Rock Climbing Wall

Caribbean Cruises With The Ships Of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

Whenever you imagine the Caribbean the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines come into your mind also. There are so many aspects of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines that go without say that the true nature of the cruise is almost unfathomable in a mere imagination.

One of the ships that carry the name proudly is the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. This magnificent seagoing city includes such amenities as ice-skating, a full-sized basketball court, and nine holes of miniature golf thrown in just for flavor. There are pleasurable activities to suit all ages, youth facilities certain to please all the youngsters on board, and themed bars and lounges certain to entertain all the adults.

With the capacity for large numbers of guests the Royal Caribbean offers more fun in the sun than any other cruise line. The fun begins before you set foot in the islands and lives in your heart forever.

The day spa and fitness center will treat you to the magic of massage and exercise in a way that will create the illusion you are vacationing in a dream. With the Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas cruise you will find there is a cinema with the latest hit movies, a rock-climbing wall, and pools with hot tubs on both decks.

Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas both offer themed bars where the idea of having fun is more than a social statement it is a way of life. Casino Royale offers gambling adventures for anyone with an eye for luck. And if you like to shop, you can shop until you drop in the pleasant shopping experience that rivals none in an open atrium.

There are always conference rooms available aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ships. And with all the activities and fun planned there should not be an idle moment. There can not possibly be an excuse for anyone alive to be bored or boring when the Caribbean cruise ships have taken you to lands far away. Enjoying the Caribbean by cruise ship is the only way to go.

The latest addition to the Royal Caribbean fleet leaves nothing to be desired as far as Caribbean Cruises go: The Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas is the largest cruise ship worldwide and has overtaken the Queen Mary 2 in size and importance. It’s first ever cruise departs from Miami Florida and call on these ports: Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Montego Bay, Jamaica and Labadee, Haiti before returning to Miami. There are some spectacular pass times possible on the Freedom of the Seas: a very high rock-climbing wall and the Royal Promenade and ice-skating rink. This cruise ship also offers extensive WiFi capabilities and connectivity for cell phones.

With the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines at your service there are no regrets only fond memories. Even if you go alone there are so many new friends to be made. What better place for romance than the Caribbean? Fantastic sunsets, warm sunny days, and cool tropical nights are there to great you no matter when you decide to cruise.

Cruise Ship Activities Geared Towards Youngsters

When it comes to taking a family vacation, it is often hard to find a vacation destination that targets the whole family.  This becomes even more difficult when youngsters are involved.  If you and your family are interested in having a relaxing, yet exciting vacation, you are encouraged to consider vacationing aboard a cruise ship.Cruise ships are not what they were in the past.  They have evolved in something spectacular.  Aboard a cruise ship, you are granted access to a number of services, facilities, and activities.  If you are the parent of a youngster, you may be wondering what cruise ship activities will peak their internet.  The activities found aboard a cruise ship will all depend on the cruise line and ship in question. Despite the fact that cruise ship activities vary, there are number of common activities that are targeted towards youngsters. Children of all ages, especially youngsters, enjoy swimming and relaxing by the side of a pool.  All vacation cruise ships come equipped with a pool.  These onboard pools are ideal for youngsters.  With a lifeguard on duty, you can feel comfortable allowing your youngster to swim unattended while you enjoy other onboard activities.  Most cruise ships have a standard adult size swimming pool, but additional pool styles may be available.  A limited number of cruise ships have onboard lap pools or wave pools.Arcade rooms can also be found aboard many cruise ships.  Many arcade rooms are targeted towards younger children, but not all are.  On a number of cruise ships, you may be able to find numerous arcade games that have a focus on youngsters. These games may include, but are not limited to fighting games, air hockey, and other interactive sports games.  Most games found inside a cruise ship arcade require coins or tokens.  If you plan on leaving your youngster unattended, be sure that they have enough money to play the games of their choice.  In addition to a swimming pool and an arcade room, most popular cruise lines have an onboard movie theater.  At any given point throughout the day, a popular movie could be playing.  Most of the movies shown onboard a cruise ship are designed for adults and youngsters.  If you do not have a restriction on the types of movies that your youngster can watch, they can have fun watching a movie in state-of-the-art movie theatres.   Arcade rooms, movie theatres, and swimming pools are facilities found on most cruise lines. Additional teen activities may be found aboard particular ships.  These activities may include surfing, rock climbing, or ice skating.  To determine whether these additional activities can be found aboard a cruise ship, you are encouraged to examine the cruise ship’s layout.  All facilities and onboard activities should be explained in a diagram or in a printed explanation.One of the few cruise lines that currently offers onboard ice skating is Royal Caribbean International.  Royal Caribbean’s ship, Adventure of the Seas, has one of the most well-known onboard ice skating rinks.  In addition to enjoying open skating, ice skating shows are offered on a regular basis. These shows can come in the form of a competition or an ice capades show that is geared towards the whole family.  The popularity of rock climbing walls has increased overtime.  Onboard rock climbing walls are fun for teenagers. Similar activities are often explored in high school gym classes. For a small fee, your teenager could spend the day climbing high in the air.  In addition to the excitement of climbing itself, extra excitement and thrills are added when you realize exactly how high you are above the sea. A recent development in cruise ship activities has caused excitement among many teenager travelers.  This activity is known as onboard surfing.  Royal Caribbean recently developed the “Flowrider,” aboard their cruise ship, Freedom of the Seas. The “Flowrider,” simulates surfing waves in a safe and fun environment.  This onboard activity is something that many teenagers would enjoy doing, time and time again. The foresaid activities are just a few of the many that target youngsters.  If you want to take a cruise, but are worried that your child will be bored, do not worry.  It is easy to see that most cruise ships have a large number of fun and exciting activities that are geared towards youngsters, just like your own.

Future of Cruise Ship Innovations

2008 is an exciting year for cruising with the addition of 8 new cruise ships to the booming market.

• April – P&O’s Ventura , MSC Poeisa

• May – Independence of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)

• July – Carnival Splendor, Ms Eurodam (Holland America)

• Nov – Ruby Princess, MSC Fantasia

• Dec – Celebrity Solstice

Each ship is being built on the promise that it will be bigger and better than its current sailing rivals, with a heavy focus on innovations at sea. Already we have ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, F1 simulators, self leveling pool tables, boxing rings, bowling alleys and 4 deck high water slides. So the big question everyone’s asking is; what could possibly be coming next?

Well, the answer is grass. Real growing green grass.

Celebrity Cruises have proudly announced that their latest fleet addition, the Solstice, will feature a grassed lawn area where guests may “enjoy bocce ball and croquet, practice their putting, picnic with a basket of wine and cheese, or simply feel the grass between their toes, while sailing the oceans of the world”. And, if all the grass isn’t too much excitement, you can go and watch the hot glass show, another industry first.

Clever, or just plain dull?

Is this really the best they can come up with? Or, are they taking a brave step outside of the current innovation trend box? In reality, the ice skating rinks are a little on the small side, the bowling alleys only have 4 lanes, and does anyone really want to go boxing?

It seems the cruise companies are measuring their success on the uniqueness of their ship innovations, but I wonder if that’s what today’s typical cruise passenger is really looking for.

Pre 1960’s cruising was all about the destination, the ship simply providing comfortable accommodation. Then came more emphasis on the actual voyage itself, with the onboard experience becoming as important as the destination. It seems we may now be facing a u-turn, with more and more cruisers wanting to explore new, “undiscovered” places which offer a more intimate cruise experience which the mega liners just can’t offer.

In spite of this, the cruise industry seems to be confidently striving forward with their bigger is better approach with Royal Caribbean’s mind blowing Genesis project on the horizon. Building by far the largest ships at sea, 2009 will see a vessel that has a capacity of over 5000 passengers with a gross tonnage in excess of 220,000 tonnes, compared to the current largest, the Queen Mary 2 at a mere 160,000 tonnes, it’s a pretty outstanding figure.

Surely there must be concerns over the damage a ship that large may cause. For a long time, cruise ship damage seems to have been ignored, when, in reality, they are one of the world’s largest, uncontrolled sources of air pollution, and surprisingly, more damaging than flying. Sewage, oil contamination and coral reef damage are all becoming increasing concerns.

Royal Caribbean have recognized this and have stated that one of the most important priorities for the new ships is energy efficiency and the minimisation of waste to make the ship as environmentally friendly as possible.

What they can’t control is annoying disembarkation queues, port over crowding and inaccessible ports. But, at least there is a boxing ring to let out all those frustrations, if it’s not already been booked up…

So what is coming next? Whilst some of the cruise lines are heading down the more subtle route, others are sailing full steam ahead with their innovative ship features. What do you think of the current cruise ship innovations? Have you ever made use of them whilst onboard? Would an ice rink and bowling alley influence your choice of ship? What do you imagine future innovations may be? And would you fancy a trip on the Genesis class ships?