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Carnival Breeze Naming Ceremony

I feel like I have come full circle with the Carnival Breeze. Earlier this year, my daughter and I sailed on our first Mediterranean cruise when the Carnival Breeze first debuted in Europe. After a summer of cruises from Barcelona, the Carnival Breeze has re-positioned to her new homeport in Miami, Florida.

I flew to Miami this past weekend to attend the official naming ceremony for the Carnival Breeze at PortMiami. The event introduced the ship’s godmother, Tracy Wilson Mourning, who is the founder of the Miami-based Honey Shine mentoring program.

During the naming ceremony, Carnival presented a $25,000 donation to Honey Shine, which pairs young girls with female role models to empower young women and create future leaders in our communities through a combination of classroom training, spiritual education and collaborative experiences.

In the spirit of fun, before the donation check was handed over, Tracey Wilson Mourning and a team of her Honey Bugs played a game of Hasbro Connect 4 against Tracy’s husband, Alonzo Mouring, Chairman & CEO of Carnival Corporation, Micky Arison, and Carnival Cruise Lines’ President, Gerry Cahill.

 Needless to say, the Honey Bugs won!

My daughter and I had a fantastic time on the Carnival Breeze in June, and it was an honor to be able to attend the official naming ceremony bringing her home to Miami. The ship is just as beautiful as when I first sailed her, and given the opportunity, I would sail the Carnival Breeze again and again! Before getting off the ship to fly back home, I had to make one final stop at Guy’s Burger Joint for my favorite burger at sea — it was as delicious as I remember!!

Following the naming event, the Carnival Breeze set sail on an eight-day eastern Caribbean cruise. The Carnival Breeze will continue to operate year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami, with six-day sailings featuring Grand Turk, Ocho Rios, & Nassau, and three different eight-day itineraries — an exotic southern Caribbean schedule visiting Grand Turk, La Romana (Dominican Republic), Curacao, and Aruba; an eastern Caribbean route featuring St. Thomas/St. John, Antigua, Tortola and Nassau; and an exotic eastern Caribbean program calling at Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten or Tortola.

Special thanks to Carnival Cruise Lines for hosting me at the #BreezeNaming. All opinions are my own.

Look Who Made Seatrade Cruise Review! + Carnival Breeze Brunch Pictures

Look who’s in the September edition of Seatrade Cruise Review, a quarterly magazine for the cruise industry —

It’s my daughter, noshing on some of the best-ever ‘Funny French Toast’ at The Punchliner Comedy Brunch on the Carnival Breeze. The article, titled Fresh Breeze by Anne Kalosh, takes a look at some of Carnival’s new branded experiences, including the comedy brunch presented by George Lopez.

I mentioned in a previous post that the brunch was one of my daughter’s favorite things on the Breeze, and she looked forward to it every sea day — Why? Because it was so much fun! Carnival did a fabulous job with the brunch menu, making it fresh and interesting for both adults and kids.

I mean really, how often do you get French toast battered in your favorite cereal!? 😉

Here’s a peek at some of the items we enjoyed from the Punchliner Comedy Brunch Menu:

The Funny French Toast could be ordered with either Frosted Flakes, Honey Nut Cheerios, Raisin Bran or Froot Loops.

Fat Stack Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Mexican Churros and Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese

The most appealing thing about the comedy brunch is that there is no additional cost … and the food is really delicious! Definitely something for everyone, and a great way to start a sea day. Also, the comedy is G-rated, so the whole family can enjoy this experience together.

I really miss that Bacon Mac n’ Cheese!

The Punchliner Comedy Brunch Presented by George Lopez is offered on sea days sea days from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm on the Carnival Breeze, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Magic , Carnival Liberty and Carnival Dream. Future ships include: Carnival Conquest (October 2012), Carnival Glory (November 2012), Carnival Splendor (December 2012), and Carnival Sunshine (April 2013).

See more of my experience on the Carnival Breeze

Seatrade Article & Photo by Anne Kalosh.

Carnival Breeze for Kids

carnival breeze for kids

The Carnival Breeze does an excellent job of being equally appealing to both children and adults. I’ve hinted at some of the great spaces on board for adults, including the Red Frog Pub, Bonsai Sushi, the Cloud 9 Spa and The Library Bar – but this post is all about the kids!

I commissioned my daughter to share with me what she loved most about the Carnival Breeze and here’s the short-list of her favorite things – with a few thoughts (and tips!) by me:

Carnival Breeze for Kids

Thrill Theater

Carnival Thrill Theater

The 4-D Thrill Theater was the surprise favorite for both of us. Going in, I had an idea of what the attraction was like based on similar concepts at theme parks, but Carnival’s extended version was so much better. Instead of full length movies, there are eight different short films, from 10-20 minutes each, with special 3- and 4-D effects. It’s very cool and something totally different for Carnival. I think the price for one showing is a little steep at $7.95, but the unlimited pass, which is good for the entire cruise, is quite a deal at $14.95. I wish we had purchased this pass at the beginning because my daughter wanted to go again and again.

Carnival WaterWorks

Carnival Breeze Water Works

There’s something about a 300-gallon water dump bucket that makes kids go crazy! WaterWorks on the Carnival Breeze has all of the favorites, including the Twister and Drain Pipe water slides, multiple fountains & sprays, dual racing kiddie slides, and the above mentioned dump bucket – the PowerDrencher. She could have spent hours at the waterpark, but to beat the crowds, we stuck to visiting the morning of long port days when we pretty much had WaterWorks to ourselves.

Seaday Brunch

Carnival Breeze Punchliner Brunch

Where else can a kid have Frosted Flakes French Toast, Churros with chocolate dipping sauce, and Mac ‘n Cheese with bacon for breakfast … or I should say, Brunch?! The Seaday Brunch was a winner with the new menu offerings that cater to both kids and their parents. Everything we had was fantastic and we looked forward to sea days, when brunch is served.

Camp Ocean

I’m always surprised at just how much my daughter loves Camp Ocean (formerly Camp Carnival) – even on long port days she begged me to stay every night after dinner. Camp Ocean gives her time to mingle with children her own age in a supervised environment that I feel secure leaving her in. I asked her what her favorite camp activities were and she said, “Spin art, dance party, t-shirt making, and Grandma’s underpants” – yeah, I’m not sure what that is either!

Camp Ocean is complimentary for children ages 2-11 until 10pm daily (with a few closures between lunch and dinner), and then after-hours Night Owls kicks in for $6.75/hour. The Carnival Breeze also offers its popular programs for young teens and teens with Circle “C” and Club O2, catering to 12-14-year olds and 15-17 year olds— their schedule is more liberal as they can come and go as they please.

Carnival Breeze Beary Cuddly

We also enjoyed Beary Cuddly Workshop, which Camp Carnival offers a few times during the cruise when camp isn’t in session. To participate, children must be accompanied by an adult and as there is a fee to stuff an animal. My daughter had her heart set on a leopard, which we worked on together one afternoon. It’s nice to have activities that both parents and children can do together.

Hasbro: The Game Show

Carnival Breeze Hasbro Game Show

Another winner for the Carnival Breeze is Hasbr0: The Game Show. Families packed themselves into the Ovation Theater to have the chance to participate in larger-than-life Hasbro games on stage. We didn’t get to participate, to my daughter’s disappointment, but we still had a blast watching the games, which included Connect 4 Basketball, Simon Flash and Trivial Pursuit. So much fun, and not to be missed!

Carnival SportSquare

Carnival Breeze Sports Square

We were so busy that we didn’t have the chance to try out the SkyCourse, but my daughter still mentioned the SportSquare as one of her favorite kid-friendly spots on-board. The area is bright and lively, with colorful seating , a miniature golf course and multiple game tables. Here are a few more photos:

Overall, the Carnival Breeze has more family-friendly features than any other Carnival ship. I would find it hard for any child to be bored— we tried to see and do as much as we could during our cruise and I’m positive we didn’t check everything off the list. We had a fabulous time and I cannot recommend this ship enough to families looking to book a cruise to the Caribbean.

Carnival Breeze is currently sailing from Miami to the Caribbean, however it will reposition to Galveston in May 2016.

–> Check out all my posts on the Carnival Breeze

I was invited as media on the Carnival Breeze. All opinions are my own.

The Library Bar (with Automatic Wine Dispensers!) on Carnival Breeze

Prior to the Carnival Breeze, I’m not sure that I’ve ever stepped foot into the library on a cruise ship. Yes, most ships have libraries — it’s a quiet spot to read or play board games, but, in my opinion, they’re rarely utilized.

The library on the Carnival Breeze is different. It has a bar … The Library Bar … with automatic wine dispensers!!

Personally, I think it’s genius.

The Library Bar gives the boring old ship library personality. The addition of self-serve wine dispensers, featuring both reds and whites, makes the library more accessible — it’s easy to stop in, sample a few wines, and check out one of the many port guidebooks. It’s also a great place to relax with a before- or after- dinner drink.

What I love about the wine dispensers is that you can try a new wine at a lower price point, before commiting to a whole glass. It’s also fun to create your own wine flights. Wines are dispensed in two-, four-, and six-ounce pours, and range in price from $2.25 for a generous tasting of Vouvray, to $15 for a full glass of Barolo.

Using the machines is super easy: pick up a wine glass, insert your Sign & Sail card and select your wine/tasting size — then, hold your glass under the spout, where it’s precisely poured. Each bottle of wine is stored at the perfect temperature, guaranteeing freshness.

If you’re a fan of the old ship library, don’t worry — the addition of the wine dispensers and the bar doesn’t take away from the quiet, cozy feel of the room.

–> Check out all my posts on the Carnival Breeze.

I was invited as media on the Carnival Breeze. All opinions are my own.

Carnival Breeze: A Fresh New Look for Carnival

carnival breeze

The Carnival Breeze isn’t just a new ship for Carnival — it’s a new direction for the cruise line with a more contemporary look and feel.  Carnival’s focus is back on their Caribbean roots, with a new style of cruising that’s fresh and fun. If you’ve ever sailed Carnival before, you know the ships have a distinct look.  In the past, it’s been a lot more glitz —

Now, every inch of the Carnival Breeze feels bright and airy. From the newly designed staterooms with cool blue and yellow hues, to the interior halls which really make the ship feel like a floating resort.

carnival breeze cabin

The most dramatic change, to me, is the ship’s new atrium. Lanterns seem to float up into a bright daytime sky — making the space feel larger and more open. I didn’t spot a single tube of neon!

The lantern theme is subtly carried into the redesigned Lido Marketplace and the new full-service sushi restaurant, Bonsai Sushi — which is amazing, by the way. Much of the design is focused on bringing the outdoors in.

carnival breeze atrium

Food and mixology also have a new focus — fresh, authentic fare is the direction. Carnival Breeze has more dining options than ever: Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ, Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, The Punchliner Comedy Brunch Presented by George Lopez, and The Taste Bar are among the new complimentary choices; while the Red Frog Pub’s grub, Cucina del Capitano, Bonsai Sushi and Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse have a nominal fee.

I sampled each of the specialty restaurants — tough job, I know — and I felt that the fee assessed to each was worthy of the quality and service received — the Red Frog’s Pub Grub menu is one of the best values with appetizers (like conch fritters  & sticky wings) for only $3.33 each.

You don’t need to spend extra money to get a good meal though –Guy’s Burger Joint is still a hit (first seen on Carnival Liberty), and Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ has an amazing pulled pork sandwich with some of the best barbecue sauce I’ve ever had — both are free!

carnival breeze food

Carnival has always been about fun, but somehow they’ve managed to take the fun ship to the next level with 23 new branded experiences. There was so much going on that I found it hard to fit all of the new activities in on a 12-day cruise — I made a good attempt though! The Thrill Theater and Hasbro, The Game Show were among my daughter’s favorite things to do, outside of Camp Carnival 😉

carnival breeze entertainment

And when you want things a little more relaxed, Carnival Breeze has two kid-free areas: Serenity, the adults only sun deck with plush lounges and whirlpools, and the Cloud 9 Spa — which is as awesome as it sounds. If you don’t want to splurge on a full treatment, the spa offers day and full cruise passes to the Thermal Suite and Thalassotherapy pool.

carnival breeze spa

 

–> Check out all my posts on the Carnival Breeze

I was invited as media on the Carnival Breeze. All opinions are my own.

Bonsai Sushi on Carnival Breeze – Seriously Yummy!

When the full list of new additions for the Carnival Breeze was announced, the one that most piqued my interest was Bonsai Sushi – Carnival’s first full-service sushi restaurant.

I’m a sushi lover on land, but I hadn’t had any great sushi experiences at sea – maybe I’m a little bit of a sushi snob, but anytime I see sushi rolls on the buffet, I have to pass. So the idea of Carnival adding a made-to-order, sit down sushi experience was very appealing, even with an extra cost.

And after sailing the Carnival Breeze — and eating at Bonsai Sushi multiple times — I can honestly say it is worth the minimal surcharge, with sushi pieces starting at just a buck.

Bonsai is located in a little nook between the Red Frog Pub and the entrance to the Ocean Plaza on the Promenade Deck (5). Even though the space is open, once you’re seated, all the outside noise goes away and you feel like you’re in a sushi restaurant. The decor is light and airy — a trend that is seen throughout the ship.

The place settings are simply perfect.

In lieu of traditional chopsticks, each setting includes …. get ready for this … a Chork! — That’s a plastic chopstick/fork combo. While I can get by with regular chopsticks, I think they can be intimidating to many. That is the beauty (and genius) of the Chork, and the concept of Bonsai Sushi, and even Carnival in general … Trying new things doesn’t have to be complicated!

Because I’m so enamored with the Chork, I found that it can be used three different ways:

1. fork
2. trainer chopsticks (great for beginners & kids!)
3. separated to resemble regular chopsticks.

If you must have the standard wooden kind, Bonsai has those too 😉

I know what you’re thinking, the Chork is great and all … but what about the food? The menu at Bonsai Sushi is à la carte — meaning you can pick and choose what you want from the menu, creating your own meal or snack. With options ranging from $1 for individual sashimi pieces, to $15 sushi ships big enough for 2, there’s an endless amount of combinations at different price points. If you’ve never tried sushi before and just wanted to try one piece, you can sit down and order just that. If you’re like me and want a little more, Bonsai delivers an enjoyable experience — and it’s still only a couple of bucks.

One afternoon after a day in port, I went and had a little sushi snack. I started with a $2 bowl of miso soup. No detail was spared in presentation — the waitress poured the hot soup over a garnish of daikon and nori. It was perfect, and I can’t stress this enough … only $2!  Each table also receives complimentary edamame.

I followed the soup with my all time favorite sushi roll — spicy tuna. For $4, this was a steal. The tuna tasted very fresh and it was prepared perfectly with spicy mayo, asparagus, tempura flakes and a crunchy potato straw topping. Yum!

My little snack (which really could have been a meal) was just $6 — totally worth it for the quality and atmosphere. The sushi was so good, I went back the next night for dinner, having another bowl of miso soup, another spicy tuna roll and a shrimp tempura roll. The portions are very generous, with each roll averaging eight large pieces.

A really nice value if you want to try a variety of foods is the Bento Box for $8. This includes miso soup, a side salad, a California roll, and 3 pieces of sashimi (tuna, salmon & shrimp). Here’s a peek at the Bonsai Sushi Menu on the Carnival Breeze for all of the options.

While most of the food on the Carnival Breeze is complimentary, Bonsai Sushi (along with Cucina del Capitano, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and the bar food at the Red Frog Pub) comes at the additional cost. I know some people shy away from these add-ons, but after trying it for myself, it’s most definitely delicious and worth the splurge. I would encourage anyone sailing Carnival Breeze to give it a try– you may find yourself skipping dinner to get in a daily sushi fix!

Bonsai Sushi is open daily from 5pm until Midnight, with an additional time slot on sea days from 11:00am-3:00pm.

–> Check out all my posts on the Carnival Breeze

I was invited as media on the Carnival Breeze. All opinions are completely my own.

Carnival Breeze: A Week in Photos

My daughter and I have been on a whirlwind Mediterranean adventure for the past nine days on the Carnival Breeze … and we still have a few ports left before we fly home from Barcelona. I had planned on posting more updates while onboard, but the ship’s internet makes uploading a bit difficult. Plus, we’ve been so busy (and are having so much fun!) with this port intensive itinerary that there hasn’t been a lot of extra time – but I assure you, I’ll have plenty of posts, with a gazillion photos, when I get back. Until then… here’s a peek at our port stops over the last week on the Carnival Breeze:

Marseille, France

Florence, Italy

Rome, Italy

Salerno/Pompeii, Italy

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Venice, Italy

Additional posts on the Carnival Breeze:

Carnival Breeze: A Fresh New Look for Carnival

Carnival Breeze for Kids

Carnival Breeze Bonsai Sushi

Carnival Breeze Library Bar

Carnival Breeze Thrill Theater

I was invited as media on the Carnival Breeze. All opinions are my own.

An Inside Look at the Thrill Theater on Carnival Breeze

One of the coolest new additions on the Carnival Breeze is the Thrill Theater, which offers a multi-dimensional experience, adding visual 3D effects with motion and sensory elements to short action films.

The Thrill Theater is less of a movie theater (there are no full length features) and more of an attraction — currently with eight different shorts, which are combined into shows lasting between 10-20 minutes each. The theater seats 24, and shows run every 30 minutes.

My daughter and I viewed Sponge Bob and Mumble’s Wild Ride in the Thrill Theater and we both enjoyed the experience tremendously. The 3D features along the movement of the seats makes you feel immersed with the action on-screen. The “5D” surprises were great – splashes of water, chilly breezes and bubbles floating around the room just added to the fun.

We both left the theater wanting more … thankfully, there are six more experiences and an unlimited admission pass to see the shows again and again throughout the cruise. Kids and tweens with especially love the current offerings are they feature well-known characters — though I admit, I always get a kick out of Plankton on Sponge Bob, and he most definitely makes an appearance in the show.

Current Thrill Theater Experiences:

Happy Feet
Sponge Bob
Ice Age
Speed Racer
Planet Earth – Shallow Seas
Mumble’s Wild Ride
Bamboo Express
Extreme Log Ride

Thrill Theater Prices:

Single Admission – $7.95
Unlimited Admission – $14.95

For guests who don’t want experience movement, a stationary chair is available – the entire show is monitored by a Carnival staff member to ensure safety.

–> Check out all my posts on the Carnival Breeze

I was invited as media on the Carnival Breeze. All opinions are my own.

Carnival Breeze Fun Facts

As I’m preparing to sail the Carnival Breeze next week, I thought it would be fun to share some amazing facts about the  new ship.

The 130000-ton Carnival Breeze has a total length of 1004 feet, and can carry 3690-passengers, with room for an additional 1386-member staff & crew — it truly is a floating resort!

In its first year of service:

• Carnival Breeze’s photographers will snap more than 1.5 million digital images and portraits.

• Guests will devour 242,000 servings of the cruise industry’s most popular dessert, the Chocolate Melting Cake, along with 346,000 pizzas and 145,200 cappuccinos. If you’ve never sailed Carnival, the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake is THE dessert…you can thank me later for posting the recipe. 😉

• Approximately 26,600 meals will be served in the steakhouse, Fahrenheit 555.

• Chefs in the vessel’s galley will use roughly 22,000 pounds of flour.

• Nearly 100 metric tons of pineapples will be consumed, mostly in frothy tropical drinks!

• Stateroom stewards will place more than 2 million individual pieces of chocolate on guests’ pillows and create more than 663,000 of Carnival’s popular “towel animals”.

• Guests will indulge in 18,000-plus massages, nearly 9,000 facials, more than 6,000 slimming treatments, and some 2,000 personal fitness consultations in the Carnival Breeze’s luxurious “Cloud 9 Spa”.

Following a summer schedule of 12-day Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona that runs through October 25, Carnival Breeze will reposition to Miami for year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning November 24, becoming Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest South Florida-based ship.

Carnival Breeze Sails on Inaugural From Venice

There’s going to be a lot of Carnival Breeze talk on Mommy Musings over the next few weeks because in just 11 days, I will be boarding the new ship in Barcelona, Spain for a 12-day Mediterranean cruise. Until then, the Carnival Breeze is officially off on her maiden voyage from Venice, Italy.

Here are a few pictures of the Carnival Breeze as she sails off on her inaugural cruise:

For the launch of the Carnival Breeze, Carnival Cruise Lines is taking an innovative approach with social media, showcasing the new ship with a series of video vignettes shot by a first-time Carnival cruiser Janell Wheeler who will document her experiences through Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Throughout her cruise, Janell will be posting 1-2 minute videos on Carnival’s YouTube channel – http://www.youtube.com/user/Carnival/videos — showcasing her adventures on the Carnival Breeze. Videos are tagged “The Real Carnival Breeze” and you can also follow hashtag #RealCarnivalBreeze on Twitter for more updates. I’ve been watching the videos and I think they are adorable — it’s fun to see what’s in store for me before I sail the Carnival Breeze myself.

Carnival Cruise Lines Takes Delivery of Carnival Breeze

It’s a big day for the Carnival Breeze! Today, Carnival Cruise Lines took delivery of their newest ship at a traditional maritime handover ceremony held at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. The 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze is the 24th vessel in the line’s fleet.

Carnival Breeze will depart on its inaugural cruise from Venice this Sunday, June 3, operating a special 12-day Mediterranean cruise that ends in Barcelona. Then, on June 15, I will be sailing the Carnival Breeze with my daughter from Barcelona on a 12-day voyage with port stops in France, Italy, Croatia, and Spain! This will be our first trip to Europe, and we are beyond excited.

Following a summer schedule of 12-day Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona that runs through October 25, Carnival Breeze will reposition to Miami for year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning November 24, becoming Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest South Florida-based ship.

There are a ton of new features on the Carnival Breeze, all of which I will be covering over the next few weeks.

Here’s a glimpse of the new ship, courtesy of the Fincantieri Ship Yard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBzl0CAxOUg

Carnival Breeze: Bonsai Sushi Menu

Carnival’s first full-service sushi restaurant will debut on the new Carnival Breeze. If you’re a sushi nut like I am, this is awesome news. Carnival offers complimentary sushi on all ships during select hours, but this new sit down venue will give you your fix when you’re craving something more. Bonsai Sushi will offer “a wide variety of Asian-inspired delicacies”, including sushi, sashimi and bento boxes.

Here’s an exclusive look at the Bonsai Sushi menu with prices:

Carnival Breeze Offers New Dining Options – Including Bonsai Sushi Restaurant

Dining is a highlight of the Carnival vacation experience and the 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze will feature a huge array of culinary choices when it enters service June 3. Two new offerings will include Bonsai Sushi, the line’s first full-service sushi restaurant, and an open-air barbecue venue called Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ.

To say I’m just a little bit excited about the new sushi restaurant is an understatement!

Here’s a look at the Carnival Breeze’s many different tantalizing dining choices:

Bonsai Sushi – Carnival’s first full-service sushi restaurant, Bonsai Sushi offers a wide variety of Asian-inspired delicacies with a contemporary decor featuring artwork by world-renowned graffiti artist Erni Vales, colorful koi kites flown during impromptu celebrations, and, of course, several Bonsai trees. Located along Promenade Deck, Bonsai Sushi includes a number of varieties of sushi, sashimi, and rolls along with bento boxes and the venue’s own interpretation of a sushi boat – in this case, a sushi “ship” – with prices ranging from $1 for appetizer-sized portions to $15 for a sushi ship for two. Also see: Carnival Breeze Bonsai Sushi menu & a look inside Carnival Breeze Bonsai Sushi.

Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ – Reminiscent of a backyard barbecue, this complimentary open-air dining venue located on Promenade Deck offers a mouth-watering array of grilled favorites, including barbecued chicken breast, kielbasa, Italian sausage, and Fat Jimmy’s signature item, pulled pork sandwiches, along with traditional sides like baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw and mini-corn muffins.

Guy’s Burger Joint – fresh-made burgers, hand-cut fries and innovative toppings created in partnership with Food Network personality Guy Fieri.

BlueIguana Cantina – offering authentic tacos and burritos that can be personalized by diners at an extensive salsa and toppings bar.

The Punchliner Comedy Brunch presented by George Lopez – featuring hilarious comedic performances and an extensive menu of brunch-time favorites.

Fahrenheit 555 – a classic American steakhouse offering mouth-watering steaks and other gourmet fare with impeccable service (venue will carry a surcharge consistent with other steakhouses in the Carnival fleet).

Cucina del Capitano – a family-style restaurant reminiscent of a cozy Italian home with dishes such as Piatto della Nonna, inspired by the grandma of Carnival Breeze Captain Vincenzo Alcaras with penne pasta, crispy shrimp and prosciutto in a vodka cream sauce (venue will serve as a free lunch-time pasta bar during the day with a nominal charge for dinner).

Lido Marketplace – a casual poolside eatery offering an array of international favorites, from paninis and 24-hour pizza to Indian Tandoori and a Mongolian Wok station and just about everything in between.

“The Comfort Kitchen” – new venue located within Lido Marketplace offering American-style “comfort food.”

Ocean Plaza – an indoor/outdoor café serving cappuccinos, lattes, and espressos as well as pastries and other confections.

RedFrog Pub – an island-themed pub where guests can nosh on Caribbean-inspired fare while soaking up the distinct British-West-Indies-meets-Key-West ambiance.

Serenity – salads, sandwiches, wraps and other light fare available at the ship’s exclusive adults-only retreat.

The Taste Bar – complimentary bite-size offerings inspired by popular Carnival dining venues, along with a signature cocktail tied to that eatery’s particular theme available for purchase.

Sea Dogs – a hot dog-shaped cart within the SportSquare outdoor recreation area offering all-beef franks and traditional toppings (debuts on Carnival Breeze in November).

Carnival Breeze Thrill 5D Theater & Facebook Contest

 

Carnival Cruise Lines just launched a fun Facebook contest to highlight the new Thrill 5D Theater set to debut on the Carnival Breeze in June 2012. The 5D Challenge: TRIVIAL PURSUIT Edition will be running over the next 5 days (Jan 9-13) on Carnival’s Facebook Page –under the Breeze tab– with prizes being given away daily. Prizes include a 50-inch 3D Plasma HDTV, 3D phone, HD camcorder, a $250 movie theater gift card, and Hasbro Video and Board Game Prize Packs. –You only need to answer 2 out of 3 (easy) movie trivia questions to enter!

Carnival Breeze Thrill 5D Theater

With Carnival Breeze’s Thrill 5D Theater, guests will enjoy an exhilarating, multi-dimensional experience that will make them feel like they are actually in the movie. The theater combines a high-definition 3D projection system with 4D elements such as squirting water and bubbles, and original special effects that will tickle guests’ legs, blow air on their necks and poke them in their seats. Seats within the theater will shift back and forth, move from side to side and also vibrate, creating an exciting “fifth-dimensional” element. Guests will receive special 3D glasses that deliver a truly immersive movie-going experience.

Carnival Breeze First Ship to Offer All Fun Ship 2.0 Entertainment Features

Carnival Breeze will be the first ship to feature all of the new entertainment offerings that are part of the line’s Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement initiative.  Among the exciting options is Hasbro, The Game Show, a series of larger-than-life productions and entertainment activities based on the popular Family Game Night television series produced by Hasbro Studios and seen on The Hub, a network for children and their families.  Hasbro, The Game Show will put guests right in the middle of their favorite Hasbro games. Six main games are to be featured: Sorry! Sliders, which involves a giant shuffleboard court; Simon Flash, where two teams of four guests wear giant light-up color boxes and must shuffle themselves quickly to repeat a color sequence; Yahtzee Bowling, with a giant ball and larger-than-life-sized bowling pins; Operation SAM DUNK, which is set up like a skee-ball board where contestants try to get the balls into different slots on the “patient’s” body, and Connect 4 BASKETBALL, which uses a basketball setup rather than the traditional checkers to play.

Carnival Breeze will also be the first ship to offer Playlist Productions which will combine captivating live performances with high-tech LED staging and special effects to set a new standard in seagoing entertainment. These exhilarating revues are set to widely popular and memorable music encompassing a variety of styles, genres and eras.  Playlist performances will have guests singing along and dancing in their seats during the hit-packed, 30-minute shows created by leading producers, directors and choreographers who have worked on critically acclaimed productions for Broadway, London’s West End and some of the world’s most popular musical acts.

Also featured on Carnival Breeze will be the new “Punchliner Comedy Club Presented by George Lopez” through a partnership with the popular comedian and TV personality.  Lopez is serving as Carnival’s “curator of comedy,” acting as a consultant on the vetting and hiring of comedic talent for the line’s hugely popular comedy program.  Additionally, DJs on the Carnival Breeze will be trained under the new “DJ IRIE Spin’iversity” led by the award-winning DJ IRIE, a highly talented disc jockey widely known in Miami and Las Vegas.

Other features on the Carnival Breeze will include Guy’s Burger Joint, which will offer burgers custom-created by renowned chef and Food Network star Guy Fieri, a Red Frog Pub, featuring Carnival’s own private-label draft beer – ThirstyFrog Red,  Cucina del Capitano, a family-style Italian eatery and a wide variety of other fun and exciting dining, bar and entertainment options.

Carnival Breeze Construction Milestone

In a time-honored maritime tradition, a ceremony was held aboard the Carnival Breeze on Friday at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, during which a commemorative coin was welded to the ship’s mast to mark a significant construction milestone.

Following the coin ceremony, the dry dock facility was filled with water and the Carnival Breeze was floated out and repositioned to another dock where she will undergo final interior outfitting in preparation for her June 3, 2012 debut.

Carnival Breeze is scheduled to enter service June 3, 2012, with a special 12-day cruise from Venice to Barcelona, positioning the vessel for a summer schedule of 12-day Mediterranean cruises.  Following its trans-Atlantic crossing, Carnival Breeze will launch year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami November 24, 2012, becoming the largest Carnival ship to ever sail from that port.

Exclusive images and videos of the coin ceremony and float out, as well as the ship’s many features, are available at the company’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/carnival) under the Carnival Breeze tab.

Also see:

— Live the Carnival Breeze Life
— Sneak Peek: Carnival Breeze Staterooms
— Carnival Breeze will Call the Port of Miami Home in 2012

Live the Carnival Breeze Life

In anticipation of the debut of the new tropical-infused Carnival Breeze, Carnival Cruise Lines has launched Live the Carnival Breeze Life, a fun campaign to inspire people to enjoy and celebrate the island mindset year-round, while also offering fans a first look at this spectacular new “Fun Ship.”

By visiting the new Carnival Breeze tab on the company’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/carnival, fans can enjoy a fun and engaging social experience with exclusive opportunities, videos and giveaways – all while learning more about the new 130,000-ton ship, which sets sail in June 2012.  The tab includes a “Meet the Carnival Breeze” area with detailed renderings offering a sneak peek at the ship’s stunning public spaces.

Just as Carnival Breeze is designed to provide guests with the breezy feeling of the tropics, the Live the Carnival Breeze Life campaign encourages “fun-atics” to infuse that fun Caribbean spirit into their everyday lives.  By visiting the Carnival Breeze tab on the company’s Facebook page, fans can declare “I Will Live the Carnival Breeze Life” to join the movement while also raising money for a great cause.  For each person who joins, Carnival will donate $1, up to $20,000 total, to its charitable partner, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of the world’s premiere centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases.

While on the new Facebook tab, visitors are also invited to enter the Carnival Breeze Great Flip-Flop & Cruise Giveaway through September 1, 2011, to be among the 1,000 randomly selected entrants to receive a pair of special, limited-edition, red, white and blue Carnival Breeze flip-flops. From those lucky winners, one Golden Flip Flop grand prize winner will have the ultimate opportunity to Live the Carnival Breeze Life on a free cruise vacation for two aboard the Carnival Breeze.

A Carnival Breeze Preview

The new Carnival Breeze sets the stage for unforgettable fun in an environment that will bring people together and deliver the carefree feeling of the Caribbean. The ship will feature many open areas to bring in the sun, sea and sky with colorful interiors and stunning public spaces that take their cues from the region’s cool island breezes and warm tropical sunsets. Here’s a sneak peek of the Carnival Breeze Staterooms.

Through dramatic artist renderings, fans can get a first look at Carnival Breeze’s design on Facebook and at www.carnivalbreeze.com. From the sun-splashed ambiance of the Lido Marketplace restaurant and a palm tree-lined indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue called Ocean Plaza to the Lanai outdoor wraparound promenade with sweeping ocean views and the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub, Carnival Breeze brings the outdoors in, with a seemingly endless variety of ways to relax and have a great time. The breezy tropical surroundings even extend to the ship’s staterooms which incorporate a palette of pleasing pastel hues and a striking new design.

Even More Fun on Facebook and Online

When fans need a respite from their everyday routine, they can turn to the Carnival Breeze Facebook tab where each Thursday from 3-4pm EDT the company will feature an hour-long Carnival Breeze Break. During these weekly breaks, Carnival fans can chat with each other and the Carnival team to share their tips and stories of fun, and receive a giveaway – from island-inspired food and drink recipes to Carnival Breeze desktop wallpaper and more.

The new Facebook tab also features an exclusive photo gallery where Carnival fans can showcase how they are inspired to live in the spirit of the Carnival Breeze. Here, visitors will also find tips to Live the Carnival Breeze Life, and a comedic Web series featuring “Mr. Breezie,” a character who is transformed by the enjoyable Carnival Breeze lifestyle.

Carnival enthusiasts and cruise rookies alike can learn even more at www.carnivalbreeze.com, where they’ll find a “How It’s Made” section featuring a construction timeline, and images and videos of the shipbuilding progress.  The site also offers a countdown clock for the ship’s U.S. arrival, consumer testimonials, port-of-call and itinerary offerings, and information on the many dining, activity and entertainment choices available.

Following an inaugural 12-day cruise from Venice departing June 3, 2012, Carnival Breeze will operate a series of 12-day Mediterranean voyages from Barcelona through October 25, 2012.  After its trans-Atlantic crossing, Carnival Breeze will sail year-round from Miami beginning November 24, 2012, offering port-intensive six- and eight-day cruises that showcase the best the Caribbean has to offer.

Sneak Peek: Carnival Breeze Staterooms

Carnival Breeze Vista Balcony

Carnival’s newest “Fun Ship,” Carnival Breeze, is set to debut in June 2012, introducing Caribbean-inspired interiors and staterooms that take their cue from the region’s cool island breezes and warm tropical sunsets.

Carnival Breeze’s staterooms offer a distinctive island-inspired design theme offering a dramatic combination of bright colors and soothing pastel hues, with iconic images of palm trees and other tropical elements adorning hallway corridors.  Contemporary furnishings and light fixtures enhance the stylish atmosphere.

Here’s a sneak peek of the new stateroom designs:

Carnival Breeze Oceanview Stateroom
Carnival Breeze Balcony Stateroom
Carnival Breeze Spa 9 Balcony Stateroom
Carnival Breeze Grand Suite

Aside from a colorful new interior design, Carnival Breeze will feature popular “Fun Ship” amenities such as the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub, action-packed SportSquare recreation complex, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant, a wrap-around open-air promenade called The Lanai with whirlpools that extend over the ship’s sides, the expansive WaterWorks aqua park, and Ocean Plaza, a stunning indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue.

Carnival Breeze is scheduled to enter service June 3, 2012 with a special one-time voyage from Venice to Barcelona, positioning the vessel for a summer schedule of 12-day Mediterranean voyages through October 25, 2012.  Following a 15-transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to Miami, Carnival Breeze will launch year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami November 24, 2012.

Carnival Breeze will call the Port of Miami home in 2012

Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines and the Port of Miami today announced that the line’s newest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze, will launch year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami beginning in November 2012.

The 3,690-passenger Carnival Breeze will be the sixth Carnival Cruise Lines ship homeported in Miami. Collectively, these vessels are expected to carry roughly 1 million guests annually – the most of any Carnival homeport.

As Carnival’s newest “Fun Ship,” Carnival Breeze will offer a host of exciting innovations, including expansive top-deck areas such as WaterWorks, an aqua park with exhilarating water slides and other attractions; SportSquare, an open-air recreation complex with a ropes course, mini-golf, and outdoor fitness area; The Lanai, a wraparound promenade with whirlpools extending over the ship’s sides, and a 270-square-foot poolside LED screen displaying movies, and other programming. ues, with iconic images of palm trees and other island-inspired elements adorning hallway corridors.

In a nod to its upcoming Caribbean deployment, Carnival Breeze will also feature the RedFrog Pub, a lively spot for tasty island-inspired snacks and drinks, including its own private label beer.  Other dining highlights will include Cucina del Capitano, a family-style Italian restaurant that brings the heritage of Carnival’s captains to the table, along with a casual two-level poolside eatery, and a classic American-style steakhouse. Check out the full list of dining options on the Carnival Breeze.

Dedicated play areas for children, ’tweens and teens, as well as a two-level health and wellness center, and a wide variety of accommodation options will be available, as well.

Carnival Breeze will also introduce colorful Caribbean-inspired interiors that take their cue from the region’s cool island breezes and warm tropical sunsets. Created by Germany-based Partner Ship Design, this striking new tropical design theme will be carried out in the ship’s public spaces, as well as staterooms which will offer a combination of bright colors and soothing pastel hues, with iconic images of palm trees and other island-inspired elements adorning hallway corridors.

 

Convenient Six-Day Caribbean Schedule from Miami

As part of its innovative Miami-based cruise schedule, Carnival Breeze will offer a year-round three-port, six-day cruise program operating Sundays-Saturdays beginning December 2, 2012.

This schedule will be offered on alternating weeks and will feature visits to three popular ports of call: Grand Turk, B.W.I.; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Nassau, The Bahamas

Although uniquely different, each of these destinations features beautiful white-sand beaches, excellent shopping, dining and sightseeing experiences, and a wide variety of water sports opportunities, along with a laid-back island ambiance that embodies the essence of a Caribbean cruise.

 

Port-Intensive Eight-Day Itineraries From Miami

Expanding upon its role as the leader in Caribbean cruising, Carnival Breeze will offer two distinctly different four-port, eight-day itineraries year-round from the Port of Miami operating Saturday-Sunday beginning November 24, 2012.

Each of the Carnival Breeze’s eight-day cruises from Miami will provide guests with ample opportunities to sample the best that the Caribbean has to offer, from sunning and relaxing on gorgeous beaches to shopping for duty-free bargains and savoring delectable island cuisine.

The Saturday-to-Sunday rotation is particularly attractive as it maximizes consumers’ vacation time, with eight full days of cruising across two weekends.

The schedule includes an eight-day southern Caribbean itinerary that will feature Grand Turk, La Romana (Dominican Republic), Curacao, and Aruba, along with an eight-day eastern Caribbean route visiting St. Thomas/St. John, Antigua, Tortola and Nassau.

Combined with its six-day cruises, Carnival Breeze guests are offered unprecedented opportunities to visit a diversity of sunny, tropical Caribbean destinations, with nearly a dozen ports of call featured among the various itineraries.

Prior to the launch of year-round Caribbean service from Miami, Carnival Breeze will debut with a summer schedule of 12-day Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona operating June 3 to November 6, 2012.

Reservations and Additional Information

Reservations for Carnival Breeze’s new European and Caribbean itineraries will be open tomorrow, May 4, while the ship’s many features and colorful new stateroom designs are highlighted at www.carnival.com/breeze.

Carly Rae Jepsen Live from the Carnival Splendor Lido Deck

How many of you have had the song “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen stuck in your head on at least one occasion? Don’t lie, the song was a mega-hit! 

My daughter and I would listen (and sing with full hand emotions!) to it in the car on repeat when it first debuted in 2012. It’s hard to believe it’s been six years sing it was released, and now the song has more than 1 BILLION views on YouTube alone! I dare you to listen to it now and not get flashbacks!

carly rae jepsen carnival live

Carly Rae Jepsen hasn’t stopped working after that first big hit. She went on to release another album with the top 40 hit “I Really Like You”, star on Broadway in “Cinderella”, and stole the role as the iconic Pink Lady, “Frenchy,” in FOX’s four-time EMMY award-winning musical GREASE: LIVE…and that’s just to name a few!

Fun fact: Carly Rae Jepsen sings the new version of “Everywhere You Look” for Netflix’s “Fuller House” reboot.

Needless to say, the effervescent pop star has been very busy, which is why I was delighted to have the opportunity to see her live in concert on the Carnival Splendor lido deck last month.

free concert carnival live lido deck

If you’re a regular follower here, you’ll know that I have mentioned Carnival LIVE concerts in the past. Most recently I attended Carnival LIVE with Carrie Underwood (as part of her partnership with Operation Homefront) and before that Carnival LIVE with Martina McBride. Other Carnival LIVE artists have included Tim McGraw, Nick Jonas, and Lady Antebellum, aw well as comedians Jim Gaffigan, Jay Leno and Chris Tucker.

Most Carnival LIVE performances are held on the cruise ship’s main indoor stage and are a private, ticketed event (and worth every penny because the setting is so intimate!). But, for the first time, ALL GUESTS of the February 17 Carnival Splendor sailing from Long Beach were invited to attend a free open-air concert on Lido Deck with Carly Rae Jepsen.

Carly Rae Jepsen Carnival Live Carnival Spendor Lido Deck

→ New for 2018! Tickets to Carnival LIVE shows are now included in your cruise fare. Book your cruise and that’s it — you’re going to the show!

The outdoor setting with a crisp ocean breeze really made the concert memorable. I thought going in that I would only know 1 or 2 of Carly’s songs, but it turned out I knew more like 5 or 6.

Carly Rae Jepsen Carnival Spendor

The lido deck was packed with guests of all ages, on all levels, giving the show an energy that could only have been achieved on a cruise ship at sea. It was vibe was incredible!

carnival live Carly Rae Jepsen

It even began to sprinkle for a few minutes and the crowd never faded. You could tell Carly was totally into it!

Carnival Spendor Lido Deck Carly Rae Jepsen

Her song list spanned each of her albums, and at the end, she sang THE SONG she will forever be known for. “Call Me Maybe” was a good as the first time I heard it (actually, even better because it was live!)— and once again, it was stuck in my head for days! 

Carly Rae Jepsen Live Concert

Carly Rae Jepsen call me maybe carnival splendor

Carnival LIVE really puts on amazing performances with incredible artists. I can’t wait to see what other free Carnival LIVE concerts are in the works because they add even more value to an already amazing cruise vacation. You can visit www.carnival.com/carnival-live.aspx to keep up-to-date with the Carnival LIVE schedule of performances as they are added.

Carly Rae Jepsen Live from the Carnival Splendor Lido Deck

Special thanks to Carnival for hosting me on Carnival Splendor. All opinions are my own.

Carnival Cruise Lines Partners with GIFFT Wines by Kathy Lee Gifford

Kathie Lee Gifford, former spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line, returned to “The World’s Most Popular Cruise Line®” Sunday to introduce her GIFFT Collection of wines at a tasting event for cruise guests on Carnival Breeze at PortMiami.

kathie lee gifft wines carnival
photo credit: Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

I was invited to attend this surprise event, but was unable to make it— which really bummed me out because … hello, wine! I have yet to try Kathie Lee’s wine, but I’m betting she knows a thing or two about a good glass of vino (I personally love that she drinks it on air on the Today show!).

What makes this partnership extra special is that Kathie Lee was the line’s first spokesperson, working on a series of Fun Ship brand campaigns in the 80s. What’s crazy to me is that I can still remember the “If You Could See Me Now” TV commercials … I was, at the oldest, eight-years-old in the 1980s, so clearly it was a successful campaign!

photo credit: Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line
photo credit: Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line

Created in consultation with California-based Scheid Family Wines—one of the largest vineyard owners in Monterey County—the GIFFT Collection consists of a Red Blend and a Chardonnay, both estate-grown. In September 2014, Wine Enthusiast magazine gave the red 91 of a possible 100 points and the Chardonnay 88 points in its tasting rating.

The GIFFT Red Blend combines Merlot (42 percent), Petite Sirah (25%), Syrah (12%) and Petit Verdot (10%); while the Chardonnay is a flavorful estate-grown Coastal California dry white. Carnival is the only cruise line to feature GIFFT wines, and both varietals are now available at a wide array of bars and in the main dining rooms on all 24 Carnival ships.

“I can’t tell you how exciting it is for me to be back on board with Carnival!” said Gifford. “It’s like coming home again—this time bearing great wines!”

I know that I’m going to try the Red Blend on our next Carnival Cruise … what about you?

Carnival Partners with Cigar City Brewing to Offer Craft Beer on Florida-Based Ships

Florida brews for Florida-based ships— that’s the new agreement between Carnival Cruise Lines and Tampa-based Cigar City Brewing.

carnival cruise cigar city brewing

The partnership will bring two of Cigar City Brewing’s most popular craft beers, Florida Cracker Belgian-Style White Ale and Invasion Pale Ale, to 13 Carnival ships sailing from five Florida ports beginning this week. The beers will be offered in cans for $4.95 each.

carnival legend tampa

My husband, Rick, and I were invited aboard the beautiful Carnival Legend at the Port of Tampa to get a taste of the new brews being offered on Carnival’s Florida ships. Tough job, right!?

red frog pub cigar city brewery

Cigar City’s Florida Cracker Belgian-Style White Ale is named for the colonial-era “Cracker” cowboys of Florida. Florida Cracker Belgian-Style White Ale is brewed with unmalted wheat, orange peel and coriander, which ends with a spicy, dry finish. The beer pours cloudy straw in color and has moderate notes of orange peel, coriander and hints of vanilla.

floridaccracker white ale cigar city

Gold in color, Invasion Pale Ale is Cigar City’s version of a “session” beer (a beer with a relatively low alcohol content), in a hoppy ale that celebrates Tampa’s alleged history of being a pirate hideout. The tropical aroma offers suggestions of peach, mango, lime and papaya. Invasion has a light caramel malt character laced with a slight “breadiness” and the finish offers a bounty of tropical and citrus hop flavor and bitterness.

cigar city brewing invasion

My pick was the lighter beer, Florida Cracker Belgian-Style White Ale, which was very easy to drink, especially with sides of Coconut Shrimp and Firecracker Jamaican Wings from the Red Frog Pub’s “Pub Grub” menu! I think my husband preferred the darker Invasion Pale Ale with a more malty flavor. Both beers are excellent additions to the lineup at the Red Frog Pub, including Carnival’s own Thirsty Frog Red.

I love that Carnival has partnered with locally owned businesses to bring a taste of the Sunshine state to 13 of their Florida-based ships sailing three- to eight-day itineraries to the Caribbean, Mexico and The Bahamas.

Ships that feature Cigar City Brewing include Carnival Breeze, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Glory, Carnival Victory and Carnival Splendor from Miami; Carnival Sensation, Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Liberty from Port Canaveral; Carnival Freedom from Fort Lauderdale; Carnival Paradise and Carnival Legend from Tampa, and Carnival Fascination from Jacksonville.

Carnival Sunshine Now Sailing from Port Canaveral

carnival sunshine port canaveral

I’m often asked what my favorite Carnival ship is, and my answer is usually a combination including Carnival Breeze, Carnival Magic, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Dream and Carnival Sunshine. But on my recent cruise on the inaugural sailing of Carnival Sunshine from Port Canaveral, I made the announcement (to my husband anyway) that Carnival Sunshine had officially taken the #1 spot.

carnival sunshine

That’s a bold statement because there’s something to love about every Carnival ship, but somehow Carnival Sunshine seems to capture everything— She’s the perfect size … has ALL the Fun Ship 2.0 innovations … and now sails from one of the easiest ports to get in and out of, Port Canaveral.

What Makes Port Canaveral So Great?

It’s literally a hop, skip and a jump from Orlando. So you’ve got Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and all of the other area theme parks and attractions to potentially add on to your vacation. Typically MCO (Orlando International Airport) is inexpensive to fly to/from in connection with other major airports. Port Canaveral is extremely organized and has embarkation and debarkation down to a science — I’ve never had a negative experience when sailing from the Space Coast.

And Carnival Sunshine?

I’ve been on board Carnival Sunshine on three separate occasions. You would think that each time the experience would lessen, but the opposite has been true. I love Carnival Sunshine more each time I sail her. On our most recent cruise to the Bahamas, I was (once again) overwhelmed with the amazing dining experience my husband and I had at Ji Ji Asian Kitchen. People think I’m kidding when I say that this restaurant is one of the best on land or sea, and its reason alone to book a cruise on Carnival Sunshine … but I’m totally not! It IS that good, and the pork belly alone is worth a cruise!

ji ji pork belly

And don’t get me started on Alchemy Bar … seriously one of the best bars with the most skilled mixologists at sea. You’ll never have a bad drink there.

alchemy bar cocktail

My daughter is equally impressed with Camp Carnival on the Carnival Sunshine. Even at 9 — almost 10 — years old, she still begs me to let her go to kids camps nightly. Then when it’s time to pick her up, she begs me to stay later. It’s our nightly routine. I love that she’s having fun and meeting friends in a safe and secure environment, which means I can relax and have a good time with my husband.

camp carnival sunshine

Family-friendly features include the super cool Carnival WaterWorks and SportsSquare. My family loves taking turns racing each other on Speedway Splash, dual side-by-side 235-foot-long slides that record each rider’s race time. We’re also fond of Hasbro, The Game Show, where you literally step into a game show competition with giant sized versions of Hasbro games, like Connect 4 Basketball and Sorry! Sliders. I honestly believe it’s impossible to not have fun on this ship!

carnival sunshine waterslide

Since returning home, I don’t think I’ve stopped talking to friends and family about the great time we had on our 2-day cruise. I’ve been trying to figure out how I can get my entire family — mom, aunts’ and sister’s family — on the Carnival Sunshine for my grandmother’s 90th birthday later this year. Even with multi-generations spanning a wide age gap, I’m confident Carnival Sunshine would have something for everyone!

Carnival Sunshine Itineraries from Port Canaveral

Carnival Sunshine will operate three different five-day eastern Caribbean sailings departing Sundays and featuring calls at Key West, Nassau, and Freeport; Nassau and Grand Turk; or Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Freeport.

Port-intensive seven-day cruises depart Saturdays to the eastern Caribbean and call at Nassau, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk, while week-long western Caribbean trips depart Saturdays and call at Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan); and Costa Maya.

Two different eight-day eastern Caribbean cruises depart Fridays or Saturdays, and call at Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten; or Grand Turk, St. Thomas, Tortola and St. Maarten. Eight-day southern Caribbean sailings depart Fridays or Saturdays and include Curaçao, Aruba and Grand Turk.

Have you ever cruised from Port Canaveral?

Special thanks to Carnival Cruise Lines for inviting my family on the Carnival Sunshine 2-day inaugural cruise from Port Canaveral. All opinions are my own.

Carnival Sunshine Naming Ceremony

I’ve come full circle once again with Carnival Cruise Lines. This past summer my family embarked on a 9-day European cruise on the completely transformed Carnival Sunshine (formerly Carnival Destiny). The cruise was FANTASTIC— we absolutely adored the ship and all of her Fun Ship 2.0 upgrades {You can read more about our cruise here}.

carnival sunshine in nola
photo credit: Andy Newman

After a full summer of Mediterranean cruises, the Carnival Sunshine has re-positioned to her new homeport in New Orleans, Louisiana … and I was invited to take part in the festivities!

carnival naming invite

First of all, I LOVE NEW ORLEANS— It doesn’t take much to convince me to visit. But, Carnival in NOLA is a match made in cruising heaven. Imagine getting the best of both worlds: the history and charm of New Orleans and a Caribbean cruise!

Before Carnival Sunshine left on on its inaugural voyage from the Big Easy, the ship’s godmother had to be named. Being that the Carnival Sunshine was formerly Carnival Destiny, it only made sense that the original godmother would be carried over.  Lin Arison, a noted philanthropist and author, and wife of the late Ted Arison, founder of Carnival Cruise Lines, was honored, once again, as godmother of Carnival Sunshine.

carnival sunshine naming ceremony

carnival sunshine godmother

photo credit: Andy Newman

The naming ceremony was kicked off was an awesome performance by former members of the National YoungArts Foundation, a scholarship program Lin co-founded with her late husband to support talented young artists in literary, performing, visual and design arts. Their set captured both the spirit of New Orleans and the fun of the Carnival Sunshine.

lin arison youngarts foundation

I couldn’t stay for the inaugural sailing, but friends on board confirmed it was a fantastic cruise. And here’s a fun fact: Louisiana’s state song is “You Are My Sunshine” — I don’t think there could be a more perfect pairing! 

Carnival Sunshine will operate a series of seven-day cruises to popular Caribbean destinations through April. Three different week-long itineraries will be offered from New Orleans – an exotic western Caribbean route featuring Belize; Mahogany Bay (Roatan), and Cozumel; a Bahamas/Florida schedule to Key West, Freeport and Nassau; and western Caribbean departures to Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; and Cozumel.

Special thanks to Carnival Cruise Lines for hosting me at the naming of #SunshineNOLA. All opinions are my own.

Carnival Cruise Lines Announces Fleetwide Enhancement Program

carnival cruise safety

As someone who cruises fairly frequently, I have no doubt that cruising is safe. I wrote a post last year about general cruise ship safety, and I still abide by everything in it. Compared to a land vacation, traveling by cruise ship will statistically be the safest option. With all that being said, it’s always good to know that the industry is doing whatever it takes make cruising even more safe and reliable.

Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc, announced today that it has implemented a program to significantly enhance emergency power capabilities, introduce new fire safety technology, and improve the level of operating redundancies across its entire 24-ship fleet. This enhancement program will cost more than $300 million, and rapid upgrades have already begun.

The actions by Carnival Cruise Lines will expand the availability of hotel services for the comfort of its guests in the rare instance of a shipboard event that involves the loss of main power. In addition, the plan will reinforce key shipboard operating systems to further prevent a potential loss of primary power. The improvement plan is the result of a comprehensive operational review, overseen by parent company Carnival Corporation & plc, initiated immediately after the Carnival Triumph fire in February 2013.

Basically, Carnival will be enhancing the technology of all of their current safety features, and adding additional back-up systems, to ensure reliability and guest comfort in the event of an emergency. In addition, a Safety & Reliability Review Board, comprised of outside experts, is being formed to drive continuous improvement to the Carnival fleet.

Here’s the full list of enhancements and timeline for the program:

Increased Emergency Generator Power

The initial increase in emergency generator power across Carnival Cruise Lines’ fleet of 24 ships will be completed over the next several months. An additional emergency generator will be installed on each vessel to provide for 100 percent of stateroom and public toilets, fresh water and elevators in the unlikely event of a loss of main power. The work is already underway and will not affect scheduled itineraries. Upon completion of the initial phase, the line will install a second permanent back-up power system on each ship to provide an even greater level of hotel and guest services if main power is lost. These additional services will include expanded cooking facilities and cold food storage, as well as internet and telephone communications.

“Although every ship in our fleet currently has emergency back-up power which is designed to enable the continuous operation of safety equipment and some hotel services, it is our intent to significantly bolster that back-up power to support the core hotel services. With this improvement, we will better ensure guest comfort in the rare instance of a loss of main power,” — Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines.

Increased Fire Prevention, Detection and Suppression Systems

The company will also make additional investments in the newest and most technically advanced fire prevention, detection and suppression systems. This includes upgrading the existing water mist fire suppression systems already in place on Carnival vessels to the newest generation. When triggered, this high-pressure water mist system instantly creates a larger and thicker blanket of water droplets than the present system. As the water droplets evaporate, the system also rapidly cools any hot areas to prevent the possibility of a fire restarting.

“On Carnival Triumph, our fire systems were effective and our teams performed well in controlling and extinguishing the fire. However, we want to take advantage of the latest and most-advanced generation of fire safety systems to enhance the current extensive capabilities across our fleet,” added Cahill.

Enhanced Operating Redundancies

All of Carnival Cruise Lines ships have two separate, redundant engine rooms. The company’s operational review has identified modifications to further decrease the likelihood of losing propulsion or primary power, as happened on Carnival Triumph in February. The modifications will include a reconfiguration of certain engine-related electrical components. On ships where these enhancements will be made, the design and fabrication of specialized components will require longer lead times for completion, in contrast to the immediate upgrades to back-up emergency power and other systems.

Last month, Carnival Cruise Lines announced results from the first phase of the company’s operational review, specifically addressing Carnival Triumph and Carnival Sunshine, both of which are currently out of service. The plan for each of these ships addresses each of the three areas outlined above.

Company to Form New Safety & Reliability Review Board

Carnival Cruise Lines also announced the formation of a Safety & Reliability Review Board comprised of outside experts with significant expertise in marine and occupational safety, reliability and maintenance, marine regulatory compliance and quality control/assurance. The company already receives oversight and input from outside regulatory authorities and industry experts. The new Review Board will provide an additional, independent third-party perspective, drawing from deep experience across a number of relevant fields and organizations.

The Review Board will be comprised of five external members. Active searches are underway for candidates with previous experience in organizations such as the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and National Transportation Safety Board, as well as leading airlines and equipment manufacturers.

Carnival Corporation & plc Fleet Enhancements

Parent company Carnival Corporation & plc previously announced a corporate-wide operational review of all 10 of its brands and 101 ships. The review process will include learnings from the recent incidents that can be applied across the corporation’s fleet. Carnival Corporation & plc has confirmed that, based on the results of the ongoing review, the latest versions of technologies and enhancements will also be implemented on the remainder of the fleet where they are not already present. The overall program of enhancements across the corporation’s 101-ship fleet, including Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships, is expected to cost between $600 and $700 million.

“Our fleet already operates at a high standard of reliability. The investments announced today for Carnival Cruise Lines, and those we will continue to make, will reinforce our ability to consistently deliver the customer experience that 10 million people every year have come to expect from us across our fleet of 101 ships. Absolutely nothing is more important than the safety and comfort of our guests and crew, and we will use the full resources of our company to meet that commitment,”– Micky Arison, Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

Initial implementation of the upgrades to the Carnival Corporation & plc fleet will take place during the next several months. Each class of ship is different and often systems differ on ships within a class, so the enhancements will be tailored to each vessel. All findings from the operational review will be shared with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) as part of the industry-wide operational review announced in March.

Carnival Sunshine Debuting May 2013

2013 is gearing up to be a great year for cruising, with several lines introducing new ships. Carnival Cruise Lines is leading the way with an exciting new endeavor this spring: Carnival Destiny is being transformed into Carnival Sunshine!

carnival sunshine

The $155 Million Refit will change the ship so much that it will be practically brand new, hence the name change — which I love, by the way 😉 The makeover will incorporate ALL of the “Fun Ship 2.0” dining, bar and entertainment features, as well as adding 182 new cabins and new choices such as The Havana Bar, ShakeSpot, JavaBlue Café, Pizzeria del Capitano, a three-level Serenity adults-only retreat, a full-service Asian restaurant, Jiji Asian Kitchen, inspired by the line’s popular Mongolian Wok eateries, and a massive racing-themed water park. Awesome, right!?  After an extended dry dock this spring, Carnival Sunshine will operate a summer schedule of Mediterranean voyages before re-positioning to New Orleans on year-round Caribbean cruises in the fall.

In addition to Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Cruise Lines has a few more exciting developments:

U.S. Debut of New Carnival Breeze – The 3,690-passenger Carnival Breeze is now sailing year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami, becoming the largest Carnival ship ever based in South Florida. In addition to many popular features that debuted on Carnival Magic – including the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant, and SportSquare outdoor recreation area — Carnival Breeze introduced Carnival’s first Thrill Theater, with interactive special effects that make viewers feel as if they are part of the movie, as well as new culinary choices such as Bonsai Sushi, the line’s first full-service sushi restaurant, and a complimentary open-air outdoor dining venue called Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ.

Carnival’s Largest European Season Ever in 2013 – For the first time, Carnival will deploy two ships in Europe offering an exciting choice of options, including the line’s first Norwegian fjords itinerary and its first extended program from the UK. From April to September 2013, Carnival Legend will operate 12-day voyages to Norway/Western Europe, the British Isles and the Baltic departing from Dover (London), along with 12-day Mediterranean cruises departing from Venice and Barcelona. Following an extensive $155 million refit, Carnival Destiny will be renamed Carnival Sunshine and launch a series of Mediterranean cruises beginning with a 14-day voyage from Venice to Barcelona April 12-26, 2013 then offer 18 nine- and 12-day Mediterranean cruises from either Barcelona or Venice.

Continued Rollout of $500 Million Fun Ship 2.0 Enhancement Program – The rollout of Carnival’s $500 million “Fun Ship 2.0” enhancement program continues with the renovation of the Carnival Conquest and Carnival Glory late last year. The line’s most ambitious program to date, Fun Ship 2.0 will transform the line’s on-board experience through branded spaces and celebrity partnerships. The initiative includes partnerships with George Lopez, who serves as the line’s creative director for comedy to enhance the fleetwide Punchliner Comedy Clubs, and Food Network personality Guy Fieri, who developed a new free burger venue called Guy’s Burger Joint, as well as top brands such as EASPORTS Bar and Hasbro.  New food and beverage concepts such as the poolside RedFrog Rum Bar, BlueIguana Tequila Bar and BlueIguana Cantina and the “cocktail pharmacy” Alchemy Bar, along with entertainment choices and Playlist Productions and a partnership with celebrity song master DJ IRIE, are also included.

Carnival Adds Third Ship to West Coast – Carnival will expand capacity on the West Coast with the introduction of year-round three and four-day cruises on the 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination from Long Beach, Calif., beginning January 26, 2014.  The move will bring the total number of Carnival ships operating from Long Beach to three and further solidify the line’s position as Southern California’s largest cruise operator. Carnival Imagination will offer three-day cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, departing on Thursdays and four-day voyages to Catalina Island and Ensenada departing on Sundays.  The vessel’s sister ship, Carnival Inspiration, will continue to offer a similar program from Long Beach with three-day cruises departing on Fridays and four-day cruises on Mondays.  Together, Carnival’s three West Coast-based these ships will carry 550,000 guests annually from Long Beach – more than any other cruise operator.

Will you be sailing Carnival in 2013?

Sneak Peek: New Features on Carnival Sunshine

Some exciting news for cruisers! Carnival Cruise Lines just unveiled additional details of the $155 million makeover that will transform Carnival Destiny into Carnival Sunshine during a 49-day dry dock in Italy. The ship will re-enter service in April 2013 with all of the dining, bar and entertainment elements of the line’s groundbreaking Fun Ship 2.0 product enhancement program, along with several new additions.

Here’s a sneak peek at Carnival Sunshine’s new features:

Carnival Sunshine Havana Bar

By day, the Havana Bar serves as a casual gathering spot for relaxing with friends and enjoying Cuban coffee and Cuban finger foods such as pastelitos and croquetas, while at night transforms into a Cuban-inspired courtyard with a cool Latin vibe where guests can listen to live music, enjoy classic Cuban cocktails, and dance the night away. Located aft within Lido Marketplace, Havana Bar’s interiors pay homage to Cuba’s gloried past with palm trees, elegant archways, and vibrant tile work, along with floor to ceiling windows offering panoramic ocean vistas.

Carnival Sunshine WaterWorks

Carnival Sunshine boasts an all-new WaterWorks water park where the young – and the young at heart – can zip down five different slides and have a splash-tastic time with 40 different interactive water features, including a 300-gallon drenching bucket that will serve as the signature element of the SplashZone kids’ water play area. Here, guests can race to the finish on Carnival’s newest ride, Speedway Splash, with dual side-by-side 235-foot-long slides with racers’ times displayed on a scoreboard and special lighting effects that add to the adventure. When they’re not challenging each other to a race, fun-lovers can check out the enclosed 334-foot-long Twister slide – Carnival’s longest – featuring a crystal clear turn that extends out over the edge of the ship, offering dramatic views with each twist and turn.

Carnival Sunshine JiJi Asian Kitchen

Yet to be named, the Carnival Sunshine will featuring a stunning full-service Asian restaurant, Jiji Asian Kitchen, with delicious favorites from the Far East, enhanced by a serene décor of prayer rolls, wood-beamed ceilings and other design elements.  The new restaurant will feature an open kitchen where guests can view highly skilled chefs artfully preparing a tantalizing menu that will offer a variety of Asian specialties, including soups, appetizers, noodle and rice dishes, as well as seafood and meat delicacies (lunch is complimentary; $12 charge for dinner). Ji Ji Asian Kitchen Menu

Carnival Sunshine Shake Spot

The ideal place to “chill”, the Shake Spot is where guests can enjoy delicious hand-crafted milkshakes while taking a break from all the fun in the sun.  In addition to  a distinctive island-inspired décor, Shake Spot will offer classic milkshakes and floats, as well as tropical fruit shakes and “adult shakes and floats” made with  Grand Marnier, Cointreau and other liqueurs, all available with a variety of fun toppings. There’s even an all-inclusive “Shake Lover’s Package” for those who simply can’t get enough of these unique and nostalgic treats on vacation.

Carnival Breeze Java Blue Cafe

Located adjacent to Shake Spot on Promenade Deck is JavaBlue Café, the place to connect, meet up and savor sweet and frothy cappuccinos, lattes, espressos and other caffeinated favorites, as well as coffees made with liqueurs, along with decadent confections such as extra-large cinnamon buns, giant cupcakes, and huge slices of red velvet cake meant to be shared within the venue’s island-infused atmosphere featuring comfortable seating and breathtaking views of the sea.

Carnival Sunshine Pizzeria del Capitano

For those guests who crave delicious, hand-tossed, artisanal-style pizza anytime of the day or night, there’s Pizzeria del Capitano, an expansion of the line’s popular Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant. Here, guests can watch as chefs prepare five different kinds of authentic Italian-style, thin-crusted pies, from traditional Margherita and pepperoni to artisan-style quattro formaggio, mushroom, and prosciutto – all free of charge 24 hours a day and made in a traditional pizza oven which serves as the venue’s centerpiece. Whether it’s a casual lunch, a late-night snack or a delicious dinner alternative, Pizzeria del Capitano will definitely hit the spot.

Carnival Sunshine will also offer all of the exciting elements that make up the line’s $500 million Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement program.

These include delicious dining options like Guy’s Burger Joint, developed with Food Network personality Guy Fieri, and BlueIguana Cantina, a complimentary Mexican eatery offering authentic burritos and tacos, along with innovative bar concepts such as the Caribbean-themed RedFrog Pub; the poolside RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar; EA SPORTS Bar, a partnership with the leading sports video game company; and the Alchemy Bar, featuring a vintage cocktail “pharmacy” theme.

Top-deck amenities will include a spectacular three-level Serenity adults-only retreat – the largest in the Carnival fleet offering a pool, waterfall, a full bar, whirlpool, and, of course, magnificent sea views – as well as SportSquare featuring a ropes course, including an exciting new zip line feature, an array of deck and table games, a basketball court, jogging track, and a two-level miniature golf course.

A variety of captivating entertainment choices – from the family-friendly Hasbro, The Game Show, featuring larger-than-life adaptations of the company’s iconic games to high-tech Playlist Productions, which combine live performances with spectacular staging and special effects – will be offered, as well.

Following its 49-day dry dock at Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard, Carnival Sunshine will debut with a series of Mediterranean cruises beginning with a 14-day voyage from Venice to Barcelona April 12-16, 2013, followed by nine- and 12-day Mediterranean cruises either round-trip from Barcelona or sailing between Barcelona and Venice through October 20, 2013.  Carnival Sunshine will then sail on a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to New Orleans Nov. 1-17, 2013, positioning the vessel for year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises from NOLA.

Carnival Miracle Debuts ‘The Taste Bar’ – Complimentary Appetizer Program

Several exciting new dining and entertainment choices, including The Taste Bar complimentary appetizer program, The Punchliner Comedy Club presented by George Lopez and The Punchliner Comedy Brunch presented by George Lopez, are now available on Carnival Miracle, which launched the line’s first year-round schedule from New York on April 12, 2012.

The Taste Bar – New Complimentary Appetizer Program

Carnival’s newest casual dining option, The Taste Bar, is being introduced on Carnival Miracle with fleetwide implementation expected to be completed by summer 2013. The Taste Bar features complimentary bite-size offerings inspired by the newest and most popular “Fun Ship 2.0” dining venues, along with a signature cocktail tied to that eatery’s particular theme available for purchase for only $5.

Sample menu items on The Taste Bar:

• Roasted pork tacos with green chili salsa and aged cotija cheese, and chicken, avocado, and lime tortilla soup, inspired by the BlueIguana Cantina that debuted on Carnival Liberty, with a refreshing Blue’s Blue Margarita as the accompanying drink

• Nonna’s meatballs and hand-whipped ricotta bruchetta, patterned after the family-style offerings at the Cucina del Capitano Italian restaurant introduced on Carnival Magic, with the eatery’s house Chianti served from an oversized barrel on wheels

• Fried malanga (sweet potatoes) filled with ginger-scented pork and lime aioli, and pepper pot soup with cilantro sour cream, similar to what is served at Carnival Magic’s RedFrog Pub, with a Rum Jumper as the suggested beverage

• Grilled ham and provolone cheese melt on buttermilk brioche and cream of tomato soup, from the new Comfort Kitchen option debuting on Carnival Breeze, served with Lynchburg Lemonade

• Short rib croquettes with chipotle aioli and guava and tomato relish, served with pumpkin bisque with sour cream, available with a Manhattan cocktail representing Carnival’s classic American steakhouses

The Taste Bar cuisine samples will be offered on a rotating basis from approximately 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on sea days and select port days. Location will vary by ship, with Carnival Miracle’s Taste Bar selections offered on Promenade Deck in a recently renovated venue that formerly housed the vessel’s sushi bar. Sushi will be one of the featured Taste Bar themes and sushi will also be offered at the Carnival Miracle’s poolside restaurant nightly during dinner service.

In addition to The Taste Bar, Carnival Miracle has added the new Punchliner Comedy Club & Brunch presented by George Lopez…

Debut of Punchliner Comedy Club Presented by George Lopez

Also making its Big Apple debut is the Punchliner Comedy Club presented by George Lopez, part of a recently announced partnership with the popular comedian who serves as the line’s “curator of comedy,” acting as a consultant on the vetting and hiring of both established and up-and-coming comedic talent.

The Punchliner Comedy Club presented by George Lopez will offer five side-splitting 35-minute shows on multiple nights during each voyage, with at least two comedians performing each night. Two early-evening shows offer fun for the whole family while the later performances feature R-rated adults-only comedy.

Lopez has recorded a number of fun, light-hearted greetings that will be shown on Carnival Miracle’s in-cabin televisions and played during introductions of comedy club performances. New employee uniforms and signage, each bearing the distinctive The Punchliner Comedy Club presented by George Lopez branding, have been created, as well.

Laughter, Pancakes and More Served at Punchliner Comedy Brunch

For those who prefer a little merriment in the morning, there’s the new Punchliner Comedy Brunch presented by George Lopez, which debuts on the Carnival Miracle and offers up heaping servings of laughter along with a new twist on the traditional culinary feast.

Taking place on sea days in the main dining room, The Punchliner Comedy Brunch presented by George Lopez is a free dining option that features five- to six-minute performances each hour by hilarious comedians who entertain guests as they enjoy a variety of delicious mid-morning favorites prepared by Carnival’s master chefs.

Many items are inspired by Lopez’s Mexican heritage, including Carne y Huevos – filet mignon topped with two eggs and béarnaise sauce; Hen Alla Diavola, grilled chicken with lemon and pepper; and Mexican-style churros. Two special “George’s Recipes” dishes created by the comedian himself – his own take on Huevos Rancheros that features a chicken quesadilla topped with fried eggs and manchego cheese, and a breakfast burrito filled with scrambled eggs, beans and chorizo – are also offered.

Appropriately enough, menu item descriptions have a comedic slant, as well, with playful interpretations of traditional brunch offerings that are listed under categories such as Opening Act with dishes that include Flamin’ Tomatoes Soup and Caesar Salad; Headliners featuring Funny French Toast, Pappardelle Pasta, and Mac & Cheese available with applewood smoked bacon, chicken or steak; and Punchline, a decadent dessert menu with caramelized cheesecake, banana crème pie and other confections. A variety of custom-made omelettes, as well as standards like Eggs Benedict and sides, are also available.

The menu features a Bloody Mary Bar offering several variations of the traditional brunch-time favorite.

Photos: Radu Ursu/Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Destiny to be Renamed Carnival Sunshine + Major Transformation

carnival sunshine

Wow! A major transformation is about to take place for the Carnival Destiny … or I should say, the Carnival Sunshine!

Representing Carnival Cruise Lines’ most ambitious refit and transformation project ever, Carnival Destiny will undergo a $155 million makeover next year that will incorporate all of the line’s “Fun Ship 2.0” dining, bar and entertainment features, as well as a variety of exciting innovations unique to this vessel.

The refit will also include a reconfigured layout, the addition of a partial deck and the expansion of two other decks within the forward section of the ship, providing the opportunity to incorporate a number of new and exciting on-board spaces. One-hundred and eighty-two cabins will be added, as well.

The redesign will be so extensive and wide-ranging that the ship will be renamed Carnival Sunshine following the extended dry dock, which will take place from February to May 2013.  The refit work will be completed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.

Following the dry dock, Carnival Sunshine will embark on a schedule of nine- and 12-day Mediterranean voyages from Barcelona and Venice from May to October 2013 then launch year-round seven-day Caribbean departures from New Orleans beginning November 2013.

Here’s a look at some of Carnival Sunshine’s many features:

Carnival Sunshine On-Board Dining Choices

  • Guy’s Burger Joint, a free-of-charge poolside venue developed in partnership with Food Network personality Guy Fieri serving hand-crafted burgers and fresh-cut fries in an atmosphere that celebrates the chef’s California roots and love of car culture
  • BlueIguana Cantina, a complimentary poolside Mexican eatery where guests can enjoy authentic, freshly made burritos and tacos on homemade tortillas that can be personalized with a variety of salsas and toppings
  • Fahrenheit 555, a classic American steakhouse offering mouth-watering steaks and gourmet appetizers, entrees and desserts, all enhanced by understated ambiance and impeccable service (venue will carry a surcharge consistent with other steakhouses in the Carnival fleet)
  • Cucina del Capitano – or “The Captain’s Kitchen” – with Italian favorites and new Carnival classics served family-style in a fun and engaging atmosphere reminiscent of a cozy Italian home (during the day, the venue will serve as a free casual lunch-time pasta bar with a nominal charge for dinner)
  • *Jiji Asian Kitchen - A stunning new full-service Asian restaurant inspired by the line’s popular Mongolian wok casual eateries that will feature an extensive menu of delicious favorites from the Far East, along with a striking Asian-themed décor (no charge for lunch with a nominal fee for dinner)
  • An expansive casual poolside eatery, Lido Marketplace, offering a seemingly endless array of delectable favorites from around the world, from paninis and pizza to a deli offering piled-high sandwiches and just about everything in between
  • *A new casual dining option, “The Comfort Kitchen,” located within the Lido Marketplace and offering a tempting array of American-style “comfort food” entrees and side dishes
  • Completely renovated main dining rooms that will offer extensive menus and wine lists, with a tantalizing selection of salads, appetizers, entrees and desserts nightly, including Carnival’s legendary chocolate melting cake
  • A newly designed coffee bar, serving a wide range of sweet and frothy concoctions such as cappuccinos, lattes, espressos and other caffeinated favorites, along with delicious pastries  and other decadent confections

Carnival Sunshine Bar and Beverage Concepts

  • RedFrog Pub where guests can enjoy the Caribbean’s best rums and beers – along with Carnival’s own ThirstyFrog Red private label draft brew – and island-inspired pub fare while soaking up the distinct British-West-Indies-meets-Key-West ambiance
  • RedFrog Rum Bar, a poolside adaptation of the RedFrog Pub offering the quintessential Caribbean vacation vibe with refreshing Caribbean rum-based frozen drinks and beers, including Carnival’s own ThirstyFrog Red
  • BlueIguana Tequila Bar, a fun and festive outdoor watering hole offering a laid-back Mexican-themed atmosphere and tequila-based frozen drinks and beers, perfect for chillin’ by the poo
  • EA SPORTS Bar, a sports and video game lovers’ paradise where guests can catch live sporting events, check out scores on the real-time 24/7 sports ticker, and play the latest EA SPORTS games on a 16-screen video wall
  • Alchemy Bar, a vintage-themed cocktail “pharmacy” that’s the go-to spot for guests seeking a unique experience with mixologists who “prescribe” concoctions from different elixirs and ingredients or guests’ own custom-created cocktails
  • The Library Bar, a warm and cozy venue offering full bar service for those seeking a more intimate spot for before- or after-dinner drinks
  • *An exciting new lounge, Havana Bar, a tropical-inspired nightspot located aft within Lido Marketplace featuring a panoramic ocean view from its floor to ceiling windows and offering a unique and memorable venue for cocktails, live Latin music and dancing
  • *The new Sunshine Bar, an elegant lounge with sun-splashed interiors located at the lobby level of the ship’s towering atrium where guests can enjoy a cocktail, dance and listen to live music
  • *A new cigar bar concept, with plush, comfortable surroundings, along with fine cigars and a variety of brandies, cognacs and liqueurs, ideal for pre- or post-dinner drinks and conversation

Carnival Sunshine Outdoor Fun and Relaxation

  • *Carnival’s first three-deck-high Serenity adults-only retreat, an oasis of tranquility offering plush chaise lounges and chairs, a whirlpool, a cascading waterfall, teak-planked decks, a pool, a complimentary dining area with freshly made salads that can be customized by guests, and, of course, magnificent sea views
  • SportSquare, Carnival Sunshine’s new open-air recreation complex that includes such attractions as a ropes course, mini-golf course, a lighted half court for basketball and volleyball, jogging track, ping pong, pool, and foosball tables, and bar with a large flat-screen for those who want to check out the action on TV
  • WaterWorks, a “splash-tastic” top-deck attraction that’s sure to be a hit with guests of all ages with wet ‘n wild thrills such as the line’s iconic “Twister” water slide, a Splash Zone kids water play area, an all-new thrill slide  and other fun features
  • Carnival’s Seaside Theatre, a poolside 270-square-foot high-tech LED screen offering nightly “Dive In Movies,” along with a variety of concerts, sporting events and other programming, all of which are enjoyed in the fresh sea air

Carnival Sunshine Entertainment

  • Playlist Productions, which builds upon Carnival’s reputation for high quality entertainment by combining captivating live performances and spectacular staging and special effects to create enthralling music revues produced by the top directors and choreographers in the industry
  • Hasbro, The Game Show, where guests are part of the show through a series of larger-than-life productions and entertainment activities based on the company’s iconic and popular games and presented in the ship’s remodeled main show lounge
  • Piano Bar 88, a new twist on Carnival’s popular piano bar concept that will amp up the excitement with themed nights, an engaging new décor and opportunities for spontaneous sing-along fun
  • The Punchliner Comedy Club Presented by George Lopez, featuring a hilarious line-up of both established and up-and-coming talent evaluated and vetted by the popular TV personality who serves as Carnival’s “curator of comedy”
  • The Punchliner Comedy Brunch, for those who want a little merriment in the morning, serving up laughter along with delicious cuisine

Carnival Sunshine Staterooms, Shopping and More

  • All staterooms will be fully revamped and feature a new tropical décor that pays homage to the ship’s Caribbean itineraries with a combination of bright colors and soothing pastels, with 182 new staterooms to be added across a broad range of accommodations from interior to balconies, including 96 new spa staterooms
  • Newly designed play areas catering to kids in three age groups, part of the line’s top-rated children’s programs – Camp Carnival (2-11), Circle “C” (12-14) and Club O2 (15-17), with enthusiastic counselors and fun supervised activities for each group, along with popular elements of Carnival’s new partnership with Hasbro
  • The FunHub, featuring dozens of flat-panel stations for keeping up with the latest Carnival Sunshine happenings, surfing the Web, and staying in touch with friends and family back home
  • Cloud 9 Spa – Designed as the ultimate refuge for rest and relaxation, this newly constructed facility will set a new standard in oceangoing wellness with a sophisticated menu of exotic therapies, an elaborate thermal suite with varying degrees of soothing warmth, private treatment rooms, and the latest exercise equipment
  • Cherry On Top, which celebrates the joys of simple indulgences with bins of bulk candy, fun fanciful gifts and novelties, custom apparel and more
  • Ocean Plaza, a stunning café and entertainment venue where guests can meet new friends, listen to music, enjoy drinks and light snacks, participate in a wide range of activities and people watch

* As far as I am aware, these are new concepts for Carnival Cruise Lines that aren’t featured on any other Carnival ship 🙂

Carnival Sunshine European and Caribbean Itineraries

Carnival Sunshine will launch a series of Mediterranean cruises beginning with a 14-day voyage departing from Venice and arriving in Barcelona. The ship will then operate a series of 18 nine- and 12-day Mediterranean cruises either round-trip from Barcelona or sailing between Barcelona and Venice.  These departures will visit a wide variety of the Mediterranean’s most spectacular ports, including Marseilles, France; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Livorno (Pisa/Florence) and Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; and Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Carnival Sunshine will then sail on a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing departing Barcelona Nov. 1 and arriving New Orleans Nov. 17, 2013, positioning the vessel for its year-round deployment from the Big Easy.

Following a special six-day cruise from New Orleans Nov. 18-24, 2013, Carnival Sunshine will launch its year-round seven-day cruise schedule from that port Nov. 24, 2013.  Three different week-long itineraries will be offered – an exotic western Caribbean route to Belize City, Belize; Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, and Cozumel, Mexico; a Bahamas/Florida schedule to Key West, Fla., and Freeport and Nassau, The Bahamas; and western Caribbean departures to Montego Bay, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel.

Carnival Sunshine will replace Carnival Conquest, which is currently based in New Orleans.  Additional details on the Carnival Conquest deployment will be announced in the near future.

Carnival Fun Ship 2.0 Upgrade Schedule: Phase 1

I’m sure you’ve heard about Carnival Cruise Lines‘ $500 million Fun Ship 2.0 Initiative and all the new features, like Guy’s Burger Joint and Alchemy Bar, that are being added to Carnival over the next 4 years. I recently sailed Carnival Liberty –the first ship to receive the enhancements– and I can’t begin to tell you how well Carnival succeeded at bringing new energy to the Fun Ship … Actually, you can read my thoughts here: Carnival Liberty Fun Ship 2.0 Enhancements 😉

If you’re like me, you are probably curious about the rest of the Carnival Fun Ships and when they’re scheduled for the Fun Ship 2.0 makeover.

Look no further.

Carnival Fun Ship 2.0 Upgrade Schedule – Phase 1

2011 – Carnival Liberty (completed)

2012 – Carnival Breeze, Carnival Conquest (completed), Carnival Glory (completed)

2013 – Carnival Destiny (Carnival Sunshine), Carnival Legend, Carnival Pride, Carnival Victory

2014 – Carnival Elation, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Valor

2015 – Carnival Magic, Carnival Paradise

Enhancements include: Alchemy Bar, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, Blue Iguana Cantina, DJ IRIE, EA Sports Bar, Guy’s Burger Joint, Hasbro Game Show, Library Bar, Playlist Productions Punchliners Comedy Club & Brunch presented by George Lopez and RedFrog Rum Bar.

Guy Fieri bringing ‘Flavortown’ to Carnival Cruise Line + Other Awesome @CarnivalCruise News

I knew the news was going to be big at Carnival Cruise Lines’ NYC press conference this afternoon. The save the date read: Big Names, Big Brands, and Much More. But who and what could it be?

It wasn’t until I saw a tweet that Guy Fieri — Food Network star and host of Diner’s, Drives -In’s & Dives — was in attendance that I got really excited.

And then then the announcements began to roll out…

Carnival Cruise Lines has partnered with celebrity chef Guy Fieri to offer a free shipboard dining venue called Guy’s Burger Joint, featuring the Food Network star’s amazing hand-crafted burgers and fresh-cut fries and special recipes created exclusively for Carnival.

In addition to hand-crafted hamburgers and cheeseburgers, a variety of innovative condiments will be available, including: chipotle mayonnaise, a special barbecue sauce, garlic aioli and three hot sauces.

Guy’s Burger Joint will debut aboard the Carnival Liberty following the completion of a refurbishment later this month and will be rolled out to several other Carnival “Fun Ships” over the next few years as part of the line’s Fun Ship 2.0 fleetwide enhancement program.

I’m a Food Network addict, and fan of Guy’s, so the partnership with Carnival is a welcome one! Yay! for free gourmet burgers!

But then the news got even better…

It was announced that renowned comedian and TV personality George Lopez who will become the cruise line’s creative director for comedy as Carnival introduces the Punchliner Comedy Clubs Presented by George Lopez.

George Lopez will become the cruise line’s “curator of comedy,” acting as a consultant on the vetting and hiring of comedic talent for the line’s existing fleetwide comedy clubs. Lopez will play an active role in the securing of top up-and-coming comedic talent, utilizing his vast resources within the North American comedy scene.

Through the partnership, Carnival ships will feature a Lopez comedy routine shown on in-cabin televisions fleetwide and pre-recorded introductions by Lopez at comedy club shows, as well as a new Punchliner Comedy Brunch that will be offered on sea days.

Plus — are you ready for this!? FIVE NEW BARS!

— Carnival has partnered with EA SPORTS, the leading sports videogame brand in the world, on an exciting new EA SPORTS Bar concept. Designed to be the ultimate hangout for sports fanatics, guests can play their favorite EA SPORTS videogames, watch live sports on a massive video wall comprised of 16 different 46-inch big-screen displays, and keep up with real-time sports scores 24/7 live on the ticker.

— RedFrog Rum Bar offers guests the quintessential Caribbean vacation vibe with a pool-side version of the popular Caribbean themed RedFrog Pub, which debuted on the Carnival Magic. It will specialize in refreshing Caribbean rum-based frozen drinks and beers, including Carnival’s private label draft brew, ThirstyFrog Red.

— BlueIguana Tequila Bar will provide a laid-back Mexican-themed atmosphere, specializing in delicious tequila-based frozen drinks and Mexican beers. Live music will fill the area as performers will entertain patrons at both bars, along with those enjoying fun in the sun by the pool.

— The Alchemy Bar is Carnival’s vintage-themed cocktail “pharmacy,” the go-to spot for guests who are seeking a unique experience with interesting drink flavors and ingredients. Carnival’s expert mixologists will “prescribe” concoctions from different fun categories or guests can also try their hand at creating their own custom cocktails.

— The Library Bar is a new intimate cocktail lounge featuring bar service and automatic wine dispensers, ideal for guests seeking a more relaxed and quiet venue.

Yes, you read that right— automatic. wine. dispensers. SQUEE.

Yet, there’s still  more…

— Carnival is expanding on its wide array of dining options with exciting new venues that focus on free favorite foods that are highly popular among guests including fresh Mexican cuisine at the new BlueIguana Cantina. This complimentary poolside dining destination offers guests freshly made burritos and tacos on homemade tortillas they can make their own with a variety of salsas and toppings. Hungry vacationers can also watch the tortilla maker create fresh wheat and jalapeño tortillas, then enjoy three types of tacos with a variety of toppings, and three kinds of burritos with fantastic fillings, plus chips and salsa.

— Under license from Hasbro, Inc., Carnival will create Hasbro, The Game Show, a new series of larger-than-life productions and entertainment activities based on the popular Family Game Night television show from The Hub. Hasbro, The Game Show will put guests right in the middle of their favorite Hasbro games. Six main games are to be featured: Sorry Sliders, which involves a giant shuffleboard court; Simon Flash, where two teams of four guests wear giant light-up color boxes and must shuffle themselves quickly to repeat a color sequence; Yahtzee Bowling, with a giant ball and larger-than-life-sized bowling pins; Operation, which is set up like a skee-ball board where contestants try to get the balls into different slots on the “patient’s” body, and Connect 4 Basketball, which uses a basketball setup rather than the traditional checkers to play.

— Playlist Performances will have guests singing along and dancing in their seats during the hit-packed, 30-minute shows created by leading producers, directors and choreographers who have worked on critically acclaimed productions for Broadway, London’s West End and some of the world’s most popular musical acts.

— Known for keeping Miami and Las Vegas crowds pumped and on their feet, award-winning DJ IRIE was also named the Official DJ of Carnival Cruise Lines. In this new role, he will create and lead “DJ IRIE’s Spin’iversity” to train and develop the musical skills and personalities of on-board DJ talent to boost the overall music experience for guests of all ages.

All of today’s announcements fall under Carnival Cruise Line’s new $500 million Fun Ship 2.0 Initiative that will dramatically transform the Carnival vacation experience over the next few years. Fourteen ships are scheduled to receive many of the Fun Ship 2.0 enhancements through 2015.

I know that I’m looking forward to the new dining choices, bars, lounges and entertainment options– What new feature on Carnival are you most excited about?

Carnival Cruise Lines- Official Confetti Sponsor of Times Square New Year’s Eve

Get ready to party this New Years Eve, Cruise-style with Carnival Cruise Lines!

For the first time ever, Carnival Cruise Lines is infusing its fun spirit into the world’s largest New Year’s Eve celebration in New York’s Times Square.  Carnival announced it is the official confetti sponsor of the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2011 celebration, bringing its signature fun and popular brand to the annual gathering of more than a million revelers.  The sponsorship includes multiple opportunities to associate the “Fun Ship” brand with the annual excitement and engage Times Square visitors and Carnival fans online with the option to have their wishes for 2011 added to the celebration’s confetti.

Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director John Heald will lead the official confetti air-worthiness test in Times Square in late December.  He will then grace the main event stage on December 31 to lead the New Year’s Eve celebrants in a practice countdown, complete with 500 pounds of Carnival-colored red, white and blue confetti, the first confetti drop of the New Year’s Eve 2011 party.  At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2011, a ton of colorful Carnival Confetti, hand-tossed by approximately 100 “confetti dispersal engineers,” including a number of lucky Carnival employees, will fill the New York City skyline.  Carnival will also engage the crowd through billboard advertisements and a text to win cruise giveaway on New Year’s Eve.

“Carnival is thrilled to be part of New York City’s New Year’s Eve celebration and add our brand of participatory fun to the festivities,” said Jim Berra, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Carnival Cruise Lines.  “There is no place more iconic and energetic than Times Square on New Year’s Eve, so the opportunity to be the official confetti sponsor of this celebration is a great way for us to reinforce the fun our guests experience and to kick off the New Year for our brand. We’ll also be sending warm thoughts of Caribbean climes and tropical breezes to the revelers braving the cold by giving away a Carnival cruise vacation to one lucky person.”

Carnival is giving people a chance to get in on the confetti fun with the Carnival Confetti New Year’s Eve Wishing Wall at the Times Square Visitor’s Center located at 1560 Broadway in New York City.   Wishing Wall visitors are invited to share their hopes and dreams for the coming year on colorful slips of paper that will be added to the ton of confetti that will rain from the sky as the clock strikes midnight.  Those unable to visit the Wishing Wall but who would still like to have their wish included in the Carnival Confetti, can visit www.facebook.com/Carnival to learn more and follow simple instructions to share what fun things they wish to do next year and have their wish included in the confetti that will be part of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration.

Carnival can also be found on:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/carnivalcruise
Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/carnival
Flickr:  www.flickr.com/photos/carnivalcruiselines/

Also, check out the new Carnival Didja Ever Campaign

FLICKR: davehunt82


Carnival Cruise Lines Debuts Superstar Live Karaoke

My husband is a karaoke star…0r at least that was what I was told on our recent Carnival Cruise. He will be happy to know that Carnival is now debuting LIVE KARAOKE!! I think I see another cruise in our future…

With the band warmed up, amps cranked, spotlight set and the adoring crowd ready to explode, Carnival guests will take the stage, grab the mic and live out their music-star daydreams on the open seas.  Introducing Superstar Live Karaoke, Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest entertainment feature puts guests into the act, fronting a live band and performing their favorite songs to a packed house.

Superstar Live Karaoke combines two popular forms of entertainment – live music by talented musicians and karaoke by Carnival’s singing sailors – and cranks it up. It is fun for all when aspiring singers or fun-seekers have their moment in the spotlight while a few hundred of their friends, family and fellow guests cheer them on and sing along.

Following a high-energy introduction, the would-be music legend hits the stage to belt out a favorite tune accompanied by talented musicians playing the electric guitar, bass, drums and keyboards, as well as versatile backup singers to provide sweet harmonies.

“We’re thrilled to bring this new entertainment option to the Carnival vacation experience.  Superstar Live Karaoke takes Carnival’s participatory fun to a new level with our guests unleashing their vocal talents and fulfilling their musical fantasies while fronting a great live band,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s president and CEO.

Those interested in living their dream as a super star — for one night, at least — simply sign up with the on-site host in the designated Superstar Live Karaoke lounge on board.  Participation is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Guests can channel their inner rock star, pop idol, Motown legend and country crooner, selecting from a list of more than 100 song titles that span a wide variety of musical styles and genres from artists including ABBA to Zac Brown Band and everything in between.

For those about to rock, there are plenty of classic songs from AC/DC, The Beatles, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Joan Jett and others, as well as contemporary hits by artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga and Maroon 5.

Guests can add a twang with current and classic country songs made famous by Garth Brooks, Patsy Cline, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Shania Twain, and others, or pay their respects to soul, rap and R&B greats by performing songs by Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Wilson Pickett and Sir Mix-A-Lot, among many others.

“Super Star Live Karaoke is quickly becoming one of the most popular and exciting activities we’ve ever offered.  People love to express themselves through music — we even had a groom sing to his new bride,” said Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director John Heald. “It’s a dream of so many people to perform on a stage backed by a live band, but so few get the opportunity. We’re giving people the ability to live out their dream and just go out and have fun!”

The program, which recently debuted aboard Carnival Conquest and Carnival Valor, premieres on the Carnival Pride this week.  Superstar Live Karaoke will be introduced to the line’s 12 Fun Ships that operate itineraries of seven days or longer by year’s end.

Carnival is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages ranging from three to 16 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Europe, and Bermuda.  The line currently has two new 130,000-ton ships on order – Carnival Magic, set to debut from Europe May 1, 2011, and Carnival Breeze, scheduled to enter service in spring 2012.

For additional information and reservations on the “Fun Ship” vacation experience, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

National Cruise Vacation Month — Where Would You Love to Cruise?

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know how much my family loves to cruise. So much so, my husband and I were even married on a cruise ship. Since I started cruising, a little over 13 years ago, I’ve been on nearly two dozen cruises. It never gets old, and there’s always a new and exciting place to cruise to. I currently have my eyes set on the Hawaiian Island, the Baltic, the Panama Canal and Asia (dreaming BIG here!), but I’m open to sail just about anywhere. Cruising is my favorite way to travel.

October is National Cruise Vacation month, and while I don’t have any cruises planned (yet!), I thought it would be fun to look back on some of my favorite cruise posts — perhaps it will even inspire your family to book a cruise 🙂

Carnival Miracle – Alaska

family cruise alaska

Carnival Freedom – Southern Caribbean

Holland America – Canada & New England

holland america canada new england

Carnival Sunshine – Europe

carnival cruise europe

Carnival Breeze – Europe

Disney Fantasy – The Bahamas

Carnival Liberty - Western Caribbean

The thing I love so much about cruising is that you can visit multiple destinations without hassle. Other than getting on and off the ship– you don’t have to do any work, and that’s what vacation should be about! If you’re planning a cruise, don’t forget to look for cheap flights to get you to and from the ship.

Has your family been on a cruise? Where would you like to cruise to?

Thirteen Travels for 2013

rainbowhawaii

So here’s the deal: My list of 13 travels for 2013 is super ambitious. I know, I say that every year– but this year I can’t shake the urge to travel abroad. It’s not that I don’t want to explore the United States (because I do!), it’s just that there are more places out of the country that I want to see right now — and I’m not getting any younger! I really had to think hard about the few U.S. destinations I have listed, and honestly– who wouldn’t want to visit Alaska or Hawaii!?  

So without further ado, and it no particular order, here’s my list of…

Thirteen Travels for 2013

 

1. London — I’m 30 years old and it still amazes me that I’ve never been to London. I always thought this would be the first international destination I would travel to. Sadly, the closest I have been is to the U.K. pavilion at Epcot… I’m dying for some authentic fish & chips, high tea, double-decker buses and, of course, to see Big Ben. Hopefully, this will be the year!?

2. Ireland — My Irish roots are seriously drawing me back to the motherland. Pints of Guinness? Shepard’s Pie? Sign me up! I want to kiss the Blarney Stone and skip through fields of shamrocks … or whatever it is they do there! Seriously though, I would love to trace my ancestry back to where I came from. TBEX Europe is in Dublin this year…

3. Alaska — More than ten years ago I visited Alaska for the first time. This was pre-husband and child. It was a life-changing experience for me, and I want to share that again with my family … preferably on a cruise, because it’s the best way to see Alaska. It’s one of the most majestic places on earth.

4. Baltic Cruise — The highlight of 2012 for me was the Mediterranean cruise I took with my daughter on the Carnival Breeze. I would take the same trip again in a heartbeat … it was that good! But, if I had to pick a new cruise for the New Year it would be to the Baltic region, which includes Northern Europe, Scandinavia and/or Russia. This basically combines all the places I want to travel into one cruise– which is one of my favorite ways to travel! I hear the Carnival Legend is sailing the Baltic this year…

5. Out West— Arizona, Utah, Colorado… I haven’t spent much time out West, but I would love to visit the Grand Canyon, attend the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, or the Aspen Food & Wine Fest in Colorado. This girl can dream, right!? Since we’re dreaming, I’m up for a visit to one of the fabulous spas in Arizona and a hot air balloon ride. I’m craving the landscape out west.

6. Hawaii—Do you really need a reason to visit Hawaii? My first visit to Hawaii was two years ago, when I visited the islands of Maui and Lanai. From the moment my plane landed, I knew that the Hawaiian islands were something special and I would do whatever I could to get back there. My sights are now set on Oahu, the Big Island and Kauai (which a little birdie told me was the most beautiful of the islands), and my goal is to see them all. Oahu’s Aulani is high on my list because I would love my family to experience the magic of Hawaii with me.

7. Thailand — For awhile now, I’ve had this fantasy of taking my family to Chiang Mai, Thailand. It’s one of those crazy scenarios where you drop your life and move somewhere exotic for a couple of months. While that’s probably not feasible, Thailand is still calling my name. I’m dreaming of temples, rice fields, night markets and PAD THAI!!

8. Galapagos Islands — I have that spirit of adventure that can only be tamed by traveling to more exotics locals. The Galapagos Islands are one of those destinations that make you think about where were came from, while feeling both connected and disconnected from the rest of the world. I haven’t looked too much into it, but there are a few different cruises from Guayaquil, Ecuador that tour the islands that inspired Darwin.

9. Back to Europe — This list is feeling kind of redundant; but gosh almighty, I want to get back to Europe –anywhere in Europe– in 2013. What’s that thing about “The Secret”? … If you think it…

11. Costa Rica — I’ve heard generally wonderful things about Costa Rica … that it’s clean, safe, friendly and there’s a plethora of activities for families and adventure travelers alike. Plus, I feel like this would be a great place to get my yoga on.

12. Canada — Oh, Canada! It’s been too long!

13. Iceland — For some reason, I’m just crazy about Iceland. I want to float in the Blue Lagoon and see a world that’s totally foreign to most. Am I crazy? Probably.

 Where do you want to travel in 2013?

My Favorite Travels of 2012

Every January I make a list of destinations I hope to visit over the next twelve months. For 2012, my list had 12 travels — some were realistic (Key West), while some were far-fetched (Iceland). And while I only crossed off three last year, I can honestly say it was my most fulfilling year of travel yet.

My daughter and I kicked off 2012 with a Mediterranean cruise on the Carnival Breeze from Barcelona, Spain. This was our first trip to Europe (for us both), and it was a whirlwind– in two weeks we visited nine cities in four countries! AND IT WAS FABULOUS!! I love cruising, and I now love Europe. It’s seriously the perfect family vacation. My favorite travels of the year were the ports on the cruise, which included: Barcelona, Spain; Marseille, France; Florence, Salerno, Rome, and Venice, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Taormina, Sicily.

Here’s a look back at each destination with a little tip from me:

Barcelona, Spain

barcelonacollage

TIP: Oh Barcelona, how I love thee! Before visiting Barcelona, I was worried about traveling there alone with my daughter. All of the articles online warn of pickpockets and gypsies. And while I’m sure they’re prevalent, they didn’t bother us one bit and I felt completely safe walking up and down La Rambla. As fans of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, our first stop was to La Boqueria to sample some local delicacies, including Jamon Iberico — the most amazing Spanish ham. Barcelona feels very much like NYC to me because the city is so alive. I’m dying to get back to see La Sagrada Familia.

Marseille, France

marseillecollage

TIP: The Petit Train is a super value if you have a free afternoon in Marseille. For only a couple of Euros, this small tourist train will you take on a guided tour of the city while making its way up to Notre Dame a la Garde, a spectacular Neo-Byzantine church located at the highest natural point in Marseille. This year, Marseille has been given the great honor of being the European Capital of Culture (2013).

Florence, Italy

florencecollage

TIP: If you have any desire at all to see the statue of David at the Accademia Gallery in Florence, purchase your tickets in advance online. If you don’t, prepare to spend hours waiting in line, without protection from the sun, or admit defeat and settle for the statue of “fake David” (seen above) in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Florence is also the place for gelato; out of all the the places we sampled Festival del Gelato had the best. Try the Rose flavor … it’s delicious!

Salerno/Pompeii, Italy

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TIP: If arriving in Salerno by cruise ship, seeing the ruins of Pompeii on your own in totally doable by train. Here’s how to do it cheaply: Salerno to Pompeii by Train.

Rome, Italy

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TIP: Catholic or not, the museums of the Vatican and the Sistene Chapel are a must see while visiting Rome. One particular museum of interest is the Gregorian Egyptian Museum, which showcases ancient artifacts, including mummies and sarcofagi. This is another time when you will want to purchase your tickets in advance online to avoid long lines. Don’t forget to stop by the Trevi Fountain to throw in a coin (with your right hand over your left shoulder) — tradition says this will ensure a return trip to Rome!

Venice, Italy

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TIP: Venice is my new favorite place on Earth. I don’t think I  could never get enough of it, no matter how many times I visit– and I’m hoping it ends up being dozens of times throughout my life. The only downside to Venice it that it’s expensive. Really expensive. So brings lots of Euros and plan on spending double that amount. Take a gondola ride — we didn’t and I regret it, but there’s always next time 😉

Dubrovnik. Croatia

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TIP: The beauty of Dubrovnik will take your breath away! If you get the opportunity, don’t pass up this stop in Croatia. It’s super cheap as the exchange is based on the Kuna, instead of the Euro. Spend a leisurely day walking the walls, stop in a cafe for a fresh seafood lunch and enjoy a cold Ozujsko Lemon (my new favorite beer!). I can’t remember the name, but there’s a chocolate shop in Old Town that has the BEST chocolate hazelnut candy that I’ve ever had. Dubrovnik is a treat for all of the senses.

Taormina, Sicily

tarominacollage

TIP: Taormina is a small town on the east coast of Sicily and the birthplace of the cannoli — YUM! This is another leisurely stop to spend the day wandering the cobblestone streets, shopping and drinking local vino at small cafes. On clear days, Mt. Etna can be seen blowing smoke in the distance.

Where did 2012 take you?

Don’t forget to check out my new list of 13 travels for 2013!

Special thanks to Carnival Cruise Lines for hosting me on the Carnival Breeze. All opinions are my own.

Wanderlust Wednesday: Dubrovnik, Croatia

This past summer, my daughter and I went on a Mediterranean cruise with a stop in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Admittedly, I didn’t give much thought into this port, with most of my focus and planning going our days spent in Italy– specifically Venice and Rome. Dubrovnik was one of those days that I thought we could “wing it”, and we made no plans other than to get off the Carnival Breeze and to leisurely explore the city.

Dubrovnik turned out to be one of our favorite stops on the entire cruise.

Also known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic”, Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. The old city has retained that old world look and feel, despite its history. Most notably, in 1991 when the walled city was bombed by the Yugoslav People’s Army, killing approximately 100 civilians and damaging more than 50% of the buildings. Now that old Dubrovnik is rebuilt, you can tell which buildings were hit by the color of the tiles on the roof. If they’re orange, it means that structure was damaged in the attack.

Other than walking the walls, sea kayaking, strolling through the shops, or having a bite to eat, there isn’t a lot to do in Dubrovnik. And that’s just the way I like it! Even with a ship full of tourists, Dubrovnik is very peaceful.

I love how residents still hang their laundry out to dry.

My daughter and I walked part of the walls, spent some money in a chocolate shop (the exchange rate of the Kuna is awesome!), and had lunch at an outdoor cafe. The mussels we shared were the best I have ever had — you could tell that they came fresh from the sea!

If you need just one reason to visit Dubrovnik, it’s for the seafood. Out of this world.

Five Reasons to Take Your Family on a Mediterranean Cruise

I would venture to guess that most parents have a desire to take their children to Europe. What was once a vacation reserved for special occasions, like monumental birthdays and graduation, is now the norm for many American families.

The drop in the euro and competitive cruise prices make visiting the Mediterranean (countries include Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece) more affordable — And not to mention enjoyable, as major cruise lines are essentially floating resorts, with activities and amenities to cater to everyone in the family.

reasons to take your family on a Mediterranean cruise

Five Reasons to Take Your Family on a Mediterranean Cruise:

1. Expose Your Children to Culture Straight Out of the History books – No surprise here. The best reason to take your kids on a Mediterranean cruise is for the educational value. There’s just no comparison when it comes to experiencing destinations, such as Rome, Florence, and Pompeii, in person, versus reading about them in a book.

This is my daughter in Pompeii, with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. I made this excursion into a learning experience where I explained what happened on that fateful day in 79 AD. She has yet to cover this event in school, but when she does, she will have a deeper understanding of the aftermath.

excursion in pompeii

2. Most Economical Way to See Europe– Let’s face it, traveling to Europe with a family can be costly, but that shouldn’t deter you from making the trip. The benefits, some of which are outlined in this post, far outweigh the expense. When you book a cruise with a major cruise line, such as Carnival, you pay for the bulk of your vacation in U.S. dollars. Compare the individual cost of hotels, transportation (country to country) and meals — then tack in the exchange rate and VAT taxes — and you save a considerable amount of money by cruising. Plus, deals can be had left and right. It’s not uncommon to spend as little as $65 per person, per day for a 12-day cruise through the Mediterranean.

View from the Carnival Breeze as we dock in Venice, Italy.

cruise to venice

3. Easiest Way to Visit Multiple Countries with Children – If you planned a land-based trip to multiple countries along the Mediterranean — let’s say to Spain, France, Italy, and Croatia — could you imagine the travel time (by land and air) to get to each destination? It would take up the majority of your vacation! When you only have two weeks a year, time is precious. The beauty of cruising is that the ports come to you (you only have to unpack your suitcase once!). During travel time, children are occupied onboard the ship with an abundance of activities, from a kids’ camp with crafts and games to a water park with splash fountains and slides — it’s a no-brainer.

SportsSquare on the Carnival Breeze — Just one of many areas with activities for the whole family.

carnival Mediterranean cruise

4. Easy Planning – If you’ve never taken your family to Europe, the planning behind it can be mind-blowing. Traveling to different countries with children can be daunting, especially if there’s a language barrier. Cruising, however, makes the process incredibly easy for families.

On board, you’ll be sailing with a majority of Americans, and all of the staff is English-speaking (with many fluent in other languages). No matter what country you’re in, there won’t be any confusion on the ship.

When you book your cruise, you’re paying upfront for your accommodations, travel (from port to port) and food. Airfare, transfers (to/from airport to port), shore excursions, travel insurance, and gratuities are not included in the base price, but they can all be handled by the cruise line. With the exception of souvenirs and a meal or two in port, everything can be paid up front, which decreases under budgeting and over spending.

My daughter’s first gelato in Florence, Italy — just a couple of euro, and worth every cent!

cruise to florence

5. Open your Family to New Destinations –  My opinion is travel leads to more travel — especially abroad. Once you’ve made the first trip to Europe with your family, it will be hard not to want to go back and see more. This year it may be a family Mediterranean cruise to France, Italy, and Croatia, next year it could be the Baltic. Exposing your kids to new cultures and experiences at young ages will shape their lives … travel is one of the greatest gifts that you can give them.

Fresh small fish from the Adriatic Sea are quickly fried and served whole in Dubrovnik, Croatia. After she got the courage to eat one, she gobbled down several more.

cruise to dubrovnik

Other Cruise Posts You Might Like:

Barcelona & La Boqueria

It should be no surprise that one of my favorite Travel Channel shows, besides No Reservations, is Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Earlier this year, my daughter and I had a week-long Bizarre Foods marathon on Netflix, where we discovered our most favorite episode: Spain. – I’m still bummed that they have since removed the show from their catalog.

In that episode, Andrew visits La Boqueria — the largest food market in Barcelona. For a foodie, this place is heaven.

A couple of months later, I found out I would be flying into Barcelona with my daughter, where we would embark on the Carnival Breeze for a 12-day Mediterranean cruise. Since we only had a few hours from the time our plane landed to when the ship set sail, our sightseeing was limited. I couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on Barcelona all together, and La Boqueria was within a few miles of the cruise terminal off Las Ramblas– we just had to see it!

And see it we did 🙂

We used Carnival’s transfer service from the airport to the cruise terminal, which I was very thankful for after a 9-hour flight. The terminal looks brand new, and it’s extremely easy to navigate. Once we checked-in and dropped off our luggage in the cabin, we got off the ship and took advantage of the port shuttle bus, which was €3 per person, round-trip. The shuttle bus dropped us off at the Columbus Monument, just a short distance from the beginning of Las Ramblas.

Las Ramblas is the main drag in Barcelona, with lots of shopping and restaurants. You’ll also see some interesting characters, including human statues.

It’s just a little more than a half mile walk from the Columbus Statue to La Boqueria via Las Ramblas. Along the way we found various street vendors selling everything from scarfs to live turtles…

Hungry– we focused on the task at hand.

La Boqueria was everything we hoped it would be. The market is very busy, and at every turn there was a new culinary delight.

Our mission was to try Jamón Ibérico, a cured ham produced in a specific region of Spain — it’s pricey, but the flavor payoff is worth it!

My daughter wanted to try the coconut juice, which can be found for only a couple of euros. We paid €1.50, but saw other stalls for 2/€2 — as you headed deeper into the market, the prices go down.

The juice was a bargain considering it was one of the most delicious drinks we’ve ever had — everything in the market was fresh. I’m not sure there is anything like this in the United States.

We wandered around for a bit, buying more juice and sampling homemade candies, before we had lunch around the corner at Café Viena for the so-called “best sandwich in the world” … review pending.

Even with jet-lag, we pulled through and had an amazing day in Barcelona before setting sail on the Carnival Breeze towards our first port: Marseille, France. If you haven’t been, Barcelona, is at the top of the list for great European vacations.

I was invited as media on the Carnival Breeze. All opinions are my own.

A Day in Marseille, France

Visiting France was a big deal for my eight-year-old daughter, who’s named after the most famous city in the country. Marseille, the first stop on our Mediterranean cruise aboard the Carnival Breeze, isn’t exactly Paris, but it was a good starting point for our first visit to the south of France.

The ship docked bright and early at 7 a.m. — I had been up for hours before, still not adjusted to the time change or the fact that the sun rises incredibly early in Europe– like at 5:00am.

I love getting up early on port days to watch the ship sail into port. The views of the shoreline are gorgeous in the Mediterranean.

On this morning, I scheduled room service to be delivered 6 a.m. and sat on the balcony with coffee and croissants … really, does it get much better than this!?

Our plans for the day were to take the city bus to Aix en Provence to see the Saturday market. From my research, Aix had more of an “Old World”  French feel, which was what I was looking for. I had envisioned us strolling through the market vendors, buying handmade bars of soap and painted pottery, and eating butter-laden croissants and pastries from Béchard, the oldest bakery in the city. But , alas, our plans weren’t meant to be.

When we exited the ship at the port of Maresille, we were greeted with smiles and lavender sachets — this was the first time I had ever received a welcome gift like this, but it was greatly appreciated. It was a wonderful beginning to our first day in port!

We needed to get to the Old Port of Marseille (Vieux-Port), which was a good 20 minutes from where the shipped docked and was not walkable. You can either take a taxi or one of the shuttles offered by the port. We chose the shuttle, which was €12 (As of 2013, the shuttle is €14) for adults and €8 for children, round trip. This was the most expensive shuttle transfer out of all our port stops.

Everything was going well while we were on the shuttle — we were very excited to finally be in France — and then we hit a road block. To this day, I’m not exactly sure what the delay was, but our 20 minute drive turned into an hour plus– with an interesting detour. Needless to say, by the time we reached the Old Port, we didn’t want to risk missing the ship back, so our plans to visit Aix were scrapped.

On to Plan B — The Petit Train!

Side Note: If you’re not taking one of the ship’s excursions, I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a backup plan.  Taking the Petit Train up to Notre-Dame de la Garde was my Plan B long before we docked in Marseille. I had general directions to the ticket stand embedded in my head, so we didn’t have to waste extra time finding something to do.

The line for the Petit Train looked daunting, but it moved very quickly. I purchased our tickets for Circuit 2: Our Lady of the Guard (Notre-Dame de la Garde), which could be seen directly across the harbor up on the hill. Tickets were very reasonable at €7/adults and €4/children.

Within no time we were on the train, making our way up the hillside. The scenery along the way was spectacular. We had to pinch ourselves because we were finally in France!

The tour to the Basilica was guided, however the commentary was hard to hear at times– but we made do. We were so busy looking around that it really didn’t matter what they were saying.

Finally, we made it to the top of the hill to Notre-Dame de la Garde. The site was more impressive than I had imagined. Even non-Catholics should be able to appreciate its beauty — plus there are some amazing views!

The Neo-Byzantine basilica was built on the foundations of a 16th-century fort. It’s made up of two parts: a lower crypt, and an upper church decorated with nautical mosaics and model boats, which hang from the ceiling. Both sections are free to visitors.

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We waited a half hour to forty five minutes (in the blazing sun) for the Petit Train back to the Old Port. The trains were running the whole time, but the line was so long it took three trains before it was time for us to board. The trip back is the express route — we were down the hill and to the harbor in no time.

My daughter adored our ride on the Petit Train, later telling me it was one of the highlights of the trip for her. I still can’t believe the value, for €11 we got a tour of Marseille and a ride up to the Basilica — the whole thing took a few hours, so it was €11 well spent!

The only other thing we wanted to do in France was get some pastries. On our way back to the shuttle we found a little pâtisserie with fresh beignets and creme puffs.

This was the highlight of my day.

Eating pastries in France with my daughter was a dream I had for awhile — that creme puff lived up to every one of my expectations!

Our day in Marseille turned out to be a success, and as our only stop in France, it was just enough of a taste to have me wanting for more 😉

By 3:00 p.m. we were back on the Carnival Breeze, ready to set sail. Next up: a day in Florence, Italy.

I was invited as media on the Carnival Breeze. All opinions are my own.

Cruise DIY: Getting from Salerno to Pompeii by Train

salerno to pompeii train

Before my recent Mediterranean cruise aboard the Carnival Breeze, I did a fair amount of research on all of the ports and what we wanted to do at each. I found a ton of info for all of the stops in Italy … except for one … Salerno.

Salerno is not a traditional stop for the major cruise lines, and it’s usually only on the itinerary when the port of Naples is booked. The good news is there are less crowds and the scenery is still beautiful. The bad news is we didn’t get to try Naples’ famous pizza, and excursions filled up quickly. As they did in our case with Pompeii.

My daughter decided at the last minute that she must visit Pompeii, and our only option was public transportation. I decided to wing it, and thankfully we made it from the Port of Salerno to Pompeii, on our own via the train — DIY.

Carnival Cruise Lines offers shuttle service from the ship to town (a short distance from the train station) for €5 per person roundtrip — children under 12 are free. If your cruise line offers a shuttle, this is your best bet and you can use the info below from the shuttle stop. If not, take a cab directly to the train station and follow the directions below from the train station to Pompeii.

Salerno to Pompeii by Train

Directions from Cruise Shuttle stop in Salerno to Train Station

The shuttles drop off is at a bus stop across the street from a parking lot. You want to get off and head towards the pizzeria on the right of the photo with the red awning (Pizzicorio) — stay on that sidewalk to the left of the restaurant.

Contiune to walk, with the parking lot on your left, about two blocks. You will cross another main street, and head towards a cream colored building, where you will make a right (with the blue awning) — this is a little square with shopping and restaurants.

Once you make a right you will head a little further until you see the train/bus station on your left — you can’t miss it!

Here’s a Google Map with the walking route.

Directions from the Train Station in Salerno to Pompeii

Now here’s where things got a little more tricky for us, and where you need to do you research in advance on which routes have which stops. Purchasing the tickets was easy. I went to the attendant and bought two round-trip train tickets (4 tickets total for 2 people) to Pompei. The cost was €2.10 per ticket, each way. The ticket is standard for travel 100 minutes or less.

The attendant, who spoke little English, told me to get on the train to Napoli, as it was the next train with a stop in Pompei —  Seems easy enough? Unfortunately, he also directed me to the wrong platform, and my inexperience with trains in Italy could have landed me in Milan. Luckily, the train to Naples was late and another family from the same cruise pointed me in the right direction.

Don’t forget to validate your tickets in the yellow box! — this puts a time stamp on them.

The train to Naples from Salerno is not the fast train to Pompei. The trip took around 40 minutes with multiple stops. The scenery is beautiful if you sit on the left side of the train going towards Pompeii. I had no idea how many stops there would be, and just got off when we saw the sign for Pompei.

Here on out it was very easy to get to the back entrance of the Pompeii excavation site.

When we exited the train station in Pompei, there were taxis readily available for €3 per person to the entrance of the Pompeii site. I knew it wouldn’t be far to walk on our own, and I was right.

This is the train station in Pompei — you will exit to the left of this photo, and cross the street to Via Sacra, staying on the sidewalk.

You will keep walking until you see the church below, where you will cross the street and make a right onto a large sidewalk, heading towards the tower.

It’s all very easy once you get there. When you make your right, this is what you will see ahead.

You will then make a left at the restaurant on the corner — the sidewalk will become scalloped — the street is Via Roma.

You will follow the sidewalk for a little while longer until you come to the back entrance of Pompeii — Piazza Anfiteatro – which will be on the right of this street. As you near, you will begin to see street vendors. This is a good place to buy bottled water if you need some.

Here’s a Google Map with the walking route.

The entrance fee to Pompeii is currently €11, per person.

To get back to Salerno, just backtrack the same way you came.

A Note About Trains in Italy

It’s true what they say, they’re never on time.

I can’t stress enough how important is to know which trains stop where. Our train back to Salerno never arrived — When you look at the Trenitalia site in advance, there seems to be a ton of trains coming and going from Pompei and Salerno. The thing is, when you arrive at the station, the stops aren’t listed the same and for example, to get to Pompei, we needed to take the “Napoli” train, which happens to stop in Pompei — you need to know the major cities in the direction you are going and their stops. A little confusing for a first-timer.

The Salerno train never arrived and we waited an hour for the next train going in the same direction, which turned out to be a fast train with the destination as “Formia”. I would never have known this train stopped in Salerno if it hadn’t been for others from the cruise (more prepared than I) to direct me. Also, Partenze means departures — make sure you are looking at this board.

The whole experience was an adventure for my daughter and I, and I felt very safe the whole time — looking back, this is probably one of the easiest DIY ports. We did save a fair amount of money, round-trip to and from the ship with tickets to Pompeii cost me €35.40. I would recommend having a plan B (and possibly a plan C) for getting back to the ship in the event there’s an issue with the train. And whatever you do … don’t take the last train back to Salerno!

If you have any questions, ask away! – Happy & safe travels 🙂

Summer Travel Essential: Netflights Puzzle Pack for Kids

Summer vacation may seem far off, but it’s right around the corner! My daughter and I are headed to Europe for a 12-day cruise (on the new Carnival Breeze!) in just 5 short weeks and I’m beyond unprepared. There’s still SO MUCH planning that needs to be done– I still haven’t finalized our excursions, or even what we’re going to see in certain ports … It’s a little overwhelming, but I think that adds to the excitement of our first trip abroad together.

Another thing I need to consider is how my daughter is going to handle the ten hour flight to and from Barcelona, Spain. I’m packing all the essentials, including the iPod Touch and Kindle Fire, but I think she’ll also need a non-electronic activity, like book games and crayons.

Netflights has a great blog with a new Summer Holiday Puzzle Pack for Kids — It’s an easy to print out, six page, mini-workbook with connect-the-dots, mazes, a wordsearch, spotting game and color-ins. It’s a great option to bring along for free entertainment — whether you’re taking a car-trip, flight, or just need something to entertain your child for an hour this summer 🙂

The Netflights blog also has a great holiday destination guide for families with vacation inspiration, popular destinations, travel tips and age-appropriate travel ideas.

Are you going on a family vacation this summer? Where to?

List of New Cruise Ships Debuting in 2012

As you know, I love cruising– so it’s no surprise that one of the most exciting things that I learned at Cruise Shipping Miami was that 14 new ships are debuting in 2012. Two of which I will be sailing this year!

List of New Cruise Ships in 2012:

Disney Cruise Line’s Fantasy – 2500 passengers – debuting March 2012

Costa Cruises’ Fascinosa – 3012 passengers- debuting May 2012

Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Reflection – 3030 passengers – debuting October 2012

MSC’s MSC Davina – 3502 passengers – debuting May 2012

Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Breeze – 3690 passengers – debuting June 2012

Oceania Cruises’ Riviera – 1260 passengers – debuting May 2012

Pearl Sea Cruises’ Pearl Mist (210 passengers)

American Cruise Lines’ Queen of the Mississippi – 140 passengers – debuting August 2012

AMA Waterways’ AmaCerto – 164 passengers – debuting April 2012

Avalon Waterways’ Vista – 166 passengers – debuting March 2012

Avalon Waterways’ Visionary – 128 passengers – debuting April 2012

Avalon Waterways’ Angkor – 32 passengers – debuting September 2012

Uniworld’s River Saigon – 60 passengers – debuting March 2012

Paul Gauguin’s M/V Moana (reintroduced) – 90 passengers – debuting December 2012

In total, these new ships will carry almost 18,000 passengers! 17,984 if you like specifics 😉

Here’s a break down of which ship you would most likely sail, based on your intended experience:

Family (General Cruising)

Disney Fantasy (Caribbean)

Carnival Breeze (Europe & Caribbean)

Costa Fascinosa (Europe)

MSC Divina (Europe & Caribbean)

Romantic Getaway

Celebrity Reflection (Europe & Caribbean)

Luxury

Oceana Riviera (Europe & Caribbean)

Luxury – Small Ship

Pearl Mist (Canada/New England & Caribbean)

Paul Gauguin Tere Moana (Europe, Caribbean & Latin America)

River Cruising

AMA AmaCerto (Europe)

Avalon Vista (Europe)

Avalon Visionary (Europe)

Avalon Angkor (Southeast Asia – Mekong River)

Uniworld River Saigon (Southeast Asia – Mekong River)

American Queen of the Mississippi (Mississippi River)