Happy Easter 2014

Wishing All Our Readers

A Happy Easter

We hope that you are having a great day with family and friends this Easter Sunday.

This picture was captured during an Easter visit to Holland and Belgium on Tulip Time river cruise.

One of the highlights of the cruise was the time spent in Keukenhof Gardens.

Have you ever seen more than 7 million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, all in bloom?  

Keukenhof Gardens - Netherlands (94 photos)

Visitors from all over the world as well as the Netherlands will be visiting the Keukenhof international flower exhibition over the Easter holiday. The park is in flower and wonderful shows can be seen in the pavilions. Keukenhof is the ideal place for kicking off your Easter holiday in style.

Oasis to Call in Southampton

Don't Miss This

Oasis to sail across the pond ...

Oasis of the Seas which has been home-ported in Fort Lauderdale, FL since December, 2009 will make a trip over to Europe for routine maintenance.

Before going into drydock, it will take advantage of the opportunity and offer several cruises to those wishing to cross the Atlantic and those already in Europe or wanting to sail from Barcelona or the UK.


We have just received word that the world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, will make its debut call in Southampton in October 2014.  The cruises announced will go on sale in April this year.

Schedule

• Depart Ft. Lauderdale, FL on a 12-night eastbound transatlantic cruise to Barcelona September 1, 2014
• Two five-night round-trip Barcelona, Spain cruises
• Seven-night sailing to Rotterdam.
• Two week dry dock in the Netherlands
• Depart Rotterdam on October 14, 2014 calling in Southampton
• Depart Southampton October 15, 2014 for Ft. Lauderdale on a  transatlantic crossing

Watch this video to learn about these special cruises and to get a glimpse of the world's largest ship:
Jo Rzymowska, associate vice president and general manager, Royal Caribbean International, U.K. and Ireland, said: "Oasis of the Seas sailing from Southampton is going to be the hottest ticket in town. Bringing the world's largest and most innovative cruise ship to Europe, and specifically the U.K. and Southampton, is testament to how much the cruise industry has grown.

"When Oasis of the Seas was launched, the ship was a real game-changer for the cruise industry and it continues to be one of the most innovative holiday resorts in the world. Royal Caribbean International is proud to have a long heritage of ships calling in and based from Southampton and we're very excited to add Oasis of the Seas to this.”

Oasis of the Seas is the largest passenger ship in the world alongside its sister Allure of the Seas.  Both ships sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean 7-night voyages year round out of Ft. Lauderdale.

Current Royal Caribbean Offers

RESERVE YOUR ROYAL CARIBBEAN VACATION WITH US TODAY!

Celebrity 2014 Europe Deployment Changes

Europe & Mediterranean is completely refreshed with the added variety and new itineraries.

• 7 night round-trip Venice during peak summer late July & August on Celebrity Silhouette®.

• 7 night open jaw Mediterranean, combinable to 14, 21, 28 nights on Equinox during June & July.

• Increased open jaw long Mediterranean sailings between Venice & Barcelona on Celebrity EquinoxSM

• More cruises tied to events such as British Open and 70th anniversary of D-day.

• Return to the Holy Land, two sailings.

• New alternative itineraries in Scandinavia & Russia, as well as, Black Sea.

• Increased overnight in ports of call.

Celebrity Solstice® continues in Australia & New Zealand, but will include more variety in itineraries.

New San Francisco departures to Alaska on Celebrity Century®.

New options in Asia and Australia.

• Celebrity Millennium® extended Asia season going directly from Alaska to North Asia in the Fall.

Celebrity Century® deployed as incremental ship in Asia & Australia.

• Unique direct transpacific sailing from San Francisco to Sydney, stopping in Hawaii, Tahiti, and Fiji.

• Fall through mid January based in Sydney with voyages 7-12 nights calling upon South Pacific, Fiji, and Tasmania.

• Late Jan through March offering 14 night sailings round-trip from Singapore to new destinations in Myanmar, Philippines, and Malaysia.

• Finishes season in Northeast Asia with cruise to Japan & China.

Related:

Celebrity Captain’s Club Cruisetour Offer

Celebrity Cruises 2014 Deployment

2014-15 Northern Europe & Transatlantics

Royal Caribbean 2014-15
Deployments

Northern Europe as defined by the United Nations (marked blue):

Northern Europe

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

Southern Europe

Northern Europe
Transatlantics
Now Open

Northern Europe is the northern part or region of the European continent. A United Nations report published in 2011 defines Northern Europe as including the following ten countries and dependent regions: Denmark (with Faroe Islands), Estonia, Finland (with Åland), Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway (Svalbard and Jan Mayen), Sweden, and the UK (with Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey).

8 Ships in Europe for 2014

Royal Caribbean International will continue to scale back its ships in Europe in 2014, deploying only eight of its 22 vessels across the pond.

Demand for cruises in Europe continues to diminish as the price for air fare keeps summer travelers on this side of the pond.  In 2012, Royal Caribbean had a record 12 ship (out of 22) in the region.   For 2013, that number falls to nine with an additional ship dropping off the following year.

Royal's 2014 Europe deployment will include the Liberty of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas in the Mediterranean, and the Independence of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas and Legend of the Seas in Northern Europe.  Missing from this list is Vision of the Seas.

• Adventure of the Seas^®: crossing from Miami to Southampton, England; sailing Norway, Iceland, and the Baltic, plus longer Mediterranean voyages. learn more
  
• Brilliance of the Seas^®: crossing from Tampa to Harwich, England; sailing Scandinavia and Russia, the fjords and Iceland. learn more
  
• Independence of the Seas^® crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton; sailing to France, Spain and the Mediterranean. learn more
• Legend of the Seas^®: crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen, Denmark; sailing Scandinavia and Russia, the fjords and Iceland. learn more

The Northern Europe and Transatlantic sailings on these ships is now open for booking.   The remaining ships, which will be sailing in the Mediterranean, will go on sail March 28th.

See the following for the entire 2014-15 Deployment schedule.  We will update links to the other areas as they are released.   2014-15 Royal Caribbean Deployments

Want to Sail to Europe in 2013

Now through the end of the month, there are some special offers which you might want to consider:

Royal Caribbean Europe Extravaganza

Transatlantic Beverage Package Offer

World Record Ship Launching

Amsterdam Christening Ceremony     Courtesy Viking River Cruises

Viking River Cruises
Christening


Viking marks a historic day in cruising as they become the first company to christen 10 ships at one time.

Their new state-of-the-art Viking Longships—recently named "Best New River Ship" by Cruise Critic—feature the largest suites in Europe, full-size Veranda Staterooms and the Aquavit Terrace, a Viking exclusive, for al fresco dining.


10 New Longships

Four of the new vessels -- the Viking Aegir, Viking Embla, Viking Bragi and Viking Skadi -- were docked at the terminal during the ceremony. The other six ships -- Viking Atla, Viking Forseti, Viking Jarl, Viking Rinda, Viking Tor and Viking Var -- remained at the Neptun shipyard in Rostock, Germany where all 10 vessels were built. Christening attendees could see the latter six ships in a live video feed from the shipyard projected on large screens.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™

Christening of 10 new Viking Longships on March 20, 2013 was a proud day for Viking and for river cruising. Guests at the christening ceremony were treated to a presentation on the growth of river cruising & enjoyed remarks by each of the 10 distinguished Longships godmothers. To the delight of the entire Viking family and the guests in attendance, the ceremony was topped off when Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises, was presented with a certificate for 'The Most Ships Inaugurated in One Day by One Company,' by a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ adjudicator.

VIKING RIVER CRUISES SMASHES WORLD RECORD; INAUGURATES MOST NEW SHIPS IN A SINGLE DAY 

(Press Release - Read about the Godmothers)

Watch the video of the Christening Events:   Watch other videos about the Longships:

Viking Suites

Explorer Suites offer a private wraparound veranda with spectacular 270° views. Combined with a living room and a large bedroom that features a French balcony, the Explorer Suites provide the most lavish stay.

Whichever stateroom you choose, one thing is certain: hotel-style beds topped with European linens and duvets provide the perfect place to turn in after a full day of exploring Europe's great towns and cities.

The Aquavit Terrace

Now, with Viking's advanced design, a portion of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the lounge can be rolled aside to create a unique area that combines the comfort of the indoors with the fresh air of the outdoors.

RIVER CRUISING GUIDE - Discover the Beauty of River Cruising Viking River Cruises 2012 Fleet Upgrades Viking Longboats Christened Viking River Cruises Longships Update

Congratulations Viking River Cruises 

on this Fantastic Accomplishment

Carnival Triumph & Sunshine Returns Delayed

Carnival Triumph & 

Carnival Sunshine 

Mechanical Improvements

Carnival Cruise Lines' President and CEO Gerry Cahill announced that Carnival Destiny and Carnival Sunshine will extend their time in drydock in order to complete some extensive mechanical improvements in the wake of the Carnival Triumph fire and subsequent operational review.

The ships will remain out of service longer than expected so the line can increase operating redundancies, emergency power and fire prevention, detection and suppression systems. Cahill had announced the fleetwide operational review at announced during last week's Cruise Shipping Miami tradeshow and this announcement comes right on its heels and the mechanical problem on Carnival Liberty which caused the ship to limp back to port.

Carnival Triumph - 10 Additional Cruises Cancelled
Return to Service now June 3rd

Carnival Triumph now will return to service on June 3, with 10 additional cruises being canceled.

The changes they are implementing are focused primarily on improvements to better support continued power and hotel services should unexpected issues arise. In addition, we are applying new learnings and making enhancements in the area of fire suppression and extinguishing.

For more information about the Carnival Triumph fire and subsequent cancellations, see the following article:
Carnival Triumph Additional Cancellations & Compensation

Carnival Sunshine - 2 Cruises Cancelled Return to Service now May 5th

Carnival Sunshine will now complete the full-ship makeover from the former Carnival Destiny, and will enter service May 5, following the cancellation of two European cruises. For more information about the makeover, see Destiny + 49 Days = Sunshine.

In a news release, Cahill apologized for the additional cancellations but said the line is "fully committed to applying the recommendations stemming from our fleetwide review and to make whatever investments are needed despite the difficult position to impact people's vacations."

“Our team of experts has worked virtually around the clock to determine the best set of solutions and rapidly develop an effective implementation plan for both of these ships,” he continued. “Moving forward, we will have the ability to source materials and schedule improvements much more expediently, thus minimizing the scheduling impact on other vessels. I would like to provide continued assurances that all of our vessels have fully effective safety systems, equipment and training in place. Additionally, our ships receive regular inspections from the U.S. Coast Guard and other regulatory authorities.

Compensation Plan

Guests on the canceled voyages will receive a full refund, reimbursement of non-refundable travel costs, and a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.

“Going forward, the review will focus on the balance of our fleet. While this process will take time, it is our highest priority and has the full support and resources of Carnival Cruise Lines and Carnival Corporation,” Cahill said.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2013

That's No Blarney

Happy Saint Patrick's Day
 
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years.
 
On St. Patrick's Day, which falls in the middle of the Christian Lenten season, Irish families would go to church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. The Irish would dance, drink and feast on the traditional Irish Bacon and Cabbage. Lenten regulations about not eating meat were waived if necessary so that the traditional meal could be eaten.
 
Here in the United States, St. Patrick's Day has become a celebration for not only the Irish, but for all. There are parades and celebrations which include green beer. The Chicago River is dyed green each year in honor of the event.

Blarney Castle was built nearly six hundred years ago by one of Ireland's greatest chieftains, Cormac MacCarthy, and has been attracting attention beyond Munster ever since. Over the last few hundred years, millions have flocked to Blarney, making it a world landmark and one of Ireland's greatest treasures.

Blarney Castle (64 photos)

 

We've cruised to Ireland several times.  The collage above is made up of several images from a visit to Blarney Castle.   This is one of the favorite stops of visitors to the Cobh, Ireland area. Why not plan a cruise that includes Ireland, and kiss the Blarney stone for good luck?  We leave you with this Irish Blessing on this St. Patrick's Day.
 

 May you always have...
Walls for the winds
A roof for the rain
Tea beside the fire
Laughter to cheer you
Those you love near you
And all your heart might desire.