June 8 2012 - Cruise Notes from Mary

Cruise Notes from Mary Mary Engram, CTA/MCC Travel Consultant June 8, 2012 Happy Friday Everyone Royal Caribbean 3-Day WOW Sale – June 11 – 13, 2012 Reserve any cruise departing August 15, 2012, or later to enjoy up to $200* to spend onboard plus a 50% reduced deposit. LIMITED-TIME OFFER DETAILS: Cruise Length Onboard Credit Reduced Deposit 3 to 5 nights $50 per stateroom $50 6 to 9 nights $100 per stateroom $125 10 nights or longer $200 per stateroom $225 *The 50% reduced deposit can also be applied via any automated booking tool. However, the booking confirmation will not reflect the reduced deposit amount due. The WOW Sale Onboard Credit and 50% Reduced Deposit offer are applicable to all Royal Caribbean International® cruises that sail on or after August 15, 2012 including cruisetours. Offer applies to new FIT bookings with required deposit only and is not applicable to groups. Offer applies to all categories available. All bookings must be made and the required deposit must be paid by June 13, 2012, by 11:59 pm Local Time to qualify for the promotion. Bookings made on June 11, 12, or 13, 2012 without required deposit will not qualify for this offer. Offer is combinable with LAF and restricted rates (Seniors, Residents, Military). Offer is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Interline, Travel Agent, and Net Rates, Crown & Anchor Discounts, Shareholder Benefits or Next Cruise offers, promotions, or benefits. Offer is valid for Cruisetour packages but not combinable with other Cruisetours Onboard Credits. Cruisetour packages receive the OBC based upon the length of the Cruisetour. Onboard credit is in U.S. dollars, has no cash value, is not redeemable for cash, is not transferable and will expire if not used by 10:00 pm on the last evening of the cruise. In the event that a guest has more than one applicable offer for the same sailing, guest can choose the offer he or she wishes to apply. Offer is available in all markets, excluding Australia and New Zealand. Any existing booking that is cancelled between June 5 and 13, 2012 and is rebooked for the same sailing on June 11, 12, or 13, 2012 will not be eligible to receive the offer. Any eligible reservation that is cancelled and is reinstated or changes the ship or sail date after June 13, 2012 will not be eligible to receive the offer. Onboard Credit will be applied to qualified booking by Royal Caribbean International® within 4 weeks of the Sale. The 50% reduced deposit and onboard credit offer is applicable to on-line bookings; however, the on-line booking confirmation will not reflect this reduced deposit or onboard credit. Subject to availability. Prices are per person, cruise only, based on double occupancy and in US dollars. Certain restrictions may apply. Government taxes and fees are additional. Offer may be withdrawn at any time Crystal Cruises Offers New Short Cruises at Sale Prices Crystal Cruises announced 12 new short Mediterranean itineraries sailing from July through December starting at $262 per day. All-inclusive, five- to eight-day vacations on the Crystal Serenity start at $1,310 per person for accommodations, gourmet dining, fine wine, premium spirits, gratuities, fitness classes and enrichment activities. Itinerary options include the five-day Aug. 1 cruise from Monte Carlo (overnight) to Florence, Porto Venere and Rome from $1,310. A six-day Oct. 30 cruise sails from Athens to Istanbul, visiting Navplion, Mykonos and Kusadasi and is priced from $1,575. In addition to the new options, Crystal’s Mediterranean season offers 18 previously scheduled 7, 11, and 12-day itineraries priced from $2,620 per person, double occupancy. Royal Caribbean’s “Hairspray” to Perform on Tony Awards Royal Caribbean International will partner with the Tony Awards to include a live broadcast of a number from “Hairspray” live from the Oasis of the Seas in the Caribbean Sea. The cruise line, which has been named an official partner of the 66th Annual Tony Awards, will be part of the live broadcast airing on CBS from the Beacon Theatre in New York City on June 10. Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line to feature fully licensed Broadway productions. In addition, Royal Caribbean’s new global brand campaign “The Sea Is Calling. Answer It Royally,” will air during the telecast. Norwegian Honored by Miami Chamber of Commerce Norwegian Cruise Line was honored with the 2012 Good to Great Award in the category of 1,000-plus employees by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. The award, which honors South Florida companies that embody ideals from Jim Collins’ best-selling business book “Good to Great,” was presented on June 1. While the context of the award is based on the book, the award criteria have been localized to reflect the uniqueness of South Florida. Judging was based on a nominee’s ability to demonstrate a pattern of solid-to-great performance over a four-year period. Companies were also asked to demonstrate leadership within management ranks and to speak to their processes for a solid workforce base. Five area universities -- business schools at Barry University, Florida International University, Florida Memorial University, Johnson & Wales University and Nova Southeastern University -- determined the judging criteria and shepherded the award process Oceania Cruises’ Regatta Calls at Mazatlan Cruise lines are slowing returning to Mazatan, the resort city on Mexico’s Pacific Coast that several major cruise companies decided to pull out of early last year due to security concerns. The destination, which announced increased visitor numbers and new tourism developments in March, welcomed Oceania Cruises’ flagship Regatta this past Memorial Day Monday. The ship’s 600 passengers spent 12 hours in the city. The Regatta’s current itinerary is an 18-day tour beginning in San Francisco and concluding in Miami, with stops in the Mexican cities of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, Acapulco, Huatulco and Chiapas. Tourism officials held meetings with a number of cruise lines at Cruise Shipping Miami in March, many of which intend on returning to Mazatlán soon. Grandeur of the Seas renovated Royal Caribbean International's Grandeur of the Seas completed a $48 million revitalization at the Navantia ship yard in Cadiz, Spain. Upgrades to the 1,950-passenger ship include the addition of five dining venues; technological enhancements; a poolside LED screen; new furniture, carpeting and upholstery; and a new aerial entertainment show in its six deck Centrum. In addition, the ship received a new Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty members, a Concierge Lounge for suite guests and top-tier loyalty guests, a Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, and a redesigned Viking Crown Lounge. Grandeur of the Seas this summer is operating a series of seven- to 11-day Mediterranean itineraries from Venice, Marseille and Palma de Mallorca. Hawaiian Airlines Starts New York JFK-Honolulu Service Hawaiian Airlines launched daily nonstop service between New York City and Honolulu on June 5 with Hawaiian's inaugural Flight 51 departing from JetBlue Airways Terminal 5. Hawaiian also has expanded its reach in the Eastern U.S. through new codesharing and frequent-flyer reciprocity agreements with JetBlue. Hawaiian will place its HA code on select JetBlue-operated flights throughout the East Coast, and customers of each carrier's frequent flyer program will be able to earn and redeem loyalty points or miles for travel on either airline. Hawaiian is operating its new nonstop service with a new wide-body, twin-aisle Airbus A330-200 aircraft seating 294 customers with 18 seats in First Class and the remainder in Economy Class. Hawaiian Flight 51 departs JFK daily at 10:00 a.m. and arrives at Honolulu International Airport at 3:00 p.m. Flight 50 departs Honolulu daily at 3:05 p.m. and arrives in New York City at 6:55 the following morning AirTran NEW non-stop service on the West Coast AirTran adds new non-stop service between Orange County, California and Los Cabos, Mexico, beginning June 3, 2012 Royal Caribbean Sets Sail For Asia Exciting news from Royal Caribbean this week announcing that the recently renovated Mariner of the Seas will begin sailing to Asia in June 2013, offering new itineraries from china and Singapore to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia for the remainder of the year. The move caters to the ever-expanding Chinese cruise vacation population, while enticing cruise guests from around the world to visit China and sail around Asia. A number of itineraries will be offered, with stays ranging from 3 to 12 nights, complemented by onboard product customizations including Chinese-style menus, language services and specialized retail and entertainment options, similar to the amenities that transitioned the Voyager of the Seas into this market. Mariner of the Seas will join Voyager of the Seas, another ship already operating in the region, in Royal Caribbean’s commitment to the growing cruise industry in Asia. Together, these ships represent the largest and most state -of- the -art cruise ships operating in the region Carnival raises cover charge for steakhouse Carnival Cruise Lines hiked the cover charge for its steakhouses by $5, to $35 per person. “The increase was necessitated as a result of higher food costs and is consistent with other alterative restaurant charges within the cruise industry. This is the first fee increase for the steakhouses in several years,” Carnival said. Thirteen Carnival ships have steakhouses: the Spirit, Pride, Legend, Miracle, Conquest, Glory, Valor, Liberty, Freedom, Splendor, Dream, Magic and Breeze. The Destiny will get a steakhouse after a refit next year; the ship will be renamed the Sunshine. Carnival also started charging for specialty coffees — such as cappuccinos, espressos and lattes — in the main dining rooms during lunch and dinner service. Thought for the Month Vacation: a period of travel and relaxation when you take twice the clothes and half the money you need. Wishing you a great weekend Mary Engram, Your Personal Travel Consultant Like my Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/MaryEngramTravelConsultant