ESPN Announces ESPNatSEA Events Aboard Royal Caribbean

ESPNatSEA announced a new schedule of  ESPN International live network sports viewing-cruise VIP events aboard select Royal Caribbean ships in 2013.

The new events are part of an initiative by ESPN to offer specialized viewing events to sports fans who also want to enjoy a cruise.  The first two inaugural events will be held aboard Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.

"Oasis MVP Cruise I" aboard Oasis of the Seas: 7-night cruise round-trip from Ft. Lauderdale to some the hottest Caribbean destination such as Labadee, Falmouth, Jamaica; and Cozumel, Mexico. The biggest football day of the year will be televised live at sea, so be prepared. Dates: February 2 to 9, 2013.

"Jewel MVP Cruise II" aboard Jewel of the Seas: Calling all women soccer fans and football lovers. The biggest day in football is not the only sporting highlight on this 5-night VIP cruise. There will also be a special focus on the international success and rising popularity of women's soccer. This cruise leaves from Tampa, stopping in Key West, Fla. and Cozumel, Mexico. Dates: February 2-7, 2013.

The events will include private VIP cocktail receptions with sport celebrities,behind-the-scenes participation in the production of popular ESPN International programs and sport event viewings.

Participation in both programs will NOT be offered on the cruises. However, interested parties who may have already booked their cruise can contact ESPNatSEA at info@ESPNatSEA.com to register for the VIP Experience.

SOURCE: Royal Caribbean Blog

MSC Diva Sweepstakes

Enter every weekday Monday - Friday for the best chance to win Daily and Weekly Prizes

http://www.msccruisesagent.com/

Grand prize is a 7 night cruise in the glamorous MSC Yacht Club Suite designed by the ship's godmother Sophia Loren.

The Grand Prize voyage will sail from Port Miami during the Caribbean debut season of MSC Divina in the the Fall 2013/Winter 2014 season.

You can't win if you don't play the game!

Pinterest Contest WIN A Carnival Caribbean Cruise

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a Pinterest board full of pictures is worth a 7 Day Cruise for 2 to the Caribbean!

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Island Hop Hawaii This Winter

Why not island hop Hawaii aboard NCL's Pride of America?

The only itinerary of its kind, enjoy seven full days cruising Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island on a Hawaii Cruise.

With Freestyle Cruising with NCL's unique 7-day Hawaii cruise itineraries, you get the option of overnights in both Maui and Kauai as well as visits to Oahu and the Big Island of Hawaii.

Enjoy 18 restaurants, 9 bars and lounges, excellent family accommodations, spacious suites and lots of balconies for whale watching or taking in the dramatic views of the Napali Coast.

See Hawaii the Norwegian way™ with their new e-brochure

Carnival Cruise Check In At Miami Airport

Along with just announcing fees for early embarkation, Carnival is now offering cruise passenger check in at the Miami airport. 

Cruise passengers can now get their Sail & Sign and boarding cards at the Miami airport on the day of sailing from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Once passengers retrieve their luggage at baggage claim, they will be directed to the check in counter to receive "Airport Express" boarding cards. Sail & Sign cards will also be available at the airport. If you want to use cash for the Sail & Sign deposit, just stop by a cruise terminal check-in counter, or use an on-board Sail & Sign kiosk.

Most cruisers purchase round trip transfers between the airport and pier when paying for their cruise. For those passengers who did not purchase transfers, they will have the option to buy transfers during the airport check in process.

Once you arrive at the pier, passengers will be directed to the Airport Express security lane for a photo ID check, along with the Sail & Sign check.

Royal Caribbean plans to drop Middle East cruises out of Dubai after this winter, industry watcher Seatrade Insider is reporting.

The news outlet says the 2,100-passenger Serenade of the Seas will sail an abbreviated season of 11 seven-night voyages from Dubai to ports in the United Arab Emirates and Oman starting in January and then not return to the region in 2014.

Read Report: Royal Caribbean to end cruises out of Dubai 

Quito & Galapagos Islands Cruise

Destination: Quito & the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Weekly Departures: Saturday & Sunday (Cruise departs Mondays)
Booking Deadline: October 31th, 2012!

Always a unique experience, the Galapagos Islands are simply at their best aboard one of the best deluxe expedition ships in the region, the M/V Galapagos Legend.

See firsthand why Quito was the first city UNESCO declared a World Cultural Heritage. From its historical 'Old Town', to the Equatorial monument, surrounded by volcanoes and sheltered by a deep blue sky.

Explore the varied marine life, flora & fauna, of the Galapagos Islands each day with a certified naturalist guide each day, and return to the comfort of your cabin.

Whether it's one from the bucket list or the annual family getaway, this is bound to be a memorable experience!

More info on this unique cruise opportunity

Windstar 2-for-1 Fares to Caribbean, Panama Canal

Windstar Cruises is offering two-for-one cruise fares plus bonus savings of up to $1,000 per stateroom on select itineraries. Fares start at $1,299 per person, based on double occupancy, when booked by Oct. 27, 2012.

The program includes Wind Surf’s seven-day “Flavors of the Caribbean” and “Yachtsman’s Caribbean” voyages, both roundtrip from St. Maarten. Wind Spirit offers the seven-day “Jewels of the Windward Islands” cruise from Barbados to Bequia, Tobago Cays (overnight), Mayreau, Pigeon Island and St. George’s.

The Wind Star operates the seven-day “Passage Through Panama” voyage from Colon to the San Blas Islands, Isla De Coiba, Golfito, Bhaia Drake and Puerto Caldera and a transit of the Panama Canal. The Wind Star’s trans-Atlantic crossing is also available at two-for-one pricing.

Source: Theresa Norton Masek - Travel Pulse

Is Texas Ready For The Mouse?

The first Disney cruises out the Lone Star State kicked off over the weekend with a celebration at the Port of Galveston.

The ship will be based in Galveston through May, when it repositions to Barcelona for the summer of 2013.

The 1,754-passenger Disney Magic set sail from the port on Saturday for the first of several dozen four-, six-, seven- and eight-night sailings to the Caribbean and Bahamas.

Disney already has announced plans for more cruises out of Galveston over the winter of 2013-14 aboard the Disney Magic's sister ship, the Disney Wonder.

To salute its arrival in Texas, the Disney Magic displayed a Texas-sized cowboy hat on its funnel on Saturday as it arrived in Galveston. Crew members and Disney characters waved from the vessel's upper decks.

The Disney Magic is one of five cruise ships sailing out of Galveston this year. Also based in the port full- or part-time are the 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic, 2,758-passenger Carnival Triumph, Royal Caribbean's 3,114-passenger Mariner of the Seas and (starting in December) the 3,080-passenger Crown Princess.

Source: USA Today Travel "The Cruise Log" - Click to read these related stories
- Disney shakes up itineraries out of Texas
- Photo Tour - Disney's two newest ships compared
- Disney Magic has begun stocking wines from the Bryan, Texas-based Messina Hof winery at its bars

MSC Baseball Themed Cruises

MSC Cruises is offering five Caribbean baseball themed cruises for the winter Caribbean sailing season. 

The MSC Poesia will sail out of Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean on seven night cruises headlined by famed baseball greats. 

The baseball themed cruise activities include player-hosted trivia games, question-and-answer sessions with players, passenger pitching contests and storytelling sessions. The Players will also host pitching, hitting, fielding and base-running clinics.

Sailing dates for 2013 Baseball Themed Cruises

February 9, 2013 - 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise features Ken Griffey Sr., Jim Fregosi, Stan Bahnsen, Ed Herrmann and Larry Parrish.

February 23, 2013 - 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruises features Tommy Davis, Cookie Rojas, Stan Bahnsen, Clarence Jones and Juan Marichal.

March 9, 2013 - 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise features Gorman Thomas, Gary Peters, Stan Bahnsen, Wallace Johnson and Rico Petrocelli.

April 6, 2013 - 7 night cruise to islands of Antigua, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas features Randy Hundley, Stan Bahnsen, Jack Billingham and Ellis Valentine.

Fares start at $549 per person, based on double occupancy, and must be booked by September 30, 2012.

Autograph sessions take place at the end of the cruises.

More info about Baseball Themed Cruises, along with other MSC Themed Cruises

The Rocketts Are NCL Breakaway Godmothers

The Rockettes, one of New York’s most illustrious and beloved icons, will christen Norwegian Breakaway as the official Godmothers.

The christening ceremony will take place in New York City on May 8, 2013 on board Norwegian Breakaway, the largest ship to homeport year-round in New York.

The partnership with the Rockettes will include Norwegian Cruise Line as the designated “Official Cruise Line” of the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall, and as the “Official Partner”of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

As part of their role as Godmothers, two Rockettes will sail aboard the first six sailings of Norwegian Breakaway, beginning May 12, 2013, and the first sailing of each month thereafter, taking part in special events for guests to enjoy.

More about Breakaway at NCL's site

Cruise Lines Arrange for Couples to Jump Ship to Tie the Knot

If you can’t decide if you want your destination wedding to be on a cruise ship or a sunset beach ceremony, why choose?

Cruise lines are increasingly offering a complete wedding experience that is part cruise, part beach paradise. Cruise passengers board vessels with their betrothed in hand and their wedding parties in tow -  all of whom will jump ship to celebrate the big event on, and then re-board where the party continues.


“It is a great trend and it’s cost effective.  They can have their wedding in a beautiful venue on land while local wedding planners do the paperwork and make all arrangements in advance and the couple gets back on the ship for the honeymoon,” says Susie Wagner, founder and publisher of Honeymoons.com

Always ahead of the pack, Disney Cruise Lines’ Fairytale Weddings has been organizing off-the-ship weddings since 1998 when the cruise line purchased a Bahamian island, Castaway Cay.

Royal Ocean Events coordinates weddings for many of the cruise lines, including Holland America, Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises.

Holland America offers a wedding destination for the couple and 10 guests at its own chapel on Half Moon Cay, the cruise line's private island, as well as at Bluebeard’s Castle or Lime Tree Beach on St. Thomas, Pigeon Point Beach on St. Lucia, Cockle Shell Beach on St. Kitts, Valley Church Beach on Antigua and Grand Old House on Grand Cayman.

Carnival also offers destination wedding packages at just about any port of call in the Caribbean from Barbados, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Nassau.

Read entire article

Norwegian Star Crashes into RCI Ship

Really?!? This isn't the first time Norwegian Star has has a "fender bender"

While in Bermuda yesterday the Norwegian Star broke loose from her moorings - and while pushed by the wind sailed into the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas moored at the next berth.

This happened as passengers watched from shore and aboard both ship.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Friday among 45 knot winds (52 miles per hour) the aft mooring lines holding Norwegian Star to the dock began to break.

As the aft mooring lines broke the wind took over moving the Star from the dock and into the nearby Royal Caribbean International Explorer of the Seas.

Both ships sustained some hull damage - Read story

New York's Ship - Norwegian Breakaway

"Norwegian Breakaway is New York's ship, and this colorful artwork by Peter Max will make the ship an instant icon," Norwegian CEO Kevin Sheehan says in a statement.

Photo courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line has released the first image of Peter Max hull art on its next ship, the Norwegian Breakaway, which debuts in April 2013.

Norwegian Breakaway will be the largest ship to be based year-round in New York. The New York themed ship will carry 4,000-passengers, and will sail year-round out of  New York to Bermuda and the Bahamas.

Crystal Cruise Special Fares for New England and Canada

Photo Courtesy of Crystal Cruises

Discover the colonial heritage of Boston's Beacon Hill charming cobblestone streets lined with grand townhouses and fashionable shops. Or marvel at the beauty of old Québec by horse-drawn carriage. Delight in the Scottish charm of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and savor authentic Maine lobster in Bar Harbor.

Sail to New England & Canada with Crystal and enjoy:

• Limited-time Book Now Cruise-Only Fares
• All Inclusive: complimentary specialty restaurants, fine wines, champagne, premium spirits and non-alcoholic beverages
• Complimentary gratuities for housekeeping, bar, dining and Penthouse butler staff
• Plus, optional air add-ons

Book cruise by October 31, 2012, before fares increase!