Welcome! I recently returned from a well-planned but whirlwind media cruise/tour of Greece and Turkey hosted by Marlene Oliver and our friends at Celestyal Cruises. Not only did we cruise aboard both Celestyal Odyssey and Celestyal Crystal and explore the Athens area (including the Parthenon, the spectacular New Acropolis Museum, and the Temple of Poseidon), but our itinerary included nine (count ‘em!) ports, including Mykonos, Kusadasi (for Ephesus, Turkey), Patmos, Heraklion (Crete), Santorini (twice…once on each ship), Cesme (Turkey),and three lesser known, but incredibly beautiful and less crowded islands (it’s peak summer vacation season for Europeans, who have eight weeks off) which I particularly enjoyed…Syros, Kos and Ios.
Celestyal Cruises’ ships are older (only a few balconies for suites), but are well maintained and spotlessly clean, with very comfortable staterooms. We also encountered the line’s third vessel, Celestyal Olympia (originally Royal Caribbean’s Song of America) continually, but did not get aboard her. All being smaller vessels, however, they are easy to get around without becoming disoriented. Food is good and plentiful, but not gourmet, although extra-cost steak and lobster entrees were excellent. Service was generally fine, except that service from bar waiters was occasionally on the leisurely side. The poolside barbecue dinner on Celestyal Crystal was very tasty, and both ships offered nice buffet breakfasts. My colleagues all seemed to enjoy the Greek-centered entertainment a lot, and in fact, the Greek atmosphere and spirit evident aboard both vessels has to be one of the line’s top selling points, as well as its affordable pricing. I will be writing a feature article on the subject for one of our publications in 2016, so stay tuned for the complete story.
Adventure Smith Explorations is showcasing three new vessels and four new itineraries in New Zealand in order to offer a diversified complement of regional cruise options. The small-ship specialist will now be marketing four family owned and operated vessels in New Zealand which carry 16, 24, 32 and 72 guests. www.adventuresmithexplorations.com
American Queen Steamboat Company has announced details for its fall “Big Band Swing” cruises aboard American Queen, September 5 to 13 from St. Paul to St. Louis and September 12 to 20 from St. Louis to St. Paul. Both nine-day programs will include nightly dancing accompanied by the 13-piece Great American Swing Band, onboard lectures from historians, and appearances by vocalist Lynn Roberts. The line is offering a $1,999 “Solo Traveler Special” on these departures, as well as on August 22 and 29 round-trip cruises from St. Louis. Finally, AQSC has added two eight-day sailings of American Empress, traveling roundtrip from Vancouver, Washington (across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon) on November 15 and November 22. Highlights will include the Riverwalk along the Columbia in Astoria, Oregon, a visit to the Bonneville Dam in Stevenson, Washington, plus tours of the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum and the Sunshine Mill Winery, both in The Dalles, Oregon. www.aqsc.com/
Carnival Cruise Line is expanding its shore excursion offerings to include new experiences and customized private tours, as well as new family-friendly enhancements, including complimentary beachside activities, value pricing and free tours in selected ports for children under age five. Carnival reportedly offers nearly 1,200 landside programs in more than 50 ports of call. Also, Kathie Lee Gifford…“Today” show host, original Carnival Cruise Line spokesperson and current brand partner with her GIFFT wine collection, recently launched her GIFFT wine Pinot Noir Rosé aboard Carnival Splendor in New York. The new blend joins the GIFFT Red Blend and Chardonnay, all created with Monterey, California-based Scheid Family Wines, and introduced fleetwide aboard Carnival’s ships earlier this year. www.carnival.com/
Celebrity Cruises has partnered with TV’s “Project Runway” series. An episode airing on August 20 will feature Celebrity President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, alongside co-host Tim Gunn, as fashion design contestants compete to become the program’s next winner. The line has also appointed an American woman to take the helm of one of its mega-liners, a first in the cruise industry. 37 year-old San Francisco native Kate McCue will command the 91,000-ton, 965-foot Celebrity Summit, sailing between the eastern U.S. and Bermuda. McCue reportedly was elevated to the position of Captain based on her 15 years of successful experience and leadership in the maritime industry while sailing worldwide itineraries. www.celebritycruises.com/
Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 will undergo an extensive, 25-day dry dock refurbishment in Hamburg, Germany late next spring, from May 27 to June 21. New enhancements to be added during the refit will include 15 single staterooms, 30 additional “Britannia Club Balcony Staterooms,” and ten additional kennels for four-legged travelers. www.cunard.com/
Emerald Waterways is offering a new “Enchanting Forests, Mountains & Rivers” cruise/tour for 2016 which featuring five nights exploring Munich and Salzburg, plus an eight-day Danube River cruise from Passau to Budapest through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, including two full days in Vienna. Also featured in the line’s 2016 brochure, now available, is an eight-day Trier to Nuremberg cruise, with extensions in Paris and Prague, and Emerald’s first entry into Southeast Asia, with its new chartered ship sailing the Mekong River through Vietnam and Cambodia. www.emeraldwaterways.com/
Globus is offering a new 10-day “Cuba by Land & Sea” program cruising the Caribbean aboard Celestyal Crystal, and featuring port calls in Havana, Maria La Gorda, Pinar del Río, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. www.globusjourneys.com/
Holland America Line’s Veendam will make four seven-day sailings to Bermuda next May and June from Boston. Each departure will feature two half-days, two full days and three nights in Hamilton, the country’s capital. Elsewhere, the line’s “Fall Finale” promotion, launched on July 15, allows guests to save up to $1,000 per stateroom on some 60 sailings this fall when secured with a $60 deposit and booked by September 10. Available itineraries range in length from seven to 75 days. Also, HAL is launching a new program for incentive groups called “Incentive Choice,” which features preferential pricing and amenities including beverage packages, complimentary wine with dinners, bon voyage gifts, and a choice of one dinner in the Pinnacle Grill per guest, a 100-minute Internet package or a one-hour group cocktail party. www.hollandamerica.com/
Hurtigruten has added more departures to its Antarctica Cabin Guarantee, offering savings of up to 35% off regular fares for selected 2015/2016 season departures of its 14 and 20-day programs. The line has also joined Signature Travel Network and its more than 6,000 travel professionals, as its newest Preferred Partner. In other news, Hurtigruten is offering a new “Northern Lights Promise”…if the lights don’t make an appearance during guests’ Norway Coastal Voyage, they’ll provide another cruise free of charge. The guarantee is applicable to passengers booking a 12-day “Classic Round Trip Voyage” on departures from October, 2015, to February, 2016. If the Northern Lights don’t appear during the trip, guests can choose from a free seven-day “Classic Voyage North,” or six-day “Classic Voyage South,” departing between October, 2016, and March, 2017. Finally, three special “Expedition Voyages” along the Norwegian Coast have been scheduled for this fall. These sailings will take place on October 22 aboard Nordkapp, November 2 on Nordlys, and November 19 on Nordnorge, reportedly debuting a major new concept for Hurtigruten by offering additional opportunities to explore the Norwegian coastline and culture in a “more active and informative way.” This program is scheduled to go “full time” next January, with an “Expedition Team” on every sailing with extensive knowledge of the area’s history and geography to lead daily adventures, direct route diversions, select hikes and excursions for special discoveries, and present onboard lectures. www.hurtigruten.com/
Norwegian Cruise Line has introduced à la carte dining in the line’s signature specialty restaurants…La Cucina, Le Bistro, Cagney’s Steakhouse and the new Bayamo… providing guests the opportunity to choose how many courses they wish to order for their meals, just as they would at land-based restaurants. www.ncl.com/
Paul Gauguin Cruises is offering a new, one-week “Tahiti, the Society Islands & Tuamotus” voyage for 2016 that features a visit to two Polynesian archipelagos. The sailing departs and returns to Papeete, Tahiti, and calls on Huahine, Society Islands; both Fakarava and Rangiroa, Tuamotus; and Taha’a (Motu Mahana), Bora Bora, and Moorea in the Society Islands. The February 6 sailing’s fares start from $5,345 per person and include roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles. www.pgcruises.com/
Princess Cruises has created a “Sip & Sail” promotion offering free beverages and specialty dining on more than 350 cruise vacations for 2016. Guests booking a balcony, mini-suite or suite staterooms will receive a free all-inclusive beverage package for two people, and guests booking a mini-suite or suite stateroom will receive free specialty dining for two people. In other news, construction of the line’s third new generation of ships began with a keel laying ceremony of a yet-to-be-named, 3,600-passenger vessel on July 10 at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. The ship will be customized to appeal to the Chinese market and is scheduled to debut in summer, 2017. Also, Princess has announced a new partnership with restaurateur, New York Times bestselling author and television personality, Chef Curtis Stone. Three special offerings developed by Chef Stone will be available to guests, including “Crafted by Curtis” menu items available in the main dining room across the entire fleet, a new specialty restaurant concept and menu, and a signature “Chef’s Table by Curtis Stone” experience. www.princesscruises.com/
SeaDream Yacht Club’s 112-guest SeaDream II will spend the coming winter Caribbean season island-hopping with 12 one-week sailings from San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, calling on small ports throughout the British Virgin Islands, including Jost Van Dyke, Norman Island and Peter Island. www.seadream.com/
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is offering “2-for-1” savings on 15-day cruise/tours departing September 13, 23 and 27 on the Mekong River through Vietnam and Cambodia. Furthermore, “Early Booking Savings” on 2016 European river cruises of $600 to $1600 per couple are being offered for reservations paid in full by this October 31, or $300 to $800 per couple for those under deposit by January 15. Finally, numerous additional departure dates have now been identified through August 21, 2016, on which single supplements have been waived. www.uniworld.com
Viking Cruises has reported that little more than a month after its first ocean vessel, Viking Star, was christened, Viking Sea made its ocean “float out” debut by leaving dry land and becoming waterborne for the first time, signifying the final stage of construction as it moves toward its early 2016 christening. In other news Viking River Cruises’ newest itinerary is entitled “Undiscovered China,” which features the opportunity to view ancient Dazu stone carvings, the 2,000-year-old Terra Cotta Warriors, as well as panda bears and cubs in the wild. www.vikingcruises.com/ or www.vikingrivercruises.com/
Windstar Cruises is happily following the lead of several river cruise lines by offering solo travelers the opportunity to vacation with waived or reduced rates on select voyages when booked by September 18. Windstar is making the cost of cruising single more affordable on some 137 voyages, including itineraries in Panama, Costa Rica, Tahiti, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean. Single supplements have been completely waived on 43 itineraries, with only a 10 to 25% supplement on 94 other departures. www.windstarcruises.com/
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