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All the Action on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas

3/23/2015

This Royal Caribbean rendering of Harmony of the Seas displays three multistory waterslides on the megaship.

By John Roberts

Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's third Oasis-class ship will be the biggest cruise vessel the world has seen when it hits the waters to sail in April 2016.

Bigger is not better. But the massive cruise ship features an incredible amount of space devoted to active fun. Sure, there is a time for sitting around and doing nothing on vacation, but you do that after tiring yourself out with a little adventure.

Harmony of the Seas looks like it will offer you a few ways to get a rush. The ship will have a three multistory waterslides. Wheeeeeee!

Harmony of the Seas also will offer an 82-foot-long zipline, two FlowRider surfing simulators, two rock-climbing walls, four pools, an ice-skating rink, full-court basketball, large fitness center and a jogging track that makes a full circuit of the giant ship.

"We are orchestrating a medley of new exciting concepts with the best Royal Caribbean innovations to strike the perfect chord for adventurous vacationers," said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International.

Ha! Very clever. I get it. Because the ship is called Harmony of the Seas. How cute.

Witty quotes aside from the line's top exec. The ship looks as if it might really be a step forward again for Royal, which long has been a leader in providing creative onboard activities that can challenge the most active traveler.

Now, we just have to find a way to fend off those 5,000-plus other passengers onboard who might want to share these rides and activities with you. Ugh!

See you on the seas,

JR

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New AmaWaterways Trips a Cure for You Lazy River Cruisers

3/20/2015

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Photo courtesy of Backroads

By John Roberts

River cruises are for lazy people.

People who just want to sit and watch the world roll by outside their window as they flow along the great interior waterways in Europe.

OK, that's a bit harsh and points to a stereotype that I have been happy to prove incorrect in the past two years since I have joined the growing legions of river cruise lovers. (Check out my first Viking River Cruises adventure.)

You know by now that I take my fitness seriously. Indeed, it has taken creative measures at times to satisfy my desire for an active adventure while I'm on a river voyage.

It is true that river-cruise demographics skew toward older cruisers more likely to be seeking something relaxing in their travels.

But a collaboration between river line AmaWaterways and Backroads, an active travel company, will please active travelers of all ages who seek fun and challenging new ways to explore destinations along rivers throughout Europe and Asia.

The travel adventures program from Backroads that includes biking and hiking journeys starts with itineraries on AmaWaterways' Danube River sailings in spring 2015. They are pricey, though. The eight-day, seven-night cruises start at $5,400 per person. Backroads has designed bike tours that take you through Wachau Valley vineyards, farmland in Bratislava, around bike-friendly Vienna and along the Austrian countryside. The company provides expert guides, titanium bikes and routes to suit cyclists of various abilities.

The range of tours expands in 2016, when Backroads and AmaWaterways will feature adventures along the Rhine, Rhone, Seine, Douro, Garonne and Mekong rivers.

See, you don't have to be lazy on a river cruise.

You definitely need some disposable cash for these trips, but you don't have to be lazy.

Travel happy!

JR

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Beware the Hidden Costs of Your Cruise

3/5/2015

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By John Roberts

Cruise lines are coming hard after first-time cruisers. They want your business to help fill all their shiny new ships.

Without attracting a younger class of travelers, business will die off for cruise lines. Really, I mean die off. The older generation of loyal cruise fanatics can't live forever, so the ships need fresh, young cruisers onboard.

You might have noticed in recent years all the new ships being built (or renovated) to include all sorts of bells and whistles aiming to attract new cruisers. I like the variety of activities. You can certainly choose to be more active on ships that have waterparks, water slides, ice skating rinks, bumper cars, surf simulators, sky diving, ropes courses, ziplines, etc. The lines also are offering more specialty dining and unique culinary experiences onboard.

This is all good. And the prices often seem right. You often can find cruise deals in which the base price per person is less than $100 a night. Cruising in general offers a fantastic value when compared with land-based travel.

But you better be wary of the overall price. You might shop for, find and pay a low list price to get onto the ship. Additional items can quickly add to your bill if you are not careful. It's your vacation, and you certainly might be willing to pay for many of these added items, but In The Loop doesn't want you to be caught off guard and disappointed in your trip. That is no way to travel happy!

Watch out for these hidden costs (they really sneak up on you because you don't fork over cash each time; you swipe a plastic cabin key card and a charge is added to your account):

Gratuities. Did you know that an automatic gratuity charge is added to your account at a rate ranging from $12 to $14 per person per day (depending on the cruise line)? This money goes to crewmembers like wait staff at the dining rooms and your cabin stewards (the people who clean your room and take care of any needs you have). Crew typically work hard and deserve these tips, but you should know they are included so you don't double tip (unless you want to; we know what a great guy you are). Tips also are added automatically (usually 15 percent) to bar purchases. Again, you can add more if you like, and sometimes a little extra tipping early in your cruise to a favorite bartender gets you some extra strong pours or even a few free drinks during your sailing. Check out these tips and tricks for cruisers, which include getting chummy with your bar staff.

Beverages. Unless you can live with the drinks included in your base fare, you are going to have to pay up. Lines generally include water (non-bottled), ice tea, lemonade, coffee and orange juice in your fare. You have to pay for your beer, wine, booze, fresh-squeezed orange juice, premium coffees, sodas and bottled waters. You can buy drinks packages to help quench your particular thirst. Soda-only packages run from $5 to $7 a day; other drinks packages can range from basic to premium (meaning you can order top-shelf brand cocktails) and include booze, beer, juices and bottled waters in some combination depending on the package. These cost anywhere from $20 to $60 per person per day depending on the cruise line and how exhaustive you want your drink options to be. Don't forget the gratuity (around 15 percent) added to the drinks package price, too.

Spa/sauna. Of course spa treatments like massages, hair or skin treatments, nails, teeth, waxing, seaweed wraps, etc. will come with a price. But you also typically have to pay up to use the sauna area on a ship. Lines charge about $40 to $50 for a day pass for cruisers to use thalassotherapy pools, hot tubs, steam rooms, ceramic heating chairs and whatever else they may offer in their sauna areas. These can be very relaxing and pleasant experiences, but they are not free.

Restaurants. Perhaps the biggest change with the new ships and refurbished ships is the proliferation of alternative or for-fee dining options. You still can eat at the included main dining rooms or buffet for no added costs, but some ships now offer 10 or more locations onboard where you will have to pay extra for a meal. While some of these dining experiences are truly extraordinary, you have to be willing to shell out $15 to $50 per person to grab a seat at the table. Lines also are adding premium pizza and dessert options for which you pay an additional $5 or more.

Personal training/fitness classes. New ships offer broad spaces chock full of modern equipment for you to use to get your workout and earn those extra calories consumed during your voyage. But fitness classes like spinning, TRX, yoga, pilates and boot camps and personal training sessions cost more. You'll pay about $10 for a fitness class and more than $50 for a personal training session. Package deals are available to buy a batch of sessions, too.

Excursions. Don't forget your destinations! Once your ship gets into a beautiful, exotic port, you are going to want to go explore. Whether you book your own excursion with a tour company independently or use the cruise line's shore excursion services, you are looking at $50 per person or much more depending on your activity (and tipping your guides, too). A basic island open-air coach tour might be relatively cheap, while a full-day power-boat ride and snorkeling tour with beach time, shopping, booze and lunch included would be a lot more.

Miscellaneous. No, I'm not done yet. Cruise lines give you several more chances to part with your precious cash. You'll notice ship photographers darting around, urging you to stand in front of a prop and smile. These pics can be charming mementos of your trip, but they are very expensive. Can't survive without Internet service during your vacation? That's another extremely pricey service. Need to do laundry? Rent a tuxedo? Pick up incidentals in the onboard shops? Cha-ching! Cha-ching! and Cha-ching!

Note: Some cruise lines offer an all-inclusive experience. Those are mainly high-end luxury sailings. This discussion here is all about the typical major mass-market cruises you can find. You already knew that, though. You know how I know that you knew this? Because anyone who can afford one of those all-inclusive lines wouldn't be drawn to this article title. So, for the rest of us who scrape by to get in as much travel as we can, we'll keep an eye on every last dollar, thank you very much.

Thanks for reading,

JR

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All the Action on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas

New AmaWaterways Trips a Cure for You Lazy River Cruisers

Beware the Hidden Costs of Your Cruise

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