Cruise Diary
Steve Read
Steve Read prepares himself for a 'wow factor' week as he arrives in Miami and gets ready to cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, the world's biggest cruise ship.
Tuesday 24th November 2009
By Steve Read
THE time between landing in Miami, going through immigration and collecting my suitcase from the baggage carousel set a new record for me yesterday ... just 30 minutes.
In the past I've sometimes been standing in the queue at Miami International Airport for almost three hours.
Yesterday was a dream, and a pleasant surprise after a ten-hour flight.
The immigration officer was friendly, my bag was on the carousel before I got there, and when the customs officer said “Welcome to Miami” I really think she meant it.
It’s going to be a week of “the wow factor” as I cruise on Oasis of the Seas, but I hadn't expected the wowing to start at the airport!
I flew on Virgin Atlantic, in a nice wide seat in Premium Economy, and watched the new Star Trek movie before falling asleep.
Last night was spent at the Conrad hotel on Brickell Avenue in downtown Miami. I've stayed here before, and it’s ideal as a pre- or post-cruise hotel.
But I didn’t sleep much. Partly because of the time difference (Miami’s five hours behind the UK), but mostly because I'm almost childishly excited about boarding Oasis of the Seas in a few hours time.
→ Book a cruise with Royal Caribbean International
Cruise Deals..
WHILE I'm sitting in my hotel waiting for the transfer, I thought I'd have a look through some of the cruise deals on offer from my friends over at Sky Travel’s partners Virgin Holidays Cruises.
They have a 14-night stay-and-cruise in Florida on December 1, beginning with a week at the Quality Inn International in Orlando and followed by a week aboard the Costa Atlantica sailing from Fort Lauderdale to St Thomas, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, from £799.
There’s a nine-night Canaries cruise from £649 aboard Norwegian Jade on January 15, sailing from Barcelona to Casablanca, Agadir, Las Palmas, Funchal and Malaga.
Or there’s an ten-nighter on Ruby Princess out of Fort Lauderdale, calling at Princess Cays, St Thomas, St Kitts, Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua from £1,149 on January 28.
The fares include flights on Virgin Atlantic.
Cruise for garden lovers
MY mum would love to go on a cruise for garden lovers aboard the Marco Polo next year.
It’s a six-night cruise from Tilbury, London, on April 23 sailing across to Normandy, the Channel Islands and the Scilly Isles.
Fares are from just £379, which is an amazing price for a cruise on this lovely little ship.
The ship overnights in Rouen, which makes a trip to Paris feasible, although mum would probably want to visit Monet’s Garden at Giverny.
Why is it not a full house?
IT’S puzzling that some cruises are full up within minutes of going on sale, while others just don’t seem to sell at all – and yet the itineraries are lovely.
For instance, there are waiting lists to go on some of Oceania Cruises’ voyages next year, while on others they are offering more than 50 per cent off to get the ships full.
Fares are down to £1,149 (that’s 57 per cent less than the brochure price) for 14-night cruises from Rome to Venice, or Barcelona to Athens, in April.
Watch out for the daily videos, starting tomorrow...
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