Happy New Year 2012

10 ... 9... 8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

 Happy New Year 2012!!

A warm greeting to all my faithful readers and to those of you joining for the first time. I wish you many happy, healthy and prosperous days in this brand new year. May the year be filled with many sunny days, warm ocean breezes, visits to cruise ports, and relaxing sea days aboard a cruise ship.

Introducing New Ships in 2012

Carnival Breeze - spring, 2012
Celebrity Reflection - fall, 2012
Disney Fantasy - April, 2012
MSC Fantastica - May, 2012

In the upcoming months, several cruise lines will be introducing new ships.  Carnival Corporation is completing the 2 ship Carnival Magic class when Carnival Breeze sets sail in springtime.   Celebrity Cruises completes the popular Solstice-Class with the introduction of Celebrity Reflection in the fall.  Disney Dream gets a sister this year in April when Fantasy joins the fleet.  MSC Cruises will introduce a new ‘Fantasia’ class cruise ship (technically called U32), and the 12th in the MSC Cruises fleet this year.  

Selecting the Right Ship 

These new ships add capacity to these cruise lines and give you additional options.  Besides new ships, existing ships are getting face-lifts with new features being added, primarily based on passenger feedback and acceptance of the features on recent ship builds on the same or other cruise lines.

Just like picking a hotel room for a land-based trip, you can also apply your preferences to the cruise ship which will serve as your floating hotel.   Some people prefer small ships while others only sail on the newest and largest vessels.  With the increasing number of ship modifications and additions, we are confident that your want list can be satisfied.  We can help you narrow the field to those ships that meet your needs.


Completing Your Bucket List

What is on your bucket list of destinations or cruise ships?  

Is 2012 the year you plan to complete a trip from that list?  Whether it's a far away exotic destination like Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific or something close-by like Bahamas and the Caribbean, you'll find a cruise ship sailing to your ports of call of choice.

Choose Your Destination
 

Land or Sea ...Choice is Yours

We still feel strongly that cruising is the best vacation value, but we realize there are times when you want  more time in the destination or some other reason compels you to select land-based travel.

 Resorts & Tours Overview

For those that aren't aware, we can assist you with all your travel needs, not just cruise vacations.  We have partnered with some of the premier travel providers to offer Resort Deals in addition to independent travel.

One thing you should also know is that the cruise lines have heard you and are offering overnight and longer stays in several ports of call, so you don't necessarily need to chose land to be immersed in a destination.  Azamara Club Cruises is one cruise line that can take you to lands that her big sister lines, can't and offer extended stays in the various ports of call.

New Year Resolutions

It's that time of year to make New Year resolutions.  Some of you will decide to make changes in your lifestyle which will improve your health - such as healthy eating or exercising.  For those that haven't been on a cruise before, that doesn't mean you have to forgo your trip.   There are full-service spas and fitness centers on most cruise ships and healthy menu choices available throughout the day.  Cruise lines will be happy to accommodate any special dietary requirements - just be sure to tell your cruise specialist at the time of booking so that notes can be put on your reservation.

We hope that you add a resolution to take some time for yourself to regenerate.   Plan some vacation time on a cruise ship or at one of the many resort destinations.   Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of special offers in the upcoming months.

Happy New Year 
The Sea is Calling ...

2011 In Review

Recapping Some of the Major Stories of 2011

Notable Cruise Line Highlights

Three Queens Meet ... On a cold wintry day in January, 3 queens met in New York Harbor.  Cunard Lines Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria  rendezvoused by the Statue of Liberty as crowds watched an amazing fireworks display. Read more ... Royal Rendezvous New York

Watching Live ... Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, appeared on CBS televisions popular "Undercover Boss" where he learned first-hand what the crew faces to bring Freestyle Cruising to their guests.  Read more ... NCL's Boss Goes Undercover    

New Ships ... Several ships entered service this year including Disney Dream, which is the first of two new ships being added to that fleet.   Read more ... Welcome Home Disney Dream

Returning to Service ... One of the most notable cruise line events in 2010 was the fire aboard Carnival Splendor.  The ship returned to service this year where it continues to be one of the few ships in the Mexican Riviera.   Read more ... Carnival Splendor Resumed Cruises

These are just a few of the top cruise line stories making the headlines of our blog posts this past year.

Political Unrest &  Other Issues

Economics, Violence, Unrest ... Poor economic conditions prompted strikes and political unrest in several European & Middle Eastern countries this year impacting cruise line schedules.  Since cruise lines take passenger and crew safety very highly, many itineraries were changed to avoid conflict areas.  Here are some of the notable stories:

Bahrain Protests Spark Cruise Changes Cruise Lines Pull Out of Mazatlan Unrest in Tunisia Prompts Cruise Changes More Changes for Mexican Ports of Call

Egypt Travel Alert Impacts Cruises Protests in Egypt Prompt More Cancellations Protests in Athens Greece

Weather & Natural Disasters

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Hurricanes, Snow storms, Volcanic Eruptions ... There were several natural disasters and weather-related interruptions to travel, including cruises, this past year.  The most devastating event had to be the earthquakes and resulting tsunami in Japan.  The entire world watched as the country tried to avoid a nuclear disaster.  

Historic Snowstorm Predicted Severe Tsunami Impacting Japan & Hawaii Strong Quakes Continue to Rattle Japan Massive New Zealand Quake and Tsunami Alert 2011 Hurricane Season in Review

After the Tohoku Earthquake Grímsvötn Volcano Causes Travel Woes Iceland Volcanic Ash Grounds Flights Puyehue Volcano Erupts in Southern Chile

As 2012 dawns, the cruise lines that are in the Mexican Riviera are still avoiding Mazatlan,  some of the eliminated European and Middle Eastern ports of call have had some limited resumption of service, and weather will continue to impact schedules.  We will continue to monitor changes in the industry and events that have an impact on cruise schedules in the upcoming months.   Wave Season is about to start, so contact us with your bucket list so that we can watch for specials that might be of interest.

We wish you all a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.   The Sea is Calling ...

Happy New Year 2011

10 ... 9... 8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

 Happy New Year 2011!!

A warm greeting to all my faithful readers and to those of you joining for the first time. I wish you many happy, healthy and prosperous days in this brand new year. May the year be filled with many sunny days, warm ocean breezes, visits to cruise ports, and relaxing sea days aboard a cruise ship.


Looking ahead .... As in most years, there are plenty of destinations to chose from when planning your 2011 cruise vacations. With the addition of Norwegian Epic and Allure of the Seas, there is plenty of extra capacity in the Caribbean.   Most of the cruise lines have pulled out of the west coast and are increasing capacity in Europe. Perhaps a trip to the Mediterranean is in order.  There's still a few spots available in the block of cabins for our 12 night Cruise to the Greek Isles.


As we mentioned yesterday, there were several other new ships added to cruise lines fleets in 2010.  In many cases, these new ships are a destination themselves with plenty of activities to keep you busy on sea days.


In upcoming columns, I'll wrap up our Allure of the Seas series as well as  our coverage of Azamara Club Cruises recent changes as we experienced them first hand on Azamara Journey.


We'd love to hear from more readers.   What are your plans for the coming year?   What would you like for us to cover in our blog in the next month?


Be sure to visit often and don't forget about our Facebook Fan page.


If you have burning questions about a cruise topic, send me an email and I'd be happy to discuss them in future columns.

Enjoy this video clip from NYE at Time's Square in New York.  Carnival Cruise line was sponsor for the confetti.   Check out John Heald's Blog for his account of the NYE festivities.

Watch live streaming video from 2011 at livestream.com

Again, Happy New Year to all and Happy Cruising.

Sunset of 2010

Red skies at night...

sailors delight. 

  
One famous nautical superstition has sailors looking to the evening skies to determine the weather for the next day.   A colorful sunset with red skies meant the seas would be calm and the weather favorable delighting the sailors.

What will the artist's canvas look like tonight as the final sunset is painted in the evening sky?    Let's hope that the sunset signals calm seas with favorable conditions for the coming year.

Year of Disasters - Natural & Man Made

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes, Hurricanes

Photo courtesy Royal Caribbean International

Early in 2010, a major earthquake hit Haiti killing or injuring  hundreds of thousands, causing billions of dollars of damage, and devastating this already struggling nation.

The cruise industry and others rallied to try to help the country following the disaster.   Royal Caribbean, who has a long-standing relationship with the government of Haiti, led the cruise industry response (even while being criticized).  The nation would later suffer additional loss of life and damage when a hurricane struck the country.

Later in the year, the world's eyes turned to the skies over Iceland as volcanic ash grounded flights over Europe disrupting travel across the entire world.   Passengers were stranded in airports for days until the ash cleared.

Some passengers were unable to get to their cruise ships on time while in other cases, the ships provided an alternate means of travel for stranded air passengers.   It was a logistical nightmare for the entire travel industry and put additional strain on the economy.

Hurricane season began with a vengeance and it was feared that the NOAA predictions of a higher than normal season would become a reality.   There were a larger than usual number of named storms and hurricanes, but fortunately, they didn't produce the devastation of years past. 

That doesn't mean that there wasn't any loss of life or property damage.  As mentioned, Haiti did have substantial damage as did St. Lucia and other Caribbean countries.  Cruise itineraries were changed as storms approached or in their wake as services were restored.

Oil Spill, Ship Fire

During the height of hurricane season, an explosion on an oil rig caused loss of life and a major oil spill that would consume resources from the federal government and other agencies.  The spill severely endangered the ecology of the Gulf Coast region.    It took months to clean up and the effects of the spill will remain for many years to come.

Cruises were not impacted during the spill as the impacted ports remained open. Despite the continued cruise line presence, the economic impact from the oil spill took its toll on the region.  Many people changed their vacation plans as the cleanup continued.

The most recent major event of 2010 was the engine room fire on Carnival Splendor which stranded passengers on that cruise and impacted vacation plans through February next year.  The good news is that the industry will learn from this event and become even safer.

Cruise Line Expansion

2010 saw the introduction of several new cruise ships including Costa Deliziosa, MSC Magnifica, Celebrity Eclipse, P&O Azura, Norwegian Epic, Seabourn Sojourn, Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam, Cunard Queen Elizabeth, Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas, and Disney Dream.

The introduction of these new ships means there are more choices for the consumer.  As demand continues to increase, the capacity is keeping  pace assuring that a cruise vacation is well within the realm of possible vacation choices.

While the economy and disasters have been front and center all year long,  passengers are returning to cruising and we anticipate prices will rise as 2011 pricing comes out.   There might be some time yet to take advantage of lower prices, so it is wise not to procrastinate.  

Just like 2009, we saw an increase in first-time cruisers and those that have tried cruising continue to return year after year.    A cruise vacation remains an extremely good value making it a wise choice for those that decided to take a vacation.

Let us close the book on this historic year together. Tomorrow, when you awake, open the book on what I hope will be a brighter tomorrow. Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year to all!!

Dawn of a New Decade

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year !! All across the world from New York's Time Square to London, just before the clock struck twelve the usual countdown ushered out the old and welcomed in the new decade. Joy and celebration filled the air.

Just 10 years ago, the scene was quite different as people held their breath wondering what Y2K would bring. Would computers fail? We all know now that preparations by companies across the world prevented the majority of the anticipated problems. Computers did not fail, but late in the decade a new crisis surfaced hitting several industries including banking, auto, and housing.

As the clock struck twelve this time, there was a sense of hope that the new decade would bring an end to the economic woes. It will take some time to determine the outcome of changes made late in 2009, unlike the instant realization that all was well on that early morning in the year 2000.

The cruise industry has weathered the bad economic times and continued to deliver an outstanding value to consumers. Several new ships were added to fleets and more are due out in 2010. These new ships bring additional choices to consumers and help increase competition between the cruise lines.

These are exciting times for the cruise industry as a new wave of innovation has gone from the drawing board to reality. You may love or hate the new Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, but you can't help but marvel at the technological accomplishments.

Celebrate the New Year with family and friends and get ready for an exciting decade. I hope that you have a healthy and prosperous New Year and that you'll be creating some new memories on a cruise ship before this year is a memory.

The Year of the Freestyle Vacation

ANY SAILING.

ANY DESTINATION.

BUT HURRY.

THIS OFFER ENDS MARCH 14.

(And the best staterooms go first.)

Norwegian Cruise Line proclaims 2010 The Year of the Freestyle Vacation and it’s their biggest, most exciting promotion of the year. Now you can make the most of your vacation with the freedom and flexibility of Freestyle Cruising® and these amazing offers...

GET UP TO A 6 CATEGORY UPGRADE* GET ON-BOARD SAVINGS CERTIFICATES WORTH UP TO $400*

SPECIAL BONUS OFFER EVERY 2 WEEKS

SPECIAL BONUS OFFER - JANUARY 4-17 ONLY

Norwegian Epic: All Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings.Up to a 6-category upgrade PLUS, 50% reduced deposit* Sailings starting from $90/Day. Find Your Cruise.

*Contact me for further information. Offers are based on availability, are capacity controlled, and combinability with other offers is subject to change or cancellation at any time per NCL discretion. Other restrictions may apply. "Promotion valid in U.S. and Canada, South America, Central America, Mexico, Caribbean Islands (including Puerto Rico), Bermuda, Asia/Pacific." NCL is not responsible for typographical errors or omissions. Ships’ registry: BAHAMAS and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ©2009 NCL Corporation Ltd. Promotion ends March 14, 2010 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time

Royal Caribbean Labadee Beach

ROYAL CARIBBEAN'S

LABADEE BEACH DESTINATION

IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED

UPDATE: On January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti. Labadee beach was not damaged. See Royal Caribbean Humanitarian Relief Haiti

Guests onboard the Oasis of the Seas December 1, 2009, special voyage will be the first to experience improvements to Royal Caribbean International's private beach destination of Labadee, Haiti. This private beach resort has been a longtime favorite for cruisers on Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.

The multi-year project, which began in the summer of 2007, was a joint venture between the Haitian government and Royal Caribbean International. The major enhancement was the renovation to the island's pier to allow for the accommodation of Royal Caribbean's Freedom- and Oasis-class ships. The dining venues and upland areas underwent a major overall including the construction of new bars and the renourishment of area beaches.

According to Royal Caribbean, all renovations to the pier and dining venues have been completed, establishing a 57 percent growth in dining capacity and introducing a new pier area that stretches 1,300 feet (Pier and Trestle) in length and allows the berth of the 225,282 GRT Oasis of the Seas.

Two areas new to Labadee and central to the redesign of the destination are Dragon's Plaza and Labadee Town Square, both of which offer convenient meeting places where guests can enjoy the rich Haitian culture and take in shopping, shows, cultural activities and other memorable experiences. Within Dragon's Plaza, Columbus Cove Beach offers family-friendly attractions including water slides, which complement the area's aqua park. Labadee Town Square boasts an expanded version of the popular artisan market and a festive atmosphere that comes alive with music, folkloric dancers and more.

The new Dragon's Tail Coaster offers a high-speed ride through 2,232 feet of the destination's tropical flora and rock formations. Upland-area favorites like Barefoot Beach Club, dedicated for the use of Royal Caribbean's suite guests, offers enhanced food and beverage services, and a total of 20 private cabanas are available for rent along the water's edge and within the hillside areas. The spa facilities at Barefoot Beach have also been revamped to provide an Oasis-like feel, and an expanded area has been set aside for yoga classes and other spa services.

"Oasis will offer a new dimension to our onboard guest experience," said Adam Goldstein, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "These new major additions to Labadee will further expand offerings for our guests, and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the first sailing of Oasis of the Seas than with a special cruise to our already popular private beach destination."

The new adventures join a list of already popular activities, including the Dragon's Breath Flightline, which was introduced in 2007 and offers pristine aerial views of Labadee's coral reefs and crystal blue waters for individuals brave enough to take the ride down the 2,633 foot cable zip-line. Labadee's Wave Jet Adventure also is still available, offering guided journeys down one of the wildest coasts in the Caribbean via personal SeeDoo watercrafts.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Vacations (click to search itineraries)

Happy New Year 2009

10 ... 9... 8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... Happy New Year 2009!!
A warm greeting to all my faithful readers and to those of you joining for the first time. I wish you many happy, healthy and prosperous days in this brand new year. May the year be filled with many sunny days, warm ocean breezes, visits to cruise ports, and relaxing sea days aboard a cruise ship.

Looking ahead .... As in most years, there are plenty of destinations to chose from when planning your 2009 cruise vacations. Alaska and Hawaii mark their 50th anniversaries of statehood this year, so I would recommend putting those on the top of your wish list.

2009 is the year of the new cruise ships. The first ships will be introduced in April with additional entries in the Summer and Fall. The list includes Costa Luminosa, MSC Splendida, Costa Pacifica, Celebrity Equinox, Seabourn Odyssey, Carnival Dream, Project F3 from NCL, Silverseas Spirit, and Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.

This is quite an impressive list of new vessels. Many of you love sailing the inaugural year; others of you may never have done so. Why not give it a try this year?

In upcoming columns, I'll provide additional information about these new ships. First on my list of topics is the conclusion of our Galapagos cruise. I'll also talk about our recent Alaska cruise as well as other surprises. Be sure to visit often.

If you have burning questions about a cruise topic, send me an email and I'd be happy to discuss them in future columns.

Again, Happy New Year to all and Happy Cruising.