Asia Out, Mexico In 5/9/03


     Princess Cruises’ Star Princess is bailing out of its Far East/Asia itineraries this fall, and instead will sail a new series of round-trip sailings from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera.

     “In recent weeks we’ve seen a downturn in interest for the Far East/Asian itineraries due to the recent publicity surrounding SARS,” said Dean Brown, Princess’ executive vice president of customer service and sales.

     Following its summer Alaska program, the Star Princess will sail seven-day cruises to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas beginning on September 27. The ship will then sail a new 24-day Hawaii/Tahiti/South Pacific cruise departing on November 1 from Los Angeles to Sydney, where it will continue its scheduled series of six South Pacific cruises sailing between Sydney and Auckland.

     Passengers currently booked on Star Princess’ Asia cruises, originally scheduled to depart September 20 through November 7, have already been accommodated on the new 24-day voyage at reduced fares.

     “We continue to have great confidence in the future of Far East/Asia cruise products,” said Brown. “When we first announced Star Princess’ Asia season, we had great response to the program. Despite the current concern over SARS in this region, we’re very hopeful that in a year’s time this destination will be back.”

     Brown added that Princess will soon announce its 2004 “exotics” lineup which includes a return to Asia.

Silversea Gets Hooked 5/8/03


     Silversea Cruises is getting hooked-up onboard. The line is introducing a new interactive television system aboard its ships that will enable guests to view on-demand movies, send and receive e-mail, and book shore excursions from their suites.

     The new “In-Suite Information System” (ISIS) will debut aboard Silver Whisper at the end of this month, and will soon be operational aboard the line's other ships – Silver Wind, Silver Cloud and Silver Shadow.

     “With ISIS, we’re offering more entertainment options and giving our guests the ability to further personalize their cruise experience by selecting from a wide variety of on-demand programming,” said Rick Kneale, Silversea’s Vice President & Chief Information Officer.

     While Silversea’s current in-suite television movies, cable news, feature programs and documentaries will continue to be shown on a complimentary basis, the new ISIS will charge a nominal fee to guests who order its line-up of popular movies, classics from film and television and personal enrichment programs.

     The new system also will enable guests to send and receive e-mails from their suite and peruse and book shore excursions 24 hours a day. The line also is planning introduce direct Internet access to the system in the coming months, as well as live telecasts of major entertainment and sporting events.

      “What is truly exceptional about ISIS is its cutting-edge technology that allows guests to stop and start movies at will. This gives our guests maximum flexibility and the freedom to choose when they want to watch a movie, which is important when you consider all the other entertainment, special events and diversions that are going on throughout the cruise,” said Kneale.

Castles & Cognac 5/7/03


     Visits to Roman ruins and Scottish castles, as well as Viking history lessons in Norway and cognac tastings in France are a few of the highlights of the 80 different shore excursions that Windstar Cruises is offering in combination with the Wind Surf’s first Baltic and Northern Europe season this summer.

     The ships itineraries include visits to ports throughout Russia, Belgium, Denmark, England, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Latvia, The Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Scotland, and Spain.

     Other land options include: A canal-boat tour of Amsterdam’s 17th- and 18th-century townhouses and canals, including stops at a 15th-century marketplace as well as a tour of the Heineken brewery; a full day’s exploration of St. Petersburg, with visits to the Hermitage Museum, the Alexander Column, and Catherine’s Palace; a look at Scotland’s Loch Ness and a stop at Urquhart Castle; an excursion to Skara Brae, a 5,000-year-old Neolithic village—complete with stone rooms and furniture—near the Orkney Islands’ capital of Kirkwall; a tour of La Coruña in Spain -- the oldest still-working lighthouse in the world; and visits to the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, and Baroque city center in Germany.

     Some excursions can be pre-booked online at www.windstarcruises.com. Prices range from $28 to $820 per person.

Princess Goes More East 5/6/03


     The northeast coast will see more of Princess Cruises next fall. The line will have two ships operating Canada/New England cruises during the 2004 season – Regal Princess and Grand Princess – out of New York from September 11 through October 31.

      Together the two ships will sail 13 voyages, including seven Grand Princess seven-day sailings round-trip from New York, and five Regal Princess 10-day cruises between New York and Montreal. A Canada/Colonial America voyage along the full length of the Atlantic coast also is on the Regal Princess’ agenda.

     Grand Princess' seven-day itinerary will visit Halifax, Saint John, Bar Harbor, Boston and Newport. Regal Princess will call at Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Halifax and Quebec. The itinerary also features an overnight stay in Montreal. During the ship’s 13-day Canada/Colonial America voyage between Montreal and Ft. Lauderdale on October 31, the ship will call at Baltimore, Norfolk and Charleston.

The World in 2004 5/6/03


 ResidenSea has revealed The World’s 2004 cruise line-up, with 150 ports of call in 60 countries around the globe including itineraries in Antarctica, the Mediterranean, Central America, Western and Northern Europe, the Indian Ocean and Africa.

     The ship will spend a few days in many of the cities visited, including five days in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica beginning on January 2; three days in Valparaiso from January 21-23; three days in Barcelona beginning May 3; three days in Citavecchia (Rome) starting on May 9; three days visit in Venice, from May 16-18; and three days in St. Petersburg beginning on July 6; and four days in Cape Town, from November 17-20. The World also will spend three weeks – from August 29 through Septermber 17 – visiting the Greek Isles.

     Through the line’s “Travel by Design” program, guests and residents can choose to embark and disembark in any port they choose.

     “Our Travel by Design scheme gives voyagers the opportunity to create a personal vacation as unique as their own signature,” said Robert Riley, president and chief executive officer of ResidenSea, Ltd. “Guests and residents may join The World at the ports of their choosing and make their homes with us for as long as they’d like.”

Yamaha Jam Sessions on Crystal 5/3/03


     Crystal Cruises has partnered with Yamaha to offer a comprehensive program of music instruction as part of the line’s new “Creative Learning Institute,” set to debut aboard the new Crystal Serenity this July.

     Presented by Yamaha and Crystal Cruises, the “Passport to Music” will be held in “The Studio,” onboard the ship. The hands-on facility will be outfitted with 15 portable grand piano keyboards and supported with the Clavinova digital piano.

     Certified Yamaha music teachers will be onboard Crystal Serenity voyages to teach piano instruction to groups of 12 to 15 guests. Depending on the length of the cruise, the average curriculum will feature six, 60-minute sessions and guests will receive a certificate of instruction at the program's completion.

     From Pachelbel's Canon to Billy Joel's Piano Man, the classes will teach nearly a dozen songs during the course of the cruise, as well as an overview of music reading, notation, theory, and ensemble playing. Additionally, ensemble music will be written exclusively for the program.

     “We recognize that today's travelers are seeking more learning opportunities to enrich their vacations, and collaborating with a prestigious organization such as Yamaha allows us to deliver on that expectation,” says Crystal's vice president, entertainment, Bret Bullock. "Traveling with
Crystal Cruises is a personalized and unique experience and Crystal's Creative

     Learning Institute is designed to make the journey all the more intriguing and enriching.”

ICCL Sets SARS Prevention Guidelines 5/2/03

     Although no confirmed reports of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) have been reported on any cruise ship, the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) has released a set of guidelines for the prevention of the illness, both before and after ships sail. Developed in close consultation with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Canada, the measures are designed to protect ships’ passengers, crew and ports of call alike.

      “Working closely with the nation’s top health experts, we have made prevention our utmost priority and first line of defense against SARS – and this means careful screening of crew, passengers and visitors to prevent anyone from bringing the virus on board,” said ICCL President Michael Crye.

     The organization’s foremost concern is prevention before ships leave their port of embarkation, which includes screening and denial of boarding for individuals at high risk of having been exposed to the virus and rerouting ship itineraries to avoid ports included in current travel warnings. Ships have strengthened their already stringent disinfection and sanitation policies followed before, during and after each cruise.

     Following are a list of the new SARS prevention guidelines that ICCL has implemented for its member lines including Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Crystal Cunard, Disney, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Orient Lines, Princess, Radisson, Royal Caribbean, Royal Olympia, Seabourn and Windstar.