A FIRST LOOK AT 'ESCAPE' STATEROOMS

Escape will offer lots of stateroom options (Norwegian)

Norwegian has released some details about its upcoming ship, Escape, which will be the largest in its fleet, due in late 2015. Our first glimpse is of its staterooms. Here's the news release from Norwegian:

"Norwegian Cruise Line today offered the first look at Norwegian Escape by unveiling the wide variety of staterooms on the line’s largest ship to date at approximately 163,000 gross tons and 4,200 passenger berths, scheduled for delivery in fall 2015. The accommodations include the company’s signature luxury ship–within-a-ship complex: The Haven by Norwegian; along with Studios, designed and priced for solo travelers; and many options for families, multi-generational groups, spa enthusiasts and more. Norwegian Escape includes all of the revolutionary features of Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, plus a number of new spaces and interactive experiences that will excite and inspire.

'WOOFSTOCK MUSIC FAIR' SET FOR MARCH

Here's news for dog lovers (that would be us) from our friends in the Florida Keys:

"The Woofstock Music Fair, a day of peace, paws and music, awaits dog lovers eager to unite to raise pet population awareness and adopt rescues to 'fur-ever' homes. The annual event is set for Saturday, March 22, at Islamorada's Founders Park, mile marker 87.

"Now in its fifth year, the free-admission festival features a variety of agility competitions, including the MaddMac Lure course race and demonstrations by Ultimate Air Dogs, one of the premier dock jumping organizations in the country.

A ROYAL PARTNERSHIP

It may not take a village, but it does take commitment and attention to detail to create state-of-the-art cruise ships. Royal Caribbean has a partner to do just that in German ship-builder Meyer Werft, working to create their new Quantum-class ships. Here's more in this week's video:

CELEBRITY UNVEILS 'SUITE CLASS' BENEFITS

Celerity is making the "suite" life even sweeter, with with new special benefits to create the "ultimate luxurious experience." Their new "Suite Class" experience will be fully introduced on their ships during April 2015. It includes a suites-only restaurant, VIP lounge, complimentary premium beverages and more.

Here are more details from Celebrity:

Private dining - A dedicated private restaurant reserved exclusively for all Suite Class guests will be available morning, noon and night. Each meal will feature unique menus that offer dishes not available anywhere else onboard. Guests can truly immerse themselves in the local culture with specially crafted menus inspired by the local destination, and enjoy the world's best ingredients. Memorable and inspiring dishes will be served, from locally caught seafood, to the freshest pasta. The Suite Class chef can provide a tailor-made experience to suite guests and prepare a dish to their liking, and the Cellar Master - Celebrity’s head sommelier - will select from more than 450 wines to provide the perfect pairing.

Premium 'all in' benefits - Premium beverages, dining across all specialty restaurants, unlimited internet access and a private bar with water, sodas and beers will all be complimentary for guests staying in Royal, Penthouse and Reflection suites.

VIP lounge - A private VIP lounge, Michael's Club, will be available to guests staying in Celebrity, Signature, Royal, Penthouse and Reflection suites. A dedicated Concierge service and unique food and beverage experiences by Celebrity's James Beard-featured chef will be provided to guests.

CELEBRITY, BRAVO TEAM FOR 'TOP CHEF AT SEA'

Here's news from one of our favorite cruise lines, Celebrity:

Celebrity Cruises and Bravo’s Top Chef invite fans on a global culinary adventure with the new “Top Chef at Sea” partnership. The premium vacation brand and the Emmy Award-winning culinary competition series unveiled an exclusive licensing partnership that offers fans custom “Top Chef” experiences onboard Celebrity’s modern luxury ships. Building on last year’s popular “Top Chef: The Cruise” charter, fans can enjoy an exclusive taste of the well-known series with enhanced culinary experiences for foodies and globetrotters alike. This marks the cruise industry’s first Top Chef-themed licensing partnership on a large scale as well as Celebrity’s first exclusive Top Chef-inspired experiences available onboard 10 Celebrity ships. For a sneak peek at “Top Chef at Sea,” visit http://www.bravotv.com/blogs/the-dish/top-chef-is-setting-sail-for-the-high-seas.

Celebrity will launch four cruises featuring former “Top Chef” contestants departing July 27, August 15, September 19 and November 15. While vacationers sail away to dream destinations, such as Bermuda, Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean, they will have the opportunity to participate in complimentary cooking demonstrations, the show’s famous, interactive Quickfire Challenges and other activities. For a more exclusive experience, guests can enjoy private cooking classes and events hosted by former chef’testants at an additional cost as part of their vacation experience.

In addition to the four exclusive cruises with “Top Chef” alums, Celebrity will also introduce Quickfire Challenges and “Top Chef”-inspired menu evenings to its modern luxury vacations onboard 10 ships for all sailings departing July 2014 – June 2015.

For more details about “Top Chef at Sea,” visit www.celebritycruises.com/topchef.

BUMPER CARS TAKE TO THE SEAS

Bumper cars have been around since the 1920s, and continue to be a popular amusement park attraction. We get the real-life version everyday on I-95. Now Royal Caribbean is bringing them to the sea as part of the fun in the SeaPlex on Quantum of the Seas. Can a Ferris wheel be far behind? Take a look --

THE CARIBBEAN CUP CHALLENGE

Russia may have the Olympics, but Royal Caribbean has the edge on the really competitive events, like towel origami and sushi making. We are referring to their Caribbean Cup Challenge, where world class athletes tried their hand at these and other task, like rock wall climbing. This video captures it in all its glory:

CAUGHT ON VIDEO!

I should have known when I volunteered for sword fighting with the lead dancer in Romeo and Juliet there would be a video camera close by!

PRINCESS MAKES ME FEEL LIKE A QUEEN

Glitz and glamour go hand-in-hand with many ships cruising the seas of the world. We have grown accustomed to great service,  heavenly cuisine, trendy clubs and fabulous amenities of all sorts. Again, I say, fabulous!

 Special gift bags add something special to a cruise.

We tend to immerse ourselves in as much as possible while gliding to exotic, or simple, locales. Isn't that why we go on a cruise?

However, I also enjoy and appreciate the simple things some cruise lines provide in staterooms.

It is lovely, and we feel quite special, when we discover a nice bottle of champagne chilling, along with appetizers and fruit in our stateroom. Nothing better than that for sail-away, in my opinion.

However, as nice as that is (and it really is), I also appreciate a small gesture such as a little gift bag containing  linen spray, lip balm, special lotion and other unexpected items.

So, thank you Princess Cruise Lines, it is noticed and you make me feel like a queen. --Pam

GERRY JOINS BALLET PALM BEACH

Allegro and un garde, Romeo!

That's Romeo on the left, BTW (Photos by Pam)

Supporting the local Ballet  Palm Beach scene is quite fun and entertaining. We have a genuine appreciation for the beauty and talent exhibited by the hard working company members as they bring a variety of presentations to the stage.

On a recent evening, we were honored to attend a wine tasting and preview of the upcoming ballet, Romeo and Juliet. It was magical, watching as the young dancers brought interpretation of this timeless, and tragic love story.

Beautiful music and love was in the air, but so was sword fighting and when the Director offered the opportunity to join the fun, Gerry leaped, more like sauntered, into the fray.

So, onto the floor, swords in hand, the "fighting" began. It was almost as fun to watch as the dancing. Almost.

Gerry, claimed he "went easy" on Romeo as he didn't want to cause bodily harm to the principal male dancer. We nodded agreement with only a few skeptical grins.

Ballet Palm Beach will present Romeo and Juliet Valentine's weekend and we already have our tickets. We're in the balcony, so I just hope Gerry doesn't try to leap onto the stage when the fighting begins.  He looked a little too comfy with that sword.

Go out there and support your local arts scene in some way. Typically, it doesn't call for swords!-- Pam

ALL ABOARD THE AMTRAK APPS

We all know we can't go anywhere these days without our travel apps, right? That goes for train passengers, too. Amtrak apps have had more than 3.5 million downloads, and let passengers to plan and book travel, check the arrival and departure status of trains, receive and display eTickets for paperless travel, modify reservations or upgrade seats, search for station information, add ticket information to calendars and access Amtrak Guest Rewards accounts.

Amtrak also reports in addition apps have also eliminated the need for paper tickets, "with millions of eTickets displayed since the launch of eTicketing in 2012." Along with a new recently released version for Windows, the iPhone and Android apps were recently updated to improve the customer experience. 

ULTIMATE DRYDOCK: CRUISE SHIP EXTENDED 99 FEET

Here's something you don't see everyday: A cruise is cut in half, then extended by 99 feet in what we would call a MAJOR refurbishment. The ship used to be the Norwegian Crown. Check out the amazing time-lapse video here.