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Regent
offers 111-night world cruise
Leaving
from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 9, 2007, Regent's Seven Seas
Voyager will visit nearly four dozen destinations. Trip highlights
include a two-week Norway segment, shore-side events and the fall
spent in the Mediterranean.
Royal Caribbean offers new cruise options
On the heels of Freedom of the Seas debut in New
York, Royal Caribbean International announced revitalization plans
that include an extensive refurbishment of Majesty of the Seas.
Plans were also unveiled for a new Mediterranean
itinerary for Legend of the Seas.
The 2,356-passenger Majesty will start
renovations next January that will include expanded spa and fitness
facilities and added dining options.
Legend of the Seas will add new European
itineraries including a 12-night Italy and Croatia cruise alternating
with a 12-night Eastern Mediterranean tour.
Royal Caribbean is a global cruise brand with 20
ships in service; three more are under construction.
The line offers tours in Alaska, Canada and Europe.
SeaDream to host musician Earl Klugh on
first theme cruise
SeaDream Yacht Club will host its first theme
cruise, bringing Grammy award-winning acoustic guitarist Earl Klugh
on a four-day Midnight in San Juan cruise aboard the SeaDream I, the
cruise line said at a New York event June 12.
Klugh will perform several times during the
cruise, which departs April 12, 2007. The voyage sails roundtrip from
San Juan calling in Gustavia, St. Barts and Virgin Gorda in the
British Virgin Islands.
Regent Seven Seas to go liquor-inclusive in 2007
Beginning in 2007, all Regent Seven Seas cruises
will be liquor-inclusive, offering “select complimentary wine
and spirits at all bars and restaurants fleet wide on every
sailing”, Regent said. Currently, only world cruises have a
liquor inclusive policy.
Thirty Days; Three New Ships
With the delivery of the Crown Princess in
Brooklyn this week, the industry completes a hat trick--three
flawless ship deliveries in North America over a period of less than
a month starting with Freedom of the Seas, then Pride of Hawai'i, and
now Crown.
Not only is the hardware of the three
distinctive, but so was the choice of godmothers, with the foster
mother of hundreds of children as godmother of Freedom and Princess'
surprising pick of Martha Stewart as godmother of Crown. In-between,
the first male to christen a cruise ship: Sen. Inouye of Hawaii for
the Pride of Hawai'i.
On the Crown this week, agents were not only
taken in by the sophisticated beauty of the ship, but they were
oohing and aahing over the spectacular unimpeded views of the Statue
of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline the ship afforded while docking
in the port of Brooklyn. Guests could also easily view a Royal
Caribbean vessel in nearby Cape Liberty. Staterooms on the Crown's
starboard side afforded the best views, but the highlights were
easily viewed in the main public areas.
As for the inside of the ship, agents gave
particular praise to the atrium, saying it was Princess' best, with
its heightened activity level, swirling spiral staircases, and
noshing areas. Also noted: some 900 staterooms are adorned with
balconies--the second most for a cruise ship (behind the QM2).
Following the hectic delivery period of the last
thirty days, the industry takes a breather with no new ships to be
christened in North America until next year.
Norfolk, Va., names $36M cruise terminal
'Half Moone'
The new $36 million cruise terminal in Norfolk,
Va., was dedicated the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center,
Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim said June 12.
The name comes from a 1673 decree that a Norfolk
fort be built “in the form of a half moone” to protect the
burgeoning maritime history.
Construction on the 33,300-square-foot facility
is 40% complete, said Stephen Kirkland, manager of cruise operations
for Norfolk. The facility is slated to open in March 2007.
Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas is
first ship scheduled to utilize the Half Moone Center, operating
eight-day Bermuda sailings from the facility in 2007.
About 90,000 passengers are expected to sail out
of Norfolk in total next year, Kirkland said.
HAL All Over Europe in 2007
Holland America Line will undertake its longest
European season ever next year, utilizing five ships over nearly nine
months beginning with trans-Atlantic crossings starting on March 12,
with the last return getting into Fort Lauderdale on November 24.
HAL returns Maasdam, Prinsendam, and Rotterdam to
Europe, adds Veendam for the first time, and redeploys Westerdam
after a one-year hiatus. Once the ships are in Europe, embarkation/debarkation
ports will be: Rome/Civitavecchia, Venice, Athens/Piraeus, Lisbon,
London/Harwich (a new turn for HAL), Copenhagen, Rotterdam (how
appropriate), and Amsterdam.
Of the 136 ports of call, HAL will introduce 13
maiden stops, some very lightly known, offering guests the chance to
explore new ground in ports ranging from Djupivogur, Iceland, to
ports in Albania and Slovenia.
Celebrity Cruises Pairs With Food Network
for Wedding Special
Celebrity's Infinity has been selected to serve
as the platform for "Food Network Caters Your Hawaiian
Wedding," a two-hour special that will premiere during the
network's "Wedding Weekend" in June 2007. Giada de
Laurentiis, star of Everyday Italian, will host the entire event.
Carnival leads Saint John season
Carnival Victory’s arrival today kicks off
the cruise season in Saint John, New Brunswick, in a year when the
Carnival Cruise Lines vessel will make more calls than any other
ship. Sixteen of Saint John’s total 33 calls will be by Carnival
Victory, sailing in weekly until Oct. 3.
Carnival has made ‘a significant commitment
to developing the cruise market for Saint John as the “anchor in
the Bay of Fundy,”’ said Capt. Alwyn Soppitt, president and
ceo of the Saint John Port Authority. ‘The opportunity now rests
with the community to ensure that cruise guests enjoy our many fine
attractions, shops and eateries.’
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