The "Nieuw-est" Ship in the Holland America Line Fleet bears a name you may recognize. The fourth vessel to be named Nieuw Amsterdam is the second to launch in Holland America Line's Signature-class.
Top-rated Seabourn will have all six of its intimate, award-winning ships in Europe this year, sailing itineraries of different lengths in destinations as diverse as the majestic fjords of Norway, the glamorous resorts of the French Riviera, gorgeous Greek and Dalmatian isles and the opulent czarist palaces of the Ukraine's Black Sea coast. The good news for travelers is that the entire season is being offered at Seabourn Value Fares, saving them up to 50 percent off brochure fares, and numerous back-to-back opportunities add even more value.
Our friends at Sixthman have just announced that The Rock Boat XII will sail March 1-5, 2012, on Carnival Ecstasy from New Orleans to Cozumel. This time around, joining Sister Hazel on Sixthman's inaugural floating music festival, are Alternate Routes, Tim Brantley, Carbon Leaf, Freddy Jones Band, Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, and Vertical Horizon.
Come aboard Allure of the Seas with avid cruisers and frequent Cruise Diva contributors Vincent & Mary Finelli. You'll want to check out their posh Crown Loft Suite. Outfitted for accessibility, get the pros and cons of its comfort and functionality.
Many cruise passengers arrive in the area of their embarkation port to spend a day or two pre-cruise exploring the sights. Those who visit Long Beach have a real treat—that's where Cunard Line's original Queen Mary is docked as a floating museum. If they happen to be present on March 3rd, they will be witnesses to maritime history being made once again in Long Beach Harbor, when Queen Victoria and Queen Mary meet for the first time during a Cunard Royal Rendezvous. At approximately 6:00pm, Queen Victoria will sail into Long Beach Harbor to meet Queen Mary, and the two ships will exchange whistle salutes amidst a sparkling fireworks display. Spectators can view the two ships together for approximately 30 minutes before Queen Victoria continues on her Panama Canal Adventure to Ft. Lauderdale.
Cruise Diva introduced you to the new Captain Morgan On The Rocks bar at Half Moon Cay when we visited there during our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise on January 26th. At that time I enjoyed a Pina Colada, but now they have some new cocktails featuring—you guessed it—Captain Morgan Rum!
Se habla Espanol? Crystal Cruises does! And with Crystal's new, 211-page, full Spanish-language Atlas outlining its entire 2011 cruise line-up, now the more than 400 million Spanish-speaking people in the world can fully access itineraries, pricing, and complete information about the world's most luxurious cruise line's offerings for this year. As the only luxury cruise line to publish a full Atlas in Spanish, Crystal's Spanish Atlas effort is yet another mark of its trend-setting leadership.
Princess Cruises has issued the following statement regarding cancelled port calls in Egypt and revised itineraries:
As a rule we don’t pay much attention to awards given to cruise lines and ships here at Cruise Diva. It’s difficult to determine whether they are legitimate and how the award recipients are arrived at. This one is different and we’re pleased to share the news that Norwegian Cruise Line is the first in the cruise industry to be honored by Travel + Leisure, the popular guide for world travelers with the largest audience of any travel magazine, with its distinguished Design Award. The recipients of the seventh annual award represent the best new examples of design in a range of categories from hotels and transportation to luggage and travel fashion.
She’s back and we hear she’s as good as new! After completing repairs in a San Francisco dry dock facility and successfully undergoing sea trials, the 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor is now en route to its homeport of Long Beach, California, where it will resume its year-round schedule of 7-day Mexican Riviera cruises tomorrow, Feb. 20, 2011.
Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas made history of a sort when it became the first ship to call at Historic Falmouth port in Jamaica yesterday. Situated between the popular cruise ports of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, Falmouth is the first-ever thematic cruise port for the island nation. It is also a convenient gateway for passengers to embark on more than 60 land experiences along the north coast, which are incidentally also available from the other ports. Additionally, restoration throughout the town of Falmouth will offer visitors a wide selection of cultural and historic experiences when the work currently underway is complete. Many prominent houses, shops, and public buildings built in the 18th and 19th centuries are still standing, but are in need of refurbishment.
Since the line's launch, food has always been an important element on Celebrity Cruises ships and now their guest chef theme cruise program, "Savor Your Destination," is serving up a roster filled with gifted culinarians who will participate this year.
No need to set your DVR if you won’t be at home for the upcoming Royal Wedding on April 29th. If you’re on a Princess cruise, the highly anticipated nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be televised live on your ship and you’ll be able to attend “virtually” with full coverage of the pomp and majesty of the historic wedding through BBC World’s broadcast of the event.
The last time a fire roared through the downtown tourist area of Nassau in the Bahamas it was the Straw Market that was destroyed. Yesterday, a blaze started downtown in Kelly's dockyard at around 7:45am and spread to numerous nearby buildings east of the Bacardi Store on Bay Street and East Street.
According to the Tribune, "Police estimate the entire block of buildings affected by the fire, including the Bacardi building and the Green Parrot Crew Pub, has been extensively damaged and is not salvageable." No serious injuries or deaths have been reported.
For perspective, here are Cruise Diva's personal photos showing the area of the cruise terminal during a recent call at Nassau. In the photo at left, the brightly lit building just visible above the ship's bow to the right of the yellow tower is the cruise terminal at dusk.
Couples gather in the atrium of Crown Princess for a special Valentine’s Day renewal of vows ceremony. Performed by the captain, this annual celebration of love is a Princess Cruises tradition, with thousands of couples participating fleetwide. To add a playful touch, some ships outfitted passengers with veils and bow ties to wear during the ceremony.
Cruise Diva's friend and writing colleague Georgina Cruz says, “Making memories at sea, to carry with me always, is a priority for me whenever I sail. I want to remember a special meal, activities and other aspects of life onboard, places I visited–I want to remember it all so I can place it on a prominent shelf of my mind to enjoy it at will whenever the mood strikes and to own it forever. Photos are nice, of course–and I take them–but the best, most portable album is in our own minds. With plenty of good memories, I can re-live the voyage wherever and whenever I wish, and go on it again countless of times, for as an old Spanish saying proclaims, To remember is to live anew.”
With Valentine's Day tomorrow, are you in the mood for love? Are you in the mood for a romantic cruise? Ask six couples what the most romantic aspect of a cruise is and you are likely to get a dozen different responses. To some, it could be the freedom to relax and enjoy one another's company. Or maybe it's the joy of getting away from home, work, and responsibility for a few cherished days.
It isn't often that we see this much news out of Papenburg, Germany, but this has been a big week for ship building announcements. Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. has signed a letter of intent with shipyard Meyer Werft to build the first of a new generation of Royal Caribbean International cruise ships. Developed under the code-name "Project Sunshine," the new vessel design incorporates new and exciting features that take advantage of the best of Royal Caribbean's experience and imagination. The project is a result of over a year of dedicated research and development.
Disney Cruise Line celebrated the keel laying of the Disney Fantasy yesterday at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. This is the second of two newly-designed ships that take the family cruise experience to all new heights. Sister ship to the Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, entered service on Jan. 26, 2011.
There will be no more “shopping cart” jokes after the most significant transformation ever of a Princess Cruises ship occurs this spring aboard Grand Princess. The artist rendering here shows her new profile once the aft Skywalkers Nightclub (the “shopping cart” handle) is removed. During a 24-day makeover Grand Princess, which was the prototype for the line’s “Grand Class” vessels, will undergo a remarkable renovation to receive many of Princess’ trademark features introduced since the ship’s 1998 debut, including the signature Piazza atrium. Several new features will be also be added including a unique tea lounge and library called “Leaves”; and “Alfredo’s,” a full-service pizzeria showcasing this renowned Princess dish.
A brand new nightclub called One5, inspired by its deck location, will be created on the top deck of the ship, replacing its iconic Skywalkers Nightclub, which has given the ship its distinctive profile. Skywalkers will be removed from its 18th deck perch, with its replacement located on deck 15. This change will significantly improve the operational performance of the ship, including greater fuel efficiency. As an added bonus, the removal of Skywalkers will allow more sunshine to reach the aft pool area.
Norwegian Cruise Line has completed the first phase of enhancements at Great Stirrup Cay, the line’s 250-acre private island in the Bahamas. On Thursday, Feb 3, the new marina and dining facility opened for guests, representing a significant milestone in the more than $20 million enhancement project currently underway. Norwegian Sky’s 2,000 passengers were the first to experience the opening of the marina basin with four docks for the island’s tenders and the new 8,500 square foot dining facility, complete with two bars and four picnic pavilions.
The marina is approximately 12 feet deep at low water and is home to the island’s four tenders. It took more than eight months to excavate the basin and the entrance channel. The dining facility (pictured right) includes a central pizza making station, two grills, hot and cold food stations, as well as fresh fruits and breads. There are two full bars on either side of the facility for added convenience. The four pavilions, each more than 1800 square feet, offer picnic tables with a total seating capacity for more than 500 guests.
The first new ship to be launched by Disney Cruise Line in over a decade is freshly christened and welcoming guests on board.
Oceania Cruises raised the bar in the upper-premium cruise ship market with last Saturday's christening of their new ship, Marina. Godmother, “Entertainment Tonight” Host Mary Hart, named Marina at a lavish, invitation-only gala ceremony, which culminated with a 15-liter Nebuchadnezzar of champagne, custom-made by Armand de Brignac, crashing against the hull.
Those boarding passes/room keys... ultimately, they are "Sail 'n Spend" cards.
If your children aren't yet school-age, or if their school year ends early (as many do in southern states), you may be able to take advantage of this offer from Disney Cruise Line to book a memorable cruise to Alaska this season. Kids age 17 and under sail free on Disney Wonder when traveling with 2 full-fare Guests in the same Oceanview or Verandah stateroom on most Alaska cruises from May 3, 2011 to May 24, 2011. Government Taxes and Fees are not included.Are you ready for some football? Fans aboard all Princess Cruises ships around the world will have the opportunity to enjoy a super tailgate party at sea tomorrow (Feb 6), with prime viewing of the match-up between the Pittsburg Steelers and the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. The “Big Game” will be broadcast fleetwide to passengers, including viewing on the ships’ 300-square-foot super-size “Movies Under the Stars” screens.
Welcome aboard Norwegian Epic as Cruise Diva's contributor Robert W. Bone shows us around, points out the best spot for quiet relaxation with a book, and explains how the entertainment on Norwegian Epic sets the bar high at sea.
Fox 2000 Pictures began production on ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED!, the third installment of the blockbuster movie franchise, on Jan 22 during a Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Dream, the newest and largest ship in Carnival Cruise Lines’ fleet. Filming took place primarily on the ship’s upper, open decks with scenes featuring actor Jason Lee (reprising his role as Dave Seville) and the antics of the beloved chipmunks in the Carnival Dream’s expansive outdoor recreation areas.
Captain Inger Olsen is at the helm of Queen Victoria’s debut American season
Viking River Cruises moved swiftly to transport passengers who were in Cairo to safety in Frankfurt, Germany following travel warnings issued by the U.S. State Department. All 91 guests are now safely in a Frankfurt hotel and will travel home to the United States tomorrow.
When Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam docked at Grand Turk last Friday her passengers were among the first to view a brand-new unique exhibit at the Grand Turk Cruise Center that commemorates the National Aeronautics & Space Administration’s (NASA) Mercury space program and the historic 1962 splashdown of the Friendship 7 capsule off the coast of Grand Turk. “Splashdown Grand Turk” is a 3,500-square-foot attraction celebrating the unique relationship of the American human spaceflight mission and its importance to Grand Turk’s history. Grand opening festivities were held before our arrival, with representatives from the Turks and Caicos Islands’ government, Carnival Corporation, and the Grand Turk Cruise Center in attendance. Special guest speakers included Janet E. Petro, deputy director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center and former NASA astronaut Winston Scott. Other special guests were students from local Grand Turk schools.
Located on the south side of the Grand Turk Cruise Center (when you exit the pier and pass through the duty-free shopping center, walk to your right), the free exhibit features replicas unique to the Mercury space program, including a scaled 20-foot-tall Atlas rocket and a full-size, three-dimensional replica of astronaut John Glenn in spacesuit, and, of course, a detailed replica of the Friendship 7 capsule, which splashed into the Atlantic in 1962, a few short miles from the island of Grand Turk. Storyboards at the exhibit depict the accomplishments of the NASA space program and detail the differences in space equipment of yesterday and today while offering an overview of the current space program and future plans.