In this video, I'm going to tell you about my three favorite cruise ships.
I'm Jim Zim. I've been on 44 cruises, so far, and I've enjoyed all of them...
But some more than others.
And after all those cruises, three ships stand out as being way better than all the rest.
Let's start with Carnival Vista.
The Vista-class is the newest generation of Carnival ships.
And they've come a long way from the ships you might be thinking of when you think of Carnival.
If it's been a while since you did a Carnival cruise...
You should book a cruise on one of the Vista-class ships...
Like Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon, or the upcoming Carnival Panorama...
Because this generation of ships is hugely better than some of the older ships in the Carnival fleet.
Carnival's older ships are a bit infamous for a particularly over-the-top interior decoration style.
This is a the atrium of the Carnival Glory, looking up from down below.
A lot of loud colors there!
It's meant to be fun. But I think it comes off now as a dated, 1980s Las Vegas kind of style.
Now, here's a look at the Carnival Vista, and you can see a much softer interior decoration style.
Which strikes me as much more contemporary, welcoming, and relaxing.
I like it so much better.
But there's a lot more to the Vista-class than just updated interior designs.
The thing that impressed me most was an exclusive area at the back of the ship known as the Havana area.
A family with young kids is not allowed to book a cabin back here.
No kids allowed.
And these Havana cabins share a very cool private outdoor area with its own pool and Jacuzzis.
Most of the ship's passengers are NOT allowed back here.
Only the folks staying in a Havana cabin have access.
That makes this area completely un-crowded, and very quiet.
If you've ever been on a Carnival cruise before, you know that out by the main pool at the center of the ship...
It's far from peaceful and quiet, and good luck finding an empty lounger on a sea day.
But back at the Havana pool, there are more than enough loungers for the limited number of people staying in Havana cabins.
Usually, there's no music playing, and if there's any... it's playing softly.
I can't imagine myself in anything but a Havana cabin...
With access to the quiet, uncrowded Havana pool, for my future Carnival cruises.
But even if you don't stay in a Havana cabin, you'll find that Carnival's Vista-class ships...
Have all the latest Carnival innovations, such as...
A real IMAX theater that shows current movies on a gigantic high resolution screen with state of the art sound.
SkyRide... a bit like riding a bike high above a cruise ship, with an amazing ocean view.
Carnival Waterworks. A water park on a cruise ship...
That's fun for people of all ages... from young kids on up to adults.
I'm in my 60s, and I love spending an afternoon at Carnival Waterworks...
Going down the waterslides and acting like a kid.
They also have the BEST burgers on Carnival!
Celebrity chef, Guy Fieri, created an amazing burger for Carnival!
If you've never had one, you should cruise Carnival just to be able to have one of these delicious burgers for lunch.
On a 7-day cruise, this burger is my lunch about 4 or 5 times during the week. It's that good.
And I loved that our stateroom on the Carnival Vista, which was a Havana Suite...
Had a huge shower with a rainfall shower head...
And a big high definition TV in the bedroom.
Plus a second TV, somewhat smaller, out in the living room, by the desk.
And this suite was thousands of dollars cheaper than some other cruise line's suites that I've stayed in.
Carnival is a tremendous value.
But really, it was that Havana pool area...
With the uncrowded swimming pool and Jacuzzis that most of the other passengers don't have access to...
That made our cruise on Carnival Vista so much better than most of the other cruises we've been on.
Now another ship that really impressed me...
This is Royal Caribbean's "Anthem Of The Seas"... which sails out of Cape Liberty, New Jersey...
Just across the bay from New York City.
We loved starting out our cruise with a view of the Statue Of Liberty and the high rises of the Big Apple.
But our favorite thing about Anthem Of The Seas...
Is a fully-enclosed adults-only Solarium at the front of the ship...
Which is climate-controlled so that no matter what the weather's like outside...
It's absolutely perfect inside the solarium.
The views ahead of the ship are excellent from the Solarium, and I love all the Jacuzzis...
And the big pool... which is on multiple levels with water cascading down from the top.
Sitting in this pool, or in one of the Jacuzzis, and enjoying the views out those big glass windows...
In perfect climate-controlled conditions...
It's just a heck of a great way to spend some time on a sea day.
No matter whether it's windy outside, or too hot, or too cold, or too humid, or raining...
It's always perfect inside the solarium on Anthem Of The Seas.
Now the solarium is adults-only, but if you're travelling with kids...
There are other areas of the ship that are family-friendly...
And also beautifully designed to handle any weather.
Notice the glass enclosure above this family-friendly pool at mid-ship.
In bad weather, that glass dome stays closed.
In good weather, it can be opened up to the outside air.
Another thing about Anthem Of The Seas that's really impressive...
Is the high-tech theater at the back of the ship known as "270".
During the day, it's a lounge with huge bank of windows providing a 270 degree view of what's behind the ship.
But at night, those huge picture windows become one gigantic video screen...
That transforms the room in to the most amazing theater I've ever seen.
They put on the most creative, high tech shows in this theater that I've ever seen on any of my cruises.
Performers pop up from secret lifts under the stage...
Or drop down from hatches in the ceiling.
They use technology in amazing ways to put on a show like you just won't see anywhere else.
It's so creative, and so much more innovative than your average cruise ship theatrical performance.
Truly the state of the art in cruise ship entertainment, on Anthem Of The Seas!
And there are all sorts of other attractions on Anthem Of The Seas...
That you just won't find on other cruise ships...
Like North Star... A viewing pod that'll take you up high above the ship for an amazing look around.
And RipCord by iFLY...
A skydiving simulator that provides thrills unlike anything offered by the other cruise lines.
There's also a very cool multipurpose indoor arena that at times offers bumper car rides...
At other times allows you to experience a real trapeze...
And at other times is a roller skating rink, or even a dance floor.
One other thing that really impressed me about my cruise on Anthem Of The Seas:
One of the best buffet restaurants I've ever eaten at in any of my cruises.
I really enjoyed the food on this ship.
And at the entrance to the buffet, they force everyone to wash their hands...
Which makes it a lot less likely that you'll pick up germs...
off the serving utensils at the buffet that the guy before you just handled.
I also really liked the design of the cabins on Anthem Of The Seas.
There were a lot of really smart design decisions made.
Lots of electrical outlets and USB charging outlets at the desk...
And an electrical outlet by the bed, too.
Which is great for people that sleep with a CPAP machine, or for charging your cell phone at night.
And there's even a night light built in to the lighting in the bathroom...
A smart idea that I hadn't seen on other cruise ships before this one.
And Royal Caribbean offers the best, fastest Internet connection at sea...
Thanks to an exclusive deal with the O3B satellite network.
Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class ships seem to get all the attention, but...
Really, the Quantum-class, such as Anthem Of The Seas, is the one I'd recommend you sail on.
Even if you don't live in the New York area...
Think about flying in to the Newark Liberty International airport and doing a cruise on Anthem of The Seas.
It's one of the best cruise ships I've ever sailed on.
Well, you might be thinking OK, one of the best... that's great... but what about THE best cruise ship?
Well, as far as I'm concerned, that honor would have to go...
to Norwegian Cruise Line's latest ship... Norwegian Bliss...
And her sister, Norwegian Encore... coming in 2019.
I had a 15-day cruise on Norwegian Bliss earlier this year, and this ship really impressed me.
This really is, in my opinion, the state of the art in cruise ships right now.
Let's start with food.
I thought the restaurants on Norwegian Bliss were a nearly perfect match for my tastes in food.
There's a Mexican restaurant.
There's a steak house.
There's a Texas-style smokehouse.
There's an Italian restaurant.
The main dining room is excellent.
The buffet restaurant had pretty much the best breakfast buffet I've seen in all of my cruises.
And you've gotta love the Volcano nachos at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant onboard the ship!
Another thing I totally loved about Norwegian Bliss was the huge observation lounge at the front of the ship.
With big glass windows offering a great view of what's ahead of the ship.
We spent a LOT of time in the observation lounge...
Enjoying the views in perfect comfort without regard to how hot or cold or windy it might have been outside.
And I loved the bar inside the observation lounge.
We had the unlimited drink package...
And having cocktails in the observation lounge with that great view was a favorite activity on this cruise.
Norwegian Bliss also has an amazing thermal suite inside their spa.
We spent a lot of time lounging around in the Jacuzzi, or in that big heated pool...
As well as lounging around and relaxing while taking in the view out the huge picture windows.
If you like spa time, there's no better ship for it, as far as I know, than Norwegian Bliss.
Of course, there are a lot of more active things happening on Norwegian Bliss, too...
Like the amazing go-kart track, that you won't find on any other cruise line.
This was so much fun, and definitely one of the things I'll never forget about Norwegian Bliss.
I smile just thinking about racing my sister on these go-karts.
Norwegian Bliss also has some fantastic waterslides.
I'm just a big kid at heart... I love a great waterslide.
The waterslides on some cruise ships are pretty lame, but...
Waterslides are kind of Norwegian's thing!
They have the best ones of any of the cruise lines.
I really liked this gentle waterslide where you sit on a big inner tube.
It's a very fun ride, and won't scare you.
Lots of fun to do this one over and over, and there's no extra charge to ride it.
Then, if you're brave, you've got to try this one!
Where the floor drops out from under you.
That scares the heck out of you for that first moment...
And then after that you're going through a tube with water spraying everywhere...
And you even go uphill at a couple of points.
You'll get a lot of thrills out of this ride, and...
A lot of laughs listening to people scream at the moment the trap door opens up!
(SCREAMING!)
Another great thing about Norwegian Bliss... is that it features the best version of "The Haven" that Norwegian's come up with yet.
In case you don't know, The Haven is an exclusive area of the ship...
For people who are willing to pay a big premium to get a pampered, full-service, un-crowded cruise experience.
The regular passengers will never get inside the Haven, or even look inside of it.
It's a private, exclusive area for the most affluent passengers on the ship.
You have the full service of a butler, a private restaurant...
A private lounge and bar with amazing views...
A private courtyard with a swimming pools and Jacuzzis...
And lots of super-comfy chairs and loungers...
As well as a private sundeck with the best, most comfortable loungers and daybeds...
And a staff waiting on your every need.
The Haven is pricey, but If you can swing the cost...
It's a style of cruising that's pretty hard to beat.
I've been fortunate enough to cruise in The Haven on several Norwegian ships...
And The Haven on Norwegian Bliss is the best of the best.
If you're interested in booking a cruise, contact my travel agent, Caitlin Gallagher, of Ambren Travel...
And she'll take good care of you.
I'm Jim Zim...
A big fan of Norwegian Bliss, Anthem Of The Seas, and Carnival Vista.
Three fantastic cruise ships that I highly recommend.
Cruise #45 for me is coming up pretty soon.
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