ellumin photography - blog: November 2010

Ellumin Photography is excited to reveal our New Contest just in time for the Holidays!

By submitting your *Proposal Story*, you will be entered for a chance to Win a 2 Hour Engagement Session, valued at $300!

The requirements are simple, please follow the instructions below:

[1] Click "Like" on our Facebook Fan Page.

[2] Tell us about your Proposal =) Submit your story to info@elluminphotography.com. Be as detailed and creative as you want, you can even include a photo of yourselves for us to post along with your story. Entries will be uploaded on our Facebook Wall within 24 hrs of submission and will be placed in order received.

[3] Tell your friends and family to *Vote* for you! Every "Like" or "Comment" on your Proposal Story post will count as 1 Vote. The couple with the most votes win!

(Note: A person can cast a maximum of 2 votes per Proposal Story with a "Like" and/or "Comment" and are allowed to vote for multiple couples. The engagement session must take place before March 1, 2011 and is not transferable. Location must be within the GTA.)

You're Done! The Contest is open as of November 24 and ends midnight of December 24 (Christmas Eve). The sooner you post, the more exposure and chance of votes you will receive. We will tally the results and announce 1 Winner on December 26 (Boxing Day), think of it as un-boxing a present from us to you =)

Here is a sample of what your post will look like:

Best of Luck Everyone!

Derrick and I love to travel, which is why I’ve decided to start a “Travel Log” here on our blog to share recent vacation experiences and reviews with you =)

Oasis of the Seas truly lives up to its title as the world’s largest cruise ship! We had a great time aboard and thought an overview of the trip would be of interest to couples considering the Oasis or Royal Caribbean’s newest addition: Allure of the Seas for their destination wedding or honeymoon.

The ship features numerous bars, cafe’s, outdoor and indoor theatres, two rock climbing walls and simulated surfing rides, a zip line, skating rink, carousel, and outdoor park...you definitely won’t run out of things to do!

Shows and Entertainment: Fabulous! Come Fly with Me, Hairspray, Frozen in Time, and Oasis of Dreams are ‘Must Sees”. Beautifully designed sets and costumes, great cast and they impressed us with the incorporation of diving, skating, and acrobatics into some of their shows. The cruise director was incredibly funny and did a great job hosting the Halloween Party and Disco Party. Cruise staff costumed up as Zombies and danced to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and the DJ was spinning music on top of the ship’s floating bar. There was also a ‘Best Costumes’ contest, as you can see from the photos below, everyone was definitely in the Halloween spirit!

Food and Dining: There is a lot to choose from on the Oasis aside from your usual buffet, snack bar, and dining room, although these also had an ample variety of food choices every day. Our favourite spot for lunch was the Parkside Cafe which features made-to-order salads and a selection of sandwiches, soups, and desserts. The Opus dining room had a great menu every night; a few personal favourites were the crab cakes, escargots, lamb shank, and rock lobster tails (our waiter even got us an extra one of these!). For those who wish to have a more exclusive dining experience, there are also several specialty restaurants ($) along the park and boardwalk area.

Stateroom Cleanliness and Comfort: I swear that our stateroom attendant must have cleaned our room 3 to 5 times a day! We had an interior room which was a decent size, and as expected the washrooms felt tiny.

Ports of Call and Shore Excursions: Originally one port on our itinerary was supposed to be Labadee Haiti, but because of the hurricane we re-routed to Bahamas instead. One benefit of cruises is definitely the fact that you can avoid certain natural disasters like this. My favourite shore excursion was the “Dolphin Push, Pull and Swim” in Cozumel. For someone who can’t swim like myself, the lifeguards were super helpful and gave me the confidence to interact with the Dolphins in the water. Aren't they so cute?

This question is often asked on surveys, “Would you come back” and “Would you recommend this vacation to a friend?” The answer is a definite “Yes!” Not to mention the boat itself along with the sites visited is like a photographer’s dream. There are countless photo opportunities and we would love to go back not only for another vacation, but also for a photo shoot. If any of you are planning a destination wedding, we’d love to sit down and discuss further with you =)