Planning a Trip to Europe? How About a European Cruise?

If you're planning to travel to Europe anytime soon, you should consider taking a cruise! There are so many European Cruise options available these days, whether you're interested in seeing the Norwegian fjords, or the Mediterranean coastline, there are cruises for every interest and price range!

Imagine seeing Holland’s windmill-studded tulip fields or Germany’s fairy-tale castles, from the engineering marvel of the Main-Danube Canal to the picturesque vineyards of Austria’s Wachau Valley, all via a cruise!

Or sail through the Greek Isles, where white-washed churches point tilted Greek crosses heavenward in skies of brilliant blue, while sun worshippers bask on the powdery beaches.

There are some great Spring & Summer rates on European Cruises this year, seven-night cruises through Italy, Tunisia, Spain and Morocco start at just $799 per person! Fifteen-day cruises along the Rhine, Danube and Main rivers start at just $3,400 per person!

Contact a Cruise Specialist today for more information!

Vampire Themed Cruise Planned for Next Year

A week-long vampire convention on a cruise ship that will feature a vampire ball and costume contest is planned for scenic Southeast Alaska next summer.

KINY (http://bit.ly/24LLCy ) says the ship will make stops in Juneau, Glacier Bay, Skagway and Ketchikan after it departs from Vancouver, B.C.

Vampire scholar John Edgar Browning is scheduled to host a vampire movie festival. Also scheduled to join the cruise is Dacre Stoker, a great-grandnephew of "Dracula" author Bram Stoker and a co-author of a sequel, "Dracula: The Un-Dead."

Original article at msnbc.com

Contact a Cruise Specialist for more information, or to book your next cruise!

Norwegian Cruise Line Releases Details of "Project Breakaway"

NCL announced the exclusive suite complex on the two Project Breakaway ships will be named "The Haven by Norwegian" and that name will be carried over to five other ships.

The Haven will offer extra services, including a butler certification and a Courtyard pool valet will also be added. The suite complexes on five vessels-Norwegian Epic, Gem, Pearl, Jade and Jewel will also be named The Haven by Norwegian. On the new builds, The Haven, consisting of 42 suites on Decks 15 and 16 forward, includes a private restaurant, a cocktail lounge and a concierge desk where passengers can relax, have a drink and make dining, entertainment and spa reservations through the dedicated concierge.

There is a two-story courtyard area with a pool that has a deep end for swimming and a shallow area for relaxing, two whirlpools and a private sun deck, along with two private massage rooms, changing areas and a sauna. The Haven guests also have direct, private access to the ship's spa and fitness center.

The 21 Two-Bedroom Family Villas feature two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The separate living room and dining area includes a single sofa bed, writing desk and bar. The master bedroom has a king-size bed, floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony. The master bath includes an oversize oval tub that looks out to the sea. The second bedroom includes a double sofa bed and bathroom.

There are 17 Courtyard Penthouses which feature a king-size bed, living and dining area, a single sofa bed, writing desk and ample storage spaces. There are 16 Spa Suites on each new build that have easy access to the spa and fitness center, and free access to the thermal spa suite.

Contact a Cruise Specialist today to book your next cruise vacation!

Royal Caribbean Behind the Scenes Tour

Last week Royal Caribbean announced it's plans for elaborate behind-the-scenes tours for passengers on their ships.

For $150, the three and a half hour guided tour will take guests through the shipboard areas such as the bridge, engine control room, the galley, and even behind the scenes look at the main theater. Royal Caribbean says it's responding to a growing demand from passengers to see behind-the-scenes. These tours will be available to purchase onboard beginning this month.

Carnival and Princess Cruises have already added such tours on their cruises in recent years.

Contact a Cruise Specialist today to book your next cruise!

Civil War Theme Cruises

American Cruise Lines will offer Civil War theme cruises aboard its new sternwheeler, Queen of the Mississippi, which is currently under construction in Salisbury.

The ship will enter service next summer. Passengers will be invited to retrace the steps of the Civil War, discovering famous museums, such as Vicksburg's National Military Park and New Orleans' Civil War Museum, the oldest museum in Louisiana. Memorial monuments such as the 60 foot-tall statue of Robert E. Lee, also in New Orleans can be seen, and famous historic battle fields, including those of Vicksburg and Nashville.

On board, passengers will enjoy era-inspired cuisine, music and entertainment, while sharing war theories along the way with onboard Civil War historians. Dependent on the itinerary, each theme cruise will feature elements specific to each destination, making for a truly remarkable experience.

Details about these and other theme cruise will be available later this summer. Contact a Cruise Specialist today for more information, or to book your next cruise!

Princess Cruises Now Offering Zumba Classes

Zumba Fitness classes, the exhilarating dance-fitness program that blends red-hot international music and contagious choreography, is rolling out to the entire Princess Cruise fleet.

Since December, passengers on many Princess ships have been joining in the hip-shaking fun with complimentary classes taught by licensed Zumba instructors. The classes quickly became among the most popular activities on board, and now additional staff members will complete the official training to become licensed Zumba instructors as the program expands fleetwide.

On land, there are more than 110,000 Zumba classes held in gyms, fitness studios and even nightclubs, attracting millions of enthusiasts around the world. At sea, Princess ships offer the complimentary workouts once or twice per cruise, transforming venues such as Club Fusion, the Piazza or the outside decks adjacent to Movies Under the Stars into a high-energy Zumba fitness party.

Contact a Cruise Specialist today to book your next Cruise Vacation!

NCL Norwegian Epic Offers Single Cabins

Solo travelers are becoming more common every year, and Norwegian Cruise Lines newest ship, the Norwegian Epic, is appealing to those travelers, as the first cruise ship with single cabins. In the history of cruising, single cruisers have had to pay a pricy surcharge for having their own cabin.

The Epic features six different types of staterooms, enough to accommodate 4,200 passengers, there are 128 Studio cabins, designed for single travelers. Each studio cabin features a full size bed, innovative bathroom design with a separate sink and shower, one way window into the corridor (you can see out, but others can’t see in), flat screen TV and desk.

Every passenger staying in a Studio cabin also has access to the Studio Lounge, a private, two-story lounge where you can grab a cup of coffee in the morning, or a cocktail in the evening and meet up with fellow solo cruisers. This lounge is exclusively for guests staying in the Studios.
The Norwegian Epic also features many entertainment options, thirteen restaurants, several lounges and dance clubs, a world-class spa and fitness center, and a huge aqua/pool complex.

The ship offers 7-14 day cruises in Western Caribbean, Eastern Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Transatlantic. Contact a Cruise Specialist today for more information, or to book your next cruise!

First Cruise to Cuba Since 2007

A cruise ship carrying 220 passengers anchored in Havana on Nov. 12. The Gemini, a small cruise ship owned by a Spanish company, Happy Cruises, is the first cruise ship to call on Havana since 2007.

At that time Pulmantur offered a stop in Cuba but after it was acquired by Royal Caribbean in 2007, it had to stop the calls. It also had calls in Cozumel and Cancun. A British cruise line and a Russian line will also make calls in Cuba during 2011.

The Cuban Tourism Ministry predicts that Cuba would receive 1,000 cruise ships a year carrying 1.2 million U.S. tourists if Washington were to lift the travel embargo banning U.S. visitors to the country.

Contact a Cruise Specialist today to book your next cruise!

Carnival Offers Unprecedented Early Booking Savings

Carnival Cruise lines has launched their Early Saver Booking program, which offers fares up to 25% lower than their best available rates, and will provide rate protection if rates drop below the original price paid by the consumer.

Early Saver rates will be available beginning today, January 12, and offered up to three months prior to sailing date for cruises of five days or less and up to five months prior to sailing date for longer length voyages, subject to availability. All state room types qualify for this program, including suites.

The Early Saver rate protection feature provides that if a lower Carnival advertised rate becomes available after the booking is made, a rate adjustment can be requested and the cruise line will issue the difference in the form of a shipboard credit. The lower fare must be for the same ship, sailing date, stateroom category and number of guests.

To request a lower price, a rate-protection form must be completed and emailed to Carnival up to two business days prior to departure. This form can be found online.

This is a fantastic savings opportunity for those who are able to plan ahead and book early!

Contact a Cruise Specialist to start planning your next cruise today!

Tough Economy? The Perfect Time for a Repositioning Cruise!

By Jason Cochran, WalletPop.com

Among the first vacation sellers to get slammed by recession jitters were the cruise lines. When the stock market tanked in late September, the phones stopped ringing. Rather than spend their cash, vacationers would rather hang onto it until they see where things are headed.

Standard cruises are begging for customers, and they're now insanely cheap. Priceline.com is now listing cruises for between $40 to $80 a night whereas a few years ago, you could easily pay double that. But for even more insane savings, look beyond the regularly scheduled runs and do a one-way trip.

One of the best bargains in cruising has long been the so-called "repositioning cruise," during which ships are relocated from one part of the world to another in preparation for the next season. These trips, which often include long stretches at sea in total (i.e. forced) relaxation and few cattle-call stops at ports, are now so cheap they're practically being given away. How about $18 a day?

That incredible price, which of course includes all meals, your room, and more than offsets what you'll send in the open-jaw airfare to reach the starting and ending points of the trip, is for the Costa Fortuna, which in March will spend 17 nights going from the Caribbean to the Italian Mediterranean (stopping in the Canary Islands, Portugal, and Barcelona) for an astounding $300. For the whole trip. Even adding in the mandatory taxes, the whole 17 night getaway comes to just $743.

Repositioning cruises typically happen at the change of seasons. This one, for example, leaves the Caribbean at the end of winter to ready for the warm European summer. In the fall, the repositioning bargains will be for the reverse direction. They're not always so long; some are a week or less. The ones that transfer ships from America's West Coast to the Caribbean, or vice-versa, usually come with a trip through the Panama Canal (although that treat may draw so many passengers that the price may not be so cheap).

Every travel agent worth anything will know what one is, and any cruise line that operates in more than one hemisphere (including Celebrity and Norweigan ) will have a few on offer each year. The cruise fan site Cruise Critic rounds up the upcoming options, although you'll have to get price quotes elsewhere (such as through Cruise Compete, where multiple travel agents bid on your business).

As with so many forms of transportation, prices usually rise as bookings mount, so it's always smartest to make reservations as far ahead as possible.

Original Article: Tough economy? The perfect time for a repositioning cruise

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