Tag: Royal Caribbean

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Steal These 5 Travel-Related Gift Ideas from Oprah's 'Ultimate Favorite Things'

November 23, 2010 at 8:34 AM | by | Comments (0)

While everyone was reeling at the 2012 Volkswagen Beetles that Oprah gave to her lucky audience in yesterday's final "Ultimate Favorite Things" episode, we were busy scoping out her other picks from the double-episode free-stuff extravaganza. And no, we don't mean the glittery Uggs—really, Oprah? Among the goodies, there were a number of great gifts for travelers on your holiday list, or yourself. We won't judge.

Check out our version of Oprah's Favorite Things: Travelers' Edition after the jump.

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Royal Caribbean Claims First Starbucks at Sea on Their New Ship

October 27, 2010 at 10:45 AM | by | Comments (0)

Cruise ships these days have though of just about every creative way to squeeze a couple extra dollars out of you, including yoga classes, Johnny Rockets and "premium" restaurants, but they still don't have Starbucks. That is, until today. Royal Caribbean announced this morning that their newest ship, the Allure of the Seas, will be the first to have Starbucks at Sea.

As it is, most modern cruise ships already have specialty coffee stands (like "Creams" onboard the Carnival Glory), and although they can make you all the frappuccinos and venti soy lattes you wanted, they couldn't call them that (because Starbucks owns copyrights, you see). USA Today has the first image of the Starbucks at Sea here, and it looks pretty meh. You could be anywhere, like a suburban mall, from the way it looks. And although we understand that Starbucks has their brand to maintain, but this is just super not exciting.

Anyways, the ship debuts next month and knowing that it'll hold some 5,400 passengers, who wants to place bets that the Starbucks line will be even more annoying than morning rush hour at your nearest local drive-thru 'bucks?

[Photo: Jaunted]

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A Full 5K Marathon is the Newest Cruise Ship Amenity

October 1, 2010 at 9:35 AM | by | Comments (0)


What typically happens on a cruise ship

So, Royal Caribbean cruises has pretty much announced the one thing that contradicts the point of taking a cruise, but we'll run with it (no pun intended). During one of the December sailings on the Allure of the Seas, the cruise line will stage it's first 5K Marathon, called "The Royal 5K," to take place on the island of St. Maarten. We doubt it'll include the famous road at the end of the airport's runway, over which plane's fly dangerously low, but trust that there will be scenery involved regardless.

All guests sailing will have the opportunity to join, to quickly shave off whatever fat they've already piled on at shipboard buffets. The marathon is $50 for adults and $35 for children, and you're welcome to walk, run or jog the course. If you're quite serious about running, they've got an optional training program to follow as well:

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Shrek and Kung Fu Panda are Coming to a Cruise Ship Near You

July 29, 2010 at 3:51 PM | by | Comment (1)

How much do you love Shreak or Kung Fu Pands? Hopefully you love them enough to be stranded with them for days out on the open ocean...that is, onboard a cruise ship. Royal Caribbean Cruises has announced that beginning during the holiday 2010 season, popular characters from Dreamworks films will hit the decks to entertain passengers onboard select ships.

The first to get a dose of Madagascar, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon madness will be the Allure of the Seas, followed in early 2011 by the <>Liberty of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas. All of this includes themed ice shows—because yes, these ships have ice skating rinks down in them—as well as 3-D Dreamworks movies onboard and the characters roaming about the ship looking for photo ops. The promise of "table-side visits" at dinner makes us shudder, but then we aren't starry-eyed 8 year old kids on their first cruise.

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The Top Five Stupid Travel Stunts of 2010...So Far

July 29, 2010 at 9:36 AM | by | Comments (0)

The year is more than half over, which means we're more than halfway done with 2010 travel stories. Since things slow down over the summer, we figured this was a perfect time to pause and reflect on just how insane this year has been. And by insane, we mean stupid.

We wanted to avoid things that were stupid in the "that obviously won't work" kind of way and instead turn to the mind-boggling, inexplicable, "what could they have been thinking" sort of stupidity. And, thanks to the nature of the travel industry and airport security, there was more than enough to go around.

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Royal Caribbean Will Help You Help the Mexican Red Cross on Your Next Cruise

Where: Cozumel, Mexico
May 26, 2010 at 4:25 PM | by | Comments (0)

Royal Caribbean is now offering guests aboard Oasis of the Seas the chance to spend an afternoon giving back. The cruise line has just added three new excursions in Cozumel, Mexico, including an afternoon of volunteering for the Mexican Red Cross.

The first new excursion, the "Xcaret Shark Encounter", lets passengers snorkel near nurse sharks while learning about shark physiology at the Xcaret Eco Park for an additional feel. The trip is geared toward families with children. It's pretty standard fare for cruise ship excursions, so we're mostly excited about the aspect of getting into a little volunteer travel on our next cruise with the Red Cross option.

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Cruises to Get Even More Decadent with Chocolate Breakfasts

May 14, 2010 at 2:56 PM | by | Comment (1)

Cruise ships these days... What don't they have? You can install real grass one deck for a 12-hole putt-putt course, turn the funnel into a rock climbing wall, and even create an entire planetarium at sea in a modern boat. Just as cruise lines continue upping the ante with onboard amenities, they're also constantly reinventing typical cruise offerings, and yes—this includes the all-you-can-eat buffets.

Royal Caribbean is introducing free chocolate breakfast across their entire fleet, as they have just finished testing the idea on their largest and newest boat: Oasis of the Seas.

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Obsess Over The Beatles 'Eight Days a Week' on The Tribute Cruise

February 3, 2010 at 1:29 PM | by | Comments (0)

Were you curious about Oxford University's mini-program this summer featuring an entire class on The Beatles? but want something less academic and stuffy? The Beatles Tribute Cruise has come to your rescue.

The cruise will set sail on March 28 for one week, departing from Fort Lauderdale and making stops in Belize and Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico. And it's bound to be populated by the middle-aged versions of fanboys and girls.

The cruise will feature some of the most important people on the fringes of the Beatles stardom like May Pang, Yoko Ono's assistant who famously hooked up with John Lennon on his "Lost Weekend" in LA. Additionally, Paul Saltzman, the photographer who captured the Beatles during their retreat to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in India will be cruising as well as Shannon, the Beatles artist who did all the artwork at the Hard Day's Night Hotel in Liverpool.

And of course, a tribute band called BritBeat that hails not Liverpool, but from Chicago:

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Cruise Ships Continue To Party 60 Miles Away From Haiti Mass Graves

Where: Labadee, Haiti
January 20, 2010 at 8:30 AM | by | Comments (0)

It's probably that by now, in addition to all of the coverage of the horrible earthquake and its aftermath in Haiti, that you've also heard about how cruise ships are continuing to stop at their "private" beaches in Haiti, effectively swatting aside human suffering and need for the power of the almighty dollar and a shipload of vacationers demanding the destinations promised.

Years ago, we were on one of the ships that stops in Haiti and yet our boat suddenly skipped it on account of "political instabliity." We didn't get to party on the beach in Labadee, but we did have an extra day at sea. Why couldn't the cruise line do that in this case, with more than just political instability at hand, but an estimated 200,000 deaths and widespread human crisis?

Excuses, excuses...after the jump!

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Enough With People Jumping Off Cruise Ships Already!

December 12, 2009 at 3:05 PM | by | Comment (1)

In the latest tale of people jumping off cruise ships, an assistant purser on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas apparently hated his job so much that he couldn't wait until he was back on land to quit, hopping overboard as the ship steamed from Key West to Miami. Fortunately for everybody involved, he was rescued two hours later while treading water off Miami's Cutler Bay, but you've got to wonder what would bring somebody to do such a thing.

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It's Rihanna On A Boat, As The 'Oasis' Floats

November 20, 2009 at 1:34 PM | by | Comments (0)

While we were having a little Thursday night drink near Times Square last night, Rihanna was performing in the Opal Theater on Royal Caribbean's newest, biggest, largest cruise ship ever: the Oasis of the Seas to celebrate the night before her first cruise out of the Fort Lauderdale.

Then, this morning as we mixed some instant cappuccino in our modest kitchen, the Oasis set sail from the US with 5,400 passengers for her first voyage, a preview cruise that included the Good Morning America gang. While going about our mundane day, it was weird to remove ourselves from the scene for a moment and think about what was taking place; that the 225,000-ton ship with 20-ish restaurants and a freaking Central Park with live foliage, was floating. And with pop culture personalities, no less.

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New Oasis of the Seas Hits Monster Waves in First Transatlantic Crossing

November 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM | by | Comments (0)

The brand new, unbelievably huge Oasis of the Seas cruise ship has been rocked by some serious waves on its first voyage. As USA Today points out, the 5,400-passenger vessel encountered hurricane-strength winds and waves over 60 feet high in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Fortunately for the cruise line, there aren't any passengers on board, as Royal Caribbean is merely transporting it from the shipyard in Turku, Finland to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for its inaugural cruise. But while many passengers would have likely gotten seasick, they wouldn't have been in any serious peril, as the ship has weathered the waves quite smartly. For maximum stability, Captain William Wright has slowed the world's largest cruise ship down and steered it head-on into the waves. He probably wouldn't admit it, but I bet he's having fun.

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