Cruise
Dame Helen Mirren Christens Scenic Eclipse
Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours celebrated the official christening of Scenic Eclipse -- the World’s First Discovery Yacht on Sept. 10 -- with godmother Dame Helen Mirren and her husband, Academy Award-winning director Taylor Hackford, in New York City. Scenic Eclipse sailed to New York on its maiden voyage from Reykjavík, Iceland. “It was an honour to welcome Helen and Taylor on board and to share with them our vision and passion, which together with the dedication and talent of the Scenic team has created an experience which has set a brand new bench mark in discovery...
AQSC Launches Bahamas Relief Fund
American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC) has set up a donation system on all of its riverboats to aid the Hurricane Dorian relief and recovery efforts in the Bahamas. Additionally, AQSC is committed to contributing other supplies such as clean towels and linens, soaps and essentials to be loaded in Miami and sent to the islands via ships. Guests and crew can easily contribute to the relief efforts by visiting the reception desk onboard to add Hurricane Dorian relief effort charges to their onboard accounts or contribute cash donations at the reception desk. All of the funds collected...
Sky Princess Completes Successful Sea Trials
Princess Cruises has accomplished another major milestone in preparation for the debut of its newest ship, Sky Princess, with the completion of sea trials. The new cruise ship set out to sea from the construction dock at Fincantieri Shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy and was put through a series of manoeuvres to test the propulsion, steering and navigational equipment. After a successful six days of trials, Sky Princess is now back in the shipyard for further exterior and interior finishing to prepare for the maiden Oct. 20 seven-day Mediterranean & Adriatic cruise from Athens to...
NCL Names Kelly Clarkson Encore Godmother
Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that GRAMMY Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson will serve as the godmother to its newest ship, Norwegian Encore, debuting in Miami in November. NCL president Andy Stuart appeared on Clarkson’s new syndicated daytime show to invite her to join the Norwegian Cruise Line family as godmother to Norwegian Encore. As godmother, she will perform at the christening ceremony in Miami on Nov. 21, as well as fulfill the longstanding maritime tradition of blessing and officially naming Norwegian Encore. “We knew we wanted someone who represents our...
Carnival Resumes Regular Calls To The Bahamas
As Carnival Cruise Line continues to work closely with its partners to deliver relief to the people of Grand Bahama and Abaco islands recovering from Hurricane Dorian, it also plans 41 calls to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays for the remainder of September as those destinations eagerly await cruise guests. Bahamian officials have expressed great appreciation for the support Carnival and its employees and guests have provided but also stressed that the other parts of The Bahamas are open for business and stand ready to welcome guests. “Thank you to all who have joined us to...
TravelBrands Unveils Cruise Specials
TravelBrands Cruises, by Encore Cruises, is giving cruise lovers the chance to sail away with exclusive deals. Through Sept. 22, both travellers and travel agents can enjoy a variety of unique offers through TravelBrands “We’re Full of Ships” promotion. There are special offers for a range of cruise lines, each with different qualifying bookings. The participating cruise lines and exclusive offers include: AmaWaterways – $100 onboard credit per stateroom; Avalon Waterways – save $200 per stateroom; Azamara Club Cruises – up to $500 onboard credit per stateroom; Carnival...
Carnival Helps Out
Continuing its ongoing efforts to assist and support residents of The Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian, Carnival Cruise Line has announced that two ships departing from US homeports this week will make stops in Freeport to distribute food, water and relief supplies. The stops at Freeport to deliver supplies will be part of Carnival Pride’s seven-day cruise from Baltimore departing Sept. 8 and Carnival Liberty’s four-day cruise from Port Canaveral departing Sept. 9. These efforts are in addition to supplies being transported to the Bahamas via the already announced agreement...
Adventure Canada’s High Arctic
Dawn Bazely wants those considering High Arctic vacations to bear in mind that mighty bruins often seen as iconic of the destination are far from being the only attraction there for nature enthusiasts. In fact, much of Mother Nature's summertime handiwork is on the itty-bitty side, she notes. Bazely, who divides her time between teaching botany at York University and guiding and lecturing on Adventure Canada sailings, realizes such imposing creatures as polar bears, musk-ox and walruses often come quickly to mind when people think of the High Arctic but says summertime plant life –...