Cruise
Princess Cruises Unveils Americas Sailings
Princess Cruises has unveiled details of its 2018-2019 Americas cruise itineraries – including sailings to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawaii, the California Coast, and Alaska. Now on sale, the upcoming season includes 12 ships, sailing to over 70 destinations on more than 40 unique itineraries on 250 departures from six North American homeports. Four of the 12 ships - Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Caribbean Princess and Island Princess -- will be OCEAN Medallion enabled for this fall 2018-spring 2019 season. Passengers will experience the highly anticipated, wearable...
It’s Christmas Already
Avalon Waterways is offering passengers a different way to see Europe, unveiling 16 festive cruises for 2018, offering them a chance to experience the sights, smells and tastes of Central Europe’s Christmas markets. Stéphanie Bishop, managing director for Avalon Waterways Canadian office, observed: “There’s no better way to get into the Christmas spirit than by visiting the charming and traditional European Christmas markets.” Bishop noted that: “You’ll be immersed in traditions dating back centuries – so completely different from our crowded malls at that time of...
Cruising By The Numbers
CLIA reports that 24.7 million travellers cruised in 2016, surpassing its previous projections for ocean cruise passengers of 24.2 million. For 2017, based on current new vessel launch schedule and expected regional deployment, CLIA is projecting another positive year of growth for the industry with a passenger forecast of 25.8 million. Cindy D’Aoust, president and CEO of CLIA, said: “One of the many reasons that the cruise industry continues to thrive is because of the personalization it is able to offer to its guests from around the world.” D'Aoust pointed out...
Come Together
Five competing cruise lines are joining forces to host the industry's top executives at Virtuoso's 2018 Symposium in the Netherlands. Each of the five lines will dedicate one ship to accommodate Symposium attendees and all will follow an identical itinerary. Participating cruise lines include AmaWaterways, Avalon River Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and Viking Cruises. The Symposium runs from March 17 to March 22, 2018, with cruises departing from Amsterdam on March 18 and sailing to Arnhem, Rotterdam and Kinderdijk in the Netherlands before returning to...
Carnival Unveils ‘Carnival Studios’
In a move designed to further elevate its award-winning entertainment offerings across the fleet, Carnival Cruise Line unveiled “Carnival Studios,” a state-of-the-art 44,500-sq.-ft. rehearsal venue in Davie, Fla., near the company’s Miami headquarters. Three years in the making, Carnival Studios brings entire bands, casts and technical teams from every ship together shoreside for intensive rehearsals as a team, while providing additional opportunities to conceptualize innovative new shows on site. More than 500 entertainers and performers will convene at Carnival Studios to...
Celestyal Launches New Website
Celestyal Cruises has launched a new website inviting travellers to “Recharge, Renew, Relax.” Created to provide the best-possible user experience, the redesigned site, now compatible with all browsers and mobile devices, offers visitors a faster, simpler booking process and a comprehensive introduction to the company’s cruises, services and unique selling points. CelestyalCruises.com features enhanced rich content, providing complete information on all of the cruises organized by the company in Greece and in Cuba. Agents and their clients can discover, explore and book a...
Bookings Open for Statendam’s Inaugural Season
Bookings are open for the Premiere Voyage and 2018-19 inaugural Caribbean cruise season of Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam. Due for delivery Dec. 1, 2018, the second Pinnacle Class ship in the fleet is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy. When Nieuw Statendam departs the yard, it will be delivered in Venice, Italy, Dec. 1. After arriving at Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, Statendam departs Dec. 5 on its Premiere Voyage – a 14-day transatlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale. The ship will then spend the winter season cruising roundtrip...
CLIA Cruising Online With Certificate Program
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) reports that travel agents can now expand their business with its new “Meetings & Events at Sea Certificate Program.” The program, designed in partnership with Meetings Professional International (MPI), allows agents to become an expert in booking events on a cruise ship. The certificate program explores the advantages of hosting groups and events on cruise ships as opposed to traditional venues. From the comfort of their own computers, agents will gain insight into incentive trips and examine logistics and variables to consider...