Togetherness at sea

The Treadwell family takes a family photo at port in Philipsburg, St. Maarten. From left, back row: Scott Schroeder, Rachel Schroeder, Madison Schroeder, Pam Treadwell, Jerry Treadwell, Haley Schroeder, Julie Treadwell, Brett Treadwell. Front row: Katelyn Treadwell, Austin Treadwell, Tyler Schroeder, Courtney Treadwell.

There was a time when family get-togethers were filled with long, heart-to-heart conversations around the dinner table. Nowadays, with families spread out all over the country, we’re more likely to find each other on Facebook than in the dining room. And even when we’re together, we’re often really not, thanks to the multiple intrusions from our hand-held electronic devices.

Enter the multi-generational family cruise gathering – today’s answer to the family reunion. Now with the new departures of two major cruise lines – Princess and Norwegian – from the Bayport Cruise Terminal, in addition to the cruises offered from Galveston, Houstonians have even more options to choose from, often less than an hour from their door.

We talked with several Buzz-neighborhood families who have had family get-togethers on cruise ships, ranging from small and intimate to big and boisterous. All reported an unforgettable bonding experience.

“One of the best things that came out of this experience for us as a family was that we were forced to log off,” said Buzz Magazines editor Joni Hoffman, who together with husband Michael and their two sons, Andy and Matt, were invited on a Princess Cruise of the Eastern Caribbean to check out the new offerings. “It’s the first time in years in our family that we had dinner seven nights in a row – especially without cell phones.”

Joni, a self-described cell phone addict, says she doesn’t remember ever logging off since she’s had her phone. And while the cruise ship had wifi available, it was expensive enough that it was mainly for emergencies. This situation produced a family dynamic that most parents long for.

“We talked, we laughed, we had serious discussions that probably never would have happened on land,” she said. “We really bonded as a family.”

The Hoffmans enjoyed the Princess Cruise’s slightly older demographic, which gave the ship a calmer feel; there were no children under 10 on their ship.

Joni and Michael had a cabin with a balcony, while the boys had a separate cabin inside, and they all went their separate ways during the day. But the family established two traditions – coffee on the balcony in the morning and champagne on the balcony before dinner.

“It was just great,” said Joni. “We would sit out on the balcony, hang out, read, have coffee. I would absolutely splurge for a balcony room – it’s worth every penny.”

Julie and Brett Treadwell and family celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of Brett’s parents, Pam and Jerry Treadwell, aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise recently and found it to be a wonderful bonding experience as well.

“One of the highlights was the family dinners every night. There was an 8:30 seating,” she recalls. “That was our one time we knew we would all see each other. We had a great time talking and laughing, and the staff would do magic shows to entertain the kids. It was so nice to spend time with the family.”

The Treadwell group included their three children as well as Brett’s sister and brother-in-law, Rachel and Scott Schroeder, and their three children. The Schroeders live in Atlanta, so this extended period together was not something that had ever happened before.

The best part, Julie said, was that they could just focus on each other – and having a good time. “Nobody had to cook or clean up; we just met and had a nice dinner.”

Making it extra special were the two formal nights, when everyone got dressed up. Even the kids loved it. Little 8-year-old Austin, Julie and Brett’s youngest, wore a necktie for the first time ever.

The Treadwells took a 7-day cruise of the Eastern Caribbean, with ports in the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Their ship, the massive Oasis of the Seas, until recently was the world’s largest cruise ship, with a capacity of more than 10,000 people, with a maximum of 6,295 passengers and 4,000 staff.

Mary Abell celebrated her 70th birthday in Ephesus, Turkey, a stop on a family cruise. From left: David Abell, the Rev. Ed Abell (Uncle Ed), Mary Abell, John Abell, Caty and Tom Gleason, Joe and Melinda Abell, Julie and Randy Merritt. Not pictured: Amber, James and Frank Abell.

Another local family, Joe and Melinda Abell, joined a family cruise event hosted by Mary Abell on the occasion of her 70th birthday. Mary treated her six children and their spouses – and one lucky 5-year-old grandson – to a cruise through the Greek Isles, beginning with Athens and ending in Istanbul, for a once-in-a-lifetime family bonding experience. They were also joined by Mary’s brother, Father Ed Abell, a Catholic priest who has served in the Memorial area for many years. Father Ed conducted a private family Mass for Mary’s birthday on the Greek island of Patmos, where St. John wrote the book of Revelation.

The cruise was on the ultra-luxury, small-ship cruise liner SeaDream I, actually more of a yacht than a cruise ship. On board were 95 staff and 95 passengers. “You have your own personal attendant, basically,” Melinda said. “It’s one of the top luxury cruise liners of the world, and it was a true sea dream for me.”

Reflections on the Texas cruise market

by Harry Shattuck
Note from Buzz travel writer Tracy Barnett: Harry Shattuck, a dear friend and former travel editor for the Houston Chronicle and contributor to Cruise Travel Magazine, the Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman and many others, has more than 20 years covering the cruise industry. These days, he leaves Houston mainly to cruise. He took a momentary break from retirement to share a few thoughts about local cruise offerings for Buzz readers.

Background
The Texas cruise market continues to expand, after a brief lull, and by February of 2015 will include six passenger ships, with a total capacity of almost 19,000 passengers (based on double occupancy) or 23,000 passengers, allowing for more than two persons per stateroom (which usually happens with children accompanying parents).

By this time next year (2015), the Port of Galveston will have four ships year-round, the Carnival Magic (3,600 passengers double occupancy); Carnival Triumph (2,758 passengers); the Carnival Freedom, a newcomer to Texas (with 2,974 passengers); and Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas (3,114 passengers).

The importance here is that these are all year-round clients. In January 2016 or thereabouts, the Navigator of the Seas will be replaced by the Liberty of the Seas, an even bigger Royal Caribbean ship (3,634 passengers). Also in Galveston, the Disney Wonder will return for a brief stay in November and December of 2015 with cruises to the Western and Eastern Caribbean. Disney has not announced plans for future years.

At the Port of Houston, the Bayport Cruise Terminal, which remained idle for several years, now has two clients, Princess and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), but only for winter itineraries (up to six months). For the 2014-15 winter, those lines' ships will be the Emerald Princess (3,114 passengers) and the Norwegian Jewel (2,376 passengers). For the 2015-16 winter season, they will be replaced by the Norwegian Jade, a similar-size ship to the Jewel, and the Caribbean Princess, similar to the Emerald Princess.

All this development has had a major economic impact on Galveston (and to a lesser extent Houston) because of pre- and post-cruise tourism. While the drive-in market remains strong, passengers from the Midwest, West Coast and even Canada seem to prefer Texas to the busier Florida ports.

Issues
The biggest issue facing Texas ships is fog during winter months. Princess, which debuted cruises at the Port of Houston this past year with the Caribbean Princess, had several delays because of fog. This impacts arriving and departing cruises, along with flight arrangements, and it can get costly for cruise lines. Galveston-based ships also were delayed multiple times because of fog.

Also, ships are pretty much restricted to the Western Caribbean, other than sailings to the Bahamas and Key West, Fla. In a one-week period, they cannot access the other Eastern Caribbean ports. Carnival is experimenting with its Freedom when it moves from Fort Lauderdale to Galveston, sailing 12-day cruises that include several Eastern and Southern Caribbean ports. If Cuba opens up, it will be a huge help.

Classifications
Yes, Carnival is known as a budget line, and so is Royal Caribbean. Both have been advertising "Texas specials" where Texas residents get a break on prices. Carnival, for instance, has prices for interior staterooms as low as $299 for four-night cruises, $309 for five-night cruises and $429 for seven-night cruises. These do not apply to all cruises.

I consider Norwegian a budget line, too, but it has a "separate" set of suites called the Haven that cater to romantic couples and to families with kids (an interesting combo, right?). These are costlier but are supposed to be very nice but still not too expensive. (I hope so since we just booked a 28-day cruise in 2015 from Houston through the Panama Canal to Mexico, San Francisco and Alaska!) NCL is a wild card of sorts in that they have what they call "freestyle dining" with up to a dozen restaurants per ship. Princess is a bit more upscale, but still caters to travelers on a budget.

Princess prefers to be classified as a premium line, one step above budget, but it depends on the ships and itineraries. Princess does have a slightly older and more sedate passenger load, but it's not dull. Its ships are big and roomy. Some staterooms are terrific. Entertainment is good. The ships from Houston (Emerald Princess next winter, Caribbean Princess the following winter) are new and well-maintained. They cater to a wide range of passengers.

Having said that, Carnival no longer fits the former image of beer-guzzling around pools all day. Its entertainment is among the industry's best. Its specialty restaurants are high quality. But it helps to know what cruise you are taking. I've done them all, and I can attest that a four-day weekend cruise (Thursday night to Monday morning) typically is more raucous – or should I say festive – than a five-day midweek cruise (Monday to Saturday) or a seven-day cruise. The Carnival Magic is one of Carnival's newest ships; I did its inaugural and enjoyed it. The Carnival Triumph and Carnival Freedom include a new Guy Fieri burger restaurant. Let me put it this way: I'm pushing 70; I use a scooter; but I still enjoy an occasional Carnival cruise. Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas, and later the Liberty of the Seas, are beautiful ships. They have a fantastic indoor promenade. I enjoy them, too. I've probably done seven or eight Princess cruises (the original Love Boat) and always feel at home.

Not surprisingly, these are the biggest players in the cruise industry. Carnival operates 23 ships on its own brand (and also owns several other companies from upscale to premium). Royal Caribbean operates 21 ships. Princess now has 18 ships. Norwegian has 13 ships. That's 75 combined, and they are still building more ships. These companies have more departure ports to fill than others, thus Texas becomes appealing as an alternative to Fort Lauderdale, Miami or Tampa.

Readers should be aware that with all four cruise lines, a big emphasis is placed on onboard purchasing (from spa treatments to photos to gift shops to specialty dining to booze to bingo and casinos to shore excursions). It is easy (and in Carnival's case almost certain because of the low base fare) to spend more onboard than you do on the fare.

None of the more upscale lines has had any success in Texas, but that's to be expected because they don't have the inventory. Celebrity Cruises, a premium line, gave it a try several years ago with 11- and 12-day cruises through the Panama Canal and back, but they could not compete because of Carnival's low pricing.

Ports of call
On shorter cruises (4 and 5 days), only the Western Caribbean is accessible from Texas. Usually just Cozumel on four-day Carnival cruises and Cozumel and Progreso (for Merida) on five-day Carnival sailings. On most seven-day cruises, it's the same, with Cozumel usually included along with two or three other ports that vary – either a Jamaican port, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize City or Costa Maya (not all of them).

Carnival does operate an Eastern Caribbean itinerary (once a month last time I checked) to the Bahamas and Key West. Disney also sails to the Bahamas on the few times it is in Galveston. The Bahamas are considered Eastern Caribbean in cruise lingo even if they're not.

Most Eastern Caribbean ports – from St. Thomas, St. Martin and San Juan to Aruba, Barbados and St. Lucia – are not within range of a one-week itinerary from Houston or Galveston.

The only "different and exciting" itineraries to and from Texas are what we know as "repositioning cruises." Princess ships may spend the summer in Europe and come here on trans-Atlantic cruises to do the winter sailings at the Port of Houston. You can see the offerings at princess.com. Prices usually are quite reasonable with lots of sea days. Norwegian (NCL) operates its Jewel in the Caribbean during winter and in Alaska this summer and next summer. What we are doing is its last cruise from Houston – it sails south, then through the Panama Canal, then eventually to Alaska for the summer. It's April 18-May 16. Again, prices are low because it has a lot of sea days (which some passengers don't want), and it's long.

Getting the deals
I believe strongly that the best way to find a good deal is to go to a travel agent that specializes in cruises and offers incentives and will lobby for you to get the best bargain. Basic cruise prices are the same, no matter where you shop – independent online sites, cruise line sites, travel agents. But agents with clout may pass along a shipboard credit to clients who use them frequently. That helps with onboard expenses. A good travel agent also knows which cruises offer incentives such as prepaid gratuities or free Internet or complimentary airfare. We're doing a 20-day back-to-back Oceania cruise from Miami (10 days to the East, 10 days to the West) that at first glance seemed way too expensive for our budget. But thanks to our travel agent and some good research, we're getting a back-to-back discount (two consecutive sailings), free air fare, prepaid gratuities, free Internet and shipboard credits.

The critical aspect is getting a good travel agent. Some just hang out a shingle and never take a cruise. As a full-time travel editor, I shopped around, did some bookings through different agents or online. Now, I don't mind saying that my cruise business goes to CruiseCenter, a Houston-based firm that operates nationwide (cruisecenter.com). They are part of the Signature Travel Network, and some cruises are specials for which Signature provides a shipboard credit or other amenity. In my opinion, and after considerable research, they combine the best of all options – they have an extensive online site at which you can plan and tailor your cruise, but then you can also call them and talk to a human being for any length of time. What many people don't realize is that when things go wrong (as they occasionally do on cruises or any other type of vacation) a good travel agent will go to bat for you and be your advocate. A bad travel agent won't know what to do. Also, a good travel agent knows what insurance you need to buy to cover your trip – it does vary whether you want pre-existing conditions covered. Another Houston-based company, Vacations to Go, also is respected nationally; its website is vacationstogo.com.

Another tip: Normally, I wouldn't consider the expense of an American Express Platinum card, at $450 per year. But its Cruise Privileges program allows an up to $300 shipboard credit, a free bottle of wine and a specialty dinner reservation on many cruise lines. Among cruise lines with ships based in Houston, Princess and Royal Caribbean are participants. If you take two cruises a year, you save money; it's an investment. Other companies may have similar programs; a good travel agent will know.

Norwegian Cruise Line is a participant in AARP's travel program. AARP members can save up to 5 percent for cruises purchased in advance. That's what we did for an upcoming cruise on the Jewel. We saved about $375 each (or $750 for both of us) just by being AARP members. NCL is the only AARP-affiliated line with a ship based in Texas.