Cruise Holidays - Attheta Travel

November 22 – December 6, 2010 Sunday November 21 – Maija and Al arrive in Fort Lauderdale Uneventful flight for Al and Maija from SeaTac to Dallas, and then Dallas to Ft. Lauderdale. Dinner at Johnny V’s was extraordinary! The desk clerk at the hotel recommended it because it is directly across the street and the chef is an awarding winning chef on Food Channel. Jan and Steve narrowly avoid the ensuing snowfall, about to descend upon the Puget Sound area, as they board their red-eye to Miami. Their plane was de-iced, as was Al and Maija’s early that morning (very early, at 6:10 am). Monday November 22 – Embarkation at Fort Lauderdale Jan and Steve picked up a Budget rental car at the Miami airport, which was only $68 for the day, which enabled them to pick up Al and Maija at the Riverfront Hotel. The drop off, which is a few blocks from the cruise ship terminal, was not well organized (took the guys at least 45 minutes), but it’s still well worth it. Having the car was an i...

Seven day cruise to the Mexican Riveria aboard the Oosterdam. December 4  - December 12, 2010 Garry Thompson Day 1 We had an easy flight to San Diego from Oklahoma City. Our itinerary included a 90 minute layover in Las Vegas – just enough time for an early lunch and watch people gamble in the terminal. We didn’t experience any security delays or issues at the airport in OKC. However, we did have an “over-achiever” flight attendant on the leg to San Diego: she wouldn’t let Anita sit in the exit row seat until Anita proved she could lift her own bag into the overhead storage. The flight attendant would not let me put the bag in the overhead. In all the years I have flown, I have never encountered that requirement. Guess next time Anita should bring a smaller bag – or not expect to sit in the exit row. As we approached the airport, we could see the Oosterdam in the harbor – just a few miles from the airport. A quick $10 taxi ride took us to the ship at the B street pier. San...

Did you know that cruise ships depart not only from Miami, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, but from Baltimore, Cape Canaveral, Tampa, Mobile, Quebec City, San Francisco and Seattle, among other North American cities? The development of home ports for leisure cruise ships along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts has given cruise lovers more options for points of departure, ships and itineraries than ever before. And, these ports continue to develop and improve, adding new facilities and features. San Diego is expanding its cruise ship capacity by building a new cruise ship terminal on Broadway Pier, which is near completion. The all-glass façade gives the 52,000-square-foot facility an open, airy feel. The building will be LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certified, which means it is designed to use less water and energy and to produce fewer pollutants. This will be the second cruise ship terminal in San Diego, which also has a terminal at the B Street Pier. Cha...

Western Caribbean Cruise – Crown Princess Nov 13-20, 2010 Ned & Carolyn Nelson Flights to Fort Lauderdale Southwest flights were on time Princess Pick up and Transfer to Embassy Suites- Ft Lauderdale Airport Princess Rep was waiting for us in the baggage area and quickly got us to our bus. Hotel was a 10 minute drive away. A valuable service. Embassy Suites- Ft Lauderdale Good location as we could see the ships in the port. Hotel is aging and needs to be upgraded. Free Breakfast was fair and the crowds were huge. Princess Transfer to Ship Princess Rep in the lobby was very good. They have a good system of baggage control. Bus arrived at 1140 and we departed at 1150. We arrived at the port at 12 just as they were opening the doors. Much better (earlier) than the last time we did this with Princess. Embarkation You get in a line by the deck your cabin is in. Unfortunately, a whole lot of Aloha Deck folks arrived when we did. Our lines were the longest by far even wit...

Images and comments provided by Ned and Carolyn Nelson.  The pictures were taken during a November cruise aboard the Crown Princess to the Western Caribbean -- a 7 night cruise.   Crown Princess in Routan   Carnival Valor and Crown Princess in Cozumel   Lobster and Prawns -- dinner on the Crown Princess   Carolyn at Princess Cays Ft Lauderdale Harbor   Crown Princess anchored off Princess Cays   Routan Pier and the new Welcome village (shops)   Alure and Oasis out at sea just off of FLL Oasis of the Seas departing FL   Crown Princess Tender stations   Carolyn with the Celebrity Equinox in the background approaching Cozumel   Carolyn at the Mayan Ruins in Cozumel   Ned and Crown Princess in the Grand Caymen Islands View of "The Rocks" off the harbor at Ft Lauderdale -- great place to watch ships

Active Personnel and Veterans Eligible for Shipboard Credit SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (November 11, 2010) – In recognition of Veterans Day, Princess Cruises is promoting the line’s military onboard credit program for active and retired military personnel. The credit, which ranges from $50 to $250 per stateroom depending on the length of the cruise, is available to members of the United States and Canadian armed forces with appropriate service identification. Click link to read article about shipboard credit. Princess Cruises

“What should I pack?” is one of the most frequently asked questions among first-time cruise vacationers who aren’t sure what to expect on board. Experienced cruisers know that while there is no standard answer to this question, there are some general guidelines. What you should pack depends on the formality of the cruise line and ship you choose, as well as where you are going. First, consider the ship. On a luxury or premium cruise line, the dress code during the day is likely to be resort wear – casual shorts and shirts, or Capri pants and sundresses for women. In the evening, the dress code changes to long pants (no jeans) and collared shirts for men, with silky pants and coordinated tops or dresses for women. These cruises are also likely to have multiple formal nights, when you’ll see everything from suits and cocktail dresses to tuxedos and glittering ball gowns. However, some high-end cruise lines have changed to more casual dress codes, welcoming shorts and t-shirts much of t...

While we continue to focus on cruise vacations, we offer land-based vacations as well. Therefore, it’s important that we visit some all-inclusive resorts. This year, the annual convention for Cruise Holidays was held on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico – about 30 miles south of Cancun. El Dorado Royale is a large resort that targets adults – not a child friendly environment. It’s “all inclusive” with plenty of restaurants and bars on the property. We had a great time at the resort and felt safe.  When traveling in Mexico, we believe safety is important...   The hotel has many resturants, bars, and swimming pools.  Due to our schedule, we didn't have an opportunity to explore many venues. We look forward to an opportunity to another visit.  Meanwhile, we can recommend this resort to our friends and clients.    One cavet: still not sure if the water is safe to drink, but the hotel provides bottled water in the rooms. Please send us an ...

These pictures were taken on a cruise to Alaska by Robert & Judy from Oklahoma City.  They agreed to let us share the photos with our readers.  We don't have their comments, but it seems as if they enjoyed the roundtrip cruise from Seattle.  We know they visited, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Victoria BC, and spent a day cruising the Glacier Bay National Park. Our thanks to Judy, Robert, Marye, and Charles!   

We did a one week family vacation of 14 people on the Caribbean Princess. We flew overnight to JFK and took a cab to the ship in Brooklyn. We had directions from the internet and we and the cab driver still could not find the cruise terminal due to a lack of street signs in Brooklyn. Our family members were staying a the Marriott in Times Square. The bellman at the entrance went through several cabs before finding cabs that knew how to get them to the Princess Terminal. We boarded the ship with over 3500 of our newest friends. The ship was completely full. We were assigned "Any Time Dining" which we could not correct before getting on the ship. So, we had to stand in line for one hour to fix that. The Maître d reluctantly gave us two tables in the non fixed seating room. The ship was just packed. This ship goes to five ports and your first sea day is the last day of the cruise. Our first port, Newport, Rhode Island was a tender port. It rained really bad. It was especiall...

Considering a cruise of the Eastern or Southern Caribbean? Consider starting from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Celebrity Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland American Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean and more sail from the Port of San Juan. Because San Juan is closer to the islands of the Caribbean than ports in the southern U.S., you should be able to spend a greater portion of your cruise enjoying destinations such as the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao), the Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos islands. The cruise ship docks are within walking distance to the heart of Old San Juan, which dates back to the 16th century. The walled old city is beautifully preserved, with cobblestone streets, historic forts, and distinctive galleries and shops. Ponce de Leon, the first governor of the island, is buried in the Cathedral of San Juan. There’s much more to see and do outside the walls of the old city – so much that you may wish to arrive a few days before your ship departs or stay a...

Hi, Anita! The trip was great!! We had not seen any of the ports before, so it was a real adventure. Glad we didn't have a tour at each place, we would have been too tired. The heat bothered Steve more than it did me this time (unusual!), but all in all it was great weather. Oceania was very good. The crowd was PERFECT for us. Met some great people, but no pool hairy chest contests! We also loved no ship photos; no in-room announcements; any-time dining (they handled this VERY well), and the lack of power chairs & wheel chairs. Out biggest complaint was that the ship docked so far from the tourist area sometimes requiring us to walk a mile or more to catch a shuttle some shop provided. The ship did not have any way of getting us past dock security all the way back to the ship except the tour buses or the town shuttle that tended to take you to a shopping area somewhere and dump you. Even the taxis could not go back in to the commercial docking area where the ship was. We seem...