Exciting news from Celebrity

I'm a big fan of cruising but a little bird told me some exciting news last week that I had to share about something that is coming from Celebrity in 2015. Celebrity Century is offering three new routes and I think they will be booked up super fast.

The new itineraries – a 14-night sailing from Singapore to Dubai departing on 22 March 2015, and a 15-night Suez Canal cruise from Dubai to Rome on 5 April 2015 – will offer the perfect combination of immersive experiences on land and luxurious days at sea. Guests also have the opportunity to enjoy an extended holiday onboard Celebrity Century by sailing back-to-back, from Singapore to Rome, for 29 nights of Celebrity’s delectable, award-winning cuisine, impeccable service and engaging entertainment.

 

·         The 14-night sailing from Singapore to Dubai will feature visits to Muscat (Oman) and Cochin (India) as well as three ports entirely new to Celebrity Cruises: New Mangalore, Goa (Mormugao) and Mumbai (Bombay), India. The sailing culminates in an overnight stay in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

·         The new 15-night itinerary from Dubai will be highlighted by passage through the Suez Canal and visits to Ashdod (Israel) and Rhodes and Athens (Piraeus) (Greece) before arriving into Rome (Civitavecchia, Italy).

Guests with bookings on Celebrity Century’s previously scheduled cruises departing on 22 March, 5 April and 17 April 2015, are being contacted by Celebrity Cruises, and offered the opportunity to be re-accommodated on the two new sailings or on their choice from among 12 itineraries in Asia on Celebrity Century or Celebrity Millennium in 2015. Guests who opt to re-book will be able to do so at the lowest available rate if moving to selected sailings in the same level of accommodation and will receive onboard credit of $200 per stateroom or $400 per suite.

For more information on Celebrity Cruises and the available sailings, please visit www.celebritycruises.ie,

this is something worth saving up for or putting on your bucket list!

Christmas Markets Belfast

My nine-year-old daughter is a big shopper and she wanted to know more about Christmas Markets so I decided to search out some yuletide cheer close to home. We cajoled my friend Catherine and her daughter Alice into taking the trip with us across the border for a night to see what Belfast had to offer.
We were pleasantly surprised with the continental market finding all the atmosphere and ambiance that a trip to Cologne or Prague would usually require. But we had it all only two hours drive from Dublin. Beerkellers and stalls selling traditional German sausage and French Tarteflette sat next to handcrafted French soap and Italian chocolates.

The girls had even more fun next day when we visited Winter Wonderland. With a real ice-rink and enough fairground rides to amuse the girls for the afternoon it was a massive hit.

The girls with penguin friends took easily to the ice and below with Santa on the rollercoaster!

The entire article is available to read on the Sunday World website by clicking here www.sundayworld.com

Christmas markets proved a big hit with our pair and I can't wait to see where we end up next year!

Hope your Christmas was wonderful and here's to many happy adventures in 2014!

Happy travels

Michelle x

Anthem of the Seas

I recently attended a function in London to hear some exciting news about Royal Caribbean's new cruise ship Anthem of the Seas. I travelled on the Allure of the Seas earlier this year and thought that Royal couldn't be anymore innovative but it seems that I am proved wrong. I've been updated on the ships progress by the Head of Press the lovely Surinder Manky pictured below.

 The new Quantum class is shaping up to be one of the most exciting cruise ships on the seas and I cannot wait to sea the sister ship of Anthem, Quantum of the Seas, when it is finished next year. One of the features which is going to appeal to all cruisers is the stunning new theatre called Two70, set against a 270* panoramic view of the sea. The big news to accompany the launch of Anthem is that Music is going to be a major feature on the ship. Music is important to everybody and Royal have certainly done their research on this one. In a poll of the British public they found that it was one of the most important mediums to express emotion and reminds us of pivotal moments in our life weddings, break up, romance and of course holidays. The poll also came up with a short list of rousing songs which touched their emotions deeply and among Elgar's 'Nimrod' theme and the Beatles' Hey Jude' the top anthem was chosen to be 'Beautiful Day' by the Irish boys, U2! The Royal Philharmonic played their own renditions of the songs and prepared the speeches by BBC DJ Stuart Marconie and the Chief Executive of RCCL Adam Goldstein.

To have an even more memorable holiday experience Royal have added a ski diving simulator, a bumper car arena and a circus school as features in the new ship along with all the old favourites. In the new year there will be further announcements regarding music acts which will be appearing on the new schedule for Anthem. Even better news for Irish and Uk passengers is that Anthem will be based in Southampton when she goes to sea in Spring 2015. That means routes to the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas.
There is another feature on the Quantum class that may well blow you away and that is the North Star -  a glass pod which will hover over the ship suspended by a giant arm, giving its occupants a completely unique experience of the sea around and below them. It may well be the perfect spot for a special proposal or exchanging of vows!

After the spectacular entertainment we were left with not doubt that the entertainment on the

Anthem of the Seas holds plenty of more surprises to be unveiled before its maiden voyage 

in early 2015. If you are a regular cruiser and thinking of trying out Anthem you will need to 

get booking in Spring 2014 because something tells me that the demand is going to be huge.

Happy cruising

Michelle  :)

Acropolis Wow!

I recently spent two days in Athens while waiting to meet up with my cruise ship Celebrity Reflection and was pleasantly surprised by the buzz and delights waiting for us. The full article is available on the Sunday World website and you can read it here www.sundayworld.com/acropolis-wow
Athens isn't somewhere that comes to mind when thinking of a city break but two nights was the perfect length of time to see all that the city has to offer.

The changing of the guard in ceremonial dress is a must at the parliament buildings.

There were plenty of traditional restaurants to choose from in the Plaka and winding streets with interesting souvenirs on sale

The Acropolis and environs are not completely renovated yet but it is a magical site to visit and now there is an impressive museum at the bottom of the mound which is a must visit.

As my article in the Sunday World confirms we were Wow-ed by Athens!

If you are thinking of staying in Athens the Radisson Blu Park is a great base and has reasonable rates. The rooftop pool is a must to escape the heat from the busy streets and the staff were lovely.

the website is www.radissonblu.com/hotel-athens click if you would like more details.

All about the elves at Bluestone

We had the most fantastic time in Bluestone Resort in Pembrokeshire a couple of weeks ago when I took a trip to see Kingdom of the Elves for the Irish Mail on Sunday. the weather was cracking with plenty of sunshine and we were able to partake in a host of wonderful family fun including archery, catapulting and high rope tree climbing! It's a self contained park with lots of wonderful shops and restaurants and all the accommodation is sympathetically built in tandem with the natural beauty of the landscape.

We got to see the Elves and swim in the amazing Aqua park. It was lovely for me too as I escaped to the Well Spa which was a real treat with lots of luxury in thermal suite and outdoor whirlpool. The food was cracking and we dined in the Careg Las restaurant among other delights. In fact it was so good we are hoping to return next summer when the weather will be warmer. It is easy to get to from Ireland if you take the Rosslare - Fishguard ferry and the boat trip was a pleasure in itself. Neither of the kids wanted it to end and it was wonderful to avoid the stresses of the airport so I will be taking a Stena Line trip again when I want to go to the UK. To read more about the trip the full article was published on the 8th December in the Irish Mail on Sunday.

Liverpool

It's that time of year again when football is a very important topic in our house. The season has started off well for Liverpool FC and my son has already started to drop hints about a return to Anfield. My article about our last trip is available on the Sunday World website and to read it just click here http://www.sundayworld.com/lifestyle/travel/weekend
It really is a lovely city to visit and there is a lot more to see than football. I managed to fit in a Beatles Pilgrimage too. Here we are at the original Strawberry Fields. A local cab driver brought us on a tour of all the Beatles sights and it's a great way to get to see everything when you have a pressing appointment like a football match to go to.

 I look forward to our return but we have some other destinations to see first and I will be blogging soon about our visit to Bluestone Park in Wales - you will be able to read about it in the Irish Mail on Sunday too.

Happy travels

Michelle :)

Barbie Girls with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line!

The press trip which started all this travel writing happened earlier this year when I was invited to take my daughter on a Royal Caribbean Cruise...and what a trip it was! My eight-year-old had to be coaxed (kicking and screaming I might add) off the ship after our seven night stay.

We started off in Fort Lauderdale and took two days to reach the paradise island of Labadee. It truly was a sight to behold and with plenty to entice us back on the ship from Barbie events to new friends we started our journey to the next port of call Falmouth, Jamaica.

 Here we trekked Dunes River Falls and felt very adventurous indeed - Bob Marley music of course was everywhere and when we skyped my husband and son back in Dublin later that day they were very jealous!

Final destination was Cozumel Mexico and by now we were in a dream - the full article can be read by clicking here  http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/view-in-the-news/65/when-barbie-met-ken/ and Nicole had such a fab time she blogged about it herself!
If you ever considered cruising with kids then read this article that I wrote for the Irish Mail on Sunday first!

Happy holidays

Michelle :)

www.michellejackson.ie

Son and the City

 This year I took my son to New York with United Airlines and we stayed in the fabulous Beacon Hotel on Broadway - it's a great location and close to the Natural History Museum and Central Park. New York is somewhere you think of taking the girls but I can vouch for it as a destination for boys too. For more information see http://www.nycgo.com/
Here is a link to one of the articles that I wrote for the Sunday World newspaper. http://www.sundayworld.com/lifestyle/travel/son-and-the-city

Happy travels

Michelle :)

Welcome to the Novel Traveller

Hello and welcome!
I have finally decided to start a Travel Blog and it is long overdue. I have written six novels set in various locations around the world and have been writing travel articles for months now. So I have decided to dedicate some time to blogging about my travels and I will be tweeting and facebooking too.
Nothing expands the mind like travel and I love to see new locations and watch different cultures. After teaching art for many years I think nothing inspires young and old like seeing the way people live, work, eat and make beautiful art around the world. I hope you will join me and leave comments, questions and suggestions.
Happy travelling

Michelle :)