Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class Ships

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas have enticed thousands of vacationers to sail the Caribbean on ships that are unique in their design and amenities. The Oasis was launched three years ago, and was joined by the Allure a year later. While still young in industry terms, the ships have added some new features that make them even more appealing to cruise fans.

The Oasis and the Allure are the largest cruise ships at sea and the first to be organized by “neighborhood” (indeed, with the capacity for 5,400 passengers each, these ships are more populous than some small cities). Each ship has seven neighborhoods, including Central Park, a meandering garden lined with shops and restaurants; and the charming Boardwalk, which leads to the open air AquaTheater. Here, passengers can see a show of fountains, lights and aerial acrobatics at night.

The ships offer lots of staterooms that overlook the water, many with balconies. Thanks to the ships’ unique design, some staterooms have interior views of Central Park or the Boardwalk.

No matter which stateroom you choose, you may not spend much time there. You’ll want to try the zip line over Central Park, test your surfing skills on a FlowRider simulator, ride the carousel on the Boardwalk, and enjoy the fabulous restaurants.

Worried about finding your way on these massive ships? Passengers who’ve sailed on them rave about touch-screen computerized maps available throughout Oasis and Allure. Tell the computer where you want to go, and it maps out the correct deck and the exact walking route to that destination. It also provides real-time data on how busy all of the restaurants are.

Both the Oasis and the Allure recently introduced dining packages that make it easy for passengers to enjoy some of the ships’ alternative dining venues. For example, the Choice Dining Package includes dinners at Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Table Italian Trattoria, and either Izumi Asian Cuisine or the Solarium Bistro. Each ship has also added a Starbucks, so passengers can enjoy their favorite coffee- and tea-based beverages while relaxing on deck.

The ships are known for their technical innovations, too. Royal Caribbean recently announced that by summer 2013, the Oasis will be able to provide passengers with high-speed, satellite-delivered broadband service for convenient – and fast – Internet communications.

Great Lakes Cruising

Discover a North American Treasure: The Great Lakes (Detroit to Chicago)

If you are looking for a voyage to a world-class destination, but wish to stay close to home, then how about the amazing Great Lakes.

Nearly fifteen thousand years ago, the last of the great glaciers retreated, leaving us with the legacy of the Great Lakes. The lakes are unique, for although they are called lakes, they are in reality vast inland seas that comprise one-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water. First used as a means of transport by Algonquin and Iroquois tribes, the lakes later became a thriving commercial hub and a heavily traveled waterway with the arrival of European settlers.

More than fifty years ago, the Great Lakes were the busiest waterway in the world and North America’s treasured summer destination. Now you can cruise once again in the Great Lakes on this unique itinerary, which encompasses American and Canadian ports.

Operating between two great American cities, Detroit and Chicago, the itinerary includes several of the most significant places found along the shores of this North American treasure. Visit the quaint village of Bayfield and experience Native American culture on Manitoulin Island before transiting the impressive Soo Locks, which connect Lake Huron and Lake Superior. Also witness the majestic grandeur of Lake Superior at Whitefish Point with its lighthouse, discover Mackinac Island’s bygone Victorian charms, and enjoy the delightful towns of Sheboygan and Saugatuck.

Your ship for this voyage is the American-flagged and operated Yorktown. Accommodating 138 guests in 69 exterior cabins, the Yorktown is the perfect vessel for relaxed and convivial exploration of the Great Lakes.

These cruises include: tours and excursions, welcome and farewell cocktail receptions aboard ship, all meals aboard ship, educational program of lectures and discussions by accompanying guest lecturer, port and embarkation taxes, gratuities to porters, guides, and drivers

In addition to being in the company of like-minded travelers, you will also be accompanied by excellent study leaders, whose lectures and discussions will enhance your appreciation of the sites visited.

Sample Itinerary

Day 1 • DETROIT, Michigan, United States | EMBARK

Day 2 • GODERICH | BAYFIELD | STRATFORD, Ontario, Canada

Day 3 • LITTLE CURRENT, MANITOULIN ISLAND | LAKE HURON

Day 4 • SOO LOCKS | WHITEFISH POINT | LAKE SUPERIOR

Day 5 • MACKINAC ISLAND, Michigan, United States

Day 6 • SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin

Day 7 • HOLLAND | SAUGATUCK, Michigan

Day 8 • CHICAGO, Illinois | DISEMBARK | FLY HOME

Note: this itinerary also operates in the reverse direction, from Chicago to Detroit.

For more information: http://www.cruisesbyscott.com/

Top 10 Cruise Itineraries in 2012

Here they are:  the best places to cruise this year.  Which one is right for you?

The forecast for 2012 is that over 20 million Americans will take to the high seas on a cruise.  Many of those will skip the "cookie-cutter" itineraries and will set their sights on some new horizons.  Check these fun ideas out:

*Best Cruise Itinerary for Adventure Seekers:  Sea Voyager Expeditions

     This is a brand-new cruise line for 2012.  They will be offering expedition sailings to some of Latin America's hottest ecotourism destinations.  Their first sailings are scheduled to begin in April with destinations in Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Ecuador.  Cruisers will love the flexible itineraries, off-the-beaten path villages and indigenous people.  Each sailing is escorted by experienced naturalists and guides as well as excursions like rain forest hiking, kayaking in hidden bays, bird-watching and snorkeling.

*Best Cruise Itinerary for Culture Vultures:  Star Clippers

     Star Clippers has been sailing between the European cultural capitals along the Baltic Sea for some time, but starting in May, cruisers may climb onboard the new Star Flyer - a tall sailing ship, with 3 different itineraries featuring Sweden, Russia and Finland.  Cruisers will enjoy visiting smaller, less-visited ports and will be immersed in the best of the Baltic lands of the Vikings and the Eastern Empire of the Tsars.

*Best Cruise Itinerary for Families:  Disney Cruise Line

     March 2012 will be the maiden voyage of Disney's newest ship, the 4,000 passenger Disney Fantasy.  This fun ship will feature the AquaDuck (water coaster at sea), new pool deck features, elaborate stage shows, and ship-wide interactive, state of the art technology.  The ship will sail the Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, visiting the ports of St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel as well as a stop at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay.  Families will love the Muppets-inspired adventure game and an animation-themed dinner show.  Kids will go crazy for the 1,800-square-foot Aqua Lab water play area, while parents can seek out serenity at the adults-only Satellite Falls splash pool on the deck above.

*Best Cruise Itinerary for Foodies:  Oceania Cruises

     The new 1,250 passenger Riviera - launching in April 2012 - is poised to raise the bar on the epicurean experience at sea.  She is scheduled for a series of Mediterranean sailings through the fall, followed by a repositioning to the Caribbean for winter.  Watch for the 10-night October themed sailing, "Bon Appetit Wine & Food Festival", from Athens to Rome, with port calls in Turkey, Greece, Italy, France and Monaco.  Cruisers will love the 10 dining venues (eight of which are inclusive) as well as the opportunity to practice their kitchen skills in the hands-on Bon Appetit Culinary Center.

*Best Cruise Itinerary for History Buffs:  Deep Ocean Expeditions

     2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and what better way to remember this event in history than by boarding the R/V Keldysh (a vessel chartered from an oceanographic institute).  A maximum of 30 cruisers will set out on these 2-week expeditions, which includes an 8-10 hour dive to the shipwreck site in a 7-foot wide Russian Mir submersible, designed for three passengers.

     For a less extreme cruise option, choose from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines 1,309 passenger Balmoral, which will trace the Titanic's original intended route from England to NYC, or the 694-passenger Azamara Journey, slated to travel round-trip from NYC, with a stop in Halifax (the resting place of many of the Titanic's passengers who did not make the trip).  These cruises will feature onboard lecturers and historians, wreck experts, authors and relatives of Titanic survivors.

*Best Cruise Itinerary for Nature Enthusiasts:  Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

     Head to the furthest reaches of the wilds of Russia.  Cruisers can set sail to circumnavigate the Sea of Okhotsk) in style, aboard the world's only 5-star expedition ship, the 184-passenger MS hanseatic.  Excursion highlights include zodiac runs to the tiny unpopulated islands of Iony and Tyuleny, and the wildlife-rich Shantar and Malminskie Islands; hiking across the grassland tundra of Talan Island; and brown bear viewing on a zodiac ride from Cape Utholoskiy.  Cruisers will be presented with a dizzying array of pristine landscapes, defined by volcanoes; coniferous forest-blanketed mountains; tundra, glaciers and geysers, and numerous types of wildlife.

*Best Cruise Intinerary for Nostalgia Lovers:  Great American Steamboat Company

     2012 marks the return of the Mississippi River Cruise, beginning in April.  The Great American Steamboat Company's 436-guest American Queen is billed as the largest and most lavish paddlewheel steamboat ever built, with a savory Southern-inspired menu led by top Mississippi chef Regina Charboneau.  Choose from the many different themed sailings, such as the Jazz Lovers, Civil War and Holiday cruises. 

     American Cruise Lines 150-passenger Queen of the Mississippi will debut in August, featuring Dixieland bands, Mark Twain impersonators and other fun activities.  Both cruise lines will visit ports such as Cincinatti, Louisville, Memphis, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

*Best Cruise Itinerary for Off-The-Path Explorers:  Avalon Waterways

     Top-of-the-line river cruise operator Avalon Waterways is not only launching an intimate new luxury vessel in 2012, but is also debuting on the first-ever Mekong River cruise itinerary between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Siem Reap, Cambodia.  The 32-passenger Avalon Angkor features 16 spacious staterooms, complete with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors and balconies.  This will be the first time that cruisers will be able to transit this particular route almost year-round.  Cruisers will explore virtually untouched villages of Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as the more popular cultural and historic cities along the way.

*Best Cruise Itinerary for Partiers:  Crystal Cruises

     If attending Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is on your bucket list, Crystal Cruises' brand-new "Samba Serenade" itinerary is the way to go.  The itinerary will feature five ports of call in Brazil (Buzios, Ilha Grande, Paraty, Sao Paulo, and Itajai), departing from Rio during the height of the Carnival festivities.  This cruise line can custom tailor your experience at Rio's Sambadrome, from grandstand seating to luxury VIP sky box suites to even marching in the parade (fully costumed).

*Best Cruise Itinerary for Romantics:  Windstar Cruises

     These dreamy yachts are outfitted with billowing white sails and hold a maximum of 312 passengers.  Windstar is offering a brand-new 2012 "Islands of Italy" itinerary that couples classic Italian sites (Rome and Pompeii) with exclusive and often overlooked Italian islands, such as the lush volcanic island of Ischia; the active volcanic island of Stromboli; and glamorous Porto Cervo on Sardinia.

Time to get started on your 2012 Bucket List!  Where would you like to start?
http://shunter.cruiseholidays.com/