Flying through the air with the greatest of ease

Hi! Kidlet number 1 here, you can call me Priszm. In 2006 my parents decided to go on another cruise, this time on Holland America's Veendam. As soon as Mom and Dad decided they wanted to go, Grandpa and his lady friend, we'll call her Angel, signed up to join them. Pretty soon my parents friends from NC were on board, as well as two other couples.

Dad emailed me one day and said that he had planned a wonderful, amazing surprise for Mom. He decided to do a vow renewal ceremony. Mom wasn't to know until the moment of the ceremony. When he sent me the email, my boyfriend JEM and I were considering joining them on this cruise. Dad said if we were able to go, I'd stand with Mom. We did get to go and it was a beautiful ceremony. Although Mom did find out when we first boarded the ship, they had several cards in their cabin and she opened the wrong one. Oops!

Our trip happened to take place shortly before my birthday and JEM's was celebrated on board as his birthday took place the same week as our cruise. My parents told us that for our birthdays they would purchase a shore excursion for us, we just had to let them know which one. It wasn't easy choosing which one we wanted to do. There were several, so we picked our top favorites and told Mom and Dad to pick one and surprise us. So this is what we got to do:

In Belize one of the shore excursions is a zip line tour through Belize's rainforest. It was sooo much fun and soooo pretty! We spent about an hour and a half on a bus heading to the site. Once there we were outfitted in our harnesses, helmets and gloves. Then we went for a short hike. We had a break at a small cave like area where we received instructions on how to zip through the tree tops.

This was so much fun and definitely something everyone should try! And of course, while waiting for our tour to get gathered up and onto the bus, we got to meander through the shops at the port. I didn't do a lot of shopping there, but Mom definitely enjoyed herself at the jewelry store :D

Looking for some Inspiration?

On Saturday June 7th, 2008 Diane and I had the privilege of doing a ship inspection of the Carnival Inspiration. Ship inspections are a chance for Cruise Specialists to tour a ship while it’s in port. This is usually an exclusive event, done by invite only and ships aren’t always opened up to Cruise Specialists, or only a limited number are permitted to participate. Touring a cruise ship lets us see exactly how the different cabin categories look, what amenities are provided, what the set up is, what type of theme or décor the ship has. We also get a chance to sample the culinary experience that our clients will get to enjoy on their vacation, complete with a delectable chocolate dessert and samples of the wines available to you, the passenger. All of this just so we can easier find the perfect cruise vacation, something tailor made just for you.

In 1996 Diane and I had actually sailed on the Carnival Inspiration, enjoying a family vacation with our two children. At that time the home port was San Juan, Puerto Rico and the itinerary was the Southern Caribbean. The ports of call that we got to enjoy on our seven days in paradise were, of course, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maartin, Martinique, Barbados and Dominica. Having had a personal experience on the Inspiration as guests, we were anxious to see what changes have been made in the ensuing years.

Last year the Inspiration underwent a make-over; the price tag was over $50 million dollars. All that we saw pleasantly surprised us! In 1996, having a family of four which included two teenaged children, we booked the mini suite. At that time the décor was black veneer; now it has been updated into a more modern look with bright, airy colors. When we sailed the room was partially divided by a partition, a wall that separated the beds from the couch. The couch at the time was a small sectional that folded into a hide-a-bed; well, the shorter part of the sectional did anyway. It’s not something I would recommend a tall guy like myself try sleeping on. The updated look removed the partition, allowing for a more open feel. The couch still opens into a hide-a-bed; however now it’s the longer portion of the couch opening up. On this new version I wouldn’t hesitate to worry about having enough room while sharing the bed with my wife.

The cabins weren’t the only part of the ship to receive a new look. All of the public areas received a face-lift with an artistic theme. For those that like to golf, a 9-hole mini golf course has been added. I know, you’re probably saying “But Tim, I don’t like to golf! I’m on vacation, I’d rather just hang out and have fun at the pool.” Guess what?! You’re covered too! The Inspiration has added a water park with several water slides. Or maybe you’re looking for a little pampering; then we’re going to send you to Serenity – an adult only retreat. Maybe you’re looking to work off a few of those scrumptious meals you’ve been eating (Diane recommends having dessert first!). The gym not only has state of the art equipment, but also provides classes; we even saw some bikes for spinning in the room. And after your day of fun in the sun, a fabulous 3+ course dinner (hey, if lobsters on the menu, I’ll have 2 or 3!) and maybe some dancing under the stars or catching one of the shows, you’re ready for bed. And Carnival has you covered there with a bed that’s going to feel like your own version of heaven.

Are you ready to try out the new and improved Carnival Inspiration for yourselves? We’ll be happy to help you find that perfect cabin at that perfect time. The Inspiration sails year round out of Tampa, Florida heading to the Western Caribbean for five glorious days. The cabins are very affordable and are perfect if you’ve never been on a cruise. Or maybe you have but now you’re looking for something to take the family on. Did I mention that we had our two teenagers on board with us and we only saw them at dinner time? Ahhh! Peace and quiet! And for those of you just looking for a short get-away to paradise? This ship is perfect for you too! The Carnival Inspiration has something for everyone and we look forward to helping you find that vacation that’s just what the doctor ordered! So just click on My Vacation Center at the right and we can get started.

Cruising During Hurricane Season

I know it’s been a while since anything new has been written and I apologize. I’ve been planning on different stories to share with everyone, but there’s so many it’s hard to decide. So while Diane and I are working on that, we thought it would be a good idea to write about something that’s at the top of everyone’s mind when considering a cruise right now: hurricanes.

June 1 was the start of the Atlantic Hurricane season. A lot of people think that means it’s a lousy time for a cruise. Guess what?! It’s not! Cruise Lines spend millions of dollars to create these big floating hotels. They have on an average of 2000 or more guests per cruise. The last thing they are going to do is put such a large investment and number of people in danger. Cruise ships are equipped with the latest and greatest weather radar and communications equipment. Land based hotels are stuck, they can’t move. But with a cruise ship there is very little chance of a cruise sailing into a hurricane. Land based hotels would run out of food, electricity, water and just the general convenience of life.

If a hurricane prevents the ship from returning to the home port, you’ll be taken care of in the manner you have become accustomed to! The dinning room might have to repeat a menu from earlier in the trip, but there is still electricity, air conditioning, food, water, and entertainment until the ship is able to return to port.

We can speak from first hand experience what it is like to sail during a hurricane.
A couple of years ago we were on a cruise to the Panama Cannel on the Coral Princess. That was when Hurricane Wilma decided to visit South Eastern Florida. Wilma meant we missed Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel as ports of call. The ship instead was re-routed to Aruba and we then an extra day at sea before returning to Ft. Lauderdale. Well, Wilma decided to turn to the East and came across South Florida, closing both the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami ports due to flooding. We floated around in the post hurricane waters off of Ft. Lauderdale on the day we were supposed to return, even making an extra trip to the Bahamas for a day. Naturally we didn’t mind a few extra days living in the lap of luxury! The cruise ship was able to open up the ship to shore phone lines so passengers could make whatever phone calls they needed to. Internet was also provided. Our luggage was returned to us as quickly as possible, everyone had theirs back by 6pm on the day we were supposed to disembark.

Living in Florida we didn’t really experience any part of a hurricane except rain that is until Hurricanes Charlie, Jeanne and Francis came through our hometown. We know what happens on land when a hurricane strikes; we would much rather be at sea where the ship can travel around the hurricane and we are much safer.