are loads of on board enrichment programmes that you can sign up for (some free, some do cost) where you can meet new people with shared interests.

4. Cashless system on board. Don't worry about counting the coins out of your purse every time you want a drink. Cruises are generally full board, your accommodation, entertainment and dining is included in the price of your ticket as well as most on board activities so all you need to account for is the additional spend of drinks (for which there are discounted packages), any shore excursions (which you can do yourself) and speciality dining (definately worth the cover charge for a great night out). You can also add your gratuities on before you leave, reducing the cost of you on board account and the worry of double tipping. Many cruise lines now offer on board credit when you book your cruise.

Azamara Club Cruises have a great promotion on at the moment with up to $1,200 on board spend!!! Baring in mind your gratuities are already included as well as all your soft drinks and house wine with lunch and dinner, this is an amazing amount of money to spend. Click here for more details on their offers - deal does end 23rd September though.

5. Take the red tape. Some places are difficult to gain visas for, St Petersburg for example. When you take an excursion with a cruise line you are noramlly covered by their visas. This not only saves you money but also takes a lot of the hassle and inconvenience away from you.

6. A great choice of entertainment. Like to dance the night away? See a West End-style show? Or catch a comedy act? Most ships have such a wide variety of entertainment choice, something for every taste and age.

Royal Caribbean's ship are renowned for their on board activites; from climbing walls to surf simulators and mini-golf. Click here to find out more.

7. It's all about the food! If you wanted to you could have bfreakfast, brunch/elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper and a midnight snack. Should your belt strap allow it you could eat 24 hours a day, included room service free of charge. From relaxed burgers at a the Lido restaurant to a formal 4-course meal, the choice is yours. Most ships have speciality dining on board which does have a cover charge but these are often worth a try as the food is stunning!

8. Kids clubs are available on almost all the ships. If your kids are within the age groups specified, there are kids clubs to entertain and stimulate them while you are relaxing on deck with a drink in hand. There is often babysitting services as well so you can enjoy a night out without worrying what the little nippers are up to.

9. Tick off your to do. If you have a wish list of places to visit you can work your way through them with just one cruise! From a 103 night full world cruise to an exotic voyage to the Far East or a 14 night calling at the iconic ports of the Med.

10. Designed for you. If you can't decide between a land-based holiday and a cruise, why not have the best of both worlds and book a cruise and stay. Add a pre- or post-cruise hotel stay in port for a couple of nights, exploring the best of the destination and the fun of the cruise. New York is a particular favourite of mine.

Any more questions? Just ask.

Queen Elizabeth - here I come!!!

I've just received my invite to an agent overnight on board the brand new Queen Elizabeth! Watch this space for my review and, for my sins, the updated 'Steak Stakes'!

Anyone for a cocktail?

There is nothing better than sitting out in the sun with a chilled cocktail in hand. Having worked my way through many cocktail menus there is a definate winner....

The Caipirinha

Should you wish to try making one yourself, here's the recipe....

Ingredients
2 limes, chopped into segments

3 tsp white granulated sugar
65ml Cachaca
large handful ice - preferably crushed

Using a muddle or the end of a wooden rolling pin/spoon, mash the limes and the sugar together. Add the Cachaca and some some of the ice cover and shake. To serve simply pour into a highball glass and serve - lime skins and all.

Have a play around, I prefer more lime in mine as cachaca can be a little strong. Enjoy!

The Crown Princess - a feeling of déjà vu

I visited the Crown Princess last week for the morning. It was the first Princess ship that I had been on and, generally, I liked it. A lot of people I have spoken to who have cruise on a number of brands have rated Princess really highly. As a result I had high expectations.

Wondering through the ship I liked a lot of the features but I couldnt shack a feeling of Déjà vu....until it struck me, I'd wandered the same corridors on Azura earlier this year! The layout is incredibly similar, down to the speciality restaurants being in the same place. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though I think I prefer Azura (it might have something to do with the magpie in me liking the new, shiney features!). Talking of bling - check out the atrium, possibly one of my favourite.

Here are, in my opinion, the best bits of the Crown Princess;

• Movies Under The Stars - I could really imagine laying on a sun lounger in the middle of a Caribbean cruise, sipping a cocktail and watching a movie - a great area for all the family.



The Lotus Spa Pool

• The Sanctuary - an adult only 'oasis of tranquility'. This is a great area to get away from kids. Not having any of my own at the moment my tolerance of screaming kids running around is slight! At a cost of $10pp for half a day I thought this was quite reasonable.
• Lotus Spa - really nice area to have a treatment or two after working up a sweat in the fully-equipped fitness centre.
• The Premium Suite (L106) - the layout and size of this cabin far outshone the Penthouse suite (the grade above). The view was obstructed but the cabin more than made up to it

• Sabatini's (& Adagio) - this speciality restaurant and bar had a great atmosphere, and space to sit outside with a waterfountain. If there is a large group as well, there is a chance that you could book out a section, or all of Adagios. There is a cover charge of $20 for this restaurant and definately worth every penny.
• The Atrium - bling, bling, bling!

The general atmosphere on board was bright, airy and a touch of luxury without the snobbery. I would definately consider going on a cruise with Princess.

There are some great deals with Princess Cruises at the moment. Click here for more information

'The Steak Stakes'

I've just got back from the Crown Princess. Lunch was served in the Botticelli Dining Room. It was a four course menu of shrimp and melon, pasta with elephant garlic(!?) and a tomato sauce, followed by chateubriand and a chocolate souffle for pudding.

The Chateubriand on Crown Princess

All round the service and the food was at a good standard and the dining room itself was pleasant.

The 'Steak Stakes'...

1. Celebrity Equinox in the Silhouette Restaurant
2. NCL in the Churrasceria restaurant (here they keep bringing the meat around until you say stop!)
3. Celebrity Eclipse in the Moonlight Sonata Restaurant
4. Azura in the Peninsular Restaurant
5. Azamara in Prime C
6. Queen Mary 2 in the main restaurant
7. Crown Princess in the Botticelli Dining Room
8. Queen Victoria in the main restaurant
9. MSC in L'Edera Restaurant

Introducing the Steak Stakes!

Every ship I visit or cruise on I have the steak - there is nothing like a steak on board a cruise ship. After chatting to my lovely mum about this blog, she came up with the 'Steak Stakes'. On every ship visit I will force myself to partake in the mourish steak (subject to availability) and rate it against the others I have had the joy of sampling.

Fillet Mignon at Price C

The 'Steak Stakes'...

1. Celebrity Equinox in the Silhouette Restaurant
2. NCL in the Churrasceria restaurant (here they keep bringing the meat around until you say stop!)
3. Celebrity Eclipse in the Moonlight Sonata Restaurant
4. Azura in the Peninsular Restaurant
5. Azamara in Prime C
6. Queen Mary 2 in the main restaurant
7. Queen Victoria in the main restaurant
8. MSC in L'Edera Restaurant

I'm on Crown Princess tomorrow for a ship visit so I'll update this once I've had the difficult task of sampling their steak! - it's a hard job but someones got to do it :-)