No Frills Cruises 12/18/03

     Norwegian Coastal Voyage is introducing “No Frills” vacations along Norway’s coast on its smaller vessels, with savings of up to 33 percent.

     Two 10-day packages, priced at $1,620 to $2,995, feature a six-day southbound or seven-day northbound sailing on the 312-guest Narvik or 318-passenger Vesteralen between Bergen and Kirkenes. Departures start January 4, 2004.

     The trips include SAS transatlantic flights from New York, Oslo-Kirkenes flight, tourist-class hotel and breakfast one night each in Oslo and Bergen, standard cabin, all meals and gratuities aboard ship, port charges and air taxes. The southbound trip, which adds a night in Kirkenes, costs $1,620 to $2,880; the northbound voyage $1,665 to $2,995. A 15-day cruise tour, at $1,810 to $3,585, includes the 12-day round-trip coastal voyage from Bergen and omits Oslo. Senior savings of $95 to $170 per person for passengers age 67 and up, which apply to all departures except in June and July, can be combined with AARP year-round member discounts of $100 to $150 per cabin.

     No frills rates are $705 to $955, or 19 to 33 percent below rates for the same cabin categories on the 12-day "Highlights of Norway" at $2,370 to $3,910, 13-day "Norwegian Holiday", at $2,400 to 3,835, and 17-day "Grand Norway", at 2,545 to $4,450. Tour prices were reduced by shortening the land portion two or three days, spending less time in Oslo and Bergen, using tourist-class instead of first-class hotels, and dropping extras like Oslo and Bergen Cards, a rail trip between the cities and transfers.

Carnival Flips More Switches 12/17/03

     Carnival Cruise Lines’ has cancelled its plans to launch Jacksonville’s first year-round cruise program aboard the 1,452-guest Holiday. Instead, the line with put the newly refurbished Celebration there, operating four- and five-day cruises to Key West and Nassau from the Florida port beginning next October.

     This all comes from a just announced decision by the line to kick-off the first year-round cruise program from the Port of Mobile next year, during the same month. The line revealed today that the Holiday will begin sailing four- and five-day western Caribbean cruises from the Alabama port on October 16, 2004. The ship will sail on four-day cruises to Cozumel and five-day cruises to Cozumel and Calica/Playa del Carmen or Costa Maya.

     In addition to those switches, the Ecstasy will replace the Celebration on its current schedule of four- and five-day cruises from Galveston.

Maxi Regatta 12/16/03


     Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International will add a new shore excursion to its line-up of adventures in Grand Cayman next year. For $105 per person, guests will be able to participate in a race from the pier to Cayman's Seven Mile Beach on one of the most extreme racing yachts in the world during a “Seven Mile Beach Maxi Regatta.”

     Celebrity’s 80-foot Maxi-class yacht, now named Celebrity Cruises, was built with the former Whitbread Race in mind, and ranked third in the world's largest transoceanic race from Las Palmas Gran Canaria to St. Lucia last week. Celebrity Cruises will race against a similar yacht of sister brand Royal Caribbean, which the line will introduce to its guests soon.

    Each vessel will accommodate approximately 20 guests per 3.5-hour race, and will begin operating in January.

Happy Anniversary Silversea 12/13/03


     Silversea Cruises is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2004! During the year-long celebration, the line will host commemorative events and programs, including a special collection of nine voyages.

     "We are thrilled to be celebrating our 10th Anniversary with this special collection of voyages," said Barbara Muckermann, Silversea's Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and Communications. "These cruises have been carefully selected to showcase the distinctive elements that make Silversea so exceptional. In addition to enjoying extraordinary service and hospitality, guests will be treated to gala events and special 10th Anniversary dinners and entertainment - all while exploring some of the world's best destinations."

     Each voyage will have celebratory events, including an Anniversary Ball themed to each cruise; and also will be hosted by an executive from the Silversea corporate office. The line’s chefs will cook up two special dinners on each Anniversary Voyage - one recreating the inaugural menu served during the maiden voyage of Silver Cloud (the line's first ship), the other toasting new horizons with an inspired 10th Anniversary menu. In addition, all Anniversary Voyages will spotlight the vintages of famed winemakers or the gastronomic delights of such Relais & Châteaux - Relais Gourmands guest chefs as Joachim Koerper, Anne Desjardins and Michel Roux, Jr.

     An exclusive complimentary shore event will be included as well. Depending on the voyage, guests will attend a concert performed by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra at the Revelin Fortress; a reception at St. Petersburg's Great palace of Pavlovsk; or an authentic salmon bake at the foot of Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier. Each guest also will receive a commemorative gift.

     Following are the Anniversary Voyages:

     Across the Bering Sea - On May 23, 2004, Silver Shadow sails from Tokyo to Anchorage on a 14-day voyage. Fares start at $5,721 per person.
 
     Mediterranean Tapestry - Silver Whisper departs Rome on May 31, 2004, on a seven-day voyage to Barcelona that calls in Italy and Spain. Prices start at $4,187 per person.

     La Dolce Vita - Silversea's Chief Executive Officer, Albert Peter, will be aboard when Silver Wind sails from Rome on June 14, 2004, on a seven-day voyage to Monte Carlo. Rates begin at $3,790 per person.

     Scandinavian Summer - On July 8, 2004, Silver Cloud will sail from Copenhagen on a seven-day voyage to Stockholm, featuring a three-day stopover in St. Petersburg. Tickets to a grand ball at Peterhof Palace is included. Fares start at $4,111 per person.

     Dalmatian Delights - On July 28, 2004, Silver Wind will sail from Venice for a 12-day round-trip voyage dedicated to members of Silversea's Venetian Society, with calls in Italy, Croatia, Greece and Yugoslavia. This voyage features an exclusive masked Venetian Ball. Rates begin at $6,941 per person.

     Atlantic Impressions - Silver Cloud will sail from London on August 15, 2004, on a 15-day voyage to Southampton with calls in Spain, Portugal, Morocco and France. Guests will attend an exclusive musical event at Lisbon's 16th-century Convento do Beato. Fares start at $8,316 per person.

     Alaska Harbors - On August 16, 2004, Silver Shadow departs Vancouver for a seven-day voyage to Seattle with visits to Alaska’s Inside Passage. An authentic salmon bake at Mendenhall Glacier is included. Prices start at $3,226 per person.

     The Grand Crossing - Silver Whisper sails from London on September 14, 2004, on a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing to New York. The voyage features a private reception for Silversea guests at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. Rates start at $6,046 per person.

     Tropical Adventures - Silver Whisper will sail from Ft. Lauderdale round-trip on an 11-day voyage on November 8, 2004. The ship will call at ports in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico. Prices start at $3,951 per person.

Free Cruises for Military 12/11/03


     Discovery Cruise Line has teamed up with Clear Channel Communications to offer Florida residents serving in the Military overseas a free round-trip day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Grand Bahama Island.

     The offer is valid until December 31, 2005, and includes the cost of all meals onboard, all service charges, taxes, and Bahamian departure fees. No additional costs are involved.
To register a family member, friend or loved one for the free cruise, go to www.discoverycruiseline.com and submit the serviceman or woman’s name online and Discovery will mail you receipt and a holiday card to pass on to them, entitling them with a complimentary Discovery cruise.

     The receipt should be presented at the pier at the time of sailing, together with a Military ID and a letter from their unit confirming the places of service during 2003. Advanced reservations are required.

Family Cruisin’

     Delta Queen Steamboat Company is offering a new adventure for families. The line will launch a "Riverbonding Adventure" aboard the American Queen and Mississippi Queen beginning in June 2004.

     According to the line, the historic and educational experience will be geared toward families who want to reconnect with one another while experiencing the Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee, Atchafalaya, Kanawha, Illinois and Arkansas rivers. The package invites 20 to 25 families aboard each vessel in June, July and August, and over school holidays in November and December.

     "Often, today's families come home and don't eat dinner together, don't recreate together, and the kids go to their rooms to 'plug in' to the TV, to videogames, to the Internet," said DQSC Executive Vice President Bruce Nierenberg. "We recognized the need that families have to reconnect, and developed a product that promotes time together and encourages communication and interaction between parents and their children. My family truly enjoyed the opportunity that our cruise afforded us to spend time as a family and enjoy each other's company."

     Activities onboard range from flying a kite off the sun deck to calliope concerts where children can try their hand at riverboat music, Family Game hours, ping-pong tournaments, line dancing and scavenger hunts. The cruises will offer family seating in the dining room with kid-friendly menu items. A new family activity coordinator will be onboard to organize activities for the whole family.

     Delta Queen also will give each family a complimentary family portrait as well as two board games of their choice to play during the trip and bring home with them. Selections include Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble, UNO, Risk, Jenga, Life and Pictionary.

     Children 18 and under sail for free.

The World Changes Course


     Now that the apartment owners of The World of ResidenSea have taken over the ship, the company has unveiled a revised 2004 program with a revamped itinerary. According to the line, the revised itinerary reflects the objective of the new resident owners to make The World a home base for in-depth exploration of the world’s most exotic and desirable destinations, with an average stay of two days in port.

     The ship will call on five continents in 2004, with visits to 136 ports in 54 countrie. The new schedule includes visits to Scotland and Ireland, Scandinavia, and the French and Italian Rivieras, as well as extended port stays in Bilbao, Bourdeaux, Capetown, Dubrovnik, Istanbul, Rouen, Valparaiso and Venice.

      Studio apartments and select two- to six-bedroom residences onboard The World are all available for vacation rental on a per night basis. Fares range from $650 to $2,050 per studio apartment, double occupancy per night. Based on a six-night minimum stay, fares include accommodations, meals and beverages, onboard gratuities and port charges. Prices for the home rentals range from $2,100 to $3,200 per apartment. These rates include accommodations, meals, beverages, daily maid service, port charges and gratuities for two guests.

Down Under with Downs 12/08/03


     Hugh Downs will be a guest lecturer on Radisson Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Voyager during its first segment of a 94-night Grand Asia Pacific Voyage, departing Los Angeles on January 10. The 22-night segment calls at the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia, Tonga, New Caledonia and Australia.

     The former co-anchor of ABC's primetime newsmagazine 20/20, Downs is a distinguished television journalist and is certified in the Guinness Book of World Records as logging the greatest number of hours on network television. He also spent nine years as anchor on what was then NBC's newest show, the “Today Show.”

     While onboard, Downs will discuss communications, modern science, time and the cosmos, space exploration, current events, foreign policy, music, sailing, the world's children, and successful aging.

     TV journalists Catherine Crier and Garrick Utley, former CIA and FBI head William H. Webster, former attorney general Dick Thornburgh and political satirist Mark Russell will be onboard the other four segments of the voyage.

Private Godmother 12/06/03

     Carnival Cruise Lines’ has chosen former Army Private Jessica Lynch to be the godmother of the new Carnival Miracle, which is slated to be named in Jacksonville on February 27, 2004. The ship will be the first debuting vessel to be introduced at the Florida port.

     "We are privileged that Miss Lynch, who represents the thousands of courageous American men and women serving in our armed forces, has accepted our invitation to be godmother of our newest ship," said Carnival President & CEO Bob Dickinson. "And Jacksonville, with its long military and maritime history, is a perfect venue for this ceremony," he added.

     After the ceremony, Carnival Miracle will set sail for a three-day inaugural cruise, which will be followed by a series of 12 three- to six-day voyages through April 17, 2004. The ship will then operate seven-day departures from Baltimore and New York before repositioning to Tampa for year-round seven-day western Caribbean cruises from that port beginning November. 7, 2004.
The line also made a “significant contribution” to the Jessica Lynch Foundation, which assists children of soldiers that have either served in the military or were killed while on duty.

Princess in Asia 12/05/03

     Asia isn’t off the map for Princess Cruises next year. The line has announced its most extensive season of Asia cruise and cruisetours ever.

     The Pacific Princess, Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess will all ply Asian waters next year.

     "Next year we expect to have our largest Asia season ever, and with Sapphire Princess will offer the "grandest" ship ever to sail to these ports," said Dean Brown, Princess' executive vice president of customer service and sales. "A three-ship season and our first summer cruise options makes this a dramatic year for us as we lead the way in giving our passengers a range of choices
for exploring the many mysteries of the Far East."

     The Pacific Princess will venture into the region during the summer, with sailings between Japan and Singapore, including two sailing of Princess' “Islands of the Pacific Theater” route which calls at many of WWII's important battle sites, from Honolulu to Osaka.
Royal Princess will begin its season in the fall with two16-day Bangkok to Beijing sailings, and two 30-day cruises between Rome and Bangkok and Bangkok and Cape Town, both of which include visits to India and Africa as well.

     Following Sapphire Princess' debut season of Australia/New Zealand cruises, the ship will sail a series of Asia cruises in spring. Ranging from 12 to 19 days, options include voyages from Sydney to Bangkok, Bangkok to Beijing, Beijing to Osaka and Osaka to Seattle.

     The line also is offering three pre- and post- cruise land options. The four- to nine-day land packages visit the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Summer Palace, as well as a Yangtze River boat ride.

Arabella Charts New Course 12/04/03
 

     The 40-passenger sailing yacht Arabella will introduce two new itineraries next winter, including the Spanish Virgin Islands, where she will be the largest U.S.-flagged sailing cruise ship to offer six-night trips from St. Thomas with visits to Vieques and Culebra. Following its new Caribbean route, the vessel will begin five-night cruises through the Chesapeake Bay departing from Annapolis and stopping at St. Michaels, Oxford, Solomons and Cambridge.

     The U.S., British and Spanish Virgin Islands cruises will run weekly with Sunday departures from December 19, 2003 through May 8, 2004. The ship also will call at Esperanza, Jost van Dyke and Tortola. The Chesapeake Bay cruises will run May 27 to June 8 and October 14 through November 9. Southern New England cruises from Newport to Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cuttyhunk will run from June 17 to September 28. The “Vintage Ports of Call” cruise is scheduled for September 16 to 21.

     Rates for Virgin Island cruises start at $1195 per person/double occupancy, while fares for the Chesapeake Bay sailings start at $899

Reality Love Boat 12/03/03

     Captain Stubing’s daughter is getting hitched! Well…not Gavin MacLeod’s real daughter. Jill Whelan, the Captain’s TV daughter Vicki on “The Love Boat” will tie the knot on Princess Cruises’ new Caribbean Princess on April 2, 2004, before the ship sets sail on its first seven-night Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale.

     MacLeod and other cast members from the show will be at the ceremony, as it’s broadcast via the ship's Bridge Cam on Princess' website www.princess.com.

      Whelan and her new husband will join ship on its April 3 sailing to Grand Cayman, Montego Bay, Cozumel and Princess Cays for their honeymoon.
According to Princess Whelan's ceremony will be one of the more than 1,000 weddings that have taken place aboard Princess ships since 1998.

Ahoy, Bridge Players 12/1/03


     MSC Italian Cruises is calling all bridge players. The line is hosting a “Bridge Players Cruise” aboard the new MSC Lirica departing from Ft. Lauderdale on April 12, 2004. The 11-night cruise will visit San Juan, Antigua, Granada, St. Lucia, St. Barts, Tortola and Nassau.

     “This is a great way for seasoned bridge players to test their skills, and for new players to learn the game,” said Steve Hirshan, Vice President of MSC Italian Cruises (USA) Inc.

     A Life Master, Certified Club Director and Accredited Bridge teacher offering lessons and ACBL sanctioned games will be onboard the sailing.

     Fares start at $895 per person/double occupancy.

More Alaska with Cruise West

     Cruise West has beefed up its Alaska cruising program for 2004.

     The line has expanded its roster of Inside Passage sailings entirely within Alaskan waters and added a new excursion to the town of Hyder for optimum bear-viewing opportunities during peak salmon-spawning season. Zodiacs and other inflatable excursion craft will now be used on five of eight ships; a two-night stay at Glacier Bay National Park has been added to the Daylight Yacht Tour; and the Bering Sea itinerary has several additional ports and highlights.

     In total, Cruise West's Alaska cruises will call at 24 Alaskan and Russian ports, with cruises of three to 13 nights venturing from the southern tip of the Alaska Panhandle to the Arctic ice in the Bering Strait, including Southwest and Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound and the Bering Sea.

     The line has also added a third ship to its eight-night itinerary between Ketchikan and Juneau. The Spirit of ’98 will join the Spirit of Endeavour and Spirit of Discovery to offer 37 departures. The ships will visit Metlakatla, Petersburg, Sitka, Skagway and Haines, plus Glacier Bay, Misty Fjords and Tracy Arm.

     A full-day excursion to Hyder on five sailings departing in late July and early August will replace visits to Metlakatla and Misty Fjords. A highlight of the route is a journey up Portland Canal, a fjord cutting 70 miles through alpine mountains and forest, where guests will be able to watch brown and black bears assemble in packs to feast at a chum salmon run at nearby Fish Creek.

     The Spirit of Endeavour, Spirit of ’98, Spirit of Columbia, Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Oceanus will all have Zodiacs or other landing crafts.

     A Glacier Bay National Park option has been added to shoulder season departures of the "Daylight Yacht Tour" program, where guests take a day cruise aboard the Sheltered Seas and then spend two nights at Glacier Bay Lodge.

     Also new for next year -- the line’s 13-night "Voyage to the Bering Sea" itinerary aboard the Spirit of Oceanus will include visits to Kenai Fjords National Park on the Kenai Peninsula, Nunivak National Wildlife Refuge in the Bering Sea and the Native village of Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island.