Cruise
Cunard Launches Full 2020 Season of Alaska Voyages
Luxury cruise line Cunard will spend a full season in Alaska from June through to September in 2020 aboard the newly refurbished ship, Queen Elizabeth. Cunard is making its long-awaited return to Alaska in May 2019, after a 20-year break. The success of the 2019 program has led to Cunard doubling the number of voyages in the region for 2020. This expanded program will offer 10 round-trip sailings departing Vancouver, ranging from nine to 12 nights, plus one very special cruise to San Francisco including an overnight stay on US Independence Day. Guests will have the...
Princess Offers Alipay, WeChat Pay Onboard Ruby Princess
Princess Cruises is advising agents that Chinese guests onboard Ruby Princess now have the option to utilize both Alipay and WeChat Pay payment options while shopping in the boutiques. This makes Princess the first and the only cruise line to offer both Alipay and WeChat Pay payment options onboard a passenger cruise ship in North America. Alipay and WeChat Pay are China’s top-two popular forms of digital payment. Alipay is China’s most popular digital wallet service and lifestyle platform and is expanding to in-store, offline payments both inside and outside of China....
MSC Bellissima Completing Sea Trials
MSC Bellissima, MSC Cruises’ second Meraviglia Generation ship and fourth next-generation cruise ship, has departed to complete her sea trials. Upon return to Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St Nazaire, France, it will receive finishing touches ahead of a Naming Ceremony in Southampton, UK on March 2. Following its official naming, Bellissima will navigate to the Mediterranean for its inaugural season, calling weekly at popular destinations including Barcelona, Spain, Naples, Italy and Valletta,...
Ice-Classed and Enhanced: Silver Wind
Silversea Cruises has announced plans for a second extensive refurbishment of Silver Wind, completing the major refurbishment project started in December 2018. The second dry dock period, which is scheduled for summer 2020, will give the ship ice-class classification and improved cruising versatility, as well as a number of improvements to the vessel’s interior. As a result, Silver Wind will unlock a broader range of deep travel experiences for guests in ultimate comfort, cruising both classic and expedition itineraries. Part of Project Invictus – a long-term plan to grow and...
Celebrity Celebrates 2018’s Top Travel Agency Advisors
Following a record-breaking year, Celebrity Cruises is celebrating the achievements of its top travel advisors with its 2018 annual awards, recognizing the best of the best in the travel industry. “2018 was a hallmark year for Celebrity Cruises and none of it would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our incredible travel advisors,” said Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior vice-president, Sales, Trade Support and Service. “My favourite part of my job is this moment, when I get to look back at the undeniable successes of the year and say ‘thank you’ by honouring...
Carnival Miracle to Sail Out of San Francisco
Carnival Cruise Line has announced that for the first time it will offer a series of cruises from San Francisco, with Carnival Miracle operating a diverse schedule that includes four- to 15-day voyages to Alaska, Hawaii and Mexico in 2020. Following strong reception to a previously announced program from San Diego in 2019, Carnival Miracle will also return to the port for a winter 2020-21 schedule of three- to 15-day voyages. With the addition of San Francisco, Carnival operates from 19 North American homeports, providing a convenient and cost-effective means for its guests to get...
Star Trek: The Cruise IV
Attention Trekkies... with Kate Mulgrew at the helm, Star Trek: The Cruise IV sets sail in 2020 for an extended voyage on a new ship with new adventures in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager. The ultimate immersive experience for Star Trek fans adds an extra day to the fourth annual cruise, sailing from March 1-8 from Miami to Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), San Juan (Puerto Rico), St. Thomas and Grand Bahama Island aboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. “I am thrilled to be the first to invite fans to join me aboard Star Trek: The Cruise IV, an...
HAL Promotion Asks ‘Why Not Now?’
In anticipation of the upcoming Wave season, Holland America Line (HAL) has launched a new “Why Not Now?” promotion in an effort to entice savvy travellers to plan ahead. The special offer on cruises from summer 2019 through winter/spring 2020 includes free stateroom upgrades, shore excursion discounts, up to $1,000 air credit per stateroom and deposits from $99 person if booked by Feb. 28, 2019. Guests who book a suite with Why Not Now? also receive up to $600 in onboard spending money, in addition to the other perks. “Special promotions like Why Not Now? are a huge...