SMOOTH SAILING SO THE SHOW GOES ON

High dives ... ice skating jumps ... high-octane musical dance numbers. Those acrobatic performances are hard enough on land, yet alone in the middle of the ocean. But that's what happens aboard Royal Caribbean ships every day of the year. It takes skillful hands and knowledgeable captains to hold "steady as she goes" while the show goes on. Here's more in this week's video:

ADMIRAL MICKEY'S NAVY EXPANDS OPTIONS

By Bob & Sandy Nesoff
Members: North American travel Journalists Association
American Society of Authors and Journalists
Special to Cruising Squared

Passengers arrive at Castaway Cay (Disney)

Over the years cruise lines plying the Caribbean have added a stop along the itinerary that does not involve shopping, jewelry, liquor purchases or group touring. 

They’ve bought, rented, captured or otherwise taken control of small islands in the blue waters of the Caribbean.

Most lines have been content to ad a few amenities and for the most part let passengers frolic in the warm waters, relax on the beach and gorge themselves on hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad and cole slaw.. Not too bad.

Disney Cruise Lines has never let the obvious control its direction. As with its parent company it seeks to add options for its passengers that make a good trip great. So it is with Castaway Cay, the private island in the Bahamas where all Disney ships cruising the region stop for a day of fun and down time.

WIN A TRIP TO THE FLORIDA KEYS

How about a free trip to the Keys? If that gets your interest, here are the details:

"Through mid-June, mobile users can text the word KEYSFUN to 65047 and register to win a five-night trip for two to the Florida Keys to enjoy the islands' above- and below-water activities. Travel dates are July 9-14, 2014.

"The winner and a guest can experience both Key Largo and the Lower Keys regions as well as participate in the quirky Underwater Music Festival. The 30th annual festival is to be staged Saturday, July 12, at Looe Key Reef, an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary 6 miles south of Big Pine Key.

"The prize includes an air travel card valued at $1,000 (redeemable on the traveler's airline of choice), a $300 car rental certificate, two nights' accommodations in an ocean-view suite at Key Largo's Ocean Pointe Suites, three nights at Little Torch Key's Dolphin Marina & Cottages, diving/snorkeling trips, guided backcountry kayak and botanic garden tours, a sunset cruise and much more.

"One entry per person is allowed and the deadline to enter is 11:59 p.m. Thursday, June 12, 2014. Mobile device users without a text-message plan can visit www.FloridaKeysWin.com. Prize value is approximately $3,400. Entrants must be at least 21 years of age and reside in the continental United States."

SHHH! THE SECRET TO CRUISE CUISINE

By Bob & Sandy Nesoff
Members: North American Travel Journalists Association
American Society of Journalists and Authors
Special to Cruising Squared

Passengers from Uniworld enjoying lunch in Croatia at
the home of a local resident. They enjoyed
 a hearty meal and had an opportunity
 to interact with the locals. (Photo: Bob Nesoff)

If the Pentagon and CIA ever decided it wanted to learn how to develop a weapon and keep it secret from anyone else in the world, it might take a cue from the great chefs on this planet. That holds especially true for cruise line chefs.

Accomplished chefs whose dining rooms float across the world’s oceans and seas work, sometimes for years, to develop and perfect recipes that will tempt, delight and bring guests back time after time. Cruise lines often promote their chefs to an ever-increasingly competitive market.

The top cruise lines today offer enormous salaries, benefits and incentives to chefs because dining afloat is one of the great pleasures of cruising. A bad meal or two, or one that is not up to par, can cost a line many future bookings.

No wonder they keep their best recipes under wraps.

FLORIDA GRABS 10 SPOTS ON BEST BEACHES LIST

Siesta Key (Credit: Trip Advisor)

The votes for the 25 best beaches have been tabulated by Trip Advisor, and guess what? Florida scored 10 places on the list. Pretty impressive. But considering the state we call home has over 800 miles of beaches altogether, maybe we should have had more, right? It's just 10 more great reasons Florida is the place to be if you like sun and surf. The 10 include: Siesta Key (3); St. Pete Beach (9); Caladesi Island State Park (11); St. Augustine Beach (14); Big Pine Key (17); Pensacola Beach (19); Panama City (20); Clearwater Beach (21); Lido Beach (22) and Navarre Beach (25).

10 STUNNING OVERWATER BUNGALOWS

Maybe the closest thing to a cruise without actually boarding a ship is a stay in an overwater bungalow, such as this one -- the Four Season Resort in Bora Bora, courtesy of TripAdvisor and their "10 stunning overwater bungalows" list. We have to suppose room service arrives in a boat. Have a great weekend, all! -- Gerry and Pam

A MAIDEN CALL TO HALONG BAY

Stopping at Vietnam's Halong Bay             Credit: James Morgan

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth made her maiden call March 31 at Halong Bay in Vietnam. These fishermen seem impressed. The bay, noted for its "spectacular seascape of islands and sheer rock pillars, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and famous as a James Bond film location." Queen Elizabeth is over half way through her annual Round World Voyage, and headed for Singapore, Sri Lanka, India and Dubai, arriving back in Southampton on May 9 after 118 nights and calls at 40 ports in 23 different countries.

CELEBRITY ANNOUNCES 'TOP CHEF' LINEUP

Fans of Bravo's "Top Chef" are in for a treat as part of the Celebrity Cruises "Top Chef at Sea" program. Celebrity announced the latest lineup in a press release this week:

"Thirteen former chef’testants of Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning series “Top Chef” will set sail on four exclusive Celebrity Cruises vacations beginning in July 2014 as part of the “Top Chef at Sea” experience. The Celebrity Cruises and Bravo partnership gives fans the opportunity to vacation with their favorite ”Top Chef” alums and experience their dishes, including complimentary cooking demonstrations, interactive Quickfire Challenges and other activities. For a more exclusive experience, guests can choose to enjoy private cooking classes and events hosted by the chef’testants.

'DYNAMIC DINING' TO DEBUT ON 'QUANTUM'

We are accustomed to expecting the unexpected from Royal Caribbean, and their latest "wow" is about the dining options coming on Quantum of the Seas -- due in November. Take everything you know about traditional cruise dining and throw it out the window. With Quantum, Royal is debuting a new concept they call "dynamic dining." No more set dinner times, or one general dining room. Passengers will have a choice of five different dining experiences, and are free to choose when they dine as well.

Quantum will also feature three venues from celebrity chefs: Michael Schwartz, a Miami restaurateur already well-established on Royal's Oasis-class ships and known for his farm fresh approach to cooking; Devin Alexander, best-selling author and TV personality known for healthy eating (NBC's "The Biggest Loser"); and Jamie Oliver, the famous Brit "Naked Chef" who will bring his famed Italian eatery to the seas for the first time.

As you'll see in the following videos, they have put as much thought into the ambiance and experience as the food itself. If it all works as planned, passengers will be in for a culinary adventure like none other. -- Gerry




Here's more on Jamie Oliver:



Check out Wonderland -- "a feast for the senses":



Michael Schwartz's first "gastropub":

POLITICS ASIDE, NCL STANDS FIRM

Commentary By Bob and Sandy Nesoff
Special to Cruising Squared

Our first cruise was nearly 40 years ago on a ship that was state­of­the­art at the time, Norwegian Caribbean Lines Starward.  Today NCL is known as Norwegian Cruise Line to reflect its greater reach and the Starward would be considered antiquated.

Since that time NCL has been a favorite of our and we’ve watched its growth with a personal affection. It is known for its modern ships, numerous amenities and the care and concern for its passengers. It also holds passengers in great respect.

Norwegian Jade

Our fondest memories are of the ship’s staff entertaining our young children and making the cruise  an  especially memorable one for them. As grown women today they still remember the experience they had sailing into such diverse ports as Port au Prince in Haiti, the Bahamas and Jamaica.  The staff, from a multitude of nations, were as one.

FIRST STEEL CUT FOR NORWEGIAN 'ESCAPE'

Norwegian Escape is taking shape. Norwegian reported this week "the first piece of steel was cut at MEYER WERFT in Papenburg, Germany today for the construction of Norwegian Escape, the first of two new Breakaway Plus Class ships for Norwegian Cruise Line, set for delivery in fall of 2015." Earlier this month, Norwegian announced that Norwegian Escape will home port year-round in Miami and sail a seven-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary starting November 14, 2015; visiting Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas. Additional information about Norwegian Escape can be found at www.escape.ncl.com or on our Facebook page at www.ncl.com/facebook.

TOP BEACHES FOR 2014

Number one beach: Baia do Sancho - Brazil (Trip Advisor)

One thing we Floridians know about is beaches. We have over 800 miles of them. Travel website TripAdvisor also knows beaches, and they are out with their list of Best Beaches 2014 list, as chosen by their millions of readers. Of course, "best" is always subjective, but nonetheless, it would be hard to go wrong on any of these. Just grab a folding chair, an umbrella and your drink of choice, and voila! You're on vacation. Happy Friday, all! -- Gerry