“Liverpool famous for #Beatles now famo

“Liverpool famous for #Beatles now famous for #FredOlsen cruises http://ow.ly/bcuxi

Congratulations #Liverpool on getting Cr

Congratulations #Liverpool on getting Cruise Port status http://ow.ly/b50OP

Found this photo of #Beatles in #Seattle

Found this photo of #Beatles in #Seattle fishing from a window in suite 272 thanks to The Edgewater Hotel, 21Aug1964 http://ow.ly/aPttc

Five things you’ll love about the new Disney Fantasy

Click here to find out more.

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/03/disney-fantasy-ship-five-things/660347/1

I can’t help feeling a tinge of excitement which started with this article on the new Disney Fantasy, thanks to The Cruise Log by Gene Sloane.

Vancouver was home port for the Disney Magic back in 2011 for the first time to Alaska, the news was even more shocking when Disney announced that they were switching home port to Seattle. Strange enough before the Seattle 2012 season got underway Disney reversed their decision for 2013 and announced that they were reverting back to Vancouver.

I think the Vancouver itinerary is superior to what Seattle can offer, my hope is that from 2013 onwards Disney keep Vancouver as home port.

So the Vancouver Alaska 2013 season begins May 27, 2013, the Disney Wonder will sail seven-night cruises from Vancouver to Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska.

These cruises will combine the natural wonder and adventurous spirit of Alaska with the unparalleled, family-friendly experience found on a Disney Cruise Line ship. Disney Cruise Line worked closely with Alaskan tour operators to create exclusive-to-Disney family-friendly Port Adventures that allow guests to best experience Alaska’s natural beauty and rich history.

Rates for seven-night Alaska cruises departing from Vancouver start at around $1,015 per person for a standard inside stateroom, based on double occupancy.

Seven-night Alaska:

Ports: Vancouver, Tracy Arm (scenic cruising through fjord), Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan

Departure dates: May 27, June 3, 10, 17, 24, July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26, Sept. 2

Liverpool’s Titanic 100th Anniversary Commemoration

Liverpool's 100th Titanic Anniversary Commemoration

It’s hard to believe that it’s 100 years since that faithful night that the world’s most mechanically advanced ship met her fate.

Few people know that the Titanic’s owners headquarters, The White Star Line were in Liverpool and to this day the building still stands on the shores of Liverpool’s famous River Mersey.

There are lots of events going on not to mention two cruise ships will be steaming towards the wreck site of Titanic, one from Southampton and one from New York, where an on board commemorative religious service will be performed at the exact time the great liner went down.

In Liverpool just as spectacular a commemoration will be taking place, The Sea Odyssey, which runs from Friday 20th April to Sunday 22nd April will be the UK’s largest street festival.

So what’s the connection with the Titanic?

One stowaway: loaded on board during the night, unnoticed – a thirty foot tall Giant capable of travelling through time, on his way to another continent to meet his daughter, the Little Giant.

Giants don’t grow old, don’t grow up, they just stay the age they are for eternity – that is, if they don’t die.

But Disaster  the Titanic was the pride of Liverpool, and many different Liverpudlian tradesmen were recruited, mainly to maintain the ship and to look after the passengers.
But let’s return to our gigantic passenger trapped in one of the holds. He feels the full force of the iceberg’s blade. The sea rushes into the ship so fiercely that he is unable to move.

He is a prisoner and plummets 12,000 feet with the Titanic. We believe that, knowing he would soon die, he took his last underwater lift ride before coming to rest in a cloud of dust on the ocean bed.

Above, petrified with fear, survivors hoped for miracles – some were rescued, that too is known.

When the Little Giant heard the news, she sought out her uncle, the Great Giant’s brother. While listening to her, the uncle made a decision that was to take him a century to carry out.

First, he would make himself a diving suit. Then he would scour the ocean floor for the shipwreck. After that, he would bury his brother in the deep-sea bed. Most importantly, he would come back with the letter the Great Giant had written to the Little Giant Girl. This is why he walked for many long years across the ocean floor, pulling the Titanic’s mail trunk to bring back the post to Liverpool.

Such tragedies do not affect the Little Giant’s morale who bravely decided to come to the reunion. While reading magazines before leaving, she discovered that there are another two famed legends in Liverpool – The Beatles music, and the sheer madness for football of the rebel City.

Click on the link below for more information on the full schedule:

Tomas Reaks Havoc With Cruise Ships.

05 NOV 2010: St. Lucia was hit hard last weekend by Tropical Storm Tomas, then a category 1.  While the island’s tourism office says it is making a quick recovery, St. Lucia’s ports will remain closed to cruise ships at least through Sunday.

Calls scheduled for yesterday and today by Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess, Carnival’s Carnival Victory, Celebrity Cruises’ Millennium, Silversea Cruises’ Silver Spirit and P&O Cruises’ Ventura have been cancelled.

The St. Lucia Tourism Board said, “A comprehensive clean up exercise and restoration of critical infrastructure is underway” and estimated that tourism would be back to normal by today.  

Tomas had been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, but is once again is gaining strength as it heads toward Jamaica and Haiti.

Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas skipped a call today in Labadee, its private beach destination in Haiti.

Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, has switched its itinerary – sailing to Barbados, Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Thomas instead of Curacao, Aruba and Dominica.

 

Let’s hope that things get back to normal as soon as possible and the cruise liners can get back to their regular schedule.

The 10 Most Exciting Cruise Ships

1. Celebrity Century – Celebrity Cruises This ship, refurbished in 2006, boasts rooms with private verandas and suites with personal butlers. The Martini Bar is also home to the first “ice bar” concept at sea. 

suites with personal butlers

2. Pacific Jewel — P&O Cruises Australia Launched December 2009, Pacific Jewel offers a high-wire circus and trapeze arena on the top deck and P&O’s first ever celebrity chef restaurant — Salt Grill by Luke Mangan. The spa and fitness center is as big as an Olympic-sized swimming pool and the ship has four kids’ clubs and a shopping precinct. 

An amazing high-wire circus and trapeze arena on the top deck

3. MS Panorama — Avalon Waterways The MS Panorama, due to be launched in May 2011, will be the first to feature two full decks of suites with wall-to-wall panoramic windows and balconies to enjoy the view cruising along some of Europe’s major rivers such as the Rhine and Danube. 

The Avalon Panorama is a unique "Suite Ship"

4. Queen Mary 2 — Cunard Arguably the most magnificent ocean liner ever built, the ship features the only planetarium at sea and 15 restaurants and numerous bars and lounges, including the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar. With book clubs and regular presentations on contemporary and historical issues, the Queen Mary 2 travels almost everywhere and is well known for a 108 day World Voyage. 

Largest, longest, widest, tallest and most expensive passenger liner in history.

5. MSC Fantasia — MSC Cruises Known for opulence,the MSC Fantasia boasts the exclusive MSC yacht club featuring a staircase of Swarovski crystals as well as a private lounge with transparent ceilings. The aqua park has 150 illuminated musical fountains and the swimming area a waterslide. 

The aqua park has 150 illuminated musical fountains

6. Oasis of the Seas — Royal Caribbean Line The world’s largest cruise ship ever, costing over $1 billion, is divided into seven different neighborhoods. Onboard activities include a zip-line, carousel, rock-climbing walls, a 750-seat AquaTheatre amphitheatre hosting water ballet and dinner shows with the option of 25 different restaurants. 

Neighborhoods at sea

7. Celebrity Solstice — Celebrity Cruises On board Celebrity Solstice, real grass is used in the half-acre Lawn Club where passengers can enjoy a picnic or join a game of bocce or croquet. Watch glass blowers in action. 

Real grass is used in the half-acre Lawn Club

8. Ruby Princess — Princess Cruises The newest member of the Princess Cruises fleet, the Ruby Princess features poolside theatres and the cruise line’s signature outdoor cinema. The adults-only The Sanctuary features a spa-inspired setting while the kids can enjoy five swimming pools, including a swim-against-the-current lap pool. For those looking to renew their vows or lucky enough to meet their soul mate on board, the ship has the Hearts and Minds wedding chapel. 

Movies Under the Stars

9. MV Orion — Orion Expedition Cruises Designed for expedition cruising but exuding luxury, guests explore various destinations, and are transported ashore in one of the fleet of 10 Zodiacs or inflatable rubber boats. On board, enjoy a meal from award-winning Sydney chef Serge Dansereau of The Bathers’ Pavilion fame. 1 

Designed to access the inaccessible in 5* luxury

10. MV True North — True North Cruise through Australia’s Top End on board one of the most luxurious Australian cruise ships, True North. Six expedition vessels carry passengers up close to waterfalls and the onboard helicopter can take passengers to remote billabongs to fish or snorkel. 

Each year, she does one circumnavigation of Australia

 

5 Clauses to be aware of in your cruise contract.

A Travel Agent Will Help You With The Small Print

1. Did you know that the law governing cruises depends on the law of the country where the ship is registered which is usually the Bahamas, Liberia or Panama. 

2. Basically, prices, rooms, excursions, itineraries, and anything not guaranteed is up to the cruise line’s discretion, so you have no control over any cancellations, deviations from the advertised schedule, ports of call that the cruise line makes to your trip. 

3. Medical facilities are excellent on board but the cruise lines aren’t responsible for the malpractice of the ship’s doctors. Similarly, all spa personnel, photographers, instructors, guest lecturers and entertainers and other service personnel shall be considered independent contractors, so if anything goes wrong the cruise line do not accept responsibility. 

4. Children and retirees are second-class citizens. The survivors of children or retired passengers who die on cruise ships have no right to compensation except for burial and funeral expenses. It turns out that when passengers die on the high seas, the “Death On The High Seas Act” applies. It limits the recovery of the surviving family members to what is called pecuniary losses. This means that only lost wages and burial or funeral expenses are permitted. If you’re a child or a retiree, and not earning wages, the only compensation is for the costs of the burial. 

5. Watch the clock, you don’t have much time as there’s a one-year limitation period to file a claim, and a six-month period to write a letter to the cruise line if the passenger has been injured. So don’t miss that deadline otherwise you will not have a leg to stand on. 

Taking all into account the cruise sector is excellent value for money and absolute bargains are to be had. This sector of the vacation market is growing phenomenally so the cruise lines must be doing something right. 

Our advice is just to be flexible in relation to the itinerary and don’t get too stressed out if you receive that notification advising you of a change.

We all love our Chocolate how about a chocolate-themed cruise?

 If your anything like me you can’t let a day go by without a chocolate fix, especially coming from the U.K. I have my Cadburys Chocolate to give me a taste of home and keep me happy here in Canada.

I came across this luxury cruise which could be a chocoholics dream. The seven-night voyage out of Rome on board an old fashioned sail ship, aboard the 312-passenger Wind Surf, will be part of the line’s Signature Collection Host Series for 2010. It begins May 2, 2010.

There will be gourmet chocolates to sample as well as chocolate tastings onboard the ship. The cruise also will host an exclusive shore excursion to the Gay-Odin Chocolate Factory in Naples, Italy where passengers will have a guided tour and chocolate tasting.

So why not combine that European trip you have always promised yourself with that desire for chocolate, what a winning combination! The 7-night chocolate cruise includes port calls in Porto-Vecchio, France; Messina, Italy; Sorrento, Italy; Capri, Italy; and Ischia, Italy. Fares start at $1,749 per person, based on double occupancy.(pre taxes and port charges).

Flights to Rome can be arranged from your local airport.

Special Cruise Prices For Single Travelers

The offer is from MSC Cruises for Caribbean 7nt Cruises.

As a single guest you can book an interior, ocean view, or balcony stateroom on select MSC Cruises’ 2009-10 Caribbean itineraries with rates starting at only $649.

Usually single travelers are penalized with rates as high as double the twin rate so I hope that other cruise lines take note and make the same effort that MSC Cruises have.

So now is the time to take advantage of this amazing offer.

All you need to add on are the taxes and of course the airfare to Fort Lauderdale but with the airlines locked in a price war fares are now at their lowest I have seen for a long time.

This is a limited-time offer which expires on January 31, 2010 so if you’ve always promised yourself a Caribbean Cruise but have not been able to justify the single supplement now is the time to act and treat yourself at very affordable prices.

This special single promotion offer is applicable for Categories 1, 4, and 6 on the following MSC Poesia itineraries from Fort Lauderdale:

7-night–“Island Treasures & Ancient Temples” on February 13 and March 13 to Key West, Florida; Playa del Carmen, Mexico; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Nassau, Bahamas; single rate begins at $749 and $699, respectively;
7-night—“Eastern Caribbean Enchantment” on February 20 and March 6 to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas; single rate begins at $699 and $649, respectively.
Rates are per person, cruise only and subject to availability; government fees and taxes are additional.