The top executives of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) spoke to delegates gathered at Cruise Shipping Miami last week, offering their views on cruising's safety record and policies, as well as the industry's prospects and commitment to growth in the coming months and years. Howard Frank, vice-chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc and chairman of CLIA, said, in reference to the Costa Concordia tragedy, "As a cruise ship operator, there is nothing more heart-wrenching than the loss of one of your passengers or crew members and on behalf of the entire Carnival Corporation & plc...
Princess Cruises is celebrating the arrival of springtime with special fares on favourite summer destinations - Europe and Alaska. The "Spring into Savings"sale begins on the first day of spring, March 20, and runs through March 26. Passengers can enjoy savings of up to two-for-one fares, plus can receive an onboard credit of up to $100 per stateroom on 2012 sailings. The sale features the best of Europe and Alaska with sailings to sought-after destinations such as the Mediterranean, Holy Land, British Isles and Scandinavia, as well as sailings through the Gulf of Alaska. In addition to fare...
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has unveiled a major innovation in ship design: The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place on its newest ship, Norwegian Breakaway, launching in April 2013. This new concept includes an oceanfront boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants and bars, combined with three expansive, flowing decks of dining, bars, entertainment, gaming and more. "The heart of Norwegian Breakaway and the elements that truly set it apart are The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place,"said Kevin Sheehan, NCL's chief executive officer. "Guests will enjoy al fresco dining while admiring the beauty of the...
Princess Cruises has revealed more details about several of the main dining room and specialty restaurant options that will be available aboard Royal Princess when the cruise ship debuts in June 2013, including new special venues and experiences, plus fresh twists on some Princess favourites. Among the new options are several distinct dining spaces, including a special Chef's Table Lumiere surrounded by a curtain of light to take the Chef's Table experience to a new level, as well as wine cellar-inspired private dining spaces in the main dining rooms. The ship will offer a larger Horizon...
Travel agents will now have the tools to create their own dedicated Oceania Cruises web site, at no charge, featuring all of the upper-premium line's itineraries, fares, availability and special offers. Designed to help increase visibility online, deepen customer relationships and grow sales, Oceania Cruises' new Co-Branded Agency Website Program provides agents and agencies with a more personal approach to interacting with their clients. The site can be customized with the agency's logo, contact and profile information, quote forms, and more. The site is maintained by Oceania Cruises,...
Families taking their spring school vacations are expected to fill eight multi-day cruise ships at Port Everglades on Saturday (March 17) and possibly break the world record held by Port Everglades for the highest number of passengers sailing in and out of a seaport in a single day. Port Everglades last broke its own world record on March 20, 2010, also during a busy spring school vacation time, with 53,365 guests passing through the Port that day and came close to breaking the record again this past November during the busy Thanksgiving weekend. This year, on March 17, eight of the largest...
In the summer of 2013, Celebrity Cruises will bring a Solstice Class ship to Alaska for the first time. The 2,850-guest flagship Celebrity Solstice will join Celebrity Century and Celebrity Millennium in Alaska. Solstice will offer seven-night Tracy Arm Fjord sailings roundtrip from Seattle, with visits to the Alaskan towns of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, as well as Victoria, BC, and transiting the scenic Inside Passage. Preceding the Alaska season will be a nine-night "West Coast Wine Cruise"from Ensenada, Mexico, to Seattle in May, and rounding out the season will be a 10-night "America's...
Holland America Line (HAL) is making an Alaska CruiseTour or European cruise a more affordable vacation option this summer with limited-time savings and special offers. Guests who book select 2012 Alaska CruiseTours or European itineraries by March 31 are eligible to receive up to a $500 air credit per stateroom or a shipboard credit of up to $200 per suite, as well as complimentary stateroom upgrades from an inside stateroom to an oceanview or from an oceanview stateroom to a verandah. Families looking to take a summer vacation can take advantage of an exclusive offer that lets kids between...
Viking River Cruises has commissioned six more Viking Longships for delivery in 2013. The six vessels will be joining Viking Freya, Viking Idun, Viking Njord, Viking Odin, which will be christened on March 21, and Viking Embla and Viking Aegir, which will be delivered later in 2012. Viking Longships features include: !!! Two Explorer Suites, which will be the largest river cruise suites in Europe at 40 square metres, each featuring a separate living room, bedroom and private wraparound veranda, offering 270-degree views. !!! Seven two-room Veranda Suites with a full-size veranda in the living...
A second sensational grand prize -- a luxury European cruise -- has been added to this year's Agents' Choice Awards readership survey conducted by Canadian Travel Press, Travel Courier and www.travelpress.com. One lucky agent participating in the annual readership survey, and guest, will sail with Azamara Club Cruises aboard the Azamara Journey or Azamara Quest. The amazing Azamara cruise is valid from May 1 to Nov. 15, 2012, with the possibility of calling in such dream destinations as Paris, Stockholm and Lisbon. (Note: airfare and taxes/fees are not included and some blackout dates and...