Cruise Line Videos

Explore the World of Cruise Vacationing Getting to know the Cruise Lines and Ships October 1 - 31, 2011  If you've ever thought about going on your first cruise, October is the time to begin that journey. There are so many different ships to chose from - which one is right for you?  One way to find out is to review Cruise Line Videos on our NCVW microsite. There you will see videos from Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Holland American Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Azamara Club Cruises.  These videos will show you the cruise experience onboard their ships and may also mention special incentives during NCVW. Virtual ShipTours After you view the videos, you may also which to take a closer look at one or more ships.  Enjoy panoramic 360-degree views of cabins, dining rooms, casinos, pool decks and more on our Virtual Ship Tour page. These full-featured tours have a special programming language, which eliminates the need for downloading special software. Finally, there are videos and photo albums on our  Facebook Fan Page.

Carnival Agency of the Year Sale

Up to 2-Category Upgrade

Starting Friday March 5th, an exclusive Cruise Sale with Carnival called the "Partner of the Year Sale" begins. The sale will run through Friday March 12th and include 2-category upgrades, and 15% off Shore Excursions (booked with Port Promotions).

Select from Carnival's "Fun Ships" including Carnival Fascination, Carnival Fanatasy, Carnival Valor, Carnival Victory, Carnival Splendor, and Carnival Destiny.

Where would you like to go? Imagine cruising to the Eastern, Western, or Southern Caribbean or the Mexican Riviera on a 5 or 7 night fun filled cruise vacation.

Begin your search for Partner of the Year Savings (click here)

Carnival Cruise Lines holds the status of not only being the largest cruise line in the world, with a fleet of 22 "Fun Ships", but one of the most popular. The line's fleet is one of the newest and most modern. At 130,000 tons, the new Carnival Dream is the largest in Carnival's "Fun Ship" fleet. Learn more... about Carnival Cruise Line.

Greetings from Sea

I'm writing this from the internet cafe onboard Carnival Elation. The Elation sails from San Diego for a fun-filled 3 night cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. It is the perfect weekend getaway from the West Coast.

When we left San Diego, the weather there was perfect. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temperature was in the upper 60s - much better than the 27 degrees back home.

Last night there was the customary welcome aboard show in the main theater. The cruise director, Steve, welcomed the largest group onboard the vessel. This is the First International Cougar Cruise. They caused quite a stir in San Diego, making the local evening news. So far, they've been pretty tame.

When we boarded the ship, the crew had been putting up the holiday decorations. It is quite festive onboard with the holiday atmosphere.

Today was a sea day. It has been an overcast day, but that hasn't stopped the usual onboard fun such as the hairy chest competition. Despite the cool weather, the pool areas were filled with well-wishers for the competitors.

My favorite spot on the ship is the Serenity Pool area. This is an adult-only venue with plenty of lounge chairs and two hot tubs. If you want to relax, this is the perfect place to hang out.

Tomorrow we arrive early in Ensenada, Mexico. I'll tell you more about Ensenada in future posts. I'm off to the holiday show now featuring the Carnival Singers and Dancers and the Camp Carnival children.

Hurricane Ida Heads for Gulf of Mexico

Chart Courtesy of NOAA: 1200 PM EST (Ida) Wed Nov 8, 2009 (click for udated chart)

<more details>

Hurricane Ida

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

900 AM CST MON NOV 09 2009... IDA WEAKENS TO A TROPICAL STORM...

900 AM CST TUE NOV 10 2009... IDA BECOMES EXTRATROPICAL... ALL WARNINGS DISCONTINUED...

Mobile and New Orleans Port Closures

Impacts Carnival Cruises

Tropical Storm IDA, which at one point was a Category Two Hurricane, entered the Gulf of Mexico Sunday afternoon. This is the first storm of the season to track into this region. Tropical Storm watches are warnings are posted for the Gulf Coast region.

As a service to my clients and my blog readers, we'll provided continual updates on tropical storms and any cruise line advisories that are posted. For convenience, RSS feeds are also added so that you can get up-to-date information between posts. <NHC Active Storms>

The NHC has issued its final advisory on this system. Public Advisories from the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center will provide updates as long as the system remains a flood threat.
PublicAdvisory #39 1000 AM EST Friday, November 13, 2009

UPDATE: 900 AM CST TUE NOV 10 2009... IDA BECOMES EXTRATROPICAL... ALL WARNINGS DISCONTINUED... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 35 MPH... 55KM/HR... WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IDA HAS LOST TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ITS WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SLOWLY DIMINISH DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO.

IDA TURNS NORTHWARD... SHOULD MAKE LANDFALL OVERNIGHT... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MPH...110 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WEAKENING IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING AS IDA MOVES OVER COOLER WATERS PRIOR TO MAKING LANDFALL... AND IS EXPECTED TO MERGE WITH A FRONTAL ZONE ON WEDNESDAY.

IDA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM STORM TOTALS OF 8 INCHES... THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FROM THE EASTERN GULF COAST ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES INTO THE SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC STATES.

WATER LEVELS ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST SHOULD GRADUALLY BEGIN TO SUBSIDE DURING THE DAY.

THIS IS THE LAST PUBLIC ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ON THIS SYSTEM. This also ends our coverage of this tropical storm.

Local Weather Statements

404 PM CST MON NOV 9 2009

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

<more details> <click for updated chart>

<NWS - Local Weather>

<NASA Hurricane Tracking>

Cruise Ship Tropical Storm

Updates / Itinerary Changes

The following are links to the most recent advisory posted by the respective cruise line. As we learn of changes, this post will be updated.

This storm isn't as predictable as others so far this hurricane season. As you can see from the real-time tracking link below, there are a number of ships in the area that could be affected by Ida depending on the track it takes over the next few days.

<CARNIVAL> <Norwegian Cruise Line> <Royal Caribbean>

CARNIVAL TROPICAL UPDATE - November 9, 2009
We are closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane IDA. All of our ships are currently operating at a safe distance from the storm. Our number one priority is the safety of our guests and crew.
Due to the impact from the storm and the related port closures in New Orleans and Mobile, we will modify the following itineraries:

Carnival Triumph – November 10, 2009 Departure
The 4 day cruise scheduled to depart on Tuesday, November 10 will be changed to a 3 day cruise departing on Wednesday, November 11. The scheduled call in Cozumel will be cancelled. Guests that sail on the 3 day cruise will receive a 50% refund of the cruise fare paid for the 4 day cruise.

Carnival Fantasy - November 10, 2009 Departure
The 6 day cruise scheduled to depart on Tuesday, November 10 will be changed to a 5 day cruise departing on Wednesday, November 11. The scheduled call in Progresso will be cancelled and the calls in Cozumel and Costa Maya will be operated as scheduled. Guests that sail on the 5 day cruise will receive a one day pro-rated refund of the cruise fare paid for the 6 day cruise.
Additional updates will be provided if any new information becomes available.

PRINCESS CRUISES: Crown Princess (Nov 6, 2009)

Crown Princess will be rearranging the port calls on its November 7 itinerary to avoid Tropical Storm Ida. The ship will depart Fort Lauderdale as scheduled, and the new cruise itinerary will be as follows: Princess Cays; sea day; Grand Cayman; Roatan, Honduras; Cozumel, Mexico; sea day; return to Fort Lauderdale.

Live Cruise Ship and Ocean Liner Tracking:

<Interactive tracking map> See where ships are relative to tropical storms.

Cruise lines will do everything to keep passengers and crew safe. A cruise is rarely cancelled because of weather, even hurricanes. The cruise lines monitor progress of any storms both in their main offices and onboard the vessels. They work closely with the various weather services, such as NOAA and NHC, to make determinations about itinerary deviations.

Continue to watch this post, I will provide updates as conditions change. If you are on a cruise this week in the area, be sure to monitor the storm closely.

On Deck for the Cure

I'm writing this on our last sea day onboard Carnival Pride R/T Baltimore to the Bahamas. We've had a successful National Conference this week. Besides meetings and visiting three ports of call, our group participated in a worthwhile cause.

Carnival Corporation hosts On Deck for the Cure which is available on 14 ships. This innovative fundraising initiative benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Each participant receives a T-Shirt and pink wrist band to signify their participation in this walk / donation program. Get a little exercise and donate to a worthy foundation.

On your next Carnival cruise, make sure to check out this fundraising event.

Greetings from Nassau, Bahamas

Back home the temperature is in the 60s but here in the Bahamas it's a balmy 90 with humidity. What a perfect day to spend under a palm tree in a hammock. The ship arrived in Nassau around 11 AM and we departed shortly after that for Blue Lagoon.

It's a short boat ride from the pier to Blue Lagoon. On the way to the private island, the boat passes Atlantis resort and many expensive homes. There are plenty of photo opportunities along the way for capturing the beautiful turquoise waters of the Bahamas.

After arriving we found a location with several hammocks and picnic tables and put our bags down on one of the tables. It was time to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, catch some rays and enjoy the various water sports.

I'll leave you with that image for now. When I return from our cruise, I'll tell you more about our stay and include some pictures.

Meanwhile, I suggest you take a look at my website for Carnival Pride itineraries out of Batlimore. This is the perfect vacation for families, especially those that live near Baltimore.

Greetings from Carnival Pride

I'm writing this to you from Carnival Pride, the host for Cruises Inc. & Cruise One 2009 National Conference. We are at sea today somewhere off the coast of Florida. Tomorrow we will be in Port Canaveral where we will have a group outing to Disney World in Orlando.

Carnival Pride sails out of Baltimore for a fun filled 7 night cruise to Port Canaveral and the Bahamas. This is a perfect get away especially for families on the East Coast of the United States. It is within driving distance from many cities and a great way to relax with your family without having to fly to your destination.

More about this itininerary in detail when I return to the office - complete with pictures of course. (CLICK HERE FOR CARNIVAL PRIDE ITINERARIES)

In addition to Carnival Cruise Lines executives, there are executives from many of the cruise lines onboard with us all week. We are learning about exciting changes each company will be introducing or have already introduced. I'll be sharing information about this in future columns.

I'll have to keep this short since I'm off to lunch and then more meetings. Now is the time to plan your next cruise vacation. There are some amazing offers available this month for National Cruise Vacation month, so send me an email to start your planning.

WLCN Carnival Cruises

Worlds Largest Cruise Night

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES holds the status of not only being the largest cruise line in the world, with a fleet of 23 "Fun Ships", but one of the most popular. The line's fleet is one of the newest and most modern. At 110,000 tons, the line's new "Conquest-class" is the largest in Carnival's "Fun Ship" fleet. The first of the 2,974-passenger super liners is the Carnival Freedom.

Carnival offers a choice of itineraries, from two- to 17-days, to worldwide destinations, including the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, Bermuda, Europe, New England and the Canadian Maritimes. In 2006, several new sailings will be offered from all along the Eastern Coast to the new ports of call.

Carnival Offers for WLCN 2009 (Oct. 14th Only)

Cash Back up to $70 per stateroom on Select 3 & 4 Day sailings.

Cash Back up to $100 per stateroom on Select 5 & 6 Day sailings.

Cash Back up to $200 per stateroom on Select 7 & 8 Day sailings.

See the Carnival Cruise Lines Video

Explore Carnival Cruise Lines Itineraries

Join Us For The World's Largest Cruise Night - A Virtual Cruise Night!

Offers are valid on new bookings made on October 14, 2009; based on availability and are not combinable with any other offers and/or discounts.

Carnival Cruises Cash Back Sale Extended

Carnival Cruises

Summer Savings Continues

Carnival Cruises announced that it was extending the Summer Cash Back Sale through July 31, 2009. Guests can receive up to $240 per cabin depending on the length of the cruise.

Just book by July 31st, 2009 and Carnival will load up your Sail & Sign® Card with up to $50 per guest for 3–4 day cruises, up to $75 per guest for 5 day cruises, or up to $120 per guest for 6–8 day cruises.

But here's the coolest part. You can use the cash anywhere on board or on a shore excursion. And at the end of your cruise, you’ll get back whatever credit you haven't used. How great is that?

For Complete Details Including Sample Savings CLICK HERE.

Carnival Triumph - Great Cities Theme

Carnival Triumph - Ship Decor

While on our recent Canada & New England cruise aboard Carnival Triumph, I learned that the theme for the ship is "Great Cities". In looking at the decor throughout the ship, I might have thought it was "Around the Globe" or "The World" since the globe theme appears throughout the public areas.

When you look at the names of the various public spaces, the theme does start to take shape. The two dining rooms are called London and Paris. The main show lounge is the Rome Lounge. Another entertainment venue is Club Rio Lounge. You can enjoy a drink and cigar in the Oxford Bar or perhaps curl up with your favorite book in Washington Library. Those are just a sample of the "Great Cities" represented on Carnival Triumph.

Decor of a ship contributes to the overall atmosphere during your cruise experience. Modern cruise ships are brightly decorated often, with abstract art throughout the vessel. In ages gone by, the ships were decorated with exquisite wood and often times the decor was very dark. Cruise lines spend a large portion of the new ship budget bringing their vision to life.

The next time you are onboard a ship, take a look at the decor and see if you can determine the ship's theme. Take some time, perhaps on one of the sea days, to walk around the ship and enjoy the various art that is displayed throughout the ship. This may open up an entirely new aspect to your cruise experience.

Happy Father's Day

Greetings from the Atlantic. We are onboard Carnival Triumph for a cruise to Canada and New England. We arrived at New York LGA airport yesterday where we then took a cab to the Manhattan Terminal. We arrived around 1 PM and by 2 PM we were onboard having some lunch.

The weather in New York was gloomy and raining as we sailed out of New York Harbour. It didn't matter - it is still wonderful sailing past the Statue of Liberty.

Today we are enjoying Father's Day at sea. The weather is still gloomy, but it isn't stopping us from having a good time.

One of the first things we did yesterday after getting something to eat was to take the spa tour. We both booked massages including a free hot stone treatment on the back. They were offering specials during the spa tours.

I'll write more later in the week. I hope all the fathers have a great Father's Day today. Hopefully you'll have a cruise vacation as a gift. If you still got the usual tie, you might want to drop a hint for your birthday or next holiday.

Carnival Cruises Returning to Mexico

Carnival Cruise Lines will resume visits to Mexican ports of call based on the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, which is no longer recommending against non-essential travel to Mexico. Once all voyages with previously modified itineraries are completed, those vessels will revert to their original routes featuring stops in Mexico.

Most itineraries were modified through mid-June with the exception of the Holiday which was modified through late May. For full details on modified itineraries, and the effective dates for the return to the original itineraries, click here.

In communicating this news to their travel partners, Carnival said "Please rest assured that the health and well being of our guests and crew is our highest priority and we are returning to Mexico after careful evaluation and consultation with the CDC. It is important to note that the concentration of H1N1 flu cases in Mexico has been inland rather than in the coastal resort areas where our ships visit."

The cruise industry works closely with U.S. public health officials in the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program in developing and complying with extensive policies and procedures that are effective in mitigating illness aboard cruise ships. Carnival will continue to follow CDC guidelines for cruise ships which include pre-boarding health questionnaires for all guests and crew, along with secondary screening by shipboard medical professionals as necessary. Additionally, all Carnival ships stock influenza test kits and anti-viral medications for treating type A influenzas.

Carnival concluded their travel partner update by saying "We are very pleased to be returning to Mexico and would also very much like to thank you for your understanding and patience during the past few weeks."