Now that we're all up to date on Galveston sailings for 2013, let's take a look at Florida. I'll be perfectly honest. I won't hit all of them there are just too many. I might not even hit all of the ports that cruise ships sail from in Florida. I'm just going to give you the biggest ones. Today let's just start with a couple of cruise lines out of Fort Lauderdale and see where we go from there. If you want information on anything that I don't tell you about you all know where you can find me.
Florida is the Mac Daddy of the cruising industry. Whatever you are looking for you can find there. Want a 3 day cruise? Florida's got it. Looking for a world tour that takes 100 days? Head to Fort Lauderdale and hop on the Pacific Princess which sets sail January 14, 2014. The good news is, you still have 14 months to save money and lose weight before that one leaves. Here's some really exciting news..... If you book before March 31, 2013 I can get you $1,000 shipboard credit per cabin. That's because I'm the travel agent who gives. I don't know about anybody else, but I could go through $1,000 shipboard credit in the first two weeks of that cruise. I have heard that there are even some 1 day cruises from Florida although I don't really see the point. If it only lasts one day, I would call it a boat ride and not a cruise. It usually takes me the entire first day of a cruise just to find my way to my cabin!
This Saturday alone there will be 11 cruise ships in Port Everglades which is the cruise ship terminal in Fort Lauderdale. They will all leave before the end of the day Saturday. Sunday 10 more will arrive to off load passengers, load back up and leave before the end of the day. In two days Port Everglades will sail 21 ships out. I know what you're thinking.... wait for it.... that's a boat load of people. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) It is actually 21 boat loads of people. None of those ships sales out with a lot of empty cabins. The people working the terminals at Port Everglades know what they are doing. They are the best at off loading and re-loading a ship. You don't feel as much like cattle going through their operation as you do in Galveston. With that said, it still involves lines and security checks and waiting. So be prepared.
RCI's Allure and Oasis of the Seas sail out of Fort Lauderdale. These are the two largest ships in the industry. All of the cruise lines are launching new ships to compete with these two monsters but no one has built anything that is even close in amenities or passenger capacity. Allure is the newest ship in the fleet. Guest capacity is 5,400 assuming double occupancy. More than 2,800 crew members are on board to serve those guests. I have lived in towns with a smaller population than this ship transports each week. On board you will find things like a full service spa and fitness center (you know for the sick-o's who want to take care of their bodies during their vacation). There are 4 pools and 10 whirlpools two of which are cantilevered looking over the ocean. There are more than 25 dining options including the main dining room and 13 other complimentary options.
During each cruise there is a Broadway show performance. The casino is more than 16,000 square feet containing 456 slots and 27 gaming tables. There is an area of the ship called Central Park that has grass and trees and bistros and is literally a park within the ship. You can zipline down the ship suspended 9 decks in the air on the only zipline at sea. The ship has two Flowriders which are surfing simulators. For my sister-in-law there is even a Coach store on board. There is something for everyone.
I haven't personally been on a Oasis class ship myself. The largest ship I have been on was a Freedom class ship which is the class just smaller than these. It only carries 3,634 passengers and has only one Flowrider and no ziplines, (I know, what a let down, right?) but I can tell you that even with more than 5,000 people on board when you include the crew, I never felt like there were a lot of people around. I sort of expected it to be like a mall at Christmas time and it was nothing like that. When they built these ships, they really spread things out so that all of the people would never need to be concentrated in any area at one time.
Princess will launch a new ship next June, the Royal Princess which will spend half of the year in Fort Lauderdale. It will arrive in Fort Lauderdale in October of 2013 and stay through the end of April. Royal Princess will be making 7 day runs in the Eastern Caribbean with stops in Princess Cays (a Princess exclusive stop), St. Maarten and St. Thomas. The ship has things like a glass bottom walkway that takes you out over the water. They have no Flowriders or ziplines because that is not who their customer is. They are a more conservative cruise line, aimed at a slightly more sophisticated crowd. The ship carries 3,600 passengers and every single outside stateroom has a balcony. It will certainly be all about luxury.
If you wish to sail on Princess out of Fort Lauderdale before next October, you can do so on the Emerald Princess which carries 3,080 passengers and boasts nearly 900 balconies. It offers an entire deck of mini-suites. The thing that I really like about Princess out of Fort Lauderdale is that they do go to their exclusive Princess destination, Princess Cay. I don't usually get that excited about the exclusive stops that ships make but Princess offers something that other lines don't at their exclusive stop. They do these shore excursions where you pay by the group so for up to 6 people you can pay one $199 fee and have a private bungalow while you are at Princess Cay that includes a/c, ceiling fan, table and 4 chairs, 2 sun loungers, and a private shower all in a palm grove just behind the beach. You know, a nice place to go to keep the "riff-raff" out. For $249 total, they will throw in a "gourmet picnic lunch" which includes Antipasti, Lobster & Mango Salad, Artisan Cheese board with tropical fruit and fig bread, Island BBQ and a selection of pastries. So when you get too hot, sweaty and gross out on the beach, you have a nice place to go get out of the sun.
On the exclusive island stops that each cruise line has, there is always food. It is just like eating at the buffet on board the ship except with sand. The buffet is free, but the bungalow thing means no standing in line and you get to eat in air conditioning instead of just under a canopy on the beach with 3,000 other people.
Well, after only covering a few ships from a few cruise lines with you today, I can see that we might not get to start talking about Caribbean resorts next week. We might spend the entire week just covering cruising options out of Florida. But hey.... we're on island time, so don't worry "mon" we'll get there.... maybe manana. Have a great weekend and we will talk some more late Monday afternoon.
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