Saving On Cruises In 2013

Great cruise tips from Gadling ...

Cruise travel in 2013 is a done deal for many seasoned cruisers; they bought 2013's sailings more than a year in advance. Cruise travelers on the cutting edge of buying cruise vacations are working on 2014 now. 

Traditional buying strategies for cruise vacations include buying as far in advance for the best cabin location and often, the best price. But depending on your tolerance for price fluctuations, buying far in advance might not be the best idea in 2013 due to changes in the way cruise lines promote fares.

Make no mistake about it: buying a cruise is getting to be more like buying a commodity or volatile stock. Buying far in advance to get a preferred cabin location – like mid-ship for those prone to motion discomfort – is still a good idea. There are only so many cabins on the ship and the good locations sell first.

Still, buying a flexible fare that allows changes later without penalty can often end up with the best value. Here's how:

Say we buy a seven-night Carnival cruise for two at the lowest possible price, one that has restrictions and charges penalties for changes made after booking. At the time of buying, we're happy because we got our preferred cabin location and the price seemed quite reasonable, a year or more in advance of sailing.

A few years ago, that strategy had a much higher chance of bringing home a win. Odds were that the price paid so far in advance would be the best available and that price stuck.

But that was a few years ago - Continue reading 

Breakaway Will Offer Fireworks On Every Cruise

Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Norwegian Breakaway, scheduled to enter service in May in New York City, will have a fireworks show on every cruise. 

The environmentally-friendly display will take place on the second-to-last night at sea each week, after the ship departs Bermuda during its summer inaugural season.

The produced show will be set to a playlist of classic 1980s hits including “Come on Feel the Noise” by Quiet Riot, “Whip It” by Devo, “Cherish” by Madonna, “Final Countdown” by Europe and “Purple Rain” by Prince.

The 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway will arrive in its year-round home-port of New York City on May 7, 2013. 

The ship will begin seven-day cruises to Bermuda on May 12. From October through April 2014, the ship will offer cruises to the Bahamas & Florida and the Southern Caribbean.

Theresa Norton Masek for TravelPulse

Explore The Exotic With Seadream Yachts

Only 112 Guests - 95 Awaqrd Winning Crew - 5 Star Cuisine - Inclusive

From October 2013 through April 2014, SeaDream II will explore new ground as she visits Asis's most striking locations, from the hustle and bustle of international shopping havens Hong Kong and Singapore, to the undisturbed charm and tranquility of Myanmar and New Guinea. 

In Asia you will find a little bit of everything: busy commercial centers, serene temples, rainforests, and white sandy beaches. 

Voyages from 7 to 15 days will explore Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, East Timor, Austraia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong. 

http://www.seadream.com/

Australia and New Zealand Competitive Cruise Destinations

The Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Baltic and ... the Tasman Sea?

Photo Credit - Gene Sloan, USA TODAY

The rapid expansion of cruises out of Australia over the past five years has been one of the biggest stories in the industry, and the next five years could bring even more of a boom in the region, say executives.

"It's a great market, and it certainly has room for growth," Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein says . "It's one of the primary markets that have emerged in the last five to 10 years in a meaningful way."

Cruises out of Sydney and other Australian cities to ports in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific have taken off with Australians eager to explore their homeland and other nearby locales with the ease that cruise ships offer, Goldstein says. But it's not just a local crowd filling ships.

Continue reading at USA Today - AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND: Experience the wonder Down Under by boat

What Were The Top Cruise News Stories of 2012?

The Costa Concordia tragedy, disruptions caused by Superstorm Sandy to onboard fires, overboard passengers and several unlucky excursion-related incidents, cruise lines battled what seemed to be a never-ending barrage of misfortune in 2012.

Costa Concordia - Photo Credit World Maritime News

Here are the news articles Cruise Critic readers read and talked about the most:

The Costa Concordia Tragedy
On January 13, 2012, Costa Concordia hit a rock off the coast of Italian island of Giglio. Within hours the ship had capsized, 4,000 passengers and crew evacuated and 32 people had died. 

Superstorm Sandy Wrecks Havoc on Cruises
Hurricane/superstorm Sandy might easily have been one of the most disruptive weather forces the cruise industry has faced, with 10 days of itinerary changes and rough at-sea rides. In all, some 50 itineraries were upended with some passengers forced to remain at sea longer than scheduled, while others were short-changed or had their cruises canceled entirely. 

Carnival Introduces All-You-Can-Drink Package
In August 2010, Carnival announced it had begun testing a flat-fee, all-inclusive beverage program called the "My Awesome Bar Program" on Carnival Victory. 

Carnival Passengers Robbed on Excursion
Just because an excursion is ship-sponsored doesn't mean things can't go wrong, something 22 Carnival Splendor passengers learned when they were robbed at gunpoint in February while in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. No one was injured, but most lost a variety of valuables, as well as passports and other forms of identification. 

Royal Caribbean Passengers Injured on Excursion
Carnival passengers were not the only ones to learn ship-sponsored doesn't always mean "safe." Eleven Royal Caribbean passengers were injured during a traffic accident while on a ship-sponsored shopping tour in St. Thomas in late January. The passengers were traveling in an open-air "safari cab" when it collided with a parked car. 

Shipboard Fire Doesn't Dampen Passengers Spirits
On March 30 a fire broke out aboard Azamara Quest while the ship sailed off the coast of Manila. 

Cruise Line Cabin Gaffe Infuriates Passengers
Nothing infuriates cruise passengers like believing a cruise line is sticking it to them, and that's exactly how a number of Royal Caribbean cruisers felt after the line took away their prime location cabins and "accidentally" sold them to other passengers. Yikes!!

Cruise Critic Predicts 2012 Trends
Fewer new-builds but growth in refurbishments, more fee-based offerings and the rebirth of Mississippi River cruising were trends Cruise Critic accurately predicted for 2012. 

Passenger Overboard
Every year the cruise industry sees several people go tragically overboard, and this year was no different. The story of a female passenger who went overboard from Allure of the Seas in September caught the attention of our readers. 

Crown Princess Dethroned by Noro
Few things make cruisers cringe more than the thought of contracting noro-virus while at sea. So when Crown Princess was in the news because of noro-virus twice in a two-month time span, Cruise Critic readers took notice. 

Read more details on each of these stories at Cruise Critic

10 New Cruise Industry Safety Procedures

Nearly a year after the Costa Concordia shipwreck, a cruise industry panel formally summarized 10 new safety practices that have been adopted to protect passengers.

The industry reacted quickly to the widely publicized Jan. 13, 2012, incident in which the Costa Cruises ship crashed off the Italian coast, killing 32 passengers. It established a safety panel and began implementing new procedures less than two months after the accident.

Passengers may have already noticed one new policy, adopted last February, which requires cruise lines to hold muster drills before ships leave port. Previous regulations called for them within 24 hours of departure.


Another new policy, adopted in April, severely limits bridge access during arrival and departure from port and any other time when increased vigilance is required, such as during heavy traffic.

"The industry's commitment to the safety of passengers and crew remains our number one priority," Christine Duffy, president and CEO of Cruise Line International Association, said in a statement.

Other newly enacted policies include:

• Excess life jackets: Cruise ships must carry additional life jackets, having more than the number of passengers aboard.
• Location of life jacket: The jackets must be stowed near muster stations or lifeboats and be easily accessible.
• Securing equipment: Cruise lines must enact procedures to secure heavy items such as pianos and televisions.
• Passenger nationality: The nationality of each passenger must be recorded and easily available to search-and-rescue workers.
• Musters and emergency instructions: During musters and emergency situations, cruise lines must communicate 12 basic elements to passengers, including the location of life jackets and how to recognize emergency exits.
• Lifeboat loading training: Crews responsible for lifeboats must practice loading and handling one full boat at least every six months.
• Passage planning: All bridge team members to be briefed on passage plans.
• Consistent bridge procedures: Large cruise companies must have consistent bridge operating procedures across all its brands.

The safety review was led by cruise industry members with the advice and input of an independent panel of safety experts, including Mark Rosenker, former chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board; Stephen Meyer, former Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy and Head of the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch; Dr. Jack Spencer, former director, Office of Marine Safety, U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, and Willem de Ruiter, former executive director of the European Maritime Safety Agency.

Source: USA Today

This item was written by Larry Bleiberg, former Travel Editor of The Dallas Morning News and Coastal Living magazine. Bleiberg is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away.