Thursday, October 15, 2009

Priincess Launches Alaska Wilderness Sale

Princess Launches Alaska Wilderness Sale on Convenient Cruisetours from Seattle
Special Pricing Includes Travel Between Seattle and Alaska Plus Stateroom Upgrade
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (October 15, 2009) – Princess Cruises is again offering its popular Alaska Wilderness Sale promotion, featuring a special lineup of cruisetours that offer passengers the extra convenience of roundtrip travel from Seattle. These unique packages make planning an Alaska land/sea vacation easier than ever by including all travel once the passenger gets to Seattle, including airfare between Seattle and Alaska.The Alaska Wilderness Sale runs through December 31, 2009, and features 10 Seattle-based cruisetour options. Air travel between Seattle and Alaska, motorcoach transfers between Seattle and Vancouver, and an overnight stay in Seattle are all included in the package. Fares start at $1,899 for an interior stateroom and $2,299 for a balcony stateroom for an 11-night land/sea vacation, which includes a free stateroom category upgrade.Cruisetour options include both northbound and southbound routes, with 11- to 15-night itineraries. All passengers will experience Princess’ signature seven-night Voyage of the Glaciers cruise, combined with a variety of Direct to the Wilderness tours, or Explorer tours to the Copper River or Kenai areas. All tours feature Princess’ own riverside wilderness lodges, with at least two nights in the Denali National Park area and luxury train travel on ultra-domed railcars.“When we introduced these Seattle-based tour options last season, they really increased sales for many agents,” said Charlie Ball, president of Princess Tours. “These packages make a visit to the heart of Alaska more convenient than ever, so the only other planning needed is travel to and from Seattle. We handle all other arrangements, so visitors can simply enjoy this incredible opportunity to experience Alaska’s top attractions, including Glacier Bay and Denali National Park.”The Alaska Wilderness Sale cruisetours include the line’s famed Voyage of the Glaciers sailings between Vancouver and Whittier -- featuring calls at Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway with daylight cruising of Glacier Bay National Park plus either College Fjord or Hubbard Glacier. Passengers can choose departures on Diamond Princess, Coral Princess or Island Princess.Passengers can choose from 10 different cruisetour itineraries. Some feature the line’s famed Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service which transports guests right from their ship to the Denali area, giving them extra time in the heart of Alaska’s wilderness. Explorer itineraries include nights at off-the-beaten-path lodges, Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge or Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge. On all itineraries, passengers will enjoy lodging at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge and/or Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.Princess offers a variety of land/sea Alaska experiences showcasing the best of Alaska. All cruisetour options feature the state’s most sought-after attractions, with at least two nights in the Denali National Park area, plus cruising through the dramatic Glacier Bay National Park. Cruisetour travelers can also see North America’s tallest peak, Mt. McKinley, plus immerse themselves in a variety of Alaskan activities, from dog sledding to heli-hiking.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Princess Introduces Family Cruise-Tour in Alaska

Princess Cruises has added a new cruise-tour in Alaska designed for family groups. The 12-night cruise-tour includes features not usually included in a cruise-tour package, such as traveling on a jetboat, panning for gold and an interactive tour of Denali National Park. The cruise-tour (number: FUN) is offered at a 25 percent discount for all berths. The Family Fun cruise-tour includes a seven-night “Voyage of the Glaciers” cruise plus a five-night land tour featuring one night at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, two nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and two nights at Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. At sea, families can take advantage of onboard programs for children, including a Junior Ranger program in Glacier Bay National Park.
In addition, the family tours include daily breakfast, train service with lunch, and the Three Rivers Jetboat Tour from Talkeetna to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. Also included is Arctic Blast in Denali, a chamber that is chilled to wintertime temperatures, so visitors can find out what happens to hot water when it is thrown in the air and whether soap bubbles can survive the cold. The Music of Denali Dinner Theater tells the legend of the first expedition to the summit of Mt. McKinley, accompanied by a family-style meal featuring smokehouse ribs and Alaska salmon.
Also included is the “Experience Alaska with Alaska Geographic Tour,” a narrated bus tour of Denali National Park, the “Denali Sourdough Expedition Breakfast” with the opportunity to meet a mountain climber, and the “Riverboat Cruise and El Dorado Goldmine Tour” in Fairbanks, for a sternwheeler cruise along the Chena River and gold panning. Fares for the Alaska Family Cruise-tour start at $1,743 per person for the first and second berths, and $1,191 per person for the third and fourth berth passengers.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Norwegian Epic Update

MIAMI, FL - September 14, 2009 - Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that Norwegian Epic, the company's largest and most innovative ship to date currently under construction in France, will make her inaugural transatlantic seven-day cruise on June 24, 2010, departing from London (Southampton). The 4,200 passenger Freestyle Cruising ship will arrive in New York, her first port of call in the United States, on July 1, 2010. In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line also announced that a new seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise has been added to Norwegian Epic's inaugural season, departing Miami on July 10, 2010, one week earlier than previously scheduled.
"In true maritime fashion, Norwegian Epic will make the non-stop crossing from the U.K. to New York in just one week," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian's chief executive officer. "This seven-day voyage gives our guests the opportunity to be the first to immerse themselves in all of the innovative and varied activities, world-class dining and spectacular entertainment that will be offered on Norwegian Epic."
After an unprecedented response to a waitlist for Norwegian Epic's transatlantic last month, Norwegian Cruise Line will give those guests on the waitlist first priority to confirm their booking on the transatlantic today and tomorrow. A special guest services team will be contacting those guests so that they can choose from Norwegian Epic's wide range of accommodations from the innovative new Studios to the largest suite and villa complex at sea. On Wednesday, September 16, 2009, members of Norwegian's past guest program, Latitudes, will have a special preview sale day to book the cruise. The much-anticipated transatlantic sailing will officially open to the public for booking on Thursday, September 17, 2009.
Norwegian Epic's new seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise with stops in Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas, will go on sale to the public on September 28, 2009. Guests currently booked on Norwegian Epic's July 17, 2010 Eastern Caribbean cruise will have priority to switch to the new sailing date if they so choose. Agents can contact Norwegian Cruise Line at 1800-327-7030 by September 25, 2009 to make any additional changes.
In addition, Norwegian Epic's 2010/11 inaugural season sailings from Miami to the Eastern and Western Caribbean are currently open for sale. The ship's alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, available as seven-day individual sailings or 14-day combined sailings, are available through April 2011.
Norwegian Epic's Innovations & Features
Norwegian Epic is changing the face of cruise line entertainment. In an industry first, Blue Man Group will perform in the ship's 685-seat Epic Theater. Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The blissful party atmosphere created at their live events has become the trademark of a Blue Man Group experience and beginning next summer will be seen for the first time ever at sea only on Norwegian Epic during a 90-minute show customized specifically for Norwegian Epic.
Norwegian Epic will have multiple, specially-designed entertainment venues throughout the ship so that guests can choose from a wide variety of entertainment each evening of their cruise. No longer will entertainment be focused on two nightly shows in one large main theater. Norwegian Epic will offer a number of entertainment options in specially-designed venues, some offered for the first time ever at sea, with choices to appeal to a broad audience.
On this ship, guests will find the only "big top" at sea. In this intimate 265-seat theater-in-the-round, famed producer/director Neil Goldberg will present Cirque Dreams® and Dinner. This one of a kind interactive theatrical dining experience will be performed in the air, while juggling dinner courses, with music, mayhem and acrobatic imagination. During this two-hour show, guests will marvel in amazement and become part of a celebration of spectacle and fantasy. The entire experience will be unlike anything else at sea.
Norwegian Epic will offer the next generation of Freestyle Dining with 20 dining choices and 20 bars and lounges. The ship also boasts unique nightlife options with the first Ice Bar at sea, Spice H20 and Posh, exclusive open-air hotspots; an expansive Aqua Park with the only tube slide and largest bowl slide at sea -- The Epic Plunge; seven decks of Freestyle Family Fun with highlights including a 33-foot high, 64-foot wide extreme rock climbing wall and the first ever rappelling wall at sea; the most bowling lanes at sea with six in two venues; a mixed-use sports deck with the ability for guests to engage in eight different athletic activities; as well as three separate kids' and teen activity areas and the first squash court at sea.
Norwegian Epic also incorporates several new types of accommodations - the modern, curved New Wave staterooms where all outside staterooms have balconies; the largest Villas complex at sea, comprising 60 suites and villas on two private decks at the top of the ship; a new category of inside staterooms, The Studios with exclusive access to the Living Room; and spa and family-friendly accommodations.

New Attraction in Labadee

Royal Caribbean International added an alpine coaster called Dragon’s Tail Coaster in Labadee, its private beach in Haiti.
The minimum age to be a single rider is 12 years old. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 may ride in the same cart with their parent/guardian. Maximum occupancy per cart is two people with a maximum combined weight of 360 pounds. Total ride time is approximately three to five minutes. Those who purchase a ticket can take someone else in their cart for free. Price is $35

Friday, September 11, 2009

New Oasis of the Seas Features

Royal Caribbean officials told the media and the trade in a web conference on Wednesday that the new Oasis of the Seas will have its first nursery at sea— with infants accepted who are between six months and 36 months. More than 25,000 infants and toddlers under the age of three sail on Royal Caribbean annually. The line already has robust programs for older kids.
In addition, today the line began pre-reservation of onboard shows for Oasis of the Seas at www.royalcaribbean.com. It's a plus for clients who love to pre-plan. Royal Caribbean said its experiences with pre-booking of shore trips and customer feedback from its voyages have shown that many guests absolutely enjoy planning every aspect of their trip— and they want more choices of things to see, do and book in advance. Three months in advance of their sailing, clients may pre-reserve at seat at such entertainment options as ice shows, "Splish Splash," or "Hairspray," among other choices. All shows onboard Oasis of the Seas are free to guests. Guests who pre-book shows will use their electronic cruise pass card to enter the theater. Charly McDonald, the line's manager of guest activities and entertainment technical operations, said clients who pre-book a show will gain entry to the show but not be booked into a specific seat. What if your clients are more spontaneous? What if they don’t want to pre-book? They'll still be able to arrive at the entertainment venue unannounced and be granted entry if space is available. But if the show is fully booked, an on-site box office will give them a reservation at a show later the same evening or later in the cruise.