Feb 19, Carnival Adds New Program for 12-14 Year Olds

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Building upon its distinction as the family cruise leader, Carnival Cruise Lines has introduced a new on-board program called Circle C aimed specifically at the 12- to 14-year-old age group, with expansive new clubs, a full schedule of activities and trained staff.


The Circle C program complements the lines other youth-oriented programming, including Camp Carnival for younger kids and Club O2 for 15- to 17-year-olds, which combined are expected to host 600,000 kids this year the most in cruising.



The facilities feature a dance floor with high-tech sound and lighting system, along with 42-inch plasma-screen TVs displaying movies and music videos, and a touch-screen jukebox stocked with the latest hits. Also featured are gaming pods with the latest video games and consoles, with 20-inch plasma-screens positioned throughout the room and used exclusively for video gaming.
The facilities offer a sleek modern design created especially to appeal to younger teens, with a vibrant motif, oversized picture windows, and plush comfortable seating — perfect for hanging out with new friends.


The Circle C program also offers a full schedule of activities, which include everything from sports such as basketball, volleyball, ping-pong and various water games to late-night movies and swimming under the stars pool parties. Circle C activities are listed in a special edition of Carnival Capers printed daily.
A new logo and branding campaign incorporating the Circle C theme of cruise.chill.connect has also been created.


Circle C is just the latest enhancement to kid-friendly amenities aboard the Fun Ships. Children ages 2-11 can enjoy diverse activities and dedicated facilities of Camp Carnival, which continues to evolve with new 1,600-square-foot play areas on Fantasy-class ships and new programming fleetwide. For older kids, theres the Club O2 teen program featuring teen dance clubs, just for teens shore excursions, and more.


Also new is Carnival WaterWorks, an aqua park featuring a 300-foot-long twister water slide, dual-lane racing slides and water spray apparatus, currently rolled out as part of the Evolutions of Fun refurbishment program on select ships. Carnival Splendor, set to debut in July, will boast Carnivals largest play area to date and a water spray park.


Other fleetwide features include babysitting services, stroller rentals, childrens menus, and a variety of spacious accommodation categories, with dozens of inter-connecting cabins — ideal for large families or family gatherings.


Source: Carnival Cruise Lines

Feb 14, Azamara, Celebrity Captains to Perform Weddings at Sea

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Azamara Cruises and Celebrity Cruises have made arrangements for ship captains to marry guests at sea. The sister lines plan to launch legal, captain-led wedding ceremonies later this year.


Celebrity has long partnered with The Wedding Experience to offer onboard vow renewals at sea and in-port wedding ceremonies. With the recent re-registration of seven of Celebrity’s eight ships in Malta, where Azamara’s two ships also are registered, government regulations have changed to allow for captains to perform legal marriages while the ships sail.


Guests being married at sea will be offered a variety of packages that include private receptions in the ship’s specialty restaurant, cake, champagne, and more. Basic captain-performed wedding packages begin at $2,500. Guests should book their wedding in advance of the sailing to allow time for the processing of licenses and other legal documents. Guests can also arrange weddings during Alaska cruise-tours at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge and The Hotel Alyeska, amid the hanging glaciers of the Girdwood Valley or with Mount McKinley as a backdrop. These ceremonies can take place from June to September.

Source: Modern Agent

Feb 12, NCL to Withdraw Second Ship from Hawaii

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NCL Corp. will withdraw the Pride of Aloha from the Hawaii market effective May 11. The ship will be transferred to Star Cruises and will be re-flagged and deployed in Asia in the summer. The remaining year-round ship in Hawaii will be the Pride of America, introduced in 2005.


The company announced and put on sale Pride of America’s sailings through 2010; it offers inter-island cruises departing every Saturday from Honolulu. A year ago, NCL announced the transfer this month of the Pride of Hawaii to Europe, and rename it Norwegian Jade.


For guests booked on Pride of Aloha from May 11 and beyond, NCL is holding space and will offer the same cruise fare as they currently have paid on their Pride of Aloha cruise if they would like to transfer to the same week on Pride of America, departing one day earlier. In addition, guests will receive a $100-per-person onboard credit (up to $200 per stateroom).

For guests who made their air and/or hotel arrangements through NCL, NCL will protect the rates they currently have paid and cover any air or hotel change fees. For guests who purchased their own air, NCL will protect up to the first $100 per person of any increase in air costs and cover up to $75 per person in air change fees. For guests who made independent hotel arrangements, NCL will cover any hotel change fees up to $25 per person.


Guests may book any other NCL cruise and receive a $100-per-person onboard credit (up to $200 per stateroom) if they rebook by March 7. In addition, NCL will cover up to $75 per person in air change fees and up to $25 per person in hotel change fees. Guests may cancel their cruise and receive a full refund if NCL is notified by March 7. In addition, NCL will cover up to $75 per person in air change fees and up to $25 per person in hotel change fees. After March 7, cancellation fees will apply in accordance with NCL’s cancellation policy.


Following a 14-day scheduled dry dock in Hawaii from April 26 to May 10, Pride of America will sail its four-island itinerary with a change in order of ports, including an overnight in Nawiliwili, Kauai; an afternoon cruise of the Napali Coast; Hilo, Hawaii; an evening sail by Mount Kilauea; Kona, Hawaii; and an overnight in Kahului, Maui. All of the Freestyle 2.0 enhancements will be rolled out on Pride of America during the ship’s dry-dock.


Source: Modern Agent

Feb 11, Silversea Adds Expedition Ship

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Silversea Cruises plans to launch its new expedition ship in June 2008, after undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation at the Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy. The 1A ice-rated vessel, originally acquired as World Discoverer last September, will get exterior design modifications, state-of-the-art technological enhancements and a complete upgrade of all guest accommodations and public spaces. The ship is also being outfitted with a fleet of eight Zodiac boats.


In a related development, the company announced the appointment of Conrad Combrink as Silversea’s director of expeditions, with responsibility for developing the ship’s itineraries and program. He will also oversee the recruitment of expedition staff and lecturers. Combrink’s career of over 10 years in expedition cruising includes serving as expedition leader on World Discoverer.


Following the naming ceremony in Monte Carlo in May, the ship will set sail June 12 from London on an inaugural season focusing on polar adventures. Sailing first to the Arctic Circle, Iceland and Greenland for the summer, the ship will then reposition to South America and Antarctica for autumn and winter voyages. After the ship’s refit, the vessel will accommodate 132 guests in 66 ocean-view suites, many featuring private verandas.

Staterooms and suites will range from 215 to over 600 square feet, with an average size of 300-plus square feet. Twenty suites will feature more than 400 square feet of luxury. All staterooms and suites will have flat-screen TVs. The ship will feature a single-seating main dining room, a library with desktop computers and Internet access, a boutique, a beauty salon, a fitness center, a full-service spa and two Jacuzzi pools. The ship will be equipped with state-of-the-art satellite communication systems, providing bow-to-stern wireless Internet access and cellular phone service.


Source: Modern Agent

Feb 6, Celebrity Unveils New Restaurants for Celebrity Solstice

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Celebrity Cruises said its new Celebrity Solstice, set to sail on its first revenue cruise on Dec. 14, will feature 10 restaurants. The line unveiled its dining plans at an event at New York’s Per Se restaurant last night. Celebrity Solstice will carry approximately 2,850 passengers.



Celebrity said it has partnered with some of the best restaurant designers in the business to create the new restaurants onboard Celebrity Solstice, among them Adam Tihany, who has created such restaurants as Per Se, Jean Georges, Le Cirque, The Sea Grill and Osteria del Circo in New York; Aureole, Bouchon and Seablue in Las Vegas; and Monte’s and the Mandarin Bar in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London. Tihany, in his first restaurant aboard a cruise ship, has designed the two-level Grand Epernay dining room; the classic steakhouse Tuscan Grille, and the Oceanview Cafe on the ship’s lido deck. Grand Epernay features a two-story wine tower, similar to what Tihany created in Aureole in Vegas.



The new menus are being created by Jacques Van Staden, Celebrity’s vice president of food and beverage, in conjunction with Celebrity’s culinary consultant Blau & Associates. Van Staden was previously one of the top chefs and restaurateurs in Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas. Blau is credited with shaping the dining experience at Bellagio and Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, and is also developing the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Simon kitchen and bar.



Dining venues aboard Celebrity Solstice will include Grand Epernay, the main dining room open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, featuring French cuisine and the two-story wine tower; Tuscan Grille, a combination of Mediterranean and California Napa cuisine; Silk Harvest, a casual specialty restaurant featuring Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and Indian selections; Blu, which offers “clean cuisine” exclusively for guests booked on the new AquaClass category of accommodations, with healthy food options; Murano, a twist on the restaurant of the same name on Celebrity Century, blending classic and modern Continental cuisine in an elegant setting; Bistro on Five, a casual dining area where guests can eat or take out sandwiches, soups, salads, desserts and other entrees; Cafe al Bacio & Gelateria, an upscale coffee house serving European cafe fare as well as gelato, signature coffees, teas, fresh-based pastries and more; AquaSpa Cafe, a dining option for guests seeking lighter fare; Mast Grill & Bar, featuring comfort food in a poolside venue; Oceanview Cafe & Grill, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with food stations reflecting where the ship is sailing.


Source: Modern Agent

Feb 6, Seabourn’s First World Cruise Opens for Sale

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Seabourn Cruise Line has opened reservations for the 2010 inaugural World Cruise of the new Seabourn Odyssey. The 108-day voyage departs from Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 5, 2010. A 92-day, west coast alternative departs Los Angeles on Jan. 21. The voyage ends in Piraeus (Athens), Greece, on April 24, 2010, by which time guests will have visited 42 ports in 26 countries on five continents. It also represents the first time that any of The Yachts of Seabourn has undertaken a world cruise. “A world cruise is an exciting prospect for travelers at any time,” said Seabourn President and CEO Pamela Conover. “And for any ship, there is only ever one first time. So when Seabourn Odyssey makes her maiden call at each port, it will be a special occasion that will never be repeated.”



The full world cruise qualifies for Seabourn’s Grand Voyage Savings of 50 percent, creating a range of per-person, double occupancy fares from $53,745 for a 295-square-foot Category A accommodations to $254,745 for a Grand Suite measuring 1,135 square feet with three private verandas adding another 301 square feet of outdoor space.
Seabourn has packed the voyage with value-added benefits and features for full World Cruise passengers. For those embarking at Fort Lauderdale, the voyage begins with a complimentary private-car transfer from their homes to any gateway airport within 100 miles. Upon arrival at Fort Lauderdale, full cruisers can attend a pre-cruise celebration and receive luxury accommodation the night before embarkation. Private car transfers at both ends of the voyage are included for all full-world cruise guests. Other complimentary perquisites include first-class roundtrip airfare, luggage shipping by Seabourn’s Personal Valet and a $1,000-per-person shipboard credit. During the voyage, are five shoreside events for full-cruise passengers in addition to six Exclusively Seabourn experiences to which all guests are invited. Commemorative gifts, gala balls and a full program of added enrichment programs and celebrity entertainment are also planned.



Three shorter “World Voyages” are also available — a 69-day voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Hong Kong, a 53-day segment from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, and a 39-day cruise from Hong Kong to Piraeus. The Seabourn Odyssey will carry a maximum of 450 guests. Ninety percent of the 225 ocean-view suites have private verandas, and all feature full granite baths with separate tub and shower, Molton Brown products, a complimentary in-suite bar stocked to the guests’ requests, and a flat-screen entertainment system with movies, television and music. Seabourn Square will be a concierge lounge. The Spa at Seabourn will feature a two-deck-high waterfall entry, gym with a Kinesis Wall, indoor/outdoor treatment rooms, a thalassotherapy pool and salon facilities. The ship will boast two outdoor swimming pools and six outdoor whirlpool spas.