Cruise
Navigator of the Seas Now Calling L.A. Home
After being refurbished and refitted with new activity, entertainment and dining features, the Navigator of the Seas by Royal Caribbean International is back and sailing in West coast waters. It’s been over a decade since RCI has operated cruises from California. Now home ported in Los Angeles/San Pedro, the “amplified” Navigator of the Seas made its debut with a short intro cruise attended by travel advisors and travel media from across the U.S. and Canada last week. They spent two days/two nights exploring the ship’s many amenities and attractions, including a selection of...
Norwegian Joy Sets Sail From Miami
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) recently celebrated the return of service of its ninth ship, Norwegian Joy, offering Caribbean sailings from PortMiami. Norwegian Joy's Miami comeback offers a series of seven-day roundtrip Caribbean voyages calling to Roatán, Bay Islands; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Harvest Caye, Belize – the Brand's private resort destination in Belize. The week-long itinerary is available through April 23, 2021. Guests looking to celebrate the holidays at sea in a tropical paradise can book the vessel's 11-day cruise from Miami on Dec. 23, 2021, visiting...
Nieuw Statendam Is Sailing From South Florida
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, marking its first cruise since the industrywide pause last year. The ship marks the fifth Holland America Line vessel to reenter service, joining Rotterdam, Koningsdam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam. To mark the occasion, Holland America Line held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the terminal to open embarkation, and team members greeted guests with flag-waving fanfare as they boarded the ship. Nieuw Statendam set sail on a seven-day western Caribbean itinerary visiting Nassau, Bahamas; Ocho Rios and Port...
The Royal Comeback
If there’s a surefire way of measuring Royal Caribbean International’s commitment to the comeback of the cruise industry, one could simply look at the numbers. Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said that the cruise line has gone from spending 10% of its usual marketing budget in the first part of the year to “as we now move into this fourth quarter, we are now investing in our marketing at a rate that we’ve never invested before in the history of our company.” Bolstered by the fact that RCI now has 18 ships up and operating globally, more than...
A Comeback Stronger Than The Setback
It may have taken 581 days to get to this point, but in the delay, the long awaited naming ceremony for Celebrity Apex on Nov. 2 symbolized something much bigger than just the christening of a ship. For Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, the highly anticipated moment represented optimism for an industry that had gone through “the stormiest waters we’ve ever sailed in” over the past 19 months and the beginning of the next chapter as the U.S. cruise season ramps up. For the full story, check out this week’s issue of TRAVEL...
Windstar Cruises Adds All-Inclusive Pricing
Windstar Cruises is changing the way it sells cruises. Previously the small ship line had a base cruise fare, with an option to add things like alcohol, gratuities, and other onboard services on top. Windstar president, Christopher Prelog explains that: “In an effort to be more in line with other luxury offerings in the cruise industry, particularly with the rollout of our newly transformed all-suite Star Plus Class yachts, we’re now giving the option of an all-inclusive price for all of our sailings.” Prelog continued: “We didn’t want to take away the à la carte...
Royal Caribbean International Committed to Agents and Growth
Although Royal Caribbean International had to hit the pause button on some development plans because of the pandemic, president and CEO Michael Bayley said “now that we’re coming out of it, we pressed play and we’re beginning to reengage in all of these discussions.” During a Q&A session on Odyssey of the Seas this week, Bayley, pictured at right with Captain Sindre Borsheim, announced the cruise line is in discussions and “hoping to finalize negotiations for a development on Paradise Beach called The Royal Beach Club, and we’re quite close to that. We’ve got plans...
Tradewind Voyages Puts Summer 2022 On Sale
As it prepares for its debut in the Mediterranean, Tradewind Voyages has released its full program and prices for sailings there aboard its tall ship, Golden Horizon. Beginning in Palma on May 1, 2022, there are 23 voyages on offer across the region, spanning Spain, France, Italy, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and Turkey. The inaugural Med season concludes with the 14 night Canaries to the Caribbean Voyage, arriving into Barbados for the start of winter 2022/2023 and yet another debut for the ship. Five new collections are showcased for summer 2022: The Spain...