In The Loop Travel
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • The Americas
    • Caribbean
    • Mexico
    • Europe
    • Asia/Pacific
    • Africa
  • Fitness
  • Cruising
  • Travel Tips
  • Videos
  • Work With Us
  • My Work
  • About
  • Colorado Craft Brewery Guide
  • Media Kit
  • TBIN Influencer Network

Cruise Ship Carnival Freedom to Get Upgrades

3/31/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Carnival Freedom is due to get Funship 2.0 upgrades, including the first Dr. Seuss Bookville family reading space.
By John Roberts

Lots of news this past week in the cruise world. So, let's dive in . . .

Carnival Cruise Lines announced that Carnival Freedom will get an overhaul and receive Funship 2.0 enhancements when it's in drydock April 19 to May 3 in Freeport, Bahamas. Freedom will get the line's first Bookville family reading area, part of the Seuss at Sea program launched last year on Carnival ships. 

The Dr. Seuss Bookville venue on Freedom will be a dedicated Seuss-themed play space. Other Seuss at Sea activities include the Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast with the Cat in the Hat and Friends, an interactive reading event called Seuss-a-palooza Story Time, and the Seuss-a-palooza Character Parade along the ship's promenade. Bookville and other Seuss at Sea activities are scheduled to be available by the departure on May 24, Carnival said.

Freedom also is due to get the other Funship 2.0 upgrades that other recent drydocked ships have received: Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, EA Sports Bar and Red Frog Pub, to name a few.

PictureCelebrity Cruises and Bravo have announced 13 chefs who will join cruisers at sea.
Celebrity Cruises and cable TV network Bravo have revealed 13 former contestants of the reality series "Top Chef" who will be taking part in four "Top Chef at Sea" sailings. Passengers can join chefs on the following cruises: 

  • A seven-night Bermuda trip on Celebrity Summit, departing July 27 from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, N.J., with chefs Spike Mendelsohn (Top Chef Chicago and Top Chef All-Stars contestant; co-owner and chef at Bearnaise, We, The Pizza and Good Stuff Eatery in Washington, D.C. ); Ash Fulk (Top Chef Las Vegas contestant; chef de cuisine at Hill Country Barbecue Market in Brooklyn); and Angelo Sosa (Top Chef D.C. and Top Chef All-Stars contestant; chef and owner of Anejo in NYC and Poppy Den in Las Vegas)   

  • A seven-night Alaska itinerary on Celebrity Solstice, leaving Aug. 15 from Seattle, with chefs Paul Qui (Top Chef Texas winner; chef and owner of Qui and East Side King in Austin, Texas); Tiffani Faison (Top Chef Season 1 runner-up and Top Chef All-Stars contestant; chef and owner of Sweet Cheeks Q in Boston); Brooke Williamson (Top Chef Seattle runner-up; co-executive chef and co-owner of Hudson House, The Tripel and Playa Provisions in California); and Nina Compton (Top Chef New Orleans runner-up and Fan Favorite winner; chef de cuisine for Scarpetta Miami at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel)

  • A 12-night France and Iberian Discovery cruise on Celebrity Infinity, embarking Sept. 19 from Harwich, England, with chefs Chris Crary (Top Chef Texas contestant and Fan Favorite winner); and Kristen Kish (Top Chef Seattle winner) [one more chef TBA] 

  • A seven-night Caribbean sailing on Celebrity Reflection, departing Nov. 15 from Miami to San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten, with chefs Hosea Rosenberg (Top Chef Season 5 winner; owner of Blackbelly Market, Blackbelly Catering & Events and Blackbelly Farm); Casey Thompson (Top Chef Season 3 and Top Chef All-Stars contestant; chef of Aveline and The European in San Francisco); Tiffany Derry (Top Chef D.C. and Top Chef All-Stars contestant; owner of TD Concepts); Shirley Chung (Top Chef New Orleans contestant; chef and owner of Chung Lee Consulting)

Carnival Cruise Lines and the Frisco RoughRiders said they are teaming up. The Class AA minor league baseball affiliate of MLB's Texas Rangers and Carnival announced a multiyear promotional partnership, the cruise line's first with a pro baseball team.

When a RoughRiders player hits a home run, fans will hear a Carnival ship horn, and fireworks will go off. Carnival also said it will match monetary donations made by fans during the Texas League tradition of "Passing the Boot" for the RoughRiders Foundation after each RoughRiders home run. During the "Carnival Crush Inning," fans will be randomly selected to win a free cruise for two if a RoughRiders player hits a homer during that inning.

A Carnival Getaway Grill will feature unlimited ballpark favorites like hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, bratwursts, nachos, popcorn, peanuts and soda for one all-inclusive price. Additionally, Carnival will serve as host to this season's "Kids' Day," during which children from underprivileged families will be treated to a game.

Royal Caribbean Cruises has joined forces with other organizations in a new initiative to assist efforts to preserve the environment in Caribbean and Latin American destinations. Royal Caribbean will give money through its Ocean Fund to the Sustainable Destinations Alliance for the Americas to help support three of seven initial participating regions in the program. Royal Caribbean also announced its Destinations for Tomorrow tool kit, which allows destinations to go online to complete a sustainability self-assessment. The goal of the new alliance, which includes public and private entities as well as the U.S. Permanent Mission to the Organization of American States, is to expand the alliance to more than 30 destinations in the next few years.

Disney Cruise Line will set sail for new destinations in Northern Europe in 2015, the line said. In summer, Disney for the first time will send a ship, Disney Magic, to the Norwegian fjords, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Other Disney Magic stops revealed for summer 2015 include, England, Germany, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

Cruise Shipping Miami set new standards at its 30th annual event last month. The all-things-cruise business-to-business convention received nearly 12,000 registrants, a 10 percent jump from the 2013 show, and the most ever.

Subscribe today to get the latest reviews, tips and tricks to help you have your best adventure ever.

0 Comments

Observing the Hustle and Bustle of a Busy London Tube Station

3/26/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
By John Roberts

On a recent Thursday, I found myself relaxing and leaning on a column smack dab in the middle of the action at Waterloo train station, flipping through a London Evening Standard while awaiting Colleen's arrival, on her return trip on her National Rail from Southampton, England, after her day at work. I glanced up from my paper and noted the rush of humanity flowing through the concourses at the busy London public-transportation facility situated just away from the Thames River on its south side.

It struck me about how every life follows a unique path. A mix of preparation and heavy dose of fortune in my 47 years of life had placed me in a spot to catch a glimpse of people carrying on with their daily routines in a leading world city center. Hectic as it was, it was exciting to witness. That orchestra of human movement represents the grind of people carrying on in their bids to thrive, pursue their dreams -- and for some, simply to survive, I imagine. Observing these moments in life as a traveler always provokes such thoughts for me.

London, like New York, Mumbai, Buenos Aires, Beijing or other big cities is truly a melting pot and serves as a "land of opportunity." The city is filled with immigrants from all over the planet. I heard more languages than I can remember as I made my way around on foot, by train, subway and cabs. It was all very enjoyable.

During my week in London, I wore out a pair of shoes sightseeing, snapping pics of famous statues, landmarks, structures and buildings. But the buzz of the streets during the days and in the pubs and restaurants during the nights might have left the most lasting impression with me about how diverse London is. We ate in several restaurants in our home base of Soho during the week. The service could be sketchy and the menus almost unreadable because English was not the first language for many proprietors, but the eateries, stacked side by side for streets on end, were invariably busy. It seems that you simply have to come to London, open your doors with decent food offerings and the business flows. 

Colleen was busy all week with work and a cruise show, but we had a few evenings together to check out a couple wonderful theater productions: "Blithe Spirit," starring Angela Lansbury, at the Gielgud Theatre, and "Once," a Dublin-set musical based on a hit 2006 movie, at the Phoenix Theatre.

We had been to London last year for a too-quick trip that limited our ability to explore the city. This time, we really got a great feel, while still just scratching the surface.

Check out our slide show below to see what we were up to. Meanwhile, we're happy to get back to the States after a hectic two weeks of travel. But I'm sure we'll be just as eager to head off on another adventure before too long.

Cheers and happy travels.

JR

Subscribe today to get the latest reviews, tips and tricks to help you have your best adventure ever.

0 Comments

Carnival Cruises Return to Norfolk with Carnival Splendor

3/24/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Carnival Splendor. Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line.
By John Roberts

Carnival Cruise Line said it will return to Norfolk in 2015, with the deployment of Carnival Splendor for two- to seven-day sailings from the Virginia port. The cruise line left the location in late 2013 when it said it was moving Carnival Glory to Miami and would not have a 2014 season at Norfolk's Half Moone Cruise terminal. Now, Carnival returns to the city with Splendor's cruises in May and October 2015. The 3,006-passenger ship will offer three five-day sailings and one six-day voyage to the Bahamas, one seven-day cruise to Bermuda and one two-day "cruise to nowhere."

Celebrity Cruises announced last week that all of its ships would offer a separate dining room available for passengers who book a suite class or higher cabin. The dining area would seat about 50 people and have its own entrance, menu and dedicated chef. Celebrity has revealed a batch of new amenities available as part of its suite experience -- butler service, expedited embarkation, included drinks package -- that will be rolled out to all ships in the fleet by April 2015.

MSC said last week it has signed a letter of intent with STX France to build to new gargantuan ships. MSC said it plans to build a pair of 1,033-foot long vessels with passenger capacity of 5,700 each (at maximum occupancy). The ships would be delivered in 2017 and 2019 and increase MSC's fleet to 14. Included in the features of the new vessels would be expanded MSC Yacht Clubs, the line's signature private club area.  

Viking River Cruises christened 16 new longships in a 24-hour time frame last week, breaking a record it set a year ago. (There is a Guinness record for anything, I suppose.) Vikings christened 16 identical 190-passenger ships, with the central ceremony taking place in Avignon, France. The Neptun Werft Shipyard in Rostock, Germany, builds all the Viking Longships, which sail on such rivers as the Rheine, Seine, Moselle and Danube.

Subscribe today to get the latest reviews, tips and tricks to help you have your best adventure ever.

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    July 2019
    May 2019
    May 2018
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    April 2013

    Categories

    All
    Airbnb
    Amadeus Cruises
    AmaWaterways
    American Cruise Lines
    American Queen Steamboat
    Amras Cruises
    Anthem Of The Seas
    Antigua
    Arnhem
    Australis
    Barbados
    Baseball Hall Of Fame
    Belize
    Bronx
    Cancun
    Carnival Corporation
    Carnival Cruise Line
    Carnival Cruise Lines
    Carnival Cruises
    Cartagena
    Celebrity Cruises
    Colombia
    Cooperstown
    Costa Concordia
    Costa Cruises
    Costa Rica
    Cozumel
    Craft Beer
    Croatia
    Cruise Shipping Miami
    Crystal Cruises
    Cunard
    Disney World
    Dominican Republic
    Dublin
    Dubrovnik
    Egypt
    Ellis Island
    England
    Ephesus
    Fathom Cruise
    Fitness
    Galveston
    Germany
    Global Entry Program
    Greece
    Haiti
    Harmony Of The Seas
    Holland America Line
    Honduras
    International Expeditions
    Ireland
    Key West
    Kusadasi
    London
    Lueftner Cruises
    Mexico
    MSC Cruises
    MSC Divina
    Navigator Of The Seas
    Netherlands
    New Jersey
    New-jersey
    New York
    Norfolk
    Norwegian Cruise Line
    Norwegian Epic
    Oceania Cruises
    Olympia
    Orlando
    Pennington
    Pennsylvania
    Princess Cruises
    Princeton
    Puerto Rico
    Quantum Of The Seas
    Regent-seven-seas
    Roatan
    Royal Caribbean
    San Juan
    Scenic Cruises
    Seabourn Cruise Line
    SeaDream Yacht Club
    Sirince
    Statue Of Liberty
    St. Lucia
    St. Maarten
    St. Martin
    St. Thomas
    Theme Cruises
    Tortola
    Travel Tips
    Tsa Precheck
    Turkey
    Un Cruise Adventures
    Viking Cruises
    Viking River Cruises
    Virgin Cruises
    Washington Crossing
    Windstar Cruises
    Yankee Stadium

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2013 | All rights reserved | Ewing, New Jersey.
Contact | About | Media Kit