Nov 18, 2009 by Amber Nolan - 1 comment
Amber Nolan is on deck with the latest cruise deals, industry news, ship reviews, and advice on finding the perfect voyage to suit your personality.
If you’re thinking that this trend of over-the-top onboard entertainment is the new direction of the cruise industry: think again. One cruise line that has recently surfaced is traveling back in time by placing emphasis back on the ports of call. Voyages to Antiquity will soon be sailing the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Red Sea with a focus on the culture and history of each destination. Founded by Gerry Herrod, (who also introduced Ocean Cruise Line and Orient Lines), Voyages to Antiquity will offer nine unique itineraries aboard its boutique vessel, the Aegean Odyssey – which is slated to debut in May 2010.
It’s about time. After sailing with two family-friendly ships for the past decade, Disney has announced that bookings are now open for the newest addition to its own family – a 4,000 passenger cruise liner set to debut in 2011.
Despite the fact that Carnival just recently launched its own “Dream” ship, (see Carnival Dream Inaugural) Disney is naming its newest masterpiece the Disney Dream. We’ll let the “pre-used” name slide, after all Disney is known for dreamers and aboard the new ship is no exception. The creative team developed a 3-D digital movie theater, an interactive ocean lab for kids that lets them “navigate” the high seas, and a high-powered water coaster that sends guests soaring through a translucent funnel before making a 150-foot plunge.
After years of planning and endless public updates announcing each stage of development, the long-awaited Carnival Dream will soon embark on the last of her series of inaugural sailings in the Mediterranean. While a handful of lucky cruisers have already experienced Carnival’s latest addition, many others are anxiously waiting for the “dream ship” to make its initial appearance in the United States this November.
The cuisine on the Queen Mary 2 is deserving of an entire blog post. At one point, I was wondering how the days have been going by so quickly, and I have concluded it is largely due to the time I have devoted to sampling nearly every restaurant on the ship. When dining with Cunard, there is very little of “let’s grab a quick bite to eat.” Passengers can look forward to each meal and dinner preparations begin hours in advance with the ever daunting task of choosing what to wear.
I wasn’t expecting tropical weather, but I had anticipated spending some time on the outer decks curled up with a good book – but crossing the Atlantic can be breezy, cloudy, and always unpredictable. Of course, Cunard knew this when they built the Queen Mary 2, and designed her to make traveling these rough waters as smooth as possible, and to keep passengers entertained when the weather refuses to cooperate.
I ignored our steward’s advice to bring the pocket map. I wanted to wander and see where the ship’s seemingly endless hallways would take me, and as I heard the distant sound of plates clanging down the corridor, I realized it had taken me to breakfast. I thought a good cup of coffee would help to awaken me from this surreal dream I had been living in since yesterday evening, when I embarked on my first transatlantic cruise.
