ms Eurodam Cruises | A Holland America Ship Review

Always interested in trying something new, my family and I ventured off for a week long cruise on the ms Eurodam, a Holland America cruise ship for February break. The Eurodam is part of the Signature Class from Holland America and she entered service in 2008, which was one of the reasons we chose her for this cruise as we wanted to sail on a newer ship. At nearly 87,000 tons, she is the sister ship to the newer ms Nieuw Amsterdam, which was launched July 2010. Both ships can carry 2,104 passengers and 929 crew members. The Eurodam is in port in the Caribbean from late October until early April and then spends the remainder of the year in the Mediterranean and Western Europe (April/May); the Baltic, Norway, and British Isles (May through August); and onto Canada and New England (September/October).

The Eurodam offers many new dining options including Tamarind, a Pan-Asian restaurant with all female servers; Canaletto, an Italian specialty restaurant; Pinnacle Grill, a steakhouse that transforms itself one night during the cruise into Le Cirque. Don’t forget the traditional Lido Buffet and flexible dining with As You Wish dining. There is also a Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food & Wine magazine. “With this groundbreaking, industry-leading program, you’ll learn tricks of the trade from our own accomplished chefs or renowned guest experts– and explore your culinary passion as you explore the world.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,

Make Sandals and Beaches Your Next Vacation

If you think I’m talking about a walk on the beach, you’re only half right. Sandals is the premier couples only all-inclusive vacations that set the gold standard for vacations and Beaches is their family version. When people hear all-inclusive, almost everyone thinks of a bad vacation they had and they immediately want to steer clear of making the same mistake again. However, there is no mistake to be made when choosing either Sandals or Beaches. This privately owned company has a CEO who not only created Sandals from the ground up, but stays actively involved in every aspect and even reviews the literature page by page before it goes out. Sandals has 13 resorts: 7 in Jamaica, 3 in St. Lucia, 2 in the Bahamas, and one in Antigua. With amazing waterfront views that many other resorts can’t achieve with newer building laws that prevent building on the waterfront, Sandals offers waterfront, beachfront, and oceanfront views compared to ocean view, which could mean your resort is a few blocks or miles from the water. Additional benefits include exchange privileges with other Sandals resorts, which will increase your dining and entertainment options exponentially, Red Lane Spa, and golf! Beaches has resorts in the Turks & Caicos (1 resort) and Jamaica (3 resorts) with water parks, children’s and teen programs, all of which are included.

RoxAnne from RoxAnne’s Travel recently wrote a post about Sandals on her blog that you should read. If you are thinking about a luxury-included vacation that includes transfers to and from the airport, scuba diving, golf, snorkeling, gratuities, and more, make your next vacation one at Sandals or Beaches. With Weddings by Martha Stewart at Sandals and Sesame Street at Beaches, can you think of a better vacation? It’s time to plan your next getaway so why not consider a luxury all-inclusive vacation at Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Sandals Negril or Beaches Negril? Allow me to pick the best one for you so you can sit back and relax on the beach or enjoy a round of golf and get away from it all.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,

What’s the Difference Between a 3-Day and 7-Day Cruise?

To a novice cruiser, the difference between a 3-day and a 7-day cruise is the number of days. However, to most cruisers the difference is far more than the number of days. Most of the cruise lines use their older ships for the short itineraries to the Bahamas. Is this a bad thing? Not at all if you are interested in trying out a cruise for the very first time. Be aware though that the cruise experience on the short itineraries are not reflective of the cruise line as a whole.

Why is this? For starters, the older ships have less space and far less amenities. If you see the commercials on TV and get excited about all the latest and greatest activities that you can participate in while on a cruise, realize that those ships are either new or only a few years old. The older ships have the basics like dining with a main dining room and maybe even a specialty restaurant. On the newer ships you will be able to choose from several or more specialty dining options. Entertainment on the older ships include Broadway-like productions in the main theater. On the newer ships entertainment includes these types of productions, but also new and exciting options like Cirque du Soleil or the Blue Man Group on NCL Epic or a watershow in the AquaTheater on board Royal Caribbean‘s Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas. Overall, there is less variety and fewer choices, but to be honest if you have never sailed before, you won’t know that until you have.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,
Page 40 of 75« First...1020303839404142506070...Last »