Genesis

We got this month’s copy of Cruise Travel in the mail today. In it was a list of upcoming cruise ships debuting in the coming years. There are the new Disney ships, the Carnival Dream class ships (Dream and Magic), and of course, among many others, RCI’s Genesis I and Genesis II. If there were ever a dream ship of mine, this is going to be it. From what I’ve gathered, there will be a bowling alley, billiards, and more. The bowling and billiards are what I’d be most interested in.

What kind of cruise ship can house these types of amenities? A big cruise ship. I mean, a reallybig cruise ship. Weighing in at a tonnage of 220,000, these “Genesis” ships, which are currently unnamed (and most likely will not go by the name Genesis of the Seas), will be the biggest cruise ships afloat today. Bigger cruise ships also means more passengers. These monsters will be home to over 5,000 passengers on any given cruise! That’s insane. I thought the RCI Freedom class ships were huge, with a passenger capacity of over 4,000. Over 5,000 is just crazy. I hope they design the buffets really well, or else those lines will be unbearable. That’s not even to mention the wait times for embarkation and especially disembarkation. I mean, waiting a long time to get on the boat is one thing, but having to wait for 5,000 people to get off the boat will be intolerable, in my opinion. I hate waiting in lines on ships half the size. I can’t imagine what it will be like.

To get an idea of the size of this mammoth, I found an interesting comparative picture from cruisemates.com:

Comparing the size to the Voyager class really puts it in perspective for me. I was on the Explorer of the Seas, which is a Voyager class ship. That ship was the largest I’ve ever been on. And the Genesis dwarfs the Voyager. It’s like comparing the Conquest to the Holiday at Carnival. (Okay, maybe the Conquest to the Fantasy.) The only problem there is, Genesis dwarfs them too!

It seems to me that RCI always comes out with the largest ships first. I remember when Voyager of the Seas debuted, it was then the largest cruise ship in the world. Then Freedom of the Seas took the title. Now Genesis. The other cruise lines usually take several years to follow. I don’t know if Carnival still has any plans matching the Voyager class. I know their Dream class is to be 130,000 tons, but Voyager is still 140,000.

I guess the bottom line is, while I’d love the new amenities on board the Genesis, I think I might just have to pass until 200,000+ ton ships become the norm, mainly due to the long lines everywhere I’ll go onboard and off. Not to mention prices to buy cruises on these ships, especially in the beginning.

Bon Voyage!

So my sister left with her boyfriend for Florida today. They’re spending the day in Miami today. Tomorrow they leave on a three-night cruise that goes to Key West and Nassau. They’ll be sailing on the Carnival Fascination. This will be her boyfriend’s first cruise. We’ve been trying to get him to come with us the past few years but he hasn’t wanted to. This cruise will give him a taste of what it’s like.

I always have mixed feelings when people I know go on cruises. I’m excited for them, because I know of how great of an experience it will be. But at the same time, I’m also jealous. Yeah, you might say I’m selfish or greedy. I’m not. It’s just I wish I could go on a cruise every month! I can never get enough of it.

Anyway, they’ll be home next week. I’m anxious to hear how it went, and I really can’t wait to hear how he liked it.

Cruise Ship Staff

The staff on a cruise ship are what make each cruise unique from all the others. I have been on quite a few cruises, and the one thing that I usually use to distinguish one cruise from another, aside from the ship itself, is the staff. Unless you travel on the same boat twice in a row, chances are you’ll never see the same group of staff twice. This is what makes them so unique.

Most of the staff on cruise ships are from very poor backgrounds. They will leave their families for months at a time to bring home some money. They’ll often work seven-day weeks, with only a couple hours off each day to eat and sleep. Their jobs are rigorous, and their pay is low. Most of them, however, can still manage to put a smile on your face.

The staff most people get to know the most is their dinner wait staff. On most cruise lines, there is a waiter/waitress and an assistant. There are many types of personalities you’ll discover in these people. Some are subdued and very nice, like our waiter Jude on the Glory. Some are extremely outgoing and even comical. The perfect example of this type was “Mr. Kool” from our Victory cruise in 2001. He had such charisma. Another type is the one who just enjoys his job (or at least appears to), and is willing to stop and chat with you for a few minutes. Their job isn’t just about serving food. It’s also about getting to know you. This was Roberto on our Legend cruise this past summer (2007). He was one of our only waiters who knew us by name and could pretty much predict what we would order. He’d stop to talk with us, answer our questions, and even ask some of his own at dinner. If we’d see him on deck, he’d get a big smile on his face and would take time out from his busy schedule to talk some more!

I don’t drink, so I’m not sure what the bar personnel are like. But I know the drink staff that deliver drinks to you on deck are quite nice. They will learn your favorite drinks quickly and will even begin to know you by name.  Another type of staff is the casino staff. Most are very friendly and will have conversation with you, or will explain the game rules to you.

Overall, the staff onboard a cruise ship are very friendly. Considering how intense their jobs are and how little they get paid, I really do have a lot of respect for these guys.