Category — Family Cruising

By Jennifer Crivelli, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Two of my favorite places to shop when I cruise are the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera. In addition to the warm sun and sandy beaches, I love the great shopping opportunities that are in each destination. So, what is there to buy in the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera? It all depends on where your cruise takes you.

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
These two Eastern Caribbean destinations are a Mecca for jewelry shopping. Whether you are looking for diamonds, precious gem stones, or watches – there is a wide variety of stores in each of these ports-of-call that will vie for your business.  Also, check out the following jewelry stores for unique items, found only in the Caribbean: St. Thomas – Bernard K. Passman, home to hand carved black coral jewelry; and in St. Maarten – Majesty Jewelers, home to the Kabana Collection, gorgeously inset mother of pearl. [Read more →]

Collected from the experiences of The Cruise Web employees.

There is something exciting about shopping while traveling. It is the physical act of being able to take a piece of the places you have visited with you.  This, of course, is a popular activity while cruising because your purchases turn into a physical map of the many ports and countries that you have visited along the way. 

Below is a great variety of ports, shops, cities, countries and vendors our cruise consultants have discovered to help you the next time you “make” your map.

Linda I., Senior Cruise Consultant
Silver Exposure, Cabo San Lucas.  There is a very unique silver jewelry here and it is designed by locals.  VERY reasonable prices and if you pay cash it’s an additional 10% off.  I definitely helped her out.

John T., Senior Cruise Consultant
Whenever we go to the Caribbean, in any port you can find bottles of Vanilla.  Eastern, Western, Southern… they all have it and it is very good.  The bottles are usually decorated with a Caribbean theme specific to the country in which it was bought.  My wife has them displayed on our counter top.  She uses them for various recipes and they come out GREAT!!!

 Carol T., Cruise Consultant
My shopping treasures are rarely found in a store or shop.  I like picking up small paintings, sketches, and various other forms of artwork directly from artisans I encounter in nearly every port on every cruise itinerary.

Look for these folks in easily accessible public spaces or on sidewalks near prominent attractions.  Outside of the [Read more →]

By Brigid Hastings, Senior Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Never in a million years would I ever think of spending the December holidays any place other than at home…..  until last December when my family spent Christmas on the Ruby Princess.

When I first made the reservations I had second thoughts.  I wondered how other family members would react without us there, at home.  Would my two teenagers miss spending Christmas morning  in their Bethesda, MD home?  Would it really “feel” like Christmas being so far away from home? [Read more →]

By Sherry Jefferson, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

In 2006 I earned a free cruise by successfully graduating from Cunard’s Commodore travel agent program. Not having sailed Cunard before I was eager to receive a complimentary cruise and set sail aboard “The Most Famous Ocean Liners in the world.”

When the announcement came out about the complimentary cruises, I jumped at the first sailing I could find, which turned out to be a Caribbean sailing aboard the Queen Mary 2. The sail date was Nov 21, 2008 and it was only then that I realized I would be away over Thanksgiving.  Hmm, what to do now?  I always spend Thanksgiving with my family, either at my home or in New Jersey with my sister. It happens to be one of my favorite holidays with all of the special dishes that we have. There must be at least 10 or 12 sides, all very “low cal” of course, to say nothing about the hors d’oeuvres that we start out with in the afternoon.

[Read more →]

By Rashell O’Neal, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Are you an active person? Are you fanatic about adventure? As most people know, when you cruise you can visit multiple destinations, countries, continents and cultures. But for the adventurous, or merely intrigued, you can also participate in many of the sports and physical activities that each destination offers. Below is a brief snapshot of some of the activities you can try when you are cruising. Hopefully this will motivate you to try something new… [Read more →]

By Jacqueline Baine, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Who knew? Who knew you could do so much on a floating city? Tennis… Basketball… Surfing… What!? All these sports on a ship! You’ve got to be kidding right… No joke!… You can do all of that and much, much more…

Imagine hanging ten, without being washed out to sea. On your next cruise vacation bring the bikini or Speedo and let’s get it on. This will be your opportunity to ride the big wave, have a fabulous video showcasing you riding the waves, and an absolutely incredible story to share with family, friends and co-workers who were not able to make this cruise, but will definitely go on the next one with you. [Read more →]

By Jennifer Crivelli, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

READY, GET SET, GO!  The race is on to see which cruise line can launch the biggest ship with the most attractions at sea.  It all began with White Star Line in 1912, who at the time decided to build the “Grandest” passenger ship at sea.  Ship building has come a long way in 97 years….
 
In the modern era of “BIG” ships, Royal Caribbean has led the way.  Each ship designed is bigger and better than the last, and traditionally, the largest ship in the industry.  Royal Caribbean was the first to offer rock-climbing walls on all of their ships.  In early 2005, Royal Caribbean took the “BIG” ship idea to the extreme, when they stretched the Enchantment of the Seas, adding a 70 foot section into the middle of the vessel. [Read more →]

By Clay Hawley, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Hawaii! Just saying the name invokes memories of family, fun and adventure! For me, a Southern California native, Hawaii was a “local” destination. From the sparkling black sand beaches and tropical rain-forests to native cuisine, metropolitan shopping to the friendly, warm culture — Hawaii has it all! [Read more →]

By Raquel Grinnell, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web

Planning a family vacation is no easy task.  As a busy wife and mother with two active sons and a full-time job, take my word for it. It takes a lot of time and effort to plan a trip, not to mention trying to please everyone…. husband, teenagers, parents, in-laws, siblings, young nieces and nephews. 

[Read more →]

By Frans Hansen, President, The Cruise Web.

“Best Vacation Ever”, was ringing in my ears.  My two beautiful and amazing six and eight years old boys (yes, I am admittedly biased) were singing the infamous SpongeBob SquarePants tune, from the Nickelodeon cartoon, at the top of their lungs, taking some artistic license with the words. While this song has never made my top downloads, it was glorious music to my ears.

Months earlier, I had a dilemma on my hand. I had promised to take three generations of my family on an Alaska vacation, and I wanted it to be an outstanding experience for every single person.  Leaning towards first satisfying my mother, the most discriminating in our group (don’t worry, Mom, I still love you), I secured space on the luxurious and comfortable all-suite, all-balcony, Regent Seven Seas Mariner, for a 7-day cruise from Seward to Vancouver.  [Read more →]