Crystal Cruises Dresses Up for Christmas/New Year Cruises

Crystal Cruises is introducing extravagantly redesigned decor aboard its two award-winning ships this holiday season. 

With each ship boasting distinctly different themes, thousands of glittering lights, ribbon-wrapped wreaths, reindeer in faux mink swags, candy canes, crystal ornaments – and even feathers – will adorn Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity for the 2010 Christmas/New Year cruises. 
 
Crystal Symphony will sport a sophisticated palette, beginning with three heralding angels, complete with lushly feathered wings and golden trumpets, overlooking the Crystal Plaza. 

In the Bistro, an Eiffel Tower Christmas tree with apropos coffee-themed ornaments will be lit from within, while golden- and white-feathered trees are set throughout the Avenue of the Stars and Crystal Cove.

Suiting Crystal Serenity's Caribbean destinations, tropically dressed penguins and polar bears will serve as Santa's helpers in the Palm Court lobby, with snowflakes and lighted icicles at virtually every turn.  The Stardust lounge will become Santa's workshop, and a chic, cocktail-themed tree will hang upside-down in Pulse nightclub, while Silk Road and The Sushi Bar display chopstick-laden trees.

Christmas brings traditional feasts, eggnog and holiday shows, while a black-tie New Year's Eve party rings in the New Year.  Clergy will be on board for religious services.

Both 14-day sailings include $500 per person 'All Inclusive – As You Wish' shipboard credits. 

Guests booking by September 30 save $1,000 per person savings on verandah and penthouse accommodations, and kids age 17 and under sail free in a third berth with two full-fare adults. 

www.crystalcruises.com

Santo Domingo Hosts Cruise Conference & Trade Show

Santo Domingo's Sans Souci Port will host the 17th Annual Cruise Conference and Trade Show on October 25 – 29, 2010.

Over 100 cruise executives and 1,000 industry partners are expected to attend. 

This is an event that brings together cruise executives and destinations, suppliers and tour operators.

Sponsored by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), this is the premier industry event of the year, an opportunity to meet in a roundtable format with key players to analyze industry trends and discuss current issues.

Topics will cover marketing strategies, keeping up with trends, and developing innovative tour operations.

Source:   Dominican Today News - Santo Domingo and Dominican Republic  

Hurricane Earl Hammering Caribbean, Impacting Cruises

Hurricane Earl, the fifth named storm of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season, is passing through the Eastern and Southern Caribbean as a major hurricane, bringing powerful winds and rain and causing flooding on several islands.

Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean and NCL have announced storm-related itinerary changes.

Read more at Cruise Critic

MSC NewestTheme - Dance Cruises

MSC Cruises just added Dance to its offering of theme cruises including Card Games, Chess, Food and Wine, Wellness, Cultural, Hobby, Baseball, and Big Band.

Guests will learn dances from the Tango, Mambo, Salsa, Samba, Cha Cha, and other ballroom and popular dances. This year’s instructors include Elaine Santana and Alex de Oliveira of the Axel Dance Company, and Petra and Norbert Backhausen of the Tanzschule Backhausen.

These dance cruises feature lessons with professional dancers, and  certificates are awarded to all participants with prizes for competition winners.

Dance cruise ships include dates, ships, and itineraries include:

MSC Armonia, from Venice to Santos, 18-nights calling in Croatia, Tunisia, Spain, Madeira, Canary Islands and Brazil. September 20, 2010

MSC Musica, from Venice to Rio de Janeiro, 18-nights calling in Croatia, Malta, Spain, Madeira, Canary Islands, and Brazil. October 31, 2010

MSC Orchestra, from Genoa to Santos, 17-nights calling in Spain, Portugual, Morocco, Canary Islands, and Brazil. November 11, 2010

MSC Opera, from Venice to Santos, 18-nights calling in Greece, Malta, Spain, Morocco, Canary Islands, and Brazil. November 25, 2010

MSC Lirica, from Buenos Aires to Genoa, 21-nights calling in Brazil, Canary Islands, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. March 12, 2011


Source: Cruise Report

Belize Tourist Area to Cruise Ships: Stay Away

 The arrival of cruise ships in a tourist town can result in an economic windfall for local businesses. And yet not every waterside destination is pursuing them.

Case in point: The Caribbean hideaway of Placencia, Belize, which is making it more than clear it wants nothing to do with the 3,000-passenger giants of the seas that sail in the region.

The Placencia Tour Operators Association argued mass tourism from cruise ships would result in adverse effects on the area's fragile marine and inland environments such as coral reefs and fish and bird habitats.

This week the association sent out a detailed list of reasons why it thinks cruise tourism would be a disaster for the village and surrounding 26-mile-long sandy peninsula, which thrives on multi-day visitors who come for diving, snorkeling and beach-going in a relaxed, uncrowded atmosphere.

Read full story at USA Travel

Royal Caribbean Vacation Planning Kit

Let's get started. You have a cruise vacation to plan.

With over 261 worldwide destinations and the most innovative ships at sea, Royal Caribbean International® truly offers something for everyone.

From hiking glaciers in Alaska to walking along cobblestone pathways in Europe, or a sunny beach in the Caribbean - no matter what your age or interest, there is a specific cruise for you.

All potential cruise passengers have to do is answer a few questions to assist the cruise line in understanding what you're looking for in your next cruise vacation. 

Royal Caribbean will send you a Vacation Planning Kit, complete with an interactive DVD and brochure to help you plan the vacation you deserve.

Vacation Planning Kit

Miami Pre, Post Cruise Deal

Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay hotel in downtown Miami, located near the Port of Miami, invites guests to extend their Miami cruise with the pre/post cruise package. 

With rates ranging from just $209 - $249, the Pre/Post Cruise Package offers a deluxe guest room, two welcome cocktails, breakfast for two and transportation to the Port of Miami.

Extend the experience of blue water, sunny skies and gorgeous sights at this Port of Miami area hotel with Marriott's Port of Miami Vacation Package for stays from now through December 31, 2010.


The Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay hotel is located just minutes from the Port of Miami and provides easy access to Miami International Airport and the surrounding area in the heart of downtown Miami.

The hotel offers 580 guest rooms and 21 suites and convenient access to South Beach, Bayside Marketplace, the Art Deco District and entertainment at the nearby Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts featuring opera, jazz, and symphony performances.

This special package is ideal for relaxing and unwinding at a convenient Port of Miami hotel and can be booked by calling 1-800-228-9290 or visiting www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/miabb-miami-marriott-biscayne-bay and using code TRS.

Staying in Touch While Cruising

Most of todays cruise ships offer internet/wi-fi service in order for cruisers to stay in touch.

 On my last cruise, I paid in advance for the service, but found the internet connection extremely slow - which obviously subtracts from your time. 

Also you may have to wait to get a seat depending on how many passengers have the same idea in mind. Bottom line - it's very expensive to check and send e-mails while onboard.

A good money saving suggestion would be to wait until you get into port. You can investigate internet cafe's  prior to your cruise, and you will save a great deal. If you are still unsure where to go, ask one of the crew for directions.

Prior to leaving, get a free e-mail account, and use that account to e-mail friends and family back home. Using internet cafes can bring a lot of SPAM to your personal inbox.

Staying in touch by phone -you will need an international phone. Again you will be paying a premium via the cruise ship's satellite - and that's in addition to your calling plan. To avoid the extra charge, make calls while in port.

Solo Traveler Exotic Cruise Deal

International Expeditions is waiving the single supplement fee on 10-day cruises to the Galapagos Islands for it's September 30, 2011 sailing. That's a savings of 25% for solo cruisers.

The itinerary visits nine islands on the 32-guest yacht M/V Evolution, which is small enough to access outlying Genovesa (Tower) Island.

The ship features landing craft that provides easy shore access in addition to an observation deck for whale watching, a canopied bar and complimentary snorkeling equipment, wetsuits and kayaks.

Highlights include visits to Fernandina Island, Tagus Cove on Isabela Island, Puerto Ayora (the islands' largest human settlement), the Charles Darwin Research Center (famous for its tortoise breeding programs), Kicker Rock and Santiago Island.

Guests will snorkel as well as hike through deserts, rainforests and volcanic terrain. Galapagos naturalist guides share their knowledge, bringing guests within inches of giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, penguins and other animals.

Prices start at $4,998, and include accommodations, tax and transit fees, all excursions, 23 meals, transfers and tips to porters and waiters for included meals.

Visit www.ietravel.com

Holland America Line Unveils 2011, 2012 Grand Voyages

Reservations are open for Holland America Line's fall 2011 and early 2012 cruises of four itineraries on two of its ships across all seven continents.

Guests may book the full cruise or in segments of 18- to 112-day voyages.

Full-cruise passengers booking early can benefit from amenities including prepaid hotel service charges, shipboard credit, luggage delivery service and a complimentary shore excursion or event for select stateroom categories.

In the fall of 2011, ms Amsterdam will embark on the 70-day Grand Asia and Australia Voyage and the 112-day world cruise, Grand World Voyage.

In January 2012, the ms Prinsendam will go on the 68-day Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage, before the 62-day Grand Mediterranean and Black Sea Voyage in March.

Cruise activities will include local cultural entertainment and guest headliners and lecturers. Dining will feature local ingredients and regional cuisine and wines. On-board service will include almost one crew member for every two guests.

Visit www.hollandamerica.com

Royal Caribbean Promotes Holiday Cruises

Royal Caribbean is looking to get more people to consider a cruise vacation as a way of celebrating the holidays this year, from from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, aboard its cruise ships.

For those considering Thanksgiving, Royal Caribbean ships will feature a gourmet turkey dinner of course as well as the award-winning Adventure Ocean program, which will provide kids with themed activities including Thanksgiving story time and arts and crafts.

If you're considering December, Royal Caribbean will offer Hanukkah-themed festivities lasting all eight days of the holiday, including a Rabbi aboard every ship to conduct a nightly menorah lighting ceremony and services.

For those celebrating Christmas, a Catholic priest also will be aboard to lead the holiday’s observances including a midnight mass on Christmas Eve. 

Speaking of Christmas, there's more onboard if you're considering going during the season, including classic movie screenings, guest and crew caroling, cookie decorating, special Christmas-themed Adventure Ocean programming, and holiday ice skating aboard select ships.

Or if New Years is when you'd like to be on a Royal Caribbean ship, there are special ways to ring in the new year such as the Captain’s Countdown and themed parties in every onboard lounge. Young cruisers will enjoy the extended late night party zone where kids and teens will be celebrating at their own New Year’s festivities.

Source: Royal Caribbean Blog

Carnival, Razorfish Launch Social Media Cruise Planning App

Carnival Cruise Lines and Razorfish today announced the launch of a groundbreaking new social commerce Facebook application that allows users to easily view, compare, select and share.


The application, the first of its kind in the cruise industry, allows users to engage their social network in their vacation planning through personalized newsfeed updates and even invite friends to book the same trip.

The application, available on Carnival’s official Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/carnival), enables the user to explore all available Carnival cruise options without leaving Facebook by providing the functionality to sort cruises by date, duration, port of call, and accommodation type.

Once users decide on a particular cruise, they can share the detailed cruise information with their Facebook friends by simply clicking a button.

Users can also customize their newsfeed messages, which include a link to the cruise, to invite friends to book the trip as well.

View full article at Carnival News

The Free Cruise Offer: Scam or Legit?

We've seen spokes model Carmen Electra touting free cruises on TV, received the award booklet mailing (with its official-looking stamps of approval from The Islands of the Bahamas, Alamo and Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort) and discovered the offer while browsing the Web.

We're told that collecting our free cruise is easy: Call an 800 number, or fill out a form, and it's time for two nights of zero-cost cruising.

Naturally, "scam" might be the first thing that comes to mind with such an offer. And it quickly becomes apparent that the * means it's not actually free.

It'll cost you a minimum of $59 per person for government fees and port taxes. There's nothing necessarily untoward here; the government taxes and fees are clearly stated, and $59 per person for a two-night Bahamas cruise -- which includes accommodations, all meals, entertainment and a call at Grand Bahama Island -- still seems like a decent deal for a quick getaway.

Still, people have had serious complaints when trying to book the offer, ranging from confusion about which company is making the offer (Caribbean Cruise Lines, which sends the deal, or Celebration Cruise Line, which operates the ships) to forced timeshare pitches and misleading pricing.

Cruise Critic did some research, including attempting to book a cruise, to help you determine whether the offer is a scam or a good deal. First, a bit of background:

Who is Caribbean Cruise Line, Anyway?

Mediterranean Cruises 101 Guide

 
Plan your perfect Mediterranean cruise vacation with our expert tips and easy-reference overview to the region

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
• When is Mediterranean cruise season?me
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Mediterranean Cruises 101

Celebrity Launches iPad Art Tours

Earlier this year, Celebrity introduced the first "Celebrity iLounge," a center equipped with MacBook workstations, a retail space and an enrichment center. 

The iPads on each Solstice Class ship are now equipped with floor plans of every deck, with select works of art flagged.

The tour begins with a touch of the screen when guests select the work of art he or she would like to learn about. Details include the title, artist's name, medium used, description and image.
 
Celebrity's three Solstice Class ships are home to over 14,000 works of original art.

The new tours began on Celebrity Solstice as of August 15. They will continue on Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Equinox on August 21.

Visit www.celebritycruises.com

Source: Travel Agent Central