Page 15 - AAA Central Penn – AAA Now! – May/June 2019

TRAVEL AGENCY
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a nightly midnight buffet); 10-plus bars; a shopping mall (with Carnival’s first Victoria’s Secret, where my girls wanted to buy their souvenirs –
that didn’t happen); Dodgeball & Basketball tournaments on a full court; and some adults-only areas.
We also enjoyed the most fun and hardest working cruise director I’ve witnessed, “The Flying Scotsman,” hosting everything from morning Seuss-A-Palooza parades and story times to nighttime, high-energy Motown (he becomes Tina Turner), and '80s Rock & Glow Deck Party (we followed him everywhere) – and so much more.
After being at sea for almost two days, Horizon pulled up at the Royal Naval Dockyard around 8:00 a.m. and we had seven hours to spend walking around the historic dockyard, writing postcards to the girls’ parents in South Carolina and swimming at the
small beach close to the ship before sailing back to New York City. (I’ve been to Bermuda 20-plus times and for first-timers this would be a good, albeit quick, visit to the beautiful island.)
If you’re a premium or luxury cruiser wanting an intimate, refined, adult-oriented cruise vacation with lots of space, no lines, award-wining dining and highly personalized onboard service and amenities with enrichment lectures, and quiet conversations during dinner and cocktails, this is not the ship or cruise line for you.
But if you or your family are looking for a big ship with action-packed, family-friendly, round-the-clock activities with a lot of energy, loud music, overflowing buffets and tons of people, check out Carnival’s Horizon.
I’m still talking about how grateful I am to have had this wonderful experience with my granddaughters and how this vacation was truly a memory we’ll cherish forever.
With that said, it also worked so well because the girls were 10 and 12 and could go off on their own during the afternoons (checking in with me every hour or two), and I could also go off on my own and find a quiet (good luck with that!) space to read. Because they were a little older, they enjoyed so many more activities – and I didn’t need to worry about their safety.
As always, before you book any cruise vacation, be sure to take the time and talk to a AAA cruise expert. It’s your money and your time, so you need to be certain you are getting exactly on the right ship for you and your family.
TM
Cruising with the Grandkids
By Sandy Fenton
Ithought I had sworn off sailing on the gigantic mega-cruise ships. Back in the day when my kids were young, my feeling was “the bigger, the better.” So many choices, so many kids, so much food, so many activities – and the list goes on and on. Over the years, many ships
have become bigger and yes, in many ways, even better.
Last summer I
treated my two
granddaughters,
Leah 10 and Ava 12,
to a five-day cruise to
Bermuda, round-trip
New York City aboard
Carnival Cruises’ new
Horizon. I’ve got to
tell you, we had a
laugh-out-loud, crazy
busy and very fun
sailing – with 5,000 of our new best friends.
Carnival’s Horizon is designed for families with young kids, teenagers and everything in between. There is literally something to do (and eat) every hour of the day and night.
Because we were only going for five days, we
under-packed and walked right on the ship with our carry-on bags. Our quad balcony stateroom was a good match for us. It was well thought out , comfortable , very clean, and our room attendant was a delight and we were crazy about him.
After unpacking
and attending the mandatory lifeboat drill we began exploring,
and this is when my
girls were invaluable – I would still be wandering the decks if not for them.
Aboard Horizon there are a few first-ever at sea experiences: the super popular Dr. Suess WaterWorks Park; Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B- Que Smokehouse/ Brewhouse; and the
SkyCourse, a ropes course over the sea. In addition to the SkyRide, there’s a bike ride in the sky above the ship and ocean; a massive outdoor fitness area; nine-hole miniature golf; IMAX, Thrill Theaters & Dive-In outdoor movies; 15-plus dining venues (including 24/7 pizzeria, soft-serve ice cream and
"Let’s Talk Travel with AAA," hosted by Sandy Fenton, is broadcast Saturdays 11:00AM to 12:00PM on iHeartMedia’s WHP580. For more information, go to whp580.com and click on the link to "Let’s Talk Travel."
MAY/JUNE 2019
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