 As travel professionals, part of our job is to experience different resorts, cruise ships, and vacation destinations first-hand so that we can bring that experience back to our clients. Sometimes this happens in the form of personal vacations, familiarization trips, site inspections, and ship tours. Recently, I had the opportunity to tour FOUR cruise ships over a span of seven days. One of the perks of living near several major cruise ports in the Northeast is that I often get to visit cruise ships for the day, see staterooms, eat lunch in the main dining room, and chat with the staff about their favorite things on-board. First up... The Carnival Sunrise! The Sunrise recently underwent a MASSIVE renovation - taking her from the old, worn out Triumph to the shiny, new Sunrise. The Sunrise will be sailing out of Manhattan for part of the year, making her a great new addition to the area. I visited the Sunrise on a rainy, dreary Monday. My first impression was that all of the common areas we went through looked BEAUTIFUL. The ship looked modern and the staterooms were bright, but small. In fact, the Sunrise was the smallest of the four ships I saw. For our clients who love to sail Carnival and want to experience sailing out of NYC, the Sunrise is the perfect option! Next... Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas! Adventure of the Seas is a small ship, that sails part time out of Cape Liberty, NJ. My first impression was that Royal Caribbean really knows what they are doing with their interior spaces. It felt familiar, even though I hadn't been on this particular class of Royal Caribbean ship before! The one downside was that the staterooms hallways are very narrow and have an outdated color scheme. I cannot wait to see what the Adventure of the Seas looks like after she has been Royal Amplified in 2021! Third... Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas! Anthem of the Seas was the ship I was most excited to see, and she did not disappoint! I was excited to explore a Quantum Class ship for the first time. Anthem of the Seas currently sails year round out of Cape Liberty, NJ and starting next year will move to Europe for the summer and back to NJ for the fall/winter. I absolutely LOVED the indoor areas on this ship; from the adult-only solarium, to the kids club areas in Adventure Ocean, to the indoor pool with a rectractable roof, to Seaplex, which is a multipurpose space that houses a variety of activities like basketball, rollerskating, trapeze classes, and bumper cars! My favorite area on the ship is the Two70 theater, the ship's hub of entertainment that can transform with the touch of a button for different shows and experiences. If you haven't had the opportunity to experience a Quantum class ship with your family, you absolutely should consider it! And finally... Celebrity Summit! I have never stepped foot onboard a Celebrity ship before, and was particularly excited for the Summit because of the extensive renovation she had just underwent. The Summit felt like the most upscale of the ships I toured and the newly renovated spaces were all bright and modern. What stood out to me the most were the exclusive areas for Suite class guests! The Retreat sundeck had beautiful lounge chairs, day beds, and plunge pools. I would want to stay there ALL day. The Summit is a great escape for those seeking a little more of a high-end cruise experience out of the NY/NJ area So, four ships and a LOT of flights of stairs later, what did I learn? - There is a ship for absolutely everyone leaving out of the NY/NJ area. - Smaller ships can have JUST as much to do as larger ones! - I still have YET to have a bad meal on-board a ship inspection. - It is impossible to see an entire ship in a few hours, regardless of size! - And finally... I really need more comfortable shoes! Author |
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August 2021
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