Conference abbott::cruise_travel

    
    Colleen,
    
    I believe this is the name given to the ships used by Premier Cruise
    Lines for the Disney cruises.  Look in the notes files under Premier
    and you will probably find more information.
    
    My sister-in-law and brother-in-law and their two sons took this cruise
    combined with a Disney World land package this past July and they had a
    good time.
    
    Hope this helps!
    
    Bobbie J. Pratts
    dtn: 592-4325

    I think you'll find it super although its really the tops for kids.
    Disney characters everywhere, etc but there plenty to keep adults
    busy as well.

    Unless it changed recently, "The Big Red Boat" refers to the ships
    used by Premier cruise lines as mentioned in one reply. Premier
    cruise line is the one that offers the Disney cruise package and
    is official cruise line of disney world. Each ship has a name. When
    I went on a disney cruise it was on the Star Ship Royale, which I 
    believe they do not use now. I believe the other ship was the Star
    Ship Oceanic and I believe they still use it. They have several ships. They
    had two ships in 88, both operated out of Port Canerval. Basic package
    was 7 days, either 3 day cruise and 4 days land in orlando, or
    4 day cruise, 3 days land. I believe they may have 3 ships or so now.
    
    Assuming same as before then it is a pretty good cruise. Good food,
    etc. Entertainment is pretty weak.  The big thing is these cruises
    are swamped with kids, they have an excellent kids program but if
    you are an adult wanting to relax at sea etc. then it would will 
    not generally be as enjoyable as a more standard cruise.
    
    Premier does run a good kids oriented cruise line. Most adults going
    also enjoy it.
    
    If I had to pay full fare and wanted a 3/4 day cruise for adults then
    I would steer to say RCCL Nordic EMpress out of Miami to Bahamas or
    Carnival or others. At full price a 4 night cruise can cost almost
    as much as some steeply discounted 7 night cruises.
    
    When you say part of five days on a cruise, it is normally a 4 night
    cruise. For the five days the first day is mostly wasted getting to
    the ship and they kick you off bright and early on the last day. So
    basically that leaves you 3 fulls days to enjoy the cruise.
    
    	3 night cruise gives you 2 full days
    	4 night cruise gives you 3 full days
    	7 night cruise gives you 6 full days
    
    There are references to Premier cruise line in this notes conference.	
    
    					Harold C.
    

    Thank you all for your responses.  The package that I'm going on is not
    with Disney, but with Vacation Break USA.  Higgings from Magnum P.I. is
    their spokesman (timeshare/promotional junk).  We got to go via filling
    out a coupon at the 1992 Automobile Show at the Bay Side Expo.  We have
    18 months to use the trip.  I don't know that we'll be on the ship with
    Disney characters and kids or what.  Has anyone ever heard of anyone
    that went on this same deal?  The person that I booked the cruise with
    said that it is Premiere Cruise Lines - The Big Red Boat, then they
    said, "You know...the ships that Disney uses" - Does that mean that
    we'll be with Disney people?  We're getting on the ship in
    Ft.Lauderdale and our itinerary doesn't mention a pick up of any other
    people at any other port.  Are we safe?  Will it really be romantic?
    Anyone knowing of this "Vacation Break" thing, please respond if 
    possible - the responses are getting scarier.  I was looking forward
    to a quiet and romantic cruise with my hubby.
    
    Thanks in advance!
    
    Colleen Ritchie
    241-3557 (DTN)
    wmois::ritchie
                  

    I really do not know anything about Vacation break USA. I am always
    leary of anything that relates to timeshares regardless of
    spokesperson. I would not spend any money unless you feel 
    comfortable with this outfit.
    
    Is Vacation break the travel agent ?? They should provide the full
    brochure etc. for this cruise to you. You did not provide any details
    of cabin type, location etc, which ship, cost ?? 
    
    Premier is a separate company. It's only tie to disney is it
    is the official cruise line and it is allowed to use some of the
    Disney characters on the cruise, Mickey, minnie , pluto etc. Just like Delta
    is the official airline of disney world etc. You can book Disney 
    cruises through the Walt Disney World travel club or any agent, as you
    can book cruises for RCCL, NCL, Carnival etc.  I
    think they normally only use about four characters and they are
    mainly involved with kids activities. Non of the employees would
    work for disney.  I would assume when the characters showed up that
    there are cruise staff personnel under the customes. Disney probably
    limits the amount of time the characters are there and there conduct.
    Disney is very strict on things like this.
    
    I am assuming this package was a freebie or something. If it is
    Premier then they  are a good cruise line and it should be fun even
    though I would not pick a Premier Disney cruise for a romantic
    get away if paying full price. There are a lot of couples and even
    honeymooners who go on Disney cruises. Should be safe, no problem on
    cruise. If typical 3 or 4 night cruise then all people get on and off
    at same port. Ports in between are for visits only. Security is 
    pretty tight getting on and off ships so do not worry.
    
    As in any vacation anywere, take normal common sense precautions,
    relax and have a good time.
    
    Premier cruise line is not a problem. YOur only problem would be
    if this Vacation break is not legitimate. It seems to me at the
    very least you need to do some more homework here, especially
    before spending any money at all.
    
    				harold c.
    

    I read in the trades last week that Premier and Disney are parting ways
    in the next few months.  Premier is negotiating with Warner Bros for
    Bugs and the boys and Disney is negotiating with Carnival and RCCL to
    place Mickey and the gang on thier ships.
    
    If I see that any agreements have been reached, I will post the info.
    
    In the meantime, if you have your heart set on dinner with Donald and a
    dance with Goofy, you should sign up and sail ASAP!
    
    -jer

I bought a vacation thru Vacation Break a few years ago.  It was one of those
deals where you had to take a tour of a vacation timesharing place in Ft.
Lauderdale, then you went on the Sea Escape to the Bahamas for a couple of
nights.  To any rate, right after I committed to buying the vacation I got
cold feet whether they were reputable, having heard some horror stories about
these things from others.  My father called the BBB and they were very reputable.
I ended up giving the vacation to my parents and we never used it until about
two years later.  We paid $25 or so to extend the deadline that you can use it.
In the end everything they had committed to for the package was legitimate.
They were just a little disappointed because the Sea Escape is not like a 
real cruise.  But I would say you're safe with Vacation Break.

    Thank you again for your timely responses.  It's nice to know that
    Vacation Break is legitimate.  The particular ship has been confirmed
    to be the Star/Ship Majestic.  We have a cabin in the center/back of
    the ship - on a level that is second from the bottom.  There are 3
    passenger levels (capacity 1080 or so) we're on the middle level.  It
    seems to be a large ship.  How large are cabins usually. What should I 
    expect????  Are there non-smoking rooms???  Thanks for your help thus
    far!
    
    Thanks again
    Colleen
    

    A ship that size would be considered more of a medium size ship now
    since some ships hold up to 2600 passengers. It will however be
    plenty large. I've been on ships that hold 700 passengers to ones
    that hold 2200 and enjoyed each.
    
    Unless you booked a suite expect cabin to be very small relative to
    hotel/motel rooms. Ship cabins are usually small, but very 
    efficient. You are usually not in cabin that much. 
    
    I have not been on a cruise with non smoking cabins. We only had 
    one experience which was bad in the cabin. On our second cruise
    our cabin smell badly from smokers. It was obvious that a bunch of
    them must have sat in the cabin the last morning and smoked their
    brains out. The cabin stewart washed the walls and ceilings by hand
    while we were at supper the first night. After the disenfectant 
    wore off it was fine. 
    
    As far as smoking elsewhere. Most ships have smoking and non smoking
    areas in most lounges. From my experience, it seems that more ships
    are providing separate areas for non smokers. On our last cruise
    they did not allow smoking at all in the main lounge during shows.
    There are however still a lot of places, especially the Casino which
    you end up with smokers all around you.
    
    					Harold C.
    

    
    	The majestic is a VERY small ship compared to the number of people
    it holds. Our first cruise was on that ship out of Port Caniveral.
    
    The Majestic is only a 17,000 ton ship and yes it hold ~1080 people.
    As a comparison, we took a cruise on NCL's Dreamward this past spring.
    The Dreamward was a 41,000 ton ship and holds 1250 people. When we
    were in Ft. Lauderdale the morning of cruise departure, the Majestic
    pulled into the port and anchored across from the Dreamward. We have
    a picture of both ships together. The majestic is dwarfed. Ships in
    the range of 40-60,000 are in the midship range....
    
    Some more info:
    
    	Common area on this ship is very limited.... There is the disco
    lounge, the nightclub, the movie theatre, and the casino area. And
    of course the dining room. other than that there is some out door
    seating. and a small snack bar up on the pool deck. The boat is
    small enough and the movement sufficient enough for them to drain
    the pool when the ship is moving.
    
    Activity for the kids was great! There were alot of kids on the
    ship.
    
    The food was very good.
    
    		- Annie

I went to a Premier Cruise Line Trade Show the other night and here
is some of the information that they presented.  As of April 1st, 
Premier will no longer be the "official" cruise line for Disney.  
However, they will still offer vacation packages which include Disney.

Instead of Disney characters being on board, they will have Looney
Tune characters on board - Tweety Bird, Road Runner, Daffy Duck, Bugs
Bunny, etc.  Unlike Disney characters, the Looney Tune characters will
be employees of Premier Cruise Lines.  This means that the characters
will be visible throughout the cruise.  Disney characters belonged to
Disney and because of a union contract, the time spent in their costumes
were limited - so apparently, they were not always around to entertain.

Premier feels that without the "official" title, they can offer more 
for family vacationers.  They are no longer limited to Disney.  Starting
in 1994, Premier will also offer Universal Studios and Sea World as part
of their cruise package.

    If I remember correctly from my one and only Premier cruise in 88
    the Disney characters were not around much at all. They did not
    appear that often and only briefly. I did think they were available
    plenty enough. If they were around all the time then I think I would
    have jumped ship.

    This is an unofficial update on Disney's cruise connections.
    
    In the Feb. 94 Ocean and Cruise News the following article appeared.
    Taken without permission.
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    ORLANDO - Word continues to circulate within the cruise industry that the
    Walt Disney Company will shortly announce plans to build two large
    cruise ships. Last year, Disney and Premier Cruise Line failed to reach
    an agreement to renew the contract that designated Premier as the
    "Official Cruise Line" of Walt Disney World. Current speculation is
    that the ships would be in the 2,000 passenger range.
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    If this did occur it would interesting to see if someone was
    Designated to be official until the new ships were built, since that
    is no quick process. Premier's designation was to expire 31 March 94.
    
    					Harold C.
    
    

	Harold,

        What is "Ocean and Cruise News"?  Is it similar to Cruise Travel
        Magazine?

        Patty 

                  

    It is a monthly news letter published by the World Ocean & Cruise
    Liner Society, newsletter published since 1980. It is very simple, usually
    about 16 pages, with black and white photos only, no ads at all. They
    mail directly to your house and typically there is one cruise brochure
    from a cruise line enclosed also. I've gotten Cunard a lot, Holland
    America, RCCL, Sun, Princess etc. They have data on new ships etc.,
    ratings and that such. Cost is $28 per year. It is simple but 
    informative. I've never seen it at a paper stand. I believe I got
    a card to join after my first cruise but do not specifically  remember.
    I've met people who have been on 25 or more cruises that do not
    know about it. A lot of their information is from travel agents etc.
    
    
    
	World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society 
        P.O. Box 92
        Stamford, Conn. 06913-0033
    
    	Annual membership which includes newsletter (12 issues) is $28.00 U.S.
        $32.00 outside U.S.
    
    	If you were interested you could just write for more information.
        Remember this is no glossy magazine, just plain old stapled paper.
    
    
    				Harold C.

	Harold,

        Thank you for the information.  I am interested and will check
        with them.  I appreciate you including the address.

        Patty McL
		

    	anyone lately been on the Big Red Boat out of Port Canaveral ?
    we are taking our children....plus' the minus' the have to see...
    
    frank