Windstar Cruises Offering Cruise for 2014 Monaco Grand Prix

Small ship line Windstar Cruises is hoping to lure racing fans with a cruise revolving around the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix

The seven-night sailing on the 212-passenger Star Pride will kick off May 21 in Civitavecchia, Italy (the port for Rome) and include visits to Portoferraio, Portofino and Portovenere, Italy; and Cannes, France.

Hosted by John Bisignano, a former Formula One pit reporter, the voyage will feature Grand Stand seating at the Grand Prix during the qualifying races on May 24 and the finals on May 25 as well as a post-race cocktail reception at the Hotel de Paris in the heart of Monte Carlo.

Windstar also is offering a Grand Prix excursion as an add-on to the May 20 sailing of its 310-passenger flagship, the Wind Surf (take the photo tour of the vessel). The excursion includes Grand Stand seats for the qualifying races and finals, and an on-board cocktail reception.

The May 20 sailing of the Wind Surf also begins in Civitavechia and includes stops in Portoferraio, Portofino and Portovenere, Italy; and Nice, France in addition to Monaco.

More information is available on Windstar's website - http://www.windstarcruises.com/

Source: USA Today

Hurtigruten Norway in Winter & Northern Lights Cruises

The colors of the Northern Lights are particularly beautiful during Norway winter nights. 

These magnificent colors light up the sky and a Hurtigruten Voyage brings you the ideal location.

NORTHERN LIGHTS GUARANTEE CABIN OFFER 
From $1,078 per person, special prices on all of Classic Autumn and Winter Voyages. Cross the incredible natural phenomenon of the Northern Lights off your bucket list in 2013! Details 

WILDERNESS ADVENTURE CAMP
Besides a chance to see the Northern Lights, one of the most spectacular natural sights on earth, there are countless unique experiences for the traveler in search of Authentic Norway. Lyngsfjord Adventure and Camp Tamok offers you dog sledding, a snowmobile safari and reindeer driving among your choice of activities! Details  

IN SEARCH OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
Watch this video and experience the spectacular Northern Lights aboard Hurtigruten, known internationally as The Worlds Most Beautiful Voyage.
View Video 


Norwegian Coastal Voyages

River cruise line AmaWaterways continues to lead the industry with a fleet of 15 custom-designed vessels in Europe, Russia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Africa

http://www.amawaterways.com/

Holland America and Avalon Waterways Avoid Egypt

Avalon Waterways has cancelled its river cruises in Egypt through September given the current unstable situation in Cairo. Avalon, which previously cancelled operations through August, said it will continue to monitor the situation.

Holland America's Noordam 11-day itineraries departing Aug. 15 from Athens and Aug. 26 from Istanbul will visit Ashdod (Jerusalem) and Haifa (Tel Aviv, Nazareth), Israel, instead of Port Said and Alexandria. The ship’s 11-day cruise departing Athens on Oct. 20 will instead visit Haifa and Limassol, Cyprus.

The Rotterdam’s 10-day cruises departing Athens on Oct. 31 and Nov. 20 will visit Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey, and Limassol, Cyprus. And the Prinsendam’s 14-day cruise from Athens on Oct. 28 will call at Rhodes, Greece, and Katakolon (Olympia), Greece. The order of ports visited may also have changed. Affected travel agents and guests are being notified.

The two companies said they will continue to monitor the situation. “And should there be further changes or developments, we will reach out to our travelers and their agents to ensure we provide enough time for alternate arrangements, as necessary,” Avalon said. There has been unrest in Cairo in recent weeks while undergoing a political transition. A particularly violent clash last week killed 50 people.

Article Source: TravelPulse

Costa Concordia Officers Guilty of Manslaughter In Plea Bargain

A court in Italy has convicted five people of manslaughter over the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Giglio island which killed 32 people in January 2012

Photo courtesy of The Atlantic  

Two officers, the helmsman, the head of cabin service and the head of the crisis team were given up to two years and 10 months in jail for multiple manslaughter, negligence and shipwreck. They had agreed plea bargains and may avoid custodial sentences.

Capt Schettino's faces 20 years in jail if found guilty, and he is being tried separately. 

He is charged with multiple manslaughter for causing the shipwreck and abandoning the vessel with thousands still aboard. 

His case will resume on September 23, and his request for a plea bargain has been rejected by the prosecution.

Capt Schettino maintains he managed to steer the stricken vessel closer to shore so it did not sink in deep water where hundreds might have drowned. His lawyers say he is being made a scapegoat for what was simply an accident.

Read full article at BBC

Royal Caribbean Christmas Cruise Sale

Royal Caribbean kicked off a new cruise sale today, called the Holiday Cruise Sale, where guests can get up to $200 in onboard credit for sailings between December 18 - 31, 2013

The sale is applicable on sailings of five nights or longer on any of its cruise ships.

The deal says if you book an inside or ocean view cabin during these dates, you will receive $100 in onboard credit.  If you book a balcony cabin or a suite, you will get $200 per cabin in onboard credit.

This new sale is applicable for all new individual bookings from customers in North and South America, and is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts, Royal Caribbean shareholder benefits and other promotional offers. The sale ends on July 31, 2013

SOURCE: Royal Caribbean Blog

SeaDream Yachting in Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam and More

It's Yachting, Not Cruising . . . Know the Difference

From October 2013 through April 2014, SeaDream II will explore "new ground" as she visits Asia & Northern Australia.

http://www.seadream.com/voyages/region/asia

Tropical Storm Chantal Forces Carnival Ships to Alter Itineraries

Both Carnival Liberty and Carnival Victory Skip Ports Due to Tropical Storm

Carnival Liberty

The line says the 2,974-passenger Carnival Liberty today skipped a visit to St. Thomas due to the storm's approach and instead made a stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico that originally had been scheduled for Wednesday.

The Miami-based ship, which is on a seven-night Eastern Caribbean sailing that began on Saturday, and will visit Grand Turk on Wednesday - a day ahead of schedule, and will add a stop in Nassau, Bahamas on Friday.

Also altering course today was the 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory, which dropped a sea day to instead call in Nassau - a port it wasn't supposed to visit until Friday. In addition, the ship will flip-flop calls scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. 

As of 2:00 pm AST, Chantal was 335 miles southeast of San Juan and moving to the west-northwest at 29 miles per hour. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour.

The National Hurricane Center says Chantal is expected to strengthen over the next 24 hours as it heads towards the Dominican Republic. 

Forecasters expect that wind shear and interaction with the mountains of Hispaniola and Cuba then will cause the storm to weaken, and it is expected to be a tropical depression Friday while over the Bahamas.

Source: USA Today

10 Night Caribbean Hideaways Cruise With The Bikini Chef

Sail on Oceania Cruises aboard the Riviera - voted one of the best in the world by Travel + Leisure

Cruise with "The Bikini Chef" on a 10 Night Caribbean Hideaways Cruise beginning January 13, 2014 which sets sail from Miami on a 10 night journey

After an exclusive pre-cruise dinner and overnight stay in Miami, the first stop in on the beautiful island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Activities include Cane Garden Bay Beach, hiking in the rainforest, swimming with the dolphins, sea kayaking or visit the famous Virgin Gorda Baths. 

Then, it’s on to St. John’s, Antigua for an afternoon of golf, snorkeling and a lunch of crayfish, crab or the locals famous hamburger. 

Next it's the exquisite gardens and cane fields of Bridgetown, Barbados, the historic La Toc Battery, banana plantations, and spectacular reefs of Castries, St Lucia, the Swedish and French heritage of Gustavia, St. Barths with its unspoiled coastline, fine cuisine and exclusive shopping experiences.

Exclusively for guests of The Bikini Chef, a special VIP welcome gift, private cocktail reception and book signing, an exclusive Private Cooking and Wine Pairing Class in the Bon Appetit Culinary Center.

More info on Bikini Chef Cruise

Antarctica Ultimate White Christmas via Crystal Cruises

Crystal Cruises is offering what could be considered the “Ultimate White Christmas” voyage, because the Crystal Symphony is spending the holidays in Antarctica. 

The 18-day Dec. 21 Buenos Aires-to-Valparaíso voyage on the Crystal Symphony spends three days in Antarctic waters before sailing to Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Falkland Islands, Cape Horn and the Chilean Fjords.

This is the luxury line’s only Antarctic cruise in 2013 and 2014. 

Crystal is one of the few cruise lines permitted to sail to Antarctica, due to strict environmental regulations. Crystal said it has incurred extra cost and planning efforts to comply with the regulations.

Optional excursions let guests fly, hike and take Zodiac raft rides to view Air Force homes, penguin breeding grounds, and the glacial scenery of King George and Ardley islands. Extremely limited Crystal Adventures also explore more of Antarctica, including an overnight at the Chilean Eduardo Frei Antarctic Base. Onboard speakers include an Antarctic expedition book author, climate change researcher, shark conservationist and CBS News correspondent.

The itinerary visits Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, Port Stanley, Ushuaia (overnight), Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, and Valparaíso. The ship will be decorated for the holidays and offer gourmet holiday feasts, a champagne New Year’s gala, religious services and junior cruiser events (including Santa). 

On a warmer note . . . 

The Crystal Serenity will spend the holidays sailing round-trip from Miami on Dec. 21 Turks & Caicos, Curaçao, Santa Marta and Cartagena in Colombia, Roatan Island Belize City, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Key West.

 All-inclusive cruise fares begin at $9,740 per person for the Antarctica/South America voyage and $7,430 per person for the Caribbean, and include $600 and $800 per person in savings, respectively, if booked by Aug. 30.

http://www.crystalcruises.com/


Source: TravelPulse

Windjammer Rum Theme Caribbean Cruise

Rum Sail Away with Island Windjammers and RumGallery.com