Travel journalist Kaye Holland joins Daniel Edward on Destination Unlocked to recap her inaugural sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world (up to 7,600 passengers).

They discuss how the ship is designed as a “destination” with eight neighbourhoods, including the plant-filled Central Park, plus multiple pools and an adults-only hideaway to spread crowds out.

Kaye highlights high-energy entertainment - especially the Aqua Show “Shockwave,” the ice venue Absolute Zero, and the main-theatre production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with rotating child actors - and stresses booking shows early via the app.

Food standouts include the Windjammer buffet, the main dining room’s off-menu options, and buzzworthy extra-cost venues like Royal Railway and the Hollywood Supper Club.

They also cover cabins, add-on costs (Wi‑Fi, drinks packages, paid activities), and souvenirs like Legend caps and Skipper the dog merchandise.

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https://www.destinationunlocked.com/episode/legend-of-the-seas

https://www.destinationunlocked.com/guests/kaye-holland

This is destination unlocked with me, Daniel Edward.

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Hi.

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Welcome back to Destination Unlocked,

where today we are heading back to sea,

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and indeed it's with a friend of the show.

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Kaye Holland, who's a travel

journalist, is back with us hot

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off the heels of her inaugural

cruise on The Legend of the Seas.

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This is the brand new Royal

Caribbean ship, biggest in the world.

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Oh my goodness.

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It's got so much on it.

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Kaye had an amazing time as

you're about to find out.

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Enjoy.

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Kaye, welcome back to

Destination Unlocked.

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What are you unlocking for us today?

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Kaye Holland: Well today, Daniel,

I am unlocking the world's newest

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and largest cruise ship, Royal

Caribbean's, Legend of the Seas.

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Daniel Edward: So exciting, you've just

got off the inaugural cruise, which

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must have been exciting in itself.

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but can we just start with the

scale of this thing and what it was

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like to just arrive and see this

monstrously huge, how it stays afloat.

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I've got no idea.

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this thing is massive, right?

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Kaye Holland: It's absolutely

enormous and you are right.

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It's impossible to talk about Legend

of the Seas without doing the numbers.

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Um, it's longer than the shard

and the Eiffel Tower, it's maximum

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capacity is like 7,600 passengers.

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It is just staggering.

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And when you see it, it's overwhelming.

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And I had four full days on board, which

were inaugural, sort of shaped down

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sailing for travel journalists and media.

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That sounds a decent

amount of time, right?

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Daniel Edward: I would say so.

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Kaye Holland: Honestly, I could not have

got around and seen the ship and then had

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the confidence to come on the podcast and

share it with you today if I hadn't had

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those

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Kaye Holland: four full days.

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There is so much to see and do.

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It is, pretty overwhelming.

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But the whole thing, I think about Royal

Caribbean the ship is the destination.

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Yes, we did stop in Italy, but actually

the ship is the destination in itself.

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Daniel Edward: Did people get

off when you went to the port?

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Kaye Holland: Some did.

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I'd say about 50%, but usually on a

cruise, that's half the thing, isn't it?

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You get a taster of the destination.

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I'd say about 50% people, travel agents

and journalists that are familiar

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with raw Caribbean's icon class

ship, ' cause legend is the third in

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this particular class, they got off.

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But if you were new to rural Caribbean or

you'd never experienced the icon class,

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quite frankly, they stayed on board.

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Daniel Edward: that's only because

they couldn't find the gangway.

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So I used to work at Royal Caribbean.

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This was the very first

cruise line that I worked at.

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Kaye Holland: I forgot that.

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So you did.

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, Daniel Edward: The largest ship that I

worked on had four and a half thousand

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people and already that was quite sizable

and you could get through a whole week

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and still be meeting new people by the

end of the week and you'd be like, oh my

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gosh, have you been on this whole time?

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So I'm imagining that on one as large as

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Legend

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, Daniel Edward: you are seeing

new people all the time.

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Kaye Holland: You, you pretty much are.

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It's one of those things, there's

a couple of people that you do keep

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bumping into no matter the size.

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You do keep bumping into And

then there are other people, I

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knew were

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Kaye Holland: on board and I never saw

them, never saw them, didn't see them

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in a show, didn't see them in a dinner.

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Some people you had to specifically

say, Hey, let's meet at this time

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in Central Park, which I'll tell

you about a bit later for a drink.

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I think that's one of the

things about ships, this scale.

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If you don't want to be

bumping into people constantly

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that you know, that's great.

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But if, perhaps if you're a solo

traveller and you want to meet

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up regularly, it's a harder one.

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Daniel Edward: And a lot of

cruise lines and Royal included

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do have a solo programme.

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Some cruise lines do it better than

others, but they'll facilitate a

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meetup on either the first night or a

lunchtime on a sea day to help people

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get together.

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But the thing that I find with Royal

Caribbean, where they stand out for me,

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is that their activities programme is

so full that if you want to meet people,

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it really doesn't take much to have the

opportunity to go and join in a game.

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You make friends with people quite

naturally just by joining in.

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Kaye Holland: You absolutely do.

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And I think this ship, it's

not for shrinking violets.

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There's, so many activities, so you

have to be quite social and up for it

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and, and wanting to try these things.

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And therefore you'll meet

like-minded, people.

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Daniel Edward: What sort

of things were going on?

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Kaye Holland: Oh my goodness.

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There's so many water parks and rides.

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There's an attraction called the

Crown's Edge, which honestly,

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I completely wimped out.

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It's this sort of thrill ride.

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It's a skywalk ropes course

all rolled into one, Daniel it

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extends out over the ocean's edge.

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154 feet.

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It was above the Mediterranean Sea.

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it's my idea of hell, but

it was very, very popular.

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Is it something you'd do?

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Daniel Edward: it's something that I would

say I would do, but you just describing

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it has made my palms go a bit sweaty.

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Kaye Holland: Yeah, , it wasn't for me,

but kudos to everyone that managed it.

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and then of course you've got a surf

simulator, there's rock climbing walls.

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Daniel Edward: And these are Royal

Caribbean classics, aren't they?

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, Kaye Holland: Yeah, these are

Royal Caribbean classics and will

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just sort of really suits anyone

that loves the vibe of a big ship.

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and a, resort, you know, like if you're

thinking of the land based equivalent,

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it would be huge all inclusive resort

or like a centre parks, I suppose.

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There was just something to keep

everybody busy at every hour.

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Daniel Edward: And one of the great skills

of a good cruise director when they're

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designing a programme is dividing people

up so that one area isn't overwhelmed

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with people and another area is empty.

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I think this ship has been very

nicely designed to help people spread

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out so that even though there are a

lot of people on board, you're not

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necessarily feeling it all the time.

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I was just counting the

number of suing pools.

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There are a tonne of options.

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Kaye Holland: There are, I think

it was, about seven swimming pools.

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There was also a hideaway

adults only area.

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So you are right.

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It's not like everyone's

crowding around one area.

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There are a lot of spread out areas,

and I actually found this area I just

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mentioned a little earlier, central Park.

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Are you familiar with that?

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Daniel Edward: I love the concept.

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Kaye Holland: Yes, it's

a fantastic concept.

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So every time I thought, oh, maybe

legends just a little bit loud.

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Perhaps it's getting a bit too rowdy.

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I went to Central Park, which was

on deck eight, and it was this

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plant and bird song filled Oasis.

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It had 35,000 real plants and

Birdsong was being piped in.

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and you just pinched yourself.

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You'd look around and think, how

is this actually on a cruise ship?

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And it was also lined with

sort of quieter cafes and bars.

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there was this great spot called Trellis

and a cafe called Central Park Cafe.

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And there you could just

breathe slow down a little.

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it is nonstop, but there

are also quieter spots too.

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Daniel Edward: Central Park

is such a, special place.

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I saw it on Allure of the

Seas ' cause it was the Oasis

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class where they first launched it.

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and, it's a different feel it's a chance

to totally relax in what feels so natural.

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As you're walking through, you lose

this concept of exactly where you are.

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being on this very super

saturated in colour ship.

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it's a very in your face brand And

then you go into this little ais in

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the middle and you can breathe a bit.

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Kaye Holland: You can.

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That's exactly it.

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A little oasis where you can breathe.

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It was honestly my

favourite spot on board.

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Daniel Edward: I can see why, and heading

towards the after of the ship from Central

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Park, you end up in another neighbourhood,

which I found quite interesting.

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Kaye Holland: Yeah, you

are absolutely right.

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So that was very, very clever how

there these eight neighbourhoods

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and each is designed to appeal to

a, a different kind of traveller.

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so Surfside, was all very candy

coloured and bubblegum hued, and it

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was basically for families and kids.

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but I thought that was really,

really clever, to have these

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neighbourhoods each designed to appeal

to a different type of traveller.

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I can't stress enough the level of detail

that had gone into building this ship.

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Daniel Edward: being in those

meetings when they were playing

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with ideas to get this thing up

and going, must have been amazing.

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what a privilege for those people Royal

clearly has the funds to make anything

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happen that they want to make happen.

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And so to sit in that room and say,

Hey, what do you think about this?

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and actually get to see it through.

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It's incredible.

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Kaye Holland: Absolutely.

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I mean, the only limit is

imagination, , with Royal Caribbean,

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Daniel Edward: Yeah, one of the areas

which I would love to see I wonder if

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you went to one of these shows, was

the new Aqua Theatre, which has moved

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on this class of ship to the front

of the ship at the top in the dome.

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Kaye Holland: Oh, that was

probably my absolute highlight.

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I saw the show on the first night, Daniel.

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It was just absolutely, I

mean, look, I'm lost for words.

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It was absolutely staggering.

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Shockwave was the show and it was

this very high energy acro show.

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a lot of the performers actually are

former Olympians and it combine diving

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acrobatics and sort of synchronised

swimming in aquatic choreography.

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And yeah, your jaw just dropped.

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Daniel Edward: think I'd try

and be there every night.

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How does it work with the shows then?

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Because you've got so many different

venues that you could be going to, do

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you need to book before you arrive?

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Is there a box office on day one?

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Kaye Holland: Royal Caribbean,

a bit like so many cruise

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lines, they're going digital.

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You have to download the app in advance.

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That's where you get your boarding pass.

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They call it a set sale pass.

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But same thing, that's where you

can see , the daily programme.

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And that is where you

make your reservations.

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, And it is essential.

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I pretty much made reservations on

my first day for the week, so you

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do have to be organised if you leave

it and wake up on the day and think,

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oh, I'll go and see the show tonight.

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you can always go along and you

might get in, but it's popular.

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Especially it's, especially the

Aqua Show and the Ice Skating

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show, they're so popular.

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So book is my tip and not only book, don't

think I've booked and I've got a ticket

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and I'll show up five minutes before.

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Definitely show up at least 15 minutes

before to make sure you get a seat.

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They're very, very popular.

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Daniel Edward: I remember

this from years ago.

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Seating in these theatres

is a competitive sport.

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Kaye Holland: that's very well put.

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That sums it up.

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Exactly.

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Daniel Edward: But you've

got three main theatres.

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So you've got the aqua dome at the top.

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You've got, the ice skating rink,

which I think has been rebranded.

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It used to be called Studio B.

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This one

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Daniel Edward: Is called absolute zero

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And then you've got a main theatre.

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Kaye Holland: which

there's been a lot of buzz

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The main theatre is where, you can go

and see Dale's Charlie in the Chocolate

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Factory the first time it's been put

on at sea and that, was incredible.

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And they actually had, which

surprised me, two children that

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are rotating, playing Charlie.

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So the guy we saw, young boy from W

Hampton, he was about to get off the

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next day and go back to school, and then

in six weeks he'll come back on board.

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So they're rotating.

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it was just this phenomenal show.

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I'm a theatre lover.

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I spend a lot of my disposable cash either

on travelling or going to the theatre.

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And I've been very fortunate

to see a lot of West End

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shows, a lot of Broadway shows.

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This would not be out of place on either.

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Daniel Edward: I'm absolutely

bamboozled by that.,

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A child crew member that's bonkers.

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Six weeks.

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a what?

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Kaye Holland: watching it to start

with thinking, is that a child?

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Is it a adult playing a child?

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But no, it was actually child actors.

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Daniel Edward: Wow.

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Sir.

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Kaye Holland: They were fabulous.

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It was honestly, if you're a role

doll fan, it was just brought to life.

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Daniel Edward: That's amazing.

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They have made themselves a reputation

over the years of being absolutely

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top option for these Broadway calibre

shows with, which actually, I can't

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find a better word, and this is

the wrong word, but proper shows.

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Kaye Holland: you are right.

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I'd heard that, but I was a bit

sceptical until I actually experienced

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it and saw it with my own eyes.

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And I'm not going to

mention other cruise lines.

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All I will say is it makes

other cruise line entertainment.

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And I mean, when I'm talking about

other cruise lines, I mean the big

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mass market, mega cruising, it makes

it look a little cheesy, perhaps

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a bit end of pier it's an overused

phrase, but it really was next level.

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Daniel Edward: It was one of the hardest

things for me actually leaving Royal

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Caribbean, where I was saying at the

beginning of a cruise, you are about

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to experience the best entertainment

at sea that this world can offer you.

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And I, think that is still the case.

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Royal keep impressing me with

the level of their entertainment.

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The budgets must be monstrously

huge, but it's worth it.

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Oh my gosh.

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America's Got Talent is on board as well.

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Kaye Holland: Didn't get to see

that actually on my sailing.

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But America's got talent on board.

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So the options, you could be on for

a week, two weeks, and you could

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see something different every night.

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But you'd have to plan it.

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What I had to plan around it was my

meals, which sounds like such a first

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world problem, but I'd be like, oh,

I'm going to see that show at eight

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30 and then I'm gonna go and see that

one at 10 30 and I've gotta fit in

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the duelling pianos and the karaoke.

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So actually a couple of nights I ended

up just going to the Windjammer buffet,

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despite there being so many venues

just because I needed a quick 30 minute

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dinner before I went to my next show.

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Daniel Edward: sound like crew member.

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Kaye Holland: I

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Daniel Edward: just

gotta squeeze it in in my

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Kaye Holland: you've gotta squeeze it in.

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, But there actually a lot of

restaurants having said that, like

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the main dining room, they would

say when you sat down, Hey Daniel,

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are you going to a show tonight?

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What's Time?

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Do you want one course?

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Do you want three courses?

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And they would work

around your show schedule.

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Daniel Edward: the slickness of that

operation think how many plates are

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going out in one evening's service.

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they have to be able to get

you to where you want to be at

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whatever time you wanna be there.

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It's an amazing operation.

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What sort of food did you have?

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Kaye Holland: Well, I'm a vegetarian, so

I didn't go to any of the more meaty ones.

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But I mentioned the Windjammer

buffet, which I was blown away.

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You think of buffet, you think

pizza, pasta, a bit of salad?

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No, they had a Jamaica night one night.

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I live in Brixton in South

London, which is little Jamaica.

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No as good as anything that

I would have here at home.

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the main dining room I was actually

very, very impressed with that.

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Actually, I've got another tip for you.

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In the main dining room, they

have their menu for each day.

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They also have off menu,

items which aren't listed.

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I said, I'm a vegetarian.

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I'll go for whatever it was.

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I think it was a sort of

veggie steak on the thing.

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And then the waiter said, oh,

actually we've also got this.

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And it was an Indian T outfit.

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And I said, okay, I'll try that.

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So if, the waiters suggest

something off menu, go for it.

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It was an Indian chef

and it was phenomenal.

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Daniel Edward: Oh, I like the idea

of secret menus means you have to

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get in with the team, don't you?

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You're like, oh, tell, come on.

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What's tonight?

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What's your secret?

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Kaye Holland: Yeah,

that's absolutely true.

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I went to the Aqu market.

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they've got five new food stands

there, so I love the Spanish one.

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They also had a Korean one, but I

think the two dining venues that

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are really, getting the bars and

grabbing all the headlines one's

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called Royal Railway, and it's this

immersive train theme dining journey.

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And the other one, which I didn't

get to experience, is the Hollywood

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Supper Club, where you've got

multi-course meals served to live jazz.

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if I going back, that

would be on my bucket list.

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I will say, such a cliche, but bored

with an appetite because the amount

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of dining options is staggering.

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Daniel Edward: And the quality is, good.

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Kaye Holland: The quality given.

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How many people you're catering for?

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Surprisingly very high.

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I thought it was, higher

than lines of the same ilk.

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, There was a great cafe in the middle

of the ship, 24 hours, Pearl Cafe.

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Royal Caribbean's an American line, right?

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I wondered it was going

to be very American.

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I would eat, but would I eat well, in

my opinion, was it going to be burgers?

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Pizzas?

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No.

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I was having beer muley,

blueberry parfaits for breakfast,

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beet root salads for lunch.

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you ate a lot, but it was quite

easy to eat healthily too.

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Daniel Edward: You did

this cruise in Europe,

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and they'll be picking up

some of the food locally.

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And that's something which I've

noticed as I've cruised around

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the world into different regions.

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you use the ingredients that you

are able to get on board certain

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things like the meat, for example,

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the American cruise lines all seem

to order their meat from America and

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they will have it shipped to the ship.

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And so your beef even if you are cruising

in Asia or or cruising in Europe, the beef

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is probably still coming from the states.

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but things like local vegetables, local

cheeses, that sort of stuff comes locally.

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I used to love it when we cruised in

Europe because the cheeses, for example,

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are, in my opinion, so much nicer.

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, But back to these special supper places.

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' they look fabulous.

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they are the sort of places, the Hollywood

land, supper club, the Royal Railway

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Legend Station, where I would in London

think, oh, that's a good night out.

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I would on land when you've got all

of the options available to you of,

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city as, varied and diverse as London.

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These are places where I'd be like, yeah,

that looks well worth going out for.

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the railway one has

really got people talking.

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You are sitting in what looks like a

carriage and the windows are screens.

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Is that right?

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Kaye Holland: Exactly

screens of the destinations.

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So, you are having dishes inspired by

China and then the sceneries reflecting

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China having dishes inspired by India.

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It's basically traces the ancient

silk root, I think is the idea,

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but all your dishes are then

sort of mirrored in the scenery.

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Very, very clever.

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Daniel Edward: So does that

mean that the whole carriage is

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eating the meal at the same pace?

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Kaye Holland: It did feel that way.

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And you had dining times.

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Our time for example, was six 10 and then

the next one was a couple of hours later.

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So I think yes,

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Daniel Edward: 'cause yeah, your

window matches what the next

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Kaye Holland: Exactly.

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And I will just say the other thing

that was so cool about this is when I

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got back from my days activities to my

cabin, there was like a railway ticket

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printed that the, that railway master

requests my presence at this time.

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So every detail was just phenomenal

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and, and it sets that special

excitement, doesn't it?

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Daniel Edward: Yeah.

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'cause a lot of lines are, they're

saying it's for the environment.

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I don't buy it, I think it's for the

budgets, but they're, they're getting

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rid of a lot of the printed material.

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But there's something so exciting about,

Getting a ticket and then you can turn

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up to your dinner with your, it's a,

it's a, an immersive experience from

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the minute you get back to your room

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Kaye Holland: and you know

what, Daniel, you're gonna

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think I'm very cheesy and geeky.

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I saved the ticket.

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It was so, so, uh, fabulous.

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It's like a little souvenir.

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Daniel Edward: I can think of so many

people who would be putting that into a

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scrapbook and scrapbooking is back in,

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Kaye Holland: there you

go ahead of our time.

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Daniel Edward: Yeah, exactly.

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People have had enough of technology.

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Kaye Holland: Yeah, I can see that.

398

actually, going back to what you were

saying about the thing going digital,

399

you do book all the shows and you

can see the itinerary for each day in

400

the app, however, there is a printed

version in the cabin, the compass,

401

which tells you what's going on.

402

Is it environmentally friendly?

403

No.

404

you could have a potentially

7,000 passengers on board

405

to put one in every cabin.

406

Did it make it easier?

407

Yes.

408

There's something about having a

piece of paper and walking around

409

and tick, tick, and I can see this,

410

Daniel Edward: Well, especially

'cause there's so much going on.

411

I love the paper.

412

I'm very old fashioned in that sense.

413

I would, the night before,

look through it, underline.

414

Kaye Holland: We've had

this discussion before.

415

I think we are the probably two of

the only people on the planet that

416

are still buying news guidebooks too.

417

Daniel Edward: Yeah, exactly.

418

Yeah.

419

And if you don't travel with a

highlighter, what are you doing?

420

Kaye Holland: You are

not travelling properly.

421

I agree.

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Daniel Edward: What was your room like

423

Kaye Holland: Oh, you're just

gonna think, oh, how spoil is she?

424

I stayed in a family, cabin,

which is a bit crazy, right?

425

Because it was just myself.

426

It was an infinite balcony

cabin in the surf side zone.

427

if you were travelling with kids, what

fun, it actually had this hideaway bunk

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space for children even had their own tv.

429

it was such fun.

430

And then you'd go into the main

area with you were the parents, but

431

obviously lucky me had it to myself.

432

and it had a generous sofa.

433

and then it had this very cool sort of

conservatory slash balcony could change

434

to either of the push of a button.

435

And the other, thing that I thought

really stood out was the split bathrooms.

436

So there was one bathroom that had the

toilet and a sink, and then another

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one that had a sink and a shower.

438

So if you are a family and you're

getting ready to go out in the evening,

439

you can get ready at the same time.

440

It doesn't take, one out of use.

441

I'd never seen that before actually.

442

It was very cool.

443

Daniel Edward: Well, that's very clever.

444

they have put a lot of thought into

how people are gonna use the space.

445

I saw your video on Instagram, which was

446

Kaye Holland: You're aware

447

of

448

it.

449

Daniel Edward: Oh, yeah,

450

yeah, yeah.

451

I, I've loved your videos.

452

watching the cruise.

453

tell everyone your Instagram handle.

454

Kaye Holland: Oh, thank you for the plug.

455

It's K-K-A-Y-E-K with an EO, Holland.

456

I don't always do videos, Daniel,

but it was just too fabulous to not

457

show and, and share it with everyone.

458

Daniel Edward: It was so funny , watching

the one about your room because I think

459

again, I'd love to be a fly on the wall

in these conversations, I think the

460

children's bunk bed has actually been

inspired by the crew cabins because and

461

this is something which I must say Royal

Caribbean have done a fantastic job.

462

they've done a lot of research

over the years to decide what's the

463

nicest way to have to share a room

with a stranger, because that is

464

essentially how it works for crew.

465

you turn up and you get given a

room and you don't know the person

466

you're gonna be sharing with.

467

And now you're, you are living

in this relatively small

468

space with them in a bunk bed.

469

And when I was in those positions

in the bunk beds, it was a regular

470

bunk bed at the end of the room, and

then you shared half of the wardrobe

471

each, and you got a shelf and he

got a shelf and you had a bathroom.

472

And then they were like, Hmm, If we

turn the bunk beds so that they're

473

now in an L-shaped configuration,

both of them will feel like they

474

have more space for themselves.

475

And it's true.

476

And, and then I saw in the video that

you put on Instagram, the way that

477

they've done the kids section of this

family suite is an L-shaped bunk.

478

And I was like, aha.

479

I wonder where they got that idea from.

480

Kaye Holland: Ah, there you go.

481

All these insider little

glimpses from you.

482

Daniel Edward: I was wondering

with the infinite balcony,

483

you were in the Mediterranean,

it's summer, it's quite hot.

484

Did that balcony, that sort of an inside,

outside balcony, make your room quite hot.

485

Kaye Holland: Well, you're probably

talking to the wrong person.

486

I'm never hot.

487

I've got this thing called rain

where unless it's 30 degrees,

488

I have white hands and feet.

489

So, no, but also don't forget,

it's an American company.

490

There's ac and what to happen.

491

Most of the time, Daniel, I'd get back

and actually this is a true story.

492

I'd get back and it was like an ice box.

493

So no, it was not too hot.

494

And in the end I had this lovely

cabin attendant, genaro, he was such

495

a sweetie, ended up writing him a

little post-it note, dear Janaro,

496

please, could you not turn the AC up?

497

and when he said, he said,

okay, miss K, I'm so sorry.

498

I said, no, it's no problem.

499

He said, every other

guest wants the AC on.

500

No, I don't like that AC at all.

501

So no, it actually, it wasn't.

502

And they had a blind.

503

So if, you did think it was getting

too hot and you were going out

504

for the day, just press the blind

switch and the blind comes down,

505

can keep it cooler.

506

and actually talking about

that blind, I have to tell

507

you, , there's no cruise line.

508

There's no hotel that I've slept so

well because I had the blind come down.

509

So it was a blackout

blind then I had curtains.

510

and despite the fact it's this

enormous ship, it was so quiet

511

that I woke up in the morning

and I'd be like, what time is it?

512

I literally have a panic.

513

Oh, you, you know that feeling

when you wake up and you

514

have no idea what time it is.

515

That never happens for

me at home in London.

516

'cause I've got the

traffic, the light comes in.

517

it was incredible.

518

That's the way to sleep.

519

Daniel Edward: I would've thought that,

uh, it would be quite a noisy ship.

520

so that's amazing to hear

that you can get good rest.

521

But also it brings me on to wondering

about the neighbourhoods, because

522

this room, the family suite was in the

surf side, neighbourhood makes sense.

523

'cause that's a very family

focused part of the ship.

524

when you are looking to book a cruise

on the Legend of the Seas, or Indeed

525

one of the other icon ships, do you

know the neighbourhood that you're

526

going to go to and can you choose it?

527

And is, is there a neighbourhood which

is, quieter than another neighbourhood?

528

Kaye Holland: There is, chill

island, I think is a calm space.

529

There would definitely

be other ones for sure.

530

Daniel Edward: There are so

many different types of room.

531

I'm just looking on the

Royal Caribbean website.

532

They've got deck plans,

and these deck plans.

533

Oh my gosh.

534

It is like looking at a town planning

site because they've got all these

535

different types, inside rooms, outside

rooms, double inside, inside rooms that

536

are really outside rooms because of

the central park going in the middle.

537

So you've got balconies over the

park, you've got balconies over

538

the, surf side at the back, then

you've got the outside ones.

539

Then you've got these magnificent

corner suites at the back.

540

I'm on deck eight at the moment, and

there's one of these suites, it's

541

called the Ultimate Family Townhouse.

542

Kaye Holland: Oh, that's the one

I see all over Instagram where you

543

can kind of slide from the floors.

544

Again, heaven, if you're

a kid, absolute heaven.

545

Daniel Edward: it's

546

Kaye Holland: if you're a big kid even,

547

we'd

548

Daniel Edward: Yeah.

549

And then there are rooms which they

specifically mention interconnect

550

as well, which is very handy

551

if you

552

Daniel Edward: are a family, you don't

wanna be in the family suite that

553

you had, or maybe you've got even

more in the family than say four.

554

then there are quite a lot

of interconnecting rooms.

555

Kaye Holland: Yeah.

556

Which is a great idea, isn't it?

557

if you're a family or travelling

with a group of friends, even

558

the interconnecting rooms.

559

Daniel Edward: your room was

overlooking the actual sea, wasn't it?

560

Kaye Holland: Yeah.

561

And I have to say, I'm quite

biassed when I'm on a ship.

562

I always wanna over, you

could overlook Central Park.

563

I had, I knew friends and acquaintances

that were doing that, but for

564

me, I always want to overlook the

ocean, i'm always going to splurge

565

and not have the inside cabin.

566

Even though you can save money that way.

567

there's something about just sitting,

looking out to sea It's, it's one

568

of the simple pleasures for me.

569

Some

570

people

571

Kaye Holland: would rather save the

money for excursions, for, even for those

572

dining experiences you mentioned, the

Hollywood Supper Club and the railway.

573

They'd have a cost, and I will say with

a ship like Legends, you don't spend

574

a lot of time in your cabin, so people

would perhaps rather save money and

575

spend them on the add-ons, but for me I'm

always gonna have an ocean view if I can.

576

Daniel Edward: And what are the add-ons?

577

What sort of things do people tend

to end up spending the most money on?

578

On board?

579

Kaye Holland: it would be

those two dining experiences.

580

they would cost extra, some of the

more adrenaline thrilled activities.

581

I mentioned the crown's edge.

582

Well, we wouldn't perhaps be

doing it 'cause we are both

583

scaredy cats, so we'd save money.

584

But if you wanted to do

those, they incur a cost.

585

like many of the sort of

mass market big lines.

586

If you want your wifi, Royal

Caribbean are very encouraging.

587

'cause there's so many

innovative ideas on board.

588

They want you to share it on social media.

589

But if you wanna do that while

you're away, you'd need wifi.

590

Even if you just want to

keep in touch with friends or

591

family, send them a WhatsApp.

592

You need wifi, so you have

to buy your wifi packages.

593

I had a wifi package for one device,

it was actually, it was a pain

594

having to log out of my phone.

595

Don't forget, I know my life

sounds like a big holiday, Daniel,

596

but it was a working holiday.

597

So when I was logging out of the phone

to log onto the laptop, it was a pain.

598

And then you'd miss messages

from people on board saying, Hey,

599

you're coming to list book this.

600

And I'd be logged out for two

hours while I was working.

601

you probably do need one or two.

602

So that costs, drinks packages.

603

That's the other thing I mean, there

were so many fun cocktails on bar.

604

There was a bar called 1400

and LU in Central Park.

605

The cocktails were just out of this world.

606

but if you wanna try those, you

need a drinks package or you pay

607

as you go, that would cost you.

608

so much is included.

609

But I think if you got carried away, it'd

be very easy to push the price up too.

610

Daniel Edward: Yeah, that's what

I would be worried about because

611

I remember when I was there, and

this was quite a while ago now, the

612

drinks were already about $12 a pop.

613

Plus then you have to pay this,

gratuity on every single drink.

614

Yeah.

615

The service charge on

every individual drink.

616

Kaye Holland: So I think with that

you need to, it's a bit nerdy and

617

boring, but do the homework before your

cruise Is a drinks package worth it?

618

If you're going to be trying a

few cocktails each day, ordering

619

them separately, paying for

the gratuities on each order.

620

Have a look what a drinks package

is and is it worth doing it.

621

But then, you know, the drinks

package, if you're travelling with

622

a companion, a loved one, a friend,

the other person in the cabin has

623

to buy the drinks package too.

624

So if their tea tablet,

it doesn't work out.

625

So there's a bit of mass involved

there, but definitely worth doing.

626

Daniel Edward: this is something

which industry-wide frustrates me

627

'cause I'm not a drinker and so

a drinks package on me is a total

628

Kaye Holland: It's a.

629

Daniel Edward: And yet they all insist.

630

They're like, if you're gonna do it,

you're doing it for the whole cabin.

631

Kaye Holland: Yeah.

632

it, I agree with you.

633

It is one thing I'm not on board with,

pardon the pun about cruising at all, I

634

do have a couple of drinks, but that's it.

635

Daniel Edward: Yeah, and there are a

lot of different bar options on board.

636

this ship has not only some

of the classic Royal Caribbean

637

destinations, but also some new ones.

638

The ones I remember, schooner Bar and

Boleros, and they're both on board.

639

Kaye Holland: yeah, they were both fun.

640

There was the Playmakers.

641

Did you have that?

642

Daniel Edward: That had just

come in the sports bar one.

643

Kaye Holland: because the World

Cups in full swing and England

644

were playing, while on board.

645

So that was packed at all hours with

people watching the World Cup Action.

646

So that was a fun one.

647

my favourite was the duelling pianos.

648

Did go to that one?

649

Daniel Edward: No, that

didn't exist at the time.

650

Kaye Holland: Oh, it was it.

651

Well, you are familiar

with Holland America.

652

I think they have a similar

concept, don't they?

653

On board there.

654

It was such, such fun.

655

It was just great fun.

656

I love that one.

657

The duelling planners.

658

and there was a karaoke place too.

659

Spotlight karaoke.

660

so many bars.

661

And then as I mentioned, this

662

Oh, Daniel, we haven't

talked about the pearl.

663

Daniel Edward: Yes, and this

is something which got so many

664

people excited ahead of time.

665

they sort of teased this when they

first launched the icon class.

666

There's this big ball that seems to

exist in the middle and like, what is it?

667

Is it just a photo opportunity?

668

Kaye Holland: Well, everyone does use

it as a photo opportunity for sure.

669

There's everyone snapping selfies,

but the pearl, it's this sort of very

670

striking three story kinetic sculpture.

671

And then when you walk through

it, this is the crazy thing.

672

It sort of puffs gently in and

out as you walk beneath it.

673

And it, it is really the heart of

the ship, but it is so, so striking.

674

it's the first thing as I

boarded, the first thing I

675

was greeted with and noticed.

676

Daniel Edward: Okay, so you got on

board directly into the Royal Promenade.

677

Kaye Holland: Exactly directly

into the Royal Promenade.

678

I don't know if it's

usual for Royal Caribbean.

679

There was the fanfare with

everyone dancing as I came

680

onto this little red carpet.

681

So the excitement and the, holiday

vibe literally starts from the minute

682

you, board I think the word that

would describe up my whole spirit on

683

legend is just the energy everywhere

and the dance parties at night.

684

It was brilliant.

685

Daniel Edward: It sounds

so positive as well.

686

Kaye Holland: It was positive.

687

It was happy.

688

Oh, the world's a mess, right?

689

You just go.

690

There's no pressure to do

anything apart from, have a good

691

time and we had a good time.

692

Daniel Edward: the other thing that,

Royal have been doing recently, talking

693

of like having a good time, positive

energy, bringing the, feel good stuff.

694

they've got a, what's it called?

695

It's a dog chief something officer.

696

Kaye Holland: Oh, is it

the Happiness Officer?

697

Daniel Edward: I think it might

698

Kaye Holland: Skip?

699

Daniel Edward: Skip at the dog.

700

Yeah.

701

Kaye Holland: Yeah.

702

I, I met Skia very briefly.

703

I think she's like five months old.

704

She was very shy.

705

Can you imagine coming on such a big

ship and so many people, and I wasn't

706

quite sure about having a dog on board.

707

Daniel Edward: I'm not sure

what the official duties are.

708

Kaye Holland: Well, I will say

that Skipper seemed very happy.

709

She was being exercised on

the running track every day.

710

Of course, they can get off.

711

I think she was a very

pampered, pampered pooch.

712

skipper.

713

Daniel Edward: It must cause them

such a hassle if they were to go

714

into certain countries with all the

different biosecurity laws around.

715

But I suppose a ship like this, as

you said earlier, is the destination.

716

Kaye Holland: It very

much is the destination.

717

and I was speaking to a few kind

of rural Caribbean industry Bos,

718

while on board, and they, they don't

really like to call it a cruise ship.

719

is a destination to them.

720

, I scoffed at that at the beginning.

721

Weren't you talking about this

is, it's the cruise ship now.

722

Look at it.

723

, It's an enormous cruise ship.

724

But after a few days on board,

I did realise, ah, I get it.

725

I don't wouldn't even

know I'm on a cruise ship.

726

And because it's so massive, it's

actually very smooth sailing,

727

Daniel Edward: Yeah.

728

Kaye Holland: you know, so you, you

are not really rocking a lot, and

729

the Med Sea is pretty calm too at

this time of year, so you wouldn't

730

know you're on a ship at all.

731

And the way it's designed

with the neighbourhoods and

732

that Central Park I got it.

733

It was a destination in its own right.

734

Daniel Edward: It very

much is like an island.

735

it's just a vertical island.

736

Instead of spreading out wider.

737

Kaye Holland: spot on.

738

Spot on.

739

Daniel Edward: I've still got

these deck plans up and every deck

740

is just totally full of options.

741

I really don't think I've

ever seen anything like it.

742

Kaye Holland: Really, and

that's coming from you, Daniel.

743

Daniel Edward: Yeah, I don't

think it's humanly possible

744

to get around this whole ship.

745

Kaye Holland: Well, I, I did.

746

You proud?

747

I You proud.

748

I mean this, I was, it is such

a girly thing to say I was

749

eating and drinking so much.

750

So I thought let me put my gym

kit in, let me go to the gym.

751

I went and checked out the gym

and it was very impressive.

752

Did I need to go to the gym?

753

No.

754

Every day I was clocking up 18,000

steps just from walking round the ship.

755

So I think it also goes back to that

a lot of people, the old stereotype

756

of cruising is you go on and you're

gonna disembark a stone heavier.

757

I think I was probably

a little bit heavier,

758

Daniel Edward: that's muscle

from all the, uh, walking between

759

Kaye Holland: I like that.

760

Thank you Daniel.

761

but you know, you did

get your steps in it.

762

and as I mentioned, the healthy food too.

763

It was, it's easy to balance it.

764

Daniel Edward: did you feel you had

time to develop favourite places on the

765

ship and, and sort of relax into it?

766

I see on what they're selling you,

there's actually quite a wide range

767

of itineraries from three and four

day, right up to a couple of weeks.

768

Is this a ship where it rewards

you for spending longer on board?

769

Kaye Holland: Yes, quite possibly

because just of the, of the sheer scale.

770

But I think it also depends what

you want out of your holiday.

771

if you're a group of friends or a

family and you just want a short

772

break with no intention to get

off a ship, then you could, like

773

what I did, hit it in four days.

774

if you want to do the ship and you

want a taste of the destination,

775

you definitely need longer.

776

two days, forget

777

it.

778

You, need four days.

779

Four days minimum.

780

Often you see with other

cruise lines, they've got like

781

a long weekend, don't they?

782

Three nights.

783

The mini cruise is a mini

cruise, in my opinion, will

784

not work on Legend of the Sea.

785

Daniel Edward: No, and you could

indeed leave feeling frustrated because

786

you know how much you didn't see.

787

Kaye Holland: Exactly.

788

Daniel Edward: The thing that I love

so much about this, even though I do

789

think overwhelming is a word which

could very fairly be used about an

790

icon class ship, such as Legend of the

Seas, but it's escapism at its finest.

791

Kaye Holland: Yes, I think that is it.

792

You just, it, it was a happy, happy ship.

793

You can just escape.

794

I think my verdict, I was trying to tell

a few friends when I got back, despite

795

what, Royal Caribbean don't necessarily

want to think of it as a cruise.

796

For me, it's cruising for people

who want to embrace cruising for

797

what it is, nonstop activities.

798

pizza at 2:00 AM at Sorentos

magicians live musicians, piano

799

bar sing-alongs, theme nights.

800

Do you know, on my sailing four

nights, there was a theme night.

801

Every single evening,

every single evening.

802

towel sculptures, that's another thing.

803

I'd come back to my cabin every

day in Ro had sculpted some, uh,

804

amazing animal creation on my bed.

805

and, and you know, the waiters,

I don't know if they did this

806

when you were on board, they

were from all around the world.

807

Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines,

India, and they were all dancing

808

in the restaurant entrance, trying

to do songs wasy washy to get you

809

to wash your hands, obviously.

810

And then they'd be dancing as they

deliver these sort of theatrical

811

cocktails that you've got to

press with a bubble to drink.

812

So, I just thought it was fun.

813

You know, for some people that'll

be the opposite of escape.

814

But for everyone else, if your

families groups and you, you want

815

a holiday with zero pressure.

816

I just thought that legend, made

a very good case that sometimes

817

bigger really can be better.

818

Daniel Edward: Thinking of Legend

of the Seas, what is your top

819

thing to see or do on board?

820

Kaye Holland: Oh, blind me.

821

That's tough.

822

Just one.

823

Daniel Edward: Try.

824

Kaye Holland: Okay.

825

I'm gonna try the Qua show just

because I've never seen anything

826

like that on land or at sea.

827

Daniel Edward: Yeah, I'd love to see it.

828

What's a tourist trap or a mistake

that a first time cruiser here

829

might make that you could avoid?

830

Kaye Holland: It's not specific

to legend, but we touched on

831

earlier the drinks packages.

832

I think you could be told the drinks

package sign up and it actually

833

works out as an expensive mistake.

834

So be wary of the drink packages,

perhaps go online, look at

835

some of the cruise blogs.

836

Work out what the cocktail prices are,

and how many you realistically will drink.

837

Daniel Edward: Another thing with,

, the drinks packages, and I, I meant

838

to mention this earlier, if you're

working with a travel agent, you can

839

sometimes negotiate extras through

them of saying, look, I'll book it with

840

you, but can you throw in a package?

841

And sometimes I'll say, yeah, I can

throw in parking at the cruise port

842

if you're going from your own country,

or, yeah, I can, I can throw in the

843

basic drinks package you never know.

844

It's worth asking if you're going

through an agent because they

845

have a little leeway sometimes.

846

Kaye Holland: Good tip.

847

Daniel Edward: What's your favourite

time of year to get out on a cruise?

848

Kaye Holland: My personal

favourite, always the winter

849

when UK is under a dark blanket,

that's when I want to be cruising.

850

But for a ship like this, you

could go any time of year.

851

it's about the destination.

852

It doesn't really matter what

the weather's doing outside,

853

but for me personally, I want to

be cruising November, January,

854

February, March That's my ideal.

855

Daniel Edward: I'm so with you on that.

856

Do you have, a book or a film

that you'd recommend to people?

857

Kaye Holland: That ties in with legend.

858

Daniel Edward: In a way or cruising.

859

Yeah.

860

Kaye Holland: Oh, why don't we just go for

pirates of the, any of the Pirates of the

861

Caribbean and swoosh buckling adventure.

862

you can't beat That Or it's

a bit depressing actually.

863

But if you want a sense of

the scale of legend, Titanic.

864

But pirates is a bit more upbeat, right?

865

Daniel Edward: I find it fascinating when

people, every time a new ship comes out,

866

especially a Royal Caribbean one, because

they're so big, there's always somebody

867

online who puts a comparison between

Titanic and this new ship, and you see

868

how small Titanic really was, even though

at the time it was the biggest ever.

869

What was your absolute best food

or drink experience on board?

870

Kaye Holland: Do you

know, bit left wing here.

871

I'm gonna go for the main dining room.

872

That Indian curry I had on my

final night was incredible.

873

So I think my tip is don't

write off the main dining room.

874

Most people usually go to the main

dining room as a last resort, right?

875

it was brilliant.

876

Daniel Edward: And to ask

about those secret menu

877

Kaye Holland: And to ask about

those secret menu options Exactly.

878

Daniel Edward: And final question for

you, onboard, there are quite a few

879

shops, there's loads of things that

you could get, lots of branded goodies.

880

what would you say is a great

souvenir that you could take

881

home from a holiday onboard?

882

Legend of the seas.

883

Kaye Holland: I've, I, I've come

home with a couple, I've come home

884

with this fluorescent 'cause I do

like bright colours backpack, which

885

I've been using in the summer here.

886

but if I was gonna pick one or two a

cap, which says Legend of the Seas.

887

that's great.

888

they were in orange.

889

They were in pink.

890

They were sort of in, in

really fun, vibrant colours.

891

Or if you met skipper, the dog,

the merchandise around skipper,

892

little statues, cuddly toys.

893

That was fun too.

894

'cause that's quite unique.

895

Daniel Edward: That's so clever.

896

That's the real reason

why he's employed by

897

Kaye Holland: You probably the merchandise

around Skipper was was incredible.

898

Daniel Edward: Oh, there.

899

Good.

900

Very, very clever.

901

Kaye Holland, travel journalist.

902

And more as well.

903

Thank you so much for unlocking

Legend of the Seas for us.

904

Kaye Holland: Always a pleasure.

905

Thanks for having me, Daniel

906

Daniel Edward: Thanks so much

again to Kaye Holland for unlocking

907

the legend of the seas for us.

908

What an exciting ship that is.

909

So much going on if you go on it.

910

I hope you send me a message because

I'd love to hear your experiences do

911

make sure, by the way, follow Kaye on

Instagram because you'll see those videos

912

that we mentioned of her room and her

other experiences onboard the ship.

913

And whilst we're talking about following,

do make sure you're following the

914

Destination Unlocked Podcast wherever

you are currently listening, that way

915

you'll be able to find us again nice

and easily the next time you want

916

to go on share Travelling somewhere.

917

Fantastic, I'll see you then.

918

Have a good one.

919

Bye-bye.