Silversea Announces Seven Mid-Voyage Land Tours

Silversea Cruises has launched seven new mid-voyage land trips among the extension of dozens of lands trips avaialble for 2011.

Over one or multiple days, these inland adventures will introduce guests to the local people, history, wildlife and natural attractions outside of the port areas.

Highlights include explorations through Australia, Andorra, the Scottish Highlands and Russia, in addition to Antarctica, South Africa and Brazil.

 Visit www.silversea.com

Ultimate Luxury Yacht Vacations

Why settle for a crowded cruise ship when one can vacation and 

cruise on a privately crewed yacht? 

Booking these luxury vessels by the stateroom provides an all inclusive opportunity not previously presented to the public.

Take advantage of this new trend in luxury cruising - Enjoy all the benefits of a private yacht without all the expenses. Ultimate Yacht Vacations provides private staterooms aboard some of the world’s finest yachts for a single, low, all-inclusive price.

Ultimate Yacht Vacations' charter yachts include a full crew with a highly trained captain, chef, and stewardess. Safety and comfort are the top priorities, with the yacht’s crew providing everything from navigation to chilled cocktails.





Most of the yachts feature three configurations to choose from priced according to their size, amenities, and appointments and are the Master, the VIP and the Deluxe stateroom. All staterooms are fully air-conditioned, and most have state-of-the-art entertainment systems and of course, private bathing facilities.



Packages Include:
4 or 8 days on the yacht of your choice
Choose from three stateroom levels: Master, VIP, and Deluxe
All meals prepared by onboard chef
Open bar throughout your trip
Access to all sporting equipment available upon your chosen yacht
Experienced captain and crew
All cruising permits, fuel and docking fees

First Time Cruiser Specials: Save up to $1500.00 per person on charters through 2011 when booked by February 15th. Mention promotional code "FTC".


Source: PR Web

RCI's New Allure of the Seas All American Restaurant

The Home of the Original Hamburger announces the opening of its latest restaurant on board Royal Caribbean International's Allure of the Seas, now the world's largest – and most innovative – cruise ship.

With 26 dining venues on the Allure of the Seas, Johnny Rockets brings its feel-good atmosphere and timeless All-American fare to the ship's onboard restaurant options.

From authentic decor to the classic Americana ambiance and friendly service, guests will enjoy the same pleasures found at shore side Johnny Rockets locations.

The restaurant, featured in the Boardwalk neighborhood of the ship, will be open to seafaring passengers seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Allure of the Seas offers seven-night itineraries that depart from its home port of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

About Johnny Rockets

Since 1986, Johnny Rockets has offered the food, fun and friendliness that remind guests of timeless, feel-good Americana.

Every Johnny Rockets restaurant serves simple, great-tasting food from a menu of all-American favorites, including juicy hamburgers, classic sandwiches and hand-dipped shakes and malts. It's the place to go for fast, friendly service, flavorful food, uplifting music and relaxed, casual fun.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, Calif., Johnny Rockets has 295 corporate and franchise-owned restaurants in 32 states, including D.C. and Puerto Rico and 15 countries, including those found in Six Flags amusement parks and aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

To learn more about Johnny Rockets, visit www.johnnyrockets.com

Source: PRNewswire


Royal Caribbean's Newest Ship - Allure of the Seas

Royal Caribbean Plans For Single Cabins

Royal Caribbean will look to introduce single cabins on several of its ship over the next few years, the cruise line’s president and chief executive has revealed.

At a seminar onboard Allure of the Seas, Adam Goldstein told international travel agents that the issue of single cabins was a question which had increasingly been raised, and that Royal Caribbean was now looking at how they could be introduced.

“Our organization’s business model depends on having two or more people in a stateroom, so we have traditionally been focused on that,” he said. “We probably won’t make any big changes to our two new biggest ships [Oasis and Allure], but we recognize that there is a demand for the single traveller business."

“We are going to be revitalizing our older ships such as Radiance of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas, and so we will have opportunity to create spaces for single travellers then. It is definitely something that we are looking at,” he added.

Source: USA Today

Happy Thanksgiving Cruisers

Happy Thanksgiving to all the cruisers at sea!

Whether at sea or on land, we take this time to wish everyone a happy, safe and "always thankful" Thanksgiving holiday.

Holland America's "Win the Key to Half Moon Cay" Facebook Contest

Holland America Line has just launched a fan-friendly Facebook contest called "Win the Key to Half Moon Cay." Named for the line's private Bahamian island, the contest runs 

through Jan. 3, 2011.

To enter, registered Facebook users must "like" Holland America Line's Facebook page and then upload a favorite vacation photograph of themselves to the page at www.facebook.com/halcruises.

The photo should depict what the entrant feels captures the essence of "living the good life on vacation" and does not have to be from a cruise.

Visitors to Holland America Line's Facebook site will vote on their favorite submissions from Dec. 6 through Dec. 26, 2010 - and the entries will be narrowed down to the top 10 finalists. Fans will then vote again to select the winning photo that best reflects "living the good life on vacation." The winner will be announced Jan. 4, 2011.

The exclusive prize includes a seven-night Holland America Line cruise in a suite for the winner and a guest, plus a verandah stateroom for two more friends on an itinerary calling at Half Moon Cay. Roundtrip airfare also is included for four.

The winner can choose among select eastern Caribbean cruises aboard ms Eurodam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam or ms Westerdam departing February 2011 through April 2011, subject to availability.

Once on Half Moon Cay, the winner will be presented a key to the idyllic island in a "Key to Half Moon Cay" ceremony presided over by the captain of the ship or another senior officer.

In addition, the winner's party will have a butler to help with the transfer from the ship to the island and to serve them ashore, as well as use of a private cabana for the day, unlimited beverage service, a picnic lunch and a shore excursion for four.

Shipboard prize amenities for the winner include a $500 shipboard credit (for shore excursions, etc.), $150 spa credit, Pinnacle Grill dinner for four, Tamarind dinner for four (available on Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam only) and 250 minutes of Internet access. The total prize package is worth approximately $13,367.

No purchase is necessary and some restrictions apply. The contest is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 years of age or older.
The contest is void in Puerto Rico, Quebec and where prohibited.

Source: PR Web

Celebrity Eclipse Newest Ship to Call Miami Home

The newest cruise ship to call Miami home will make its debut cruise to the Caribbean this week.

It's also bringing in big bucks to the Port and City of Miami.

At more than a thousand feet long and 121 feet wide, the Celebrity Eclipse is the third in series of five of the cruise line's Solstice Class ships. It's also the tenth ship to join Celebrity's Miami fleet.

The ship was built in Papenburg, Germany and entered service at the end of last April in which it was taken on a series of "short break" cruises of the Canary Islands, Scandinavia/Russia and Spanish Mediterranean from Southampton, England.

Like her sister ships - Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox - Celebrity Eclipse will feature nearly a dozen restaurants and dining venues including Qsine described as being an "interactive dining venue complete with wine menus on a personal touch screen".

The Celebrity Eclipse is the first of the cruise lines ships to offer the "Celebrity iLounge".  It's an internet café complete with MacBook workstations where guests can check their e-mail, update their Facebook or Twitter or print boarding passes.

The iLounge will also offer latest MacBooks, iPods and accessories for sale and have a center where guests can get tips on Mac or iPod usage.

Source: CBS4 South Florida News

Carnival Splendor Out of Service Until January

The fire-damaged cruise ship Splendor will be out of service for the next two months, leaving several thousand people who had expected to spend the busy Christmas and New Year's holiday period on it scrambling at the last minute to make alternative plans.

The line says it's canceling all voyages on the 3,006-passenger ship through Jan. 9 departures. The vessel will re-enter service on Jan. 16.

In all, more than 20,000 vacationers will be affected by taking the ship out of service for repairs.

Read full story at USA Today Travel

Crystal Itineraries to See the Midnight Sun

In 2011, Crystal Cruises will double its summer North Cape cruises with two departures cruising Norway's western coast, to the Polar Ice Cap and across the Arctic Circle.

The June 13th Wine & Food-themed cruise celebrates the summer solstice on June 21, officially the longest day of the year, when the sun stays above the horizon. Crystal Serenity's balconies, decks, and 360-degree promenade provide ideal locations to view the varying vistas.

From Copenhagen to Stockholm, calls in Hellysylt/Geiranger, Honningsvag, North Cape, Longyearbyen/Svalbard, Ålesund and Bergen take guests off any beaten path, including a trek across Longyearbyen Glacier, helicopter flight over "Queen of the Fjords" Hardangerfjord, and hike to Plateau Mountain (followed by refreshments at the 23-degree Artico Ice Bar).

A second North Cape cruise departing July 8 also makes a maiden call to Skjolden, Norway, en route to London. Voted World's Best more than any other cruise line, hotel or resort in history, special values for Crystal's 14-day North Cape cruises include:

Per person promotional Two-for-One fares beginning at $9,230

• Up to $2,000 per couple Verandah and Penthouse savings

• Free round-trip air transportation from many U.S./Canadian cities

• $1,000 per person 'All Inclusive - As You Wish' shipboard spending credits

• Free Business Class with Penthouse accommodations

• Low Business Class air upgrades with Verandah and Deluxe Staterooms

• Crystal Family Memories bonus savings

• New Perfect Choice Dining with Open Dining by Reservation

Source: Travel Agent Central

Cruise Passengers Robbed in St Kitts

Authorities in St. Kitts say two masked gunmen have held up a tour bus, robbing 16 cruise ship passengers of their cash and cameras. No one has been harmed.

Police say the tourists from the Celebrity Mercury ship were traveling to the Brimstone Hill Fortress, a park popular with visitors.

Bandits hold up cruise ship tourists in St. Kitts

Carnival Splendor Update

Head over to our Caribbean Journal Blog for the latest update on the disabled Carnival Splendor

Carnival Splendor Under Tow - Spam For Dinner

Free Royal Caribbean Brochures

So where do you want to go on your Royal Caribbean International® vacation?

From Alaska to Dubai, RCI's new cruise and Cruisetour vacation planner will provide you with all the information you need to help you reserve your next adventure.

Order a FREE brochure today, and learn about our endless choices. With over 261 ports around the globe visited by 22 of the most innovative ships at sea, there's no better vacation on earth.

Check out our online brochures for travels to Europe, Caribbean & Mexico, and Alaska.

Disney Dream

The Disney Dream™ is the majestic third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet.

Boasting 14 towering decks, a ship length of 1,115 feet and a maximum width of 125 feet, the 128,000-ton vessel includes 1,250 staterooms and has the capacity to comfortably accommodate 4,000 passengers—along with the over 1,458 Crew Members.

The Disney Dream is scheduled to sail its maiden voyage on January 26, 2011, from Port Canaveral in Florida.

Disney Dream Innovations

AquaDuck, a first-of-its-kind water coaster, is an exhilarating, high-speed thrill ride that combines all the ups and downs of a roller coaster with all the twists and turns of a water slide.

Magical Portholes offer a “virtual window” to the world for inside staterooms, with a real-time view outside the ship where high-definition cameras feed live video to each stateroom.

Enchanted Art immerses guests in Disney storytelling and looks like other hanging art pieces around the ship, but is actually a framed LCD screen with technology that recognizes a guest is present.

Remy, an exquisite top-deck restaurant, only for adults, with incredible ocean views and French-inspired, gourmet cuisine by two award-winning chefs.

Disney Dream Activities