There's Nothing to Do (nothing at all) Part II

I forgot about miniature golf.  If all else fails you can scare up a rousing game of miniature golf.   Par 3 course.  Pictured is the additional putting green.

Sculptures of Beaded Dresses seen from aft elevators

Glass Birds in Central Park

Not feeling like Arnold Palmer?  So take a few lessons in the casino, do a little karaoke, or just a sing along with others.  Participate in a trivia contest, or have a slice of Sorrento's pizza and a cup of coffee from Starbucks while you people watch on the Promenade.  Buy yourself a little real or faux jewelry, grab that new Coach purse or wallet you've had your eye on, and then relax in a bar that travels up and down three stories while you drink.  (No matter how much you drink, you are not imagining that the bar is rising and falling.  It really is.) 

Get the kids together and do a little hula hooping, bean bag tossing, coloring and playground climbing on the Boardwalk.(After you ride the carousel.)  You might also stop for an airbrushed tattoo and then build a stuffed animal to call your very own. 

Britto Sculpture by Pool

Don't forget to ooh and aah at all the sculptures and other art work around the ship.  And we haven't even gotten to the wine tastings and the magicians.

I also forgot to mention that this village-in-a-ship stops with surprising frequency at various Caribbean Islands.  (Who woulda thunk it?) So if you're that bored you can always get off the ship for a few hours.   Maybe you can find a museum, rum factory or old sugar plantation to tour.  A dolphin or two to swim with. A horse to ride through the surf, or a submarine to ride underneath it.  Perhaps some windsurfing, snorkeling, hiking, para sailing, or whatever it is you do on gorgeous tropical islands.  If you can't think of anything, give me a call.

Nope, nothing to do, nothing at all.

And the Fun Just Keeps On Going

 There's Nothing to Do on Allure of the Seas  
(nope, nothing at all)

This is for every potential passenger who has ever told me they don't like cruising because it's "boring".  Here's what I've done in two days:

• zip lined across the ship
• watched a parade
• had one of the best meals ever (and a couple of other meals as well)
• shopped
• was mesmerized by an ice skating show
• saw a 3D first-release movie
• learned to surf
• had a "chair massage"
• strolled through Central Park
• watched a superb theater production "Blue Planet"
• took in a live comedy act
• made a donation in the casino
• explored the sauna
• tried to climb the rock wall
• perused the library
• did a little Wii bowling
• danced some 70's era disco
• enjoyed one helluva parade
• oohed and aahed over a diving exhibition
• saw a fountain show (fountains synchronized to music, light and video
• listened to a little live Calypso music
• walked miles and miles - top to bottom and end to end of one BIG ship
• took a salsa lesson
• attended a lecture by noted artist Peter Max
• shot some hoops
• watched a second ice skating show
• took a yoga class
• got a Coney Island hot dog
• rode a merry-go-round
• had some ice cream

I think I slept a couple of hours and toured a few cabins as well.  Now if there's not something there to amuse just about everyone (did I mention the kids zone, water park and teen disco, not to mention video games and in room movies?) - well you just need to build your own amusement park. 

How could you not have fun on this ship?  They have fairy princesses, dragons and knights in shining armor. Not to mention penguins, pandas, lions, and animals I haven't watched enough cartoon movies to name.

They have manicures, pedicures, saunas, teeth whitening and acupuncture (I'm thinking of having all my medical and dental work done on cruise ships in the future).You can select from 106 flavors of Coca-Cola products from one vending machine or choose either chocolate or vanilla ice cream from another.  Zoltar the Magnificent can tell your fortune. 

So if you can't think of anything thing to do, you're all wet, and I'll meet you at the water park to prove it.

 

Till then ...cowabunga dude, I'm going to learn to hang ten.  Have fun or go home!

All Out Amazing, Allure of the Seas!!

 Now THIS is a Ship!!

Twin Smokestacks of the Allure of the Seas

Although its sister ship, the Oasis of the Seas, has been in service for over a year now, I don’t think any journalist has yet to adequately describe the brilliance of the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.  It’s preposterous to think that I could, not having ever published anything more than a newsletter, but somewhere, somehow, somebody should try (harder). Maybe it’s like so many other major destinations (Leaning Tower of Pisa, Niagara Falls, Great Wall of China – know what I’m talking about?); despite seeing lots of pictures, going to seminars, reading lots and lots of articles – you just haven’t seen it until you’ve seen it with all your senses.  I could not have imagined these ships.  They are immense in size, spectacular in organization and masterful in ingenuity.  All day I’ve been trying to figure out what I could say about the Allure of the Seas, and perhaps at the core of it I have to say that I was wrong.  Huh? Who me?

When Royal Caribbean first announced these ships, I was dead set against them.  The concept horrified me.  Too big, too ostentatious, severely overtaxing to the islands they visit … you get the picture.  About three years ago Royal Caribbean held a naming contest for the first ship in this class (which became “Oasis”); at the time my submissions ran towards “Monstrosity of the Seas”, “Behemoth of the Seas” or possibly even “Disaster of the Seas”.  None of these submissions won, as you can see. 

Other Ships at Port Everglades Suffer Big Ship Envy

This ship should have it’s own spot on the map.  It is Coney Island at Sea, with a little Las Vegas and Orlando mixed in.  But that’s too simple a recipe - add a dash of Asia, a little Latin America and a good cup of Caribbean too.   It’s a wonderland of sights, activities, foods and entertainment.  I don’t think you can do it all in a week, but you’ll get a lot of exercise trying.  Let's talk size (again): one circuit of the running track is about ½ a mile.  Lay out all 17 decks side by side and that's got to put it somewhere around 4 square miles (I think - feel free to correct my math), not all decks being equal.  Whatever. In short, I think this ship may be larger than the island on which I live ... or maybe it just seems like it ... but make no mistake about it, this is one BIG ship.

Wine-by-the-Glass Vending Machine

And with more to do.  My town doesn’t have a 1,380-seat  theater, jazz club, ice skating rink, comedy club, rock climbing wall, zip line, cupcake shop, or casino.  I don’t think my grocery store carries 106 flavors of Coca-Cola products (there is a 106 flavor Coca-Cola dispenser on board) and I know they don’t have wine-by-the-glass vending machines. They do have a carousel, but so does the ship.  Let’s see, what else: a daily paper, chapel, library, conference center, television studio, surfing, water park, miniature golf course, art gallery, spa, fitness center, acupuncturist, medical spa (Botox, Restylane, Perlane) and teeth whitening. 

Did I mention Dreamworks Studios and Shrek?

Mercedes Benz on the Promenade

Posing With the Passenger

The first thing to catch my eye was the classic Mercedes Benz parked on the “Boardwalk” and carrying two teddy bear passengers – they hooked me right there.  Actually, the first thing that hooked me, now that I think about it, is that embarkation took less than 10 minutes – and eight of them were due to having my bag searched - I forgot to remove my nail scissors. 

Bottom line for tonight … new wonders around every corner, an adrenaline jolt just watching the ship pull out of port, passengers who know more about cruising than I think I’ll ever know.  But hey, this sailing is 90% travel agents and 10% media and cruise industry, so that may not be remarkable.  Nonetheless, I’m impressed.  Okay, the cabin is small; in fact I’m glad I’ve lost a few pounds, because every pound counts in these cabins.  I’m glad I’m traveling with a skinny friend.  But I don’t intend to spend much time in this cabin.  I’ve got a lot of ground to cover in the next 24 hours!!!