Cruising Boston and Manhattan

Spring has finally come to the northeastern United States. Leaves are on the trees and the flowering plants are in bloom.

With the Spring, the northeastern cruising season begins. Ships come up from their winter bases in Florida and the ships that stay the winter in the northeast start to change their itineraries to include places like Bermuda, Canada and New England.

Accordingly, this week our focus is on two of the great northeastern cruise centers - - New York and Boston. Both ports not only are cruise embarkation ports but they are great cruise destinations to visit.

A spectacular part of a cruise out of New York is the trip out of the harbor. This is especially so for ships leaving out of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal (a.k.a. The Passenger Ship Terminal). The view of the Manhattan from the Hudson River and from the bay is awe inspiring. It unfolds majestically as the ship slowly moves down the river and out of the harbor. So many of the City's famous landmarks pass by as the ship.

Accordingly, we have put together a photo essay showing some of the sights that you see sailing out of New York harbor and telling a little bit about each one. It is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/new-york-sailing-from-manhattan.html

Boston is a great cruise port as well. There is so much history and culture there to see. Therefore, we have expanded the Boston cruise destination section of Beyondships. It begins at http://beyondships.com/Ports-Boston.html

An unusual shore excursion that I went on the last time I was in Boston was a visit to Fenway Park. Bostonians are avid baseball fans and Fenway Park is the home of the Boston Red Sox. It is a great place to watch a game. However, this visit was on a day when the Red Sox were out of town. Nonetheless, seeing this beloved Boston institution and listening to tales of games gone by was a fascinating experience. http://www.beyondships2.com/visiting-bostons-fenway-park.html

To tie our coverage of these two great cities, we also have a short video of Caribbean Princess sailing from Boston's Black Falcon Cruise Terminal to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-princess-boston-to-manhattan.html

Finally, we have added an index of our profiles of the various cruise destinations that are visited on a New England/Canada cruise. http://www.beyondships2.com/canada-new-england-cruise-destinations.html

Royal Caribbean's new Quantum of the Seas

It is hard to believe that people are not already lounging by the side of the pools or enjoying the entertainment on Quantum of the Seas. After the media preview held last week in New York City, I felt that the ship is out there sailing the seas somewhere. In reality, however, that is still some 18 months in the future.

What made me feel that Quantum must already exist? To begin, we were shown a video with realistic looking images of the ship cutting through smooth seas. Then we were shown Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain flying in the ship's skydiving simulator and Royal Caribbean International President Adam Goldstein playing table tennis with Kristen Chenowith, the ship's godmother, in the Seaplex - - a venue that transforms from sports complex to entertainment center. We then saw Ms. Chenowith in various other parts of the ship.

Mr. Fain did say that today's computer technology had been of great assistance in allowing Royal to see how all the various components of the design would fit together. As a result, he assured us that the whole Quantum of the Seas would be greater than the sum of its parts and that “the thing that is most exciting to me is the way it all fits together as a seamless whole.”

Still, as impressive as the virtual reality was, the confidence with which Mr. Fain and Mr. Goldstein spoke about the ship. Listening to them speak, it was hard not to phrase questions in the present tense “does the ship” rather than the future tense “will the ship.”

So what was my impression after seeing the video, listening to the presentation and seeing the mock-up of a cabin with a virtual balcony and the land-based version of the skydiving simulator in the parking lot? I was impressed. Royal has come up with a lot of innovative ideas. It is exciting. In addition, the fact that the ship is to be built by Meyer Werft is another good sign as, in my opinion, that shipyard builds very high quality ships.

I was somewhat disappointed that she will not be the Royal Caribbean ocean liner that ship buffs had hoped for. She on to Quantum has been designed to be an all-season cruise ship since the plan is to sail her from the New York area even in the winter. However, Royal Caribbean Executive V.P. Harri Kulovaara, said flatly that she is not designed to be a North Atlantic liner such as Queen Mary 2.

This is disappointing because crossing between Europe and America in a fast liner is a much different experience than crossing the Atlantic during a re-positioning cruise. The speed is exhilarating and since it takes much less time than a re-positioning cruise, it is a viable alternative to flying. I would think that many people would like such an experience done in the Royal Caribbean style.

The media preview naturally focused on the headline garbing aspects of Quantum such as the North Star viewing platform - - a crane-like arm that will take passengers on a ride some 300 feet above the sea. However, my experience has been that there is more to Royal than the “wows.” Allure of the Seas is a great ship not because she is the largest in the world but because she is so multi-dimensional in entertainment, dining, accommodations and activities.

Although not designed as a follow-on to Allure, there are indications that Quantum will also be multi-dimensional. For example, Royal has thought about single passengers and is including a number of single occupancy studio staterooms on Quantum. Showing that it is not merely copying ideas from Norwegian Epic and P&O Cruises' Azura, some of these studios will be balcony cabins.

We have put together an introduction to Quantum which includes commentary from Mr. Fain and several other Royal Caribbean executives as well as photos. It begins at http://www.beyondships2.com/quantum-of-the-seas-revealed.html

Keeping with the Royal Caribbean theme, we have new photo essays of two of our favorite Royal Caribbean ships. The first shows the aforementioned Allure of the Seas arriving in Jamaica. http://www.beyondships2.com/allure-of-the-seas-in-jamaica.html This highlights Allure's nautical qualities as the maneuver depicted is not an easy one.

Brilliance of the Seas is another ship with good maneuverability. However, in this photo essay the focus is on her pretty lines docked in Antigua and St. Croix. http://www.beyondships2.com/brilliance-of-the-seas-in-the-caribbean.html

Talking with the Captain of the Eurodam; Photo Essay; Menus; Dining Guide

I have always liked Holland America Line's Eurodam and so I was quite pleased to find the ship performing so well when I cruised on her recently.

Eurodam is a mid-sized ship. She is bigger than any of the other Holland America Line ships with the exception of her sister Nieu Amsterdam. However, at less than 90,000 gross tons, she is far smaller than most ships being built today.

But that is how Holland America and its fans like it. They prefer the relative intimacy of smaller ships. The ships are refined with museum quality art and thoughtful décor. The atmosphere is sophisticated, reflecting the fact that the line attracts more educated passengers.

This is not to say that Eurodam is tiny. She is large enough to have several specialty restaurants, a theater, a nightclub, a secondary entertainment lounge as well as two pools and a sizeable spa. What she does not have is things like a water park. Her guests prefer things like the digital workshop or the culinary arts center.

What really struck me about Eurodam, however, was the friendliness of the staff. This was not the type of friendliness that is part of an effort to get an extra tip. Rather, the people seemed to genuinely want the passengers to have a good time.

In order to find out more about what Eurodam is all about, I spoke with Captain Jeron van Donselaar and Hotel Director Stan Kuppens. Both of these individuals were key players in bringing Eurodam into service in 2008. They have continued on with the ship subsequently although Mr. Kuppens left for awhile to bring Nieu Amsterdam into service. Thus, not only are they in a position to speak knowledgeably about the ship but they also yed key roles in forming the ship's personality.

My interview with Captain van Donselaar is at http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-captain-interview.html and my interview with Stan Kuppens is at http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-hotel-director-interview.html

Eurodam offers guests a variety of dining choices. Accordingly, I also asked Mr. Kuppens to discuss the various dining options on Eurodam. They are presented along with my own observations in our dining guide to Eurodam. http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-dining-guide.html

Along the same lines, we have added a Eurodam menus page. http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-menus.html

Also, as a result of this cruise, I have enough material for a new photo essay of Eurodam in various ports. http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-photo-essay-2.html

Finally, our photo tour of Eurodam has been expanded and updated with new photos of the ship's interior. http://beyondships.com/HAL-Eurodam-Tour1.html

Photo Profile of Cruise Destination San Juan

San Juan is unique amongst Caribbean island cruise ports. It is a major city just like you find on the mainland of North America or Europe. It dwarfs the other Caribbean island cruise ports.

From a cruise passenger's perspective, the section of town known as Old San Juan is the primary focus. It is where most of the ships calling in San Juan dock and where some that are starting off their cruise leave from. Also, it is where most of the city's tourist attractions lie.

Another factor that enters into the equation is that many of the ships arriving from Florida do not reach San Juan until afternoon. When all of the port formalities are done and the gangways finally openned, it is already mid-afternoon. While the cruise lines usually do sell excursions to places beyond Old Jan Juan - - the rain forrest and the Bicardi rum factory are popular - - they tend to involve returning to the ship after dark. So the majority tend to stay in Old San Juan.

So once the ship clears and you walk down the pier into Old San Juan, what is there to see? Old San Juan is the historic part of the city. It was the city of San Juan for many years. As a result, there are many historic places to visit.

For example, San Juan was a very important port during the colonial period and the European powers fought over it centuries. One of the things you will notice sailing into the Bay of San Juan is that there are two enormous fortresses guarding the city. One was to defend the city from attacks by sea while the other was to protect it from land-based assualts. They were still in use as military facilities in World War II. However, they are now operated by the U.S. Natiional Parks Service and are open to the public.

The Spanish also built impressive churches. The Cathedral of San Juan is the most famous and most revered religious site in Puerto Rico. Amongst other things, it contains the tomb of the explorer Juan Ponce De Leon who was also the island's first governor. However, don't miss the 16^th century Church of San Jose, one of the oldest churches in the New World. In addition, there are many small churches scattered throughout the district that are archetecturally interesting.

Quite a few historic buildings have found new life as museums. They cover topics from art to antiquarian books to ethnic culture to the life of cellist Pablo Casals.

There are places to indulge in retail therapy as well. Within a few blocks of the cruise piers are numerous shops with internatiionally known names. There are also colorful local shops as well.

But Old San Juan is also just nice to stroll, particularly as the shadows start to become long. To illustrate, walk along the 19^th century park-like Paseo de La Princesa and then beneath the towering city walls on the Paseo de Morro, which runs along the bay. Pass through the walls at the last remaining gate and stoll up the tree-lined cobble-stoned streets until you come to the Cathedral. Then head back down Cristo street past the shops until the street ends at the charming Parque de Palomas with its view of the bay. There you will also find the Casa de Libro musuem and the tiny 17^th century Capilla de Cristo. Turn left and proceed down hill past colorfully-painted houses with wrought iron balconies to the cruise port. The atmosphere is romantic and the sights are pleasing to the eye.

Our San Juan profile page is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-destination-san-juan.html It links to our discussion of the cruise port and to our links page. However, the feature of the San Juan ssection is the multi-page tour of Old San Juan with photos and descriptions of many of the attractions. It begins at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-destination-old-san-juan-attractions.html