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 →]

A compilation provided by our employees and “Current” readers

“For my birthday last year my mom sent me bark.  Not really sure why.  She said it made her think of me.  I don’t remember if it was special bark in some way ( I know it wasn’t petrified), but I do remember that it was, in fact, bark.”
- Danielle T., Senior Operations Coordinator

“For my wedding last summer, someone gave me a Santa Claus christmas tree topper.  It’s huge, it has white fluff all over it, and is currently in a closet next to my water heater. ”
- Mike H., Sales Manager

Do you have something worse?

By Warren Turner, Senior Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Royal Caribbean graciously offered myself and two of my colleagues three staterooms for their Seminar-at-Sea aboard Navigator of the Seas last month. Tina Colicchio, Clay Hawley and myself, headed out and I had a wonderful time on this sailing from Barcelona to Rome. The cruise featured the perfect mix of Spain (3 ports), France (2 ports) and Italy (2 ports).  After flying in early to Barcelona we were able to drop our luggage off on the ship and spend some time in the city. Barcelona highlights include her 1992 Olympic stadium, Picasso & Dali Museums, and Gaudi architecture that graces the city. We did some shopping in the Las Ramblas area downtown and were of course amused by the street mimes. There’s also a Joan Miro circular tile mosaic that is an absolute must-see. Sailing on to Spain we visited Valencia including a bus tour through the castle and palm-lined Explanada de España. Our final Spanish port was Palma De Mallorca. We did a great wine tour that offered intoxicating samples of their reds & whites as well as olive oil. We learned how actor & Palma resident Michael Douglas created his foundation to promoting and preserving the wild beauty of Mallorca’s Moorish North Coast.

On to France and Marseilles including a train tour up to breathtaking coastal views from the Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. Then in Villefranche we did a “Scenic French Riviera” excursion that encompassed Monaco & Monte Carlo (the legend says its still haunted by Princess Grace) as well as Nice and Cannes. If one feels lucky (or like James Bond) they could gamble in the fabled Monte Carlo casino.

Italy was perhaps most memorable of all. From the port of Livorno we caught the train to Florence and strolled through cathedrals and even saw Michelangelo’s David Galleria dell’Accademia. We spent an extra night in Rome and learned all we could from our delightful tour guide named Fabrizio. He and his staff offer not only transfers from the Civitavecchia port to the airport or center of Rome, but also in-depth tours. The highlights for me were the Colosseum and Pantheon.  My coworkers enjoyed St. Paul’s & St. Peter’s Cathedrals so much they talked about them all night. We missed out on the Sistine Chapel (closed on Sundays, so keep this in mind for future Rome scheduling!).  All of this makes me think of my childhood, where Virginia’s colonial history was extolled to me daily….  I’ll tell you what, Virginia’s history pales in comparison to Rome with her edifices standing for millennia.

We lucked out with clear skies, sunny but not too hot temps throughout. Our entertaining Navigator of the Seas waiter Bogdan was the best I’ve encountered at sea in ten cruises. The business aspect of the seminar included workshops during the two port days where we got the scoop on Royal Caribbean’s itinerary and fleet plans including the amazing new Oasis of the Seas debuting in November.

Yup, it’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it.

Warren Turner
Senior Cruise Consultant
The Cruise Web, Inc.
1-800-377-9383 ext. 291
warrent@cruiseweb.com

By Jarren Matthews, Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

This year’s Mariner of the Seas Pacific Northwest Cruise was thus far the best coastal cruise I’ve ever taken.  Although the itinerary was altered from the original, this turned out to be one of the most fantastic voyages ever!  The sights in San Francisco, Seattle, and Victoria B.C. were great.  Passing under the Golden Gate Bridge and past Alcatraz, while looking past the city was a picturesque moment and one I’m sure to remember forever.  Seeing Seattle’s Space Needle and Pike Market really brought the Pacific Northwest home for me.  Moreover, traveling on the Mariner for my second time, in less than three months may tell you a little something about how much I really love this ship.  The activities, crew and overall service you get is simply world-class.  This ship has such an accommodating staff and crew, and such fantastic entertainment; it immediately became my favorite of all time.  From the promenade parade and themed nights, to the productions in the Savory Theater, everything was fantastic.  On one particularly amazing night, we saw the Under the Big Top Ice Skating Show.  Yes that’s right, actual ice-skating on a cruise ship!   From the Cruise Director to the service staff, from the cabin steward to the comedians, everything was done with true 5 star service!  After an experience like this, I would say sailing on the Mariner is a must for any serious cruiser!

Jarren Matthews
Cruise Consultant
The Cruise Web, Inc.
1-800-377-9383 ext. 349     
Jarrenm@cruiseweb.com

By Chris Roth, Senior Manager of Sales and Client Services, The Cruise Web.

Earlier this month, The Cruise Web took advantage of a beautiful Friday and threw a potluck BBQ!  Master BBQ Chef/Sales Manager Michael Harris manned the grill and served up the hamburgers, veggie burgers and hot dogs.

The rest of the menu was a combination of the best The Cruise Web could offer.  Alison’s pasta salad was a big hit, thanks to a secret ingredient that has been handed down from generation to generation.  Raquel’s cream cheese squares were so good, she had to distribute the recipe that afternoon due to such high demand.

Because everyone enjoyed the chance to get out of the office and eat lunch together on a beautiful summer afternoon, The Cruise Web is already planning on another Friday BBQ sometime in August to close out the summer season.

 
Chris Roth
Senior Manager of Sales and Client Services
The Cruise Web, Inc.
 1-800-377-9383  ext. 282