Plan for a Vacation Day

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"Where do you want to go? I don't know. What do you have a taste for? I don’t know. How about going to … No, we went there last time.” 

Sound familiar? The last time you went out for dinner, did you have a conversation somewhat like that? I wouldn't be surprised if you did, since I've had several of these conversations myself.

Planning a vacation often sounds like that too. That's not a bad thing. It's actually very good to ask questions and get a consensus before planking down your hard-earned money on a vacation. You do want to involve everyone in your decision process, so that you will all be happy with the final plan. I also encourage you to get some professional advice.

Planning a dinner outing isn't that much different than planning a vacation. The questions are pretty similar: “Where do you want to go? What do you want to see and do there? Do you want to dress up for dinner? Do you want to relax at the beach? Do you want to go somewhere you haven’t been to before or go back to the same destination you went to last year? Where can we get good value for our money?”

Let me help you answer some of these questions. The last question is probably the easiest to answer. A cruise gives you excellent value. You are able to pay one price for all your lodging, food, and entertainment. From the time you board the ship, you are treated to a resort experience that you will talk about for years to come. Even in the most expensive ports of call, you have an option to keep your costs down by eating your meals onboard the ship instead of at some local restaurant. You don’t have to worry about the exchange rate if you don’t want to. You’ve already paid for your cruise in your local currency and all optional onboard expenses can be charged to your account in your local currency.

So, that brings us to the harder question – where to go. If you have cruised before, you have most likely been to some part of the Caribbean Islands and/or the Bahamas. The majority of first-time cruisers go there, so I think my odds are pretty good on guessing where you’ve been to before. There’s good reason why most cruisers go to the Caribbean – it’s a great destination, the weather is great, it’s a year-round destination with many cruise ships going there. Due to the supply, the cruise lines have no problem keeping up with the demand.

On the other hand, if you’ve been to the Caribbean several times before, you might be looking for something new this year. I’d like to let you in on some inside information which may surprise you. Europe is an excellent cruise value, especially in 2008. This may come as a shock to you. It seems that we are either in a recession or heading for one, so how could Europe be a good value? Isn’t the cost of fuel going up, so won’t it be expensive to get to Europe from the States? Yes, times are tough, fuel costs are rising, and there is a good chance that the airline ticket will be the largest portion of your vacation price. Repeat that you say. Airfare may be more than your cruise fare. There is a possibility that you can get a great deal from the cruise lines this year. Why is that? The cruise lines are over-deployed in Europe this year. There was such an increase in demand for Europe the past few years, the cruise line reacted and moved many of their ships to the European market.

Cruise ship schedules are done well in advance, so it takes quite some time to react to changing times. With all the ships in Europe, the cruise lines need to fill them up this summer. In order to do that, many of the lines are offering special pricing which combats the price of the airfare. In some cases, they even have special airfare if you book that through them. If you haven’t been to Europe before, or if you’ve been yearning to go back, this might be the best time in the next few years to do so.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the airlines also react by offering special airfares during the summer months. It is very costly to fly long-distance trips and the airlines want to have their planes as full as possible. So, the savvy cruise traveler can actually reap great rewards by taking advantage of special pricing. If Europe isn’t your “cup of tea”, I would encourage you to check other destinations beyond the Caribbean on our blog and website.

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Near Russia Food Experience

Day 7 - Kirkines

The border area of Eastern Finnmark has, with the exception of the Cold War (1945-1989) been a place where Norwegians, Russians, and the indigenous Sami population have traded and interacted. In Day 7's menu, Coastal Kitchen featured the Russian influences with ingredients that are common to both countries.

Reindeer Meat - Finnmark

Reindeer know no borders and traditionally both reindeer and indigenous Sami have crossed the borders between what is today known as Russia, Norway,  and Finland.  The reindeer meat served on the menu was from the traditional Sami territories in Finnmark.  It was complemented with Borscht, pelemini (a form of Russian filled pasta), and celery puree.  Dessert was Pavlova with berries.

Breakfast & Lunch

For some passengers, Kirkines was the conclusion of their voyage.  There was time for everyone to enjoy the usual breakfast buffet prior to arrival.   Directly upon arrival there were buses at the dock for those passengers heading to the airport or city center.   Tour buses were also there for passengers, like us, that were booked on organized excursions.

We spent the morning at the Russian Border and returned to the ship just in time for lunch.  As usual there were several cold and hot choices on the buffet.  After enjoying a cup of soup and a sandwich there was time to relax in the panorama lounge while enjoying the scenery.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Norway's Coastal Kitchen



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Visit Where Norway Meets Russia

Kirkines Norway

The vistas became more dramatic as we approached Kirkenes, the end of the northbound cruise. We arrived early in nearby Vadsø and just after breakfast, we arrived in Kirkenes. At 30° East, Kirkenes is further east than St. Petersburg and Istanbul.

The only town in Norway where East meets West, Kirkenes was the turning point of our Hurtigruten voyage. You can see the Russian influence characterized by street signs in both languages, and you can often hear Russian being spoken.

Andersgrotta 

Our first stop was Andersgrotta, the town’s bomb shelter during World War II. Here, we were shown a film about town's civilians and their experiences during the war and walked through the shelter.

Russian Border

From here, we drove to the Norwegian-Russian border at Storskog. Crossing the Pasvik River, we saw the Russian settlement of Boris Gleb. The vegetation here is characterized by the
Siberian taiga. We passed through the Pasvikdalen Valley, which is known to have Norway’s largest population of brown bears.

The border crossing at Storskog defines the limits of the Schengen area and  is one of the most guarded borders in Europe. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to cross the border, but were allowed to take photos. Back in Kirkenes we made a stop at the Prestfjellet Mountain, which overlooks both the town and our waiting Hurtigruten ship.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Kirkines - Andersgrotta
Russian Border




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Celebrity 2018 Europe Deployment

2018/19 DEPLOYMENT STORIES AT A GLANCE: 

Europe Grand Mediterranean Tour reintroduced with TWO options 

• Constellation in summer of 2018, three 7-night back-to-back sailings create a round-trip vacation from Venice, Rome, or Barcelona, with only 1 repeat port (Rome) 16 cities, 6 countries, 2 overnight stays (Ibiza & Barcelona), 21 days 

• Reflection in summer of 2018, two back-to-back sailings (10-night Eastern Mediterranean and 11-night Western Mediterranean) round-trip from Rome with 1 repeat port (Rome) 15 cities, 6 countries, 1 overnight stay (Barcelona), 21 days 

Celebrity Silhouette will move to Southampton (replacing Eclipse)

• NEW TO BRAND World Cup Signature Event Sailing to Russia 
• Double overnight stay in St. Petersburg with VIP treatment and tickets to 3rd place match in St. Petersburg and final match in Moscow 
• Norwegian Fjords sailings 
• Scandinavian /Russia sailings 
• Western Mediterranean /Canaries & Azores sailings

On this St. Patrick's Day, we thought we'd feature the Dublin sailings here.  For additional details about European sailings this year or next, visit our website.

Celebrity Eclipse will move to Amsterdam (replacing Solstice)
after several round-trip cruises from Dublin, Ireland

• NEW TO BRAND, first major cruise line to call Dublin a homeport with round- trip sailings, including MORE Iceland sailings,including stops in Belfast, N. Ireland; Reykjavik and Akureyri, Iceland; Lerwick, Scotland; and Cork, Ireland. 
• NEW TO BRAND, Dublin City Stay including: • 3 nights in a 4-star, luxury hotel, including breakfasts • Full day, fully-guided City Highlights Tour, including lunch • Half day, fully-guided Evening City Tour, including a farewell dinner • Celebrity Cruises Hospitality Desk in your hotel • All transfers
• Shore Excursions – NEW TO BRAND, [info to come]

We think the following itineraries will be very popular, so we suggest booking early.

15 Nights Azores & Ireland Transatlantic 2018: Apr 15 Miami, Florida; Ponta Delgada, Azores (Overnight); Cork (Cobh), Ireland; Waterford (Dunmore East), Ireland; Dublin, Ireland (Overnight) 

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10 Nights Ireland & Iceland 2018: Apr 30; May 10 Dublin, Ireland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Reykjavik, Iceland (Overnight); Akureyri, Iceland; Lerwick/Shetland, Scotland; Cork (Cobh), Ireland; Dublin, Ireland 

8 Nights Norwegian Fjords 2018: May 20 Dublin, Ireland; Bergen, Norway; Flam, Norway; Geiranger, Norway; Alesund, Norway; Lerwick/Shetland, Scotland; Dublin, Ireland 

10 Nights Ireland & Iceland 2018: May 28 Dublin, Ireland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Reykjavik, Iceland (Overnight); Akureyri, Iceland; Lerwick/Shetland, Scotland; Cork (Cobh), Ireland; Dublin, Ireland 

12 Nights British Isles & French Open 2018: Jun 7 Dublin, Ireland; Paris (Le Havre), France (Overnight); Liverpool, England; Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Waterford (Dunmore East), Ireland; Cork (Cobh), Ireland; St. Peter Port, Channel Isl; Amsterdam, Netherlands

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