Oasis of the Seas - are the extras too much?

Initial reports from Oasis of the Seas say that the Cupcake Cupboard is exquisite but at $2.50/ cupcake is this too much?
Dinner with the captain is $75. Speciality restaurants vary from $4.95 for lunch at Jonny Rockets to $35pp for 150 Central Park. However there are plenty of free places to dine and most of the activities which I thought I would charge for are free. Read on for a full list.

Free Dining Options
Main Dining Room
Park Cafe
Sorrento's Pizza
Cafe Promenade
Boardwalk Bar
Boardwalk Donut Shop
Johnny Rockets ( free breakfast only)
Solarium Bistro (free for breakfast, lunch)
Wipeout Cafe
Windjammer Marketplace
Vitality Cafe
Room Service (free until midnight,)

Chargeable dining options
150 Central Park  ($35 per person surcharge)
Giovanni's Table ($10 per person lunch, $15 per person dinner)
Chops Grille ($25 per person)
Cupcake Cupboard ($2.50 per cupcake)
Seafood Shack ($8.95 per person for lunch and dinner)
Ice Cream Parlor (a la carte pricing)
Johnny Rockets  ($4.95 for lunch, dinner)
Solarium Bistro ($20 for dinner)
Izumi Japanese (a la carte)
Chef's Table ($75 per person, which includes wine)
Room Service ($3.95 per cabin charge after midnight)


ACTIVITIES
Zip-line (free)
Carousel (free)
Rock-climbing (free)
AquaTheater shows (free, ticketing system)
Ice shows (free, ticketing)

Does paying for select dining put you off a cruise deal?

Finally..real pictures of Oasis of the Seas.

Are you like me, thought Oasis of the Seas was going to be computer generated forever. Well now that she has finally launched Royal Caribbean have finally released official footage of the ship..she looks awesome to use a great American phrase.

http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/

Just how specialist is your cruise consultant?

I consider myself to be a cruise specialist having worked in the industry for so long. But even I can't explain to a customer why Google Maps doesn't show the correct location for Southampton's City Terminal SO15 3AJ.

After 20 minutes of looking at google maps, checking postcodes with Fred Olsen and describing to my customer the correct way to get to Black Watch for her cruise, I find out that she has train tickets booked and will be getting the free shuttle bus to the ship!

The first time is the best time....

I'm not convinced - my first day at school, first day in a new job, first kiss are all events that didn't quite live up to expectation and that I can't remember now. So would I spend a fortune to go on the first voyage of a new ship?

I have been on maiden voyages twice and both haven't been quite as they should have been. Silversea's Prince Albert had workmen painting the decking as we walked along and in-suite flat screens not yet installed and MSC's Poesia whilst fully completed had a crew that really hadn't gelled and didn't know where everything was situated.

A maiden voyage should be viewed as a dress rehearsal, don't expect everything to perfect, know that your crew probably only met each other  the week before and that men in tool belts might be lurking around corners. If you go with this attitude  and have had a good deal you won't be disappointed. However if you're someone who expects the best, my advice would be to wait for the 3rd or 4th voyage. Like a new hairstyle a ship needs a bit of time to bed in.

All that remains to be seen in how Queen Elizabeth's maiden voyage goes. Selling out in just 29 minutes and with customers paying well over the odds, I just hope they get everything right.

Read some Cunard Cruise Reviews at Cruise.co.uk.

How green are you?

The Tories are all over the news talking about Green Taxes at the moment and it's heading towards travel.
Within the world of cruise, Thomson are the only company who offer a 'Worldcare fund' of £1pp. This is to help with sustainable tourism and is an optional charge. I'm currently booking a family ski holiday and all the ski companies are charging £3-4pp as a Carbon Offset - no quite sure how my snowboard adds to the carbon footprint but I guess it's to do with the flight.

Anyway - my question is - do you think we should be paying an extra £4 each to save the world - would you pay more - or do you think that the cruiselines should be contributing in other ways?

Cruising makes me sick

Scared of cruising in case it makes you sick? This a common worry with a lot of cruisers but don’t worry help is at hand, there are tips in choosing your cabin location as well as the best remedies to take. Read on for Jo’s jolly good top tips.


 Motion free cabins

Ignore the myth that the higher you go the better. The highest decks have more movement – so possibly more seasickness. The best position is as close to miship as possible, both in terms of height and forward to aft.

Costwise ....++ a lower cabin is cheaper than a higher one

i-Trans Motion Sickness Relief BandAt £45 this is apparently a snip.

It operates by emiting low-level electrical pulses from two small electrodes against your wrist and attacks the cause of seasickness. One of the cheapest and most effective wrist bands on the market but I'm not convinced it would go with my cocktail dress - what do you think?

Quesy Drops

Made of essential oils and natural flavors these seasickness sweets calm the stomach and prevent negative tastes. Taken at the onset of sickness the prevent a try mouth and sooth and comfort you. Not only cheap (£5.50 for 21 tablets) they come in a sugar free too - allowing you to eat more of that wonderful cruise cuisine once the tablets have kicked in

I have plenty more remedies to add in .....keep checking to see more in the future