Cruise Deprivation and What to Do About It

We’re all reduced to arm chair travelers these days.

I don’t know about you, but I took comfort from the Sky Princess blazing “We will be back” in lights across the ship.

But in the meanwhile, how can we satisfy our insatiable appetite for cruising?

Well, here are a few suggestions:

Book it. Not the trip, your photos. Do something awfully old-fashioned—create a photo album. Yeah, having them on your cell phone is great. But seeing them in print, laid out in a slick coffee table book is even better. It’s cheap to put together and it will keep your mind off the vacation you didn’t have.

Stack the deck. Put your favorite photos onto a deck of cards, a mouse pad or luggage tag. Do what you never had time for. We had Shutterstock make up luggage tags with our faces on them. It would be hard for someone to take the wrong suitcase now.

See a disaster. Watch “Titanic” or “Poseidon Adventure.” Not something you’d want to do while you’re cruising. But now, while we’re all in dry dock, why not? Heck, you might even check out the YouTube videos on the sinking of the Concordia.

Root for Royal. And Carnival. They’ve been heroes, letting us off the hook while facing large losses.

Plan your next one. You know there will be a next one. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day, but at some point, your ship will sail again. And you want to make sure you’re on it.

You Gotta Love it: Highlights from Harmony and the Western Caribbean

No matter how many cruises I take, there are always a few things that stand out from each one. Here’s a batch from our recent Harmony of the Seas to the Western Caribbean:

Port Canaveral’s easy on, easy off. Never has getting on and off the ship been better or faster. The baggage drop-off wasn’t crowded, there were no lines into the terminal and because we did online check-in with our phone and Royal Caribbean app, we showed our SetSail Pass and were climbing the gangplank in minutes.

On disembarkation day, we walked off with our luggage, smiled at Customs, which is now using facial recognition instead of asking to see passports, and were out of the terminal and on the road in a flash. (Note: passports are still needed for the cruise.)

Coco Cay, a fun way to spend the day. The beaches were pretty, there was a lot to see and do, and the food was better than expected. It was very spread out and never felt crowded. (Note: our ship was the only one there.) The tropical foliage was photograph-worthy, there were whimsical sand dunes and people-watching galore. A huge pool with swim-up bar (although there were more drinkers than swimmers). Then there’s the water park.

One side of Coco Cay...

...another side of Coco Cay

Hand-made in Mexico. There were many ships in Costa Maya when we got there, with thousands of passengers descending on the small pier area. But somehow, through the throng, I stumbled on a very special shop, d.origen. Prices were in pesos, so I was initially scared off. But the unique clothing, ceramics and knickknacks—and the helpful and friendly staff (who were happy to convert prices to dollars)—drew me back again. It’s an artisan cooperative, and all items were made by Mexicans, using traditional techniques.

From the “You Won’t Believe This” category. Walking along the busy main road outside the cruise pier in Cozumel, we stopped in our tracks to see an extremely tall man with a tiny woman sitting on his shoulders, reaching up to pick a coconut.

Filet mignon at Chops. I polished off a terrific 9 ounce filet mignon, shrimp cocktail, salad with breaded goat cheese and warm chocolate cake with ice cream. Worth every penny. And beats the main dining room any day.

Dinner with wine. If you’re Diamond Club or higher (Royal Caribbean’s loyalty club), you’ll like this: you can now order drinks off the free Diamond Club menu from restaurants throughout the ship, including specialty dining. Wine with dinner. Sweet!

His and hers. One of the great features of the Harmony balcony stateroom is the two separate closets. It helps having your own space—especially when there’s not much to spare.

A balcony for napping. And here’s another: reclining chairs and hassocks on the verandah, which you won’t find on the Allure of the Seas. You gotta love it—furniture tailor-made for napping!

Christmas Shopping for the Cruiser

Help has arrived to find the perfect gift for the cruiser on your list! It’s not hard to find something for the cruising aficionado—deciding from all the choices is the challenge. Just a handful that come immediately to mind:
 
One if Buy Land

The practical stuff. Tablets and readers are the perfect choice for those who like to laze around the pool. And who can take a trip without a camera (or the smart phone version)?



St. Maarten's guavaberry liqueur dressed

for the holidays

Want to spend less? Walkie-talkies, which you can pick up at Walmart or a sports store, will help cruisers stay connected to their companion. Or, help them hide away that smart phone with Home Depot’s neat new travel safe.

Want to spend even less than that? With some colorful luggage tags, they’ll be able to tell their black bag from someone else’s.
 
Or, go nautical (or “nausical,” as they say in retail) with something for their home or to wear. Like a print of a palm tree or beach scene for their wall.  Blue-and-white striped something or other. Charm bracelet with an anchor, sunfish or sand dollar.
 
The fun stuff. There are gifts that keep on giving, like Cruise Travel or Porthole magazines. Or Cruise Critic logo stuff like lanyards, bags and bottles.
 
Keep them in the mood with calypso or steel drum, Jimmy Buffett or Harry Belafonte CDs.
 
More work but no less appreciated—turn their cruise photos into something else. A photo book or calendar. Mug or mouse pad.

Two if Buy Sea

 

The best place to get a gift for the cruiser may just be while you’re on the ship. There are chains by the inch, and the clothing and jewelry sales; see Catch ‘Em While You Can. You’ve got a ton of choice in the ship’s logo stuff—from mugs to model ships and teddy bears too.

The ports also have a plethora of possibilities. Food and booze are always welcome; see Of Chocolate, Rum and Spice: Food Souvenirs of the Caribbean. 

Then there’s the ubiquitous Cariloha and its clothes and such made from bamboo, and the color-changing tchotchkes of Del Sol.

And you can still find some handmade crafts if you know where to look—from mahogany bowls in Roatan to baskets in Dominica to ceramics in Cozumel; see Caribbean Crafts by Way of China.

But that ultimate gift? A new cruise, of course!