Independence of the Seas Revisited

This week, we've updated and expanded our section on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas.

Independence was the third and final ship in Royal Caribbean's Freedom class. Until Oasis of the Seas entered service, she was the largest cruise ship in the world. She remains in the upper part of the top ten largest cruise ships.

Because she is big, Independence offers a lot to do. Her glamorous interior is geared to those with an active life style.

Since she entered service in 2008, Independence has been Royal Caribbean's primary entry in the British cruising market. Indeed, before she entered service the crew were schooled to understand some of the language differences between British cruise passengers and American cruisers, which most of the crew were more familiar. Independence has sailed each summer since she entered service from Southampton and has developed a considerable British following.

Although Royal Caribbean experimented with having Independence do winter cruises from Southampton, the ship has spent most winters cruising the Caribbean from Florida. As a result, she also has an American following.

After Allure of the Seas entered service in late 2010, Royal Caribbean embarked on a revitalization program for the rest of its fleet. The idea was to give the rest of the fleet some of the popular features from the Oasis class ships. Because Independence was the last ship built before Oasis, her refit, which took place earlier this year, was less extensive than some of the earlier ships.

Still, there were some significant changes. A giant LED television screen was added to the pool deck. A Cupcake Cupboard took the place of the barber shop on the Royal Promenade and the line up of the shops along the Promenade was changed including the addition of a Michael Kors shop. Family cruising was further facilitated by the addition of a Royal Babies center where the youngest passengers can spend some supervised time away from mom and dad. These and other changes ensure that Independence remains a first tier cruise ship.

We have updated our photo tour of the interior and public areas of Independence to reflect the changes made in the 2013 revitalization. It begins at http://beyondships.com/RCI-IOS-tour.html

We have also added a new menus page presenting a collection of menus from Independence's main dining room and specialty restaurants. http://www.beyondships2.com/independence-of-the-seas-menus.html

Similarly, we have a new daily programs and informationals page. http://www.beyondships2.com/independence-of-the-seas-daily-programs.html I find that a good way of getting a feel for what cruising on a particular ship is like is to browse through the daily programs to see the types of activities and entertainment the ship offers. The informational leaflets distributed aboard can also be helpful in getting a feel for the way the ship operates.

Finally, we have added a slideshow showing Independence docked in Falmouth, Jamaica. http://www.beyondships2.com/independence-in-jamaica.html Independence has good lines for a modern cruise ship and so is a good subject. This slideshow augments our previous photo essays and slideshows of Independence in Southampton, Fort Lauderdale and St. Maarten.

Carnival Magic photos; Royal Caribbean's Labadee profile

I was standing on one of the upper decks of Allure of the Seas, watching the various ships that were calling at Cozumel pull into port. Cozumel is probably the most popular cruise port in the Western Caribbean and so it is usually a good place for watching and photographing ships.

In addition to Allure, Norwegian Jewel, Navigator of the Seas and Norwegian Dawn had already docked. Jewel had taken the landward side of the Puerto Maya pier so it seemed likely that a ship would be arriving to take the seaward side of that pier.

Then off in the distance I could see a white shape emerging out of the mist at the far end of the island. As the mist lifted, I could make out that she was a Carnival Dream class ship. Since Carnival Dream sails out of Port Canaveral and Carnival Breeze had been in Miami only a day before, I concluded that it was the second ship in this three ship class - - Carnival Magic.

Carnival Magic, like her sisters, is the latest evolution of the design that began with Carnival Destiny. However, she is wider and has more decks, which to me, gives her a more substantial look.

The ship is quite popular in Texas where she is based. Having been aboard, I do not find this surprising. Carnival remains the world's most popular cruise line and Carnival Magic embodies all of the line's latest thinking. In addition, the interior layout allows for much better people flow.

On this day, the weather in Cozumel was changing rapidly. In addition, to the fog at the far end of the island, there were sunny intervals, cloudy patches and spots of rain. As a result, as Carnival Magic approached, she went though a variety of lighting, which made her more interesting to photograph.

Using my photos, I have put together a photo essay of Carnival Magic arriving in Cozumel. http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-magic-goes-to-cozumel.html

There is also a video. http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-magic-goes-to-cozumel-video.html These augment our existing profile of Carnival Magic. http://beyondships.com/CarnivalMagic-Profile.html

Earlier in the cruise, Allure had stopped at Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private resort in Haiti. Labadee is perhaps the most extensively developed of the private resorts operated by the cruise lines. For one thing, it has a dock so you do not have to tender to and from the ship to the resort. You simply walk ashore.

Labadee is also known for its zip line. It starts on a hilltop at the far end of the resort, takes the riders over a densely-wooded hillside then out over the sea, arriving finally on the beach not far from the cruise ship dock. It is not something that I do but it is impressive to watch the guests speeding along above the waves.

Although Labadee has been extensively developed for some time, Royal Caribbean continues to make changes. Accordingly, I have updated and expanded our section on Labadee. It now includes even more photos of the resort as well as a recent list of the excursions that Royal has been offering at the resort. We have an overview and then look at the cruise port and getting around, the beaches, the activities and facilities, bars and dining, and the spa and shopping. It begins at http://www.beyondships3.com/labadee.html

Profile and Photo Tour of cruise ship AIDAbella

This week we have a new cruise ship profile. AIDAbella is a 69,000 gross ton ship, which entered service for AIDA Cruises in 2008. As with all AIDA ships, she is instantly recognizable by the Egyptian-inspired mural on her bow and sides.

AIDAbella is an intriguing ship. When you hear that she is only 69,000 gross tons, you may well think that she is a relatively small ship. However, she has her own version of all of the features and amenities that you would expect in a contemporary cruise ship. Still, she does not feel crowded or over packed. This is perhaps due to the very non-traditional open architecture inside.

The ship is also intriguing because of AIDA's non-traditional approach to cruising. Many cruise lines have either done away with or give the guests the option of dispensing with set dining times and assigned tables. However, at AIDA, they have even dispensed with the main dining rooms. Instead, the ship has three buffet restaurants and, of course, they are not your standard buffet venue.

Along the same lines, many ships now have some form of entertainment in the ship's atrium. On AIDAbella, the atrium has become the theater with a stage and very sophisticated theatrical equipment. This is where the production cast and visiting performers put on their shows.

AIDAbella is geared for the German market. However, even for non-German speakers it is interesting to look at what is happening on the Bella. Its club-like approach is clearly non-traditional. However, will the concepts that AIDA has already put into practice be incorporated by the more traditional cruise lines tomorrow?

Our profile of AIDAbella is at http://www.beyondships.com/AIDAbella-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour of the ship begins at http://www.beyondships.com/AIDAbella-Tour-1.html

One night cruise on Norwegian Gem; Cruise destination Nassau

Very short cruises are becoming extremely popular. People want to get away from it all for just r a day or an evening, take a mini-vacation or a memorable night out. On these cruises, the ship is the destination as there are no ports of call.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has been very active in this market. Several of its ships are doing one or two night cruises this winter. The popular Norwegian Gem has a one-night cruise in her schedule each month this winter.

We went aboard Norwegian Gem to experience one of these one-night cruises to nowhere. During the voyage, we spoke with Hotel Director Jenny Lind about one-night cruising on the Gem. That article is at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-gem-one-night.html

In addition, we have expanded and updated our section on cruise destination Nassau in the Bahamas. We have added an additional page to our photo feature on the attractions of Nassau. http://www.beyondships3.com/cruise-destination-nassau-attractions.html

Also, we have a new slideshow with photos of cruise ships that have called in Nassau. It is a busy cruise port and seemingly sooner or later every ship comes to Nassau. Well, that is probably an exaggeration but we have photographed quite a few ships in Nassau over the years. The slideshow is at http://www.beyondships3.com/cruise-destination-nassau-ships.html

Carnival Splendor Photos; Cruise destination Tortola

This week we cover two topics.

First, we have a new photo feature on Carnival Splendor. It includes both photos and a video of the ship leaving her berth in New York. I hesitated somewhat in publishing this feature because we published a similar feature about Carnival Splendor earlier in the fall. However, it was a fine autumn day and the pictures and the video from this sailing came out very nicely. In addition, since I know from experience that Carnival Splendor has many fans, I thought they would appreciate seeing these photos. The feature begins at http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-splendor-in-new-york-2.html

The second topic this week is the cruise destination Tortola. Visiting Tortola in the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) is a different cruise experience than visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands. (See our Tortola overview page http://www.beyondships3.com/tortola.html ). The topography is similar. Like St. Thomas, Tortola is a mountainous island with many fine sandy beaches. However, that is about the limit of the similarity.

Tortola is an offshore financial center. Some absurdly high percentage of the world's international corporations are BVI companies. Yet, Road Town, Tortola's only urban center, is not full of corporate headquarters buildings. They are essentially there in name only. The corporations get the benefit of the BVI's more business-friendly laws and the islands get a boast to the economy. In fact, Tortola is one of the most prosperous islands in the Caribbean.

As a result, while Tortola is tourist-friendly, it is not in a tourist-mad. There are shops in Road Town but it does not have the shopping frenzy of Charlotte Amalie in nearby St. Thomas. In addition, the island is not as developed for tourism as the USVI.

Another difference is the island's British background. The islanders tend to be polite and more reserved. A conversation is expected to begin with “good morning” or “good afternoon.”

So what is there for a cruise visitor to do in Tortola? First, there is the scenery. While it is possible to hike to the top of Mt. Sage, the island's highest peak, most visitors take a tour along Ridge Road, which runs along the mountainous spine of the island. It is a wild ride, going up and down steep inclines and rounding some sharp turns. However, from the top on a clear day you can see not only the surrounding British Virgin Islands but the U.S. Virgin Islands as well. Our page on Tortola scenic views is at http://www.beyondships3.com/tortola-scenic-views.html

Second, you can spend some time at the beach. In Tortola, the first name people think of when it comes to beaches is Cane Garden Bay. It is a quite pretty horseshoe shaped beach with white sand and palm trees. There are restaurants and other facilities. Of course, because it is the best known and most developed, it attracts the most people. Tortola has some other more secluded beaches but the tradeoff is that they have less facilities. Our page on Tortola beaches is at http://www.beyondships3.com/tortola-beaches.html

Sailing and snorkeling are also popular activities on Tortola. In addition, many visitors take an excursion over to the Bathes on nearby Virgin Gorda.

Our page on the Tortola cruise port with photos of some of the ships that have called in Tortola is at http://www.beyondships3.com/tortola-cruise-port.html We also have a links page with links to cruise line web pages about Tortola and to other sites with information about visiting Tortola. http://www.beyondships3.com/tortola-links.html