Posted by Marshall Jackson on February 14, 2010 under Cruising, Royal Caribbean | 
Many of you know that I recently completed a short 3-night Bahamas cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas. This wasn’t a typical cruise in that I was celebrating my 4oth birthday along with Mrs MJ on Travel and 24 of our closest friends and family. This was my first experience managing a group cruise, and I’ll speak to some of the details about how one goes about that in addition to my standard observations about the cruise. I don’t have a great deal in the way of pictures from this trip. It was my birthday party, and my 40th at that. Suffice it to say, I had a good time, and I think everyone that attended did too.
Managing a Group Cruise
Let’s talk about setting up a group first. I first started working on this about a year before the actual cruise. The 40th birthday is a pretty big milestone, and I wanted to do something a little different. As I’m sure is pretty obvious to regular readers, cruising is just about my favorite thing to do that won’t get you arrested, so I knew I’d want to cruise on my 40th. All things being equal, I would’ve preferred a longer itinerary than the 3-night Bahamas run, but I settled on that for a few reasons. First, the price point on the short cruises is one that I felt would enable the maximum number of people to join us. Second, the Friday to Monday schedule of the cruise would not take people away from work very long. And finally, Orlando and Port Canaveral where we sailed from, are blessed with a large amount of air service from the likes of JetBlue, Southwest and Air Tran which would keep transportation costs in line for those of us that would have to fly in.
Royal Caribbean (and probably just about every other line) requires you to set up a group cruise through your travel agent. We contacted ours, Michelle at McCabe World Travel in McLean, Virginia, and she was wonderfully helpful. I hope she likes us, because I emailed and called a lot over the course of the year leading up to the actual event! An honest to goodness group requires at least 8 cabins, and that’s what we were allocated early on. I’m not going to get into a lot of technical details, mainly because I’m not certain I’d be correct, and it doesn’t really matter anyway. Work with your travel agent, and they’ll help guide you through. Mrs MJ on Travel and I were the first cabin booked into the group, go figure. That process was much like any other, you put down your standard deposit, and some modicum of time in advance, you make your final payment.
Royal Caribbean offers Group Amenity Points (GAP) that enable you to choose from a menu of amenities for your group. These range from on board credit (OBC) to wine in the room to snacks for each cabin. We chose the OBC so each cabin received a little on board spending money to help defray the cost of their bar bill. I believe the larger your group, the more GAP points you get, so you could potentially choose more than one amenity if you’re hosting a larger party. RCL will even throw you a little cocktail party if you’re a group of 100 guests or more.
Now that our group was established, job number 1 was getting people signed up. Our travel agent assisted by preparing a brochure which included pertinent details of the cruise such as pricing and how to book. Mrs MJ on Travel developed our own invitations using Kodakgallery.com, and we sent the travel agent brochures out along with our invitations. Additionally, I set up an event on Facebook. I’m not convinced that setting up the Facebook event was all that useful, but it did enable us to share information and updates fairly quickly with our fellow cruisers.
We successfully got our 8 cabins occupied, and ultimately wound up with 14 cabins. But I did not do a good job of making sure everyone understood that we needed to get commitments on the cabins sooner, rather than later. I don’t remember the exact date, but we needed to have our initial commitment of 8 cabins booked by mid August 2009 for our February 5, 2010 cruise. Once we got everyone booked, our group was solidified and adding additional cabins as the cruise approached was no issue at all. I think we had a couple of folks book within the last couple of weeks prior to sailing. Group Cruising Tip: Make sure you understand your deadline dates, and communicate them early and often to your guests.
Booking your guests is handled much like any other cruise. They contact your travel agent, and make their arrangements. Your agent will ensure that they are included as members of your group. For the most part, my job as party host was pretty much to answer questions from first time cruisers. A couple of months before sailing, I contacted our travel agent for details on possibly hosting an onboard cocktail party. She quickly provided a list of options available, and they range from a simple beer, wine and soda party all the way up to top shelf bar with food. We made our selections and forwarded them to our travel agent, who in turn coordinated with Royal Caribbean. We got our first choice of venue, the Viking Crown Lounge on embarkation day, one hour before dinner. Given the amount of eating that takes place on a cruise, we just went with cocktails. In retrospect, I suppose a couple of trays of passed hors d’oeuvres might have been nice, but everyone seemed happy. We purchased the beer, wine, soda option, and I simply gave the bartender my onboard charge card (knows as Sea Pass on RCL) to cover any special requests. It worked out fine, and was a great start to our weekend. My welcome speech even went well. 
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Waxing Poetic Aboard Monarch of the Seas
There’s more to setting up a group cruise, but I think I’ve hit the highlights. If you have questions, please comment to the blog, and ask.
And Now, The Cruise – Check in and Boarding
After waiting a whole year, the last couple of months prior to the cruise seemed to fly by. Our cruise was preceded by 5 nights at Disney World, the details of which I will share in other posts. Being that this was my 40th birthday, I wanted to do things up right. I did a little judicious internet research and settled on Elegance Transportation of Orlando for limousine services from the Disney Swan Hotel to Port Canaveral.
The limo arrived at the appointed pick up time, and soon we were off to Port Canaveral, after picking up two friends traveling with us and staying at a nearby hotel. I had bought a nice bottle of champagne in France, OK, Epcot’s version of France, the day before. My uncorking capabilities are second to none, even in a moving vehicle! It made for a nice ride to the port, although I should’ve purchased a second bottle. Disney is west of the airport, so it’s a bit more of a ride from Disney to Port Canaveral than leaving directly from the airport.
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Cheers
Soon enough we had the ship in sight and were pulling into the port area. Our driver literally dropped us off at the front door where we were immediately met by porters who took our luggage. Within minutes we were standing at the check in desk. I had pre-printed our Set Sail passes several days before leaving for Orlando, which saves a few minutes of check in formalities. A quick scan of our passports, credit card, and completion of the now obligatory health questionnaire, and we were on our way to the ship.
I walked off the gangway and onto the ship, and low and behold, my mother was waiting to take my picture. Fabulous. Not. But oh well. I was about to be 40 afterall. She didn’t realize it but she was standing between me and the table full of Bahama Mamma’s! After procuring my first cocktail, we made our way to the Windjammer for lunch as our staterooms would not be ready until 1PM. I’m estimating 15 minutes from curbside to cocktail. Pretty snazzy.
Lunch in the Windjammer was the same as always, adequate buffet food. I’ve never really gotten into the debates about the quality, or lack thereof, of the buffet food. It was fine, and it almost always is. Not outstanding, but certainly good. Monarch’s buffet seems to be set up in a way that makes it seem a little less nutty than some I’ve visited, and that’s a good thing.
The Cabin
Our cabin, 6008, was almost the farthest forward oceanview cabin on deck 6. Typically, on short cruises, we just book an inside cabin. We tend to be busy on cruises, especially shorter itineraries, but I thought we could spring for a window for my 40th birthday. As usual, we were rarely in the cabin. Probably a good thing, because to say that it was compact would be a mild understatement. But there was plenty of closet space, room for our bags under the bed, and we had a place to sleep. In short, it was perfect for this kind of trip. Even though we were forward, you don’t have to walk a mile on Monarch to get to anything unlike her larger Voyager and Freedom Class sisters. And I won’t even talk about Oasis of the Seas! But if you’re like me, a little exercise on a cruise is never a bad thing. The room was small, but I have no complaints other than the lack of a safe, which I prefer to have for storing passports and cash.
A towlie animal in 6008
Dining
The Main Dining Room on this cruise was typical Royal Caribbean, not 5-star, but pretty darn good. Our group was assigned to 3 adjacent tables in Vincent’s Dining Room on Deck 3. Our waiter and assistant waiter were unfailingly polite, good at their jobs, and no request went unmet. Favorite items in no particular order and from no particular meal: Lobster Bisque (always good, but different on this cruise), Escargots, Tiger Shrimp, and (gasp) at the risk of alienating everyone on Cruise Critic, I sprang for the Chops Filet on my birthday. Unlike my last experience trying this menu option in the main dining room, this cut of meat was noticeably better than the standard “free” steak available every night on the alternative menu. It wasn’t quite the same as dining in an actual Chops Grille on those ships that have them, but it was pretty darn good, and I don’t begrudge the $14.95 I spent in trying this completely optional item one bit.
Even on what are now considered to be “small” ships like Monarch, Royal Caribbean has invested in making other dining options available. Of course, there’s always the Windjammer buffet. But in addition, there’s a Sorrento’s Pizza, and better yet, Jade Asian restaurant and Black Rock Grill. Sharing the same space on Deck 12, they offer several Asian dishes, in addition to Sushi. This is a sit-down restaurant, and reservations are recommended. I did not dine there this cruise, but certainly will in the future. The menu looked very nice, and dining here is subject to a surcharge which varies based on what you have. I remember the sushi from Jade on a previous Monarch cruise a few years ago when she was ported in Los Angeles as being pretty good.
Ports of Call
Monarch calls on Nassau and Coco Cay Bahamas on her 3-night itinerary. The first port is Nassau, and we arrived right on time around 12 noon. We were actually in the area a bit earlier, but the docking process takes a while as you sail into port, then turn the ship around, and back in for docking. I think the high winds in Nassau on our morning of arrival may have added some additional time to the process as Captain Karin was needing to be extra careful as we approached the pier.
Monarch spends about 12 hours in port in Nassau. Arriving around noon, and departing at 11:30PM. It actually makes for a nice day, with time to take care of some quick shopping and then head on over for the obligatory visit to Senor Frogs. As you can see, I participated in making fun of myself by wearing a shirt denoting my “age.”
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I can't believe she made me wear this shirt. I'm not sure who the old guy on the left is.
We were back on the ship by 5PM or so which gave us a little time to relax before dinner. Saturday is actually formal night, and you dine while still in port, which was a little different than many (but not all) cruises I’ve been on. Late Saturday night, the ship held a poolside barbeque as we sailed away for Coco Cay.
The next morning I woke up pretty early and looked out the window. I noted many white caps on the sea, and based on past experience, that usually does not bode well for a tendering operation like we would have to do at Coco Cay. Sure enough, about half an hour later, Captain Karin announced that we would indeed skip Coco Cay because the seas were too rough to safely tender. Not unexpected based on my observation, but always disappointing. Coco Cay is really a nice experience, and I always enjoy the beach there.
Oh well, life goes on, and so did our day. Mrs MJ on Travel was sleeping in, so I started wandering around the ship. I bumped into several of our guests hanging out in the Schooner Bar chatting, pulled up a chair, and a couple of Red Stripes later, we had a full-on party going. Who says sea days are boring?! Not me. I think they’re great, and this one was even better as I got to spend it with friends.
Around the Ship
Monarch doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that her larger brethren have, but that won’t stop you from enjoying the ship. From the signature rock climbing wall, to the sports court, and pretty decent fitness center, you will not suffer from a lack of activities. Looking for a bit of people-watching? Head to the pool area, equipped with 2 bars and plentiful bar service all around. If getting out of the sun is on your mind, head to the 7-story Centrum for shopping or coffee at Seattle’s Best. Our favorite night spot on Monarch was the Latin-themed Bolero’s. A Royal Caribbean staple on many of their ships, Bolero’s is always a fun scene, with live Latin music and dancing along with the best Mojito’s around. And there’s always the Viking Crown Lounge, site of our welcome aboard cocktail party, and home to the cigar lounge. Diamond and Diamond Plus members should note that the nightly VIP event was held in the Viking Crown as well. Long story short, I haven’t even scratched the surface of things to do on board, and Monarch is a small ship!
Disembarkation
The process was pretty painless. By the time we finished breakfast, our tags had already been called. We just got in line at the gangway and were off the ship in under 10 minutes. I’d say we were in line working our way up to the Immigration desk for around 15 to 20 minutes. Not rapid, but not the worst I’ve ever experienced either.
Our bags were waiting for us when we arrived at the claim belt, and with that, we were on our way. We purchased transfers from Royal Caribbean back to the Orlando airport through our travel agent. That process was pretty painless too. We lucked out and got the last bus to the airport which was less than half full. Other than being too warm on the bus, we have no real complaints. This happens to be the first cruise in which we’ve ever used the transfer service from Royal Caribbean.
The Bottom Line
We had a great cruise, and I had a wonderful birthday party! Monarch isn’t brand new, equipped with indoor shopping malls, or surfing simulators, but she’s a great ship. The 3-night itinerary was an ideal introduction to cruising for many of my friends and family, and I think it’s safe to say some of our guests will be cruising again thanks to the great time we all enjoyed on Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas. I wouldn’t hesitate to cruise on Monarch again, and I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as I did. I may add some more pictures to the review as I get through them. Thanks for reading.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on February 3, 2010 under Best of MJ on Travel, Cruising, Royal Caribbean |
I’m enjoying a Disney vacation this week followed by a short cruise with 24 of my closest friends to celebrate my 40th birthday. I’ll try to blog a bit while I’m away, but to fill in the spaces, I hope you enjoy this Best of MJ on Travel post detailing the reasons why Royal Caribbean is my cruise line of choice.
In the second installment of posts about the top three search subjects here at MJ On Travel, I’d like to talk about the subject of cruising on Royal Caribbean. It should be no secret that I like to cruise. Since my first cruise in early 2004, Deandra and I have taken several more cruises, averaging a little over two per year. Royal Caribbean is our cruise line of choice, and in this post I’ll talk about a few reasons why.
Cruising is a fantastic value for your vacation dollar. Frankly, I think they’re an unbeatable value, and yes, I know your average all-inclusive resort covers your bar bill, unlike most cruises. One thing tilts the value meter in favor of cruising in my opinion, and that’s the fact that you are visiting several exciting new foreign locales in one trip, and only unpacking once. Try that at Sandals.
First off, I’ll admit here, that we have only cruised with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity (which is owned by Royal Caribbean). It’s not that we are afraid of new things, and truth be told, we’d love to try someone else, and will at some point. But until then, Royal Caribbean does a fantastic job of offering just enough incentive to its repeat customers to keep them (and us) coming back.
Crown & Anchor
Their past customer club, the Crown & Anchor Society offers a number of enticing benefits to encourage repeat business. You are eligible to join after completion of your first cruise, and the program work in some ways like elite qualification in a frequent flyer program. You start at the Gold Level and from there rise to Platinum, Diamond and Diamond Plus based on the number of cruise credits you earn. You earn one credit for each cruise, with the ability to earn an additional credit for certain cabin categories (suites) and for cruises of 12 nights or longer.
Some of the benefits include onboard discount booklets for use in venues as varied as the onboard gift shops to match play discounts in the casino. The higher your level in the Crown & Anchor program, the better the deals to be found in the booklet. As Crown & Anchor Diamond members we receive, among other things, priority check-in and access to the Concierge Lounge on ships that have them. The Concierge Lounge is one of our favorite benefits. Continental breakfast is served in the mornings and snacks and complimentary alcholic beverages are served in the evening hours. Additionally, the Concierge can assist you in making reservations at specialty restaurants on board, and generally help you with anything you need while on board without having to stand in line at the Guest Services desk. On the largest ships, the Concierge Lounge is exclusively for the use of suite guests and a separate Diamond Club lounge is availabe for Diamond and Diamond Plus Crown & Anchor members. You can review summaries of the benefits provided for each level here.
Innovative Ships
Admittedly, this is nothing but my opinion, but I believe that Royal Caribbean designs and builds some of the most beautiful and definitely the most innovative cruise ships at sea. If one look at the biggest cruise ship ever doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will. Big may be beautiful, but we like the Radiance Class of ships best. These are beautiful ships designed with lots of glass, including glass elevators that face the sea. They are large enough to offer specialty restaurants, multiple amenities and more spacious staterooms, but are small enough to explore easily and are Royal Caribbean’s largest ships that are capable of transiting the Panama Canal. While our next cruise is on Liberty of the Seas, a Freedom Class ship and the world’s largest until Oasis sets sail, we love the slightly smaller but classy Radiance Class ships.
All of Royal Caribbean’s ships offer multiple activities such as rock climbing walls and fantastic workout facilities to keep you in shape while cruising. If you’re into spa visits, you won’t be disappointed on Royal Caribbean either.
Consistent Service
Royal Caribbean has a trademarked name for its service, they call it Gold Anchor Service (sm). I just call it consistently good. Royal Caribbean can experience service problems just like any other organization, and we have encountered some staff that are better than others. But we have always had reasonably good service, whether in the dining room, our stateroom, or bar. If you are expecting airline style customer service onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise, you are in for a pleasant surprise. Almost 100 percent of the time, every Royal Caribbean employee we have encountered has been eager to please and helpful. Our most recent cruise, honeymooning on Grandeur of the Seas, was probably the best collection of service experiences we’ve had onboard any Royal Caribbean ship. And I promise to post a full review of this cruise very soon.
These are just a few reasons why we choose Royal Caribbean above other cruise lines. Royal Caribbean has been a pretty consistent search term for readers of this blog recently. I hope this introduction is helpful. I’m going to post a few links to other helpful cruise information below:
Majesty of the Seas cruise review
Cruise Critic Royal Caribbean Message Board
Cruise Critic Homepage
New to cruising page on Royal Caribbean’s website
Posted by Marshall Jackson on January 28, 2010 under American Airlines, Cruising, Random Musings, Royal Caribbean, Starwood Preferred Guest, Travel Agents |
Blasting off for a little R&R on Sunday morning. Actually, it’s more than a vacation. Some of you may know that on February 6th, I turn 40, and I intend to celebrate a bit. Starting with 5 days at Disney/Epcot and the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel. Yes, even at 39, I’m a little old for Disney, but I’ve never been and I can’t think of a better time to go, can you?! Two cheers for Starwood Preferred Guest’s 5th night free program!
After our Disney visit, we will travel down to Port Canaveral and board Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas where we are hosting my 40th birthday party with 24 friends and family attending. Putting together a group cruise has been interesting and fun. It’s been great working with our fabulous travel agent, Michelle, at McCabe World Travel in McLean, Virginia. Can’t wait to go, even if it is a short weekend cruise.
As is always the case, work has been extra busy this week in preparation for my departure, so I apologize for the dearth of posts. Even though I’m on vacation, I intend to post about the Disney experience, the hotel, and the entire trip. I hope the Admirals Club is serving Mimosas early Sunday morning, because I intend to start the party early!
Posted by Marshall Jackson on November 21, 2009 under Cruising, Royal Caribbean, Travel Tips |
Let’s get this over with out front: I love Mariner of the Seas. While MrsMJonTravel and I still continue to prefer RCL’s smaller Radiance Class ships, our cruise aboard Mariner could not have been better. The only possible improvement I can think of would be to have the time to get right back aboard as soon as we disembarked! I fully intend to sail on Mariner again, same itinerary or not.
Check in and Boarding
We began our embarkation day at the Renaissance Long Beach. After enjoying coffee and breakfast at the nearby Starbucks, we returned to the hotel to relax for a bit. My in-laws were joining us for this cruise and our rendezvous point was our hotel. Father in law arranged limousine service through Prime Time Shuttle for our ride to the pier. The limo arrived right on schedule at 11am. The courteous driver dealt with our plethora of oversize luggage easily enough, and we were on our way.
Royal Caribbean utilizes the San Pedro docks at the Port of Los Angeles as opposed to the Long Beach pier. San Pedro is a short ride from downtown Long Beach. I didn’t time the ride, but I’d be shocked if it were more than 15 minutes. Traffic was no issue on a Sunday. We pulled up to Berths’ 91-92, where we were immediately met by a porter who managed to load all of our luggage onto his already half-loaded cart.
We proceeded into the terminal with our pre-printed Set Sail pass and Passports in hand, and cleared security within minutes. Just past security we were met by RCL representatives passing out health declarations (one for each guest) as well as an info sheet on Mariner. The same rep directed us to our check in area. The lines are divided up by your deck number as well as separate check in for Suite, as well as Crown & Anchor Diamond and Diamond Plus members. As Diamond members we were sent to that line, but I don’t think it saved us any time. The lines were very short at 11:30am.
Check-in was as swift as it always is, with one minor snafu. Names other than ours were coming up on the agent’s computer screen for our cabin. I secretly hoped this was because we’d been upgraded, but alas, he had mis-typed the cabin number! All was well, and soon enough, we were on our way to cabin 1688 on deck 10, our first aft balcony!
The ship was already boarding when we arrived, and soon after check-in, we were onboard the beautiful Mariner of the Seas. You spend more time outside walking to the ship in LA than you do in Miami and this afforded me the opportunity to check out the ship’s exterior. Mariner is obviously well cared for (as I’ve found all RCL ships to be) and her white paint, glass balconies, and towering Viking Crown were gleaming in the California sun.
You board onto deck 4 at San Pedro, just one deck down from the beautiful Royal Promenade. We had pre-booked our wine package as well as our Portofino reservation online, so we had very few first-day duties to accomplish. Other than a visit to the spa for an appointment, we were ready to sail! And by this time, it was only 12 noon! We had a full 5 hours to enjoy Mariner before sail away.
We enjoyed lunch in the Windjammer before heading down to Boleros to order our first cocktail of the cruise. Our cabins would not be ready for another 15 minutes, so we just camped out and enjoyed the drinks and the live Latin music. Yes, the band was already playing at Boleros! In keeping with tradition, here’s a shot of the first cocktail.
Our Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle held an embarkation day happy hour at 3PM at the Sky Bar. It was fun meeting our fellow cruisers before the official “Meet & Mingle” which was held on Monday. I’m always happy to socialize with other experienced cruisers, and we had a really good group. Soon enough, it was time for muster drill. But before we go, here’s a shot of the Viking Crown taken from the Sky Bar.
I’d noted the large “D26″ printed on our room key/onboard charge card known as a SeaPass on Royal Caribbean, and had read about recent improvements to the muster drill process. These improvements did not disappoint. We simply proceeded to station D26 where we were met by crewmembers that demonstrated use of the life vests. No muss, no fuss…and most importantly, no trek back to the stateroom to get your vest. They have them at the muster stations and will hand the vest to you there if you need it.
We also heard from the famous Captain Johnny Faevelen for the first time during muster. All the good comments were true, as we found Captain Johnny to be one of the best we’ve had. Frequently visible around the ship, Captain Johnny was extremely personable and it was easy to see why he has such a great reputation. Rumor has it that he’s going to Allure of the Seas, so there’s one more reason to sail on Allure when she sets sail next year.
Our Stateroom
I’d read about cabin 1688 on cruisecritic.com prior to our cruise so I knew it was substantially larger than other D1 staterooms. It’s location, along with that of it’s opposite cabin, 1388 on the starboard side, left some extra space and unique angles. I didn’t know it at the time I booked it, but it’s a much sought after cabin, and now I know why. Simply put, it’s huge! And so is the balcony. You can get an idea of the uniqueness of the space from these pictures. I’ve added a short video of the cabin to YouTube.
And here are a few shots around the cabin.
I’ve read that once you try aft, you won’t go back. I have to say, we really did love our aft balcony. Not only for the extra space, but it seemed more peaceful, less breezy, and just better. There was very little noise, only the waves and the wake of the ship as she sailed along. I did note some usual vibration you get in any cabin close to the back which I can only assume is related to the propulsion system (nautical minded folks feel free to correct me in the comments if I’m wrong about that). However, it was not anything near bothersome and certainly not a deterrent to us staying in the same cabin again. Here’s a photo taken from our balcony on one of the sea days. I love listening to the wake of the ship!
Around the Ship
There is so much to do aboard Mariner that it’s completely possible to not do it all during a 7-day cruise. The center of the ship is the Royal Promenade. The Promenade is home to several shops as well as the Wig and Gavel Pub, Champagne Bar, and our personal favorite, Vintages, Royal Caribbean’s own wine bar where we enjoyed a wine tasting on one night and a few flights of wine on others. Here’s a shot of Mariner’s beautiful Royal Promenade located on Deck 5.
Mariner has all of the typical Royal Caribbean favorites including the Schooner Bar, Viking Crown (home to Ellington’s and the 18th Hole Sports Bar), as well as Casino Royale. There’s also a Boleros Latin Nightclub, and a really neat late-night lounge called Dragon’s Lair. The Dragon’s Lair happened to host the nightly Diamond VIP event (more on that later).
Mariner is equipped with a large gym, co-located with the spa on Deck 11. A unique feature of the Voyager class ships is the Peek-a-Boo Bridge which gives you a birds eye view of what’s happening on the ship’s bridge. Unfortunately, this feature didn’t make it to the Freedom Class ships as there were apparently too many wannabe mariners tapping on the glass all the time hoping the bridge officers would pose for pictures.
Walking around Mariner, you’ll find a big focus on Brito Art. It’s very unique, and really added something to the ship. Here are a few shots.
Ports of Call
Mariner’s 7-night itinerary includes 3 ports and 3 sea days. Day 2 is spent at sea, followed by calls in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Then there are 2 more sea days before returning to Los Angeles. Personally, I could do 7 days at sea on this beautiful ship and not get bored, but the ports were all new to us and we enjoyed them very much. Cabo San Lucas is the only tender port of the cruise. Tendering is never fun, but I’m estimating we only waited in line 15 minutes or so before we were off the ship and on the tender though it always seems longer if you’re in line. Our shore excursion didn’t begin until after noon so we had some time to stroll around the port area. Cerveza’s and chips & salsa were the breakfast of choice. Here’s a real classy shot of yours truly enjoying the local brew.
We were back at the pier around noon to meet our shore excursion group. We chose horseback riding on the beach for this port, and it did not disappoint. Air-conditioned transportation was provided to the ranch about half an hour out of town where we met our guides and our horses. We spent an hour riding along the beach. Here’s a picture.
Afterwards, we waited back at the ranch enjoying $2 dollar Corona’s until the bus ride back to the ship. Check out our beautiful sunset departure from Cabo.
Mazatlan was our next port of call, and it was one of our favorite cruise destinations. It had the distinction of being a beautiful spot and offered one of the better shore excursions we’ve ever done through the cruise line. We booked the excursion “Salsa, Salsa, and Margaritas” through Royal Caribbean, and both of us agreed that it had to be the best excursion we’ve done. We made salsa, danced salsa, and made (and drank) margaritas. What a deal, huh?!?! We made fresh salsas and guacamole as well as traditional Mexican Margaritas. Our instructors were simply awesome. The only non-awesome thing…. check out the chef hats.
Afterwards, we toured the city on foot and eventually hired a taxi to take us around the city on the suggestion of our server at a local restaurant. Our gracious driver showed us the sights of Mazatlan from one end to the other. Eventually, we wound up high above the city in a rather well to do area that turned out to be a great place to take pictures.
Isn’t Mariner beautiful?
Puerto Vallarta was our final port of call for the cruise. What a beautiful place! Again, we chose to book a shore excursion through Royal Caribbean, and we surely picked a great one. We purchased a beach resort day, and it could not have gone better. Our guide gave us the history of the area as we were transported to the resort, which made for a great way to pass the time during our half-hour ride. Soon enough, we were at the resort. Royal Caribbean contracts with the Barcelo Resort for this excursion, and what a great partner they are. The resort is beautiful! The price included full access to the facilities, pool and beach, all drinks and food. We had an awesome time! So great that MrsMJonTravel has encouraged me to be on the lookout for long weekend deals so we can go back. We dined at the beach front buffet which was wonderful, suprisingly so. The mahi mahi was excellent! Here’s the view from lunch.
Just gorgeous! The day was over way too soon. We departed at 3PM and headed back to the ship. Several of us got off the bus in downtown for shopping and sightseeing. The area was quintessential old Mexico, and very nice. We didn’t do much in the way of shopping while we were there, but did find a nice spot to enjoy a cold Pacifico before heading back to the ship. Here’s the view from the patio.
Soon enough it was time to head back to the ship. Sadly, this was our last port of call. But at least we had 2 glorious days at sea to look forward to!
We spent the next 2 days at sea, and they were wonderful.
Crown & Anchor Society Benefits
This was our first cruise following the changes to Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor benefits in September 2009. We missed Concierge Lounge access and the Diamond Lounge available on the Freedom Class of ships, but Royal Caribbean really did a good thing by offering a nightly Diamond event. Mariner’s event was held in the Dragon’s Lair lounge during our cruise, and hosted by Rowenda from the Philippines. She did such a terrific job of taking care of us that several Diamond Plus folks who remain eligible for Concierge Lounge privileges joined us at the Diamond event each night. Wine and champagne are served free of charge, while beer and other alcoholic beverages are available at a discount from the regular price.
We attended the return guest party as well as the Platinum, Diamond and Diamond Plus party and really enjoyed both. Crown & Anchor gifts are no longer offered, but I can’t say that we missed them. Ships that haven’t had Concierge Lounges now offer a nightly Diamond event, and offer a great opportunity to socialize with fellow cruisers. Personally, if you take a holistic view of cruising across the entire RCL fleet, I think the changes represent an improvement.
Dining
We dined in the main dining room on 5 nights, Portofino and Chops Grille 1 night each. Our dining room servers were truly wonderful. Frankly, they were so good that we felt like we were cheating on them by dining in the specialty restaurants! That said, Portofino and Chops were both just fabulous. I mean…indescribably good! Our table assignment was 319 on deck 3 in the Rhapsody in Blue Dining Room. If you have the pleasure of experiencing Ryan as your server, please tell him we said hello! The dining room is beautiful. See if you catch the “Sound of Music” theme in the artwork.
Disembarkation
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. And our cruise aboard Mariner was definitely a good thing! As Diamond members of the Crown & Anchor Society, we were offered priority departure from the ship. Our beige luggage tags were called around 8:45AM, and we could have been escorted from the Crown & Anchor departure lounge, but we chose to wait until the last possible moment as our rental car wasn’t due for pick up until noon. We waited until almost 10AM when the staff was starting to remove the coffee pots and pastries. After collecting our things we proceeded to the gangway on deck 4, and walked off the ship with no waiting. Our bags were waiting for us inside the terminal. After collecting them, we proceeded to the customs & immigration line, and after a wait of no more than 10 minutes we were walking towards the taxi line! It just doesn’t get any easier than this.
Final Thoughts
Mariner of the Seas is a beautiful ship. The last of Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Class of ships, Mariner is obviously well cared for. The ship’s beautiful artwork, wonderful crew, and of course, Captain Johnny Faevelen, really make for a cruise vacation second to none. There are activities on the ship that I haven’t covered because I never got there. The rock climbing wall, the sports deck, all kinds of evening shows and entertainment, the ice show, etc. If you’re thinking about booking this beautiful ship, what are you waiting for? Do it! I can’t wait to take another cruise aboard Mariner of the Seas!
Posted by Marshall Jackson on November 2, 2009 under Cruising, Royal Caribbean |
I know Boardingarea.com is really about frequent flying… but I love cruising as much as I love flying. Therefore, I post about it from time to time. The world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, recently set sail from Turku, Finland. There’s a certain bridge between Turku and the open ocean. Check this out.
One more reason I love Royal Caribbean.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on August 1, 2009 under Celebrity Cruises, Cruising, Royal Caribbean, Travel Products, Travel Tips |
Historically, if you booked your flights through the cruise line (any cruise line) you had very little choice in schedules, airlines, seat assignments, etc. This is one reason I have never booked air through a cruise line. Royal Caribbean must have been listening to our complaints because they are rolling out a much more flexible air travel option on August 3rd called ChoiceAir.
ChoiceAir options can be booked with Royal Caribbean, your travel agent, or online at a special website, which according to Royal Caribbean, has the look and feel of online booking engines you’ve become accustomed to. And better yet, ChoiceAir staff will have full access to your itinerary on travel day to assist you with alternative arrangements for getting to the ship should you run into any travel difficulties. This is the primary reason many book their flights through the cruise line, assurance that they will eventually get to the ship if they run into flight problems. (Note: I always recommend you travel to your port the day before your cruise to avoid any issues.)
Fees for the service will be $15 dollars per person for domestic trips and $25 dollars for international. Not unreasonable at all. Royal Caribbean’s sister lines, Celebrity and Azamara are participating as well. You can read more about the program here.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on June 2, 2009 under Cruising, Royal Caribbean, Travel Agents, Travel Tips |
Let me get this out of the way first. If you book this beautiful ship, you will NOT be disappointed! Mrs. MJ on Travel and I tend to favor Royal Caribbean’s smaller Radiance Class ships, and we still do. However, Liberty of the Seas is simply a fabulous ship, and I cannot wait to cruise on her again!
This review will be structured by booking method, how we got to the ship, where we stayed and then on with details of my experience on the ship. I will not spend a lot of time on penning many details about each port of call, but will certainly share my experiences. I would appreciate your comments on the value of that structure, and I will revise it accordingly in future cruise reviews.
Booking the Cruise
Our Liberty cruise was booked aboard another Royal Caribbean ship, Grandeur of the Seas. RCL offers some token benefits by booking on board. You receive up to $200 dollars of on board credit (money to spend when on board the ship), and they will immediately transfer the booking to your travel agent of choice if you have one.
This was our second cruise utilizing the services of a travel agent, and we intend to continue doing so in the future. Yes, I am capable of booking a basic Caribbean cruise on my own, but I am really warming up to the idea of building a travel agent relationship. I feel having a good agent on your side is especially useful for more complicated trips, one of which we already have on the agenda for next summer. In any event, our agent of choice is Michelle Bemis with McCabe World Travel in McLean, Virginia. McCabe is a Virtuoso agency, and I’ve been quite pleased with the services provided.
Getting to the Ship
American Airlines was our airline of choice as they offer several nonstop flights from our home airport, Washington Reagan National (DCA), to Miami International (MIA), and as regular readers already know, I am AAdvantage Platinum and feel that American’s AAdvantage is the best mileage program in the business right now. Our outbound flight was a bit late leaving due to some bad weather in Miami, but we were able to comfortably pass the time in the American Airlines Admirals Club courtesy of my American Express Platinum Card. The DCA Admirals Club staff is always fabulous.
Pre-Cruise Hotel
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of arriving in the port city the day before your cruise. Do NOT fly in the same day of your cruise. You are only tempting fate and putting your vacation at risk (and inflicting unnecessary stress on yourself) if you depend on an airline to actually operate its published schedule. Too many things can go wrong, and they eventually will. To that end, I arranged a one night stay at the Conrad Miami. The hotel is in downtown Miami, not far from the pier, and is edgy enough to make for a fun way to start your vacation. I will post a complete review of the Conrad separately, but suffice it to say the hotel did the trick, and is only a $10 to $12 dollar cab ride to the pier.
Embarkation
In keeping with tradition, we arrived at the ship at noon to begin our vacation aboard the May 23, 2009, sailing of Liberty of the Seas. We handed our pre-tagged bags off to the porter, and proceeded into the terminal. I caught this shot of the ship before we went inside (no pictures in the terminal).
Liberty of the Seas
I had pre-printed our Set-Sail pass at home which took care of many of the check in formalities in advance. There was approximately a 5-minute wait for an initial document check, and then it was up the stairs to security. Once through security we proceeded to the Crown & Anchor Diamond Check-in Desk where we were immediately assisted. Our passports were scanned and we completed a small amount of paperwork. Within a few minutes we received our Sea Pass cards (room key and on board charge card) and were on our way for the welcome aboard photo. Total time from bag drop to walking on board this beautiful ship: less than 20 minutes!
On Board Liberty of the Seas
We entered the ship on deck 4, and immediately took care of our wine package for the week. If you like wine with dinner, I highly recommend that you consider purchasing the package rather than buying by the bottle. You’ll need to separate yourself from the reality that even at the package discounted price, you could still purchase the same wines for less at your corner store. You’re on vacation!
After taking care of the important stuff, we were off to explore the Royal Promenade, home to the Hoof & Claw Pub and Vintages Wine Bar, as well as several other shops and eateries.
The Royal Promenade
My first reaction was “wow, this really is a big ship!” We have sailed on the slightly smaller Voyager of the Seas before, but there was something obviously different about Liberty’s Promenade, and it was more than just being bigger. It was better. Every crew member that we passed made it a point to smile and welcome us aboard. Within minutes, I knew this was going to be a very good cruise. My first stop was at the local barber shop, “A Clean Shave.” Yes, there is a barber shop on board offering not only hair cuts but honest to goodness hot shaves, and other spa services for men. I immediately booked an appointment! Royal Caribbean has turned things up a notch with Liberty and her other Freedom Class siblings. I can only imagine what’s in store for us aboard Oasis and Allure of the Seas!
After exploring the Royal Promenade we were off to book spa appointments and make dining reservations at Chops Grille, Royal Caribbean’s wonderful on board steak house. Cruising Advisory # 1: get on board the ship as early as you can and take care of your spa and specialty restaurant reservations as soon as possible. They do book up, and it’s best to book as soon as possible to ensure you get your preferred appointment times. (Boardingarea.com Blogger Dan Webb reminds me that you can book specialty restaurant reservations online as well. That’s a great option that I originally failed to mention in the review. I tried this, but could not get our preferred dining time. I did get the time we wanted on board.)
Lunch was being served in the Windjammer buffet, so we joined the masses and dove in. Food was standard buffet fare and of reasonable quality for what it is. I tried the chef-carved roast beef which was pretty good. The salad items are always a good bet as well, and did not disappoint. Some members of our traveling party felt the Windjammer was over-crowded. Personally, I found it to be the same as every other Royal Caribbean Windjammer buffet….busy but not quite intolerable. In any event, we only visited one other time during the entire 7-day cruise. A testament to the many dining options available on board. Cruising Advisory # 2: skip the buffet and enjoy a sit-down lunch in the ship’s main dining room when it is open for lunch.
After lunch, it was off to the stateroom to drop our carry-on bags. We booked a Promenade view inside stateroom for this cruise, our first 7-day without a balcony. The Promenade view rooms are interior staterooms which have a window that looks down on the Royal Promenade. We thought it would be interesting to try this type of room for a change, and to see if we could tolerate an interior stateroom for more than a 3-night weekender cruise. The room was compact but very well organized. We had plenty of room to store our bags, either under the bed or in the closet which was sizable considering our interior accommodations. Storage was adequate, but we could have used perhaps one or two more drawers somewhere in the room. Note to Royal Caribbean: I thought the area underneath the promenade window “couch” which was actually built into the cabin would be an ideal space for additional storage. The bathroom was standard issue cruise ship, small but functional.
Promenade View Stateroom
Once we dropped off our bags, it was time to hit the pool and enjoy our first cocktail and a little sunshine. It was warm and a little cloudy, but still pleasant enough outside. Bar service was quick and the bartenders were almost uniformly excellent. At 3PM, I met some cruisecritic.com friends for a pre-sailaway cocktail at the Sky Bar. And then the sky turned black and the heavens opened so we took cover while the rain blew through. The sailaway party was moved inside due to the rain, but by the time we untied from the pier and departed, the rain had gone away and it was pretty decent outside. Liberty seemed to sail out a knot or two slower than most ships I’ve cruised on from Miami so there was a lot of time to enjoy the spectacular views of Miami and South Beach as we headed out to sea. Our cruise was off to a phenomenal start! Cruising Advisory # 3: Do NOT miss sail away, especially from a city like Miami.
Main Dining Room
We chose second seating dinner for this cruise as we always do. Second seating is at 8:30PM. While we do not normally eat that late, it just seems that having to go to dinner at 6PM everyday will result in a rush to get back on the ship from ports of call with no time to do anything but get ready for dinner. It should be noted that Royal Caribbean now offers “My Time Dining” on all of its ships allowing you to enjoy dinner in the main dining room on your schedule and not their’s. I think its a terrific option for many, but second seating works just fine for us.
There were six people in our traveling party, and we were seated at our own table. Our waiter and assistant waiter greeted us as we were seated. Both were wonderfully pleasant people and served us cheerfully, but somewhat slowly. Something about the service just did not click. Nearby diners were eating dessert while we waited for our main courses to arrive. I noted some improvement as the week went on, but to be honest, the main dining room service seemed a little off. Not awful, just off, and I cannot point to any one thing that seemed to be causing the problem. Maybe we were just spoiled by Peter and Valentin on our Grandeur of the Seas cruise last fall!
Specialty Restaurants
Over the course of the week we dined in both specialty restaurants on board, Chops Grille and Portofino. Chops Grille was first up, and did not disappoint. Our server was top-notch, and the food was incredible. Mrs. MJ on Travel got the jumbo shrimp cocktail while I enjoyed the mushroom soup which should not be missed! Sides are served “family style” at Chops so the table shared one of several different items including sauteed mushrooms and grilled asparagus. I dined on the 10 ounce filet mignon cooked medium rare. My steak was as near perfect as a steak can be, cooked just as I wanted and the flavor was excellent. We closed out the meal with a fabulous dessert. I chose the cheese cake which was beyond description. Others had the Mississippi Mud Pie which speaking from experience is even better than the cheese cake if you love chocolate. Reservations are recommended and a $25 dollar per person seating fee (which includes gratuity even though I’ve always tipped more) will be charged.
A few nights later, we enjoyed Portofino, Royal Caribbean’s Italian eatery. Let me say upfront that this was without a doubt, the finest meal I had on the ship. While all of us dined on different things, the final verdict was always the same, WOW! The first of many courses began with a salad accompanied by various Italian breads. After my experience in Chops I decided to try Portofino’s soup of the day which happened to be mushroom as well. It was excellent but did not measure up to that offered in Chops. Obviously, not a meal emergency. I dined on Portofino’s indescribably delicious filet mignon. Yes, I know…. two steaks in the same week. Sue me, I was on vacation. Accompanied by mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables, I can only say that I have not had a finer meal in any land-based restaurant anywhere. Our servers were the finest, and even though they were very busy with a large party, they did not miss a beat in taking care of us. Portofino’s $20 dollar seating fee is the best value on the ship! Cruising Advisory # 4: Do not miss either of these wonderful dining experiences if they are offered on your ship.
Other Venues
The ship has a number of dining opportunities outside of the main dining room and specialty restaurants. Sorentos offers deli sandwiches and pizza along with other Italian oriented deli food (no charge), while Cafe Promenade offers specialty coffees for a surcharge and pastries for free. There’s also a Ben & Jerry’s that serves….you guessed it, Ben & Jerry’s. Up on deck 12, you’ll find the seagoing version of your local Johnny Rockets. For a $4.95 seating fee, you can eat all the burgers, fries and onion rings you can stand. Of course, there is the Windjammer Buffet that you’ll find on all Royal Caribbean ships.
Diamond and Diamond Plus members of Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program, the Crown & Anchor Society, enjoy access to the Diamond Lounge located on deck 14 in the Viking Crown. We visited every night because we loved socializing with our fellow frequent cruisers. Light hors d’oeuvres and complimentary cocktails were served by the wonderful Diamond Concierge, Mario and his assistants. Continental Breakfast is also served during the morning hours. This is not to be missed if you are a Diamond or Diamond Plus cruiser. We’ve learned a lot about cruising and traveling in general from our fellow cruisers in settings like this and over numerous dinners aboard ship.
Ports of Call
There were three sea days and three ports of call on this itinerary. The cruise began with two sea days, and they could not have been more needed. Frankly, we both needed a vacation and just the thought of being on the world’s largest floating hotel with no need to be anywhere was relaxing! I doubt you care to read about every intricate detail of my time at sea but suffice it to say that Liberty offers plenty of activities to keep you occupied. My day began with a visit to Liberty’s exceptional fitness facility on deck 11. A ship so large has plenty of space for a full gym and boxing ring to boot! The remainder of my two sea days were spent relaxing by the pool, and enjoying the time we had dining, dancing and having a good time. Take a look at this photo of a street party held on the Royal Promenade.
Promenade Street Party
St. Maarten was our first port of call. This was at least our third visit to the island, and we went there with a plan. Shopping in the morning and snorkeling in the afternoon. Our shopping trip had one purpose, procurement of a wedding band to replace the one I lost in February. Joe’s Jewelry served us well in November 2007 when we purchased Mrs. MJ on Travel’s wedding band, so we wanted to make that our first stop. It was our last as we found the ring we wanted within minutes, and at a very fair price. After such a successful shopping trip we had some time to spare before our excursion, which we spent at the Get Wet Beach Bar. The Get Wet is a favorite of ours, is very close to the ship, and we make it a point to stop there during every visit to St. Maarten.
Blogger Marshall Jackson at the Get Wet Beach Bar
The afternoon involved a snorkeling excursion booked through Royal Caribbean. The Tiki Hut Snorkel Park was a short boat ride from the pier. I don’t snorkel but Mrs. MJ on Travel does. We usually do these things on a catamaran and she snorkels while I enjoy rum punch and take pictures. The Tiki Hut Snorkel Park is actually a floating barge nestled in a cove not far from (but out of sight of) the ship. Mrs. MJ on Travel reports that the snorkeling was fabulous. One word of warning: if you plan to just sit around and enjoy the bar and the scenery, you have to swim to the bathroom (which is a marine head on a catamaran tied up not far away) or as the guide said, “do as the fish do.”
Our next port was San Juan, one of my favorite cities. Just my opinion, but the ship spends far too little time there. We arrived at 8AM and departed at 2PM. Given the short time, we booked a walking excursion through the ship. It included a walking tour of Old San Juan and ended near the major shopping area.
A Scene from Old San Juan
I enjoyed the tour very much, but it was a tad warm to be strolling around San Juan. Once the tour was over, we made a quick shopping trip to the Ralph Lauren outlet store and closed out the day with a few beers at Senor Frogs. The pier is a short walk from Senor Frogs, and thankfully so. We arrived there to find an extremely long line waiting to clear security at the pier entrance. It was moving at least, but the process still took about 25 minutes. For what its worth, that was the longest wait I experienced the entire cruise.
On to Labadee, Haiti, Royal Caribbean’s private paradise in the Caribbean. This was our first visit to Labadee since our January 2005 Voyager of the Seas cruise. We loved Labadee the first time, and we still do. Be advised that Labadee is a tender port until December. Royal Caribbean is constructing a pier in advance of the arrival of Oasis of the Seas, which will make for a more efficient embarkation/disembarkation process when complete. It was obvious that Royal Caribbean has invested more resources in the entire Labadee experience. There appeared to be more beach areas, certainly a few more dining/drinking areas, and most obviously, a pretty awesome looking zip line. No, we did not try zip lining this visit, but I did let Mrs. MJ on Travel talk me into parasailing.
Parasailing in Labadee
To say that I didn’t want to parasail is a mild understatement. A few thousand piloting hours under my belt, and I still have no desire to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I was no more thrilled to be pulled around by a boat and strapped to a parachute that I had no opportunity to inspect either. I am pleased to report that SeaTrek Parasailing was actually quite nice, and most of the complaining to Mrs. MJ on Travel that I did while flying 400 feet above the sea was in jest. After lunch and few hours on the beach it was time to head back to the ship. There was a bit of line waiting for the tender, but they run frequently enough to keep things moving.
Liberty of the Seas Tendered in Labadee
The next day was spent at sea. I always love beginning and ending cruises with days at sea because they offer an opportunity to really relax and unwind, especially to begin your cruise vacation. Heck, this ship was so full of things to do, I think I could’ve spent 7 days at sea! The last day was spent relaxing by the pool, enjoying the enormous international buffet served on the Royal Promenade, and sadly, packing to go home as our fabulous vacation was coming to an end.
The Saddest Sight: Our Luggage Waiting to be Picked Up
Cruising Advisory #5: Get packed prior to dinner on the last night of your cruise. That way you can enjoy dinner and a night out on the ship without worrying about the need to get back to your room and pack.
Disembarkation Day
We met our traveling party for breakfast in the main dining room around 8AM and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast as the ship began clearing. After breakfast we went down to deck 4 and found a crowd waiting by the forward gangway which is where U.S. citizens were sent. Some of us waited in line while others had a seat in the Schooner Bar and chatted for a few minutes. It wasn’t long before the line started moving, and once the end of the line had reached our area, we jumped in. We were off the ship in minutes, and had cleared Customs and were standing in the taxi line in no more than 15 minutes. A very smooth process for us.
The Bottom Line
Frankly, I loved Liberty of the Seas! I had some concerns about crowds and all manner of issues surrounding the large number of people the ship can accommodate, but found everything to be relatively well organized and issue free. The crew was quite friendly, and bar service was reasonable. Our only hiccup was service in the dining room that seemed a little off track, but our servers were quite pleasant and seemed well-intentioned. None of our party complained to our head waiter, and I don’t know if it would have made any difference or not. This certainly did not negatively impact the overwhelmingly positive experience I found on this fabulous cruise vacation, and I am pleased to share the details with you. I wouldn’t hesitate to sail on Liberty again, and am looking forward to the opportunity to do so. If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment or send an email through the “Contact Me” link to the right.
Photos courtesy of Mrs. MJ on Travel
Posted by Marshall Jackson on May 30, 2009 under American Airlines, Cruising, Royal Caribbean |
Well, almost. I’m actually here at the Miami D Con Admirals Club. Mrs. MJ on Travel and I wrapped up a 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas this morning. Liberty is a wonderful ship and I highly recommend her.
This week, I will post a full review of our cruise, both the good and the bad. Hint: it’s almost all great, not just good. Seriously, we had a fabulous trip that is all too soon coming to an end. I’ll be posting this week, and in the meantime, thanks for reading.
Posted by Marshall Jackson on May 21, 2009 under American Airlines, Hilton HHonors, Royal Caribbean |
But I am on vacation. Vacation really started this afternoon around 3PM. Tomorrow afternoon, Mrs. MJ on Travel and I fly down to Miami, and Saturday we board Liberty of the Seas for a 7-night cruise. Just so happens that Dan Webb of Things in the Sky will be on board as well. You’ll see a guest post from me on his blog this week, and at least a post or two from me here on MJ on Travel as opportunities arise.
No matter what, when vacation is over, you will see a review of the Conrad Miami, Liberty of the Seas, and flights on American Airlines. I am looking forward to it! An you can also follow me on Twitter.com if you wish.
Have a fantastic holiday weekend, and come back to read about vacation!
Posted by Marshall Jackson on April 24, 2009 under Alaska Airlines, Commentary / General Info, FREDDIE Awards, Marriott Rewards, Royal Caribbean |
Time for another random post. Today, I’m blogging from the TGI Fridays at DCA. I’ll bet many of you have been here. I’m not flying today. Instead, I’m waiting to pick up Mrs. MJ on Travel who is arriving from OKC via DFW on American. I got here early, brought my laptop, and decided to make use of the time here.
As you’ll note in my previous post, I had a fabulous time last night co-hosting the online chat for the 21st annual FREDDIE Awards with Steven Frischling from Flying with Fish. I was honored to host alongside such an accomplished traveler and blogger as Steven, and thanks again to Randy Peterson for the opportunity. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Marriott Rewards really cleaned up last night. Steven has posted a fantastic summary on his blog. It was a great evening, and I hope you were able to be there in person or join us on the chat.
My trip to Atlanta next week has been postponed until next month. I won’t be able to accomplish my primary reason for being there until then due to circumstances outside my control, so I’m rebooked for May 12th. These many weeks off the road are starting to get on my nerves but that’s the cost of doing business I guess. Travel runs in cycles for me, and right now, I am in a down cycle. I don’t have anything else booked until May 22nd, and that’s to Miami to catch our cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. Have I mentioned that I’m looking forward to that?!?! And totally by chance, Dan from Things in the Sky will be on the same cruise. I’m sure we’ll visit to talk about planes at some point during the cruise.
For what it’s worth, DCA, while not running over with people, is quite busy tonight. Security is jumping and there’s even a handful of people waiting to use the Clear (R) kiosks at the center pier. Friday at the airport…gotta love it! I’ll post more this weekend.
