Archive for June, 2009

Oasis of the Seas Dining (Opus Dining Room etc.)

June 25, 2009
Freedom of the Seas Dining Room (not Oasis)

Freedom of the Seas Dining Room (not Oasis)

A look at the eateries the line plans for the ship, organized by neighborhood:

Central Park

– 150 Central Park. The most exclusive dining venue on Oasis of the Seas will have “a trend upscale ambiance” and serve “leading-edge cuisine.” Signature features will include a tasting menu with customized wine pairings. Open for dinner; $35 cover charge.

– Giovanni’s Table. A casual Italian eatery with indoor and outdoor seating offering rustic dishes with a contemporary flair, including toasted herbal breads, pizzas, salads, pastas, Italian sandwiches, braised meat dishes and stews, all served family-style. Open for lunch and dinner; $10 lunch and $15 dinner cover charge.

– Park Café. A casual, indoor/outdoor gourmet market with walk-up counters serving freshly prepared salads, made-to-order sandwiches, paninis, crepes and hearty soups. European pastries, sublime chocolates and decadent fudge will round out the offerings. Open for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and late night treats.

– Vintages. Royal Caribbean regulars will recognize this popular wine bar, also found on Voyager- and Freedom-class ships, but it is moving into a larger space on Oasis of the Seas. In addition to wine, it’ll offer a selection of cheeses and a broad tapas menu. Open for lunch and dinner; á la carte pricing.

– Chops Grille. Royal Caribbean’s popular signature steakhouse is back, serving premium cut, quality meats. Open for dinner; $25 cover charge.

Boardwalk

– Seafood Shack. An indoor/outdoor casual family restaurant serving seafood. It’ll offer an extensive beverage menu of non-alcoholic cocktails and over-sized desserts. Open for lunch and dinner; $7.95 lunch and $9.95 dinner cover charge.

– Boardwalk Bar. The main bar in the Boardwalk will offer on-the-go snacks and a variety of pre-packaged sandwiches, fruit and salads. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

– Donut Shop. A classically styled shop with casual snacks available all day. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

– Ice Cream Parlor. An 1950s-style ice cream venue serving classic sundaes and a ice cream mixed with toppings to order on a frozen slab. Open throughout the day; á la carte pricing.

– Johnny Rockets. The branded burger joint, found on a number of Royal Caribbean ships, is back with even longer hours (it’ll offer a breakfast menu on Oasis, too). Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; $3.95 breakfast and $4.95 lunch and dinner cover charge.

The Royal Promenade

– Mondo Cafe. A new addition to the Royal Promenade that features coffee, sandwiches and pastries native to countries such as Italy, Spain and Cuba. Open for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and late night treats.

– Sorrento’s Pizzeria. The New York style pizzeria will offer a more extensive menu with made-to-order pizza pies and slices, in addition to the ready-made selections introduced with the Freedom-class ships. Open for lunch, dinner and late night snacks.

– Café Promenade. Located on the opposite end of the Royal Promenade from the Mondo Cafe, this coffee house willl continue serving Seattle’s Best Coffee, fruit shakes, pastries and sandwiches throughout the day and night. Open 24 hours; á la carte pricing.

The Pool and Sports Zone

– Solarium Bistro. Located in the Solarium, the contemporary bistro will offer health-conscious dining for breakfast and lunch in a casual setting. In the evenings, Solarium Bistro will transform into a romantic and intimate dining setting for specialty healthy-fare dinner and dancing under the stars. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; dinner has a $20 cover charge.

– The Wipe Out Café. A casual self-service buffet with pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches, fresh salads and the like aimed at young cruisers on-the-go. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center

– The Vitality Café. Located at the entrance of the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, the Vitality Café will feature healthy snacks, sandwiches, wraps and fruit, in addition to refreshing juices and smoothies from the Vitality spa menu for the calorie conscious guest. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Other options

– Opus Dining Room. The ship’s three-level main dining room, featuring decor that the line says will “revive the grandeur of the 1920s.” Passengers will be able to choose between Royal Caribbean’s newly introduced My Time Dining and My Family Time Dining, as well as the traditional main and late seating options will be offered. Passengers who sign up for My Time Dining will be able to go to dinner in the dining room whenever they wish during dining hours (they can make daily reservations for specific seating times or choose to walk in). My Family Time Dining accommodates parents and children by offering an expedited 40-minute dining service for young cruisers, ages 3-11. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

– Windjammer Marketplace. The ship’s casual buffet eatery will have multiple islands.

– Izumi. A new Asian cuisine restaurant with a sushi bar and hot rock cooking, as well as other Asian fare in a more formal setting. Open for lunch and dinner; á la carte pricing.

– In-Cabin dining. As always on Royal Caribbean ships, room service will be available for breakfast, lunch and dinner menus and is generally free of charge. A recently introduced Dine in Delights menu, which offers name-brand culinary options ranging from the Original Johnny Rockets hamburger to Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookies, will come with a la carte pricing, and there is a $3.95 service charge for in-room deliveries between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.

(From USAToday)

How to Visit a Cruise ship

June 24, 2009

I am often asked by friends: “How do I visit a cruise ship”. Now although it is possible, it is not always easy to achieve either. In these times of international terrorism, you stand no chance of turning up at the dock and expecting to be let onboard a cruise ship. It does not matter if you know a crew member or your friends are onboard, the answer is still ‘No’.

Read on…(Menu right, Industry Comment, How to Visit a Ship)

P&O poach Cunard customers!

June 19, 2009

Today I had a mail shot from P&O which said something like: “As a Cunard customer we would like to introduce you to P&O cruises…”

How odd is that? Maybe Cunard have reciprocated and written to P&O customers? I suppose it does not matter as both lines are Carnival brands and Carnival will ultimately get my hard earned cash if I choose Cunard or P&O.

( A warm welcom e to:  http://pocruises.com/community )

Please feel free to comment (membership is not required)

Norwegian Epic Pool Deck View

June 18, 2009
Note the four pools: 1 aft as serving Spice H20 (adults only), 2 on the main pool deck and 1 in the centre of the villa complex.

Note the four pools: 1 aft as serving Spice H20 (adults only), 2 on the main pool deck and 1 in the centre of the villa complex.

The QE2 In Dubai

June 14, 2009
QE2 In Dubai (Mail Online)

QE2 In Dubai (Image: Mail Online)

14th June 2009: No news, no progress!

First Image of P&O’s Azura

June 11, 2009
(from http://johnhealdsblog. com)

(from http://johnhealdsblog. com)

Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard near Trieste, Italy.  It has been confirmed that Azura will have a duck-tail as you can see in the image. 

These are added for reasons of stability and better fuel consumption.  I assume that this is because the ship will be taller than the rest of the Princess ‘Grand Class’ with one extra deck in height. I have read is that the top deck had to be constructed of aluminium instead of steel to keep the ship stable, like the ‘Voyager’ class.

(Thanks to John Heald for the image)

Norwegian Epic – Funnel Vision

June 10, 2009

 

Norwegian Cruise Line announced that the construction of  Norwegian Epic, reached another milestone yesterday with the fitting of its two huge funnels at STX Europe in Saint-Nazaire, France. The massive block consisted of three parts: the two funnels separated by a HVAC station. It weighed 45 tons, and measured approximately 46 feet high, 65 feet long and 23 feet wide, roughly the size of a large yacht. The addition of the funnel is significant as it represents one of the final stages in the completion of the superstructure.

At this stage, the funnel has not reached its final size as it is not yet equipped with the exhaust pipe system. In order to install the system, a crane will be installed on deck 15 to raise the exhaust pipe system over the blue funnel block, located on deck 17.

The last block on the fore part of the vessel will be lowered at the end of the week. Then, the radar mast will be added which will complete Norwegian Epic’s structure before her transfer to the outfitting dock. The ship’s float out and transfer to the outfitting dock is currently planned for July 11, 2009.

The 153,000-gross ton, 4,200-passenger ship is scheduled for delivery at the end of May 2010.

Oasis of the Seas: Sea Trial Images

June 8, 2009

June 8th 2009: There are some wonderful images (follow the link below).  The reported ‘baby blue’ hull looks white from a distance, but up close it still seems to have patches of undercoat on it?  Not all of the lifeboats are affixed, but then not all of the passengers are on board either.  That ‘blimp’ she is towing has thrown up all sorts of speculation.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcigenesis/

Thats one big girl.

That's one big girl.

 

 

 

Does my bum look big in this?

She's broad in the beam.

 

 

Dioes my bum look big in this?

Does my bum look big in this?

(flickr.com)

Norwegian Epic Latest Construction Images

June 6, 2009

June 2009:

(From shipspotting.com)

Inside Liverpool’s Cunard Building

June 2, 2009

Short BBC news movie file, see here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7816440.stm