Photos

By the way,  there are already a lot of photo's in the Picassa Photo Area.  I will be working on titleing these later but you can cruise through them for now and I will be adding to them.

My Virgin America Experience LAX to FLL for as low as $109 each way!

This is where I spent my day today.  A very pleasant experience in the air, I must say.

Everything moved fairly seamlessly including boarding and disembarking.   I enjoyed the lighting and the ambiance of the cabin.  It felt very contemporary and modern not like an economy motel like so many of the planes feel like these days.  The seats were comfy with noticeable extra leg room and it felt a little bit wider than my most recent flight on Continental.



I love the in the seat entertainment plus helpful and fun assistant built into the

seat-backs.  You could order from a selection of imaginative and healthy menu items, top shelf and trendy cocktails, headphones, ask your cabin steward for water or a coke, (free), even donate to a couple of charities if it strikes your fancy!  See the Google map on the left?  Hit the navigation menu and track your flight live!  There are games for the kids as well and if you are traveling with others in different seats you can IM them and chat from your seat with you buddy or a stranger a few rows up.  Could be fun if you are flying with a group!

The nice thing about being able to just click water on the touch screen is that you don't have to reach up over the person sitting next to you that you don't know or feel like climbing on top of to reach the dingy button that rings and annoys everyone and 45 min later the perturbed attendant asks you what the heck you want while they reach over the aisle person and now EVERY one is annoyed and your feel like a schmuck.. Geez, all you wanted was some water!  On Virgin you just discretely push the touch button while watching your movie and a cute, nice man happily appears with your water, fresh fruit with cheese, whatever you need!  Voila !!!

AND, they only block the aisle with a cart once during the entire non-stop flight.

Google is offering free Wi-Fi for the holidays and it is fun to connect while in the sky....There are plugs in the seats as well as the fancy remotes you see above.

So, my flight was excellent.  Jumped into a white town car with Natalie from JLT Tours in FT Lauderdale.  I am meeting her and trying her service out to see if she is someone I will recommend to you.  The plan is she is picking me up from the ship to take me to Miami on the end of the trip so I will fill you in later.  I will organize all recommendations with links and phone #'s etc later for you all.  So far, Natalie is great!  ***** stars!

Pre-cruise I am staying at the Embassy Suites, FLL across from the port so that I can see the beautiful Oasis of the Seas when I wake up from my room...

I will most likely be Tweeting as I go along tomorrow so even if you don't officially *TWEET*   you can easily follow me that way.  Just create an account with Twitter  and add me as your friend  or in twitter language *follow me*   @RealCruises      That's it.

See you from the Ship tomorrow!

From Adam Goldstein, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean's Blog

From Oasis’ Inaugural Events to Answering the Question, “How Do You Do This?”

Yes I am still alive. This blog is good for a lot of things including creating profound feelings of guilt for not keeping up with the entries in the midst of the maelstrom.
It is Tuesday, November 24th. A big day. All the days have been big and we have completed three successful inaugural events for media, distributors, suppliers, industry partners, financial analysts, bankers, architect/designers, etc. Rihanna, Good Morning America, USAToday, ABC World News Tonight, Entertainment Tonight and so on. But today we have a confluence of two remarkable groups.
One group is the cream of the crop of U.S. travel agents. They are here for our three night Thanksgiving inaugural cruise. Even for a ship as compelling as Oasis of the Seas we didn’t expect they would leave their family Thanksgiving celebrations. So we offered them 5 staterooms apiece to transplant their family Thanksgiving celebrations to the ship. A few minutes ago I said hello to two of these family groups. What a beautiful thing.
The second group is a phenomenal array of the premier media, travel agents and tour operators from around the world. I just came up the elevator with several people from Indonesia and several people from Guatemala. Another beautiful thing.

I find it is very difficult to get tired of hearing compliments about the ship. And when I say compliments, I mean people literally visibly struggling with how to find words that express how much they think of Oasis of the Seas, the incredible crew that served them and how privileged they feel to have been onboard.
Many people ask me how I do this. Possibly they haven’t considered the cumulative impact of receiving hundreds or thousands of compliments, which obviously has nutritional value because otherwise I’m not finding enough time to eat. As long as I can work out every day in the gym or on the amazing 670 meter long jogging track I’m fine. I’m struggling with my backhand in table tennis but that doesn’t induce any sympathy since I have been winning over 90% of my Presidential Table Tennis matches.
The answer to how I do this is – it’s completely awesome. I enjoy seeing everybody from every part of the business. Richard and I just gave a ship tour to two U.S. Congressmen. In a little while I’m giving a tour to the Chairman & CEO of the Coca-Cola Company. I am painfully aware that my email in-box is breeding emails like rabbits. I haven’t had time to look at a draft of my speech for Monday’s naming event. Marta is asking me about meetings when I come back on December 1st and I actually would prefer to come back on January 4th since I haven’t had a proper vacation this whole year. But let’s face it – who would not like to be in a senior position of a fabulous brand that is introducing the most exciting vessel in 10,000+ years of maritime history [that last bit might qualify as hyperbolic but let’s see who challenges it]?
Not to mention that the Eagles finally won a close game for the first time since I was a child.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Even the lifeboats are giant on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas

Here is a link to the full story on the lifeboats.  They each carry an unprecedented 370 passengers and there are 18 of them for a capacity of 6660.  That takes care of the passenger load.  They must have something else in mind for the crew but I am sure they are covered as well.

Announcing the 7 Godmothers of the Oasis of the Seas

ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL APPOINTS SEVEN
GODMOTHERS FOR OASIS OF THE SEAS
An Unprecedented Assembly of Performers, Olympians, Philanthropists and Actors to Preside Over
Seven Neighborhoods on the World’s Largest and Most Revolutionary Cruise Ship
MIAMI, Nov. 18, 2009 – When Royal Caribbean International officially names its newest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, on Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, the global cruise line will continue its tradition of innovation by putting a new twist on one of maritime’s longest standing traditions. While normally bestowing the honor of godmother on one special person, Royal Caribbean has chosen seven extraordinary godmothers to represent the seven signature neighborhoods onboard Oasis of the Seas. Each of the seven godmothers was chosen because they personify strength of character, exemplify the spirit of giving, and are role models for men, women and children alike. The godmothers include:
•
Gloria Estefan, world-renowned singer, songwriter, actor and author, who was godmother of Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas
•
Michelle Kwan, the Olympic Games medalist is an all-time great and the most decorated figure skater in United States history, and is also an American Public Diplomacy envoy promoting education, positive health practices and respect for diversity
•
Jane Seymore, a multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor, as well as an Officer of the British Empire, who remains actively involved in the J and J Foundation benefiting children in need. Based on her philosophy that keeping an open heart despite adversity can bring a wealth of love, hope and inspiration into life, she founded the website www.KeepAnOpenHeart.com, a community where people can share stories and engage in a dialogue about living with an open heart.
•
Dara Torres, twelve-time Olympic medalist and oldest female swimmer to compete in a record five Olympic games (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2008)
•
Keshia Knight Pulliam, film and television actress is well-known for her role as Rudy Huxtable on the classic sitcom "The Cosby Show." The youngest actress ever nominated for an Emmy Award when she was only 6 years old, she presently stars on the TBS television comedy "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" and was most recently seen starring in the hit motion picture "Madea Goes To Jail."
•
Shawn Johnson, four-time medalist at the 2008 Olympic games for women’s gymnastics and cancer philanthropist, who in addition to serving as a godmother for Oasis of the Seas, will be granting wishes onboard as part of her work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
•
Daisy Fuentes, international television personality and producer, beauty and fitness expert, and recognized role model for Latin-American women in the United States, who is committed to improving children’s health and treatments through St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Starlight Children’s Foundation and the March of Dimes

Live from Cruise Critic - Oasis of the Seas 11/20/09

Watch live streaming video from cruisecritic at livestream.com

Hmmmm How many????

Wondering how many people fit in one lifeboat?  Something I will have to find out!

Any other questions?  I have a few coming in that I will post before I go.

Follow Nancy as she explores the Oasis of the Seas!

Royal Caribbean fans are counting down the hours until Friday morning, when they'll get their first detailed glimpse of the interior of the line's much-ballyhooed Oasis of the Seas in a special two-hour broadcast of ABC's Good Morning America.Tune in tomorrow, Friday between 7am-9am as America watches the unveiling of the Largest Cruise Ship afloat. At 220,000 Gross Tons she is a biggie. So Turn on those TV's or DVR's and take a peak with us.

Then log onto your favorite web places to follow Nancy and her friend and fellow travel agent, Belinda as they board her on Nov. 30th for the MAKE A WISH Christening Event.

Exclusive events during this voyage include the official christening and naming ceremony, as well as a dinner in the main dining room hosted by the godmother of the ship. (An honor traditionally reserved for heads of state, politicians and celebrities, godmothers officially give ships their names and serve as guiding spirits.)

Nancy and Belinda will be staying onboard with 5,400 passengers to sail on the inaugural 4 night Labadee Extravaganza Inaugural Sailing where after getting all gussied up for the gala make a wish event will get crazy and explore every nook and cranny of the ship and have a marvelous time!

Go to any of the following to tag along.
Twitter @RealCruises
FaceBook Fan Page (search RealCruises)
The Blog www.realcruises.blogspot.com

I will be doing most of this on the go from my Blackberry including photo's so stay tuned.

So, Cruise Fans, let's get things started. Is there something you want to know about Oasis of the Seas' entertainment offerings, eateries, cabins or other features? Leave your questions for Nancy at any of the above or e-mail me at RealCruises@gmail.com and I will answer questions Live from the ship.

So, Let's Get Out There!

Welcome Aboard !

Real Cruises

Welcome to The Real Cruises Travel Ramblings!

Hello fellow travelers, dreamers and cruise enthusiasts!

I would introduce myself but most of you reading to begin with will either know me, know who I am or follow me online and therefore *know me*! If not you can of course go to the ABOUT US tab and eventually there will be something there to read!

This blog/website is, as all blogs are a work in progress but this one in particular as you will see lots of changes in the first month or two as we tweak it to develop it into something that will work for us and be cool and fun to look at and read.

What I hope the purpose of this blog/website will be is to have one place that I can ramble and post lots of photo’s to regarding trips I take, things I experience, my reviews, my tips, etc. A place you can follow me as I travel. (oh, and where and what I eat!)

I will also post travel tips, cruise and some land sales, specials and offers.

I would like to post my clients and friends reviews if you have something you would like to share.

Insider secrets might be found here.

Funny client and travel agent stories….

Please bookmark us, follow us: PLEASE….

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