Royal Caribbean’s Voom Internet Plans

I think it’s naïve to think that any person, regardless of age, would willingly “live off the grid”, “disconnect”, “go offline”, or whatever you want to call living without an internet connection - even if it’s only for a week cruise vacation! Thank goodness the cruise lines realize this and are working hard to ensure guests as well as staff can connect quickly and affordably when at sea.

Voom is Royal Caribbean's high speed internet service that provides guests with the kind of high-speed connections they are used to on land. I bought a Voom package on a recent Royal Caribbean cruise and was very pleased with the speed, but I was only using it for checking Email and I-messaging.

Royal Caribbean has now announced it will offer two types of service; Voom Surf Voyage which provides internet service for basic web browsing, email and social media and Voom Surf & Stream that will also support video streaming (full support for all internet activities).

Rhapsody of the Seas Sails into Cape Liberty in 2017

A new Royal Caribbean ship will be sailing from Cape Liberty, New Jersey in 2017…well, not “new” new ship, but new in the sense that it will be her first time sailing out of this northeast port.  The 1,998-passenger Rhapsody of the Seas will be joining Anthem of the Seas, marking the first time that two Royal Caribbean ships will be sailing from Cape Liberty.

Rhapsody of the Seas is a Vision class ship that was built in 1997, but don’t let her age deter you from trying her out! In 2012 she went through a complete bow to stern renovation with additional refurbishment planned before she arrives in Bayonne, New Jersey.

The Glaciers of Southeast Alaska

If you have been looking into an Alaska cruise you may have noticed that each one includes a visit to a tidewater glacier (a tidewater glacier flows far enough to reach out into the ocean), and quite frankly, that’s one of the highlights of an Alaska cruise! Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, or Tracy Arm…is one better than another? Here’s what you need to know.

Glacier Bay is a protected national park spread across 3.2 million acres of southeast Alaska, It is

home to more than 50 named glaciers, countless seabirds, otters and humpback whales. It is quite common to see seals sunbathing on ice chunks. Cruise ships spend most of a day in Glacier Bay, where passengers will visit several tidewater glaciers and explore inlets carved by the ice. Most ships head up the West Arm, towards the Margerie Glacier, an impressive glacier, which is advancing 12 to 14 feet a day and calves frequently.

Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride Of America

The unique thing about Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride ofAmerica is that it’s the only ship that sails year-round from Honolulu on seven-day intra-Hawaii cruises. There are no

multiple days at sea as the ship makes its way down from California or Ensenada, which makes many Hawaii cruises exceedingly long. This distinctive itinerary offers nearly 100 hours of port time and visits all of Hawaii's main islands!

Still, even if you are drawn to this exceptional itinerary, nobody wants to cruise aboard a tired and dated ship!  Well no worries here, because Pride of America has recently returned to service after a three and half week dry dock where she received ship-wide enhancements!