Location: 8/10 Let's face it basically anywhere you stay in Manhattan is going to be in a decent location for attractions. You can pick up the subway at almost every street corner and there are taxis everywhere. This specific location is literally a five mini walk from Penn Plaza which is the home of Madison Square Garden. To put it mildly, it doesn't get much better then this, you are smack dab in the middle of the fashion district with Fashion Ave a block to the left. With this location comes some typical NYC cautions. After dark outside the street the hotel is on can be dark and uninviting from a security standpoint, however this is NYC. There are always people out walking around and there are tons of apartments in the area over looking the street, so it's not horrible. Take caution after concerts, games or entertainment functions occurring at the Garden, it can get very "festive" depending on the event being held.
The Hotel Itself: 6/10 I am always a tough person to please, mostly because I stay at so many hotels in a few weeks time. The hotel itself was built in late 2010 and opened in early 2011, so everything is relatively new. The hotel was built during the big hotel boom occurring in lower NYC, which includes a competitive and equally sized Hilton Garden Inn adjacent to the Fairfield. The entrance to the hotel is nice, small but functional. Towards the back is the breakfast area along with the Internet Cafe machines. See my review below for words on the breakfast, etc.
On to the room, I had the "City View" package which puts you in the front of the hotel for two weeks in a row. Killer view of the Empire State Building, the higher the room floor the better the view. No complaints with this, however it gets noisy. The front rooms have dual shades that includes a shade plus a noise canceling insulated shade on the outter side which does help substantially but not enough. If you need quiet ask for a room in the back of the hotel, if this doesn't work, bring some noise canceling headphones or even better stay in New Jersey.
The showers are full glass with fake marble printed tiles and nicely designed sink area, albeit on a small and tight scale, this is NYC which is to be expected. No more then 2 midsized people in the bathroom at a time. The shower is actually quite large, almost half the size of the bathroom itself which begs to question the design choice. The toliet is always in the way with a tiny sink and huge shower. Not sure what the designers were thinking on that one, again, I am being very particular about this!
I had two different rooms on each of my week stays at this hotel. The first hotel had a bathroom door that seemed to have been forgetton about during the assemble stage. You have be behind the toliet and angled in a certain position to close the door or it will whack you in the face, knees or legs. Better yet, we are talking about maybe an inch between the door closing and the toliet, make sure no one tries opening the door while you are doing your business or you going for a ride with a few choice words on the way down. A pocket door would have solved this completely, and there even seemed to be plenty of room for on in the wall. Be careful on the nightly runs to toliet too, it gets worse in the dark!
The second stay I was on the opposite side of the hotel with a slightly different layout with a much more functional door and bathroom layout, but still had a huge shower with a rain shower head, nice, but still odd design choice and questionable functionality.
The Staff/Checkin-Checkout Process: 5/10 The arkielles heal for this hotel is its front desk staff. It's not that they aren't helpful, they are too busy. At some points there was only one person working the counter for a hotel with 200 rooms in downtown Manhattan? Unacceptable. They need two people working at all times at the front desk, especially during the morning and afternoon hours when guests are checking in.
The checkout process was fine for me each time, basically handing my key card to the person and walking out. This included stepping in front of a line of four people checking in. The needs for a faster checkin/out process can't be stressed more. Another issue is the elevators are directly in front of the front desk. This makes it challenging when people are lined up at the front desk, getting it of the elevator with luggage and maneuvering around people with their own luggage is not fun. On the other side of the coin, placing the evelvator on the other side, exiting in the breakfast area poses another problem, a very narrow corridor to bring bags through to the front. So I guess this a typical design challenge when you have very little room to work with in NYC. You will always have an issue or problem somewhere design choices have to be made. It works, just not well!!
Breakfast/Coffee/Internet Access 4/10 Yes that's a four! I was very disappointed in the breakfast layout at this hotel. I have stayed in many Fairfield Hotels and they usually do a good job with the continental breakfast. The problem with this location was specifically the layout! Items are all over the place in the breakfast room with what looks to be last minute shelving installed and questionable placement of every single item. Zero flow in this area, when I am up at 6AM and want a nice NYC bagel it shouldn't take me 10 minutes to walk around the room to find a knife, then the cream cheese. If you want a coffee that's at another location in a small tiny corner, one person at a time in this area to get coffee, yes, I said one person. Wait until 8AM when ten people want coffee, failed design choice on this. The food was fine and typical Fairfield items served, nothing to knock your socks off and the coffee was drinkable "Cheap" Starbucks.
Internet- Blatent FAIL. I actually reported this directly to Marriott corporate. If you have a hotel in the busiest city in the world, with the utmost best location, the LAST thing you skip on is the Internet access. Speed tests were horrible, 1.5MB/1MB up in the morning with hardly cracking dial up speeds in the evening. Come on Marriott, this is NYC you HAVE NO EXCUSE not to have the best or at least a corporate connection for the location. If you have work to do take a walk down to Panera Bread a half block away, they have Fios 20/10 line that smokes.
Final Words: 6/10 I am going to admit, I was especially hard on this review. I am sure many other long term customers may not find my issues nearly as bad. This was straight from a weekly traveler that has had his fair share of noise dives in NYC. I think overall, even with a 6, this hotel is great. Why? It's location saves it from complete failure. No, not its location in terms of placement but because its IN NYC and many other hotels are just ten times worse unless you pay big bucks. With that said, the place is still new, and I really think with some corporate changes such as faster Internet, more personel at the front desk (STOP PUTTING ME ON HOLD!!!), a redesign on the breakfast layout and finally, please, for the love of all will someone at Marriott corporate get rid of the Starbucks coffee?! Have you ever heard of Green Mountain???
Bottom Line: Nice hotel, couple issues that can be resolved by management or corporate. RFID key cards which are super cool. Great beds and clean rooms. Noisy in the front, as expected. Will stay here again and see if they improve with (one) persons honest review. Oh and get better coffee. Safe travels all.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Springhill Suites by Marriott at Portland Airport
Location: 7/10
The hotel is located approximately a mile from the Portland Airport and is a straight shot right down Airport Blvd. if your driving fast you are going to miss it, so keep your eyes open!! There are multiple areas to eat in the immediate area, however if you prefer more the chain style restaurants there is an area towards the airport called Cascade Station. This is where I ate most of the time, it is relatively new shopping area that is very clean and easy to access. There are many places to eat such as Panda Express, Buffalo Wild Wings, Famous Dave's (awesome BBQ!!!) and many others.
Service: 8/10
The service at this hotel was fine and I had zero issues. The room was always cleaned well and breakfast in the morning was always ready. Speaking of the breakfast, the hotel provides a nice selection of breakfast items, from cereals, coffees, juices, fresh waffles, etc. All of the Fairfield/Springhill hotels that I have been at have done a great job with providing a good breakfast for the price you pay.
Facilities: 7/10
The facilities onsite are very clean, organized and seem well maintained. The swimming pool and hot tub area are very nice and were always working. The gym is nice, although small, was always clean and smelled fresh and well taken care of. The negative was an extremely SLOW elevator. There is only a single elevator in the hotel that services five floors. The designers/builder should have places two elevators at this property if they planned to use slow units. The steps, which I use frequently, are inaccessible from the first floor lobby area. I don't know if this is a Oregon fire standard or what, but the stairs lead straight from the above floors to the outside, so you cant take the stairs up to your room, very odd!!!
Final Words: 6/10
The hotel wireless Internet is brutally slow and for a business traveler it was unacceptable. Thankfully I travel with a hotspot that I used instead, if you don't have one, prepare for slow internet access. Secondly, the noise from the airport is rough too. Granted, any of the hotels in the area (surround by Hilton, Holiday Inn, Fairfield Inn, Courtyard) are going to suffer the same fate. The jets literally fly directly over the path of the hotels at a few thousand or less feet. All hotels have windows and the noise penetrates right through, not much you can do in these circumstances. From the time of 5:00AM until 10:00PM you will be on an aircraft carrier. If this bothers you I strongly recommend staying out of the airport area and more near the city, but if you want a short commute to and from the airport than this is the place to stay ( or other hotels in the area). Not a bad place, will probably stay at the Courtyard next time, hoping for better Internet access and maybe some better sound proofing from the airport noises!!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Townplace Suites Marriott - Tucson, Arizona - 5 Night - Review
Location: 8/10
The Hotel is located close to the Tucson airport, not more then a mile to the front door. It is definitely a walkable distance if you are not taking a rental car or if a shuttle is not available. The only problem about the location is there is limited signage on the main road coming from the airport. The hotel is stuck way back in the corner by itself, which in a way is nice. There are quite a few restaurants near by, mostly fast food, for a decent sit down meal you will need to drive about 25 minutes out of the area. The same goes for a local food store, requiring a short drive across town you will find a newer shopping area that has a new Food City supermarket.
Service: 7/10
The overall service provided at the hotel was very good during my stay. However, one small annoyance that I have been experiencing at many other Marriotts is the lack of attentive front desk staff when checking out. I don't know what it is, all of the front desks have access to a camera that monitors the desk from the back room, yet three time in a row, at separate hotels in totally different geographic areas I needed to wait 10 minutes for a staff member. Two of those times required me sticking my head around the corner and this time required a hotel maid to enter the back room area and get the person to check me out. A big deal? Not really because I had plenty of time, however it is becoming an annoyance. Some of the hotels offer an express checkout by using your tv to check out, although nice, it frequently does not work reliably and requires a visit to the front desk.
Facilities: 6/10
The entire hotel surroundings are very clean and newer looking. I didn't find garbage anywhere and the pool was clean, working and had functioning waterfall. There was also a nice grill located near the pool, although it was too cool outside while I was there to cook out, I checked to confirm the grill worked and lit. Definitely a nice area to cook outside, the next time I am at this location I am going to pick up some steaks and make them on the grill outside, definitely worth it!!
Since these are "suites" or mini apartments they contain a full kitchen, however I would call it more along the lines of a "mini" kitchen. The stove is electric and small, no oven, just a microwave and large refrigerator with freezer. The counter tops are a nice marble-stylistic material, they provide some cooking pots and pans, but don't get your hopes up for any Wolfgang Puck style cooking pans, these are straight up metal pans. If you plan on cooking, make sure you pick up some Pam!!
The bathroom was very well done, full marble-stylistic counter tops and screen printed tile (not the real stuff but the made to look real stuff) which appeared to be installed in a professional manner. The flooring was clean and there was no dirt or debris around the room. There was a large stain on the carpet near the bathroom, looked like a bleach type spill or some sort of cleaning liquid that was attempted to be fixed.
Overall: 7.5/10
Not bad. That's what I could give this hotel. I will be back in a week staying again for five nights so I will do another review on the facilities and hopefully use the grill. I did have some oddities in my room that were corrected quickly, one was missing batteries in the TV remote and a missing light bulb in of the lights in the room. Yes....two odd missing items, however they were both fixed quickly and two pieces of chocolate and a "fixed" card were left behind, nice touch!
I am looking forward to my next stay here as the location is prime from the airport, and as with anything in Tucson, it's a drive to find what you need or want, but it's not horrible either.
The Hotel is located close to the Tucson airport, not more then a mile to the front door. It is definitely a walkable distance if you are not taking a rental car or if a shuttle is not available. The only problem about the location is there is limited signage on the main road coming from the airport. The hotel is stuck way back in the corner by itself, which in a way is nice. There are quite a few restaurants near by, mostly fast food, for a decent sit down meal you will need to drive about 25 minutes out of the area. The same goes for a local food store, requiring a short drive across town you will find a newer shopping area that has a new Food City supermarket.
Service: 7/10
The overall service provided at the hotel was very good during my stay. However, one small annoyance that I have been experiencing at many other Marriotts is the lack of attentive front desk staff when checking out. I don't know what it is, all of the front desks have access to a camera that monitors the desk from the back room, yet three time in a row, at separate hotels in totally different geographic areas I needed to wait 10 minutes for a staff member. Two of those times required me sticking my head around the corner and this time required a hotel maid to enter the back room area and get the person to check me out. A big deal? Not really because I had plenty of time, however it is becoming an annoyance. Some of the hotels offer an express checkout by using your tv to check out, although nice, it frequently does not work reliably and requires a visit to the front desk.
Facilities: 6/10
The entire hotel surroundings are very clean and newer looking. I didn't find garbage anywhere and the pool was clean, working and had functioning waterfall. There was also a nice grill located near the pool, although it was too cool outside while I was there to cook out, I checked to confirm the grill worked and lit. Definitely a nice area to cook outside, the next time I am at this location I am going to pick up some steaks and make them on the grill outside, definitely worth it!!
Since these are "suites" or mini apartments they contain a full kitchen, however I would call it more along the lines of a "mini" kitchen. The stove is electric and small, no oven, just a microwave and large refrigerator with freezer. The counter tops are a nice marble-stylistic material, they provide some cooking pots and pans, but don't get your hopes up for any Wolfgang Puck style cooking pans, these are straight up metal pans. If you plan on cooking, make sure you pick up some Pam!!
The bathroom was very well done, full marble-stylistic counter tops and screen printed tile (not the real stuff but the made to look real stuff) which appeared to be installed in a professional manner. The flooring was clean and there was no dirt or debris around the room. There was a large stain on the carpet near the bathroom, looked like a bleach type spill or some sort of cleaning liquid that was attempted to be fixed.
Overall: 7.5/10
Not bad. That's what I could give this hotel. I will be back in a week staying again for five nights so I will do another review on the facilities and hopefully use the grill. I did have some oddities in my room that were corrected quickly, one was missing batteries in the TV remote and a missing light bulb in of the lights in the room. Yes....two odd missing items, however they were both fixed quickly and two pieces of chocolate and a "fixed" card were left behind, nice touch!
I am looking forward to my next stay here as the location is prime from the airport, and as with anything in Tucson, it's a drive to find what you need or want, but it's not horrible either.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Courtyard Marriott at Texas Medical Center Review
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/houmd-courtyard-houston-medical-center/
I had the opportunity to take another business trip to Houston, Texas. If you read my previous review for the Courtyard Marriott at Brookhollow, located a few miles outside Houston, from a few weeks ago you will have found that I gave the hotel a fair review. However, I decided not to stay at the same hotel again because the ending of my stay wasn't so great plus the location is fairly far outside the area of Houston that I was working in. So this time around I decided to stay in a totally opposite area of Houston on the other side of the city near the Houston Medical Campus. This is brand new hotel and has only been open for just about a year, so its perfect timing for a fresh review on it. My thinking about booking this hotel was that it had to be better then the Brookhollow experience from a few weeks ago.
Location: 7 of 10
The Courtyard Marriott is located just a few miles (2.3 miles) from the massive Texas Medical Campus in Houston. The hotel is located right off Main Street and is a straight shot right into the downtown of Houston. The location of this hotel is much better then the Brookhollow hotel by a long shot and has a lot more restaurants, shopping and general stores around the location. Right across from the Courtyard is a Marriott Residence Inn, and from the looks of it, the way the Courtyard is wedged into the property would make one assume that this location was probably the former parking lot for the Residence Inn. The Courtyard has an underground parking garage and extra parking in the back and I saw quite a few people walking from the parking garage to the Residence Inn. Overall, the location is adequate and easy to get to downtown Houston along with Texas Children's Hospital and surrounding medical facilities. However, one word of caution, I do not recommend trying to make a left hand turn out of the parking lot in the morning hours, its nearly impossible. Make a right turn and proceed down Kirby Avenue and go around the circle to get to the stop light on the other side if you have to go down main street. I knocked a full point off the rating because entering/exiting the hotel facilities for BOTH the Residence Inn and the Courtyard is brutal and horribly designed. In the architects/engineers favor, it doesn't seem they had many options to design it any differently.
Service: 4 of 10
Most Marriott Hotels have fairly good service, even the previous stay at Brookhollow had a good service front desk. However, I am not sure what is going on with this Marriott. The front desk staff were a bunch of impolite, moody, unfriendly (insert any other remark!) people that I have dealt with at a Marriott in recent memory. I understand that you may not like your job, but please don't take it out on the guests at the hotel, its unacceptable and extremely unprofessional.
The check-in process was acceptable, although as I mentioned above the the lady checking me in didn't even say good afternoon. When I asked if if I was going to be near the elevators or ice machine I got an attitude back and a response of "Well I put you a door or two down I think, I don't remember, if you are unhappy just call the front desk" and she proceeded to walk away like my question was unacceptable to her.
The check-out process was even worse. First, every hotel should know by know that business people usually check out of their room early, and usually all at the same time. If you only have a single person working the front desk, PLEASE tell them to BE AT THE FRONT DESK! Its very frustrating to have to wait in line for a simple check out and even worse, have to walk around the corner of the front desk and walk into the back room and interrupt a casual conversation between two employees (that had NOTHING to do with work) and ask if you can be checked out!! Unacceptable! This Marriott failed on the "checkout scale" for me for this stay.
Facilities: 7 of 10 for quality - 2 of 10 for Noise Suppression!
This Courtyard had all of the typical Marriott specials and guest services including a gym, computer/office area, available printers, internet cafe (free) and cafe/breakfast bar/dinner bar. The lobby area was very spacious and open along with being inviting. There was a very large meeting area setup and casual area for sitting around and meeting with friends and family and holding small meetings. The hotel itself is designed with the new Marriott style "hip" or "contemporary" themed areas, I am not a huge fan of it but it is inviting and open.
The BIG issue I have with this hotel is the lack of noise suppression in-between the rooms. I have NEVER been in a hotel where you can hear the person in the room next door crystal clear. At first I thought it was because of the pass through connecting doors between the rooms letting sound escape, but I was wrong. I could hear everything the person was saying in the room on my other side too, including his credit card number when he was on the phone ordering/confirming something. Not cool at all!! I don't know if they simply skipped on the sound suppression material between rooms or they used something cheap, but I was absolutely shocked how much I could hear.
Final Rating: 6 of 10
Ok, final rating time, if you can deal with the noise between rooms then this hotel is nice and very acceptable. The rooms are beautiful inside with very comfortable beds and clean new bathrooms with a lot of room and functional layout. I have included some pictures of the room below and as you can see everything is new and designed well. However, I always am able to find something, in my room the carpeting was starting buckle and roll in locations. Basically it happens when the carpet wasn't pulled tight enough during installation, also using a cheap carpet can cause this. Eventually this will become a safety hazard to the elderly and even younger children as the carpet becomes even more uneven and can cause a trip or fall.
Overall, I would stay here again. However I would ask for an end room or a room with no one next to me. Obviously I am sure I will get some "attitude" when asking for this, but the noise was just unacceptable for me, especially considering you can hear every single conversation that occurs between rooms and in the hallway.
I had the opportunity to take another business trip to Houston, Texas. If you read my previous review for the Courtyard Marriott at Brookhollow, located a few miles outside Houston, from a few weeks ago you will have found that I gave the hotel a fair review. However, I decided not to stay at the same hotel again because the ending of my stay wasn't so great plus the location is fairly far outside the area of Houston that I was working in. So this time around I decided to stay in a totally opposite area of Houston on the other side of the city near the Houston Medical Campus. This is brand new hotel and has only been open for just about a year, so its perfect timing for a fresh review on it. My thinking about booking this hotel was that it had to be better then the Brookhollow experience from a few weeks ago.
Location: 7 of 10
The Courtyard Marriott is located just a few miles (2.3 miles) from the massive Texas Medical Campus in Houston. The hotel is located right off Main Street and is a straight shot right into the downtown of Houston. The location of this hotel is much better then the Brookhollow hotel by a long shot and has a lot more restaurants, shopping and general stores around the location. Right across from the Courtyard is a Marriott Residence Inn, and from the looks of it, the way the Courtyard is wedged into the property would make one assume that this location was probably the former parking lot for the Residence Inn. The Courtyard has an underground parking garage and extra parking in the back and I saw quite a few people walking from the parking garage to the Residence Inn. Overall, the location is adequate and easy to get to downtown Houston along with Texas Children's Hospital and surrounding medical facilities. However, one word of caution, I do not recommend trying to make a left hand turn out of the parking lot in the morning hours, its nearly impossible. Make a right turn and proceed down Kirby Avenue and go around the circle to get to the stop light on the other side if you have to go down main street. I knocked a full point off the rating because entering/exiting the hotel facilities for BOTH the Residence Inn and the Courtyard is brutal and horribly designed. In the architects/engineers favor, it doesn't seem they had many options to design it any differently.
Service: 4 of 10
Most Marriott Hotels have fairly good service, even the previous stay at Brookhollow had a good service front desk. However, I am not sure what is going on with this Marriott. The front desk staff were a bunch of impolite, moody, unfriendly (insert any other remark!) people that I have dealt with at a Marriott in recent memory. I understand that you may not like your job, but please don't take it out on the guests at the hotel, its unacceptable and extremely unprofessional.
The check-in process was acceptable, although as I mentioned above the the lady checking me in didn't even say good afternoon. When I asked if if I was going to be near the elevators or ice machine I got an attitude back and a response of "Well I put you a door or two down I think, I don't remember, if you are unhappy just call the front desk" and she proceeded to walk away like my question was unacceptable to her.
The check-out process was even worse. First, every hotel should know by know that business people usually check out of their room early, and usually all at the same time. If you only have a single person working the front desk, PLEASE tell them to BE AT THE FRONT DESK! Its very frustrating to have to wait in line for a simple check out and even worse, have to walk around the corner of the front desk and walk into the back room and interrupt a casual conversation between two employees (that had NOTHING to do with work) and ask if you can be checked out!! Unacceptable! This Marriott failed on the "checkout scale" for me for this stay.
Facilities: 7 of 10 for quality - 2 of 10 for Noise Suppression!
This Courtyard had all of the typical Marriott specials and guest services including a gym, computer/office area, available printers, internet cafe (free) and cafe/breakfast bar/dinner bar. The lobby area was very spacious and open along with being inviting. There was a very large meeting area setup and casual area for sitting around and meeting with friends and family and holding small meetings. The hotel itself is designed with the new Marriott style "hip" or "contemporary" themed areas, I am not a huge fan of it but it is inviting and open.
The BIG issue I have with this hotel is the lack of noise suppression in-between the rooms. I have NEVER been in a hotel where you can hear the person in the room next door crystal clear. At first I thought it was because of the pass through connecting doors between the rooms letting sound escape, but I was wrong. I could hear everything the person was saying in the room on my other side too, including his credit card number when he was on the phone ordering/confirming something. Not cool at all!! I don't know if they simply skipped on the sound suppression material between rooms or they used something cheap, but I was absolutely shocked how much I could hear.
Final Rating: 6 of 10
Ok, final rating time, if you can deal with the noise between rooms then this hotel is nice and very acceptable. The rooms are beautiful inside with very comfortable beds and clean new bathrooms with a lot of room and functional layout. I have included some pictures of the room below and as you can see everything is new and designed well. However, I always am able to find something, in my room the carpeting was starting buckle and roll in locations. Basically it happens when the carpet wasn't pulled tight enough during installation, also using a cheap carpet can cause this. Eventually this will become a safety hazard to the elderly and even younger children as the carpet becomes even more uneven and can cause a trip or fall.
Overall, I would stay here again. However I would ask for an end room or a room with no one next to me. Obviously I am sure I will get some "attitude" when asking for this, but the noise was just unacceptable for me, especially considering you can hear every single conversation that occurs between rooms and in the hallway.
Norwegians Take It To The Next Level During Wave Season Sales Event
http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/6510--norwegians-take-it-to-the-next-level-during-wave-season-sales-event.html
To celebrate Wave Season, the best time of the year to book a cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line is offering a jumpstart on the savings by launching its “Norwegians Take it to the Next Level” sales event today. All new cruise reservations on all ships booked from today through March 31, 2012, will receive a free upgrade within the same stateroom category, along with e-coupons providing on-board savings worth $400 (for sailings taking place before December 31, 2012).
With these coupons, guests can take advantage of some of the most popular amenities at sea. Once booked and checked in online, guests will receive electronic coupons for spa treatments, internet minutes and a complimentary dinner in a specialty restaurant.
As a special bonus, from today through December 18, 2011, the line is offering cruisers the opportunity to “take it to the next level” with a mini-suite for the price of a balcony; balcony staterooms for the price of an oceanview, and oceanview staterooms for the price of inside staterooms on all ships and destinations. Cruise deposits during this time for sailings of three days or longer are reduced by 50 percent.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet of 11 Freestyle Cruising® ships sail to popular destinations, including Alaska, Bermuda, Bahamas/Florida, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Pacific Coastal and the Panama Canal. In addition, the line recently unveiled its 2013/14 summer deployment which includes exciting new itineraries, including a third ship in Alaska, four ships in Europe, and Hawaii sailings open through 2015.
Norwegian’s travel partners can take advantage of a variety of customizable marketing tools and downloadable resources for the “Take it to the Next Level” sales event at www.partners.ncl.com, complete with e-mail blasts, banner ads, co-op ads, flyers and more.
The portal also provides a customizable e-vite that can be used to invite guests to cruise night events, along with sharable content for Facebook and Twitter. To help agents familiarize themselves with the 2012 Wave promotional offers, Norwegian has developed a dedicated course on NCL University that walks travel agents through the promotion details. The course is available on www.ncluniversity.com.
To celebrate Wave Season, the best time of the year to book a cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line is offering a jumpstart on the savings by launching its “Norwegians Take it to the Next Level” sales event today. All new cruise reservations on all ships booked from today through March 31, 2012, will receive a free upgrade within the same stateroom category, along with e-coupons providing on-board savings worth $400 (for sailings taking place before December 31, 2012).
With these coupons, guests can take advantage of some of the most popular amenities at sea. Once booked and checked in online, guests will receive electronic coupons for spa treatments, internet minutes and a complimentary dinner in a specialty restaurant.
As a special bonus, from today through December 18, 2011, the line is offering cruisers the opportunity to “take it to the next level” with a mini-suite for the price of a balcony; balcony staterooms for the price of an oceanview, and oceanview staterooms for the price of inside staterooms on all ships and destinations. Cruise deposits during this time for sailings of three days or longer are reduced by 50 percent.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet of 11 Freestyle Cruising® ships sail to popular destinations, including Alaska, Bermuda, Bahamas/Florida, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Pacific Coastal and the Panama Canal. In addition, the line recently unveiled its 2013/14 summer deployment which includes exciting new itineraries, including a third ship in Alaska, four ships in Europe, and Hawaii sailings open through 2015.
Norwegian’s travel partners can take advantage of a variety of customizable marketing tools and downloadable resources for the “Take it to the Next Level” sales event at www.partners.ncl.com, complete with e-mail blasts, banner ads, co-op ads, flyers and more.
The portal also provides a customizable e-vite that can be used to invite guests to cruise night events, along with sharable content for Facebook and Twitter. To help agents familiarize themselves with the 2012 Wave promotional offers, Norwegian has developed a dedicated course on NCL University that walks travel agents through the promotion details. The course is available on www.ncluniversity.com.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Coach Factory Stores - All Ashley handbags are now 50% off, only in stores. And there's more:
Take an additional 30% off everything in Coach Factory Stores with this printable coupon:
https://e.coach.com/servlet/formlink/f?JhHJoQBSTYVGf6beX6990G11VHupLQMjHgJhgpxnuHptQJhuVijpglyHnLVljmL
*Offer valid 12/05/11-12/11/11 in Coach Factory stores in US, Canada and Puerto Rico only.
Cannot be combined with any other offer. One time use only. Not valid on previous purchases.
Offer may not be reproduced. This offer is subject to quantity limitations per customer.
https://e.coach.com/servlet/formlink/f?JhHJoQBSTYVGf6beX6990G11VHupLQMjHgJhgpxnuHptQJhuVijpglyHnLVljmL
*Offer valid 12/05/11-12/11/11 in Coach Factory stores in US, Canada and Puerto Rico only.
Cannot be combined with any other offer. One time use only. Not valid on previous purchases.
Offer may not be reproduced. This offer is subject to quantity limitations per customer.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
PetSmart - 2 Ways to Save: Shop Weekend Event, PLUS Enjoy More Savings with Friends & Family!
Here is a link to the coupons for:
15% off entire purchase in stores
15% off PetsHotel Services
$20 off On Pet Training
15% off a $60 Purchase at PetSmart.com
Offers valid December 8 - December 11.
Enjoy!
http://promotions.petsmart.com/landing/friends-and-family/_coupons/coupon.shtml
15% off entire purchase in stores
15% off PetsHotel Services
$20 off On Pet Training
15% off a $60 Purchase at PetSmart.com
Offers valid December 8 - December 11.
Enjoy!
http://promotions.petsmart.com/landing/friends-and-family/_coupons/coupon.shtml
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Norwegian Announces 2013/14 Summer Deployment
http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/6488-norwegian-announces-201314-summer-deployment.html
Norwegian Cruise Line today announced its summer deployment for the 2013/2014 season with the addition of a third ship in Alaska. Norwegian Sun, sailing seven-day open jaw itineraries between Vancouver, British Columbia and Whittier, Alaska, will join Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Pearl in Alaska for the summer of 2013, marking the first time the company has offered three ships in Alaska since 2009. For a more in-depth Alaskan experience, the company is also introducing land packages that can be combined with Norwegian Sun’s itinerary. The line’s summer deployment also features four ships sailing in Europe, including the continuation of two year-round, along with two ships cruising to Bermuda.
These cruises* go on sale to Norwegian’s top travel partners and Latitudes Rewards members (past guests) today, December 6, 2011, and to the general public on Thursday, December 8.
“Alaska, with its extraordinary beauty and wildlife, continues to be an extremely popular summer destination for cruisers and therefore there is a lot of demand for increased capacity and more varied and unique cruises,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s chief executive officer. “With the strides made by the state government, we felt the time was right to add a third ship in Alaska, and give our guests the once in a lifetime opportunity to see more of this incredible destination. We’ve also added the option of extending their stay with a Cruisetour that will enhance their overall experience.”
Alaska Deployment
In Alaska, beginning May 20, 2013, Norwegian Sun’s northbound itinerary departs Vancouver, British Columbia on Mondays, and will cruise the Inside Passage, Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier and make stops in the Alaskan favorites of Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau. On her southbound itineraries from Whittier, Alaska, the ship will cruise the Inside Passage, Sawyer Glacier and Hubbard Glacier, as well as making stops in Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau and Icy Strait Point.
Beginning May 18, 2013, Norwegian Jewel will sail a series of 18 seven-day Sawyer Glacier itineraries from Seattle, Washington every Saturday with stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, Alaska; along with Victoria, British Columbia. Norwegian Jewel not only offers a fantastic itinerary, but also brings extra fun for the kids with Nickelodeon family programming. The 2,394 passenger Norwegian Pearl begins a series of 18 seven-day Glacier Bay itineraries from Seattle, Washington every Sunday with stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, Alaska; along with Victoria, British Columbia.
New for the 2013 summer season in Alaska are four Cruisetour options which provide the opportunity to combine a pre or post-cruise land package with Norwegian Sun’s cruises from Whittier, Alaska. Ranging in length from four to six days, the Cruisetours feature two nights in Denali National Park and are fully escorted by a local Alaskan tour guide for the most authentic experience possible. Highlights of the Cruisetours also include a stop at an Iditarod sled dog musher’s house (on four and five-night tours), along with a ride on the Alaskan railroad. More details on the Alaska Cruisetours will be available in early 2012.
Europe Deployment
In Europe, Norwegian Epic will return for her third season, sailing seven-day Western Mediterranean itineraries from Barcelona beginning May 5, 2013 through October 14, 2013. The new Western Mediterranean itinerary features five ports of call in three countries -- Spain, Italy and France -- and a call to Palma, Majorca, Spain. Guests will also have the opportunity to sail round-trip from Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy or Marseille, France giving them the flexibility to choose the homeport that is more convenient for them. There is also a four-day Western Mediterranean sailing on May 1, 2013.
Norwegian Star will make her debut in the Baltic replacing Norwegian Sun and will offer a series of 15 nine-day Baltic Capital cruises from Copenhagen, Denmark. Some highlights of this popular itinerary include two full days in St. Petersburg, Russia and an afternoon cruise of the Stockholm Archipelago upon the ship’s departure from Stockholm, Sweden. Rounding out the season, Norwegian Star will offer a unique 14-day Norway, Iceland and Faroe Island cruise from Copenhagen on September 19, 2013.
Norwegian Jade returns to Venice on May 4, 2013 for the summer season and will offer alternating seven-day Greek Isles and seven-day Adriatic, Greece and Turkey itineraries. In the fall/winter, Norwegian Jade will reposition to Rome (Civitavecchia) and offer a series of eight 10-day Eastern Mediterranean and nine 11-day Mediterranean & the Holy Land beginning on October 26, 2013 through April 12, 2014.
Beginning on April 17, 2013, Norwegian Spirit will once again sail the waters of the Mediterranean offering 12-day Grand Mediterranean open jaw itineraries from Barcelona, Spain and Venice, Italy through October 14, 2013. The comprehensive itinerary highlights the best of the Mediterranean with nine ports of call in five different countries including an overnight in Venice. On October 26, 2013, Norwegian Spirit begins a series of 20 nine-day Canary Island cruises. Guests will have the option to sail round-trip from Malaga, Spain giving them the flexibility to choose the homeport that is more convenient for them.
Bermuda Deployment
In the summer of 2013, Norwegian Cruise Line will significantly increase its capacity in Bermuda with the arrival of its newest ship, the 4,000-pasenger Norwegian Breakaway, sailing a series of 22 seven-day cruises from New York, New York, beginning May 12, 2013. Departing on Sundays, the ship will spend three full days in Bermuda, along with three days at sea.
The newly refurbished Norwegian Dawn will return to Boston, Massachusetts for the summer on May 3, 2013 and will sail a series of 22 seven-day Bermuda cruises departing every Friday.
Hawaii Deployment
Pride of America will continue as the only US-flagged vessel sailing among all four of Hawai`i’s main islands. Because of popular demand for this itinerary, the company is opening Pride of America’s seven-day Hawai`i inter-island cruises departing Honolulu, Hawaii every Saturday through April 18, 2015**. Ports of call include: an overnight in Kahului, Maui; Hilo, Hawaii; Kona, Hawai`i; an overnight in Nãwiliwili, Kaua`i; and an afternoon cruise of the breathtaking Nãpali Coast.
Bahamas “Getaway” Cruises
For a shorter cruise option, Norwegian Sky will continue sailing three- and four-day cruises to the Bahamas year-round from Miami through April 25, 2014. The three-day Bahamas cruise departs on Fridays and includes stops in Nassau, Bahamas and Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island in the Bahamas, which has recently received $25 million in enhancements, including a new dining facility, marina and expanded beachfront. On Mondays, the ship departs Miami on a four-day Bahamas cruise with stops in Grand Bahama Island, Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island; and Nassau, Bahamas.
Norwegian Cruise Line today announced its summer deployment for the 2013/2014 season with the addition of a third ship in Alaska. Norwegian Sun, sailing seven-day open jaw itineraries between Vancouver, British Columbia and Whittier, Alaska, will join Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Pearl in Alaska for the summer of 2013, marking the first time the company has offered three ships in Alaska since 2009. For a more in-depth Alaskan experience, the company is also introducing land packages that can be combined with Norwegian Sun’s itinerary. The line’s summer deployment also features four ships sailing in Europe, including the continuation of two year-round, along with two ships cruising to Bermuda.
These cruises* go on sale to Norwegian’s top travel partners and Latitudes Rewards members (past guests) today, December 6, 2011, and to the general public on Thursday, December 8.
“Alaska, with its extraordinary beauty and wildlife, continues to be an extremely popular summer destination for cruisers and therefore there is a lot of demand for increased capacity and more varied and unique cruises,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s chief executive officer. “With the strides made by the state government, we felt the time was right to add a third ship in Alaska, and give our guests the once in a lifetime opportunity to see more of this incredible destination. We’ve also added the option of extending their stay with a Cruisetour that will enhance their overall experience.”
Alaska Deployment
In Alaska, beginning May 20, 2013, Norwegian Sun’s northbound itinerary departs Vancouver, British Columbia on Mondays, and will cruise the Inside Passage, Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier and make stops in the Alaskan favorites of Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau. On her southbound itineraries from Whittier, Alaska, the ship will cruise the Inside Passage, Sawyer Glacier and Hubbard Glacier, as well as making stops in Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau and Icy Strait Point.
Beginning May 18, 2013, Norwegian Jewel will sail a series of 18 seven-day Sawyer Glacier itineraries from Seattle, Washington every Saturday with stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, Alaska; along with Victoria, British Columbia. Norwegian Jewel not only offers a fantastic itinerary, but also brings extra fun for the kids with Nickelodeon family programming. The 2,394 passenger Norwegian Pearl begins a series of 18 seven-day Glacier Bay itineraries from Seattle, Washington every Sunday with stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, Alaska; along with Victoria, British Columbia.
New for the 2013 summer season in Alaska are four Cruisetour options which provide the opportunity to combine a pre or post-cruise land package with Norwegian Sun’s cruises from Whittier, Alaska. Ranging in length from four to six days, the Cruisetours feature two nights in Denali National Park and are fully escorted by a local Alaskan tour guide for the most authentic experience possible. Highlights of the Cruisetours also include a stop at an Iditarod sled dog musher’s house (on four and five-night tours), along with a ride on the Alaskan railroad. More details on the Alaska Cruisetours will be available in early 2012.
Europe Deployment
In Europe, Norwegian Epic will return for her third season, sailing seven-day Western Mediterranean itineraries from Barcelona beginning May 5, 2013 through October 14, 2013. The new Western Mediterranean itinerary features five ports of call in three countries -- Spain, Italy and France -- and a call to Palma, Majorca, Spain. Guests will also have the opportunity to sail round-trip from Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy or Marseille, France giving them the flexibility to choose the homeport that is more convenient for them. There is also a four-day Western Mediterranean sailing on May 1, 2013.
Norwegian Star will make her debut in the Baltic replacing Norwegian Sun and will offer a series of 15 nine-day Baltic Capital cruises from Copenhagen, Denmark. Some highlights of this popular itinerary include two full days in St. Petersburg, Russia and an afternoon cruise of the Stockholm Archipelago upon the ship’s departure from Stockholm, Sweden. Rounding out the season, Norwegian Star will offer a unique 14-day Norway, Iceland and Faroe Island cruise from Copenhagen on September 19, 2013.
Norwegian Jade returns to Venice on May 4, 2013 for the summer season and will offer alternating seven-day Greek Isles and seven-day Adriatic, Greece and Turkey itineraries. In the fall/winter, Norwegian Jade will reposition to Rome (Civitavecchia) and offer a series of eight 10-day Eastern Mediterranean and nine 11-day Mediterranean & the Holy Land beginning on October 26, 2013 through April 12, 2014.
Beginning on April 17, 2013, Norwegian Spirit will once again sail the waters of the Mediterranean offering 12-day Grand Mediterranean open jaw itineraries from Barcelona, Spain and Venice, Italy through October 14, 2013. The comprehensive itinerary highlights the best of the Mediterranean with nine ports of call in five different countries including an overnight in Venice. On October 26, 2013, Norwegian Spirit begins a series of 20 nine-day Canary Island cruises. Guests will have the option to sail round-trip from Malaga, Spain giving them the flexibility to choose the homeport that is more convenient for them.
Bermuda Deployment
In the summer of 2013, Norwegian Cruise Line will significantly increase its capacity in Bermuda with the arrival of its newest ship, the 4,000-pasenger Norwegian Breakaway, sailing a series of 22 seven-day cruises from New York, New York, beginning May 12, 2013. Departing on Sundays, the ship will spend three full days in Bermuda, along with three days at sea.
The newly refurbished Norwegian Dawn will return to Boston, Massachusetts for the summer on May 3, 2013 and will sail a series of 22 seven-day Bermuda cruises departing every Friday.
Hawaii Deployment
Pride of America will continue as the only US-flagged vessel sailing among all four of Hawai`i’s main islands. Because of popular demand for this itinerary, the company is opening Pride of America’s seven-day Hawai`i inter-island cruises departing Honolulu, Hawaii every Saturday through April 18, 2015**. Ports of call include: an overnight in Kahului, Maui; Hilo, Hawaii; Kona, Hawai`i; an overnight in Nãwiliwili, Kaua`i; and an afternoon cruise of the breathtaking Nãpali Coast.
Bahamas “Getaway” Cruises
For a shorter cruise option, Norwegian Sky will continue sailing three- and four-day cruises to the Bahamas year-round from Miami through April 25, 2014. The three-day Bahamas cruise departs on Fridays and includes stops in Nassau, Bahamas and Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island in the Bahamas, which has recently received $25 million in enhancements, including a new dining facility, marina and expanded beachfront. On Mondays, the ship departs Miami on a four-day Bahamas cruise with stops in Grand Bahama Island, Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island; and Nassau, Bahamas.
Monday, December 5, 2011
7 Exciting, All-New Cruise Ships Launching in 2012/2013
http://www.vacationstogo.com/cruise_newsletter.cfm
It's the time of year when we naturally think of things new and old, so what better occasion is there to announce what the cruise lines have in store for us in 2012?
Next year, eight ships will embark on their maiden voyages for seven different cruise lines. Six will be new-builds, and two are existing ships that will be extensively refurbished and renamed. That's not counting the Norwegian Breakaway, which is set to launch in April 2013.
Below are some highlights of each ship launching in the next 16 months, including links to more information, departure dates and discounts. If you are interested in being among the first passengers to sail on any of these vessels, I recommend calling us as soon as possible. The early sailings of any new-build are generally in very high demand.
First the new-builds:
Disney Fantasy, Disney Cruise Line --- March 31, 2012 --- 4,000 passengers
Sister-ship to Disney Dream, the 5-star Disney Fantasy is 40% larger than the line's other two ships (Disney Magic and Disney Wonder) and in typical Disney style, offers fun for the whole family. Kids will love meeting some of their favorite Disney characters onboard while participating in age-appropriate, supervised activities in the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab. 'Tweens and teens can chill out in spaces designed just for them.
When you're ready for some adult time, parents and grandparents can retreat to one of the kids-free areas of the ship such as the Cove Café, featuring coffee, cocktails and Internet access; the Quiet Cove pool; Palo or Remy, specialty restaurants featuring Italian and French cuisine, respectively; or Meridian, a bar with indoor/outdoor seating that sits between Palo and Remy. The inaugural sailing for this ship is nearly sold out.
Riviera, Oceania Cruises --- April 24, 2012 --- 1,258 passengers
Sister-ship to the Marina, the 5.5-star Riviera is about twice the size of the other ships in Oceania's fleet. Six open-seating dining venues offer a variety of cuisines, from Italian to Asian Fusion, and from French to American Continental. Fans of Oceania's signature spaces such as The Patio, Horizons and the Grand Bar will not be disappointed, as each of these venues have a place on this ship.
More than 95% of accommodations boast private balconies and all have large, marble-and-granite bathrooms, LCD flat-screen televisions and exclusive Tranquility beds. Other amenities on the Riviera include the Bon Appétit Culinary Center, offering cooking lessons with experienced chefs, and the Artist Loft, providing instructional courses in fine arts. Very few cabins remain on this ship's inaugural sailing.
Costa Fascinosa, Costa --- May 11, 2012 --- 3,800 passengers
The 4.5-star Costa Fascinosa is a sister-ship to the Costa Favolosa. Interior spaces are inspired by historic films and their protagonists, and will be outfitted with rich colors and sparkling accents. Dancing enthusiasts will enjoy the ballroom and kids will have the time of their lives in the Squok Club, an extensive kids-only space with age-appropriate activities and a pool/water park area.
There will also be an outdoor movie screen, 13 bars and lounges, five hot tubs, a video arcade, a chapel and, of course, the state-of-the-art Samsara Spa, with its wellness center, spa, salon and fitness center. Costa Fascinosa will debut with two four-night, pre-inaugural cruises departing on May 4 and May 7. The ship's official inaugural voyage, a 10-night cruise, will sail roundtrip from Venice on May 11.
MSC Divina, MSC Cruises --- May 27, 2012 --- 4,363 passengers
The 4-star MSC Divina is modeled after sister-ships MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia, taking on some of their most popular features, but also incorporates several enhancements. The MSC Yacht Club suite complex will be expanded and will include a private, V.I.P. area with its own restaurant, bar, pool, solarium and concierge. Yacht Club suites also offer butler service.
The state-of-the-art Pantheon Theater will host nightly entertainment, and young guests are sure to like the video game room, called Virtual World. An infinity pool will be situated at the aft of the ship, giving passengers a unique view of the ship's wake and the horizon.
Carnival Breeze, Carnival --- June 3, 2012 --- 3,690 passengers
Like its sister-ships Carnival Magic and Carnival Dream, the 4.5-star Carnival Breeze will feature the WaterWorks aqua park, the tranquil, kids-free Serenity area and extensive children's and teens' areas with activities for three age groups. Adults will enjoy the huge Cloud 9 spa, as well as the scenic whirlpools extending beyond the ship's beam.
Other new features include the laid-back RedFrog Pub, home to Carnival's exclusive house brew, ThirstyFrog Red and Cucina del Capitano, a specialty restaurant featuring family-style Italian fare. Accommodation options include "cove" balcony staterooms located close to the waterline, deluxe oceanview staterooms featuring two bathrooms, and spa staterooms and suites with exclusive amenities and spa privileges.
Celebrity Reflection, Celebrity --- October 12, 2012 --- 3,030 passengers
When it debuts, the 5.5-star Celebrity Reflection will be the fifth and final ship in Celebrity's popular Solstice class. Now-familiar Solstice-class features, such as the Lawn Club and AquaSpa are represented, along with new venues such as the Lawn Club Grill; The Alcoves, a cabana-style retreat; and the Art Studio, with hands-on instruction in things like painting, drawing, beading, mixology and cooking.
New AquaClass Suites feature 40-inch LCD televisions, large verandas and the service of a butler. Guests staying in these suites receive priority seating at the exclusive Blu restaurant, and unlimited access to AquaSpa facilities, including the Persian Garden and Relaxation Room.
Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian --- April 30, 2013 --- 4,000 passengers
As the newest member of an innovative fleet, the 5-star Norwegian Breakaway will incorporate the most popular elements of all of Norwegian's existing ships, as well as introduce some exciting new features. Staterooms will have a contemporary feel with clean, modern lines and a neutral palette with splashes of color. The extremely popular Studio staterooms from the Norwegian Epic, designed and priced with solo travelers in mind, will be featured, as well as an exclusive area called The Haven, a private enclave home to the most luxurious accommodations on the vessel, tucked away near the top of the ship.
Norwegian's ships are known for their unique hull artwork, and Norwegian Breakaway will be no different. Renowned pop artist Peter Max, whose other large projects have included an airplane and a stage for Woodstock, will paint the ship's hull. Few details about this ship's public spaces have been released at this time.
And now, the ships that will be refurbished and renamed:
Costa neoRomantica, Costa --- February 20, 2012 --- 1,800 passengers
Formerly the Costa Romantica, this 4-star ship is being completely restyled and refurbished before it emerges as the neoRomantica. Two half-decks and more than 100 cabins are being added, and an additional 120 cabins and suites will receive private balconies.
Among the other new features will be a wine bar, a coffee and sweets bar, a show lounge bar with a dance floor, a new specialty restaurant and the Samsara Spa, a wellness area with a gym, thalassotherapy pool, sauna and Turkish bath.
MV Voyager, Voyages of Discovery --- November 17, 2012 --- 556 passengers
Formerly the Alexander von Humboldt, the 3-star MV Voyager is small enough to reach off-the-beaten-path ports, yet large enough to offer all the comforts of cruising on a much larger ship. Eighty-six percent of staterooms feature ocean views, and all have a TV, hair dryer and safe. Suites come with a few extra perks, such as bathrobes, slippers, a fruit basket and bottle of champagne.
There are three restaurants onboard, two with open seating, plus four bars, an Internet center, a swimming pool, two hot tubs and a gym.
It's the time of year when we naturally think of things new and old, so what better occasion is there to announce what the cruise lines have in store for us in 2012?
Next year, eight ships will embark on their maiden voyages for seven different cruise lines. Six will be new-builds, and two are existing ships that will be extensively refurbished and renamed. That's not counting the Norwegian Breakaway, which is set to launch in April 2013.
Below are some highlights of each ship launching in the next 16 months, including links to more information, departure dates and discounts. If you are interested in being among the first passengers to sail on any of these vessels, I recommend calling us as soon as possible. The early sailings of any new-build are generally in very high demand.
First the new-builds:
Disney Fantasy, Disney Cruise Line --- March 31, 2012 --- 4,000 passengers
Sister-ship to Disney Dream, the 5-star Disney Fantasy is 40% larger than the line's other two ships (Disney Magic and Disney Wonder) and in typical Disney style, offers fun for the whole family. Kids will love meeting some of their favorite Disney characters onboard while participating in age-appropriate, supervised activities in the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab. 'Tweens and teens can chill out in spaces designed just for them.
When you're ready for some adult time, parents and grandparents can retreat to one of the kids-free areas of the ship such as the Cove Café, featuring coffee, cocktails and Internet access; the Quiet Cove pool; Palo or Remy, specialty restaurants featuring Italian and French cuisine, respectively; or Meridian, a bar with indoor/outdoor seating that sits between Palo and Remy. The inaugural sailing for this ship is nearly sold out.
Riviera, Oceania Cruises --- April 24, 2012 --- 1,258 passengers
Sister-ship to the Marina, the 5.5-star Riviera is about twice the size of the other ships in Oceania's fleet. Six open-seating dining venues offer a variety of cuisines, from Italian to Asian Fusion, and from French to American Continental. Fans of Oceania's signature spaces such as The Patio, Horizons and the Grand Bar will not be disappointed, as each of these venues have a place on this ship.
More than 95% of accommodations boast private balconies and all have large, marble-and-granite bathrooms, LCD flat-screen televisions and exclusive Tranquility beds. Other amenities on the Riviera include the Bon Appétit Culinary Center, offering cooking lessons with experienced chefs, and the Artist Loft, providing instructional courses in fine arts. Very few cabins remain on this ship's inaugural sailing.
Costa Fascinosa, Costa --- May 11, 2012 --- 3,800 passengers
The 4.5-star Costa Fascinosa is a sister-ship to the Costa Favolosa. Interior spaces are inspired by historic films and their protagonists, and will be outfitted with rich colors and sparkling accents. Dancing enthusiasts will enjoy the ballroom and kids will have the time of their lives in the Squok Club, an extensive kids-only space with age-appropriate activities and a pool/water park area.
There will also be an outdoor movie screen, 13 bars and lounges, five hot tubs, a video arcade, a chapel and, of course, the state-of-the-art Samsara Spa, with its wellness center, spa, salon and fitness center. Costa Fascinosa will debut with two four-night, pre-inaugural cruises departing on May 4 and May 7. The ship's official inaugural voyage, a 10-night cruise, will sail roundtrip from Venice on May 11.
MSC Divina, MSC Cruises --- May 27, 2012 --- 4,363 passengers
The 4-star MSC Divina is modeled after sister-ships MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia, taking on some of their most popular features, but also incorporates several enhancements. The MSC Yacht Club suite complex will be expanded and will include a private, V.I.P. area with its own restaurant, bar, pool, solarium and concierge. Yacht Club suites also offer butler service.
The state-of-the-art Pantheon Theater will host nightly entertainment, and young guests are sure to like the video game room, called Virtual World. An infinity pool will be situated at the aft of the ship, giving passengers a unique view of the ship's wake and the horizon.
Carnival Breeze, Carnival --- June 3, 2012 --- 3,690 passengers
Like its sister-ships Carnival Magic and Carnival Dream, the 4.5-star Carnival Breeze will feature the WaterWorks aqua park, the tranquil, kids-free Serenity area and extensive children's and teens' areas with activities for three age groups. Adults will enjoy the huge Cloud 9 spa, as well as the scenic whirlpools extending beyond the ship's beam.
Other new features include the laid-back RedFrog Pub, home to Carnival's exclusive house brew, ThirstyFrog Red and Cucina del Capitano, a specialty restaurant featuring family-style Italian fare. Accommodation options include "cove" balcony staterooms located close to the waterline, deluxe oceanview staterooms featuring two bathrooms, and spa staterooms and suites with exclusive amenities and spa privileges.
Celebrity Reflection, Celebrity --- October 12, 2012 --- 3,030 passengers
When it debuts, the 5.5-star Celebrity Reflection will be the fifth and final ship in Celebrity's popular Solstice class. Now-familiar Solstice-class features, such as the Lawn Club and AquaSpa are represented, along with new venues such as the Lawn Club Grill; The Alcoves, a cabana-style retreat; and the Art Studio, with hands-on instruction in things like painting, drawing, beading, mixology and cooking.
New AquaClass Suites feature 40-inch LCD televisions, large verandas and the service of a butler. Guests staying in these suites receive priority seating at the exclusive Blu restaurant, and unlimited access to AquaSpa facilities, including the Persian Garden and Relaxation Room.
Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian --- April 30, 2013 --- 4,000 passengers
As the newest member of an innovative fleet, the 5-star Norwegian Breakaway will incorporate the most popular elements of all of Norwegian's existing ships, as well as introduce some exciting new features. Staterooms will have a contemporary feel with clean, modern lines and a neutral palette with splashes of color. The extremely popular Studio staterooms from the Norwegian Epic, designed and priced with solo travelers in mind, will be featured, as well as an exclusive area called The Haven, a private enclave home to the most luxurious accommodations on the vessel, tucked away near the top of the ship.
Norwegian's ships are known for their unique hull artwork, and Norwegian Breakaway will be no different. Renowned pop artist Peter Max, whose other large projects have included an airplane and a stage for Woodstock, will paint the ship's hull. Few details about this ship's public spaces have been released at this time.
And now, the ships that will be refurbished and renamed:
Costa neoRomantica, Costa --- February 20, 2012 --- 1,800 passengers
Formerly the Costa Romantica, this 4-star ship is being completely restyled and refurbished before it emerges as the neoRomantica. Two half-decks and more than 100 cabins are being added, and an additional 120 cabins and suites will receive private balconies.
Among the other new features will be a wine bar, a coffee and sweets bar, a show lounge bar with a dance floor, a new specialty restaurant and the Samsara Spa, a wellness area with a gym, thalassotherapy pool, sauna and Turkish bath.
MV Voyager, Voyages of Discovery --- November 17, 2012 --- 556 passengers
Formerly the Alexander von Humboldt, the 3-star MV Voyager is small enough to reach off-the-beaten-path ports, yet large enough to offer all the comforts of cruising on a much larger ship. Eighty-six percent of staterooms feature ocean views, and all have a TV, hair dryer and safe. Suites come with a few extra perks, such as bathrobes, slippers, a fruit basket and bottle of champagne.
There are three restaurants onboard, two with open seating, plus four bars, an Internet center, a swimming pool, two hot tubs and a gym.
Royal Caribbean Introduces Dining Packages
http://www.shipcriticblog.com/royal-caribbean-introduces-dining-packages/?
Royal Caribbean International today announced seven dining packages for those who plan to dine in specialty restaurants ranging from $50 to $120 per person. The cruise line says the packages offer savings of “at least 25 percent” compared to the sum of the individual restaurants cover charges.
Additionally, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are offering exclusive reservation-only, themed parties for guests to join in a special onboard celebration. The dining packages and special parties aboard Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas are ideal to help celebrate an anniversary, birthday or milestone.
Aboard Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, guests have a choice of three dining packages. The Central Park Dining Package, at $65 per guest, includes Giovanni’s Table Italian Trattoria, 150 Central Park fine-dining restaurant and Chops Grille steakhouse, all located in the ship’s lush Central Park neighborhood. The Chef’s Dining Package, at $120 per guest, includes the five-course, gourmet Chef’s Table and wine pairing, 150 Central Park and Chops Grille. The Choice Dining Package includes Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Table and a choice of Izumi Asian Cuisine or Solarium Bistro aboard Oasis of the Seas ($50 per guest) or Samba Grill Brazilian steakhouse aboard Allure of the Seas ($55 per guest.)
Guests aboard Radiance of the Seas may choose the Radiance Dining Package, which includes Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Table, Izumi and Samba Grill for $70 per guest. The Radiance Chef’s Dining Package adds the Chef’s Table, offering an opportunity to experience every onboard specialty dining venue at $120 per guest. Splendour of the Seas also offers a Chef’s Dining Package for $105 per guest, which includes the Chef’s Table, Chops Grille and Izumi.
Additionally, guests can opt to join in special reservation-only parties aboard the two ships that share the title of the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ships. In the evenings, guests can enjoy ‘Rita’s Fiesta’ in Rita’s Cantina on Allure of the Seas’ Boardwalk, which feature the restaurant’s most popular dishes and up to three non-alcoholic beverages for a $10 cover charge per guest, or $20 for up to three alcoholic beverages. The ‘Surf’s Up Party’ in the Seafood Shack on Oasis of the Seas’ Boardwalk also features the restaurant’s most popular dishes and three non-alcoholic beverages for a cover charge of $15 per guest, or $25 per guest for up to three alcoholic beverages.
Allure of the Seas also offers guests a 1920s-themed ‘Prohibition Party’ on every fifth night in the Jazz on 4 lounge in Entertainment Place. Guests are invited to don their favorite Jazz Age outfit and step back in time. This event is only open to guests ages 21 and older and has a cover charge of $35 per guest, which includes alcoholic beverages.
All specialty dining packages and celebration parties can be immediately reserved at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/PreCruisePlanner, as well as aboard the select ships.
Royal Caribbean International today announced seven dining packages for those who plan to dine in specialty restaurants ranging from $50 to $120 per person. The cruise line says the packages offer savings of “at least 25 percent” compared to the sum of the individual restaurants cover charges.
Additionally, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are offering exclusive reservation-only, themed parties for guests to join in a special onboard celebration. The dining packages and special parties aboard Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas are ideal to help celebrate an anniversary, birthday or milestone.
Aboard Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, guests have a choice of three dining packages. The Central Park Dining Package, at $65 per guest, includes Giovanni’s Table Italian Trattoria, 150 Central Park fine-dining restaurant and Chops Grille steakhouse, all located in the ship’s lush Central Park neighborhood. The Chef’s Dining Package, at $120 per guest, includes the five-course, gourmet Chef’s Table and wine pairing, 150 Central Park and Chops Grille. The Choice Dining Package includes Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Table and a choice of Izumi Asian Cuisine or Solarium Bistro aboard Oasis of the Seas ($50 per guest) or Samba Grill Brazilian steakhouse aboard Allure of the Seas ($55 per guest.)
Guests aboard Radiance of the Seas may choose the Radiance Dining Package, which includes Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Table, Izumi and Samba Grill for $70 per guest. The Radiance Chef’s Dining Package adds the Chef’s Table, offering an opportunity to experience every onboard specialty dining venue at $120 per guest. Splendour of the Seas also offers a Chef’s Dining Package for $105 per guest, which includes the Chef’s Table, Chops Grille and Izumi.
Additionally, guests can opt to join in special reservation-only parties aboard the two ships that share the title of the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ships. In the evenings, guests can enjoy ‘Rita’s Fiesta’ in Rita’s Cantina on Allure of the Seas’ Boardwalk, which feature the restaurant’s most popular dishes and up to three non-alcoholic beverages for a $10 cover charge per guest, or $20 for up to three alcoholic beverages. The ‘Surf’s Up Party’ in the Seafood Shack on Oasis of the Seas’ Boardwalk also features the restaurant’s most popular dishes and three non-alcoholic beverages for a cover charge of $15 per guest, or $25 per guest for up to three alcoholic beverages.
Allure of the Seas also offers guests a 1920s-themed ‘Prohibition Party’ on every fifth night in the Jazz on 4 lounge in Entertainment Place. Guests are invited to don their favorite Jazz Age outfit and step back in time. This event is only open to guests ages 21 and older and has a cover charge of $35 per guest, which includes alcoholic beverages.
All specialty dining packages and celebration parties can be immediately reserved at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/PreCruisePlanner, as well as aboard the select ships.
Norwegian Cruise Line revamps Latitudes loyalty program
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2011/12/norwegian-cruise-line-latitudes-loyalty-program/578252/1?csp=34travel&
Norwegian Cruise Line today officially announced a major overhaul of its 16-year-old loyalty program that will bring more perks to customers who book the line's longer cruises.
The newly named Latitudes Rewards program (a slight change from its old name, Latitudes), will reward customers with one point for every night they spend on one of Norwegian's 11 ships. Until now, customers have gotten one point for each cruise taken, no matter its length.
The change, which has been leaking out on cruise fan message boards in recent days, means customers who sail regularly on seven-night or longer Norwegian sailings will accumulate more points and reach elite status faster than those sailing on shorter three- and four-night sailings.
As part of the change, Norwegian says that customers also will earn additional reward points when booking a suite; when booking nine months or more in advance; or when booking one of the line's monthly Latitudes Rewards Insider offers.
"The satisfaction and loyalty of our guests is very important to us," Norwegian CEO Kevin Sheehan says in a statement accompanying the announcement. "Our new Latitudes Rewards program demonstrates our commitment to delivering the highest levels of guest satisfaction while rewarding our loyal guests with enhanced benefits."
The Norwegian loyalty program will continue to have four tiers, but the number of points it takes to reach each of the tiers is changing. The lowest tier, called Bronze level, will be for customers who have amassed one to 19 points (until now it was for those who had sailed up to five cruises). The next tier, called Silver level, will be for customers who have earned 20 to 47 points (previously, it was for those who had sailed 6-9 cruises).
The top two tiers, Gold and Platinum, will be for customers who have earned 48-75 points or 76-plus points, respectively. Until now they have been for customers who had sailed 10-14 or 15-plus cruises, respectively.
In addition to current member benefits such as priority check-in, members-only cocktail parties and access to an on-board program representative, benefits have been added to the program, Norwegian says. Among them, for cruises departing on or after Dec. 5, will be such on-board perks as chocolate covered strawberries and nightly treats delivered to rooms, ship pins and discounts on photo gallery packages.
Latitudes Rewards members also will now be able to see their total rewards points, tier status and cruise history at ncl.com/myncl.
Norwegian says current Latitudes members automatically will be enrolled in the new Latitudes Rewards program and will remain in at least the same tier as they have been in until now. Depending on how many nights they have sailed with Norwegian and in what cabin categories, some customers may find themselves upgraded to a higher tier than in the past, the line says.
This is the first major change to Norwegian's loyalty program since it introduced a tier system for rewards in 2005. It's the first time the company has changed the way customers earn points.
Norwegian Cruise Line today officially announced a major overhaul of its 16-year-old loyalty program that will bring more perks to customers who book the line's longer cruises.
The newly named Latitudes Rewards program (a slight change from its old name, Latitudes), will reward customers with one point for every night they spend on one of Norwegian's 11 ships. Until now, customers have gotten one point for each cruise taken, no matter its length.
The change, which has been leaking out on cruise fan message boards in recent days, means customers who sail regularly on seven-night or longer Norwegian sailings will accumulate more points and reach elite status faster than those sailing on shorter three- and four-night sailings.
As part of the change, Norwegian says that customers also will earn additional reward points when booking a suite; when booking nine months or more in advance; or when booking one of the line's monthly Latitudes Rewards Insider offers.
"The satisfaction and loyalty of our guests is very important to us," Norwegian CEO Kevin Sheehan says in a statement accompanying the announcement. "Our new Latitudes Rewards program demonstrates our commitment to delivering the highest levels of guest satisfaction while rewarding our loyal guests with enhanced benefits."
The Norwegian loyalty program will continue to have four tiers, but the number of points it takes to reach each of the tiers is changing. The lowest tier, called Bronze level, will be for customers who have amassed one to 19 points (until now it was for those who had sailed up to five cruises). The next tier, called Silver level, will be for customers who have earned 20 to 47 points (previously, it was for those who had sailed 6-9 cruises).
The top two tiers, Gold and Platinum, will be for customers who have earned 48-75 points or 76-plus points, respectively. Until now they have been for customers who had sailed 10-14 or 15-plus cruises, respectively.
In addition to current member benefits such as priority check-in, members-only cocktail parties and access to an on-board program representative, benefits have been added to the program, Norwegian says. Among them, for cruises departing on or after Dec. 5, will be such on-board perks as chocolate covered strawberries and nightly treats delivered to rooms, ship pins and discounts on photo gallery packages.
Latitudes Rewards members also will now be able to see their total rewards points, tier status and cruise history at ncl.com/myncl.
Norwegian says current Latitudes members automatically will be enrolled in the new Latitudes Rewards program and will remain in at least the same tier as they have been in until now. Depending on how many nights they have sailed with Norwegian and in what cabin categories, some customers may find themselves upgraded to a higher tier than in the past, the line says.
This is the first major change to Norwegian's loyalty program since it introduced a tier system for rewards in 2005. It's the first time the company has changed the way customers earn points.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse Coupon!
Click here for a Darden coupon for $5 off two adult entrees at Red Lobster, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse! Coupons are good until 12/30/2011!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Courtyard Brookhollow - Marriott, Houston, TX
Brief Intro:
Upon arriving at the hotel you will be greeted with an older looking hotel from the outside. When entering the facility immediately inside the doors is the front desk, literally 10 feet from the door. This can become an issue when a lot of travelers are checking into the hotel at the same time and causes a huge back up out the door to the outside as there isn't much room to "wrap around" the check-in area.
Hotel Location:
The hotel itself is situated in a "questionable" part of Houston, its not quite on the outskirts but its also not in city limits. The other problem is the lack of food/restaurants established. There are two smaller restaurants in walking distance, a Mexican restaurant called Juanita and a sandwich shop called Antone's. I had the luxury of eating at both locations and I must say that Antone's was the best and was actually a halfway decent sandwich shop that wasn't over priced. The Mexican restaurant itself wasn't as good and the service wasn't great. For example, I ordered a Margarita, regular, on the rocks and it took me to ask the waiter twice where my drink was.
Hotel Facility:
It is fairly obvious that the hotel facility itself is on the older side of hotels but not horribly out of date. It seems like the entrance, lobby, main food and meeting areas were recently refreshed and are very nice contemporary style atmosphere about it. However, once you leave these areas you will quickly find out that this refresh stopped there! The carpeting throughout the hotel needs to be replaced including the rooms. The bathrooms also could use a refreshment but aren't absolutely horrible. The hotel does have a pool that was operational when I was there and was very clean. The hotel was clean and organized and my room was always cleaned and made up well when returning from a long day. There was also a small work out gym with a few gym items including a treadmill and bike.
Hotel Bar/Food/Breakfast:
The hotel did have a fairly decent breakfast selection and eating area which was staffed by a very nice staff and provided requested items very quickly and efficiently. There is free coffee (barista bold, no free Starbucks, sorry) which is "drinkable" coffee but the bar area provides a semi full Starbucks coffee menu along with the steep prices that come with it. I ordered a mocha latte one day and it was very well made and met my standards. I also ate breakfast here every morning and I must say, for hotel food, it made my top ten! I think mostly this was due to the very friendly and caring staff that were always friendly no matter how early it was or how tired I looked!
Final Words: Watch the Area...and your car!!
Upon leaving the hotel on the last morning that I was there I walked out of the side door of the facility to go to my rental car. To my surprise, right outside the door to the right I notice a car on cinder blocks!! No joke! So I am thinking, ok from my angle maybe they had two flat tires? No way! I walked around the car and I see all four tires are on cinder blocks!! Amazing. This occurred during a full hotel occupancy, right outside multiple rooms of the first and second floors AND right outside an exit door. I felt bad for whoever the car belonged too, let alone this happening in a HOTEL PARKING LOT! I strongly recommend parking your car on the other side of the hotel near the road where it can be seen by passing traffic at least.
Other than some improvements that can definitely be made the hotel is "acceptable" however, if you have the ability to stay at a hotel closer to the city I would recommend that option. I rate this hotel a 5.5/10 on my hotel review scale, and please, if you do stay at this location in the future, please make sure you don't leave ANY valuables in your car.
Upon arriving at the hotel you will be greeted with an older looking hotel from the outside. When entering the facility immediately inside the doors is the front desk, literally 10 feet from the door. This can become an issue when a lot of travelers are checking into the hotel at the same time and causes a huge back up out the door to the outside as there isn't much room to "wrap around" the check-in area.
Hotel Location:
The hotel itself is situated in a "questionable" part of Houston, its not quite on the outskirts but its also not in city limits. The other problem is the lack of food/restaurants established. There are two smaller restaurants in walking distance, a Mexican restaurant called Juanita and a sandwich shop called Antone's. I had the luxury of eating at both locations and I must say that Antone's was the best and was actually a halfway decent sandwich shop that wasn't over priced. The Mexican restaurant itself wasn't as good and the service wasn't great. For example, I ordered a Margarita, regular, on the rocks and it took me to ask the waiter twice where my drink was.
Hotel Facility:
It is fairly obvious that the hotel facility itself is on the older side of hotels but not horribly out of date. It seems like the entrance, lobby, main food and meeting areas were recently refreshed and are very nice contemporary style atmosphere about it. However, once you leave these areas you will quickly find out that this refresh stopped there! The carpeting throughout the hotel needs to be replaced including the rooms. The bathrooms also could use a refreshment but aren't absolutely horrible. The hotel does have a pool that was operational when I was there and was very clean. The hotel was clean and organized and my room was always cleaned and made up well when returning from a long day. There was also a small work out gym with a few gym items including a treadmill and bike.
Hotel Bar/Food/Breakfast:
The hotel did have a fairly decent breakfast selection and eating area which was staffed by a very nice staff and provided requested items very quickly and efficiently. There is free coffee (barista bold, no free Starbucks, sorry) which is "drinkable" coffee but the bar area provides a semi full Starbucks coffee menu along with the steep prices that come with it. I ordered a mocha latte one day and it was very well made and met my standards. I also ate breakfast here every morning and I must say, for hotel food, it made my top ten! I think mostly this was due to the very friendly and caring staff that were always friendly no matter how early it was or how tired I looked!
Final Words: Watch the Area...and your car!!
Upon leaving the hotel on the last morning that I was there I walked out of the side door of the facility to go to my rental car. To my surprise, right outside the door to the right I notice a car on cinder blocks!! No joke! So I am thinking, ok from my angle maybe they had two flat tires? No way! I walked around the car and I see all four tires are on cinder blocks!! Amazing. This occurred during a full hotel occupancy, right outside multiple rooms of the first and second floors AND right outside an exit door. I felt bad for whoever the car belonged too, let alone this happening in a HOTEL PARKING LOT! I strongly recommend parking your car on the other side of the hotel near the road where it can be seen by passing traffic at least.
Other than some improvements that can definitely be made the hotel is "acceptable" however, if you have the ability to stay at a hotel closer to the city I would recommend that option. I rate this hotel a 5.5/10 on my hotel review scale, and please, if you do stay at this location in the future, please make sure you don't leave ANY valuables in your car.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Venetian Las Vegas
I returned from my hotly anticipated trip to Las Vegas with my husband a few
days ago. I was dying to write a review
about the Venetian, but decided to hold off for a few days while I cooled down
because I was very upset with many aspects of my stay. I am going to try to calmly explain my issues
and hopefully someone else’s trip to Las Vegas won’t be ruined like mine was.
First, let me start off by giving a little information on
why I chose the Venetian. We were
meeting up with a few friends and they had stayed at the Venetian about 3 years
ago and raved about how wonderful everything was. Their review plus all the awards this luxury
hotel has sold us. So we booked eight
nights at about $200 a night plus taxes and the resort fee.
We live on the east coast and of course the day we were set to
fly out, we were expecting a major hurricane to disrupt air travel all along
the east coast. I scrambled to change my
flight and then was able to contact the Venetian to add an extra night on to
our reservation. The woman I spoke with
was polite enough, so no issues there.
When it was time for our flight, we ended up being delayed for quite
some time and instead of arriving in Las Vegas about 10:30 at night, we didn’t
land until almost 2:00 in the morning.
My husband and I hopped into a taxi and were quickly whisked away to the
Venetian. Check in went smoothly enough,
we were given a non-smoking room as requested and basically fell asleep the moment our heads
hit the pillow. We were a little annoyed that you have to
walk through the smoky casino to get to the elevators, it made me think that I really
wouldn’t want to bring my kids there.
The next morning, we were awoken by LOUD music out by the
pool. We shrugged it off and let it go; we
normally wouldn’t have slept in late anyway.
What was annoying was the strong cigarette odor in our room. Everything in the room smelled like cigarette
smoke and we realized it was coming from the air vent. We called the front desk; they said they
would send security to search for the smoker since our entire floor was supposed
to be non-smoking. This was a continuing
trend for the rest of the week. We
called at least once a day to let them know that we were again having cigarette
smoke smell come through the vent. It
wasn’t until the last day that we were offered a room change. By that point, we were checking out the next
day and didn’t feel like lugging our 9 days worth of luggage downstairs to get
our room changed so we just shut the air system off.
The strong cigarette odor in our room plus having to walk
through the smoky casino to get everywhere was enough to ruin our stay, but
unfortunately those weren’t the only issues we faced. The lack of empathy we were met with upon each complaint
about the smoke in our non-smoking room was a huge issue for us. We were never offered anything, just for
housekeeping to come and ionize our room which hadn’t helped in the past and
wouldn’t solve the problem because the smoke was coming through the air
vents.
To continue on the trend of smoking issues, the non smoking
areas weren’t enforced. Many times we were
in areas that were supposed to be non smoking and people were smoking both cigarettes
and cigars. I had complained about this
also, but was told that there are signs posted and they do enforce the non-smoking
areas. I hadn’t witnessed anyone being
told they shouldn’t be smoking regardless of where they were.
On numerous occasions we had to contact the front desk
because our room wasn’t cleaned, which meant we didn’t get fresh towels. Each time we were made to feel like it was
our fault for either being in our room too late or come back too early. Generally we were gone from 8 am – 3 or 4 pm
which has always been plenty of time for the room to be cleaned at other
hotels. I guess not here.
During our stay, there was a conference, but the conference
attendees never caused any issues for us. My
issue was with one night there was a party for all attendees which was near
the Sands Expo area of the Venetian. After the party was finished at the Sands Expo
area, they were continuing the party at the pool. I’m not sure if the pool was closed to other
guests or not, but my main concern was that there were only two of the eight elevators
that were taking guests to their rooms, the other six were strictly for
conference attendees who wished to go down to the pool. There were a few security guards milling
about while I waited over 40 minutes (with about 20 or 30 other guests) for an
elevator. Finally I asked if there were
any other options and I was rudely told that the other elevators were for
conference attendees only. I guess the
rest of us paying guests didn’t matter to them.
When I finally made it to my room, I called the front desk to
complain. I was told by the woman who
answered that she had no idea there was a group of elevators blocked off for
the party. She assured me she would look
into it and get back to me because I was interested in going out but didn’t
want to be faced with the same issues getting back to my room. Needless to say, I never heard back so I
spent the rest of the evening listening to the loud music from the pool party.
I must mention that the friends of ours who we met up with
in Vegas and who were also checked in at the Venetian had issues too. Two days into their stay they were having so
many issues, more than we dealt with, that they checked out of the Venetian and
went to stay elsewhere. They were much
happier after they left.
To be fair I must mention that the rooms were nice and the hotel was
beautiful.
To add the final nail into the coffin, we weren’t asked how
our stay was at checkout which really upset me because I was ready to let them know exactly how I
felt and see if they would even try to make it right. Guess they didn't care enough to ask how our stay was.
Then, at the taxi pick up, we
explicitly told the bellman that we needed to go to the airport and required a
cab which accepts credit cards. The
bellman loaded our luggage into a cab, took the tip we handed him and waived us
off. Unfortunately for us, we were in a
taxi that didn’t accept credit cards. So
we had to get dropped off at Treasure Island and had to load everything into a
new cab that accepted credit cards. All
the while the cab driver was yelling at US because we should have known he didn’t
take credit cards. To be fair, we did
pay him what we owed and did leave him a tip.
But to be honest, we shouldn’t have tipped someone who made us feel so
stupid when we clearly requested a cab that accepted credit cards.
I was never happier in my life to get on an airplane and end
my vacation. If I do decide to go back
to Vegas, I can assure you I will never even consider staying at the Venetian.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Hyatt Summerfield Suites Parsippany/Whippany - Review
http://www.whippany.summerfieldsuites.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/summerfield/index.jsp
I recently stayed at the Hyatt Summerfield Suites for a quick trip. This hotel is very hard to find from Route 10, which is the main highway in Whippany also called “the strip”. There are many hotels on the this road and all are hard to get into regardless of which side of the road the hotel is on, mostly because the you have to make jug handle turns to get to anything. There is no signage on the road showing where the hotel is, unless you are watching the road signs which are very small. Add this to a fast moving four lanes of traffic and that can cause you to completely miss the turn.
The hotel is only about 5-8 years old. The main lobby is setup a little differently than most hotels. When you walk into the main lobby there is a small desk to the left of the doors. The individual checking me in was very efficient; however she wasn’t very personable or pleasant.
The Room:
The room was very large. Upon entering the room, you are presented with a large family room style setup with a small kitchen on the right. You have access to a full sized refrigerator, coffee maker, toaster, over/stove and full bar height eating area. There was food in the refrigerator already, not sure if it was from a previous person or if they stock them for use and charge you for you using the food. It seemed like some of it was left there from the previous people. (eww?)
The bedroom is separate from the main room and is off to the left, the room has its own doors and access way. To the left of the bed area is a very large, single sink bathroom. The counter tops were decent quality and the carpet area throughout the bedroom, but the bath room was all tile. The bathroom itself was decent, smaller side, with a regular standing shower/tub. The door jam entering the bathroom could have used some touch up and paint and the ceiling also could have used some touch up paint.
The room itself was semi quiet, however, a few nights into my stay a person stayed in the room directly above me. I could hear everything, every move the person made and even the person walking around. Thankfully the person was out the next day and it wasn’t too big of deal.
Every morning we had the opportunity to get continental breakfast which was included in our room. I am never a fan of these because they usually ALWAYS stink. This one was right on par with being HORRIBLE. The food that was served was gross, and the small pastries looked like they were sitting out for a week. They had some plain bagels which were super stale and a small selection of juices. The biggest thing everyone wants in the morning is a nice cup of coffee, let me say this, the coffee that was served at this hotel was the WORST coffee ever. It was marketed as "starbucks" made for Hyatt with their special blend of some sort. I am fairly certain that the coffee was Starbucks leftover coffee from failed coffee tests of new blends that failed the quality assurance testing. Junk!
Overall the stay wasn't too bad....I would probably opt to stay at the Marriot the next time which was across the street. 6/10
I recently stayed at the Hyatt Summerfield Suites for a quick trip. This hotel is very hard to find from Route 10, which is the main highway in Whippany also called “the strip”. There are many hotels on the this road and all are hard to get into regardless of which side of the road the hotel is on, mostly because the you have to make jug handle turns to get to anything. There is no signage on the road showing where the hotel is, unless you are watching the road signs which are very small. Add this to a fast moving four lanes of traffic and that can cause you to completely miss the turn.
The hotel is only about 5-8 years old. The main lobby is setup a little differently than most hotels. When you walk into the main lobby there is a small desk to the left of the doors. The individual checking me in was very efficient; however she wasn’t very personable or pleasant.
The Room:
The room was very large. Upon entering the room, you are presented with a large family room style setup with a small kitchen on the right. You have access to a full sized refrigerator, coffee maker, toaster, over/stove and full bar height eating area. There was food in the refrigerator already, not sure if it was from a previous person or if they stock them for use and charge you for you using the food. It seemed like some of it was left there from the previous people. (eww?)
The bedroom is separate from the main room and is off to the left, the room has its own doors and access way. To the left of the bed area is a very large, single sink bathroom. The counter tops were decent quality and the carpet area throughout the bedroom, but the bath room was all tile. The bathroom itself was decent, smaller side, with a regular standing shower/tub. The door jam entering the bathroom could have used some touch up and paint and the ceiling also could have used some touch up paint.
The room itself was semi quiet, however, a few nights into my stay a person stayed in the room directly above me. I could hear everything, every move the person made and even the person walking around. Thankfully the person was out the next day and it wasn’t too big of deal.
Every morning we had the opportunity to get continental breakfast which was included in our room. I am never a fan of these because they usually ALWAYS stink. This one was right on par with being HORRIBLE. The food that was served was gross, and the small pastries looked like they were sitting out for a week. They had some plain bagels which were super stale and a small selection of juices. The biggest thing everyone wants in the morning is a nice cup of coffee, let me say this, the coffee that was served at this hotel was the WORST coffee ever. It was marketed as "starbucks" made for Hyatt with their special blend of some sort. I am fairly certain that the coffee was Starbucks leftover coffee from failed coffee tests of new blends that failed the quality assurance testing. Junk!
Overall the stay wasn't too bad....I would probably opt to stay at the Marriot the next time which was across the street. 6/10
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