2012 Theme Cruises

Donny & Marie Osmond host their first Bahamas cruise - Donny & Marie Cruisin' With Friends This cruise sails from Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 28, 2012 on the MSC Poesia. Osmond siblings will also be on board.

Food Network Star Paula Deen hosts Paula Dean & Family Caribbean Party at Sea on the Celebrity Eclipse, sailing from Miami on Jan. 21, 2012.

Vampire Cruise on Holland America's 1,916-passenger Zuiderdam sails Alaska's Inside Passage. Vamps at Sea guests include vampire scholar John Edgar Browning and Dacre Stoker, a great-grandnephew of Dracula author Bram Stoker. Cruise sails from Vancouver - location where Twilight movies were filmed - on June 23, 2012.

Titanic Memorial Cruises - Three cruises focus on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking, and visit the disaster site via the  Azamara Journey and Fred Olsen Cruise Lines Balmoral.

Motorcycle Rally at Sea - Hogs on the High Seas celebrates its 10th motorcycle rally at sea. This cruise sails on Oct. 28-Nov. 4, on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas from Port Canaveral.

The Jam Cruise celebrates its 10th year cruise sailing on Jan. 9-14, 2012 on the MSC Poesia out of Ft Lauderdale.

The Smooth Jazz Cruise sailings are Jan. 15-22 and Jan. 22-29, 2012 on the Westerdam out of Ft Lauderdale.

Scientific American is hosting "Bright Horizons 11" on Holland America's Eurodam, Jan. 14-21, 2012 out of Ft Lauderdale. Topics include flower and plant evolution, astrophysics, primatology and physical cosmology.

Murder at Sea Cruise - The "Mystery Authors and Mayhem Revealed" cruise sales on May 13-20, 2012 on Allure of the Seas. This cruise brings together best-selling mystery writers with passengers to solve a shipboard whodunit.

NFL Legends Transatlantic Cruise - Football fans mingle with Coach Don Shula and famed fullback Larry Csonka onboard Crystal Serenity in May, 2012.

Baseball Greats - Fans meet up with former Major League stars including Vida Blue and Ken Griffey Sr. Caribbean sailings on the MSC Poesia.

Nudists Midsummer's Eve Cruisecan - Mediterranean sailing on Royal Clipper for 14 nights from Civitavecchia (near Rome), embarking on June 9, with special activities including workshops with relationship advisers.

Political Conservative/Liberal Cruises - The National Review and The Nation have competing annual sailings on Holland America. Conservatives (Nov. 12-19 on MS Eurodam, and liberals (Dec. 11-18 on MS Nieuw Amsterdam.

Keep up-to-date with "Theme Cruising"

Ship Mate Mobile Cruise App

The Ship Mate mobile app was developed to extend and enhance the cruise experience . . .
Our motto is “Don’t wait to start your cruise” and our goal is to engage users months before and after setting foot on their ship.

In general, cruisers book their vacations six months before setting sail and Ship Mate provides the opportunity to start exploring their ship and ports, meeting their fellow cruisers, and preparing to have an amazing vacation, immediately.

Ship Mate brings cruise planning, port content and a social network to mobile

P.S. I like the concept - they need to change voice on app  

Is Shopping in Port a Rip Off?

By and large, it’s buyer beware when shopping in port, particularly at cruise line-preferred stores with their questionable pricing and guarantees.

The biggest hint we can give you is, if you’re planning on a big spend - electronics, jewelry, even liquor - do your homework before you leave home.

Priceless Tips for Avoiding Port Shopping Rip-Offs : The Lido Deck:

SeaDream’ Yacht Caribbean Plus $200 Spa Credit

http://www.seadream.com/

Voyages of Discovery Adds mv Voyager to Fleet

Carrying just 550 passengers, mv Voyager offers a choice of 278 cabins, 30 of which have balconies, open seating dining in two restaurants plus an intimate pre-bookable restaurant  - and a range of large cruise ship facilities with small ship convenience.

Like mv Discovery, the small size of mv Voyager means that the ship is able to access remote, out of the way ports – essential for the Voyages of Discovery destination-led cruise offerings.

mv Voyager will commence her maiden voyage in November 2012 with a full Caribbean, Central and South American program, including a cruise of the Amazon.

At the same time, mv Discovery will be undergoing an extensive refurbishment during a three-month dry dock period, including the addition of teak decking, expansion of public areas, cabin improvements, updated furnishing and developments to dining areas.

Visit http://us.voyagesofdiscovery.com/

Norwegian Stateroom Designs - New Project Breakaway Ships

Project Breakaway is Norwegian’s plan for two new next generation Freestyle Cruising ships scheduled for delivery in April 2013 and April 2014.

Norwegian Cruise Line stateroom designs for the Project Breakaway class of ships includes the Studio, Spa Balcony, Spa Mini-Suite, Oceanview, Family Mini-Suite, Inside staterooms, and also feature The Haven, a higher-end suite complex on each ship.


STUDIOS:

Norwegian will continue to offer Studio staterooms for solo travelers on the Project Breakaway ships. The 59 Studios on each ship are designed and priced for the solo traveler with a unique bathroom design that includes a separate sink and shower to provide more personal space.

The Studios, the majority of which connect, feature a full-size bed with convenient lighted recess above the bed to hold books, magazines, tablet computers or electronic reading devices and have a unique window to the corridor. These rooms also have private keycard access to the Studio complex and exclusive two-story Studio Lounge with a bar.

SPA BALCONY:

The 28 Spa Balcony and 20 Spa Mini-Suite staterooms feature tranquil spa décor and have easy access to the adjacent spa and fitness center, as well as complimentary access to the Thermal Spa Suite during operating hours.

OCEANVIEW STATEROOMS:
Project Breakaway ships will also feature Oceanview staterooms with large picturesque windows. Of the 158 Oceanview staterooms on each ship, there are approximately 42 Family Oceanviews that sleep up to five guests and have a bathroom similar to the Mini-Suite with a modern double sink, bath tub and a second wardrobe for added storage.

FAMILY MINI SUITES:

The Family Mini-Suites located on Deck 12 and 13 feature all the attributes of the Mini-Suite and are located in close proximity to the children’s facilities, making it convenient and easy for families. There are a number of staterooms with bath tubs for families with small children.

INSIDE STATEROOMS:
Project Breakaway ships include 449 Inside staterooms that feature two lower beds that can be converted to a queen-size bed. Many are connecting and sleep up to four guests. They are located on various decks throughout the ship and some are adjacent to the children’s facilities.


Source: Travel Pulse

Cruisers Have More Options - At A Cost

Seeking to give passengers more choices, cruise lines have expanded on-board options and the additional costs that sometimes go with them.

Carnival Magic features pub with a private label beer and a la carte pricing for food, and a for-fee Italian restaurant.

Norwegian Dawn features a Brazilian steakhouse that costs an additional $20 - and has been popular on the line’s newest ship, Epic.

The Disney Dream, Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, includes a $75-a-person gourmet restaurant (alcohol not included) called Remy.

Celebrity Silhouette (shown) offers new $149-a-sea-day cabanas in the Lawn Club area that previously held only grass, as well as an interactive grill. The price for that new restaurant has already increased from $30 to $40.

Royal Caribbean's 5,400-passenger Allure of the Seas, features 26 dining options. Of those, 12 come at an additional charge. Other extra-fee options on Allure range from a Starbucks to cupcake shop to Chef’s Table, a fine dining-and-drinking experience for $95 a person — an increase in recent months from $75.

Read more at Miami Herald

Vampire Cruise Sails to Alaska Next Year

Now we can add "Vampires" to "Theme" Cruising!

Hundreds of vampire enthusiasts will sail Alaska's fabled Inside Passage in a summer 2012 cruise tailored to their interests that combines gazing at glaciers with a late-night costume ball.

The group will sail on a Holland America ship, the Zuiderdam, and will hit the usual ports of call such as Juneau, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan.

Continue Reading - Vampire fans to sail off Alaska coast next year | Reuters

Disney Fantasy update: Final building block in place for new Disney Fantasy cruise ship - OrlandoSentinel.com

Disney Cruise Line is one step closer to bringing the new Disney Fantasy cruise ship into the fleet.The Port Canaveral-bound ship is slated to make its Florida debut in April 2012 after is maiden voyage on March 31, 2012.

The Fantasy will offer alternating seven-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean with stops at Castaway Cay, the line's private island in the Bahamas.

The 4,000-passenger ship is a sister to the Disney Dream, also based at Port Canaveral, that debuted in January and will up the Disney Cruise Line fleet to four, with the line's two original vessels, the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.

View Video at link below:


Disney Fantasy update: Final building block in place for new Disney Fantasy cruise ship - OrlandoSentinel.com:

Alicante, Spain Busy with Royal Caribbean Cruises

The Port of Alicante, Spain this week has received more than four thousand tourists arriving on board the biggest cruise ship that sailed the Mediterranean Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas.




Head over to Royal Caribbean's Blog to read more on this post, and also other recent posts:

• Photo of the Day: Mariner of the Seas pool deck

• Ship building firm Navantia to work on Splendour of the Seas upgrades

• Friday Soundoff: Did Royal Caribbean make amends for San Juan incident?

RCI Blog

10 Tips for Better Cruises

An invaluable list of suggestions on how to make your cruise the best it can possibly be.

Even experienced cruisers can probably learn something new here, or remember something they may have forgotten.
Read more

Carnival Caribbean Sailing Over 80% Off

Save up to 81% off brochure price!  It just doesn't get any better than this . . .

5 Night Western Caribbean - Miami Round-Trip from $ 40 per night!

Ship: Carnival Destiny - Ports of Call: Miami, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Miami, Florida

• Inside Cabin -  $199 - $40 per night   

• Oceanview - $259 - $52 per night   

• Balcony - $399 - $80 per night   

• Suite - $569 - $114 per night

View this special and many more special priced sailings

Cruising 101: Why choose Royal Caribbean? | Royal Caribbean Blog

Cruising 101: Why choose Royal Caribbean? | Royal Caribbean Blog

Regent Plans Move from Fort Lauderdale to Miami Next Fall

Good new for the Port of Miami!

Luxury cruise line Regent, and sister cruise line Oceania plan to move from Fort Lauderdale to Miami making both the port's only regularly scheduled luxury sailings.

Miami's port is home to Carnival, Royal Caribbean (including Celebrity) and Norwegian Cruise Line, however there is no regular sailing schedules from top of line cruise brands. Another luxury line, Crystal Cruises only has a few Miami based sailings.

An additional 19 calls sailing out of the Port of Miami is scheduled for the 2012 Fall cruise season. Both Oceania and Regent will sail from Terminal J where a nearly $3 million improvement project is nearing completion.

SeaDream Yacht Club Releases 2013 Amazon Schedule

Some cruise passengers made need over a year to save up for this one! It has become one of SeaDream's most popular sailings . . .

SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream II is heading back to the Amazon starting in 2013, and offering two 20-night voyages.

The first Amazon sailing will be on Feb. 10, from Barbados to Iquitos, Peru. The second sailing departs Peru for Barbados on March 23. Rates start at $16,999 per person.

Ports of call will include Devil's Island, French Guiana; Parintins, Manaus and Panelas, Brazil; and Leticia, Colombia.

The early release of the 2013 program for the 112-passenger SeaDream I and SeaDream II twin yachts states both ships will spend January to April sailing the islands of the Caribbean.

SeaDream II will sail to the Grenadines, including the islands of Mayreau and Bequia. SeaDream I will visit La Samana and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Both SeaDream I & II will visit ports in Puerto Rico: Fajardo Bay, Ponce and Caja de Muertos, and both are offering stays in St. Barts.

http://www.seadream.com/