Allure of the Seas - Interviews, reviews, photos and video

When I first went on Allure of the Seas, I was very impressed. I had been on her sister ship Oasis of the Seas before. However, there was such a great spirit and energy to the ship. That added to all of the ship's entertainment and dining options made for a great cruise experience.

Of course, that was the ship's maiden voyage. The ship was just out of the shipyard and there was all of the excitement that goes along with a ship's entry into service. I wondered if she would be able to maintain that energy. When people like maritime historian Bill Miller came back from sailing on Allure and said they were impressed, I was hopeful.

When I recently returned to Allure, I was not disappointed. Several of the key players who brought the ship into service had moved on but many remained. The spirit remained.

There had been a few changes but they were more in the way of refinements than major changes.

Allure is very much a new model cruise ship. Traditionally, an evening on a cruise ship revolved around two seatings in the main dining room and two shows in the main theater. On Allure, you have a variety of alternative dining venues including complimentary venues. You also have several high quality entertainment options each evening.

People have a number of misconceptions about Allure. Some are intimidated by the thought of going on a ship that carries some 6,000 guests. However, the people flow on the ship keeps it from feeling crowded. With all of the various alternatives, people spread out.

I've also heard people say that they don't like the idea that you have to make a reservation for the major entertainment offerings. The fact is that the ship encourages guests to make reservations but you do not have to make reservations. I went to a number of shows without reservations.

I've added quite a lot of material to the Allure of the Seas section of Beyondships. To begin we have an interview with Captain Johnny Faevelen. http://www.beyondships2.com/allure-of-the-seas-captain-interview.html Captain Johnny is something of a legend among Royal Caribbean fans. He rides a motorcycle in ports of call and carries a parrot around the ship. However, he is also known for his seamanship and management abilities. We spoke about Allure and about the importance of being a visible presence among the passengers.

When I first sailed on Allure, Joao Mendonca was the Food and Beverage Manager. He has now been promoted to Hotel Director. Part of the ship's original team, Joao understands what Allure is all about. We spoke about maintaining and elevating the “Wow” that Allure delivers. http://www.beyondships2.com/allure-of-the-seas-hd-interview.html

We also now have a menus page with menus from the main dining room and the specialty restaurants. http://www.beyondships2.com/allure-of-the-seas-menus.html There is also a page with copies of the Cruise Compass from Allure.http://www.beyondships2.com/allure-of-the-seas-daily-programs.html

We've also added a guide to the alternative breakfast venues on Allure. You don't have to go to the main dining room or the buffet restaurant to have a good breakfast. http://www.beyondships2.com/allure-of-the-seas-breakfast.html

In addition, we have a new photo feature http://www.beyondships2.com/allure-of-the-seas-photos.html and video http://www.beyondships2.com/allure-of-the-seas-video.html of Allure in various ports and at sea.

Looking At MSC Cruises

This week we look at some of the ships of MSC Cruises. MSC has rapidly grown over the last decade into the number four cruise line in the world. It is a subsidiary of the giant cargo shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company.

The company is better known in Europe than in North America. However, the line is making an effort to become a player in North America with one of its newest and largest ships based in Miami this winter.

MSC has spent a lot of money building ships. The result has been a series of attractive modern cruise ships.

We added several new mini-profiles. These have photos, deck plans and basic statistics about the ships.

The mini profiles cover:

MSC Lirica http://www.beyondships2.com/msc-lirica.html

MSC Musica http://www.beyondships2.com/msc-musica.html

MSC Opera http://www.beyondships2.com/msc-opera.html

MSC Orchestra http://www.beyondships2.com/msc-orchestra.html

We also have separate photo features on MSC Lirica in the Baltic http://www.beyondships2.com/msc-lirica-baltic.html and MSC Opera in the Norwegian fjords

http://www.beyondships2.com/msc-opera-norway.html

Carnival Freedom, profile, photos, review, interviews

Carnival Freedom was the last of Carnival's Conquest ships to be built. The basic design began with Carnival Destiny and evolved through Carnival Victory and Carnival Triumph. With Carnival Conquest, the design reached a plateau and the line built four more essentially identical ships - - Carnival Glory, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom. Subsequently, the design morphed again into the somewhat larger Carnival Splendor and then into the substantially larger Carnival Dream class.

Because there are five ships in the class, the Conquest class ships can be considered the mainstay of the Carnival fleet. There are more Fantasy class ships but they were developed in an earlier era and are used for shorter cruises or for cruises from ports that are away from the more competitive cruise ports.

When I say the five ships are essentially identical, I am speaking in terms of their technical qualities and their layout. The décor in each ship is quite different. Each was designed by Joe Farcus and he followed a different theme in each. On Carnival Freedom, the theme was time and as usual Mr. Farcus' work is imaginative and often flamboyant.

Carnival Freedom attracts an above-average percentage of repeat Carnival cruisers. She is currently the only Carnival ship cruising regularly out of Fort Lauderdale. However, there are several other Carnival ships based in Miami just down the highway a few miles. Thus, her homeport does not explain why Carnival cruisers keep coming back to this ship.

Part of the answer may be the ship's itinerary. She does not do the same circuit each week. Instead, a given month may take the ship all over the Caribbean. This is appealing because guests can put two or more cruises together and visit several different ports.

However, I was also impressed by the efficiency of the ship's officers and crew. They have been together for some time and know how the operation works. Of course, this makes for a better cvruise experience for the guests.

We have added quite a lot of new material to our coverage of Carnival Freedom. To begin the profile and the multi-page photo tour of the ship have been updated.

We have also added a menus page with copies of the menus from the different dining venues on Carnival Freedom http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-freedom-menus.html and a page with a collection of daily programs from cruises on Carnival Freedom, which lets you see the type of thing that they do aboard her. http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-freedom-daily-programs.html

There is also a new interview with Captain Rosario Arena http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-freedom-captain.html and an interview with Stewart Howard, the Hotel Director, in which he talks about the importance of having an experienced team running the cruise ship. http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-freedom-hotel-director.html

We have a photo feature http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-freedom-photos.html and a video http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-freedom-video.html of Carnival Freedom in various ports.

Finally, we have something we have not done before - - a video tour of the interior and open decks of Carnival Freedom. http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-freedom-scenes.html

Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Jewel - - Photos, video, reviews

This week the focus is on Norwegian Cruise Line.

First, I have a number of items from a recent weekend cruise that I did on Norwegian Breakaway. This was the ship's first short cruise since her inaugural cruises. It was also out of New York in the dead of winter. How would a ship with so many outdoor facilities cope with the winter weather. Our review is at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-weekend.html

One of the great things about sailing out of New York in winter is that darkness has usually fallen by the time the ship sails. On a clear, crisp night the lights of the city sparkle and the cruise down the river is an almost mystical voyage. Some video highlights are at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-night-sailing.html

Then we have added two reviews to our profile of Breakaway. The first looks at the Manhattan Room, which is not your run of the mill main dining room. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-barber-shop.html I also recount my experience getting a haircut on Breakaway. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-manhattan-room.html

In addition to the material on Breakaway, we have a photo feature http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-photo-essay-cozumel.html and a video of Norwegian Jewel arriving in Cozumel, Mexico. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-cozumel-video.html In it, we see the ship underway and arriving at the pier.

 We are also hoping to have some new items relating to Norwegian Getaway's arrival in New York. Keep an eye on our what's new page. http://www.beyondships2.com/index.html