Hot Cruise Deals

To Track Traveling Teens, Just Follow the Money

2010-06-23T19:44:00.002-04:00

Associated Press

You could wait a long time for a teenager who's traveling to call home or even text. But there's another way to see what your kid is up to: Follow the money.

Before sending teens off on a trip, make sure you have online access to any bank and credit card accounts they'll be using. You'll want to monitor their transactions anyway, to see that they're staying on budget, and to make sure their accounts haven't been hijacked by thieves. But there's another reason to monitor how the kids are spending their money: It will give you some clues as to their whereabouts and activities.

Last summer, I sent my 16-year-old son and two other teenagers - without an adult - to six countries in Europe. They stayed in hostels, traveled by train, and none of them had cell phones. But by monitoring their ATM and credit card activity online, I could get a sense of their whereabouts.

Did they make the overnight train from Barcelona to Paris? A record of a cash withdrawal from the Banque Nationale de Paris at a branch near the Eiffel Tower told me everything I needed to know.

When their itinerary called for them to be in Germany, I saw a withdrawal from a Deutsche Bank ATM near the Berlin Zoo. On the day they were to travel by ferry to Denmark, there was a credit card charge in kroner.

If I had to do it again, I would make sure, when sending a teenager abroad, that he or she did have a phone. But following the money gave me some peace of mind. Here are some other tips and advice for parents sending kids overseas, both from my own experience and from some experts.

MONEY: Book and prepay lodging, trains and planes in advance to cut down on the need for cash and credit.

But kids will need some local currency in their pockets when they arrive, as well as a way to get more cash and charge expenses later on.

Shop around for the best deals on foreign currency at home. My local savings bank offered the best conversion rate and no fee on the transaction. I sent each teen with cash to cover food and local transportation for three days. After that, they used ATM cards to get local currency wherever they were. Withdrawals should be made every few days instead of daily to cut down on transaction fees.

Many parents buy prepaid, preloaded cards from credit card companies and other outlets that limit how much money teens have access to at any one time. Parents can reload the cards electronically from home.

That way, teens "only have the money they need for the next day or two at most," said Mike Bowers, senior director of health and safety for People to People Ambassador youth programs and a member of the Student Youth & Travel Association (SYTA). "And I have the added comfort of knowing where they're spending it, because I can see online where the expenditures are being made."

Another option: You can get a credit card on your account, with your teen's name on it. Just remember, you are responsible for all charges. Can you trust your teenager to refrain from a shopping spree?

Remember to advise banks and credit card companies well in advance about cards that will be used overseas. If cards are not authorized for use in a given country at a given time, transactions may be blocked. Some countries now require PIN numbers with credit card transactions, and it can take a few weeks for credit card companies to process those PIN requests.

COMMUNICATION: Your domestic cell phone carrier may offer a good short-term international plan or an international SIM card for your phone.

Another option is to buy a cheap international phone. STA Travel sells international phones for $39, with $20 worth of call time.

But these days, "most kids don't actually talk on their phones," observed Patrick Connor, a vice president of SYTA and president of Director's Choice Tour & Travel, which coordinates performance tours for student musical groups. Instead, many teens prefer to text and post updates on Facebook, Foursquare or Twitter.

That's a great way for parents to see what they're up to - as long as you don't mind not hearing their voices. Just make sure you inquire about international data rates for cell phones to cover texting and Internet service overseas.

"If someone doesn't get an international data or texting plan, they can end up with a multi-hundred dollar bill," Connor said.

PERSONAL SAFETY: Bowers tells students on People to People tours to "dress down and blend in. Leave your bling at home."

Connor tells his travelers to "make sure your purse and backpack are zipped; don't keep things in your back pocket or an open pocket."

DOCUMENTS: Make copies of passports, credit cards and the like so that if they are lost or stolen, account and serial numbers can easily be located and the loss can be reported.

Make a master list of itineraries, including flights, trains and lodging, for both parents and travelers. Specify the names of train stations and airports, since some cities have more than one.

STA Travel sells an International Student ID card for $22 that not only offers discounts to 40,000 museums, stores and other sites around the world, but also provides access to a password-protected website where you can upload copies of important travel documents in case you need to refer to them during your trip.

INSURANCE: Mandatory summer school, sports injuries, family emergencies - there are so many things that can disrupt a teenager's life. For $130 a person, I bought cancel-for-any-reason trip insurance from TravelGuard and kept my sanity. James Bell, commercial vice president for STA Travel, says STA sells insurance that covers everything from medical expenses to a lost iPod. Insurance rates start as low as $6 a day.

LODGING: Tour groups will arrange for lodging, but for students traveling on their own, hostels are a good option in many countries.

Yet booking a hostel online, site unseen, can be confusing, even when using sites with customer reviews. For example, I wanted my son and his friends to stay in hostels that were not only safe and clean, but that were also centrally located. And in some cities, I wanted to make sure they were located away from red-light districts.

In this case, a travel agent's advice was invaluable. STA Travel has contracts with hostels around the world that it inspects a half-dozen times a year, and the STA agent I used was knowledgeable enough to book hostels that were fun for young travelers, while offering environments that met mom's standards.

Shipboard Dance Class Keeps Cruisers in Step

2010-06-18T21:54:00.001-04:00

Miami Herald

Whirling, I was actually whirling across the dance floor in a Spanish bolero, with handsome Arturo Garcia Melo from Mexico.

I imagined myself on Dancing with the Stars. Bruno (Tonioli) would be excited. Len (Goodman) would say we ``sizzle.'' Carrie Ann (Inaba) would call me graceful. We would get respectable scores on the judge's paddles, and the audience voting at home would love us.

Back to reality: This was not competitive dancing. Melo was among instructors teaching passengers to dance on the 2,550-passenger MSC Poesia, on a Latin dance-theme cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale to the Eastern Caribbean. He had just picked me, a true novice, to help demonstrate a move.

But I was very much part of a craze hitting the high seas, the opportunity to learn to dance on a cruise ship.

A ship is a nice, non-judgmental place for such experimentation. For one, the other passengers are strangers, so no worries about embarrassing yourself. Plus, shipboard classes are suitable for everyone from beginners to those who know the steps. You are not expected to be a pro.

Italian line MSC Cruises is among several lines -- Crystal Cruises, Cunard and Holland America Line are others --jumping on the dance bandwagon, offering dance classes as part of their activities rosters at a time when TV shows like Dancing with the Stars have made knowing at least a few ballroom steps a very in thing.

The lines also offer occasional dance-themed sailings with additional tutorage, like the cruise I was on. Tour operators specializing in dance (including salsa and tango) book space on ships as well, bringing instructors onboard for those who cruise as part of their groups.

Nino Torre, a hustle and salsa dance pro and DJ from Richmond, Virginia, for instance, helps organize an annual Hustle & Salsa Dance Cruise. Now in its 11th year, the group attracts about 275 participants per cruise, most from the East Coast, a third from Florida.

Instructors are dance champions, most still competing, who do workshops in both hustle and salsa as well as in tango and cha cha and other steps, Torre said. ``We survey guests before the cruise and offer classes in what they request,'' he added. Participants range in age from their late 20s to early 60s with a desire to learn a few steps and show them off on the ship's dance floor.

On the Poesia cruise, our special instructors were a competitive ballroom pair, from Cleveland, Ohio, onboard to teach several classes specifically in Latin dances. Instruction included a half-hour class after dinner each evening so those who wanted could stay on the dance floor afterward.

Melo, a former pro dancer in Mexico, and other members of the entertainment team also offered instruction once or twice a day, as they do on every cruise.

At the pool, there were casual classes in dances like bachata (a four-step dance with origins in the Dominican Republic), come-in-your-bikini affairs that attracted a decent crowd.

But the ``serious'' learning on Poesia took place indoors on the dance floor of the Zebra Lounge, all done up in black and white stripes and a sexy space to learn dances like rumba and salsa and tango. Classes here attracted about 60 regulars, which meant a crowded dance floor, sometimes dancers spilling onto the carpet. There were couples and single women and occasionally a lone man too, the group varying in age from 30s on up.

No need to sign up in advance. If you wanted to dance, you just showed up.

In one class, ballroom pro Minas Katsantouris demonstrated a sexy salsa move, the kind that's supposed to show meaning in every wiggle -- and in his tight jeans and a fitted black T-shirt, his wiggles did just that.

``The dance floor is our place, where guys can feel strong,'' Minas proclaimed, as the men in the lounge practiced their steps on one side of the dance floor, women on the other.

I did my best with a butt-out, wiggle-down with your hips move, with Minas instructing us women to ``Make the guy go, `Oh my god, that's exciting, what's happening.' '' Except my partner was my reluctant 78-year-old mom.

With regulars in the classes it was easy to make friends. In my case, they included Canadians Carol and Owen Rhodenizer, both age 69, and dance enthusiasts, who have done 39 cruises and take lessons at home several times a week.

During a salsa class taught by Katsantouris' professional partner, Rachel Neilson, Carol was such a pal she lent me Owen.

We were doing great for a few dances, Owen a strong leader. But when Neilson showed us a move involving the woman stretching her leg under and through the man's spread legs, I decided it was time to give Carol her husband back.

Katsantouris and Neilson admitted in an interview that they were teaching us steps on our weeklong cruise in a different way than they would on land. ``I am trying to give a basic foundation. It's more quickly than we'd do in regular circumstances, but these are steps that really do exist,'' Neilson said.

And we did learn. Of the steps I picked up, my favorite was the cha cha, which I practiced with mom and other female partners and did eventually get to try with a male passenger as well. I got to the point where I was really feeling the beat, as the instructor suggested, and my feet were actually responding.

I know there was no judge's panel, or viewers watching me at home. But I still think I made it to the next round.

Barenaked Ladies to Host Another Norwegian Cruise Line Voyage

2010-06-10T12:17:00.001-04:00

USA Today

It's official: Barenaked Ladies will be back on the high seas in 2011 hosting a music-themed voyage on Norwegian Cruise Line.

Themed-cruise organizer Sixthman says the Canadian alternative rock band will headline a new "Ships and Dip" cruise scheduled for Feb. 6-11, 2011 in the Western Caribbean.

The five-night voyage on the Norwegian Dawn will kick off in Miami and include stops in Costa Maya, Mexico and Belize City, Belize. It goes on sale to the public on June 30, with rates starting at $799 per person, based on double occupancy.

This is the fourth time Barenaked Ladies has hosted a Sixthman music cruise. As in the past, the Norwegian Cruise Lines voyage will include a headline concert by the band as well as performances by a number of other groups that will be announced in the coming months.

Competition Heats up for Port

2010-06-03T11:38:00.002-04:00

Florida Today

Carnival Cruise Lines' plan to homeport its 2,056-passenger Fantasy at Port Charleston in South Carolina starting this year is causing a few ripples of concern 400 miles to the south in Port Canaveral.

The move is another indication that Port Canaveral, considered the world's second-busiest cruise port, must be prepared for growing pockets of competition in areas where it has traditionally drawn passengers.

Port Charleston, for example, is a six-hour drive from Port Canaveral and there's the distinct possibility that its Carnival service could siphon passengers who might otherwise come here. The Fantasy is expected to attract passengers from the Atlanta area, both Carolinas, Tennessee -- and possibly even North Florida.

"Unfortunately, that's some of our prime markets," said J. Stanley Payne, chief executive officer of Port Canaveral.

And Payne said the competition could grow as more ships are deployed along the East Coast. "I don't think it's going to stop at Charleston."

Fantasy's presence in South Carolina likely will lead to Port Canaveral beefing up its outreach and marketing efforts there touting its cruise offerings, which include seven-day and three- to four-day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises offered by Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Carnival, Disney and Royal Caribbean have invested millions of dollars at Port Canaveral.

Payne didn't specify what additional efforts might be used to market cruises departing from Port Canaveral, saying only that "we're going to get a little more aggressive about the advantages of this port."

Port Canaveral's Central Florida location allows it to attract customers who live within a day's drive of the Space Coast -- more than 30 million people live within an 8-hour drive -- or fly into Orlando International Airport, the 11th largest airport in the United States. According the latest figures, Port Canaveral attracts about 2 million cruise passengers annually.

Even with expected price increases this year, cruises continue to be considered vacation bargains, and that popularity has the attention of many communities eager to sign deals with one of the major players.

Officials in Savannah, Ga., have commissioned a study about the possibility of offering cruises. The Jacksonville Port Authority is considering a new cruise terminal to get more business. Carnival's Fascination sails for five-day cruises out of the Jacksonville port, called Jaxport, but because of the port's design it's difficult now for larger cruise ships to negotiate its waters.

"Definitely home-port cruising is a hot industry trend again," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of the website CruiseCritic.com. "What's happening is that smaller markets are getting very aggressive about competing with the big guys, meaning Miami, Fort Lauderdale cruises and Port Canaveral. Charleston is just the newest entrant on the scene and Carnival is just seeing if it's going to work."

One way to tell if a market is good is if the cruise company sends in a bigger ship with more amenities, Brown said. That has happened several times with cruise lines serving Port Canaveral.

Robert Giangrisostomi, the Canaveral Port Authority's deputy executive director/business development, said the port continues to work with travel agents to promote Port Canaveral and its cruise offerings. Cruise ships are running 112 percent to 115 percent passenger capacity, Giangrisostomi said, and the port has to continue to ensure future numbers remain that healthy

The port also is lobbying the cruise lines to offer excursions to Bermuda and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"The key is to keep these (current) cruise ships filled," Giangrisostomi said. "Everybody needs to sell Port Canaveral."

Airlines Fill Seats with Summer, Holiday Travelers

2010-05-22T00:44:00.002-04:00

USA Today

Holiday travel is making a comeback, for both airline and cruise passengers, seeking discounted flights and cheap Mexico cruises.

The downside for Memorial Day weekend fliers, though: higher fares and packed flights.

"People seem to feel more confident about travel and the economy in general," says Genevieve Brown, senior editor of travel website Travelocity.

Airfares booked on Travelocity for travel from May 27 to May 31 average $332 round trip (including taxes and fees) this year, up 16% from Memorial Day weekend of 2009. International fares are 21% higher this year, averaging $742 round trip. Bing Travel, another airfare search engine, reported a similar rate of increase for domestic fares, at 18%.

Few expect travel volume to return to the pre-recession levels of mid-2008. But pent-up customer demand is driving fares up following a grim 2009, in which belt-tightening occurred across all travel segments, including corporate and vacation travel.

"Last year, they (bypassed) all trips. Demand was abysmal. This year, they're going to travel come hell or high water. There's no 'staycation' this year," says Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, which is also seeing a jump in Memorial Day fares.

A Travelocity poll of more than 2,000 travelers says about half of respondents plan to travel more this year, while only 7% plan to travel less.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, leisure travel is expected to rise 2%; business travel, 2.5%; and international travel into the U.S., 3% this year. "Projected growth in leisure travel is an indicator of rising consumer confidence and disposable income," says Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research for the Travel Association.

Airlines deeply cut capacity in recent years, and will not restore seats quickly enough to match the anticipated rise in demand for the summer season that's ushered in by Memorial Day. The number of seats scheduled to fly domestically in late May is generally flat from the year-ago period, according to a USA TODAY analysis of OAG (Official Airline Guide) airline schedules data.

"Flights are going to be completely full this summer. I haven't seen airlines smile about any seasons recently. But they're smiling about summer," Seaney says. "Almost any cheap seats are sold out."

Travelers should also be mindful of peak holiday travel surcharges, Seaney says. Those boarding Memorial Day weekend flights are assessed a $30 fee each way, compared with $10 each way on most other summer days. "You're going to pay $40 more for a (round-trip) flight."

A silver lining? Hotels are still cheaper than last year. For domestic hotels, room rates are 4% lower for Memorial Day weekend than a year ago, Travelocity's Brown says.

And some beach destinations are still struggling and bucking the trend of higher airfares and cruise fares. They include Jamaica (fares down 5% from Memorial Day weekend 2009), the Dominican Republic (down 3%) Maui (down 5%), and discounted Alaska cruises.

Nine of the top 10 beach destinations are also showing declines in hotel room rates for the holiday weekend, Brown says.

Cruise Lines Lure with Frills and Luxury

2010-05-05T05:59:00.002-04:00

Taft Midway Driller

Planning a cruise? The days of $25-a-night cruises are long gone, but savvy shoppers can still find bargain prices, luxury travel or eye opening, on-the-water experiences.

What do seniors want in a cruise?

“That depends on the senior,” said Melissa Paloti, managing editor of CruiseCritic.com, an online news and reviews website.

“Enrichment programs are especially sought-after by seniors,” Paloti said. “Seniors want to be stimulated — food for the mind as well as the body.”

That may include salsa lessons when visiting Argentina or local history lessons on a cruise down the Danube.

Additionally, seniors want to have fun. They want to be pampered a bit and may have accessibility or dietary considerations. They want a comfortable experience of visiting multiple locations without the hassle of having to unpack at different hotels, said Ken Budd, executive editor of AARP Magazine.

“They like the convenience of being taken care of, the idea of a floating hotel,” he said.

But safety is also a concern. A recent AARP study showed that 90 percent of baby boomers are concerned about travel safety.

“Cruises offer a secure, self-contained environment,” Budd said. “You can visit exotic locales and then come back to the safety of the ship.”

In terms of dining, cruising now offers the best of both worlds. Freestyle dining, the ability to dine whenever the mood strikes you, is common, with almost all cruise lines offering it.

Traditional dining — sitting with the same folks each seating — is also an option.

If you’re thinking about taking a cruise, Paloti and Budd offer some ideas for how to make your experience a memorable one.

Let's make a deal

Is it possible to save money on a cruise? The answer is yes. Here are some tips:

Choose fall or off-peak Cruise ships dot the Caribbean in the peak winter, spring break and summer seasons. Deals are better in fall, which is hurricane season, but that shouldn’t necessarily scare you off. Cruises are rarely canceled, though you may have to change ports of call.

Peak season in Alaska is May to September, so deals will be found at the beginning or end of those months. The Mediterranean is a year-round destination, with winter sailings on a handful of cruise lines -- though summer is prime time. Baltic season is generally May through September, and summer is prime time for the British Isles and Western Europe.

School’s out Avoid dates where families with children may be traveling. Better times are immediately after Labor Day or the week after Thanksgiving.

Plan ahead If you do aim to travel during peak season or have your heart set on a specific cabin, book your cruise nine months to a year in advance.

Be spontaneous Last-minute deals are always a possibility, especially if you are flexible about when or where you cruise.

Back-to-back weeks If you have the time stringing together two weeks on the same ship adds up to savings and will be cheaper than adding individual trips together.

Do your homework Research Internet sites. If you haven’t cruised before, consider using a travel agent who can match a traveler to an ideal ship, negotiate deals or offer group space at a lower price. Also be sure to check AARP.com for special travel discounts.

A few deal examples

Here are a few cruise deals Paloti found, but take note that prices change, sometimes drastically, very quickly. This is only a guide to what was available at press time.

Holland America Cruises

Holland America in Europe

- The brand-new, soon-to-launch Nieuw Amsterdam offers a 10-night roundtrip from Venice to Eastern European sites such as Croatia departing July 4; it starts at $1,799 per person for an inside cabin.

- A 12-night east and west Mediterranean cruise trip departing Aug. 31 from Barcelona to Venice starts at $1,999.

- A 10-night Barcelona to Rome, western Mediterranean and North Africa trip departing Aug. 2 starts at $1,499 on the ship Noordam.

Holland America in Alaska

Seven-night July 2010 sailings range from $799 to $949; seven-night September sailings range from $599 to $749. May and September are cheaper and can be booked closer to the date of sail. For Alaska airfare savings, book a roundtrip Seattle cruise.

Holland America in the Mediterranean

Even fall is pricy for these cruises. Aim for less than $200 a night for an inside cabin. Remember, summer can be an extremely hot time of year for seniors.

Princess Cruises

- A seven-night Alaska cruise ranges from $799 to $899 in July; in September it can be as low as $599.

- In Europe, a 10-night cruise of the Baltic, departing Aug. 20, costs $1,790 on the Star Princess.

Carnival Cruises

- A seven-night trip on the Carnival Liberty through the western Mediterranean departing Aug. 28 costs $489.

Cruise lines seniors love

Discount Holland America Cruises

The award-winning Holland America attracts a senior crowd looking for luxury and wanting their money’s worth.

A traditional line, Holland America is known for pioneering new dining concepts, such as the reservations-only Pinnacle Grill and open walk-in seating.

Since Holland America skews toward a senior set, it offers such extras as fold-down seats in elevators and wheelchair accessible staterooms.

Crystal Cruises

Bigger is better with Crystal Cruises, a line that has become synonymous with larger vessels. Big-ship options paired with exemplarily service are what attract repeat customers to Crystal.

Celebrity Cruises

Once known as a cruise line with premium, smaller ships, Celebrity is branching out with larger ships and has undergone an aggressive rebuilding and remodeling in recent years. The move adds upgraded services and amenities, plus enhancements such as a glass-blowing show and a Lawn Club on the highest deck with real grass. Celebrity is famous for its personal service — from greeting customers by name to bringing travelers their favorite dessert without being asked.

On a budget?

If you’re looking for a deal, Carnival and Cheap Royal Caribbean Cruises can be good for seniors on a budget, and both lines offer senior discounts. If you’re not in the mood for families with children, cruise off-season.

Madonna AND Elvis? Only on NCL

2010-04-26T16:29:00.004-04:00

USA Today

And the first three headliners will be ... Madonna, Tina Turner and, yes, Elvis.

That's the word today from Norwegian Cruise Line, which says the much-ballyhooed Legends in Concert show planned for its next ship, Norwegian Epic, will kick off with (lookalikes of) the three musical giants.

Norwegian announced in November that Legends in Concert -- a staple of the Las Vegas Strip for more than 25 years -- would be one of several big name shows to have a home on Epic when the ship debuts in June, but it didn't release which tribute artists would be performing.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has said the Legends cast members will perform regularly in two venues on the 153,000-ton Epic -- the line's largest ship ever. The celebrity lookalikes will take the stage in the ship's 685-seat Epic Theater for six 45-minute shows over three days during each seven-day cruise. In addition, a cabaret-style show will be performed on three additional nights in the Manhattan Room, the ship's New York-inspired supper club.

The celebrity performers will change every four months.

Norwegian is promising to take cruise ship entertainment to a new level with Epic, which also will feature performances by another well-known icon of Las Vegas, the Blue Man Group, as well as the dueling piano show Howl at the Moon and a comedy show by Chicago's Second City.

The ship also will be home to an unusual circus-and-dinner show called Cirque Dreams located in what's billed as the first big top at sea (click HERE for a sneak peek, including video).

Bigger than all but a handful of Royal Caribbean Cruise ships, Epic will be more than 60% larger than the largest NCL ship currently at sea and dwarf the biggest vessels operated by such big-ship lines as Carnival, Princess and Celebrity.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas Makes a Huge Impression

2010-04-14T19:34:00.000-04:00

USA Today

ABOARD THE OASIS OF THE SEAS — It takes exactly 20 minutes after boarding the world's largest cruise ship to hear the dreaded L-word.

"The line starts there," snaps a fellow passenger waiting to book show reservations for the seven-night Caribbean cruise. That it takes that long to encounter a wait is the surprising part. After all, when you're sailing with a crowd of 5,800 passengers and 2,100 crew, you expect, well, crowds.

By now, you'd have to be a cave dweller not to have heard of Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, which made its debut in December. The subject of breathless, exclamation-point-laden coverage (6.7 million Google results!), the ship is all about excess, from its 6,296-passenger capacity to its $1.4 billion price tag. On this late February sailing, it will pause for a day in St. Thomas and St. Maarten and a half-day in Nassau, Bahamas.

But this cruise isn't about ports. Heck, it isn't even really about the ocean, which seems a mere backdrop to the whiz-bang onboard spectacle — the wave pool, zip line and ice rink; Broadway musical, dive show and ice-skating extravaganza; the 23 eating venues, 17 bars and 37 cabin categories.

As the behemoth takes its place alongside cruises departing from Fort Lauderdale past 2,000- and 3,000-passenger vessels that seem dinky in comparison, its horn emits a guttural mine-is-bigger-than-yours blast. Inside on the Royal Promenade, one of seven onboard "neighborhoods" and a cross between Disney's Main Street USA and a shopping mall food court, waiters hawk $7.20 piña coladas in commemorative glasses. Stunned newcomers gaze around the three-story expanse. And "Cruise Director Richard" Spacey, a manic cheerleader whose amplified voice will be ubiquitous this week, booms: "Ladies and gentlemen, you're officially on vacation! Somebody sccrreeaamm!!" Let the cacophony begin.

'Decadent' experience

The people behind the Oasis of the Seas are masters of crowd control. Yes, there are waits — 20 minutes for a table in the main dining room the first night; 17 minutes to reboard in St. Maarten. But, happily, those are exceptions on this sailing.

Among congestion-busting measures: Passengers are encouraged to make pre-cruise reservations, not only for the specialty restaurants but for major performances. Initial boarding is a breeze, thanks to an army of check-in personnel. And in most ports, multiple security portals ease logjams. Besides, in a space this vast, it's not hard to find serene spots.

Still, the unrelenting sensory input creates a frenetic atmosphere. It's virtually impossible to escape the piped-in music. Trivia questions flash on giant screens in the open-air theater. On the Royal Promenade, an electronic ticker tape emits non-stop factoids reminding just how wondrous the Oasis is. It has the deepest (17.9 feet) pool afloat, the first carousel at sea and a 12,000-plant "Central Park." If that's not enough to wow you, a bagpiper inexplicably appears around dinner time each night.

From scuba certification to scrapbooking, there are dozens of daily seminars and activities (though some turn out to be shameless sales pitches). And, as Cruise Director Richard announces on Day 1, "It is possible to eat 36 meals a day!"

"It's decadent, but I love it," says Dorene Benuck of Chicago, who with her husband, Irwin, paid about $1,800 each for a stateroom overlooking the ship's "Boardwalk," meant to evoke the ambience of a seaside resort. That's double or so the cost of sailing on a similar, smaller-ship Royal Caribbean itinerary. Not only is the Oasis commanding premium rates, onboard spending is "handily above other ships," Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain told Wall Street analysts in late January.

Pitch perfected

And no wonder. There's a lot to separate you from your money on this ship. Nine specialty restaurants charge premiums (from $4.95 for burgers at Johnny Rockets to $75 for a seat at the Chef's Table dining room). In-room movies cost $11.99 (more for the adult stuff). And the spa hawks everything from 24-karat gold facials ($325) to Botox injections (from $330).

At the moment, Sarip Hamid is merely seeking free advice on how to flatten his stomach. The chirpy Sea Spa receptionist invites him to join the acupuncture lecture. (It may be free, but a treatment costs $150.)

Hamid, a retiree from Kuala Lumpur, moves on to the fitness center, where a standing-room-only crowd is focused on a piece of Germanic beefcake who promises to cure everything from constipation to aging — without exercise! The personal trainer doubles as a pitchman for a product containing algae and seaweed that supposedly detoxes your body.

The infomercial continues for an agonizing 65 minutes, ending with an invitation for a $35 consultation. Hamid does it, but later, he's disgusted. "He tried to sell me $800 or $900 worth of supplements," he says. "That guy isn't even a doctor."

Of course, Royal Caribbean Cruises offers plenty of free activities. Some, like zip lining, surfing and ice skating, are novelties in the cruise world. A stargazing session from the ship's bow turns out to be a standout event (partly because only two people show up).

Bob Kozell is joining in many of the onboard high jinks, including the Sexiest Legs Contest, from which he has emerged victorious. Departing the stage to make way for the Thriller dance lesson, the seventh-grade teacher from Fort Lauderdale says he didn't come on this cruise to lie in the sun. "I came for fun and foolishness. Today is about foolishness," he says.

Giving in to excess

But not everyone is so easily amused. Donna Carrasquillo of New York complains of the dearth of port calls. "It's confining. When are we getting off already?" she says. "Of course, my son loves it. He's drinking, partying, out picking up girls."

Many, like Scott and Sabrina Blackburn of Denver, are here precisely because size matters. "We didn't come for the ports. We came for the ship," he says.

Indeed, as the week progresses, even passengers who are tepid about cruising find themselves embracing the sometimes peculiar aspects of shipboard life.

By Tuesday, you're ordering two entrees and multiple desserts at dinner. By Wednesday, the karaoke singers in the On Air lounge are sounding like American Idol finalists. By Thursday, you're tuning into a video rerun of Cruise Director Richard emceeing the Love and Marriage Game Show. By Friday, you're stopping by the pizza parlor for a late-night slice — just because you can.

First-time cruisers Bill Lewis and his wife, Lou, of Kerrville, Texas, certainly have no regrets. "It's fabulous — if that's a big enough word for this ship," she says.

Danube Cruise is an Opportunity to see the new Eastern Europe

2010-04-08T20:27:00.002-04:00

North Jersey.com / JILL SCHENSUL

Usually, I'm too busy getting ready for a trip to actually get excited about it beforehand. I think about bailing out because I can't get everything done in time. Invariably, I realize how stupid that would have been, when I'm on the plane, and it's heading for the clouds, and I finally think about where I'm getting to go.

The routine was proceeding as usual until the FedEx guy rapped at my back door last week. He handed me the Viking River Cruises package, which contained the documents for the 15-day "Eastern European Odyssey" sailing I'm scheduled for, starting Saturday .

I tossed it on the kitchen table. Later, maybe. It took a couple of days of later, but during a cereal snack break I needed some reading material. The envelope was within reach. And I needed to get some particulars on the trip, actually, because I wanted to let you guys know about this latest escapade, to let you know you can follow along, moment to moment (or at least mishap to musing to epiphany) on my blog at blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/openroad.

So I opened the envelope and pulled out the itinerary and turned to a random page; which turned out to be the details of the Bucharest and Transylvania Post-Cruise extension I'd added. My eyes slid down the day-by-day information. …. Bucharest … Brasov … "mysterious Transylvania"…. Sighisoara, a UNESCO World Heritage site and birthplace of Vlad Tepes …. Carpathian Mountains, Sinaia ...

I noticed, after a while, that my cereal spoon had disappeared into a mush of soymilk-bloated flakes and overpuffed berries. I relocated to the couch, to the side closest to the reading light. I decided to read from the beginning, from Day 1, embarking in Munich. The cruise itinerary started with places I'd been to before: Passau, Melk, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest. But by Day 3, my heart was speeding up just a little. Cesky Krumlov, among the best-preserved cities in the Czech Republic, is a World Heritage Site, a place I'd never heard of and the first of many places on the itinerary with accents on letters I'd never known could be accented (Cesky features a convex curve, like a parenthesis on its back, arms up – called a hacek, or hook – atop the C, and an accent aigu over the y). From there to the neighboring Budweis — original home of that all-American, day-at-the-stadium staple, Budweiser, the King of Beers.

I kept reading, to Kalocsa, Hungary's red-paprika capital; Vukovar and Osijek, Croatia, the latter full of art nouveau architecture; Kostolac, Serbia, "the Balkan Pompeii" with Roman ruins dating back 2,000 years; the Iron Gate of the Danube — not a gate but a treacherous (once, not now) stretch consisting of four gorges in a row; Belgradoshick, whose weird red rock formations sounded to me like Bulgaria's version of Sedona; Rousse (aka "the small Vienna" because of its architecture and location on the Danube) and Veliko Tarnovo, with ancient castle ruins and serious handcrafts; Constanta, not only Romania's oldest settlement (originally founded by the Greeks in the sixth century BC) with an art nouveau casino, but yet another surprise accent – a cedilla/comma sort of thing under the second "t." Ending on Day 15 in Oltenita (one more accent note: another cedilla-esque second "t").

Don't you just love going to places you can't pronounce, much less type?

Of course, this cruise along the Danube and ancillary waterways etc. wasn't an actual surprise. I had become intrigued by this particular cruise itinerary last October, as the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall drew near. Though there were other cruises to Eastern Europe, they usually hit the most popular cities and sites. I'd been to quite a few of these places myself, and the rest were so well-explored I felt like I'd been.

So I was stuck on Viking's "Eastern European Odyssey," with its unfamiliar, unpronounceable and even unlocatable (at least to me) destinations.

Alas! It was apparently intriguing enough for all 2009 departures to be sold out. So I booked quickly for 2010. In fact, I made the first payment two months ago – an unfathomable act of advance planning for me. Since then, when friends asked, "Where are you off to next?" I've answered, "Eastern Europe, to places I can't pronounce and probably couldn't pick out on a map." I couldn't give any more detail than that, because, as I said, I was too busy getting ready to go away to prepare for where I was going. The only other information I could say with certainty was, "I can't wait." Because it's one of travel's basic truths: All that as-of-now unknown will, soon enough, reveal more surprise and discovery than you could ever have imagined. I imagined this to be especially true in Eastern Europe.

Did I – do I – sound jaded? Like I've been traveling for so long the only parts of the world that remain intriguing are the completely unpronounceable and barely known?

I'll admit, there is some fun in the outré. But the main attraction of this Eastern Europe itinerary has to do with the definition of "Eastern Europe" these days. Sure, once upon a time the label was valid for those countries behind the Iron Curtain – Soviet images of landscapes, breadlines, a babushka on a street corner selling one lace collar, newspaper cut into squares for use as toilet paper.

But much has changed in the past 20 years. And in some countries, the stereotypes and the stereotypical division between Eastern and Western Europe no longer apply. Some of the countries involved have insisted that the broader (more descriptive) term "Central and Eastern Europe" be used instead. The meltdown of the Iron Curtain and the fall of the wall broke the barriers to new freedoms and opportunities. At first, there was chaos, and confusion and corruption, and deer-in-the-headlights what's next. But there was determination, and experimentation, and a palpable spark of excitement, ignited by a future filled with possibilities.

I visited several Eastern European countries early on – and felt that sense of possibility and change. I also saw, in Russia, and to a lesser extent in Budapest, some of the corruption and fear still lingering.

Eventually, there was progress, prosperity. But it has come in different ways and not evenly paced. Slovenia and the Czech Republic were clear winners, as far as freedom and the Westernization and economic development are concerned; the Ukraine, Belarus, Romania and Bulgaria are still far behind.

As far as tourism goes, the progress has similarly run the spectrum. While Eastern Europe was once synonymous with "emerging tourist destination," and "unbelievably inexpensive," the stereotypes no longer apply. Prague has basically become part of mainstream European tourism. It is one stop in the triangle of Eastern Europe's three most popular destinations, which also include Budapest and Krakow.

Today, Prague, where I was basically able to steal gorgeous crafts and glass and see black-light puppet performances for next to nothing, is as expensive as many Western European cities.

I remember visiting Krakow 20 years ago, strolling the Old Town and being stunned by the beauty of it, but also feeling thwarted by the language: The only English-speakers I found were two university students, and there wasn't a translated sign in sight. I particularly remember buying a soda from a street vendor; I opened the unlabeled bottle (no opener needed) and found rust around the top. I can't be sure, but I believe I dumped it.

I bet they've dealt with the bottling process by now in Poland.

Eastern Europe was, and remains, a vast laboratory in freedom, in human nature, in the best and worst of human beings. Upsetting, frustrating, and exhilarating.

So what I wanted was an overview, a broad range that would sample the spectrum. An Eastern European experience that confronted stereotypes, a snapshot of life in this part of the world right now. Granted, a cruise doesn't provide the ideal situation for really digging in, getting to the nuances of a place. But it's a good start. Especially if the cruise is designed with educational opportunities along the way. Which is something Viking River Cruises is known for, through its Culture Curriculum and hands-on Old World Highlights immersive experiences.

So starting Saturday, I'll be hitting the road – and the river. And reporting back in my blog, as often as events – and technology – permit. Follow along.

And if you would like to really follow along, sign up at twitter.com/jschensul and you'll hear from me when I post a new entry to the blog, or find myself held captive by some count with disturbingly prominent canines.

Repositioning Voyages a Big Hit with Travelers

2010-03-31T11:49:00.002-04:00

The Ponte Vedra Recorder

Transocean and transatlantic voyages are in vogue among today’s cruise ship travelers.

Some companies, like Princess, Royal Caribbean and Holland America Line have numerous ships crossing the Atlantic or the Pacific this spring, from ports in North and South America.

Azamara Club Cruises

Azamara Journey — From Miami to Barcelona, departing April 11; from Rome to Miami, departing Nov. 15.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Century — 14 nights from Miami to Barcelona departing May 20; 14 nights from Barcelona to Miami departing Oct. 25; Celebrity Equinox — 14 nights from Fort Lauderdale to Rome departing April 19; from Rome to Fort Lauderdale sailing Oct. 31; Celebrity Constellation — 14 nights from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale departing Nov. 6; Celebrity Eclipse — 13 nights from Southampton to Miami departing Oct. 31.

Costa Cruises

Costa Atlantica — 17 nights from New York City to Copenhagen departing May 5.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Magic — 14 nights cruises departing from Port Canaveral to Barcelona departing April 10; 14 nights from Barcelona to Port Canaveral, sailing Sept. 18.

Holland America Line

Eurodam — 16 days from Fort Lauderdale to Rome departing April 3; Noordam — 13 days from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona departing May 14.

MSC Cruises

MSC Poesia — 18 nights from Fort Lauderdale to Hamburg departing April 27; 18 nights from Kiel to New York departing Sept. 4.

Norwegian Cruise Lines

Norwegian Epic — Seven day transatlantic crossing, a maiden voyage, from Southampton to New York departing June 24.

Oceania Cruises

Insignia — 15 nights from Rio de Janeiro to Barcelona departing April 3; 15 nights from Barcelona to Rio de Janeiro departing Dec. 6; Nautica — 24 nights from Bangkok to Beijing departing March 1; 35 nights from Cape Town to Singapore departing Dec. 11; Regatta — 14 nights cruises from Miami Florida to Barcelona departing March 21; 14 nights from Barcelona to Miami departing Nov. 13.

Princess Cruises

Crown Princess — 14 days from Fort Lauderdale to Rome departing May; 14 days from London on to New York departing Sept. 3; Grand Princess — 15 days cruises departing from Fort Lauderdale to London departing April 9; 16 days from London to Ft. Lauderdale departing Sept. 25; Ruby Princess — 16 days from Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona departing April 19; 16 days from Venice to Fort Lauderdale departing Oct. 8; Star Princess — 18 days from Ft. Lauderdale to Copenhagen departing April 24.

Royal Caribbean Cruises International

Navigator of the Seas — 14 nights cruises departing from Miami to Rome departing April 10; 14 nights from Rome to Fort Lauderdale departing Oct. 23; Independence of the Seas — 14 nights from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton departing April 11; Voyager of the Seas — 14 nights from Galveston to Barcelona departing April 18; 14 nights from Barcelona to Galveston departing Nov. 7; Adventure of the Seas — 13 nights from San Juan to Barcelona departing May 2; 14 nights from Barcelona to San Juan departing November 28; Jewel of the Seas — 13 nights from Miami to Harwich departing May 6; 14 nights from Harwich to Boston departing Sept. 4.

Wedding Cruises Increase by 60 Percent

2010-03-25T07:36:00.000-04:00

Hartford Courant

More brides are going to sea than ever before. Some even take along a lot more than the groom.

One New York bride plans to sail in May with more than 100 guests, according to Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman Courtney Recht.

On the briny, wedding business has increased by as much as 60 percent in the last decade, the 21 maritime members of Cruise Lines International Association report. The attraction, presciently noted years ago in a Royal Caribbean International survey, was that 95 percent of vacationers rated cruises as "extremely or very romantic," compared with landlubber vacations.

Another reason is convenience. According to the cruise association, almost 35 percent of the group's 16,000 agents say their clients want to combine a wedding with a honeymoon; more than 23 percent say the top reason for a cruise wedding is value.

As a setting for romance, more than 80 percent of agents say nothing beats the Caribbean and Bahamas as favorite wedding destinations.

Today it's a lot easier to tie the knot at sea or in ports around the globe. More cruise lines now offer shipboard wedding packages, amenities and wedding-planning services, including legal marriages performed by ships' captains.

The notion of nautical nuptials practically was codified in 1998, when Princess Cruises, the "Love Boat" line, launched bona fide weddings at sea, performed by a ship's captain. According to spokeswoman Carol Maglione, more than 6,000 couples have taken vows at sea or in port since then. Princess' weddings at sea are official, because the line's vessels are registered in Bermuda, which recognizes all marriages in international waters.

Besides weddings, many lines also offer honeymoon and vow-renewal packages, bachelor and bachelorette parties, even programs for "popping the question," the ultimate engagement party at sea.

Carnival Cruises, which saw a 60 percent increase in wedding packages in the last decade, anticipates that 2,400 couples will marry aboard its "Fun Ships" this year, according to the line's spokesman, Vance Gulliksen.

And options on all lines can read like a vast menu of choices.

Shipboard ceremonies on Carnival, for instance, are available on embarkation day in U.S. ports and many Caribbean cruises. Prices for Carnival's Just for the Bride & Groom package start at $1,195 and include an official civil ceremony, a champagne toast with keepsake flutes, flowers for both bride and groom, a wedding cake with cake topper, pre-recorded wedding music, a decorated bridal aisle and photographic services.

Add some guests, an hourlong open bar and hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, a traditional two-tiered wedding cake and coffee service, and the cost increases to $1,635.

Celebrity Cruises' most popular wedding package is the Nautical Nuptials program, featuring a captain-led wedding ceremony at sea offered on all Celebrity ships except Celebrity Xpedition.

Since 2008, even intimate Azamara Cruise Lines' vessels have made marriage at sea legal on their ships with captain-led wedding ceremonies. Couples tying the knot with Azamara and Celebrity captains can choose from packages that include anything from private receptions in the ship's specialty restaurant to cake, champagne and more. Basic captain-performed wedding packages start at $2,500.

Costa Cruises' weddings take place while the ship is in port, either onboard or on land, with the company's wedding planners taking care of all the details.

Crystal Cruises' romantic options include a candlelight dinner on the veranda of the couple's suite, onboard florists, a portrait studio and private shore excursions.

Brides and grooms on Disney Cruises Line can exchange vows aboard the ship or step ashore for a romantic beach-side ceremony on the line's private island paradise, Castaway Cay.

With 300 nuptials a year, Norwegian Cruise Lines boasts an array of options to turn the basic wedding into an extravaganza. The line offers two wedding packages — Onboard Aisles and On Shore Aisles — available in ports in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and Bermuda.

Both include a ceremony conducted by a local official plus all the features of a wedding: music, cake, wine.

Onboard Aisles packages start at $1,100 a couple (for shipboard weddings held in most Southern U.S., West Coast and ports of Canada cruises) to $1,450 (for Grand Cayman, St. Maarten and Northeast U.S. ports). The package includes priority embarkation for the couple and their guests (if the wedding is on embarkation day), snacks and refreshments upon embarkation, a ceremony conducted by a local official, recorded music, a wedding coordinator, a basic bouquet, a matching one-bloom boutonniere, professional photography service for one hour, one 8-by-10 photo, a private website to view and order photographs, gifts and favors, a wedding cake, one bottle of private-label Champagne and a keepsake certificate.

On Shore Aisles ranges from $1,450 in a colonial chapel in New Orleans to $2,450 in various locations in Florence, Rome or Venice.

On Royal Caribbean Cruises, betrothed couples can exchange vows while climbing the ships' rock walls or ice skating or even catching the waves on the shipboard surf simulator. The line's Royal Romance package features an hour wedding ceremony aboard ship or onshore on embarkation day.

Shoreside venues include hot-air balloons, the glaciers of Alaska cruises, medieval European castles and an Italian vineyard.

As if hand-holding for the nervous bride and groom weren't enough, some lines and travel agents now provide registry service. With all these options, it's not hard to see why brides are going overboard for onboard ceremonies.

Azamara Club Cruises Focuses on Exotic Destinations

2010-03-20T02:37:00.002-04:00

Sun Sentinel

Cruise line changes its name, raises fares to include certain beverages and services

Mega cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers and offering extreme sports are all the rage, but they are not everyone's idea of a good time.

Some passengers are turned off by big ships. They have no interest in exploring crowded Caribbean ports, surfing on a Flow rider or dining at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Azamara Club Cruises is the latest company to go after older, affluent travelers who favor exotic port destinations and require all of the comforts of a boutique hotel.

"When you're a small ship you can get to places the big ships can't go," Azamara CEO Larry Pimentel said.

Other cruise lines, including Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Silversea Cruises specialize in small-ship cruising with a high level of service, including a butler who will cater to passengers' personal tastes.

Started in 2007, Azamara has two ships — the Journey and the Quest. In December, the company changed its name from Azamara Cruises to reflect the club-like atmosphere passengers will find onboard, Pimentel said.

The company's new direction hinges on what Pimentel calls "destination immersion."

"We're doing more overnights and longer stays," in ports of call, he said. Giving guests two, sometimes even three, consecutive days to tour cities will position Azamara to rival land-based tour companies, Pimentel added.

There's also an increased focus on offering tour excursions that passengers may not find on other lines, such as a Ferrari driving tour in Italy.

And starting next month, many amenities will be included within cruise fares, such as a lunch and dinner wine selection, in-cabin dining, gratuities, and shuttle buses to city centers in port.

Cruise fares average about $250 per person per day, with most itineraries ranging from seven to 14 nights.

To adjust for the now-included products and services, Pimentel said the company raised cruise fares about 24 percent over a 12-week period, a move met with criticism from some passengers and travel agents.

"The new price increases do not equate with the extras offered," said a CruiseCritic.com member, known as frontrow487, on an Internet message board. "We feel priced out and wish you had kept the status quo."

Pimentel responded to the complaint during a recent Question and Answer forum he hosted on CruiseCritic.com, a website for passengers, saying, "We regularly look at the pricing offered by our competitive set, and think Azamara Club Cruises represents an excellent value, which we find vital to retaining our valued guests."

Azamara Cruise Lines differs from some of its established competitors. It has fewer ships in its fleet. In many cases, rival lines visit more obscure ports of call and offer world cruise itineraries that give passengers the option of sailing for months at a time.

Pimentel says there's enough room in the small-ship market for one more. "We don't all go to the same destinations at the same time," he said.

What makes Azamara different, he says, is that "It's a little bit of a secret, and it's a newer line."

Cruising Tradition Revived

2010-03-16T03:02:00.000-04:00

Montreal Gazette

Passengers may bring guests on-board

Princess Cruises is bringing back an old tradition, but with a new twist.

Once you could bring your family and friends on-board to say goodbye in style before the cruise ship sailed. Princess's Bon Voyage Experience will allow passengers to invite friends and relatives on-board for a four-course lunch with wine, a ship tour and a souvenir photo.

Here is the part I like. The passengers and guests will have priority boarding and will be able to spend about four hours together before the ship sails.

But there will be a cost: each guest will be charged $39, which can be applied as a credit toward a future cruise.

For the guest, it's a good deal for the price. For Princess, it's a better deal. It may be the first time many guests step on a cruise ship, and they may become future customers for Princess Cruises.

The program will debut next month in Los Angeles and cruises departing from Fort Lauderdale before expanding to New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

The cruise ships will not have hundreds of guests roaming their decks just before departure. The number of guests is capped at 50. You can reserve spots well in advance or up to six days prior to departure.

In other Princess news, the cruise line's owners, Carnival Cruises Corp., have reached an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for two new prototype ships - 20 per cent larger than other Princess ships and with a capacity of 3,600 passengers in double occupancy, similar in size to the Carnival Dream, the largest ship in the Carnival fleet.

The first Princess ship will be launched in spring 2013, the second a year later. These will be the first new ships for Princess Cruises since the launch of the Ruby Princess in fall 2008. Princess caters more to an adult audience.

Norwegian Cruise Lines is getting ahead of the game when it comes to announcing ship deployments for 2011 and the winter of 2012. NCL will base its first ship in Copenhagen, in 2011 for nine-day Baltic cruises. The Danish port city was one of my favourite cities on my last Baltic cruise. It also is close to Scandinavian and Baltic ports, so you spend less time sailing to them.

NCL Cruises also announced plans to sail year-round out of New Orleans for destinations such as Costa Maya, Cozumel, Roatan Bay and Belize City.

Celebrity Cruise Lines will be opening an Internet café - it sounds more like an Apple store - on the Eclipse when it launches in April. The iLounge, as the line is calling it, will be set up with 26 computers, will offer courses and will sell Apple products. If it proves successful, I expect iLounges will be rolled out through the rest of the Celebrity Cruises fleet.

New Luxury Ship from Seabourn to go Around the World in 109 Days

2010-03-11T10:22:00.002-05:00

USA Today

Seabourn has announced plans for an unusually exotic world cruise to take place in 2012 on the 450-passenger Seabourn Quest.

The still-to-be-built ship, scheduled to debut in mid-2011, will set sail on Jan. 5, 2012 from Fort Lauderdale on the 109-night voyage, which will start with a trip down to South America followed by an eastbound crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to Africa and then Asia before a loop back to the Middle East and Europe.

The voyage will include stops in a number of new-for-the-line ports, including Port Elizabeth, South Africa and remote St. Helena Island.

Other port calls scheduled for the voyage in South America and Africa include Devil's Island, French Guiana; Recife, Salvador Da Bahia and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; Walvis Bay, Namibia; Cape Town and Durban in South Africa; and Maputo, Mozambique.

Among stops in Asia: Singapore; Ho Chi Minh City and Chan May in Vietnam; Keelung (Taipei); Shanghai; Hong Kong; Phuket, Thailand; and Port Kelang (for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).

The ship also will call in Cochin, Mormugao (Goa) and Mumbai in India; Khasab, Salalah and Muscat in Oman; Dubai; Safaga (for Luxor), Sharm el-Sheikh and Alexandria, Egypt; Aqaba, Jordan; and Corfu.

While global in its reach, the world cruise from Seabourn Cruises does not include a complete circumnavigation of the globe. It'll end in late April 2012 in Venice.

Cruise Lines Offering Boatloads of Enticements

2010-03-08T11:59:00.002-05:00

Chicago Sun-Times

If you’re planning a cruise vacation this year, get ready for higher prices, better entertainment, water parks and one of the most innovative concepts to come along in a while: rooms designed for solo travelers on the Norwegian Epic, without the supplemental charge that single passengers on cruises have traditionally paid.

“I think it’s genius,” said Cynthia Boal Janssens, chief blogger at AllThingsCruise.com. “I’m amazed with so many new ships coming on line that this hasn’t been done sooner. Lots of single people cruise and want to cruise, but right now, if you are going on a cruise as a single person and you occupy a double cabin, they charge you an additional fee for doing that, sometimes as much as 200 percent.”

The Epic, which launches this summer, will offer 128 studios for singles. The cabins open onto a lounge area where solo travelers can socialize.

Paul Motter, editor at CruiseMates.com, said he thinks the single studios “will take off. We have a whole message board on CruiseMates for people seeking cruise companions. It’s a huge potential market.”

Motter said another emerging trend in cruises is more brand-name entertainment. For years, mediocre musical revues with names like “Salute to Broadway” were standard fare on ships, to the point where they “kind of became a joke,” Motter said.

In contrast, the Epic will feature Blue Man Group and Second City improv shows. Royal Caribbean Cruises' megaship, Oasis of the Seas, which launched last fall, offers a complete production of “Hairspray.”

Motter said “Hairspray” is “the first time a cruise ship has fully licensed a Broadway production. And it’s a really good production, on par with a national touring company.”

Oasis was the “it” ship of 2009, attracting enormous publicity as the largest cruise ship ever built. It carries up to 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members, with facilities that include an ice rink, golf course, volleyball and basketball courts, a 1,300-seat indoor theater and seven “neighborhoods,” including a boardwalk and a mini-Central Park. There’s so much to do onboard that when the ship pulls into a port, “a lot of people don’t get off,” said Carolyn Spencer Brown of CruiseCritic.com.

The cruise industry will launch a dozen new ships this year, but, Brown said, “Nothing will compete with Oasis.”

Ships debuting in 2010 include a sister ship of Oasis called Allure of the Seas, a new Queen Elizabeth from Cunard, and Celebrity Eclipse, the third in a series of Celebrity ships that started with the Solstice in 2008 and the Equinox in 2009.

Despite all these new ships coming onto the market during a recession, the cruise industry has managed to keep them full. In 2009, ships sailed at 104 percent capacity on average, meaning that every room was occupied and some rooms were shared by more than two people, according to Cruise Lines International Association, an industry group with 25 cruise lines representing 97 percent of cruise capacity in North America.

At the same time, the number of passengers keeps increasing: 13.01 million people cruised on CLIA ships in 2008, 13.44 million in 2009 and a projected 14.3 million will sail in 2010.

“Maybe we are not recession-proof, but we are recession-resistant,” said Richard Sasso, CEO of MSC Cruises and marketing director of CLIA.

One way cruises have kept ships full is by dramatically increasing the number of international passengers, to make up for slow growth in the North American market. The number of passengers from outside North America has doubled to more than 3 million a year since 2003, while the number of U.S. and Canada cruise passengers has increased by just 30 percent to 10.29 million.

Discounts have brought customers in, too. Cruise prices go down when demand is weak — just like airfare — until every cabin is filled.

But the low prices of 2009 are starting to disappear. “Fares are going up, for sure,” said Brown, the CruiseCritic.com editor.

One sign of change: More passengers are booking further in advance. In 2009, the average booking window for a cruise was 4.6 months before the departure date, and 39 percent of passengers were booking their trips less than four months out, Sasso said. For 2010, the average booking window already has increased to five months out, and only 30 percent of clients are booking less than four months before their departure.

What does this mean for consumers?

“As the ship fills up, the prices go up,” said Motter, the CruiseMates.com editor. “They give you the best prices six months to a year out, and at the very end, if there are still empty cabins, they discount them. The best way to get the best deal on a cruise is to book early. Almost all the cruise lines offer price guarantees, so if you see a price lower than what you booked, they will honor that.”

On the other hand, you can still find last-minute bargains in places where the market is “really soft,” said Brown. “Eastern Mediterranean, Greek Isles, Turkey. For the Mexican Riviera, I’m still seeing $299 departures on seven-day trips.”

Don’t forget to check social media when planning a cruise. More cruise companies and cruise Web sites are using Twitter and Facebook to highlight deals and trips. Cunard Cruises even has a YouTube channel where fans can watch construction progress on the new Queen Elizabeth, as well as videos of James Taylor performing on another Cunard ship, Queen Mary 2.

Another long-term trend in cruising is the increase in family-friendly programs and attractions. In the last 10 years, the median age of cruisers has dropped from 57 to 47, according to Bob Sharak, CLIA’s executive director.

“Multigenerational groups — the groups that bring adults, kids and grandkids — are bringing down the average age,” said Mimi Weisband, spokeswoman for Crystal Cruises.

One feature on new ships that younger passengers are sure to love is the water park. Carnival Dream, which launched last year, has an aqua park called WaterWorks with a 300-foot-long water slide, the longest water slide at sea.

A new ship from Disney Cruises, the Dream, launching in January 2011, will have a 765-foot-long water coaster, the AquaDuck, that will wrap around the perimeter of the ship’s top deck, with one loop jutting 13 feet over the side of the ship, 150 feet above the ocean.

Other innovative features on the Disney Dream include virtual portholes for windowless staterooms that will offer live views of the sea and sky from video cameras mounted around the ship. The Dream also will have an adult lounge called Skyline with changing backdrops offering views of famous skylines around the world.

Cruises also keep offering more and more sophisticated programming. In late 2009, Celebrity Cruises' ships launched a series of enrichment seminars and activities called Celebrity Life. In addition to fitness classes and spa treatments, the programs include cooking classes, wine-tastings, stargazing, scrapbooking and lectures on art and history.

Cruise itineraries keep changing, too. Crystal Cruises’ new port calls include Kuwait City, Bandar Abbas in Iran, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Sevastopol in the Ukraine and Port Elizabeth in South Africa cruises, with new excursions that include South African wineries and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Princess Cruises will visit 17 new ports in the next two years, including Abu Dhabi, Tangiers in Morocco and Xiamen, on the southeastern coast of China. A “Highlights of Germany” tour offered by Princess this year will include two nights in the town of Oberammergau to see the famous Passion Play that villagers only perform once a decade.

Janssens, the All ThingsCruising.com editor, says river tours of Europe are also increasingly popular. “They’re replacing the bus tour of Europe,” she said.

Brown of CruiseCritic agreed, adding that ships designed for river cruising are “much more stylish than they used to be,” with “much nicer cabins, tech toys like DVD players, French balconies, elaborate furnishings and better food.”

Janssens said the small and medium-size ships from lines like Silversea, Star Clippers and Crystal Cruises are especially appealing for older, more traditional travelers.

“They may not have big-name shows, you don’t have all the razzle-dazzle, but there’s a lot of elegance with this type of cruising — lovely dinners and you meet so many well-traveled people,” Janssens said. “They tend to be more luxurious, and you go to interesting places that the big ships can’t reach, where there aren’t 10,000 people in port.”

While megaships like Oasis may get the headlines, Janssens theorized that “people who like small ships are becoming even more loyal to them as big ships get bigger.”

The Fastest Growing Cruise Destination is . . . The Persian Gulf?

2010-03-03T12:36:00.002-05:00

USA Today

It wasn't by accident that Costa Cruises chose Dubai in the Persian Gulf as the location for last week's naming of its newest ship, the Costa Deliziosa. The gleaming tourist and business hub is turning into a boom town of sorts for the cruise industry.

Costa CEO Pier Luigi Foschi noted at the event that the Carnival-owned line was moving 140,000 cruisers through the city this winter, a 40% increase from last year and more than three times the number of just three years ago.

"The business grew fast," says Foschi, ticking off details of the company's rapid, four-year expansion from one ship to three in the region.

Perpetually sunny and warm, the Persian Gulf is proving a popular winter getaway for cruise fans from Europe, in particular, as well as Middle Easterners and smaller numbers of Americans, despite its location near several troubled countries including Iraq and Yemen.

For a European cruiser, the Persian Gulf is closer than the Caribbean and offers an appealing mix of culture, history and modern conveniences, not to mention luxury (Dubai's sparkling new airport puts those in cruise hubs Miami and Fort Lauderdale to shame, and the beach-lined city boasts some of the world's most elaborate resorts).

Dubai's top tourism official, Hamad Bin Mejiren, told cruise writers in Dubai last week for the Costa event that the city expected to see 575,000 cruise passengers by 2015. That's more than double the 263,000 that arrived in 2009, he noted.

As recently as 2001, Dubai was getting just 7,000 cruise passengers a year.

The naming of the Costa Deliziosa last week was a first of its kind in an Arab city -- and, officials say, a harbinger of things to come.

Costa already is basing its two newest ships -- the Deliziosa and sister Luminosa -- in Dubai this winter (both vessels sailing seven-night Gulf voyages that include stops in ports such as Muscat, Oman). It also has been operating 18-night cruises between Dubai and Savona, Italy, on the Costa Europa, though the voyages came to an abrupt end last week after the ship was involved in an accident in Egypt.

The trend of cruises around the Middle East also got a big boost in January as industry giant Royal Caribbean began its first season of voyages in the region. Royal Caribbean's 2,112-passenger Brilliance of the Seas, now sailing weekly out of Dubai on seven-night trip to Oman, Bahrain and other parts of the United Arab Emirates, was docked next to the Costa Deliziosa during last week's ceremony.

How significant will cruising in the Persian Gulf become? Clearly, Dubai is betting big. The naming of the Costa Deliziosa last week coincided with the official unveiling of a new cruise terminal at Dubai's Port Rashid that can accommodate up to four cruise ships at a time.

Sushi Lollipops?

2010-02-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

USA Today

Celebrity Cruises Unveils Plans for New Restaurant

Celebrity Cruises is going arty with its newest restaurant concept, a $30-a-person eatery called Qsine that will be as much about style and design as it is about food.

Among menu items at the venue -- announced late Wednesday for the soon-to-debut Celebrity Eclipse -- will be elaborately presented "Sushi Lollipops" and a Kobe beef "Slider Party" of mini-grilled burgers with Wisconsin cheddar served on brioche buns.

The 2,850-passenger Celebrity Eclipse -- the third ship in the line's much-heralded Solstice Class series -- will enter service in late April.

Celebrity Vice President of Culinary Operations Jacques Van Staden says Qsine is designed to present passengers with an unexpected, modern approach to familiar dishes from around the world.

"Our guests love new and different dining experiences, and we've designed Qsine to deliver that in a big way," Van Staden says. "Qsine is designed to offer a globally-influenced blend of nostalgic and contemporary favorites, artfully presented to the Celebrity Cruises diner with elements of surprise."

Among high-design touches: Qsine's menu will be a large, backlit square; wait staff will wear custom-made asymmetrical jackets with square buttons; desserts will be showcased in a menu described as a hinged, twistable cube.

Qsine will be open nightly on Celebrity Eclipse from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. There will be no age restriction for entry, as there is with some other Celebrity eateries, and the dress code will be smart casual and above.

The restaurant will be located in the space that houses Asian eatery Silk Harvest on earlier Solstice Class ships.

Carnival 'Glory' Returns to Duty after Major Refurbishment

2010-02-23T09:53:00.000-05:00

Hotel Interactive

The 2,974-passenger Carnival Glory has resumed Caribbean service from Miami following a multi-million-dollar renovation that added a host of new facilities and features, including a Serenity adults-only retreat, a 270-square-foot Seaside Theatre poolside LED screen, and a Circle “C” facility for 12- to 14- year olds.

Eighteen new balconies were also incorporated onto existing ocean view staterooms and a new Mongolian wok venue was added to the casual poolside restaurant. Bow-to-stern Wi-Fi access was added, as well.

From February to May, Carnival Glory operates seasonal seven-day cruises departing from Miami, alternating weekly to the eastern and western Caribbean. Seven-day eastern Caribbean cruises visit Half Moon Cay, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk, while the western route features Grand Cayman, Isla Roatan, Belize and Cozumel.

The ship will then be deployed to New York where it will offer a series of four- and five-day Atlantic Canada cruises from June 6 – September 6, 2010, followed by a series of seven-day Canada/New England cruises, from September 11 – October 9.

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve and expand our product to deliver fun and memorable vacations to our guests while at the same time offering exceptional value,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s president and CEO. “The new Seaside Theatre, adults-only area and Circle ‘C’ facility, which are all available to our guests on a complimentary basis, serve to enhance an already terrific, value-packed vacation choice,” he added.

New Seaside Theatre
Located poolside on Lido Deck is Carnival Cruises new “Seaside Theatre,” a massive 270-square-foot LED screen displaying movies, concerts, sporting events, and other programming, including the popular “Morning Show” hosted by the ship’s cruise director. Utilizing the same technology featured in large stadiums and New York’s Times Square, the state-of-the-art entertainment system includes a 70,000-watt sound system, providing concert quality sound, even outdoors.

New Balcony Accommodations
During dry dock, 18 new balconies were added to existing Spa Deck accommodations, creating spacious 220-square-foot verandah staterooms. They are conveniently located next to the ship’s 14,500-square-foot “Spa Carnival” facility offering sophisticated exercise equipment, expansive workout facilities and a variety of soothing European-style treatments.

With the addition of these newly reconfigured staterooms, nearly 40 percent of the Carnival Glory’s 1,487 cabins now feature private balconies.

New Adults-Only Retreat
Another popular feature added during the dry dock is Serenity, a two-level adults-only retreat located forward on Sun Deck and Sky Deck. Designed as an oceangoing oasis for relaxation, with decorative latticework and teak-style decking, this area features different styles of seating, including shaded sun loungers and hammocks, a full bar, and two oversized whirlpools.

Circle “C” Facility for 12- to 14-Year-Olds A new Circle “C” facility catering to 12- to 14-year-olds has been added as part of the line’s unique offerings for kids. The center features a high-tech sound and lighting system, plasma-screen TVs displaying movies and music videos, a touch-screen jukebox, and gaming pods with the latest video games and consoles.

Dining Enhancements
A new Mongolian wok option was added to the Carnival Glory’s Red Sail casual restaurant located poolside on Lido Deck. At the new venue, guests can select their favorite meat, sauce, vegetables and other ingredients and watch as a chef creates their custom-designed stir fry dish right before their eyes.

Additionally, the Golden dining room, located forward, was reconfigured for Your Time Dining providing guests the option of open seating between 5:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. nightly.

Celebrity Cruises introduces 'Celebrity iLounge'

2010-02-22T15:27:00.000-05:00

Travel Daily News

With the launch of its new brand platform, "Designed for you," last month, Celebrity Cruises reinforced its commitment to delivering the ultimate combination of ship design, service, cuisine and programs for cruise lovers. And today, it announced plans for a new venue whose design, products and programming are sure to appeal to today's cruisers.

When Celebrity Eclipse - the third in Celebrity Cruises' stylish Solstice Class fleet of ships - launches in April, guests will find the first "Celebrity iLounge." Designed to not only offer a hip, modern lounge ambience, Celebrity also created the space to offer what its guests said they wanted most in an Internet cafe: easy access to the Internet, inspiring classes and new products.

The Celebrity iLounge is composed of three main areas: a series of 26 contemporary workstations where guests can check their e-mail, retain their social media connections, or print boarding passes; a retail space offering cruisers the opportunity to see and try out the latest MacBooks(R), iPods(R) and accessories; and an enrichment center where certified staff will offer guests tips on Mac or iPod usage.

"Our new Celebrity iLounge is a direct outgrowth of our 'Designed for you' brand platform, and our commitment to listen to our guests and offer experiences and programs expressly designed for them," said Celebrity's President and CEO Dan Hanrahan. "Our surveys show that our guests rely heavily on the Internet for research, learning and staying in touch, so we think this new offering will be a big hit, as will the contemporary online classes offered through the 'Discover' series of our inspiring and enriching 'Celebrity Life' experiences."

Enhancing the "Discover" component of its "Celebrity Life" series of inspiring enrichment and entertainment experiences, Celebrity will offer in the Celebrity iLounge a series of engaging new courses designed to suit its guests' interests - including do-it-yourself photo books, movie editing and web design, through programs including iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and iWeb. And whether guests are savvy or novice users of Mac or iPod products, Celebrity's certified staff will be well-equipped to assist, following more than 125 hours of training in operating systems, applications, and products. They also will be poised to illustrate to guests the differences between Macs and PCs.

Guests eager to expand their collection of merchandise will find the Celebrity iLounge an enticing venue, too. As an Authorized Apple Reseller, Celebrity will have products available for guests to purchase, including iPods, MacBooks, and essential accessories.

Located on deck six of Celebrity Eclipse, the Celebrity iLounge will house the 26 MacBook Pro's, classroom and retail area, in addition to display pods, a 56-inch flat-screen TV for use during classes, and an accessible workstation.

The Celebrity iLounge also will be presented on Celebrity Silhouette, which launches in 2011, and the fifth ship in the Solstice Class fleet, which sets sail in 2012.

Celebrity Cruises is designed for discerning cruisers, with modern, sophisticated environments, impeccable service, enriching and inspiring onboard programs, and world-class cuisine. The ultimate in premium cruising, Celebrity sails on Alaska, Bermuda, California, Canada/New England, Europe, the Pacific Coast, Panama Canal, South America cruises, and year-round in the Caribbean and the Galapagos Islands. Celebrity also offers immersive cruisetour experiences in Alaska, Canada, Europe and South America. Celebrity's mega-series of honors include being named the top mega-ship line in Conde Nast Traveler's annual Readers' Choice Awards (November 2009). Celebrity's fleet currently consists of nine ships. Its $3.7-billion investment in building five stylish Solstice Class ships between 2008-2012 represents the largest newbuild commitment for a single brand in industry history.

Roundup: Current Top Deals for Cruising

2010-02-20T09:23:00.001-05:00

Telegraph UK

Orlando "stay and cruise"

Spend seven nights at the Quality Inn International in Orlando, before embarking on a one-week cruise on board Carnival Cruises' ship Carnival Legend, calling at Grand Cayman, Cozumel (Mexico), Belize City, and Roatan Island (Honduras).

Eastern Mediterranean

Join the good ship Boudicca for 23-night Mediterranean cruises, departing from Liverpool on April 6. Ports of call include Cadiz, Malaga, Zakinthos, Pireaus (for Athens), Mykonos, Valletta, Ibiza and Lisbon.

North America

Spend two weeks on board Costa Atlantica, departing from Fort Lauderdale on April 10 and calling at Quebec City, Charlottetown, Nova Scotia, New York and Boston.

Western Mediterranean

Two-week voyage on board P&O Cruises’ ship Oceana, departing from Southampton on April 17. Ports of call include Gibraltar, Cartagena (Spain), Rome, Florence, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Cadiz.

Middle East

Join Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas for a 14-night Middle Eastern cruise, departing from Dubai on April 18. Highlights include a transit of the Suez Canal and visits to Muscat, Sharm-el-Sheikh, Alexandria and Barcelona, where the cruise terminates. Prices include an inside cabin and flights.

Caribbean

Embark on a 24-night Caribbean cruise on board Royal Caribbean Cruises' Jewel of the Seas, sailing from Miami on April 25. The voyage includes stops at Cartagena (Colombia), Colon (Panama), Puerto Limon (Costa Rica), Grand Cayman, Bermuda, Lisbon and Zeebrugge, and terminates at Harwich.

Northern Europe

Join Norwegian Cruise Lines' vessel Norwegian Sun for a two-week Baltic cruise, departing from Dover on September 20. Ports of call include Bergen and Alusund (both Norway), the Shetland Isles, the Faroe Islands, Reykjavik, Glasgow and Dublin.

Financial Slump Produced Bargains on 2010 World Cruises

2010-02-16T10:40:00.002-05:00

Sun Sentinel

While most cruise passengers today can save a few dollars on a seven-night cruise, a lucky few are sailing around the world on a luxury liner for thousands less than it cost a couple of years ago.

They're booked on world cruises, which depart this time of year on voyages that can span four months and touch seven continents.

The dismal global economy wreaked havoc on the luxury travel sector in 2008 and early 2009, forcing top lines such as Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Sea Cruises and Yachts of Seabourn to discount fares on early bookings and offer freebies to lock in wealthy passengers for 2010 world cruise itineraries.

Although demand has recovered, cruise executives say they're still happy to throw in unlimited tour excursions and airfare to reel guests into making early arrangements. Those who wait to book pay a higher fare, they say. This strategy, combined with the personalized service they receive aboard the cruise, also helps keep passengers loyal to a specific line.

"World cruisers really create a base for us to go very exotic places," said Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

The company's 2010 world cruise drew about 300 people who will sail around the world, while the rest of the 700-person ship is filled with passengers who take one or more segments of the itinerary, Conroy said.

Of the 300 people sailing on Regent world cruises this year, Conroy said over half — maybe as many as two thirds — have been on every world cruise the company's offered.

Regent's world cruise left San Diego earlier this month and is scheduled to conclude in Fort Lauderdale in May.

Another Fort Lauderdale-based luxury line attracted Tony Sturiolo, 65, and wife Patricia, 62, of Mount Kisco, N.Y., who paid about $118,300 to sail on the Silver Spirit's maiden voyage around South America. Their 745-square-foot suite has a private veranda and dining area. And for the entire voyage, they will have a butler assigned to their stateroom.

"We're going to meet friends that were on the world cruise with us before," Sturiolo said. In 2007, the couple sailed with Silversea on a world tour, an experience he described as "126 days of absolute luxury."

"For the level of service that Silversea provides, the pricing is appropriate," Sturiolo said. And perks like free shipping for luggage take the hassle out of traveling, he said.

While sales of world cruises and long itineraries slowed in the wake of recession and economic uncertainty last year, experts say it was not because passengers lacked the funds.

"They saw what was happening … and there was a sort of melancholy empathy" that caused them to hold off on making vacation plans, said Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso Travel, a group of more than 300 upscale travel agencies.

As passengers started watching their financial portfolios rebound, they began booking early to reserve their preferred cabin accommodations and take advantage of the perks offered, Upchurch said.

Travel agents agree that many potential world cruises are insulated from economic shocks.

"These people have no financial problems whatsoever," said Millie Schwartz, an Aventura-based travel agent for more than 50 years.

Schwartz said she once sailed a portion of a world cruise with one couple who had their own helicopter pad and another who had a 93-foot yacht.

"Even though they have a lot of money," Schwartz said, "they want value and service."

This year's crop of world cruises likely won't set any profit records. Incentives last year to perk up 2010 world cruise bookings included itineraries offered at 50 percent off and two-for-one specials. Cruise fares for these voyages start at about $20,000 at top-tier lines and include perks such as free air fare, free unlimited tour excursions, free baggage shipping and onboard spending credits.

"We're losing some on the per diem rate, but we're making up for that with the volume," said Stephen Tucker, vice president of field sales for Fort Lauderdale-based Silversea Cruises.

Next year, the line is offering a 119-day world cruise aboard the new 540-passenger Silver Spirit. The ship is about 30 percent sold for the voyage, with about 95 percent of the big suites sold out for all segments, company officials said. Last Thursday, the ship departed Port Everglades for a 91-day circumnavigation of South America, a trip designed to introduce the vessel to major United States markets before taking it around the world.

Cruise Photos Intact After Camera Hauled From Seabed

2010-02-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

BBC News

A trawlerman is trying to trace the owner of a digital camera after it was hauled from the Atlantic seabed in his nets with the photos still intact.

Benito Estevez believes the camera was dropped overboard from the QM2 cruise liner in the middle of the Atlantic.

The camera's memory card revealed five photographs, including a woman posing on the deck of a ship, with the now out-of-service QE2 in the background.

Mr Estevez, of Spain, is now trying to trace the people in the pictures.

US tourists

The QE2 made its last ever voyage to Dubai in November 2008.

BBC South Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton says the ship the woman is posing on is the QM2, and the two liners sailed together from Southampton to New York in October 2008.

It was the QE2's last ever transatlantic round trip between the two cities.

Mr Estevez caught the camera in his nets off the west coast of Europe, so the camera was probably lost in the early days of the crossing.

It may be that the couple are from the US, as one picture shows a man wearing a woolly tourist hat from Oxford.

Cunard Cruises, the shipping company that owns the QM2, said no-one had reported a lost camera and the firm had not been able to trace the people in the pictures.

Holland America Line Brings on the Heat With Warm Water Cruises for Fall 2010 Through Spring 2011

2010-02-11T07:06:00.000-05:00

PR Newswire
Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico & Hawaii Beckon Cruisers

SEATTLE, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line highlights warm tropical destinations from October 2010 through April 2011 with an exceptional variety of Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico and Hawaii cruises. Among the most popular cruise choices, warm water itineraries provide a sunny getaway with the relaxing ambiance of a premium cruise ship.

"The Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico and Hawaii all offer extraordinary cruise experiences that include exotic ports, warm water beaches and exciting shore excursions," said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. "Each region is historically and culturally different so guests can choose from six- to 25-day cruises for a perfect warm weather vacation."

Nine ships — including the new ms Nieuw Amsterdam — will sail 142 cruises to the eastern, western and southern Caribbean. Six ships will feature 25 full-transit Panama Canal cruises. Four ships will offer 40 cruises to the popular Mexican Riviera and Sea of Cortez. And ms Zaandam will add 11 among the Hawaiian islands.

146 Caribbean Cruises Bring the Best of the Islands

A leader in cruises of 10 days or longer, Holland America Line's Caribbean itineraries range from six to 25 days. Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Eurodam, ms Ryndam and ms Westerdam offer six- and seven-day western, eastern or southern itineraries while the ms Noordam, ms Zuiderdam, ms Maasdam and ms Prinsendam feature 10- to 25-day explorations of the southern and eastern Caribbean.

All cruises sail roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale or Tampa from October 2010 through April 2011 with 14 holiday cruises in late December. Many departures are designed so guests can combine different seven-day Caribbean sailings to offer a more in-depth 14-day exploration. They also can combine two 10-day Noordam Southern Caribbean sailings to create a truly memorable 20-day Collector's Cruise. Maasdam offers 21-, 24- and 25-day Collectors' Cruises.

Holland America's 10-day cruises to the southern Caribbean feature three itinerary options. Wayfarer itineraries highlight the islands of St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados and Martinique while Seafarer cruises showcase the Turks & Caicos Islands, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Curaçao and Aruba. Nineteen Sunfarer itineraries combine some of these enticing destinations with Panama Canal cruising.

Aboard Maasdam, guests enjoy unique 10-day eastern and 11- and 14-day southern Caribbean itineraries roundtrip Fort Lauderdale. The eastern itinerary visits San Juan, Puerto Rico; Gustavia, St. Barts; Rosseau, Dominica; St. John's, Antigua; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; and Half Moon Cay. Both southern routes call at islands that can feature Half Moon Cay, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, St. Barts, Martinique, and St. Maarten en route to Barbados. The 14-day option will also sail to the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

Popular six- and seven-day cruises explore the eastern, western and southern Caribbean, some including Central American ports. Itineraries may include the Turks and Caicos Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Grand Cayman; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; Falmouth, Jamaica; Belize City, Belize; Roatan, Honduras; and Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

Most Caribbean itineraries call at Holland America Line's award-winning private island, Half Moon Cay, which continues to be the line's highest-rated Caribbean port of call. Here guests can enjoy activities such as the guided AquaTrax watercraft tour, stingray adventure, and a horseback riding and swimming excursion.

Starting Caribbean cruise fares range from $599 to $2,499 per person, double occupancy. Taxes are additional.

Transit an Historic Engineering Feat on Panama Canal Cruises Holland America Line features 25 full-transit cruises though the canal from fall 2010 through spring 2011. Six ships – Statendam, Westerdam, Maasdam, Zuiderdam, Ryndam, ms Rotterdam and ms Amsterdam – offer itineraries ranging from 14 to 30 days. Cruises depart Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The 14-day Panama Canal Adventurer and Explorer itineraries feature ports in the Mexican Riviera, Central America and Caribbean that may include Fuerte Amador (Panama City); Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, Puerto Chiapas, Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica; Cartagena, Colombia; and Oranjestad, Aruba. Longer cruises may add Grand Cayman; Corinto, Nicaragua; Santa Marta, Colombia; and the San Blas Islands of Panama. Guests may also combine east and westbound crossings for an all-inclusive 28-day Collector's voyage, featuring in-depth exploration of the Panama Canal and surrounding regions with two complete transits.

For an extensive exploration, the Apr. 17 Rotterdam transit includes several ports in South America en route to a two-night stay in Callao, the gateway to Lima, Peru. The 30-day cruise, roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale, also visits both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Central America.

Panama Canal cruises begin at $1,599 per person, based on double occupancy. Taxes are additional.

Sunny Riviera and Exclusive Copper Canyon Await in Mexico

From fall 2010 to spring 2011 Holland America Line is featuring 36 six- to 12-day cruises to the popular Mexican Riviera, plus four ranging from 10 to 14 days that highlight the Sea of Cortez with optional tours to famous Copper Canyon.

ms Oosterdam sails one six-day and several seven-day Mexico cruises roundtrip from San Diego in fall and winter/spring. The Vista-class ship cruises first through wildlife-rich Bahia Magdalena and then visits the lively ports of Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Oosterdam also offers a 14-day Sea of Cortez itinerary from San Diego to Vancouver, British Columbia, in the spring.

ms Zaandam features 10-, 11- and 14-day cruises departing roundtrip from San Diego for the Sea of Cortez and Mexican Riviera in winter and spring 2011. Guests visit Cabo San Lucas, Loreto, Guaymas, Topolobampo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta on the Sea of Cortez itineraries. From Topolobampo, the highlight is the full-day optional excursion via rail deep into spectacular Copper Canyon.

In addition, ms Rotterdam offers a 12-day holiday cruise and ms Amsterdam sails two six-day cruises to the Mexican Riviera roundtrip from San Diego in December 2010. Starting cruise fares for Mexico itineraries are $599 per person.

San Diego Offers Homeport Premium Cruise Access to Hawaii

San Diego is also the convenient homeport for roundtrip cruises to Hawaii. From October 2010 through April 2011, Zaandam offers 11 Circle Hawaii cruises that range from 14 to 18 days, including one holiday sailing. Cruises departing from San Diego mostly sail roundtrip; one sails in April 2011 roundtrip from Vancouver, British Columbia in the Pacific Northwest. In October 2010, Zaandam features a 15-day Circle Hawaii sailing from Vancouver to San Diego.

The cruises call at four main islands, including Hilo, Hawaii; Honolulu, Oahu; Nawiliwili, Kauai; and Lahaina, Maui. The October 2010 15-day sailing calls on these ports and also at Kona with an evening cruise by Kilauea Volcano.

Rotterdam adds four 30- and 31-day Circle Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas voyages that sail roundtrip from San Diego. These cruises through the islands of Polynesia include an overnight in Papeete, French Polynesia. Hawaii ares for Hawaii cruises begin at $1,499 per person.

About Holland America Line

Holland America Line's fleet of 14 ships offers nearly 500 cruises to 320 ports in more than 100 countries, territories or dependencies. Two- to 108-day itineraries visit all seven continents, and highlights include Antarctica, South America, Australia/New Zealand and Asia cruises; a Grand World Voyage; and popular sailings to ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada/New England, Europe and Panama Canal. A 15th ship is scheduled to join the fleet on July 4, 2010.

Fleetwide, the company features Signature of Excellence enhancements, a commitment totaling more than $525 million, that showcase the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine — a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchen where more than 60 celebrated guest chefs and culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and classes — Explorations Cafe powered by The New York Times, teens-only activity areas and all new stateroom amenities highlighted by flat-panel TVs and plush Euro-top Mariner's Dream Beds.

World's Leading Cruise Lines

The highest-rated premium cruise line in the world, Holland America Cruises is a member of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line and Costa Cruises. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, these lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. The World's Leading Cruise Lines offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.

Royal Caribbean and Carnival Create Destination Ships

2010-02-08T00:53:00.002-05:00

North Jersey.com

Ever since the big cruise lines began offering travelers the chance to sail among the many islands of the Caribbean, the main factor in deciding which ship to take was the ports of call.

The destinations were the attraction. The ship provided a way to do a bit of island hopping with the bonus of being able to eat, drink and relax as you made your way from, say, St. Thomas to St. Maarten without the hassle of going from airport to airport — or even packing and unpacking.

But two new cruise ships have hit Caribbean waters, creating waves and rocking the old decision-making process.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and, to a lesser extent, Carnival's Dream are by far the largest in each fleet's line. The Oasis holds almost 1,800 more passengers than its biggest predecessor; the Dream's capacity is 600 passengers bigger than Carnival's former biggest.

The two lines took different approaches to the upsizing of their fleet. But the resulting ships share one new phenomenon: Each is a destination unto itself.

For Royal Caribbean, the design and layout of the Oasis is a dramatic change from previous ships — from any line's ships, for that matter. Carnival views the Dream as more of an evolution. The upgrade, while not revolutionary, is significant enough that the ship has a bigger, grander there's-an-awful-lot-to-do-here vibe.

The behemoth cruise ship idea isn't new. But these ships have sailed into new cruising territory. They've outgrown the ship's former role as a floating hotel that allows you to visit different countries without having to pack every day; these ships are more akin to sea-going all-inclusive resorts. There's little reason to leave the ship.

And that changes the equation when it comes to planning a cruise.

The ports of call and the land excursions take a back seat to what's available aboard each ship — especially when traveling with a big group or kids.

To borrow a tropical fruit analogy — planning a Caribbean vacation is now more than just comparing mangos to mangos, but mangos to coconuts. It's not just comparing one cruise ship to another, it's deciding a cruise on the Oasis (or the Dream) versus a trip to Sandals, Club Med or any other all-inclusive — because in many respects, the choice isn't that different.

Cruises and all-inclusives have always had a lot in common: Endless food, kids camps, group activities (if you want) or quiet and relaxing (if you don't); a great choice for families or groups who can't agree on what to do and don't want to deal with the hassle of trying to get tables for eight or 10 or 16.

But there were also major differences – and it wasn't just the obvious water- vs. land-based setting.

All-inclusive was one destination.

Cruising took in multiple destinations.

So how have the Oasis and the Dream changed the equation?

Oasis of the Seas

Shop, eat, play, relax. Stroll though Central Park, see a Broadway show, take a spin on a carousel, play minigolf. Grab a slice, try rock climbing, the zip line or surfing simulators. Getting tired yet? There's still plenty to do.

The Oasis isn't just the biggest cruise ship in the world — it's, as Mark Ratner, a passenger from Minnesota observed, "Vegas on water."

It has changed the concept of a cruise ship as a very comfortable, amenity-filled mode of transportation to an attraction unto itself.

"We have truly created a ship that rivals any land-based destination resort and opened the door for a whole new sector of consumer that might not have otherwise considered a cruise vacation," says Adam Goldstein, Royal Caribbean Cruises International's president and CEO.

And that's fortuitous. Because of its size, the Oasis is restricted in what ports it can stop at, limiting it to much-visited territory such as Cozumel and St. Thomas.

The unique feature of this ship is the themed neighborhoods. The ship is divided into seven distinct neighborhoods: Central Park, Royal Promenade, Boardwalk, Entertainment Place, Pool & Sports Zone, Youth Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa & Fitness.

Each zone offers guests a unique experience, and different vibe. The heart of the ship and main level is the Royal Promenade, which is home to upscale shops and restaurants, highlighted by the Rising Tide Bar, which slowly ascends and descends three levels. The Central Park zone is lush with plants and walkways; the look is true New York. The Boardwalk zone is a family-friendly area that features a hand-carved carousel, rock climbing walls and an Aqua Theater.

Whether you are overlooking Central Park from your guest room or strolling along the Royal Promenade, you can actually forget that you are on a ship. It's like a big hotel wrapped around an upscale mall, but in a good way.

Still, enormity brings drawbacks. It's a long walk from one end to another — which can be tiring, especially for older cruisers. And despite the wide array of shows and venues — including the Aqua Theater productions, ice-skating spectacle, musical and stage shows and comedy acts — you can't rely on the old walk-in-when-you-feel-like-it cruise behavior. Now, if you want a seat, reservations are advised.

But the biggest change is the additional fees for many of the dining options. Eating in the three-level Opus main dining room, Windjammer Marketplace, Sorrento's Pizzeria and several casual grab-and-go eateries is included in the price, but 10 restaurants — including Johnny Rockets, the Seafood Shack, Izumi Asian and the upscale Chops and 150 Central Park — charge an additional fee, ranging from $4.95 at Johnny Rockets to $35 at 150 Central Park.

Dream

Think of the Dream as a souped-up, super-sized version of previous Carnival ships.

"The Dream class of ships embodies the evolution of our brand," says Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise Lines' president and CEO.

The best new feature on the ship is The Lanai, the half-mile, open-air walkway that encircles the ship on the Promenade deck. Complete with four whirlpools, outdoor café and places to relax and enjoy the view, The Lanai also provides easy access to the Ocean Plaza, the hub of the ship's entertainment.

Carnival Cruises has embraced high tech with the FunHub, an on-board social network that you can access from 12 stand-alone kiosks throughout Ocean Plaza.

If you've cruised on Carnival before, the Dream has a familiar feel, just on a bigger and grander scale. There's just more of everything, from lounges to the two-deck Serenity adults-only area to the very impressive kids programs and activities areas.

That size is also a drawback, especially if your cabin is at either end of the ship. You turn down the stateroom hallways and it seems like they go on forever. You will get your exercise going from your room to onboard activities.

And while the Ocean Plaza is spacious and airy, if you have bad weather at sea, it will get awfully crowded and you'll quickly realize you're sharing your vacation with 3,600 other people.

Is bigger better?

So, when deciding if these big ships are the right choice for your vacation, consider the following:

1. Kid-friendly. Both lines were already geared to family vacations; these ships have upped the ante by virtue of the room and equipment available for kids of all age groups.

2. Do you like crowds? While there's plenty of room to find solitude and quiet on each ship, face it, when you're sharing a confined space there are times you can't avoid crowds.

3. Variety. Each ship offers more to do than other ships. But destination-wise, your choice is limited.

4. Extra fees. This applies primarily to the Oasis. If you want to sample all the ship has to offer — food-wise — it will cost you. Like those nagging baggage fees airlines keep hitting you with, you'll find that the original cost of the cruise is not the final cost, as you'll be paying to eat at any of 10 additional-fee restaurants in addition to all those other not-included costs, like drinks.

5. Mobility. The elderly, those not in great shape and even some little kids may find it daunting navigating the ships. It's hard to overstate how big they are and how much mileage you put on going from one place to another.

New for 2010: Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam

2010-02-05T10:33:00.002-05:00

USA Today

Line: Holland America

Maiden voyage: July 4, 2010

Home ports: Venice and Barcelona (through October); Fort Lauderdale (winter)

Passengers: 2,106

The buzz: The second ship in Holland America's Signature-class series will be similar to its two-year-old sister, the Eurodam. Like the earlier vessel, it will have a new pan-Asian restaurant called Tamarind on one of the top decks and a casual Italian restaurant on the Lido deck, and it's also bigger than its predecessors with one more deck than the 10-deck Vista-class series. As with the Eurodam, cabins also have gotten a new décor. Gone are the floral patterns of old, replaced by a calmer, more monochromatic design. The Nieuw Amsterdam, notably, is the fourth Holland America ship to bear the name since 1906.

Itineraries: 10 & 12-night Mediterranean cruises (from $1,700); 20-night trans-Atlantic cruise (from $1,999); 7-night Caribbean cruises (from $849).

Information: 1-800-826-4333 / Cruise Marketplace / Holland America Cruises

Solo Travelers Getting a Break

2010-02-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

The Vancouver Sun

If you're fancy free and love to wander, the price might finally be right to travel solo.

Instead of punishing travellers who prefer to go alone with hefty surcharges, the travel industry is starting to woo them with deals that tickle their wanderlust without ravaging their wallets.

"The tour industry is making way for the single traveller," said Margie Jordan, spokeswoman for the American Society of Travel Agents.

"This is nothing that's going to go away. The single traveller is going to have as many opportunities as anyone else."

For years, most travel deals were based on two people travelling together.

"Single travellers would see a price online and we've had to break the news that if you're going by yourself, it's 150 to 200 per cent more," said Jordan, CEO of ASAP Travel. "They were left high and dry."

But times are changing and Jordan said cruise lines in particular are stepping up.

MSC Cruises is currently offering trips that waive the dreaded single supplement, which accounts for the price hike.

"And Norwegian Cruise Line is introducing 'Studio' staterooms built and priced solely for the single traveller," she added. "It is actually something new in the cruise industry."

Maria Miller of Norwegian Cruise Lines said the 4,200-passenger Epic, to launch in July, is equipped with 128 studio staterooms designed to give the solo traveller a room of one's own.

With research showing 35 million adults take solo vacations but only five per cent opt for cruises, Miller said the potential is huge.

"There's a sizable market out there, but discontent around the single surcharge," she explained.

So, solo prices on the Epic will not include a single surcharge.

"And we're talking solo, not singles," Miller said, distinguishing solo travellers from the meet-and-mate crowd.

Kate Moeller of Club Med North America knows a thing or two about changing demographics.

"We used to be really a singles destination, but then we became more family-oriented," she said.

Moeller said Club Med's Solo Savings program waives the single supplement to accommodate the solo traveller at certain resorts.

"We have these deals in specific theme weeks in specific resorts," she said.

Jordan said the cruise industry is likewise sensitive to change.

She added that other cruise lines are waiting on the success of Norwegian's solo experiment.

"Now when refurbishing in dry dock, they add balcony staterooms. But I wouldn't be surprised if you saw Carnival Cruises or Royal Caribbean follow suit by introducing studio cabins," she predicted.

"My guess is that eventually the others will jump on board."

MSC Offers Baseball, Big Band Theme Cruises out of Fort Lauderdale

2010-02-04T09:53:00.000-05:00

Orlando Sentinel

MSC Cruises is featuring baseball themed Caribbean cruises aboard the MSC Poesia departing from Fort Lauderdale.

The Baseball Greats voyages that include free interactive guest/player activities, player-hosted trivia game, question-and-answer sessions with the players, autograph session, and a guest pitching contest.

Players also host. Player lineup will be announced at a later date. Among the Baseball Greats cruises is a Nov. 14, seven-night Eastern Caribbean sailing to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau.

MSC Cruises will also feature Big Band cruises that showcase the 16-piece Les DeMerle Big Band with vocalist Bonnie Eisele. In addition to performances, the band will present a Big Band Jazz Concert and DeMerle will give a lecture on the Big Band Era.

The Big Band theme will be featured during a nine-night Canada/New England voyage from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 23.

MSC Cruises’ MSC Poesia will host five “Baseball Greats” Fort Lauderdale cruises during its 2010-2011 Caribbean season.

The cruises include free interactive guest/player activities. Guests can participate in a player-hosted trivia game, question-and-answer sessions with the players, and a pitching contest. In story-telling sessions players some candid revelations about “characters” of the game. Players will also host pitching, hitting, fielding and base running clinics.

The free autograph session at the end of the baseball themed cruises is extremely popular. The player line-up on these itineraries will be announced at a later date.

Baseball theme cruises depart Nov. 14, Dec. 5, Jan. 9 and 23, and Feb. 6.

Princess Cruises Prepares For Balcony Bonanza with Massive Price Reductions

2010-02-02T02:33:00.001-05:00

PR Web

As the key Wave booking period approaches, award-winning Princess Cruises has announced a selection of offers in its 'Princess Sale' that will see more cruisers book a balcony stateroom or mini-suite than ever before.

Manchester, UK (PRWEB) January 6, 2010 -- As the key Wave booking period approaches, award-winning Princess Cruises has announced a selection of offers in its 'Princess Sale' that will see more cruisers book a balcony stateroom or mini-suite than ever before.

Princess Cruises grew its business in the UK by over 10% in 2009, and the line is looking to continue this success in 2010 by launching offers that mean cruise holidays with Princess are better value than ever. The offers are available from Monday 28 December, with prices reduced by up to £800 per couple from that day, as well as offers of up to $200 per couple free onboard spending money, and the line is supporting travel agents with a multi-million pound marketing campaign.

With more affordable balcony staterooms than any other cruise line, Princess is expecting to book a record number of passengers in accommodation with a private outside space, which many now regard as a basic luxury. Passengers pay as little as £60 for an upgrade from an oceanview to a balcony stateroom on a 9-night Caribbean fly-cruise on Emerald Princess. Upgrades from a balcony stateroom to a mini-suite cost as little as £95 per person.

Some of the Specials During the Princess Cruises Summer Balcony Bonus:

"As the market is changing, many passengers now expect a private balcony with an outside view as standard," said Pieter van der Schee, Head of Brand Marketing for Princess Cruises. "Balcony staterooms have become much cheaper and we are expecting a record number of bookers in the key Wave period to take advantage. Our 'Princess Sale' will see massive price reductions on 28 December, making cruising even better value than ever before," he continued.

* From 28 December, prices are coming down by as much as £800 per couple on Grand Princess sailings from Southampton, plus passengers receive up to $200 per couple free onboard spending money. Cruises to the Med start from £1,269 per person for 14 nights, with upgrades from an oceanview to a balcony stateroom for as little as £175pp, including $200 free onboard spending money per couple. A 7-night Iberia cruise starts from £649 per person.

* On every 14-night Grand Princess cruise from Southampton to the Mediterranean, passengers can choose from free car parking or free coach transfers to and from the ship.

* Ruby Princess Mediterranean cruises in summer 2010 also have massive reductions from 28 December, with as much as £400 per stateroom taken off. The 12-night cruises on Princess's latest superliner cost from £1,399pp with up to $200 per couple free onboard spending money.

* Princess is waving the flight supplement for regional flight departures to its popular Caribbean fly-cruises onboard Sea Princess in winter 2010/11 with flights available from 9 UK departure airports. There are also price reductions of £750 per couple plus $200 per couple free onboard spending money, as 15-night fly-cruises start from £1,469pp.

* Many more cruises will have their prices reduced on 28 December, including cruises to Scandinavia from Southampton, as well as fly-cruises to the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Alaska cruises. For example, 9-night Alaskan fly-cruises will be reduced by up to £1,000 per couple, with prices starting from just £1,199 per person with up to $200 per couple free onboard spending money.

Royal Caribbean: Promising Start to 'Wave Season'

2010-02-01T11:01:00.000-05:00

The Wall Street Journal

It appears Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) sees calmer water ahead.

"Wave season is off to a promising start," Chief Executive Richard Fain said Thursday in a conference call with analysts. Wave season, which typically runs from January through March, is prime time for consumers-- stuck inside during winter--to start booking their cruise vacations.

Royal Caribbean said since the beginning of September, new bookings have been running about 30% higher than the same period a year ago. The company added current price levels are also ahead of the same time last year across the majority of its product groups. Echoing predictions of several industry watchers, the cruise operator expects European bookings to generally be a growth area for 2010.

Shares of the cruise company received a jolt after the company posted a surprise fourth-quarter profit and projected first-quarter earnings well ahead of analysts' expectations. Shares were recently up about 1.6% to $25.84. The stock has nearly tripled in the past year.

For the first quarter, Royal Caribbean expects earnings of 25 cents to 30 cents, while analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, projected 3 cents. Profit for all of 2010 is pegged at $2 to $2.20, including 39 cents related to a legal settlement, while analysts forecast $1.48. Analysts' estimates typically exclude items.

The second-largest cruise-ship operator by market share, behind Carnival Cruises (CCL), said it continued to see improvements in the booking environment and expects net yields to rise about 2% in the current quarter, and by 3% to 6% this year, in contrast to last year's sinking yields that were hurt by lower pricing and promotions. Meanwhile, the decline in net yields has slowed, with Royal Caribbean expecting an upturn in the current quarter and year.

Royal Caribbean--whose brands include Celebrity, Pullmantur and Azamara Cruise Lines -- reported a profit of $3.4 million, or 2 cents a share, compared with $1.5 million, or 1 cent, a year earlier. The company in November expected a 5-cent loss, a bit wider than analysts expected at the time.

Revenue was flat at $1.5 billion, while the number of passengers carried rose 9.5%. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters most recently expected $1.44 billion.

Net yields, or revenue per available passenger cruise days, fell 7.2%, at the upper end of company expectations. Strength in both ticket and onboard revenue helped boost net yields from the previous quarter. Net cruise costs fell 10.5%.

Addressing some of the negative publicity surrounding its decision to return its ships to its Labadee, Haiti port immediately after getting clearance, Fain said the company "agonized over the idea of the people taking their holiday so near the devastation."

"In the end, we decided that the moral imperative demanded that we bring the people of Haiti much-needed relief supplies and equally needed tourist and economic activity from Caribbean cruises."

Bernstein Research analyst Janet Brashear wrote in a note that the "litmus test" for the company's decision from a business perspective will be Royal Caribbean's brand image with customers and their willingness to return to cruising in the Caribbean and Haiti. "So far, there appears to be very little impact," she wrote.

Royal Caribbean Cruises launched the world's largest passenger ship, the Oasis of the Seas, with a capacity of 5,400 guests last month, despite the weak economy. Fain said Oasis, along with its Solstice-class vessels, are generating "very healthy returns."

Solo Travelers: Cruise Industry Says Your Ship Has Come In

2010-01-27T17:14:00.002-05:00

Reuters

Instead of punishing travelers who prefer to go alone with hefty surcharges, the travel industry is starting to woo them with deals that tickle their wanderlust without ravaging their wallets.

"The tour industry is making way for the single traveler," said Margie Jordan, spokesperson for the American Society of Travel Agents. "This is nothing that's going to go away. The single traveler is going to have as many opportunities as anyone else."

For years most travel deals were based on two people traveling together.

"Single travelers would see a price on line and we've had to break the news that if you're going by yourself, it's 150 to 200 percent more," said Jordan, CEO of ASAP Travel. "They were left high and dry."

But times are changing and Jordan said cruise lines in particular are stepping up. MSC Cruises is currently offering trips that waive the dreaded single supplement, which accounts for the price hike.

"And Norwegian Cruise Line is introducing 'Studio' staterooms built and priced solely for the single traveler," she added. "It is actually something new in the cruise industry."

Maria Miller, of Norwegian Cruise Line, said the 4,200-passenger Epic that is due to launch in July, is equipped with 128 studio staterooms designed specifically to give the solo traveler a room of one's own.

"This is a great opportunity for us to go after the solo traveler market," she explained. "We've tapped into an unmet need."

With research showing 35 million adults take solo vacations but only five percent opt for cruises, Miller said the potential is huge.

"There's a sizable market out there, but discontent around the single surcharge," she explained.

So, solo prices on the Epic will not include a single surcharge.

"And we're talking solo, not singles," Miller said, distinguishing solo travelers from the meet-and-mate crowd.

"There certainly is a place for singles cruises, but that's not what we're trying here. The solo traveler is independent. They're not looking for us to create an experience for them."

Kate Moeller, of Club Med North America, knows a thing or two about changing demographics.

"We used to be really a singles destination, but then we became more family oriented," she said.

Moeller said Club Med's Solo Savings program waives the single supplement to accommodate the solo traveler at certain resorts.

"We have these deals in specific theme weeks in specific resorts," she said. "Recently, Norwegian Cruise Lines had a Zumba week, food blogger week, food and a wine week."

Jordan said the cruise industry is likewise sensitive to change.

"Everybody is looking for the newest, most innovative thing. We've seen really creative things with cruise ships: bowling, surfing. Now we're looking for who else we can bring in."

She added that other cruise lines are waiting on the success of Norwegian's solo experiment.

"Now when refurbishing in dry dock, they add balcony state rooms. But I wouldn't be surprised if you saw Carnival Cruises or Royal Caribbean follow suit by introducing studio cabins," she predicted.

"My guess is that eventually the others will jump on board."

Repositioning Cruises on a Moderate Budget

2010-01-27T17:13:00.002-05:00

LA Times

Reporting from The Norwegian Jewel - Colin Markland relishes the feel of an ocean breeze as it musses his white hair. The 80-year-old retired doctor lives in Charleston, S.C., not far from his beloved Atlantic Ocean, a sea he has crossed by ship more times than he can remember.

His first sailing -- from Liverpool to Boston -- was in 1953, when the young Englishman immigrated to America for an internship. Cunard charged him 50 pounds -- the equivalent of $140 back then -- for a bunk in steerage.

Fifty-six years later, I met Markland on another transatlantic crossing. We were among 2,110 passengers traveling from Miami to Dover, England, aboard the Norwegian Jewel. I was on board to report on my experiences, but Markland was there for a very different reason: to brag about how little the 11-night cruise had cost him.

"I paid $219," he told people. Of course, that's per person in a double-occupancy stateroom. But at less than $20 a night for a cabin -- with unlimited meals, an array of activities and, of course, transportation included -- this was a bargain worth boasting about.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," he said of opening an e-mail about a month before last April's sailing and reading the offer. "I never could have imagined crossing at this price."

Many people find repositioning cruises fit the bill for a vacation, because of price and because of what the cruise does -- and does not -- offer.

When I booked early last February, the going rate for an inside cabin was $389. NCL needed to move the Jewel from its winter home in Florida to a summer base in England. Rather than cross the ocean with empty rooms, the cruise line offered great deals to entice us to join the crew on this one-way journey.

A novice at this sort of trip, I found myself in a sea of "repositioning" veterans. For them, the ship is the destination.

"They've pretty much seen it all, done it all. They know what they want," cruise director Rick Schwartzenburg told me.

This isn't the typical many ports/many stops trip. "We like the transatlantics because it gives us more time to use the ship's facilities," said Pat Lonergan, who with her husband, Chris, was returning home to Britain. "On a normal cruise, you're on and off."

For travelers like the Lonergans, the big waves -- much more common in the mid-Atlantic than in the relative shelter during Caribbean cruises -- are old hat. For first-timers like me, they were unsettling.

At dinner on the sixth night, television monitors reported "rough seas" of 7 1/2 to 12 feet. After eating a light meal, I clung to the handrails on my way to the Stardust Theatre for a show.

"I know why most of you are here," announced the cruise director. "[It's] because the seas are rough and you want to see how this will go."

Indeed, many of us were curious to see whether that night's performer -- a German juggler named Hilby -- could pull it off. He amazed us by keeping two clubs, a knife and a toilet plunger in midair while pedaling a unicycle across the stage.

Later, the shaking and the creaking kept me awake. I switched on the TV to discover we were in a Force 11 "violent storm." The winds were 58 mph. The sea was full of fury. Eventually, I lapsed into fitful sleep.

"I just want to get to Dover," a fellow first-timer said after that rocky night. Actually, she might have said, "I just want to get it over with." Either way, the sentiment was the same.

After nearly a week of gray seas and white foam, we see land on the horizon. We were approaching our first port of call: Ponta Delgada in the Azores.

Living on islands more than 900 miles west of the European continent, the locals welcome visitors from the cruise ships that occasionally stop for a few hours. Sure, there are shops selling cheap souvenirs, but there are also delightful cathedrals and squares to visit. The Norwegian Cruise Lines passengers seemed to outnumber residents in the narrow streets.

After two more nights at sea, we arrived in Vigo, Portugal, a bustling port that, on a Sunday morning, was much quieter than usual. Having "been there, done that," many people chose to stay on board for an aerobics class or a poolside barbecue.

Underway again, there were whispered warnings about the typically rough seas as we approached the Bay of Biscay. Thankfully, on this trip, the waters were unusually calm.

When we reached Dover at the end of our 5,100-mile voyage, Chris and Pat Lonergan were just 150 miles from home. They had spent the trip reading, playing trivia games and catching up on sleep.

Colin Markland later told me the cruise was "the best holiday I've ever had." Then, he quickly added, "That's probably because it was such a steal."

Cruise Industry Bucking the Recession

2010-01-22T22:56:00.002-05:00

The Montreal Gazette

Despite the credit crunch, rising unemployment and swine flu, the cruise industry had a banner year in 2009 and the trend is expected to continue this year as younger travelers take to the high seas.

More than 13 million people took a cruise, an increase of 3.3. percent from the previous year, and the number is expected to hit 14.3 million in 2010.

"We are not recession proof but we are recession resistant," Richard Sasso, the chairman of the marketing committee of of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the president and CEO of MSC Cruises USA, told a news conference.

"We keep reinventing in the industry."

CLIA, which represents 25 members ranging from riverboats carrying less than 100 passengers to a supership that can accommodate more than 5,400 guests, predicts demand will remain high in the United States and increase overseas.

Nearly 24 percent of cruise guests were from abroad and Sasso believes that number will rise as cruising becomes more popular with European consumers.

There is also an untapped market in the United States where only a fraction of the population has taken a cruise.

"Eighty percent of the people (in the US) haven’t tried us," said Sasso.

The Mediterranean, Caribbean, Mexico and Alaska cruises are still the most popular, but more people are opting for river cruises, according to Terry Dale, the president and CEO of CLIA.

Couples are the biggest demographic group traveling on the high seas but baby boomers, repeat cruisers and multi-generational bookings are seen as the biggest growth areas.

"Multi-generational travel will continue to be a strong part of our foundation in 2010," he explained.

And like most other industries, cruise lines are using Facebook and Twitter to advertise their services.

"It is an integral part of how we communicate with our customers," said Dale, adding that the average age of a cruise passenger has dropped to about 47.

He attributed the decrease, which is about 10 years younger than a decade or more ago, to an increase in family cruises and the popularity of themed cruises based around music, wine and food.

Seniors on the Go in Small Ship Cruises

2010-01-20T15:36:00.001-05:00

Baltimore Sun

Cruising isn't just about tooling around the Caribbean, Mexico, or Alaska in a floating city with 2,000 to 5,000 other cruisers. Although you can certainly do that, some very different cruise experiences are available if you're interested. Cruising in a small ship -- typically accommodating fewer than 500 travelers, with many carrying only 50 to150 -- can take you places those behemoths couldn't get near. On a small-ship cruise, you typically get to know everyone else traveling along with you.

Small-ship cruises fall into three main categories:

Ocean cruises operate into ports too small or too remote to accommodate or attract the mass-market megaships. The range of options is extremely wide. Several lines explore Antarctica during the southern summer. Others explore Arctic areas during the northern summer, with itineraries that range from Alaska and Canada to Greenland, Iceland, Spitsbergen and the Kamchatka Peninsula. You can find small-ship cruise itineraries in Africa (coastal areas; the Seychelles), Asia (Indonesian islands, Indian Ocean islands, major cities), Australia-New Zealand (coastal areas; Great Barrier Reef islands), Canada cruises(West Coast Inland Passage; St. Lawrence areas; Maritime Provinces), South America (Coastal areas; Falklands; Cape Horn), and the South Pacific (various island groups). Cruises within the United States include several itineraries on the Great Lakes, as well as cruises in the Puget Sound area. Of course, some small ships ply the same Caribbean, European, and Mexico cruises as the larger ones, but stopping in less visited ports. Wherever they sail, small ships in these categories are fully seaworthy and, in many ways, replicate the big-ship experience, except with a vast range of new destinations and much less entertainment and organized onboard fun.

River cruises ply major rivers on all the continents. In North America, a few ships still do the Mississippi (although the line that once ran the Delta Queen and other similar boats is currently not operating). Several lines operate trips on itineraries that include Long Island Sound, the Hudson River, the Erie Canal, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence. American Cruise Lines operates itineraries on several East Coast waterways systems, including the Intracoastal Waterway, and with a paddle wheeler on the Columbia-Snake system in the West.

River cruises operate the full navigable length of the Danube and Rhine rivers of Europe as well as shorter segments on dozens of other river and canal systems. The Nile, the Amazon, the Yangtze, and the river-canal stretch between Moscow and St. Petersburg see heavy cruise schedules, but you find others ranging from the Mackenzie in the Yukon to the Murray in Australia. A big advantage of river cruises is that you're never more than a few yards from something to see, with lots of opportunity for short stops. However, river ships are generally shallow draft vessels with only a few decks -- low enough to pass under city bridges along the way. Typically, they're big on sightseeing opportunities, small on entertainment.

Finally, you also find hundreds of options for barge cruises, in very small boats, and sailing ships just about anywhere in the world. If you want, you can even rent your own small barge and freewheel it through river-canal systems in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Royal Caribbean's Announcement To Aid Haiti

2010-01-15T19:34:00.000-05:00

USA Today

Cruise giant Royal Caribbean issued the following announcement Friday on its plans to help Haiti in the wake of Tuesday's earthquake. The company is one of the country's largest foreign investors, having developed a private beach getaway in the north to which it brings thousands of cruisers per week.

MIAMI – January 15, 2010 – Royal Caribbean Cruises, one of Haiti's largest foreign investors for almost 30 years, today announced its plans to provide at least $1 million in humanitarian relief to Haiti in response to the catastrophic earthquake in Port-Au-Prince. Royal Caribbean will be partnering with charitable organizations – such as Food for the Poor, Pan American Development Foundation, and the Solano Foundation, the company's foundation in Haiti – to provide additional assistance to the people of Haiti. Royal Caribbean will also be delivering much needed goods and supplies to Haiti via their cruise ships.

"The effect of the earthquake on Haiti has been catastrophic, leaving the country in need of not only immediate support, but assistance in their long-term recovery," said Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "Royal Caribbean wants to do its part to help out not only the general response, but also our hundreds of Haitian employees and their families through this disaster."

"In addition to our financial contribution, Royal Caribbean will continue to provide economic support through the continuous business we bring to Labadee," Fain added.

Leslie Voltaire, Special Envoy of the government of Haiti to the United Nations said, "Given the terrible economic and social challenges we now face in Haiti, we welcome the continuation of the positive economic benefits that the cruise ship calls to Labadee contribute to our country."

The benefits start with Royal Caribbean Cruises' Independence of the Seas' call today to Labadee, Haiti, which includes much needed supplies for the country. The supplies were loaded on the ship during its call in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and include items such as rice, dried beans, powdered milk, water and canned goods. In addition, 100 percent of the company's net revenue from the destination will be contributed to the relief effort.

In the next two weeks, the following ships are scheduled to call on Labadee with additional supplies: Navigator of the Seas on Monday, January 18; Liberty of the Seas on Tuesday, January 19; and Celebrity Solstice on Friday, January 22. When the supplies arrive in Labadee, they will be transported to an offsite location to be distributed by Food for the Poor, a long time partner of Royal Caribbean in Haiti.

In addition to working with Food for the Poor to distribute relief supplies, guests sailing onboard Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruise Lines will be able to make a donation to Food for the Poor's Haiti Relief Fund, via a charge to their onboard account. Guests who would like to contribute immediately can visit www.foodforthepoor.org/royalcaribbean to make a donation. Royal Caribbean also plans to use a portion of the $1 million donation to augment the company's Crew Relief Fund, which can be drawn on by any of the company's more than 200 Haitian crew members for assistance, as well as to match employee contributions to the partner organizations.

As the initial response effort gives way to the long-term recovery effort, Royal Caribbean will consider further support efforts.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisieres de France. The company has a combined total of 39 ships in service and four under construction. It also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Dubai, Europe and South America.

'Tis The Season -- WAVE Season!

2010-01-12T00:44:00.002-05:00

USA Today

Add Cunard and Princess to the list of cruise lines rolling out sales for Wave Season -- the period between January and March when many cruisers make their plans for the year.

Princess today is touting a new "Balcony Bonanza" sale in which customers who pay for an ocean-view cabin on select summer 2010 sailings will get an automatic upgrade to a balcony cabin. Sailings in the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe are included in the offer.

Princess also is launching a "Denali on Sale" promotion for Wave Season that includes up to 25% discounts on select Alaska cruisetours (vacation packages that include both a cruise and a land tour). Princess is a longtime leader in Alaska tourism and offers a wide range of 10- to 15-night cruisetours, all of which include at least two nights in the Denali National Park area. With the discounts, Princess' Alaska cruises begin at $1,274 per person for 10 nights.

Both Princess sales will continue through Feb. 28.

Cunard Cruises' Wave Season sale, launching today, will last for just three days. The Three Queens sale, as it's being called, includes savings of up to $1,500 per cabin, onboard credits of up to $300 per person and reduced deposit requirements for 2010 European voyages on the Queen Victoria and trans-Atlantic voyages on the Queen Mary 2.

With the discounts, Cunard's 12-night Ancient Treasures voyages to Italy, Greece and Turkey are available for as little as $1,695 per person, based on double occupancy (for an off-season trip in early November; peak season rates are higher).

The new offers come in the wake of Wave Season sale announcements from Norwegian Cruise Line and Holland America Cruises, and more lines are expected to unveil Wave Season deals in the coming days.

Disney To Launch West Coast Cruise Options

2010-01-11T20:21:00.002-05:00

Fresno Bee

Disney is a year away from launching a permanent West Coast cruise option on its liner the Wonder. The move gives Fresnans the chance to book a Disney vacation at sea without the hassle or cost of a cross-country trek to Florida.

A year sounds like a long time away, but local travel agents say it’s not too soon to book the Disney cruises, which will depart from Los Angeles and sail to the Mexican Riviera and Alaska cruises.

“Savvy travelers know that if they want to go on a Disney cruise, they have to book early,” says Wes Rowland with The Cruise Experts Agency in Visalia. “There’s really nothing that compares to the Disney brand. And there’s a huge Disney market in the Central Valley.”

The Disney cruise joins the likes of Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International in making Southern California a port of departure.

Travel experts say January-March is known as the “wave season” for cruises because the three-month period is when the majority of sea treks are booked. Selecting a cruise now will assure some travelers of the best price.

“The cruise business was down a little last year, but we are seeing that the prices are going back up. That’s because the ships are going out full,” says Morrie Frazier, owner of the Clovis Cruise One travel agency.

The weak economy and the flu scare caused last year’s dip.

Frazier says cruises, in general, are popular because they offer such a broad range of entertainment and dining options — there is usually something to appeal to all ages.

What is making the 2011 move by Disney an attractive option for West Coast travelers is the way the cruise line is designed.

Jonathan Frontado, Disney Cruise Public Relations Manager, says each ship has areas of entertainment for the entire family or for specific age groups.

“We want to make sure that if the entire family wants to be together, there are places for them to go. But, if the children want to go off on their own, then we have special, supervised areas for them,” Frontado says.

The cruises offer a selection of live stage productions with Disney themes, including a musical version of “Toy Story” that can only be seen at sea. Disney shows the latest movies, opening all new films on the ships the same day that they open in theaters on land.

Disney has the only ships authorized to launch fireworks. The aerial display often complements deck performances with a Disney theme, such as “Pirates in the Caribbean.”

David Baldree, producer for Disney Cruise Line, has coordinated at-sea entertainment for five years. His duties range from youth-activity parties to deck shows to major production numbers in the ships’ massive Walt Disney Theatre. And his job is to make sure the entertainment fits all ages.

“We have activities for children, for families, for adults and … in-between with the teens and the tweens,” Baldree says. “The shows we do in the Walt Disney Theatre has to hit all those ages. So it can’t just be a show for kids. It can’t just be a show for adults.”

All of this entertainment is handled by about 200 cast and crew members.

For adults, there are many nightclubs and lounges, such as the Skyline and the Meridian Bar.

The ships offer a variety of dining choices, including restaurants with specific culinary themes where you can eat elaborate meals with American, French, Caribbean and Pacific Rim influences.

Christine Weissman, Disney Cruise Executive Chef, and the teams on each ship work to make dining a universal treat.

“Everything is planned from the morning until evening, and it is always a work in progress,” Weissman says. “We really look at new food trends while paying attention to what are guest favorites.”

Travel agents say the Disney cruises are popular because they’re kid-friendly but make an effort for all ages.

“The fact the Disney cruises will be available on the West Coast will be great and really help our business a lot,” Frazier says.

Top 10 Travel Trends For 2010

2010-01-08T11:52:00.000-05:00

USA Today

As the Great Recession kept more travelers tethered and a thwarted Christmas Day terror attack ramped up security concerns, 2009 was an annus horribilus for the travel industry. What's on the horizon for 2010? USA TODAY's Laura Bly dusts off a crystal globe.

1. Terminal confusion

Thanks to last month's bungled bombing attempt aboard a U.S. airliner, travelers will have to "expect the unexpected, and tolerate a certain degree of risk," says airline security expert Richard Bloom of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

In the near-term forecast: more airport delays and hassles as airlines, screeners and passengers cope with evolving, inconsistently applied rules, and more widespread use of whole-body imaging scanners that use X-rays or radio waves to detect objects under clothing with what critics call "virtual strip-search" accuracy.

2. Let's make a deal

If you thought last year was a buyer's market for travelers, just wait: Even as airlines, hotels and other suppliers talk "cautious optimism" for 2010, a recent USA TODAY/Gallup Poll showed only 16% of respondents plan to fly more or stay more often in hotels this year than they did in 2009 — with about 30% saying they'll travel less often.

"Prices have never been this low, and cruises will offer the best value for the travel dollar in 2010 by far"

John Figone,

President of The Cruise Marketplace

The probable upshot: stable or lower prices, increased willingness to negotiate, and more online auctions from companies trying to unload unused inventory.

3. Rise of the real-time Web

"In the still rapidly expanding online world, instant gratification is even easier to obtain: 'Digital' has become synonymous with 'instant,' " says Reinier Evers of the trend tracking site Trendwatching.com. With nearly half of U.S. adults using social networking sites, expect more time-sensitive "flash sales" offered via Facebook or Twitter, more real-time postings of travel experiences, and faster response from companies and institutions fearful that negative opinions will go viral. (Are you listening, TSA?) One wild card: Google Wave, a much-hyped but still little-used online tool for real-time communication and collaboration that could set a new direction for trip planning.

4. Appetite for apps

Thanks to a global rollout of high-speed data networks and robust sales of GPS-enabled smartphones, look for an explosion of travel-related apps for everything from airport security (On the Spot System's new iPhone app lets users rate TSA screening checkpoints) to ordering hotel room service before you check in (just-released apps for Hilton, Embassy Suites and Doubletree)."Traditional travel services will meet geo-location and social networking to make travelers' lives easier," predicts Alan Warms of review site Appolicious.com.

5. Wi-Fi breaks free

McDonald's offer of gratis wireless in more than 11,000 of its U.S. restaurants starting this month is the latest example of making Internet access "part of the plumbing of our lives," says tech columnist Larry Magid. Expect more upscale hotels to join their economy and midpriced brethren in letting guests surf for free. Amtrak, meanwhile, will launch free Wi-Fi this spring on Acela Express trains.

6. A la carte airlines

Odds are good you won't have to pay to use an in-flight toilet in 2010, despite Irish discounter Ryanair's repeated threats. And "we're probably already at the limit" for checked-bag fees, says airline analyst Darryl Jenkins. But, adds Jenkins, look for more charges for "perks" like aisle and window seats, and greater traction for the "plane as retail store" model of Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, which sells everything from travel pillows to show tickets on board.

7. Betting on Vegas

With gaming revenue and visitor arrivals down, recession-ravaged Sin City is counting on last month's debut of the glitzy CityCenter to generate new buzz — and enough bodies to fill the complex's nearly 6,000 hotel rooms. But bargain-hungry visitors will still be hitting the jackpot in what Getaroom.com's Bob Diener declares the USA's "No. 1 value." This winter, says Diener, weekday rooms are as low as $15 a night at a just-opened Hooters and $99 at the high-end Trump International Hotel & Tower. Other sure bets: Orlando (where Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens this spring) and cruises in the Caribbean, where Cruise Week's Mike Driscoll says passengers can set sail this winter from a "record low" of $349 a week.

8. High scores for Vancouver and South Africa

Both locations will be front and center in travelers' consciousness this year, thanks to the Winter Olympic Games (held in metropolitan Vancouver and nearby Whistler from Feb. 12 to 28) and the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament (held in nine South African cities, June 11-July 11).

And while Bob Whitley of the U.S. Tour Operators Association notes that Americans have historically shied away from such high-profile events over worries about overcrowding and jacked-up pricing, "the aftermath brings a huge benefit," thanks to infrastructure improvements and a barrage of free publicity.

9. Healthy outlook for medical tourism

As Washington lawmakers continue to grapple with health-care reform, more Americans — an estimated 1.6 million by 2012, according to Deloitte Center for Health Solutions — will combine foreign vacations with carpal tunnel surgery, dental crowns and other short-stay, outpatient procedures that cost 30%-70% less than U.S. prices. Driving the trend: more coverage of overseas medical care by major U.S. insurers, an increase in individual insurance policies that typically carry a high deductible, and a marketing push by companies that combine travel and medical services.

10. On a wing and a prayer

With more than 300 million people traveling each year for religious and pilgrimage reasons and with annual revenues that exceed $18 billion, faith tourism has become a significant global industry that extends from cruises to volunteer vacations. Fueling extra interest in 2010: the 375th anniversary of Germany's once-a-decade Oberammergau Passion Play, a rare exposition of the Shroud of Turin in Italy, and Spain's Camino de Santiago. The ancient route to Galicia, whose cathedral reportedly shelters the remains of James the Apostle, typically draws more visitors when the saint's Feast Day, July 25, falls on a Sunday, as it will this year.

Escape To The Sun

2010-01-06T01:42:00.002-05:00

Beloit Daily News

Travel agents say business is brisk

“Enjoy each day the best you can.”

That’s what Roger Allen, 76, of South Beloit said about leaving the Stateline Area to enjoy the warmth of Lake Havasu, Ariz., on Saturday for his annual weather respite. He, like many other locals, are flocking to warmer climates to escape the frigid weather.

According to local travel agents, business is better than ever. They say people have reached the point where they just want to enjoy themselves, seize the day and take a vacation.

That’s something Allen knows quite well. After a long career owning Village Cleaners of Rockton the retiree started traveling to Arizona about 10 years ago with his girlfriend who has since passed away. Allen, who rents out condos, said he likes to lay out, get a tan, golf and do some more gambling in California and Las Vegas during his trips.

He added the weather is usually in the 60s or 70s.

“I don’t like the snow and the cold,” Allen said.

Allen will stay in Arizona until April 1. He said one of the highlights of his time out there is reconnecting with friends he’s met during his Arizona winters. Then other friends and family often travel down to stay with him. To Allen, the investment is well worth it.

“I always look forward to this time” Allen said. “You never know what the next year is going to bring. “I wake up in the morning and try to take every day by itself.”

Nancy Dix, owner of Action Travel Agency, 644 Broad St., Beloit, knows a lot of people like Allen.

“We are busier than we were last summer and fall. People have decided they are going. They work hard all year and want to take vacation time and go somewhere warm,” Dix said.

Florida, Texas and Arizona seem to be the most common destinations to settle in for a few months. Cruises to Mexico, Jamaica and the Caribbean are also popular. People sometimes prefer cruises where all the food and beverages are taken care of ahead of time.

“There are no surprises,” Dix added.

She said it’s usually the retired generation doing the extended stays.

“They have gotten to point in life where they can get away,” she said. “Once it starts getting cold and ugly they remember why they did it other years.”

Jeannie Fischer, owner of the Travel Connection, 593 Berkshire Court, has also seen business pick up. She said a few customers are even planning South American and Mexico cruises as well as to Ireland, Hawaii, Jamaica and Alaska. She said people have gotten to the point they are ready to travel and aren’t being deterred by the economy.

“My business has increased, and I’m very happy about. I already got 20 bookings for Alaska cruises for next summer. It’s pretty good to be booked that far out,” Fischer said.

Fischer said the only thing a little different this year is the heightened security. When she was leaving Milwaukee for Arizona, she said the rivets on her blue jeans alerted security. Guards were also pulling people out of lines and rechecking their carry-on bags.

Dix advises her customers to pack their patience if traveling. While she typically advises clients to arrive 90 minutes ahead of time, she tells them to go a minimum of two hours ahead of time for domestic flights and three to four hours ahead of time for international trips.

It’s also important to pack liquids, gels and aerosols in three-ounce or smaller containers.

All liquids, gels and aerosols must be placed in a single, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag. Each traveler can use only one, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag. Other liquid items must be packed in contained in the checked-in baggage, according to the Transportation Security Administration’s Web site, http://www.tsa.gov.

Dix added that mascara, deodorant and lipstick count as the items which need to be in the storage bags. People who don’t adhere to the rules may have to throw it away.

The Ocean Village Cruise Ship Ends Operations In Caribbean

2009-12-28T11:08:00.000-05:00

Caribbean Press Releases

The Ocean Village Cruise Ship has had a successful 6 year run. Tobagonians have become accustomed to seeing the colourful and inviting vessel pull into the Scarborough port every other week during the summer. However, September 2010 will be the last opportunity to view this vessel.

Carnival Cruises UK has announced that by the end of 2010 Ocean Village will cease operations as a brand and the ships will be transferred to the P&O Australia Cruises. The ship Ocean Village which continues to operate Caribbean cruises until next fall will be renamed to Pacific Pearl.

In 2003 Ocean Village commences operations with the tag line “The cruise for people who don’t do cruises” and offered the British public a relaxed cruise experience, similar to Norwegian Cruise Line Freestyle cruising.

Ocean Village successfully appealed to first-time-type cruisers by "tearing up the cruising rule book" and targeting the "Dress Down Friday" generation. The cruise line strongly supported casual dress, sporty activities, eating-when-you-please, stand-up comics and rock concert-style entertainment. Freedom and casual experience has been the mantra everyday on Ocean Village. Specifically, none of the restaurants have dress codes and there are no formal evenings, so the cruise was great for those who like to pack light and for those who avoid formal attire.

The Caribbean and Tobago in particular will continue to see cruise ships from the Carnival family member P&O Cruises, as the Oceana, Artemis and Ventura continue to ply their routes with formal cruises providing great cruise vacations.

Ocean Village Two has already ceased its Caribbean duty and is now part of the P&O Australia Cruises fleet, sailing under the name Pacific Jewel.

Holiday Travel Increases Nationwide

2009-12-27T13:10:00.001-05:00

My West Texas

Although the percentage of Americans traveling this holiday season is expected to increase by nearly 4 percent from last year, local experts say that may not be the case in the Permian Basin.

According to AAA, about 87.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or farther during the weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s, up from 84.5 million in 2008.

In Midland, though, travel agents say many people still are holding tighter to their wallets and choosing to stay close to the Tall City this holiday season.

“It’s been that way all year,” said C.W. Porter at Amera Travel Network.

Those who are traveling, Porter said, mostly are looking for a warm getaway and are booking trips to Mexico or Caribbean cruises.

Vicki Johnson with Adventure Travel agreed, saying adults without kids are flocking to Cancun and various warm destinations. Families, she said, are choosing places like Disney World.

Instead of taking major trips that require high-priced airfares, managers at resorts in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico said many Texans are deciding to drive to their venues for part of the holiday season.

Lajitas Resort and Spa’s reservation manager Terri Thate said they have several families already in town and are expecting their largest crowd over the New Year’s holiday when occupancy rates will reach more than 90 percent. That’s still not where they want them, she said, but is much higher than on an average weekend this year.

At The Lodge at Sierra Blanca in Ruidoso, N.M., Ryan Reynolds said they’re nearly sold out for the remainder of the month and have several families coming in to ski. In previous years, he said, the resort has required guests to stay for a minimum number of nights if they’re making a reservation. This year, though, they took the rule away and have seen business increase since families have cheaper options if they want to visit for just a night or two.

About 77.7 million Americans are expected to travel by automobile, according to AAA, which is an about 4.4 percent increase from 2008.

AAA anticipates air travel will increase by about 2.9 percent with 4.2 million traveling by plane compared to 4.1 million in 2008.

Those traveling by either method, travel agents said, are likely paying more than previously because the airline industry has shrunk its offerings by 3 to 4 percent. Gas prices are up about 90 cents from where they were at this time last year, according to gasbuddy.com.

Johnson said those planning travel at the last minute are paying the highest prices as most deals were grabbed by those who made reservations six months ago.

Because airlines have decreased their offerings, Porter said, those who are traveling via Midland International Airport still will see crowds on board. At this point, he said, anyone who hasn’t booked a flight will have trouble finding an outbound seat.

“There are definitely no deals in the airline industry,” he said.

And while locals said it hasn’t quite become the case in Midland yet, AAA officials say the increase in travel despite these pricing conditions is a sign citizens are more at ease about the economy.

“More Americans traveling and taking advantage of Mexico cruise specials during the winter holidays is another sign consumers are continuing to grow more confident in their personal financial situations,” said AAA’s director of Travel Services Glen MacDonell in a statement.

The Transportation Security Administration is advising travelers to arrive at the airport with patience since the holidays typically mean larger volumes of inexperienced travelers.

Packed flights also will mean any cancellations made due to weather around the country could cause more chaos than in previous years since there won’t be many openings on alternative flights.

“Really there’s not a lot you can do,” Johnson said, adding the possibility of bad weather is enough to keep many families at home.

January Snows Mean Travel Sales

2009-12-24T12:15:00.000-05:00

NY Times

FOR years, Linda Graef Jones planned the family ski vacation over Christmas or during Presidents’ Day week, to coincide with her children’s school vacation. That meant paying the usual holiday premiums for airfare and lodging, and dealing with throngs of skiers and snowboarders on the mountain. This year, with both her children in colleges that have longer winter breaks, she is going in January instead.

“January is currently the softest-looking month for cruise pricing of the year,”

“It was a no-brainer,” said Ms. Graef Jones, a sales executive for an insurance brokerage firm in New York. She had a variety of less expensive flights to choose from, she said, and estimates she is saving more than $500 a night on the cost of the condominium. “Lodging was relatively inexpensive,” she said, and without the crowds, “you can ski and get a lot out of your expensive pass.”

Also, she added, “it’s nice to get out of the holiday craziness.”

January may be the best time of year to take a vacation, as passenger traffic drops and resorts, airlines and cruise companies all roll out deals. Yet the start of the year is often overlooked when it comes to vacation planning: families return to school schedules and New Year’s reveling is traded for resolutions of eating in, working out and spending less. And it’s no wonder. People are tired, or broke, or dreading the thought of getting on another plane.

“You could call it vacation fatigue,” said Evan Eggers, president of the cruise vacation site SureCruise.com. But a lot of travelers are missing out. It’s a great time to travel, Mr. Eggers said, “since you’re escaping the cold and getting a killer deal.”

Just how killer? Discounts range from 30 to 50 percent compared with the holidays and other busy travel periods. Hilton Hotels just introduced a January Sale with weekend rates 33 percent off hotels in North and South America. The average domestic airfare for a weeklong trip departing Saturdays in January is $274 round trip, according to Bing Travel, the Microsoft search engine that predicts airfare prices. That’s down from about $447 on average for Christmas week.

January and February also have the fewest airline passengers, according to the Department of Transportation, easing the airport experience. And with fewer crowds, you could have that beach or fresh powder trail all to yourself.

So it’s time to shake off that holiday hangover and plan a trip. But don’t just jump at the first cheap fare that comes your way. Think about what you want to do once you get there in order to find the best destination for your budget. Though Florida beckons with bargains, the water can be chilly in the winter, and temperatures, while warm, tend to hover in the 70s or even lower. So you may want to look farther south to Caribbean cruises. But if pub crawls and hot springs are your thing, Reykjavik may be just the place, with two-night packages, including flights from New York or Boston, from $499 a person at Icelandair.com.

To help you plan your post-holiday escape, here are some of the best bargains for popular winter getaways, whether you’re seeking, sun, snow or a cruise vacation.

Sun lovers: It’s high-season for cold-weather getaways like Hawaii cruises and the Caribbean, where warm sands beckon sun worshipers, and discounts tend to be scarce. But it’s still a heck of a lot cheaper than it was over Christmas. And some resorts are offering extra incentives to fill rooms in January. The Reef Resort on Grand Cayman has Summer in January rates from $230 a night, down from $325. On Nevis, Nisbet Plantation Beach Club is offering seven nights for the price of six with its January Thaw package. The deal starts at $3,750 based on double occupancy — $630 less than a similar package over the holidays — and includes daily breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner.

Hawaii’s deals may soon dry up as Alaska, Continental, Delta and Hawaiian Airlines add flights next year, bringing more visitors. So strike now to nab a bargain like $135 a night with breakfast at the Hotel Renew, half a block from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. On the Kohala Coast, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, normally $600 a night, has rooms from $450 with a fourth night free.

Deal seekers may get the most bang for their buck from Mexico cruises, which are still offering discounts to win back visitors scared off by reports of Mexican gang and drug violence and the H1N1 outbreak earlier this year. Fares are about 40 percent less to Cancún in January on average compared with the December holidays, 34 percent less to Puerto Vallarta and 30 percent less to San Jose del Cabo, according to Kayak.com.

Occidental Hotels & Resorts, which has six all-inclusive properties in Mexico, is running a winter sale with rates starting at $81 a person a night at the Allegro Nuevo Vallarta, north of Puerto Vallarta, for travel beginning Jan. 4.

Snowhounds: The snow is falling and so are prices at ski resorts this January. Four nights and three-day lift tickets at the Village at Squaw Valley near Truckee, Calif., start at $828 a person, according to Ski.com, down from $1,115 a person last January and $1,383 a person in December. Bachelor Gulch Village in Beaver Creek, Colo., is offering 25 percent off lodging, a $50 resort credit and three-day lift tickets for the price of two, bringing four nights in a two-bedroom with three days on the mountain to $642 a person when four people share a room. Last January a similar package was $868 and didn’t include resort credits or the lift-ticket special.

Vancouver may seem out of reach as it readies itself for the 2010 Winter Olympics in February. But it’s cheap if you go now. “Visitors assume the host city is busy in the months leading up to the Olympics,” said Emily Armstrong, a spokeswoman for Tourism Vancouver. “We’re not.”

For less than $400 a person, skiers can fly round trip to Vancouver from San Francisco or Denver and stay two nights at the Fairmont Hotel with United Vacations, Jan. 11 to 28, according to Travelzoo.com, and hit the local ski slopes at Grouse Mountain, Cypress and Mount Seymour.

Cruisers: “January is currently the softest-looking month for cruise pricing of the year,” said Evan Eggers of SureCruise.com. The average price of a seven-night cruise on major lines such as Princess Cruises is about $600 a person, he said, compared with $900 in December.

Some cruise lines have adopted airline-style yield-management strategies and are now changing prices multiple times a day, according to Mr. Eggers. Travelers can check for such rate cuts by clicking on Price Cut Tattletale at SureCruise.com and sorting by date, line or region. There was a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston, Tex., starting at $420 a person (down from $2,033) on Royal Caribbean Cruises, for example, in a recent search for January; a $650 a person (down from $2,464) 14-night Amazon River cruise from Manaus Brazil to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Princess; and a $300 (down from $2,599) seven-night Hawaii cruise on Norwegian.

Another site for spotting deals is CruiseMarketplace.com. And if all you want is a diversion, consider Norwegian’s one-night sail to nowhere on the Norwegian Gem, from just $159 a person. It departs New York on Jan. 2 and 23, cruising about seven miles out to sea so it can open the casino and duty-free shops, and then returns to its starting point.

Larger Cruise Ships Tempt Seniors

2009-12-21T11:22:00.001-05:00

NY Daily News

Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney and others have or are about to launch massive new state-of-the-art ships that offer activities, services and amenities never before available on the high seas.

That’s sure to interest a group that’s always helped fill the ships: older vacationers.

“The 65 and over crowd are always excited to hear about the new ships,” said Jill Rosenberg, manager of group travel sales at AAA New York Travel in Garden City, L.I. Nonetheless, she added, “For repeat cruisers, I have found that they often appreciate staying with what’s familiar and will often return to the same cruise line, and even the same ship, year after year.”

Last summer, to celebrate turning 80, Virginia Byrnes invited her extended family − 15 people aged 9 to 80 − on a five-day cruise to Mexico on Royal Caribbean.

“I wanted my whole family together to celebrate my birthday,” said Byrnes, whose family comes from around Manhattan and Long Island. “If we stayed at a resort instead of taking a cruise, we would have been too spread out, and we would have needed at least three or four cars to get around to restaurants and activities. Cruise ships are ideal for traveling conveniently with groups.”

Everyone enjoyed meals together but, in between, people went off to various activities.

“I enjoyed swimming everyday, the dining and the shows at night. The adults in the group enjoyed gambling at night after I went to bed, while the kids participated in the camplike activities offered aboard the ship during the day,” Byrnes said.

“We had the best time, and this was my best birthday ever.”

The newest cruise ships offer a lot more than sundecks, swimming pools and shuffleboard to entertain seniors. While not everyone will try a rock climbing wall or indoor ice skating rink, the golf driving ranges, world-class day spas and land excursions are a big hit.

“Everyone has different budgets, physical limitations and expectations. There are cruises available to fit everyone’s needs, including people with physical or dietary limitations,” Rosenberg said.

When reviewing cruise info that describes land excursions, the cruise lines now rate them based on how strenuous they are.

“Make sure you choose activities that are within your physical abilities,” Rosenberg said.

To find the best prices on cruise packages including Mexico cruises, contact the cruise lines directly, work with a travel agent and visit online services, especially for last-minute deals.

Some of the newest ships have created unusual cruising environments.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Oasis of the Seas, for example, pays homage to Central Park on one full deck, even adding cafés and shopping.

When Norwegian Cruise Lines launches a ship named Epic next summer, it will offer a bar made entirely of ice.

“The cruise lines are trying hard to make the cruise ship itself into the vacation destination. Where the ship actually travels to is now almost secondary for many passengers,” Rosenberg said.

Top Cruise, Travel Destinations For 2010

2009-12-18T11:43:00.000-05:00

USA Today

Poised to claim their time in the spotlight, destinations around the world are taking center stage with big festivals or anniversaries, massive new developments, or just particularly good deals. If you're looking to be where the action is in 2010, consider a trip to:

Germany

Been waiting for the right time to visit Germany? Then dust off your passport and practice your "Guten Tag!" 2010 stands out as a year chock-full of memorable, unique, and rare events. And increased air service from the U.S. puts it all closer.

For something a little different, how about coal mining complexes turned art and cultural centers? That's what you'll find in the Ruhr, a region once known primarily for coal and steel, which has transformed itself and earned the European Capital of Culture designation for 2010. The 53 cities comprising the region will host more than 300 projects and 2,500 events during the year. The extravaganzas include "!Sing," a day of song with 65,000 performers; the "Still Life A40," during which a 60-kilometer long banqueting table will be set up along a closed highway and the public invited; and "ExtraShift," an art and performance festival in 40 venues on June 19.

Watch for discount Germany cruise deals to Hamburg. Hamburg is a busy harbor city situated along the Elbe River cruises in North Germany, and owes much of its architecture to the rebuilding done in the late 19th and early 20th centuries after a massive fire. World War II also inflicted severe damage, but the city's medieval character is still evident thanks to post-war restorations. The skyline features an extraordinary backdrop of church spires, architectural landmarks and towers, and the whole of the city serves as a gateway to the neighboring capital of Berlin.

Once a decade for the last 375 years, villagers in the Bavarian town of Oberammergau put on a play re-enacting the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The five-hour Passion Play has a cast of more than 2,000 villagers, and attracts an audience from around the world. Tickets to the play, which will be staged 102 times between May and October, are already sold out, but a number of tour operators are still offering accommodations-and-tickets packages.

More anniversaries and festivals round out Germany's 2010 offerings. September marks the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest in Munich. Leipzig and other cities will celebrate the 200th birthday of composer Robert Schumann (this website is in German only) with concerts. And Nuremburg's Railway Year (in German only), complete with train-themed art, a locomotive parade, and special exhibitions, will honor the 175th anniversary of the country's first train.

Germany will be easier to get to in 2010. Starting on March 27, Continental will begin daily nonstop service between Newark and Munich. And in May, Air Berlin, Germany's second largest airline, will begin nonstop service between San Francisco and Dusseldorf.

Worried about the cost of a Germany vacation or Germany cruises? The German National Tourist Board offers tips for keeping costs down on accommodations, transportation, and more.

Singapore

Is Singapore the next Las Vegas or Dubai? New mega-resorts, iconic buildings, and over-the-top entertainment are shaking up the destination's staid reputation. And in 2010, Singapore will host the first Youth Olympic Games.

Three massive projects are set to open in 2010. A major Las Vegas developer has reached a golden finger across the Pacific to create the Marina Bay Sands, the first casino and resort in Singapore. The resort, set to open this winter, includes three hotel towers topped by a "sky park" with gardens, 360-degree views, restaurants, and a swimming pool. The resort will also house a museum, whose architecture was inspired by the shape of a lotus blossom, as well as a mall with shops, restaurants, cafes, and an indoor canal.

Across from the Marina Bay Sands, big things are afoot at the Fullerton Heritage Complex, a massive waterfront dining, entertainment, and hotel development. In early 2010, the new boutique Fullerton Bay Hotel will join the refurbished luxury Fullerton Hotel in offering waterfront accommodations close to downtown.

Also opening early in 2010 is Resorts World at Sentosa, a family-centric destination island with a Universal Studios theme park and the world's largest oceanarium. Hotels on the island will include a Hard Rock Hotel and the Michael-Graves' designed Hotel Michael.

Set sail on Royal Caribbean Cruises, Legend of the Seas in Asia. Sail from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Penang on a 3 Nights cruise of Asia. Savour your Asian Cruise and take in the delights offered on board Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Legend of the Seas on the 3 Nights Asian Cruise.

An entire island of entertainment won't be the only thing to draw families to Singapore this year. In August, the destination will host the first Youth Olympic Games, drawing young athletes from around the world to compete in 26 events, including track, gymnastics, and swimming. Nearly 400,000 tickets, priced to be affordable, will go on sale in March. Each ticket includes a free day of travel on Singapore's public transportation system.

Visitors looking to stopover in Singapore this winter can check out Singapore Air's Stopover special, which includes accommodations and dining discounts, plus attraction and transportation passes.

Tampa

2010 is set to be a banner year in Tampa. The city will see the opening of a new theme park (no, not The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, that's Orlando), art museum, and children's museum, providing visitors with plenty of new reasons beyond the beach to pay a visit.

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street? Sure. This spring, Busch Gardens will open the Sesame Street Safari of Fun, a playland packed with rides, shows, and other amusements, including the "Air Grover" junior roller coaster and the watery "Oscar's Swamp Stomp."

Tucked inside Tampa Bay on Florida's west coast, it's really no surprise that Tampa has evolved as a year-round bustling home port for Tampa cruises with mostly Western Caribbean and Panama Canal itineraries. Its red-hot waterfront is jam-packed with sights, sounds and surf, and is just a hop, skip and a jump away from century-old St. Petersburg and from Clearwater, one of Florida's best beaches.

The fall 2010 opening of the Glazer Children's Museum provides another reason to bring the kids to Tampa. The 53,000-square-foot museum will be a place for children to learn, create, and play. Kids can follow the journey of a water drop from a climbing structure, pilot a plane, or dress up like firefighters and put out imaginary fires.

On February 6, the Tampa Museum of Art will open a new facility in downtown Tampa. In its new digs, the museum will continue to host traveling exhibitions in addition to adding to its permanent collections of classical and contemporary art.

Tampa is well-connected to the rest of the U.S., and with air service from low-cost carriers including AirTran, JetBlue, and Southwest, airfares tend to stay competitively priced.

Iceland

It's no secret that Iceland is a great deal right now. Iceland's currency still hasn't recovered from the economic crisis, and that means a very favorable exchange rate for visitors looking to soak in the Blue Lagoon, hike glaciers, and dance all night. With 10,000 waterfalls, geo-thermal pools galore, and a nightlife and music scene that draws crowds from around the world, there are plenty of ways to stretch each dollar.

While most destinations saw fewer visitors last year, Iceland actually welcomed more than in years past. Lonely Planet just named Iceland a top-value pick for 2010, and Travel + Leisure called it one of the world's sexiest affordable destinations.

It used to be that if you wanted to go to Iceland, your choices were to fly Icelandair or swim. But that will change in 2010, when Icelandic low-cost carrier Iceland Express debuts seasonal service between New York, Reykjavik, and about two dozen European cities in June. When we compared fares, we found Iceland Express prices that undercut established carrier Icelandair's. With two carriers to choose from, we're hoping to see a summer travel fare war fit for the Viking ancestors of Iceland.

Mexico

With the H1N1 virus and drug-related violence in its Northern cities, Mexico tourism had a rough 2009. But a big anniversary, a strong dollar, and some of the most affordable hotel rates in years promise a brighter 2010 for travelers to Acapulco, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and other popular spots in Mexico.

This coming year, Mexico will celebrate 200 years of independence. To mark the occasion, Mexico will debut six history routes that follow three military campaigns of the Independence movement and three of the Mexican Revolution. Even if you're not tracing a route, you can still keep an eye out for the "Mexico is My Museum" signs that will identify important points along the routes. A toll-free number will even offer a short informational message about the location.

If you're considering Mexico cruises in the New Year and want to save, let the deals guide your planning. Hotels and resorts around the country are promoting discounts, specially priced packages, and extra amenities thrown in to sweeten the offerings. And package providers like Pleasant Holidays have low rates on air-and-hotel packages plus additional perks such as free car rentals and activity discounts. In recent months, Mexico has been a favorite among airlines promoting frequent flyer award destinations, a trend likely continue well into 2010.

The exchange rate still provides more chances to stretch vacation dollars, and should allow vacationers to do more with their money at least through the first half of the year, and possibly longer.

More destinations to watch in 2010

• Hawaii: A bevy of new routes from Alaska (Sacramento and San Jose to Hawaii in March), Continental (Orange County to Honolulu starting March 7), and US Airways (Charlotte to Honolulu starting December 17, 2009) put Hawaii within reach of more travelers. Plus, Norwegian Cruise Line will add two more Hawaii cruises this spring.

• Istanbul, Turkey: Istanbul celebrates its heritage and vitality as a 2010 European Capital of Culture. Throughout 2010, the city will feature music, literature, theater, traditional arts, and more.

• Vancouver: Vancouver is mere months away from welcoming the world to the XXI Olympic Winter Games. For the rest of the year, take advantage of tourism infrastructure improvements without battling Olympic crowds.

• Ft. Lauderdale: Both JetBlue and Virgin America have just started service between San Francisco and Ft. Lauderdale, making it easier to get to from the West Coast. Nearby Miami will host the Pro Bowl in January, and the Super Bowl in February, making Ft. Lauderdale a hot spot for sports fans around the country. Ft. Lauderdale is also the new home of the world's largest (for now) cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.

• Capetown, South Africa: Another hot destination for sports enthusiasts in 2010, Cape Town will host the FIFA World Cup beginning in June.

• Colombia: With Spirit increasing service to Colombia, and more low-cost carrier service from JetBlue, this up-and-coming destination is easier to get to than ever before.

• Cuba: Will 2010 be the year the U.S. eases its travel ban on Cuba? It's certainly a destination to watch this coming year. Watch for 2010 cruise specials.

A Sanctuary For Human Wild Life

2009-12-14T14:18:00.001-05:00

Sydney Morning Herald

Lounging back, eyes closed, sweet peace and quiet. There's just the gentle rocking of the waves to remind you that about 1900 other passengers also inhabit this cruising superliner, Dawn Princess.

I'm in a special zone where the usual din of the sun-drenched upper decks and the bustle and buzz of holidaymakers at play are absent. There are no kids screaming and splashing in the pool.

No live band belting out classic rock tunes. No cacophony generated by dozens of different conversations carried on simultaneously. No thirsty throng milling three-deep around the bar.

Instead, a cool drink is just a request away. Nearby passengers are as interested in preserving the peace as I am. An extra touch of ostentatious luxury is provided by a "serenity steward" who will come around to spray you with a mist of chilled Evian water if the sun gets too hot.

Aptly named the Sanctuary, this lounging area is Princess Cruises' bid to deliver one of the few luxuries of busy shipboard life found in preciously short supply - solitude.

Unveiled aboard the Crown Princess in the Caribbean in 2006, the Sanctuary concept is being unrolled throughout the cruise line's worldwide fleet, which is part of the Carnival group.

Dawn Princess, which went into dry-dock for a multimillion-dollar refurbishment in June, is the first of its two Australian ships to get the Sanctuary-branded upgrade.

The Sanctuary is on the forward-most section of the top deck, where a combination of distance and headwinds isolates it from much of the noise and activity of the pool deck.

The oasis-inspired space, child-free and partially sheltered by a sunshade, is kitted out with about two dozen plush lounge chairs around a private splash pool. A small army of staff is always on hand to serve complimentary snacks or fill bar orders. At sunset, there are yoga classes.

Access to the Sanctuary isn't part of the standard inclusive cruising package - patrons are charged $20 a half-day - but there's been no shortage of passengers eager for splendid isolation.

"It's been about creating a niche area, a big ship with a small ship feel," says the director of corporate affairs for Carnival Australia, Sandy Olsen. It's only a short stroll back to the party - and Dawn Princess' other new attraction, a massive LED TV above the pool deck, measuring eight metres by 4.5 metres and with a picture powerful enough to be seen in blazing sunlight.

During the day there's a changing schedule of family-friendly films and concert videos. At night, passengers rug up for movies under the stars, with fresh popcorn and bar service.

Last week, Dawn Princess embarked on a two night repositioning cruise from Sydney to Melbourne, where it will be based from November to March. The ship has since departed on a 28-day circumnavigation of Australia, one of the eight itineraries it will sail in Australia and New Zealand in the 2009-10 summer season.

It's expected to be a bumper year. Cruising has had a surge in popularity in recent years, making it one of the few consistently strong and growing sectors of the domestic tourism industry, particularly during the global financial crisis.

The number of passengers for Australia cruises grew by 26 per cent last year, according to the International Cruise Council Australasia. By comparison, the US cruising market - the largest in the world - grew by just 5 per cent and the British market by 12 per cent.

A recent survey by marketing group Cruise Down Under found there are more ships visiting more Australian ports and spending more money than ever before.

A professor of tourism at Edith Cowan University, Ross Dowling, says the Asia-Pacific region has become the fastest growing for cruising. "[Cruising gives] Australians a holiday that's close to home and it's now a lot more affordable in terms of value for money compared to a lot of domestic and international holidays," he says. "There's a real attraction to a holiday that's pretty much all-inclusive.

"They've [ships] become like massive floating resorts, with everything you can think of onboard to cater to all age groups and interests." Carnival Cruises Australia, which represents P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises locally, had just two ships plying Australian waters a few years ago. It will have six by the end of next year.

The Dawn Princess, launched in 1997 and built for $400 million, has a passenger-to-crew ratio of about three to one, with an emphasis on service. Its sister ship, Sun Princess, is due to be fitted with a Sanctuary and LED screen during its scheduled dry dock in April next year.

Are Cruisers Ready For Sexual Chocolate?

2009-12-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

USA Today

Remember Sexual Chocolate, the fictional band in Eddie Murphy's 1988 comedy Coming to America?

It's making a comeback next month on, off all places, a cruise ship.

AOL music blog Spinner.com reports the faux band, fronted by Randy Watson (aka Eddie Murphy), will make an appearance on MSC Cruises' Poesia in early January as the ship hosts the eighth annual Jam Cruise in the Caribbean - another in a popular series of themed cruises.

The annual music festival at sea also will see performances by more than a dozen real bands including Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9), Galactic, Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band), Toubab Krewe, the Mother Hips, Maceo Parker, Zappa Plays Zappa and Lotus.

The five-night voyage to the Western Caribbean sets sail Jan. 3 out of Ft. Lauderdale and includes stops in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Grand Cayman Island.

Results Are In For Princess Cruises' 'Sea The World' Photo Competition

2009-12-09T13:35:00.000-05:00

eTravel Blackboard

Princess Cruises passengers have revealed a talent for amateur photography in a recent competition held onboard Dawn Princess’ first world cruise from Sydney.

The cruise line’s “Sea the World” competition was designed to encourage passengers to capture the heart of each of the 42 ports Dawn Princess visited during her three-month long voyage.

Lake Macquarie resident Ron Bender, who sailed the full 104-night world cruise with his wife Cheryle Bender, won first prize of a new digital camera valued at with a touching photograph of a tiny monkey, a Barbary Macaque, inspecting a fellow passenger’s fingernail in Gibraltar. [Right]

Jenny Lourey, Senior Vice President of Carnival Australia, which represents Princess Cruises in Australia, said the competition was a hit with passengers keen to share some of their fantastic experiences on the cruise.

“We were amazed by the creativity of our passengers and their enthusiasm to share their unique experiences around the world with their newfound friends on the cruise,” Ms Lourey said.

“There were so many stunning entries in the competition, the crew said picking a winner was one of the hardest decisions they had to make,” she said.

The 77,000-tonne Dawn Princess is based in Australian waters year-round offering premium cruise holidays.

Dawn Princess’ 2010 world cruise has been selling strongly, with the voyage departing Sydney on May 21 and taking passengers through Asia and the Middle East to Europe, then to the Americas before returning to Sydney. Fares for the full 104-night world cruise start from $30,259 per person twin share for an outside cabin.

The superliner carries 1998 passengers and features close to 1000 staterooms, almost half with private balconies. Ship features include a massive new poolside movie screen to enable passengers to watch movies under the stars and a new child-free Sanctuary retreat, as well as a four-storey atrium, eight restaurants and cafes, seven lounges and bars, four pools and a 550-seat theatre.

Azamara Cruises To Be Reborn As Azamara Club Cruises

2009-12-09T13:19:00.001-05:00

USA Today

The recently appointed CEO of Azamara Cruises today announced some big changes for the line, including a new name: Azamara Club Cruises.

In a teleconference with cruise writers, Azamara President and CEO Larry Pimentel said the already upscale brand would become more all-inclusive with everything from wine with dinner to gratuities included in the price of voyages.

Pimentel also said the line will focus much more on the destinations its two ships visit by adding longer port calls and more overnight stays to itineraries.

"We are slowing down the ships rather significantly," says Pimentel, a well-known cruise industry veteran who took over Azamara in July after running SeaDream Yacht Club -- a boutique line known for leisurely paced, port-intensive itineraries.

Pimentel says the changes will coincide with a notable increase in prices for Azamara's voyages, which he argues have been far too low given the quality of the product.

"Rates already have come up about 20% (in recent weeks), and they will be coming up a lot more," Pimentel told cruise writers, noting the line planned a big price increase to take effect on Dec. 14.

“We’re going to ... allow our guests to not just see the destination, but to live it,” says Pimentel. “Consider destinations like St. Tropez or St. Petersburg, Russia. If you’ve experienced them only by day, you haven’t really experienced them. With Azamara, through more overnight stays and late-night stays, you can.”

Owned by industry giant Royal Caribbean Cruises, Azamara has struggled to gain traction since it was launched in 2007 as a "deluxe" line designed as a step up from sister brand Celebrity Cruises. The line operates just two 694-passenger ships that formerly belonged to the now defunct Renaissance Cruises, and it's still a relatively unknown quantity to many vacationers.

Pimentel, who also has served as CEO of Cunard Line and The Yachts of Seabourn Cruises says he spent weeks talking with travel agents, past passengers and cruise writers about how to take the line to a new level and has come up with a new focus for the brand based on four pillars: Destination immersion; extraordinary service; cuisine and wine; and wellness and vigor.

Pimental, notably, also has been allowed to hire his own dedicated management team for the brand, which until now was run on the side by executives at the much larger Celebrity.

"We have been looking at everything you could possibly imagine (to change), and we are in a very fast-paced mode," Pimentel says of the new team.

Many of the changes Pimentel announced, including some itinerary changes, will be in effect by April, he says. April also will mark the beginning of included-in-the-price wine being served at lunch and dinner.

Among other items the line will begin including in the price are specialty coffees, sodas and bottled water; self-service laundry machines; and shuttles in port towns -- a nod, says Pimentel, to feedback from customers who have said they don't want to be nickel-and-dimed on a high-end ship.

Pimentel says that by slowing down the ships and spending more time in each port the line will be able to carve out niche cruises offering a more in-depth experience than others. As part of the new focus on ports, the line will be launching more elaborate shore excursions, including two-day packages tailored to overnight calls in places such as Dubrovnik, Croatia and Sorrento, Italy.

“We’re going to ... allow our guests to not just see the destination, but to live it,” says Pimentel. “Consider destinations like St. Tropez or St. Petersburg, Russia. If you’ve experienced them only by day, you haven’t really experienced them. With Azamara Cruise Lines, through more overnight stays and late-night stays, you can.”

Among multi-day packages Pimentel says the line is adding are an overnight tour from Hiroshima to Osaka via bullet train; a three-night experience from Mumbai that includes a visit to the Taj Mahal; and a Grand Egypt tour featuring both the ruins of Luxor and Cairo.

Other unusual themed cruises the line announced today include a Ferrari driving tour in Civitavecchia, Italy; an “In the steps of The Beatles” tour in Liverpool; and an Imperial Russian Court evening at Tsarskoye Selo in St. Petersburg.

As for service, Pimentel says Azamara will be retraining its on-board suite butlers to be true English-style butlers who will "offer that fine balance of anticipatory, pampering, yet non-intrusive service to guests."

Azamara executives also announced the line will launch a loyalty program, “Le Club Voyage,” with specific features and benefits yet to be announced.

Mahogany Bay Cruise Center Officially Opens To Caribbean Cruises

2009-12-04T14:17:00.000-05:00

Breaking Travel News

The $62 million Mahogany Bay Cruise Center at Roatan in the Bay Islands officially opened this week and began welcoming cruise ships. The Yachts of Seabourn’s’ 208-passenger Seabourn Legend arrived on Saturday, Nov. 28, followed by discount Princess Cruises’ 3,070-passenger Crown Princess yesterday. Carnival Cruises’ 2,974-passenger Carnival Valor is in port today. Reaction from cruise guests to the new facility has been outstanding.

More than five years in development, and two years under construction, Mahogany Bay Cruise Center encompasses 20 acres of waterfront property and includes a two-berth cruise terminal which can accommodate up to 8,000 passengers daily. It is a joint project of Carnival Corporation and Roatan businessman Jerry Hynds.

This week’s ship visits are the first of 200 annual ship calls at the new facility, which is expected to host more than 500,000 passengers each year. In addition to the Yachts of Seabourn, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Princess Cruises, vessels from Holland America Cruises, Costa Cruises, and P&O Cruises, as well as non-Carnival Corporation brands, are expected to call at the new facility, as well.

In addition to a two-ship cruise pier, the Mahogany Bay Cruise Center offers a welcome center along with a variety of retail outlets, including two themed bars, a restaurant and several shops. A transportation hub with the ability to accommodate taxis, rental cars and tour buses, along with a wide range of shore excursion opportunities, which can be purchased on board the cruise vessels, are also available.

Unique to Mahogany Bay is a new chair lift system that takes cruise ship guests from the welcome center to beautiful Mahogany Beach, a 10-acre private island featuring an 825-foot-long white-sand beach with a beach volleyball court and myriad watersports opportunities. Eight exclusive cabanas are also available for rent.

The “Magical Flying Beach Chair” takes guests on a six-minute ride across nearly 1,200 feet of suspended cables, providing not only convenient beach access but views of the lush countryside as well. All-day passes for the beach chair lift are $5 per person. An elevated path is also available for those who prefer to walk.

“The Mahogany Bay Cruise Center not only serves as a gateway to one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful islands but is also a destination unto itself, with a magnificent white-sand beach and a wide range of shops, restaurants and shore excursion opportunities,” said Giora Israel, senior vice president of port and destination development for discount Carnival Cruises.

Untested Waters For Gigantic Cruise Ships

2009-12-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

Wall Street Journal

PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. — Oasis of the Seas will make quite a splash Saturday when it embarks on its inaugural seven-day cruise in the Caribbean with some 5,400 passengers aboard.

Towering 20 stories above the sea and nearly as long as four football fields, discount Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s newest vessel cost $1.4 billion to build and is about a third larger than any other cruise ship now plying the seas.

And, with its 13 retail shops, 21 pools and 24 restaurants, the ship offers the most outsized example of the cruise industry's bet that huge ships with amenities like multistory cabins and 300-foot water slides will help buck slack demand for cheap Europe cruises.

But Oasis, and several other super-sized ships that will launch soon, face stiff head winds. Cruise lines have been able to fill their ships during the recession, but only by offering steep discount mexico cruises. Yields—the amount they make on each passenger—are down about 15% this year amid a broad drop in consumer spending. Travel agents say they see signs of a turnaround in 2010 cruise bookings, but fourth-quarter demand has remained very soft. And while big cruise-ship companies are still booking profits this year, helped in part by lower fuel costs, their margins have shrunk.

Even some competitors say Royal Caribbean may have gone too far in the size race. Micky Arison, chief executive of Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise company, says his company looked at building a similarly sized ship earlier this decade but decided the profit margins weren't sufficient. There's a market for bigger ships, he says, but one as large as the 225,000-gross-ton Oasis risks having the feel of "a huge mall."

Still, discount Carnival cruises is also bulking up. It launched the 3,650-passenger, 130,000-gross-ton Carnival Dream in September, and it announced this week that it has ordered another similarly sized ship costing $750 million. And the No. 3 player, NCL Corp.'s Norwegian Cruise Line, is spending $1.2 billion for the 4,200-guest, 150,000-gross-ton Norwegian Epic, which is slated to start service in the summer.

But Norwegian is hedging its bets. While it's going ahead with the 4,200-passenger Epic, it canceled an order last year for a similarly sized sister ship. "You have to be on the cutting edge, not the bleeding edge, of innovation," says Kevin Sheehan, NCL's chief executive. He believes cruise prices won't climb back to 2008 levels for another three years.

As more big ships are launched, the Cruise Lines International Association estimates North American capacity will grow 8% in 2010 and an additional 5% in 2011. Even Italian-owned Silversea Cruises, which specializes in small, ultra-luxury ships, is launching one later this month that can handle 540 passengers on discount Europe cruises, or nearly a third more than its next-largest vessel.

Consumers' wallets were thicker in late 2005, when Royal Carribean, the world's second-largest cruise company by market share, decided to take the plunge with Oasis, and, a year later, to add Allure of the Seas, an identically sized sister ship, which will join the company's rapidly expanding fleet late next year.

But industry executives say they have to take the long view: Ships take about three years to build and have life spans of 30 years or more. "At some stage in [Oasis's] life we're going to have big ups and big downs. This is probably a bigger down than we ever imagined," says Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean's chief executive, but, he adds, he has no regrets. "I think Oasis of the Seas will be one of the highest returns on investment our industry has ever seen," he says.

Indeed, Oasis has had strong early bookings for cheap Royal Caribbean cruises and initial double-digit percentage-price premiums over smaller rivals, according to industry trackers. Room rates for Oasis's inaugural voyage ranged from $1,649 a person based on double occupancy for a 149-square-foot interior stateroom to $16,659 for the 1,524- square-foot Royal Loft Suite with an 843-square-foot balcony.

The ship offers a casino with gaming tables and nearly 500 slot machines, a 1,380-seat theater for Broadway-style productions, an exercise center with nearly 200 machines and twin 40-foot-high rock-climbing walls, a skating rink, and seven "neighborhoods," including one called Central Park that has more than 12,000 plants and trees. "This is as close as the industry has gotten to a Las Vegas resort," says cruise-industry consultant Rod McLeod of McLeod.Applebaum & Partners.

But the sheer size of Oasis also poses logistical challenges. Few ports are equipped to handle it, restricting its itinerary. If Oasis were to ferry passengers to land by smaller boats, "it would look like Normandy at D-Day," Mr. McLeod says.

CNBC Special -- Cruise Inc. - Big Money on the High Seas

2009-12-01T12:07:00.000-05:00

A Behind The Scenes Look at the Cruise Industry

Dispatches From The Oasis Of The Seas

2009-11-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

USA TODAY's Gene Sloan is blogging live this weekend from Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Oasis of the Seas.

FRIDAY, 7:20 AM ET

Hi there, Cruise Loggers. It's me, Gene, and I'm on my way down to Fort Lauderdale this morning to board Royal Caribbean's much-awaited Oasis of the Seas -- the world's largest cruise ship.

The 225,282-ton vessel, which can carry up to 6,296 passengers, is being unveiled this week to travel agents and the media in advance of its first regularly scheduled cruise on Dec. 1.

Nearly 50% larger by volume than the next biggest cruise ship, the 16-deck-high giant has been the talk of the cruise world for more than a year -- and not just because of its enormous size. Stretching nearly 1,200 feet long, the massive vessel will offer features never before seen at sea, including an open-air "central park" with live trees and a family-friendly amusement area called Boardwalk.

What's it like sailing on the Oasis of the Seas? I'll be on board for the next four days as it sails out of Fort Lauderdale on a series of preview cruises, posting my impressions and answering your questions.

FRIDAY, 1:15 PM ET
So close and yet . . .

Just a note to say I've arrived at the port and am just steps away from Oasis of the Seas. Alas, the boarding process isn't exactly going smoothly. While they've checked me in, they're saying it'll be at least another hour until we're allowed on board. Probably closer to 2:30 PM. I'll be back as soon as I hear more.

FRIDAY, 2:15 PM ET
Good news, Cruise Loggers: I've made it on board. First impressions? As much as I hate to gush, it really is an amazing experience to take that first step from the gangway into the soaring Royal Promenade that runs down the middle of the ship. It's a stunning space -- so much more spacious and impressive than the half-as-wide promenades on Royal Caribbean's Freedom and Voyager class ships.

I'll be back in a bit with more first impressions, but first I need to drop off my bags and then I'll be away a bit touring some of the 37 categories of cabins (samples of which are open until 4 p.m.).

FRIDAY, 4:23 PM ET

I'm back from touring cabins, and I've got lots of photos for you, Cruise Loggers. But first, I thought you'd enjoy this photo to the left, a first glimpse of Oasis of the Seas' zip line in action.

I captured this and many more shots of some of the zip line's first customers from the balcony of cabin 9703, which overlooks the Boardwalk (in the Oasis brochures you'll find it listed under the category "Boardwalk View Stateroom with Balcony"). Click HERE to see more of my zip line shots.

Also, don't miss the first video dispatch from our Reporter at Sea contest winner Joyce Allison, who is accompanying the Cruise Log this weekend on Oasis as a citizen journalist. Joyce will be filing more video dispatches from the ship over the next few days.

FRIDAY, 5:40 PM ET
Several of you have asked below about the boarding process today. It was a little disorganized, no doubt, but I wouldn't read too much into that as today definitely was not a normal day for Oasis at the port. The presence of ABC's Good Morning America (which broadcast live from the ship this morning) definitely had an impact on passenger flow, as did the presence of hundreds of day visitors (travel agents, media and the like) arriving for tours at the same time as overnight passengers. The true test will come in the coming weeks as the ship starts up its regular schedule of seven-night cruises.

From a structural standpoint, the new port facility built for Oasis is beautiful and spacious, and it offers an unusually high number of security and check-in lanes, which all bodes well for the future.

Several thousand travel agents and members of the media are now on board the ship, and quite a few of them have headed to the Promenade for pre-dinner mix-and-mingling. The space is absolutely hopping. The pictures don't do the area justice as my camera is unable to compensate for the changing lighting, but at least you get the idea.

The picture directly to the right meanwhile, shows Cupcake Cupboard -- one of the many food outlets, bars and stores that line the Royal Promenade.

Travel agents on board are just raving about the Royal Promenade, which has the feel of the more sophisticated avenues of shops and eateries found in the interiors of top Las Vegas casino resorts.

FRIDAY, 6:22 PM ET
Cruise Loggers, I'm heading off to a series of events on board as well as dinner, so I may not post again tonight. Check back tomorrow morning as I resume live blogging from the ship.

SATURDAY, 8:20 AM ET
Am I really at sea? Not long after my final post last night, the Oasis of the Seas pulled out of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades, but it wasn't until just moments ago that I got my first glimpse of the ocean. That's how big this ship is. You can easily spend an entire evening popping from one bustling nightspot to another from the Royal Promenade to Central Park and never even get to the outer fringes of the vessel.

How smooth and stable is Oasis? Let's put it this way: I couldn't even tell you the exact time we left port last night, that's how little movement there is -- at least on a day like today with calm seas. Back in a bit with some overall impressions of the vessel.

SATURDAY, 8:55 AM ET
So I've been on board now for nearly a full day, and I'm ready to make this declaration: Oasis of the Seas really is -- as many had predicted -- a game-changer for the cruise business. Whether you love the idea of a floating resort that holds more than 6,000 people or are horrified by it, once you see Oasis you'll have a hard time arguing that it isn't revolutionary for the industry.

For years big ship lines such as Royal Caribbean have been saying they're competing not with each other but with the world's great resort destinations such as Las Vegas and Orlando. And on that accord they've offered an increasingly sophisticated product that is competitive with much of what is found in those destinations. But this is the first cruise ship that truly is on par with the very top destination resort hotels of the world -- places such as Bellagio in Las Vegas or Atlantis in the Bahamas.

From Central Park's tree-line boulevard of elegant restaurants with outdoor cafe seating to the Royal Promenade's glitzy shops to the multiple resort-like pools at the top of the ship, this is Bellagio at sea. If you've been to the giant resorts of Las Vegas or Orlando -- and liked them -- you'll be comfortable here. Sure, it's bustling with people, but no more bustling than the new Wynn resort in Las Vegas.

SATURDAY, 10:55 AM ET
Want a first-hand look at some of the culinary options on Oasis of the Seas? That's the topic of the second video dispatch from Reporter at Sea contest winner Joyce Allison, just posted at the Cruise Log.

SATURDAY, 4:40 PM ET
A number of readers have asked about how crowded Oasis of the Seas feels. Alas, it's difficult to get a good read this weekend as Oasis is only sailing about half full. Royal Caribbean's head of operations Lisa Bauer said at a press conference this morning that there are just 3,200 passengers on board. That's more than 3,000 fewer than the ship can hold at maximum capacity.

Also affecting the flow of crowds on the ship this weekend is the fact that many of the travel agents, media and Royal Caribbean employees on board this preview cruise are taking tours and attending informational meetings, which is artificially reducing the numbers of people on the ship's outdoor decks. Today is a sea day and a lovely one at that, but the main pool areas of the ship are relatively wide open. The photo above to the left, taken moments ago, shows the Beach Pool area, which had a lot of empty chairs.

Royal Caribbean executives say they are purposefully sailing the ship below capacity through the month of December as the staff gets up to speed, and it may be a few months until we get a true sense of just how crowded the ship will feel during normal operations.

SUNDAY, 8:28 AM ET
Good morning, Cruise Loggers, from a slowly waking up Oasis of the Seas. The ship is back in Fort Lauderdale today for the day but will head out to sea again tonight as inaugural events continue.

Since we're in port, I once again have access to high-speed Internet, and I plan to upload dozens of photos today of every major area of the ship -- starting with the cabins. I also will try to answer as many of your questions about the ship as I can.

As for the cabins, the photo to the right gives you a taste of the decor in basic ocean-view and balcony cabins. from Royal Caribbean Cruises. The rooms are stylish and contemporary with crisp white-on-white linens, large wall-mounted TVs, well-designed counter space, and blue and green accents. The picture is of cabin 11100, one of eight ocean-view family cabins (in Oasis' brochures you'll find them listed as "family ocean view staterooms"), but it is representative, decor-wise, of what you'll find across the board in non-suite cabins.

SUNDAY, 10:52 AM ET
I mentioned Oasis' family cabins already above, but I'd like to talk a little bit more about them as they're among the most notable new lodging options on the ship. In all, there are 19 family cabins on the ship that sleep up to six people (plus four Royal Family Suites that sleep up to eight).

Roughly 50% larger than standard cabins on the ship, the non-suite family cabins have a queen bed (convertible into two twin beds), a pull-out sofa that sleeps two and a bunk bed in a niche.

The photo to the left, taken in cabin 11149, offers a glimpse of the bunk beds as they look in a "family interior stateroom." I've also just posted more photos of this cabin and two other categories of family cabins in a gallery HERE.

Also, don't miss Reporter at Sea contest winner Joyce Allison's latest video dispatch from the ship, in which she shows off everything from the Rising Tide bar in the Royal Promenade to the zip line above the Boardwalk.

SUNDAY, 12:45 PM ET

Cruise fans have been waiting for more than a year for a glimpse of Oasis of the Seas' Central Park. What's it like? I've just posted nearly a dozen large photos in a photo gallery located HERE (the photo to the right gives you a little taste of what to expect).

Even the most jaded journalists and travel agents touring Oasis in recent days have been saying that Central Park is nothing short of a marvel at sea, and we agree. It has an elegant, upscale feel, particularly at night as the high-end restaurants that line it's sides open their big glass doors for alfresco dining.

No Need For Full-Price Cruises

2009-11-11T18:22:00.001-05:00

Miami Herald

Three years ago, with much fanfare, most of the major cruise lines announced that they would no longer permit travel agents or others to discount the price of their cruises.

This time, they said, they really meant it. No more Mr. Nice Guy. If anybody got caught discounting a cruise price, they'd lose their right to sell cruises in the future.

This fall, the discounting of cruise prices is more frequent and substantial than ever. I've never seen such bargains.

• Cruises for $67 a day, on an upscale ship: It isn't only the popularly priced cruise lines -- like Carnival Cruises, Norwegian Cruises, or Royal Caribbean -- that are offering rates like $339 for a five-night cruise out of Miami ($67 a day). The same figure is now being quoted for upscale ships of upscale cruiselines, like Celebrity Cruises. On its five-night sailings from Miami -- scheduled for Dec. 15, 2008, and Jan. 3, 2009 -- the Celebrity Century, a premium ship if there ever was one, is permitting cruise brokers to sell its inside cabins for $339 per person (the Dec. 15 sailing) and $359 (the Jan. 3 sailing). You can get those rates by calling America's Vacation Center at 888-420-1035.

• Cruises for $57 a day, on more basic ships: The new bargain Web site called Travel Themes and Dreams is offering those rates on no fewer than six Caribbean sailings in the autumn, on all the lowest-priced cruise lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian): $399 per person in double-occupancy cabins. That's a price of approximately $57 a day, per person (lower than which you just can't go), and it's available for departures taking place (mainly from Florida) in September, November and December of this year.

• Free trans-Atlantic airfare: For two Mediterranean cruise departures from Barcelona, Spain on Nov. 30, 2008, and Jan. 25, 2009, on a fascinating itinerary to Rome; Athens; Ephesus, Turkey; Alexandria, Egypt; and Valletta, Malta, 12 nights in all, Norwegian cruise line will throw in free, round-trip trans-Atlantic airfare for bargain-hunting passengers. An outside, balcony cabin will go for $1,999 per person, including round-trip air to and from Barcelona from either Newark, N.J. Philadelphia, New York, Boston or Washington (for $200 more, they'll fly you from Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco or Los Angeles). As with all deals of this sort, it can be booked not with the cruise line but with a broker of discount cruises.

• Balcony cabins for $69 a day: The date is Dec. 8 of this year (long after the hurricane season has ended), the city of embarkation is Tampa, Fla., and the ship returns to Tampa 10 days later. The elegant vessel is Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas (a modern, 2,500-passenger vessel), going to San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Maarten; Basseterre; Antigua; and Tortola -- a pretty good itinerary. And the price per person, from Cruise Marketplace, is astounding. In a current market of extraordinary cruise bargains, this one takes the cake.

How Does The World's Largest Cruise Ship Stay Afloat?

2009-11-10T13:32:00.001-05:00

from Live Science

The world's largest cruise ship is making its first transatlantic crossing from Finland to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where it will make its U.S. debut. Though colossal, the ship relies on the same physical principles as its smaller brethren to stay afloat.

The massive ship, called the Oasis of the Seas and built by STX Finland for Royal Caribbean Cruises International, stands 20 stories high, is as long as four football fields, and can accommodate 5,400 guests at double occupancy.

The two typical measures of size are length and weight, which is measured as displacement, or the weight of water the ship must displace to stay afloat. "She is 1,180 feet long and displaces 100,000 tons," said Paul Miller of the Department of Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland, referring to the Oasis of the Seas.

For comparison, the RMS Titanic, which sank in 1912, was 883 feet long (269 meters) and weighed about 58,000 tons.

In terms of space available, the Oasis is nearly five times larger than the Titanic. Specifically, the Oasis can hold 225,282 gross registered tons, while the Titanic could hold 46,329 grt.

This measurement was derived long ago to describe a ship's space for a common cargo — wine. Since wine was shipped in "tuns" that each held 8 barrels or about 242 gallons, a ship that could carry 8,000 wine barrels was considered a 1,000-tun ship. "Tun" evolved into "ton" and then into "gross registered ton."

The Oasis is 50 percent larger than the runner-up, which is a group of Freedom-class ships (such as Freedom of the Seas), according to Royal Caribbean International.

Staying above water

How does such a huge ship float?

"It's just like any other ship. It has to displace an equal amount of water to how much it weighs," said Matthew Collette, assistant professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. If it didn't, the ship would sink.

To displace this amount of water, and keep the ship stable without having a massive draft beneath the water, the designers created a wide hull.

"To keep it stable they had to make the ship very wide. It's 66 meters (217 feet) wide," Collette said. That means the Oasis can't fit through the Panama Canal, which is just 105 feet (32 meters).

About 30 feet (9 meters) of the ship sits beneath the water, which is a small percentage of the ship's overall height.

Dealing with the elements

The idea of a cruise generally means sunny skies, and such ships will change their ports of call to avoid large storms or hurricanes, Collette said. That's not to say rough seas are out of the question.

"It's hard to know for sure how this ship would ride without knowing the details of its design, but wide, shallow ships such as this tend to be 'snappy' in that they have so much stability they tend to snap back upright after a wave has passed, which can be uncomfortable to be on," Collette said. "The sheer size of this ship will also help it, as larger ships tend to be better rides in rough weather."

Another issue is the superstructure, or the part of the ship that extends above the main deck.

"We have learned how to design and build large ships successfully," said Miller, the engineer with the U.S. Naval Academy. "What is a bit challenging about this ship is the amount of superstructure. That can cause windage problems in hurricanes, but the basic idea of cruise ships is to run away from them."

While this ship will likely stay in warm tropical waters, what if it did stray and come upon a titanic iceberg? "The ship is bigger and generally able to take more damage than a smaller ship," Collette said. "However, as the ship is bigger, it has more kinetic energy to dissipate if it was involved in a collision, which may mean it would also suffer more damage."

And no matter the size of a water craft, rogue waves are always a concern. Rogue waves are rare but towering problems that can soar 100 feet and are known to sink large cargo ships. Scientists have only recently begun to figure out what's behind the once-mythical waves. A study in 2008 suggested that in rare circumstances, waves that would normally cancel each other out can combine to form tall monsters in quick fashion.

The Oasis is no low-riding cargo ship, however.

"If it was struck by one I would expect there to be some local damage at the point of impact — maybe some broken portholes or bent railings, but little else," Collette said. "All ships are designed to make the chance of large-scale structural collapse very remote."

Cozy quarters

And while the ship's behemoth size is garnering plenty of attention, the goal of such a cruise ship is to make it feel small. To do this, the Oasis is divided up into various themed neighborhoods, including parks, such as one themed after Central Park, boardwalks and a sports zone.

"It's an attempt to try to make it feel smaller, because you don't want the passengers to feel like they're just a commodity," Collette told LiveScience.

When you look under the hood, however, the giant cruise ship is pretty basic. "Most of the innovation of the ship is the size and the passenger amenities," Collette said. "In terms of the propelling machinery, the design of the ship, it's all very similar to the cruise ships that have come before. There's not a lot of new ground here."

Such a leviathan presents other issues, including figuring out an evacuation plan for so many passengers and being able to fit into ports.

Should we expect an even larger ship any time soon?

"Whether this ship is the limit I don't know," Collette said. "Because the economy has kind of turned south since they signed the contract for this ship, I don't think anyone is going to challenge it for the record in the next three to four years."

Coral Princess Revamped

2009-11-07T17:53:00.001-05:00

USA Today

Add the Coral Princess to the list of Princess cruise ships that have gotten a big overhaul over the past year.

The 1,970-passenger vessel, which is only seven years old, emerged last week from a two-week drydock that saw the addition of two major features that have become signatures at the line: a giant "Movies Under the Stars" poolside movie screen and an adults-only Sanctuary area.

The for-a-charge Sanctuary ($10 per person/half day) is similar to ones added recently to other Princess ships and features plush padded lounge chairs and the services of dedicated "Serenity Stewards" who are on call to deliver drinks and snacks. The new Movies Under the Stars screen, at 300 square feet, also is similar to what is found on other Princess ships.

Other changes to the Coral Princess include new carpet and upholstery.

The Coral Princess will spend the coming winter sailing 15-night Panama Canal cruises between Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles. It'll spend next summer on Alaska cruises.

The overhaul of the Coral Princess comes in the wake of similar revamps for four other Princess Cruises ships over the past year: The Dawn Princess, Golden Princess, Sea Princess and Caribbean Princess. In addition to a new Movies Under the Stars screen and adults-only Sanctuary, the eight-year-old Golden Princess received a new piazza-style atrium like the ones found on the line's newest ships.

CLIA's Top Ten Reasons To Sell New Cruises

2009-10-31T13:49:00.000-04:00

From Travel Agent Central

The Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) member cruise lines offer stress-free, no-work family celebrations in every part of the world during the winter holidays, CLIA reminds agents. And, as a bonus to spark sales, CLIA is offering a list of the top ten reasons to celebrate the winter holidays plus a sampling of what CLIA member cruise lines are offering this year. Great list. Great sampling. Great tools for cruise selling travel agents.

1. CLIA member cruise lines offer holiday cruises of all lengths on all types of ships, including the world’s newest and largest, in all parts of the world, from Africa to the Caribbean to the Mediterranean to Antarctica.

2. When quality family time counts the most, a holiday cruise offers flexibility and choice in recreational activities, entertainment, relaxed dining and fun for travelers of all ages.

3. With special pricing, an abundance of diverse activities and plenty of entertainment, cruising for the holidays is the ideal choice for multigenerational groups or groups of families and friends.

4. Holiday cruisers do not need to worry about planning and preparing menus, doing the dishes or cleaning the house. On a cruise, you can leave holiday chores behind and concentrate on enjoying time spent with loved ones.

5. In times of stress, the chance to totally escape is just what the doctor ordered. Vacationing has been proven to be healthy and good for one’s well-being.

6. With a caring ship’s staff doing all the work, including the entertaining, a holiday cruise means more time to celebrate and enjoy the festivities.

7. With so many different cruises and cruise ships to choose from, there is a holiday cruise for every budget.

8. Featuring inclusive pricing, incomparable comfort and convenience, and travel to some of the most popular vacation destinations in the world, no holiday celebration offers more value for money spent than a cruise.

9. What better or more-appreciated gift could there be than the lifetime memories of a holiday cruise with family or friends?

10. It’s not too late; many CLIA member lines are waiting to welcome last-minute cruise shoppers for the holidays.

Amadeus Cruises

The festive, traditional Christmas Markets of Vienna, Regensburg, Cologne, Prague and Paris are among the highlights of Amadeus Cruises’ winter holiday voyages on the great rivers of Europe. Strolling through bustling village squares decorated with lights and Christmas trees, passengers can shop for everything from home-made gingerbread to hand-carved wooden toys, returning at the end of the day to a ship festooned with a holiday décor. In addition to such special touches as a formal Christmas Dinner and New Year's Eve Gala Dinner, the company is offering “wonderful winter savings” with “Companion Cruises Free!” pricing. Passengers traveling in single accommodations may elect to waive the single supplement charge.

Avalon Waterways

Travelers can experience the holiday season the Central European way with Avalon Waterways on deluxe "Christmastime" river cruise vacations on the legendary Danube and Main Rivers. They will enjoy the enchanting atmosphere of 1,000-year-old-Prague and delight in the sights, smells and tastes of local Christmas markets in Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Würzberg, Bamberg, Miltenberg and Vienna. And, when they're ready to return to the ship after festive sightseeing, they’ll enjoy moving scenery from their spacious staterooms complete with floor-to-ceiling windows and French balconies as well as regionally inspired cuisine aboard award-winning ships. Cruisers booking before November 3, 2009 can receive 50 percent off airfare on already reduced winter savings.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Throughout the Carnival fleet, the winter holidays are celebrated with Christmas trees, wreaths and mistletoe, seasonal music, holiday entertainment, Christmas-themed movies and more. Santa Claus always makes an appearance toting a bag of gifts and an elaborate production show enables children to participate onstage, showcasing decorations they have made in Camp Carnival. Holiday menus feature such traditional favorites as oven-roasted turkey and pecan pie. On New Year's Eve, guests of Carnival Cruises are provided with party favors, noise makers and Champagne.

Costa Cruises

With Costa Fortuna and Costa Atlantica sailing the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, Costa offers a warm and festive Italian style winter holiday experience. The ships are completely decorated with Christmas trees, twinkling lights and beautiful ornaments and, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Santa Claus makes special visits with keepsake gifts. Special holiday dinner and lunch menus offer a mix of the Italian cuisine and traditional favorites. A special New Year’s Eve “gala” night provides the opportunity to dress up for the holidays. Both ships feature holiday sailings from $599, complete with an up-to four category upgrade while kids sail for just $199 on all Costa Cruises Caribbean holiday voyages. Deposits have been reduced to $150 on all Caribbean sailings as well.

Crystal Cruises

This Christmas and New Year, Crystal Symphony will be cruising Antarctica and South America, allowing guests to experience both the South American spring and a white Christmas in Antarctica and Cape Horn. For a warm-weather Christmas, Crystal Serenity will be in the Caribbean for the holidays, sailing roundtrip from Miami on December 21. Ports include Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Barts, Turks and Caicos, Bonaire and departing from Miami. All Crystal Cruises Holiday voyages feature more than $100,000 in seasonal décor, handcrafted decorations, lavish feasts and parties and a black tie New Year’s Eve gala. They also offer the Crystal Family Memories program, with special savings, shipboard credits, free fares for children and more for groups.

Cunard Line

Imagine the winter holidays in picture-perfect Copenhagen and other Scandinavian capitals filled with antiquity and charm. Cunard Line is offering a special "complimentary double upgrade" promotion on Queen Victoria’s December 9, 2009 “Winter Wonderland” voyage. Roundtrip from Southampton, this Scandinavian itinerary includes overnight stays in Hamburg, Germany and Copenhagen. Both Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 will hold Hanukkah services December 21 - 29 and will have kosher culinary offerings available to guests. The Cunard Cruises ships will also be festooned with greenery, including trees and wreaths, ornaments, nutcrackers, gingerbread cottages and twinkling lights for Christmas, and kids will be delighted to find Father Christmas handing out gifts.

Disney Cruise Line

The spirit of the season surrounds guests of Disney Cruise Line during the winter holidays. Starting with Disney characters in their finest holiday attire welcoming guests at the decorated cruise terminal in Port Canaveral, the festivities include: “King Triton’s Tree Lighting” ceremony; family crafts such as stocking decorating and building gingerbread houses; holiday storytellers sharing tales of Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwaanza; traditional holiday feasts in three themed dining rooms and “Til We Meet Again,” a special holiday edition of the line’s cheerful farewell on the final night of the voyage. Disney Magic sails on seven-night eastern and western Caribbean holiday cruises; Disney Wonder offers three- and four-night Bahamian holiday cruises.

Holland America Line

Holland America offers 20 holiday cruises between December 16 and December 28. The Caribbean beckons with 11 holiday sailings from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa that range from seven to 14 days over one or two holidays. In a new offering for 2009, ms Maasdam will sail a 10-day Western Caribbean itinerary and an 11-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary. Most sailings feature a visit to Half Moon Cay, the line’s award-winning private Bahamian island. Holland America also offers roundtrip seven-day holiday cruises from San Diego to Mexico, three Panama Canal cruises departing from Fort Lauderdale and California, a 15-day Circle Hawaii itinerary and longer cruises in Australia, New Zealand, South America and Antarctica.

Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten is offering an all-inclusive package with all of the trimmings for the Christmas season. The penguins won't be the only creature wearing a tux as Hurtigruten’s festive 21-Day Christmas and New Years - Antarctica cruise-tour, departing December 19, 2009 celebrates the holiday season with traditional Norwegian Christmas breakfasts and dinners, onboard musicians, Christmas carols, a Santa Claus laden with gifts and a New Year's Eve dinner and midnight party -- all against a backdrop of stunning Antarctic landscapes. This offer can be booked using Hurtigruten's interest-free "Layaway Getaway" monthly payment plan.

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises celebrates the winter holidays with an international flair, with festivities and traditions practiced around the world. In the Caribbean, MSC Poesia will offer a seven-night “Happy Holidays, Caribbean-Style” Eastern Caribbean voyage from Fort Lauderdale departing on December 20, and a seven-night “Caribbean Confetti NewYear’s” Western Caribbean cruises departing December 27. In the Mediterranean, from Genoa to Egypt, guests can celebrate on MSC’s two newest ships, the MSC Splendida and the MSC Fantasia, on Eastern Mediterranean and Western Mediterranean holiday cruises. Children 17 and under sail free with MSC when sharing a stateroom with two adults paying full fare.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian cruises make Christmas at sea an unforgettable experience. All ships are festively decorated, crew members stage an interactive holiday show in the ship's theater, cruise directors and staff sing carols and Santa takes time out of his busy schedule to hand out gifts on Christmas Day. Holiday-themed menus feature dishes such as honey-glazed black forest ham with sweet potato mash, roasted turkey with apple and apricot stuffing, pumpkin soufflé and a pear and chestnut torte. Hanukkah is celebrated with kosher menus and the lighting of a menorah each day to commemorate the eight-day celebration. While kids enjoy Norwegian's youth program, parents enjoy the high-energy, festive White Hot New Year's Eve party.

Princess Cruises

Princess’ 17-ship fleet offer a wide range of sailings in the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, South America, Hawaii and South Pacific for Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s. Whatever the destination, guests will find Yuletide carolers, waiters wearing Santa hats, festive décor, live seasonal music and films, and special holiday feasts featuring all the traditional favorites. Popular with families, Princess Cruises holiday voyages offer young travelers parties, sing-a-longs, arts and crafts, and the chance to help decorate the ship’s Christmas tree. They also may participate in a holiday theatrical production and, on Christmas Day, Santa Claus makes a surprise appearance, bringing gifts and joy for all.

Regent Seven Seas Cruise

The ships of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, beautifully decorated over the holidays with trees, garlands, bunting and ginger bread houses, will be in the Caribbean, French Polynesia and transiting the Panama Canal over the winter holidays this year. A 10-night voyage roundtrip departing from Fort Lauderdale features many of the Caribbean “Saints”: St. Thomas, St. Barts, St. Kitts, and Saint Maarten as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Panama Canal is the featured attraction of sailings between Fort Lauderdale and California and Papeete is the departure point for sailings in Polynesia. The voyages also offer an ecumenical religious service over the holidays for those guests wishing to attend, and a special Christmas dinner menu in the main dining room.

Royal Caribbean International

Families will have the opportunity to sail the newest, biggest ship in the world this holiday season when the 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas departs December 19 from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean. In addition to seasonal decorations, the entire RCI fleet will offer such holiday favorites as classic movie screenings, caroling, cookie decorating, festive music and readings of classic Christmas stories. The December 12 sailing of Independence of the Seas, also from Fort Lauderdale, will combine the Jewish Festival of Lights, or Hanukkah, with an eight-night Eastern Caribbean cruise. RCI offers holiday sailings from 10 domestic ports, including Bayonne, Baltimore, Port Canaveral, Miami, Port Everglades, departing from Tampa, Galveston, departing from San Diego, Los Angeles and departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Seabourn Cruise Line

Seabourn cruises welcome guests to a warm, sparkling Caribbean Holiday voyage this winter. Holiday revelers can choose from a seven-day "Legendary Christmas" voyage departing Fort Lauderdale on December 21 and ending at Barbados on December 28, or a "Legendary New Year's" cruise from Barbados on December 28 ending at Fort Lauderdale on January 4, 2010. Or, they may combine the two voyages and sail on a 14-day round trip voyage to enjoy both the holidays’ festivities and fun. Seven-day fares on Seabourn Legend start from $3,499 per person, double occupancy and the full 14-day cruise starts from $6,999 per person, based on double occupancy. Accommodations are a 277-square foot ocean-view suite.

SeaDream Yacht Club

SeaDream I and SeaDream II, the company’s twin luxury mega-yacht cruisers, will make four Caribbean holiday sailings this year. Offered as a roundtrip voyage from San Juan or one-way between St. Thomas and San Juan, the five-, seven- and nine-day voyages all feature an overnight stay at St. Barts in the French West Indies. Late evening stays in several other Caribbean ports of call allow for holiday shoreside festivities. Ports of call include islands in the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, the French West Indies, the Grenadines, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, depending on the cruise chosen. SeaDream Yacht Club fares include all meals, wine with lunch and dinner, open bar with selected premium brands, plus use of “water toys” from the vessel’s Marina, and gratuities.

Silversea Cruises

The six globe-trotting Silversea cruise ships, including the brand new Silver Spirit, celebrate the holidays from Antarctica to Zanzibar on itineraries ranging from eight to 17 days. Silver Spirit will holiday in the Mediterranean and North Africa, offering an 11-day maiden voyage from Barcelona to Lisbon. Silver Wind will spend 14 days in Africa and the Seychelle Islands, departing December 20 from Mahe. Prince Albert II departs Ushauaia on December 21 on a 17-day expedition to Antarctica. Silver Shadow departs December 11 from Barbados on a nine-day Caribbean itinerary, and on December 20 on a 15-day roundtrip voyage from Fort Lauderdale through the Caribbean. Other voyages over the holidays feature South America and the South Pacific.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

Come one, come all with Uniworld Cruises 2 for 1 Savings and Single Supplement Waived Offers on 2009 Europe Holiday River Cruises. Cherish all the glory and magic of the season in grand European style as you cruise along the magical rivers during this festive time of the year. Uniworld’s 2 for 1 Savings and Single Supplement Waived offer applies to the following cruises: European Holiday Markets, Vienna to Nuremberg, December 14; Rhine Holiday Markets, Basel to Cologne, December 20; and Rhine & Main Holiday Markets, Nuremberg to Cologne, December 17. Cruises include: elegantly appointed riverview staterooms, meals with complimentary wine, beer, and soft drinks, celebratory events and entertainment, fully escorted shore excursions, and all transfers on arrival and departure days.

Windstar Cruises

Windstar Cruises offers special rates on holiday and New Year's cruises in the Caribbean and Costa Rica. Wind Spirit's holiday sailings feature a new seven-day St. Martin itinerary that includes the British Virgin Islands, St. Barts and Jost Van Dyke. Wind Star offers an in-depth discovery of Costa Rica, and Wind Surf sails roundtrip from Barbados, calling on such islands as St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, Iles Des Saintes, St. Kitts, Bequia and St. Barts. The ships are decorated with beautiful holiday decorations and feature a special holiday menu prepared by the executive chef. New Year's cruises include a festive New Year's Eve party including party favors, live music, an official countdown by the captain and a Champagne toast.

Huge Savings on Mexico Cruises - Lock In The Lowest Prices on Mexico Cruises

2009-10-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

Reeling Mexico hopes travel deals bring back the tourists

USA Today

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — During a visit to San Diego in April, Pratik and Priti Chavda thought they'd slip over the border into Tijuana just to do a little shopping, have a quick meal and say they had made it to Mexico. But upon hearing the plan, staffers at their hotel sounded the alarm.

"Swine flu! Drug cartels! Don't go!" Pratik Chavda, 32, recalls them warning of his Mexico cruises.

Six months later, the Chicago couple have finally made it south of the border, where they're enjoying a meal of grilled shrimp with a panoramic view of a golden sunset. And they didn't even have to wait for a table.

What started out as a gangbuster year, with international tourist arrivals up about 6% in the first quarter, came to a screeching halt in late April when Mexico became the first to report an outbreak of the H1N1 virus. The flu scare, coupled with news accounts of gruesome drug-related violence, caused visitors to stay away in droves. From April to June, tourist arrivals plummeted by more than 19% over the previous year.

Discounts are also recession-driven

Now, flu furor has quelled somewhat. The State Department lifted its virus-related travel alert in May, by which time Mexican officials were being lauded for their efforts to contain the outbreak. The drug wars still rage, but they've always been primarily confined to select areas, far from where mainstream tourists tread. (However, the State Department in August updated a travel alert advising Americans to avoid unnecessary travel to the states of Chihuahua and Michoacan.)

At this point, many believe, it's the lingering global recession that may be casting the greatest pall over Mexico's desires for a robust winter tourist season. In Cancun, the nation's No. 1 vacation destination, arrivals are down 12% over last October.

Travel wholesalers "are telling us we're in the same (booking) range as the rest of the Caribbean," says Jesus Almaguer, head of Cancun's Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Of course, we'd love to be better, but given the situation, it's not that bad."

Maybe not. But with a hotel building spree in many sun-drenched spots, competition among Mexican resorts has heated up. And that's likely to spark more rate reductions and value-added cheap Mexico cruises in the coming season.

"There are some really good deals out there," says Laura Del Rosso, the Mexico contributing editor for the trade publication Travel Weekly. "Even last year, they were worried about overcapacity because of the number of big resorts that opened. This year, it's the economy that's the bigger issue."

From the small office of her 11-unit Casa Andrea in Puerto Vallarta's historic "Romantic Zone," Andrea Edelstein directs employees preparing to reopen the hotel after a four-month shutdown. Her guests are mostly loyal regulars who come for weeks at a time. Not this year. Occupancy dropped to 40% in April, and by June she decided to temporarily close.

"It's not even that people are looking for discount Mexico cruises," she says. "They're just not coming."

At Barcelona, a popular tapas restaurant, business appears relatively brisk.

"I'm not as busy as people think," says owner Bill Carballo, whose business dropped by about a third over the summer. "Everyone is suffering."

And along popular Playa de Los Muertos — Beach of the Dead — Pablo Celestino, wearing the patient demeanor of a man who has been trudging these sands for 21 years hawking jewelry to tourists, shrugs and says: "Business is quiet. But times have been worse. Maybe next month, people will come."

Beach resorts massage their prices

As in other beach resorts, early fall is typically slow in Puerto Vallarta. But after April's flu alert, cruise ship calls were suspended. Flights were cut back by 20%. And local officials ramped up marketing efforts (and discounts) aimed at domestic tourists.

Now, even with cruise ships returning to short Mexico cruises and more international tourists trickling in, "I think you're going to see a lot of creative packaging," says Dennis Whitelaw, general manager of the CasaMagna Marriott and president of the local CVB, which has issued a first-time discount booklet.

Local purveyors are offering their own incentives. A small beachfront hotel spa in the city's Old Town offers $23 50-minute massages — down from $35. Nearby, a lunch of freshly grilled fish and a cold beer at seaside stands goes for less than $4.

Tourists to other Mexican beach resorts report similar deals. Tyler Daugherty, 27, of Las Vegas, on two bargain-priced back-to-back Mexican cruises, has enjoyed a $54 3½-hour massage and salt scrub in one port of call and a $2 snorkeling trip in another. Now he's careening over the jungle and rappelling over waterfalls on a zip-line tour. (His cost for the six-hour outing: $93 vs. $140 if he had booked it on the ship.)

"The second I heard about swine flu in Mexico, I booked the cruises. I knew the flu (scare) would be something stupid, and the cruises would be cheap," he says.

'Wonderful and safe and comfortable'

But perceptions die hard. Americans' often-shaky grasp of geography, coupled with long memories for bad news, could prolong Mexico's tourism slump. When Amy Weirick, an Ohio publicist for Experience Columbus, announced plans to attend a professional meeting in Guadalajara earlier this month, she had to quell her family's fears.

"My son was frightened, and my husband was even a little paranoid," she says. "But I found Mexico to be wonderful and safe and comfortable. I had a terrific trip."

Meanwhile, Puerto Vallarta, which possesses an artistic soul and a culinary heart not found in many beach resorts, is banking on events such as the International Gourmet Festival (Nov. 12-22) and the Puerto Vallarta Film Festival (Dec. 2-6) to draw visitors from beyond the mainstream.

Its historic center, hugged on one side by the sweeping palm-fringed Banderas Bay and the verdant bulk of the Sierra Madre Mountains on the other, retains a truly local ambience that might be less apparent in more lucrative times when it's crawling with foreign tourists.

In the main plaza, a folkloric dance troupe has ample space to practice. Across the way on the malecon, or seaside promenade, a mostly Mexican crowd gathers to cheer on comic buskers. Vendors circulate, hawking cups of egg custard, paper sacks of oily potato chips and drinks ladled from gourds.

Some locals say they'd welcome this less crowded, more relaxed time, if it weren't at such a cost.

"We've been hard hit by the swine flu propaganda and the narco-trafficker rumors," says Liv Boughn, 35, a transplanted Californian. "But we have paradise to ourselves. That's the irony of it. If it weren't affecting the economy, I'd love it."

Two New Ships Launch For Costa Cruises

2009-10-26T19:08:00.001-04:00

USA Today

GENOA, Italy -- Costa Cruises inaugurated its two newest cruise ships Friday during an unusual dual ceremony that lasted eight-hours and culminated well after midnight.

Strong winds prevented Italian paratroopers from parachuting onto the two vessels -- the Costa Pacifica and Costa Luminosa -- to deliver the bottles of Prosecco that were destined to be smashed against the new ships’ hulls. But more importantly, when the moment came, both bottles broke on their first swing.

Israeli recording artist Noa named the Pacifica and Italian Olympic fencing champion Valentina Vezzali the Luminosa, at the same time, in an event that is now marked in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first time that two cruise ships built by the same shipyard and belonging to the same company were christened together at the same time and in the same place - a remarkable achievement, boding good fortune for discount Costa Cruises.

The evening began with a nine-plane flyover performed by Frecce Tricolori, the Italian National Aerobatic Team. It was followed by a Gala dinner before invitees filed into a grandstand set up between the noses of the two ships, both moored in Genoa’s Porto Antico.

The ceremony aboard cheap Costa cruises, featured performances by Italian musicians and a rhythmic gymnastics team, as well as a set of songs by Noa.

The strong winds at times muffled the performers’ voices and brought a chill that eventually drove many people away before the ceremony’s end.

A massive fireworks show that was planned never happened – Costa did not say why, but the high winds might have been responsible.

Online Travel Market Holding Steady In Europe

2009-10-26T17:49:00.000-04:00

From Hotel Marketing

European online travel bookings are projected to grow slightly by 0.6% in 2009 according to PhoCusWright. Internet distribution channels continue to outperform the European travel market as a whole, which is projected to decline by 10% in 2009.

“As Europeans seek to make the most of their treasured time off this year, they are increasingly using online options to plan the best holiday for their budget,” says Carroll Rheem, director, research at PhoCusWright. “Online travel agencies are weathering this economic storm better than any other booking channel.”

While the online leisure and unmanaged business market was able to stay in positive territory in 2009, it is clearly suffering from the drop in travel demand. The double-digit growth seen in recent years is gone and is not expected to return in the next several years. It is the strong performance of online travel agencies (OTAs) that will drive online growth as supplier Web sites will decline slightly for the year. OTAs are projected to reach gross bookings of €23 billion in 2009, with much of the growth driven by hotel products and discount Europe cruises.

“Even in the bleak travel backdrop of 2009, some travel companies are thriving—and not all of them are OTAs. Countercyclical trends bolster these companies while exacerbating decline for others. Those dependent on business travelers are among the hardest hit,” adds Rheem. The Northern Euriope cruises market is projected to decline by 17%, substantially more than the total market decline. As companies have slashed their travel budgets in response to their own challenges, both transaction volume and prices have fallen significantly across markets and travel verticals.

Economic recession and weakened consumer spending have affected all European nations and exposed strengths and weaknesses among each regional market and industry segment. PhoCusWright’s European Online Travel Overview Fifth Edition is a comprehensive analysis of the European online travel market. It includes an overview of the European market and detailed analysis of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and Spain.

The Cost Of Luxury Is Dropping In Latin America

2009-10-25T23:39:00.000-04:00

NY Times

LATIN AMERICA has long enticed budget-oriented travelers with its low prices, and as the global economic crisis lingers, the bargains are increasingly tempting — especially when it comes to a luxury vacation.

Meals are often half the cost of their European counterparts, hotels are generally more luxurious than what you’d get for the same money in the States, and spa treatments and other private services are so affordable you feel good about splurging, because, really, you’re saving — or at least that’s what you tell yourself.

And things are getting cheaper still. Hotel prices across Latin America fell by 18 percent in the first half of 2009 compared with the same period last year, according to Hotels.com’s Hotel Price Index. That’s slightly steeper than hotel rate decreases in North America and Europe.

Some of the best places for affordable luxury are Argentina and Mexico, in part because of swine flu scares earlier this year. Also, the dollar is going farther than a year ago, at about 13.5 Mexican pesos (versus 12.5 in October 2008) and 3.9 Argentine pesos (against 3.3). And both countries have long attracted well-heeled tourists, with established resort towns and bustling cities.

Stylish boutique hotels in Buenos Aires like the Craft, Moreno and cE Hotel de Diseño, are listing rooms for less than $100 a night at Tablet Hotels, a booking site that specializes in design-oriented hotels.

In Mexico, some of the best deals are at ultra-luxurious megaresorts along the Riviera Maya, just south of Cancún, like Grand Velas, an all-suites resort and spa, which was just opening as the travel downturn hit. The Banyan Tree Mayakoba, where villas have their own plunge pools, is offering 50 percent off two-night packages with daily breakfast, a massage and dinner for two. Nearby, the Mandarin Oriental has a seven-night Holiday in Mexico deal that includes breakfast, airport transfers, dinner for two and a private yoga class from $354 a night until Dec. 18. Earlier Swine Flu scares have also brought down the prices for Mexico cruises.

Not interested in the beach? Starting rates at the Four Seasons in Mexico City are $225 a night on weekends, not bad considering that it’s $70 cheaper than the Four Seasons in Austin ($295). A Swedish massage costs about $100 at the hotel in Mexico versus $130 in Austin.

Large tour operators, such as Globus, recognize the good value in Latin America and are adding more itineraries and new destinations that emphasize luxury for less. Abercrombie Kent, the high-end tour operator known for its luxury safaris, is expanding its 2010 “signature” Latin American itineraries. The packages, designed for travelers who don’t want to take a group tour but still want the Abercrombie Kent experience, include the same comforts and sightseeing of its group excursions but with private guides from $5,995 a person for a nine-day trip to Ecuador.

For travelers looking to spend less, Group Voyagers, the parent company of Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways, recently added four Latin American itineraries, including Ecuador and the Galápagos from $3,379 and three Monograms packages from $1,299 for eight days in Costa Rica.

The strategy seems to be paying off. Collette Vacations, based in Pawtucket, R.I., recently reported that revenue for its Discover South America tour more than doubled from last year. Interest in Peru in particular is picking up. Its 12-day trip through Peru, visiting Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Lima and the Paracas National Reserve, with rates from $2,449 a person, is already beginning to fill up for 2010. Holland America Cruise Lines have recently announced tours to South America in 2010 and 2011.

“Travelers start out thinking it’s too exotic and therefore out of reach,” Allison Flint, Collette’s product manager, said in a statement. “But then are pleasantly surprised at how affordable it really is.”

Though airline cutbacks have reduced flights to some regions, low-cost carriers have helped bring fares down in many markets. No-frills Spirit Airlines, for example, which is based in Miramar, Fla., and sometimes sells tickets for as little as $9, began service to Latin America in 2007. It now has routes to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua in Central America, and to Peru in South America.

In Brazil, low-cost airlines, like GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes and WebJet, now account for a significant portion of Brazil’s domestic market. And in Mexico, InterJet and Volaris have expanded service.

Tour operators are also going beyond the big cities and popular destinations and offering more trips off the beaten path. Country Walkers, based in Waterbury, Vt., for example, used to visit only popular places like the Galápagos in Ecuador. While it still offers a Galápagos add-on, the company is focusing this year on the Ecuadorean Highlands, with its working farms and the Indian markets of the Imbabura region.

The tour is not exactly cheap at $3,598 a person, but all meals and accommodations are included, and obtaining the kind of access and local insight the trip offers would be time-consuming and more difficult on one’s own. Travelers spend nine days with personal guides trekking from one hacienda to the next, past farms where locals still use ox-drawn plows and spectacular backdrops with snow-peaked volcanoes.

There are perks, especially if you’re a big shopper. Handmade leather handbags from the town of Cotacachi, for example, can be bargained down to about $20. “The same would retail for at least $100 in the U.S.,” said Sonya Bradley, the Latin America tour manager for Country Walkers.

For affordable luxury outside the city of Buenos Aires, Vanessa Guibert Heitner, of Limitless Argentina, a luxury travel agency, recommends that visitors head northwest to the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, to explore indigenous ruins, colonial architecture and the natural scenery of the region. Legado Mitico Salta, a boutique hotel within walking distance of colonial cathedrals, museums and restaurants, starts at $170 a night with breakfast. For $295 a person, Limitless Argentina can arrange a private tour of Salta and the wine belt of Cafayate, about two hours away, including visits to artisanal goat-cheese makers, hikes through canyons and a private food and wine pairing at a winery.

It’s also a good time to visit Rio de Janeiro, which is celebrating its 2016 Olympic bid win. Getting to Brazil is easier with 14 new flights this year from the United States, including daily nonstop service from Houston to Rio on Continental and flights three times a week from Atlanta to Brasília on Delta. Several more are planned for 2010.

Recife, a historic town on Brazil’s northern coast, dubbed the Brazilian Venice for its many bridges and rivers, is one of the places expected to benefit from new flights, with routes from Atlanta and Miami. In late February, when the average temperature is 82 degrees there, rates at the Internacional Palace Hotel in Recife start at about 196 Brazilian reais, about $110 at 1.78 reais to the dollar.

To maximize your budget, go just after Carnival, which runs Feb. 12 to 16, when hotel rates drop sharply. The Pestana Rio Atlantica in Rio, with views of Copacabana Beach, for example, is 490 reais a night in late February, down from 1,495 during Carnival.

2009-10-18T15:22:00.001-04:00

Extraordinary Cruise Savings

Major Cruise Discounts

Limited Time Offers

Here Now, Gone Tomorrow!

Discounts Available When You Call: 1-800-826-4333

PRINCESS CRUISES
ALASKA; EUROPE MONTH LONG SALE

Save on Princess cruises with unprecedented savings during our one week sale.

Request A Quote: 1-800-826-4333

ALL 2009/2010/2011 ALASKA & EUROPE VOYAGES ON SALE
excludes sailings less than 7 days.

• Reduced deposit $200 per stateroom (excludes World Cruises)

• Coupon Booklet valued at $650 per stateroom in onboard savings

• Additional AMENITIES on select dates

• Additional DISCOUNTS for Residents and Past Passengers

• Combinable with the new Summertime BALCONY BONUS
Receive a Free Balcony upgrade when you book an Oceanview stateroom.

Or take advantage of FREE double upgrades on Alaska Cruisetours

Not combinable with Flash Fares.

NEW BOOKINGS ONLY MADE BETWEEN OCTOBER 1 - 31, 2009

Pricing based on USD, double occupancy, per person, cruise only, group space availability and inventory controlled. Government fees and taxes are additional. Princess reserves the right to impose a fuel supplement of up to $9 per person per day on all passengers if the NYMEX oil price exceeds $70 per barrel, even if the fare has already been paid in full. Amenities vary by ship and sailing date. Coupon book available on select dates, for new bookings only made from 10/1 - 10/31/09. Coupon book limited to the first two passengers in cabin only. There is no cash value for unused coupons. Coupons are nontransferable and are not combinable with some discounted fares. Some restrictions apply. Coupons shown reflect voyages in 2009. Coupons for 2010 may vary. Prices and discounts are quoted in U.S. dollars. Coupon book offers are based on current Onboard Value Booklet which is subject to change. Applicable on voyages of 7 days or longer. Reduced deposit applies to each of the first two passengers in a stateroom. *$100 deposit does not apply to the World Cruises and 45+ day World Cruise Segments. The deposit for the World Cruises and 45+ day World Cruise Segments is 5% of the cruise fare. Not combinable with Flash Promotions. Other restrictions may apply. 2009 ©Princess Cruises®. Ships of Bermudan and British registry. The Cruise Marketplace is not responsible for errors or ommissions.

For reservations call 1-800-826-4333
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CRYSTAL CRUISES
Book October 14 - November 7, 2009

BONUS CRUISE MARKETPLACE SAVINGS

• $200 Onboard Credit Per Couple on most 2009-2010 departures
• Select voyages include:

Gracious onboard hosts
Complimentary Cocktail Parties
Prepaid Gratuities
Your choice of a shore excursion or shipboard credit up to $300 per couple in lieu of shore excursion.

Your Crystal experience. The world awaits you at the absolute pinnacle of travel. Welcoming, graciousness and a friendly smile. An unwavering standard of excellence by professionals who share your passion for world discovery. The essence of Crystal Cruises lies in its people.

Pamper Yourself on a Crystal Cruise:

• Elegantly appointed staterooms and suites, many with private verandahs
• Fine dining, including 24-hour complimentary in-room dining
• Indulge creativity with special classes on every voyage

For reservations call 1-800-826-4333
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CELEBRITY CRUISES
CRUISETOURS RECEIVE COMPLIMENTARY ONBOARD CREDITS

Celebrity Alaska Cruisetours

ALASKA SPECIAL OFFER
$200 ONBOARD CREDIT
when you book an Alaska Cruisetour by December 31, 2009!

Featured Cruisetour: 10-Night Alaska Cruisetour starting from $1,149
Featuring a 3-night pre-cruise land tour from Anchorage to Seward and 7 nights aboard Celebrity Millennium®.

Many more cruisetour packages available, call us for the best price!

Celebrity South America Cruise Tours

SOUTH AMERICA SPECIAL OFFER
$300 ONBOARD CREDIT
when you book an South America Cruisetour by December 1, 2009!
Featured Cruisetour Packages

Celebrity Infinity®
4-Night Pre Escorted Land Tour
Buenos Aires & Iguazu Falls

Day 1: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Day 2: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Day 3: Buenos Aires/Iguazu Falls
Day 4: Iguazu Falls
Day 5: Iguazu Falls/Buenos Aires, Argentina
Day 5: Board Celebrity Infinity

Sail Dates for Pre Package:
14-Night Antarctic Cruise
January 31; February 14, 2010

Ports of call: Buenos Aires, Argentina •
Port Stanley, Falkland Island • Elephant Island, Antarctica • Gerlache Strait • Paradise Bay, Antarctica • Ushuaia, Argentina • Cape Horn, Chile • Puerto Madryn, Argentina • Montevideo, Uruguay • Buenos Aires, Argentina
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DISNEY CRUISE LINE
Book now through October 14 - 28, 2009 Only

SET SAIL ON A MAGICAL VACATION
(and get an Onboard Credit, too!)

Disney Cruise Ship

Take a long deep breath of fresh sea air. Gaze upon a blue you never knew existed. Soak in the magical time that can only be had on a Disney cruise. Kids’ imaginations set sail on a world of wonder and enchantment. And while they’re having the time of their lives, you’ll have time to relax and enjoy each other. But the real magic happens when you come together as a family to enjoy spectacular fireworks, original Disney stage shows, and a visit to Disney’s exclusive island, Castaway Cay. It’s all part of what makes a Disney cruise perfect for everyone—especially you.

And, by booking between October 14 - 28, 2009, you’ll enjoy an onboard credit that can be used for merchandise, photography, spa treatments, shore excursions and other onboard activities.

• 7-Night Cruises or Longer itineraries
$100 onboard credit for cruises sailing Jan. 9, 2010 - Dec. 18, 2010
• 3-, 4- and 5-Night Bahamian Cruises
$50 onboard credit for cruises sailing Jan. 3, 2010 - Dec. 19, 2010

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COSTA CRUISES
Book now through October 31, 2009 Only

All categories furnished in modern, functional style to give you the sense of being on holiday.

• Your cabin includes Satellite TV, adjustable air-conditioning, a safe, and a telephone for making international calls.

• Tasty snacks and meals at all times of day.

• Free Small-group sporting activities: muscle-toning exercise, aerobics, Streth&Tone, LAB, Aquagym, Yoga or Pilates classes.

• Wellness & Beauty services: Restorative treatments and therapies for mind and body

• Fun daytime and evening activities for the entire Mom, Dad and children of all ages. On request, baby-sitting service.

IMPORTANT! Fares are in U.S. Dollars, per person, double occupancy, cruise only, and may not include port charges, govt taxes and other cruiseline required fees, unless stated otherwise. These offers may be time-sensitive and capacity controlled. All promotions and rates are subject to availability at the time of booking. To ensure the best price please contact us today for a firm quote. The Cruise Marketplace is not responsible for errors or ommissions. This recurring email was sent to you by Cruise Marketplace.

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American Film Critic and Two-Time Grammy Nominee Rex Reed to Sail aboard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing

2009-07-20T11:41:00.000-04:00

Reed to appear as Featured Presenter for Line’s Acclaimed Enrichment Programme, Cunard Insights

Notable film critic and journalist Rex Reed has joined the distinguished list of luminaries scheduled to sail aboard Cunard Line's flagship ocean liner Queen Mary 2. He will be aboard the 5 November Transatlantic Crossing from New York to Southampton. A two-time Grammy nominee, Reed will be a featured presenter for Cunard Insights luxury cruises, Cunard's acclaimed onboard enrichment programme. Like previous tastemakers, Reed will deliver a series of lectures and Q&A discussions during his voyage aboard Queen Mary 2.

Reed’s extraordinary wit and charm is sure to lead an enchanting and rich programme for guests. His long and distinguished resume of work provides for a variety of discussion topics that will resonate with everyone aboard the luxury cruises.

A member of the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics, Reed is a critic, columnist, journalist and lecturer whose work appears every week in the New York Observer. He was a contributing editor on the masthead of Talk Magazine and has been a film critic for Vogue, GQ, and Woman’s Wear Daily. Reed is also the author of eight books, including Personal Effect, and for five years, he starred in the nationally syndicated television show, "At the Movies." As a music critic, Reed has written liner notes for Liza Minelli, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Eileen Farrell, Barbara Cook and many others. In 1993, he was inducted, along with James Carville, into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in his native state. Reed holds an honorary degree from Brandeis University.

Delving deeply into a variety of compelling and relevant topics, Cunard Insights luxury cruises introduces guests to stimulating experts and accomplished visionaries who reflect the line's heritage of adventure and prestige. Through a series of lectures, Q&A's, social gatherings and workshops, guests connect with authors and intellectuals who have achieved notable distinction in areas including history, world affairs, science, politics, arts and literature. The Insights programme underscores Cunard's longstanding view that onboard entertainment should afford guests a provocative and rewarding cerebral experience.

The 5 November Transatlantic Crossing is one of more than 20 classic six-day luxury cruises between New York and Southampton offered by Cunard in 2009. In addition, Queen Mary 2 will sail two voyages between New York and Hamburg and two voyages between Boston and Southampton. Widely considered the definitive ocean travel experience, a Cunard Transatlantic Crossing offers guests myriad opportunities for intellectual interaction, leisurely pursuits, health and wellness activities and gourmet dining. Unique Cunard amenities found aboard Queen Mary 2 include the famed Princess and Queens Grill accommodation, the first Canyon Ranch SpaClub at sea, restaurants and lounges and the first Todd English restaurant at sea.

For more information about discount Cunard Cruises and other luxury cruises, visit Cruise Market Place today.

Book Your Vacation Early for the Biggest Savings

2008-11-04T15:04:00.000-05:00

Whether you're planning a winter vacation to a warm destination or to visit friends and family, experts advise booking your travels as soon as possible. There are many opportunities you can take advantage of when you book your vacation package early.

Besides getting away from the hustle and bustle and looking forward to your vacation, check out the many other reasons to book early.

With fuel prices fluctuating, many are anticipating that prices will continue to rise. Securing your vacation now relieves that worry.

Some travel companies offer a price guarantee option. NWA WorldVacations has a travel protection plan, which allows you to receive a refund of the price difference should the price of your particular vacation package go down from the time you book it to the time you travel.

Due to the price fluctuations and potential increases, more people than ever before are deciding to book their vacations earlier. If you want to be sure to get the dates you want, the hotel or resort you want, at the price you want, don't wait too long.

Many resorts are offering some great sales and deals for booking your vacation package early whether n the form of discounted rates or extra inclusions.

Many travel companies, including NWA WorldVacations and travel agencies, offer the option to put down a deposit to secure your booking and price, and allow you to pay the balance at a later date.

You will have time to do some research on the destination that you are going to so you can plan, know what to expect, and most importantly what to pack. You can think about activities you'd like to try when you get there and have your travel provider add them to your booking before you go. That way, you don't have to use your precious vacation time making those arrangements once you arrive at your destination.

Miami-based cruise lines map different routes through a struggling economy

2008-10-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

With economic conditions making waves globally, signature Miami cruise lines are mapping different routes to calmer waters. Carnival Cruise Lines announced this week that a ship scheduled to move to Europe in May is to remain in Miami operating Caribbean cruises instead. A ship meant to shift in April from Long Beach, CA., to Miami and later to Baltimore will instead move directly to the Maryland port four months early to begin the city's first year-round cruise program. "Based on current market conditions, continued economic uncertainty and high air costs to Europe, we are shifting our focus to an even greater extent toward our core, close-to-home cruise options, which are clearly the preference of the vast majority of the mainstream vacation market right now," said Gerry Cahill, president and chief executive officer, in a press release. Carnival did not respond to a request for further comment. The company's third-quarter earnings show that the cruise line saw a dip in net income, dropping to $1.3 billion from $1.4 billion in last year's third quarter.
However, revenue rose year over year: the company generated $4.3 billion third quarter of 2007 and $4.8 billion the same period this year. The cruise line still plans to offer European voyages next year when its newest and largest ship, the Carnival Dream, debuts next fall. Royal Caribbean Cruises, another major cruise operation based here, has not announced any changes to its itineraries and destinations, said Ian Bailey, vice president of investor relations, in an interview. Should the need arise to tweak plans, the line is established enough in both North America and Europe to accommodate, he said. "If one market is particularly strong relative to the other one, or weak, you could source from the other market, so it does give you some flexibility in getting the ships filled." The cruise line saw record earnings in the third quarter of this year, with net income hitting nearly $412 million compared to $395 million from Cheap Cruises the year before. Still, in recent months, Royal Caribbean has seen a dip in bookings, while Discount Celebrity Cruises Alaska have been doing great. "Up until September of this year, bookings had been very robust, but over the last six-to-eight weeks we have seen a disruption in the volume of bookings that we've been taking for the year," Mr. Bailey said. The company expects fourth quarter yields to fall anywhere from 4% to 5%, according to an earnings announcement. "We don't know if this is the beginning or middle or end" of the drop in bookings, Mr. Bailey said. "Our visibility into 2009 is a little less clear." Royal Caribbean is taking a "wait-and-see" approach before changing any plans, he said, not because officials are "asleep at the wheel," but because "this is a very new disruption for usÖ certainly we would react appropriately as we get more data and understand better what's happening in the markets."

Last-minute cruise deals starting under $60, $40 and even $25 dollars per day

2008-10-30T09:45:00.000-04:00

I had always thought that if you could get Cheap Cruises, Cheap Europe Cruises and Cheap Caribbean Cruises for under $100 per day, it was a decent price and dare I say, had come to be the standard way of measuring cruise rates (unless you were taking a luxe line). The way to look at it is, you’re not just getting the bed to sleep in, but also food and entertainment. Whether you’ve always loved or hated cruising in the past — now is the time to appreciate how low cruise prices are.

If you can pack your bags at the last-minute you’ll find cruises as low as $25-$60 per day, pre-tax.

CruiseOne/Cruises Inc is reporting 40 cruises under $40 per day. I thought I’d test this amazing deal for myself as well as have a look around at the market and see if anyone else was giving away their cruise trips at this low rate. Here’s what I found (but prices could change by the time you get there):

Cruises by Length:

> 19-Nt Voyage to South America - San Francisco to Santiago, on Norwegian Sun departing Nov. 4, 2008. Cost: $21/per day for an inside cabin, per person based on double occupancy, pre-tax. The total cost for two people was $1,165 after taxes, or $30.65/day. [CruiseOne]

> 7-Night Eastern Caribbean, Miami R/T, on Norwegian Dawn departing Nov. 15, 2008. Cost: $21 per day for an inside cabin, per person based on double occupancy, pre-tax. The total cost for two people was $922 after taxes, or $66/day. (Taxes and fees were $162 per person). [CruiseOne]

> 4-Night Bahamas, Miami R/T, on Norwegian Sky departing Nov. 10, 2008. Cost: $25 per day for an inside cabin, per person based on double occupancy, pre-tax. The total cost for two people was $425 after taxes, or $53/day. [Southwest]

STARTING UNDER $40/DAY

> 7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise, Miami R/T, on Norwegian Pearl departing Nov. 16, 2008. Cost: $33 per day for an inside cabin, per person based on double occupancy, pre-tax. The total cost for two people was $828 after taxes, or $59/day. [Southwest]

STARTING UNDER $50/DAY

> 32-day South American Cruise, San Francisco to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Princess’ Star Princess departing Nov. 20, 2008. Cost: $43 per day for an inside cabin, per person based on double occupancy, pre-tax. [Vacations To Go 90-day Ticker]
STARTING UNDER $60/DAY

> 7-Night Mexican Riviera Cruise – Los Angeles R/T, on Vision of Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas departing Dec. 1, 2008. Cost: Starting at $54 per person, double occupancy, pre-tax. [Cruise Critic]

> 8-Day Mexican Riviera, San Diego R/T, on Carnival departing Nov. 12, 2008. Cost: $50 per day for an inside cabin, per person based on double occupancy, pre-tax. The total cost for two people was $1,091 after taxes, or $68 per day. [Carnival]

Caveat: Note that not all of the deals above have the final price. In some cases I would’ve had to call in to get the final price.

Tip: Los Angeles Times Travel editor Catharine Hamm recommends booking a cruise through an agent. Read: A travel agent can help you find the best cruise and the best deal

The beginning of the end for cruise fuel surcharges?

2008-10-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

The dreaded “s” word – surcharges – is back in the news, but this time cruisers have reason to be cheerful. On the face of it, at least.

With the price of oil now down to little more than US$60 a barrel – that’s half the price it was in July – cruise lines have taken their first steps to get rid of fuel surcharges.

US giant Carnival is being credited with having started the ball rolling, but it appears that the plaudits should actually go to Voyages of Discovery.

Vilified for having the highest fuel surcharge in the industry at a whopping £19 a day, I discovered this week that it quietly dropped them in the summer with immediate effect. Bookings now and for 2009 are guaranteed to be surcharge-free.

Sister company Swan Hellenic removed its surcharges last month, with a no-supplement guarantee in force until March 31, 2009.

Italian line MSC Cruises also has an early Christmas present for cruisers – as of November, the fuel surcharge has been dropped on all future bookings.

Unfortunately, if you were hoping to get something in this year’s Christmas stockings from any other cruise lines, you’ll be disappointed.

US cruising giant Carnival, which owns Cunard, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises and Ocean Village, among other brands, is axing fuel surcharges on bookings made after October 31 2008 – but only for cruises in 2010.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines is also dropping fuel surcharges, this time on bookings made after November 10 this year, but likewise only for cruises taken on or after January 2010. The change affects Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises, which are all owned by RCCL.

There is also a ray of hope to those who have booked a 2009 cruise on either a Carnival or RCCL ship, or who plan to book one for next year.

Both lines have drawn up guidelines whereby fuel supplements charged on 2009 bookings will be refunded if the oil price stays low. They are complicated so you’ll have to trust the lines to do the maths, but it is all to do with the price of oil staying at or below US$70 (Carnival) or US$65 (Royal Caribbean) for a certain number of days before your cruise.

Rather than cash, refunds will be made in the form of on-board credit, which I’ve no doubt will elicit complaints – in this economic climate it is nice to have some unexpected cash come your way – but it’s not such a bad thing. The credit will pay off the crew’s gratuities and could cover some of your bar bill. Either way, you are only spending money you didn’t expect to have anyway.

I admit to being pleasantly surprised that so many lines have dropped, or started to drop, their fuel surcharges, but it’s a shame that the domino effect that worked so well when the lines were putting up their surcharges is less effective when it comes to getting rid of the charge.

Fred Olsen Cruises Lines, a big favourite with older British cruisers, is still collecting £6 per person per night, or £84 over a two-week cruise. Norwegian Cruise Line continues to levy US$11 (£7.28) per person per night, and there are levies of US$8 (£5.30) on Disney Cruise Line and £3.50 on Star Clippers.

Any cause for cheer has also been knocked sideways with news that this Friday, at the same time as dropping fuel surcharges across its brands, Carnival is increasing cruise prices for, yes, you’ve guessed it, its 2010 sailings – the ones that should have benefited from an end to the fuel surcharge.

The cruise line has not said what those increases will be – and of course there is the bigger question of whether they will actually stick in the present economic climate – but I suspect what they are really doing is building the surcharge into the cost of the cruise, so it is presented as one price.

The timing of the announcement was not great, given that it was at the same time as telling the world that it was dropping fuel surcharges, but it’s a smart move.

The “s” word causes angst and upset, not so much because of the money – let’s face it, another £60 or so is not going to break the bank if you are already paying £1,500 for a cruise – but because it is shown as a separate charge. It’s like VAT, and no one likes to pay that.

A Silver Lining for Vacationers in the Caribbean

2008-10-14T10:31:00.000-04:00

If the financial crisis has made you think twice about spending money on a vacation, hotels in the Caribbean are trying to sway you with discounts and deals.

Even before the latest economic news, the Caribbean's tourist industry was under pressure. Flights to the area have been cut and airfare prices have risen. An active hurricane season -- particularly devastation from Hurricane Ike -- has already spooked some potential travelers and damped demand. Indeed, bookings at many hotels began to drop over the summer. And hotel construction in the area is booming, meaning there are more rooms to fill. So, while the fall off-season has usually meant some hotel discounting, this year the offers are particularly sweet.

The Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino, for example, is offering a fifth night free, a room upgrade, and free breakfast for two every day on stays before Dec. 18. For the first time during the off-season, the Turks & Caicos Club, a small luxury resort on Providenciales island, is offering rates starting at $247.50 until Nov. 9, a 50% discount from rates at the same times last year. "We wanted to encourage people to come to the island not only because of the hurricane," (Hurricane Ike struck nearby) says spokeswoman Tiffany Dowd, "but because of the economy." Ms. Dowd says the property did not sustain significant damage during Ike.

To be sure, the travel industry overall may be in for tough times ahead: Hotels in other regions of the world have recently started to see revenue fall. But on a broad level, room rates are still rising -- as they have for several years. That isn't the case in the Caribbean. The region is the only geographic area in the world that has seen average hotel-room rates drop consistently over the past few months. In August, the average rate for a room in the Caribbean was 8.2% lower than last year, according to Smith Travel Research, a hospitality-research firm.

Online travel agencies such as Travelocity and Orbitz say they are also seeing big discounts. "We have crazy hotel promotions going on now in the Caribbean," says Brian Hoyt, an Orbitz spokesman. For example, average daily room rates for Puerto Rico during October through December are down about 11% for hotels on the site, compared with the same period last year. Average rates in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, are down 16%.

In addition to dropping rates, hotels are offering added perks like free meals, resort credits and airfare reimbursement to keep travelers coming before the typically busy winter holiday season.

Sandals Resorts has extended a promotion, first offered earlier this summer, which gives guests an airfare credit of up to $550 when they book a three-night stay by Oct. 23 for travel through Dec. 20. The all-inclusive resort, which caters to couples, is also offering additional perks like spa credits this year, says Mitchell Nover, media coordinator at Unique Vacations, which handles sales and marketing for Sandals Resorts.

Hotels are hoping that their deals will offset the pain of higher airfares for travelers. For years, the Caribbean has been able to depend upon a wealth of good, cheap flights. But airlines have been cutting their schedules in the region. About 15% fewer flights are expected into the region from the U.S. this December compared with last December, according to OAG Back Aviation Solutions. And prices for the flights that are left are rising. Online travel agency Travelocity says that airfare into the Caribbean from the U.S. is up about 10% this fall and winter compared with last year.

In Cancun, Mexico, which isn't as affected by airline-route cuts but is often considered part of the Caribbean tourism region because it is competing to attract similar travelers, some room rates are also falling.

"It's been a tough second half, no doubt about it," says Chris Calabrese, director general for the plush JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa and its slightly less-expensive sister property, CasaMagna Marriott Cancun. When the hotels noticed weakening demand earlier this year, they dropped some rates and created packages they hoped would attract guests. Until Dec. 15, CasaMagna Marriott is offering a $109 base rate, and the JW Marriott Cancun's base rate is $130. Mr. Calabrese says those rates are 20% cheaper than last year at the same time.

Most hotels say that bookings still look strong for the busy winter holiday season, but that they aren't as booked up as usual at this time. So some are offering winter deals, too. Travelocity is offering an average room rate of $300 per night (from Dec. 15 through Jan. 15) at The Somerset on Grace Bay, a 46% discount compared with what the modern luxury resort in the Turks and Caicos offered last year. At Las Casitas Village & Golden Door Spa in Puerto Rico, owned by LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels, the site's average rate during the winter period is $527, a 43% discount from last year.

Some hotels are on the lookout for weakened demand from recent negative financial news even into late winter and spring and are offering pre-emptive deals.

Grace Bay Club, owned by Grace Bay Resorts, a luxury property in the Turks and Caicos, hasn't yet seen business weaken, says Nikheel Advani, chief operating officer and principal of Grace Bay Resorts. But last month the hotel started offering a series of deals -- a fourth night free through Dec. 16, a $500 resort credit for stays of three nights or longer and a fifth night free, Jan. 4 through Feb. 12. In addition, children under 12 eat free until Dec. 20. "Just watching news, seeing Wall Street, and talking to guests," it's clear travelers will respond to value, Mr. Advani says.

Ritz-Carltons in the Caribbean and Mexico have an attentive eye on bookings over the coming months. "The unknown is how leisure travel will be impacted by what is happening to the economy," over the last few weeks, says Ezzat Coutry, senior vice president of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

By: Sarah Nassauer
Wall Street Journal; October 8, 2008

Cruise Tourism to Increase During Winter Season

2008-10-08T11:03:00.000-04:00

After what was deemed a very slow summer season, the winter season is expected to pick up for stakeholders in the cruise business with over seven new ships calling on the port.

The first of the winter cruise vacations arrived in Antigua yesterday, the transatlantic voyage from the UK Cruise Line, P&O, with its vessel Arcadia.

President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cruise Tourism Association (ABCTA) Nathan Dundas said P&O will be making approximately 25 calls and it is expected that Antigua will receive calls from two other UK lines, Fred Olsen & Saga Cruises.

“If the bookings hold as we have received them and we are not hindered by any weather conditions we can still expect to have a good winter season,” Dundas told the Antigua Sun.

It is expected that the main American cruise lines Carnival Cruise Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines will maintain their calls to Antigua and Barbuda throughout the winter season.

According to Dundas, Antigua and Barbuda expects to receive at least seven new discount cruises calling in St. John’s for the first time with the most anticipated one being the Carnival Victory from Carnival Cruise Lines.

“The Carnival Victory is the cruise ship that will be replacing the Carnival Destiny that used to make weekly calls all year-round to Antigua,” he stated.

Carnival Victory’s first call will be on 7 Nov.

Antigua is said to be one of the destinations that is doing well in the winter season even though the island is at the same declining position as the rest of the Caribbean during the summer months.

“Cruise stakeholders will be looking forward to a good season as the summer was very slow for the past month having only one cruise- ship, the Adventure of the Seas making fortnightly calls to Antigua,” Dundas added.

The first new ship making its inaugural call to Antigua will be the French cruise ship Amadea from the V Ships Cruise Line on 27 Oct.

The cruise sector still expects to reach its target of over 620,000 passengers for the 2008/2009 season.

By: Afeefah Beharry
Antigua Sun; October 6, 2008

Pink Floyd Themed Cruise to the Bahamas

2008-09-18T10:30:00.000-04:00

Great Gig in the Sea is the first Pink Floyd themed concert cruise to the Bahamas. This set of Bahamas cruises will allow Pink Floyd fans to combine sun and sea with an amazing concert experience.

This one-of a kind voyage will feature the music of Think Floyd USA: The American Pink Floyd Show, and will celebrate material from Pink Floyd’s earliest days through the present. So take a cheap Bahamas cruise that includes Think Floyd USA and be taken on a musical and visual flight through the Pink Floyd galaxy performing all of Pink Floyd’s classic hits from legendary albums such as Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and the all time classic, The Wall.