Exciting News from Celebrity Cruises

Have You Been Waiting To Cruise Again - Wait No Longer

We just concluded the latest briefing by Celebrity Cruises regarding changes to testing and vaccination requirements both in the U.S. and Europe.   They mentioned that Top Gun has their sequel Top Gun Maverick and they said this is Cruising's Sequel.   As you can see from the charts below, more people are now able to cruise with relaxed requirements.  There are only a few exceptions, which are anticipated to change in the near future as well.   We can unravel the requirements and find the perfect cruise for you, your family, and your friends.

We encourage you to contact your Travel Advisor to plan your next vacation NOW.   Pricing has remained steady, allowing ships to fill up.   Don't miss the boat (ship)!  Prices will rise - take our word for it.   Your cruise deposit will lock in these low prices and also an incentive that is currently in place.

Here are the latest updates.  Click on the images to enlarge.   You can also visit Healthy Sailing page.

We can't stress enough - don't try to plan on your own.  The requirements for our October sailing has changed 3 times in less than a month.   We are keeping updated so you don't need to.

 Current Celebrity Cruises Promotions

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Put Your Tax Dollars to Work on a Vacation

Have you had visions of Caribbean beaches and cruise ships in your dreams?  I'm sure that I'm not the only one that does...  especially after the long pause from cruising due to the pandemic.

Are you are getting a tax refund?  Help the economy grow - spend some of your tax refund on yourself - on a cruise vacation.  If you've not been on a cruise before, now is the best time as ships are still not 100% full and the experience is the best ever.

If you are like most Americans, when the pandemic started, your vacation plans went out the window.   Consequently cruise prices have remained at pretty constant low prices, but are about to start increasing.   There are still several cruise line offers available for those that want to take advantage of the lower pricing.

How about Europe Instead?

Of course, you don't need to go to the Caribbean, and in fact, European cruise vacations are on the rebound.   Why is that you ask?    The cruise lines have record deployments in Europe in recent years but the demand hadn't kept pace with the increased capacity.

That's not to imply that people aren't booking European cruises - they are.  However, there are larger ships and more of them, in Europe this summer than any other time before. Obviously, the cruise ships need to sail full for the companies to make a profit, so the consumer wins.

Comparing Cruise to Land-Based

I just did a quick search on my website for a short European cruise vacation in May.  A 9 night Greek Isles cruise was available for less than $800 pp for an inside cabin.   For those that aren't quick at math, that's about $88 pp per day or less (excluding taxes and fees).

For comparison purposes, I did a hotel search for Santorini, Greece, one of the embarkation ports, during the same period and prices for a popular hotel started from $282 Per Night.   The hotel didn't include meals or entertainment and was rated as a 4 star accommodation.    Contrasting the hotel stay and the cruise...  On the cruise it's like getting your room at less than 50%, all your meals, and entertainment onboard the ship.

Besides Santorini, you'd visit Naples, Italy • Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey • Mykonos, Greece • Rhodes, Greece • Souda (Chania), Crete. Greece is one of our favorite cruise destinations.

I've not discussed airfare, which is a large expense for a European vacation, especially in prime season.   Since the cost of air would be the same for the cruise and land-based vacation stay, I've excluded that from the equation.    Since this cruise is before the Summer Season this makes the selected cruise even more attractive.  Cruise lines often have reduced air prices.

There are many deals to Europe this Summer.   We'll feature some of the sales on our website and Facebook page.   If you are seriously considering a Europe get-away this Summer, my suggestion would be to book now while the supply is larger than the demand so that you can maximize your investment.  

The prices I've seen during my search in preparation for this article are on par with what you'd pay for a Caribbean vacation on the same or similar ships.   For the most part, the ships are the larger, newer vessels in the respective fleets.   Ships like Celebrity Beyond, Enchanted Princess, and Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas are just a few of the choices you'll have.

Of course, if you want to stay closer to home in the Caribbean, Bermuda, or Disney World, we can help you sort through all the possible choices and find the best value for you and your family.  


Put Your Tax Dollars to Work for You on a Cruise / Land Vacation to Remember for Years to Come.   Cruise Europe in 2022 !!

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MSC Summer Cruises Announced

 Sail the Mediterranean This Summer

Cruise lines continue to announce itineraries originating from non-U.S. homeports as CDC continues to impose different rules on the cruise industry.  The latest announcement will have half of their fleet sailing over the next three months and has already been safely sailing since August.

MSC Cruises today announced new and updated itineraries in the Mediterranean and across Europe for this coming summer, offering guests plenty of options for the upcoming holiday season. The ships offering these now fully confirmed itineraries will operate under the same industry-leading health and safety protocol that has been safely protecting over 60,000 MSC Cruises guests sailing on the line’s ships in the Mediterranean since August 2020.

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said, 

“Today we have clarity on which European destinations and ports will initially be open this summer and we have fully reflected this into a first set of new and updated itineraries for the upcoming season so that guests can book their holidays with us with confidence. The entire MSC Cruises team and I look forward to welcoming both returning and new guests on board one of our ships that will be at sea this summer and to provide them with a memorable, relaxing and, above all, safe holiday.

 “Plus, I am confident that in the coming weeks we will be able to further enrich some of these itineraries as well as add more ships with new ones, as more ports and tourist destinations, in particular in Spain and France, become available to receive ships and visitors.”

Three ships in the West Mediterranean, calling Italy and Malta

• MSC Grandiosa. The 4,842-passenger ship will extend its current seven-night sailings out of Genoa, Italy, that feature calls at Civitavecchia (the port for Rome), Naples and Palermo, Italy, as well as Valletta, Malta. The Spanish ports of Valencia and Barcelona eventually will be added to the ship’s itinerary as soon as these destinations confirm their availability. 
• MSC Seaside. The 4,132-passenger ship will sail out of Genoa starting May 1 with calls at Siracusa, Taranto and Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) in Italy; Valetta, Malta. The ship’s itinerary will then be enriched with calls to the French port of Marseille as soon as its availability is confirmed. MSC Cruises will introduce a special private beach experience in Taranto, exclusively for the ship’ guests.
• MSC Seashore. The 4,132-passenger vessel will sail out of Genoa starting on Aug. 1 on a seven-night itinerary featuring calls at Naples and Messina, Italy, Valletta; Barcelona; and Marseille.

Three ships in the East Mediterranean, calling Italy, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro 

• MSC Orchestra will now depart on 5 June offering guests embarkation in the Italian ports of Venice on Saturdays, Bari on Sundays and then call at the Greek Islands of Corfu, Mykonos as well as Dubrovnik in Croatia. 
• MSC Splendida will commence sailing from 12 June with embarkation in Trieste, Italy on Saturdays and in Bari on Tuesdays, calling at Dubrovnik in Croatia, Corfu in Greece and Kotor in Montenegro. 
• MSC Magnifica  will sail from 20 June with embarkation in the Italian ports of Venice on Sundays, Bari on Mondays and Piraeus for Athens on Wednesdays, then calling at the Greek Island of Mykonos and Split, Croatia.

UK Domestic Cruises (British Residents Only) 

• MSC Virtuosa will perform her inaugural season in the UK and offer mini cruises from Southampton calling at Portland in Dorset on the Jurassic coast. From 12 June she will operate 7-night cruises from Southampton with embarkation in Liverpool, Greenock for Glasgow and also calling at Portland and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Germany, Northern Europe 

• MSC Seaview will homeport in Kiel, Germany starting on 19 June replacing MSC Virtuosa 
• MSC Preziosa is planned to depart on 21 June from Hamburg, Germany 
• MSC Musica will depart on 20 June from Warnemunde, Germany, if the German ports are open

Mr Onorato added, 

“We are extremely proud to be in a position to offer our guests and travel agent partners for the coming summer a growing choice of cruise holidays to a range of different destinations across the Mediterranean and Europe. We will be featuring some of our most innovative and more modern vessels in our fleet. And to make it even easier and safer for our guests to reach our ships from closer to their homes, all our itineraries will feature additional ports of embarkation. In the Mediterranean alone, MSC Cruises will offer its guests up to 15 ports of embarkation."

 “Albeit these ships represent only an initial portion of our fleet, they include our two latest jewels, MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seashore, both of which will have come into service for the first time in 2021. Their presence in this next phase of the return at sea of our fleet in the coming weeks represent our belief in the continued attractiveness for consumer of cruises as a holiday option. This is why we have confirmed our plans of new builds for the coming years and are looking forward to a gradual return at se of our full fleet in the coming months into the winter season."

MSC Cruises also confirmed the cancellation of its Caribbean sailings from ports in the USA up to and including 30 June, like many other cruise lines.

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Additional Homeport Announcements

 

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) on Tuesday announced that it would kick off its return to service in July with itineraries in both Europe and The Caribbean with deployment of three ships -  Jade, Joy, and Gem.

Norwegian Jade will sail from Athens, offering seven-day Greek Isles cruises beginning July 25

Norwegian Joy follows with weeklong cruises from Montego Bay, Jamaica, starting Aug. 7

Norwegian Gem will sail from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Aug. 15

Minors who have not yet been eligible to be vaccinated will not be permitted to sail on these voyages. Minors who have been fully vaccinated are welcome to sail.

“Over a year after we initially suspended sailings, the time has finally come when we can provide our loyal guests with the news of our great cruise comeback," said Norwegian Cruise Line's President and Chief Executive Officer Harry Sommer.

 
"We have been working diligently towards our resumption of operations, focusing on the guest experience with health and safety at the forefront. The growing availability of the COVID-19 vaccine has been a game changer. The vaccine, combined with our science-backed health and safety protocols, will help us provide our guests with what we believe will be the healthiest and safest vacation at sea."

On Tuesday, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, submitted its plan to the CDC to return to service in the U.S. in July. Norwegian will also sail these cruises with those same set of protocols (Sail Safe) which includes universal testing, a staggered embarkation process, a face mask requirement for all guests while indoors, contactless foodservice ship-wide, and more.

 

We continue to monitor changes in cruise itineraries, cancellations, requirements to sail, etc. Follow us on any of our social media and this blog to stay informed.   We hope to be sailing on the high seas soon.

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I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.

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