Windstar Releases 2011-2012 Cruise Itineraries

Windstar Cruises, which operates a three-ship fleet of luxury yachts that explore hidden harbors and secluded coves, has released its 2011 and winter 2012 itineraries, which include new voyages to the Baltic Sea, Holy Land, Europe, Costa Rica, Caribbean and more.

New Baltic Voyages

Seven-day sailing on Wind Spirit from Le Havre, France to Oslo departs July 9, 2011, and visits Dieppe, France; Oostende/Brugge, Belgium; Amsterdam (overnight); and Kristiansand, Norway.

Seven-day sailing on Wind Spirit from Oslo to Stockholm departs July 16, 2011, and visits Goteberg, Sweden; Arhus, Denmark; Copenhagen; Warnemunde, Germany; and Visby, Sweden.

Seven-day sailing on Wind Spirit from Stockholm roundtrip departs July 23, 2011, and visits Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; and St. Petersburg, Russia (overnight).

Seven-day sailing on Wind Spirit from Stockholm to Oslo departs July 30, 2011, and visits Visby, Sweden; Warnemunde, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; Arhus, Denmark; and Goteberg, Sweden.

Seven-day sailing on Wind Spirit from Oslo to Le Havre, France departs August 6, 2011, and visits Kristiansand, Norway; Amsterdam (overnight); Oostende/Brugge, Belgium; and Dieppe, France.

New Holy Land Voyages

10-day sailing on Wind Star from Athens to Ashdod, Israel departs October 15, 2011, and visits Santorini, Greece; Rhodes, Greece; Alanya, Turkey; Limassol, Cyprus; and Port Said, Egypt (overnight).

11-day sailing on Wind Star from Ashdod, Israel to Athens departs October 25, 2011, and visits Haifa, Israel; Port Said, Egypt (overnight); Limassol, Cyprus; Marmaris, Turkey; Patmos, Greece; and Idra, Greece.

New European Voyages

Seven-day sailing on Wind Spirit from Lisbon to Le Havre, France departs July 2, 2011, and visits Porto, Portugal; Brest, France; Roscoff, France; and Cherbourg, France.

Seven-day sailing on Wind Spirit from Le Havre, France to Lisbon departs August 13, 2011, and visits Cherbourg, France; Roscoff, France; Brest, France; and Porto, Portugal.

New Costa Rica Voyages

Seven-day sailings on Wind Star from Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica to Colon, Panama depart December 31, 2011 and February 4, 2012, and visit Bahia Drake, Costa Rica; Golfito, Costa Rica; Isla de Cobia, Panama; Panama Canal Transit; and San Blas Islands, Panama.

Seven-day sailings on Wind Star from Colon, Panama to Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica depart January 7 and February 11, 2012, and visit San Blas Islands, Panama; Panama Canal Transit; Isla de Cobia, Panama; Golfito, Costa Rica; Bahia Drake.

New Caribbean Voyages

Seven-day sailings on Wind Surf from Barbados to St. Martin depart January 7, February 11, March 24, 2012, and visit Mayreau, The Grenadines; Pigeon Island, St. Lucia; Le Marin; Cabritts, Dominica; Marie Galante, Guadeloupe; and St. Barts.

Seven day sailings on Wind Surf from St. Martin to Barbados depart January 14 and February 18, 2012, and visit Virgin Gorda, BVI.; St. Kitts; lles de Saints; Pigeon Island, St. Lucia; Bequia, The Grenadines; and St. George's, Grenada.

Reservations for Windstar's 2011 and 2012 voyages will be open for bookings starting March 29 exclusively for Windstar Foremast alumni members and on April 12 for everyone.

Visit www.windstarcruises.com

Allure of the Seas'Inaugural Season Expanded

Royal Caribbean International is expanding the inaugural season for its latest Oasis-class ship, Allure of the Seas, with a special four-night cruise.

The special itinerary departs Port Everglades December 1 and will feature two days at sea plus a call at Labadee, Royal Caribbean private beach destination on the northern coast of Haiti.

Valued members of the Crown Anchor Society, the cruise line’s loyalty program, and the public can book passage on Allure of the Seas’ new voyage beginning March 31.

Guests booked on the December 5 inaugural seven-night voyage have until April 30 to choose to be re-accommodated in the same stateroom on the new cruise. Any price difference will be adjusted on their booking.

Additionally, these guests will receive $100 onboard credit per stateroom when adding the new four-night cruise to their existing December 5 booking for an 11-night grand western Caribbean adventure.

Allure of the Seas shares the title of the world’s largest cruise ship with sister-ship Oasis of the Seas. The ship will span 16 decks, encompass 225,282 gross registered tons, carry 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and feature 2,700 staterooms.

Allure of the Seas will feature Royal Caribbean’s exclusive neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas, which will include Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone.

The ship will alternate a Western Caribbean with an Eastern Caribbean seven-night itinerary from her home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.

Visit www.AllureoftheSeas.com

Cruise Ship Embarkation Procedures

I ran across this informative article today . . .

The Cruise vacation you have been planning for a year is now a reality.

You’ve packed your bags with the appropriate clothes for cruise travel. You have filled out all of the cruise documentation, do this at home, don’t wait to get to your cruise ship, and now you are ready for this highly anticipated cruise. There are a few cruises tips about embarkation day that you should know before you head for your cruise vacation.

Read full article

Crystal Cruises Launches Cosmonaut Training Program

Crystal Cruises launches a first-ever itinerary in which passengers can experience a Cosmonaut-training adventure, featuring one-night excursions to Russia's former top secret cosmonaut training center, Star City.

From extreme g-force experiences and weightlessness to the "Final Challenge" in the world's largest hydrospace laboratory, guests can train like modern Russian Cosmonauts on some of the largest, most advanced space equipment in the world.

Four distinct Crystal Adventures, available from St. Petersburg with five Crystal Symphony summer Baltic voyages, take guests to Star City, built in the secluded forests outside Moscow.

1. Hydrospace: "The Final Challenge" - Considered the most advanced cosmonaut training, participants must install a space antenna on a replica of the International Space Station while wearing an authentic space suit and submerged in 54,000 square feet of water.

2. Centrifuge G-Force Experience - On the ride of a lifetime, experience the simulated g-forces of blast off, flight in orbit and spacecraft descent on the specially-reserved 300-ton centrifuge.

3. Zero Gravity Weightlessness Adventure - Aboard the world's largest parabola aircraft, experience the absence of gravity. Flying in a steep parabola formation from as high as 20,000 feet, participants literally take flight at least 10 times during this adventure.

4. Russia's Quest Beyond the Earth - Delve into the behind-the-scenes highlights of cosmonaut training and Russian space travel from the 1950's and beyond.

The Cosmonaut programs include roundtrip air transportation from St. Petersburg to Moscow, overnight hotel accommodations and a full-day Moscow city tour, including Red Square and the Kremlin. Cosmonaut Training fares range from $4,359 up to $32,995 for "The Final Challenge."

Seven-, 10- and 11-day Baltic voyages depart from London, Stockholm or Copenhagen - with overnights in St. Petersburg.

Promotional two-for-one per person (double occupancy) cruise fares start at $4,375, including $500 or $1,000 "All Inclusive - As You Wish" shipboard credits and free air transportation from numerous North American gateways.

Visit www.crystalcruises.com.

Queen Elizabeth Maiden Worldwide Voyages

In 2011 Cunard world voyages will cover Europe, the Americas, Transatlantic, and the Caribbean.

For the first time Cunard will be sailing with three modern ocean liners and now has the youngest fleet in the world - younger than all other cruise lines.
The newest ship Queen Elizabeth will join sister ships Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2.

In Cunard's 170 years of history, there has been an ‘Elizabeth’ in the fleet. The new Queen Elizabeth is the second largest for the Cunard line.

The maiden voyage Season will run from October 2010 to January 2011 and include voyages to the Western and Central Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

Queen Elizabeth’s Maiden Voyage departing Tuesday Oct 12, 2010 is SOLD OUT. The 13-night celebration departs from the home port of Southampton (UK), and will call at Vigo, Lisbon, Cadiz, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (overnight call) and Funchal.

The 23-night Caribbean voyage from Southampton in December will take in 6 Caribbean ports including Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St Maarten.
Queen Elizabeth departs Southampton on Jan 5, 2011 on her 103-night epic Maiden World Voyage featuring 35 ports of call - including Cunard’s first call ever at Port Denarau (Fiji).

In total, Queen Elizabeth will call at 38 ports in 23 countries as she makes her way west around the globe, with maiden transits of both the Panama and Suez Canals and calls at Los Angeles, Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Lisbon.
The 23-night Caribbean voyage from Southampton in December will take in 6 Caribbean ports including Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St Maarten.

Oasis of the Seas Video Tour

Video tour of the World's Largest Cruise Ship - Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas

Click on arrows at bottom right to view video in full screen - then hit escape when finished.

Queen Mary 2 Circumnavigates Australia in 2012

Cunard's luxury liner Queen Mary 2 is reportedly planning to circumnavigate Australia  in 2012, visiting ports in five states and the Northern Territory.

The Sydney Morning Herald estimates that the tour will boost Australia's economy by $9 million.

The ship is expected to spend 28 sailing around Australia.

The 2012 voyage will reportedly be the longest period Queen Mary 2 has been based in any country outside her northern hemisphere home ports of Southampton and New York.

Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks said in a statement he expected very strong demand from Australian and international markets when tickets for the Australian tour go on sale in mid-2010.

NCL's Solo Cabins Big Hit

NCL's (Norwegian Cruise Line) rooms designed for solo travelers on the Norwegian Epic -  without paying the supplemental charge - have solo cruise travelers ready to hit the high seas.

The Epic, which launches this summer, will offer 128 studios for singles - and the cabins open onto a lounge area where solo travelers can socialize.
For years cruise lines have charged a single person occupying a double cabin addtional fees. The obvious answer was for a cruise line to design single cabins.

Paul Motter, editor at CruiseMates.com, said he thinks the single studios "will take off. We have a whole message board on CruiseMates for people seeking cruise companions. It's a huge potential market."

Norwegian Cruise Price Increase

Last month Carnival announced an increase in cruise fares effective March 22 -and NCL has just announced cruise fares will increase on sailings.

Norwegian Cruise Line experienced an unprecedented year-to-date increase in booking volume during its "Year of the Freestyle Vacation" wave season promotion in January and February.

The company also saw a strong interest in its new ship debuting in June, Norwegian Epic, and for its Hawaii-based ship, Pride of America.

Because of this demand, prices are set to increase fleet wide up to 7% as of Apri 2, 2010.

Norwegian Cruise Suite and Villa Deal

Book a cruise on Norwegian at least nine months in advance and receive an onboard credit of up to $300 per cabin. Deal applies to suites and villas.

Cruises of five days or longer receive a $300 credit; shorter cruises get $150. Credit is good for shore excursions, spa services, specialty restaurants, etc. Pricing varies by cruise.

Seven-night Florida and Bahamas cruise aboard the Norwegian Gem starts at $2,958 per couple per suite, including taxes.

Depart from New York on Feb. 26. Book by April 1.

Star Clippers Video & Virtual Tour

It’s as if you had your own chartered yacht and could sail anywhere you wanted. Except we do all the work for you while you laze in our pool, or watch the dolphins play in their pool.

Royal Clipper explores the lush, exotically beautiful islands like Dominica and St. Lucia, where jungle trails abound with sweet-smelling vanilla orchids and other wild-growing tropical flowers and visits privileged enclaves in the lesser-known Grenadines.

Clipper is the perfect platform from which to launch diving adventures in the Tobago Cays, where the reefs are a marvel of colourful marine creations.

Royal Clipper sails from Barbados on alternating voyages to explore the Spice Islands of the Grenadines or the Windward Islands.

Star Clippers Video


Virtual Tour

Seabourn Offers Savings on Europe, Asia Cruises

Deal Dates: February 22, 2010 - April 30, 2010

The Yachts of Seabourn is offering a special two-for-one, cruise-only savings on a slew of its Europe and Asia  voyages aboard its fleet of five, all-suite vessels.

Guests who book before the end of April will receive reduced round trip add-on airfares from $499 economy class and $1,999 for business class from 40 North American airports.

The cruises, which range from seven to 15 days, depart between May and November. Choose the Seabourn Spirit for cruises in the Adriatic and Dalmatian Coasts or Legend in the French and Italian Rivieras.

The Seabourn Odyssey will sail the Greek Isles, Turkey and the Black Sea. Seabourn Sojourn will kick of its maiden season in June sailing Northern Europe including Scandinavia, Russia, Scotland and Norway. And Seabourn Pride will visit Asia, hitting Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and China.

Cruise-only fares start from $3,550 per person. All bookings must be made by April 30.

Alaska Cruises Can't Meet Proposed Pollution Limits

The cruise industry is not happy with the new pollution limits for ships that could go in effect in Alaska later this year.

The Juneau Empire today reports an industry representative told a public hearing that more than half of the cruise vessels operating in the state would not be able to meet new limits for the pollutant ammonia that are part of proposed wastewater rules for 2010.

The news outlet says Alaska Cruise Association consultant Mike Tibbles argued the limits are too strict in general and there's not enough time for the industry to comply before the start of the Alaska season in a few months.

Source: USA Today Cruise Log

What to Do When Ship Happens

I ran across this article at CruiseMates today by Paul Motter, and wanted to share . . . Linda

Every once in awhile the cruise industry has a tough week, and this has been one of them.

This morning we got the news that one of the nicer Costa cruise ships, the Europa, was blown by a strong wind up against the dock in Sharm al Sheik, Egypt, resulting in the death of three crewmembers. We are not sure exactly how the crewmembers died, but weather conditions were bad enough that all of the passengers were disembarked from the ship, put up in hotels and will be flown home.

Another ship, Celebrity Mercury, suffered one of the worst outbreaks of Norovirus on a cruise ships we have seen for a few years. Approximately 8% of the population of this ship was affected by the virus, about 300 people.

Even five years ago, before much more stringent practices to prevent the spread of diseases on ships were put into place, this would have been a significant outbreak. Fortunately, the recovery seems to be working out well and the line is doing a thorough cleaning that should prevent a similar outbreak from occurring on the next cruise of the same ship.

Finish reading article at CruiseMates

Insider Cruise Secrets Revealed

 

This information will absolutely transform the way you cruise! 

This guide will work with any cruise line, any ship, and any itinerary worldwide! 

Intelligent Cruiser