Cruise
New Culinary Experiences to Debut on QM2
Cunard will introduce new dining options as well as a host of enhancements to Queen Mary 2's existing restaurants during a major refit taking place in June. Queen Mary 2 will see the creation of the entirely new Carinthia Lounge that will serve alternative breakfast and lunchtime offerings together with bespoke premium coffees; the addition of The Verandah restaurant evoking memories of the famous Grill on the original Queen Mary; a completely transformed Kings Court Buffet; new Queens and Princess Grill menus and completely refurbished restaurants for guests staying in suites and a...
Take Me To The River
French America Line is getting set to introduce boutique US river experiences with the August launch of the newly refurbished 75-stateroom Louisiane, sailing from its home port of New Orleans. Inaugural sailings begin Aug. 22. The elegant ship celebrates regional food, music and history during cruise tours of five to 10 days, visiting places where larger riverboats cannot navigate along the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland and Red Rivers, as well as the Intracoastal Waterway of the Gulf Coast. “We’ve orchestrated an unprecedented array of onboard services and amenities...
Crystal Puts The Spotlight On The Big Easy
Crystal Cruises has introduced three new Caribbean itineraries which either start or end in New Orleans for November and December. The voyages, each 14 days in length aboard the Crystal Serenity, set out on varied island routes and either begin or end with an overnight stay in The Big Easy. “There’s something about traveling to destinations that are entirely different than one’s usual surroundings – from the climate to the cuisine – that creates a true sense of vacation,” says Crystal president Edie Rodriguez. “Many of our guests live in areas that experience snow and...
Silversea Offers US$199 Business Class Air Upgrade
Silversea Cruises has introduced transatlantic business class air upgrades for US$199 on select bookings of all-inclusive Mediterranean sailings. The offer is available from more than 50 gateway cities in Canada and the US and is valid for new bookings made between April 27 and June 10 on 18 select voyages that already feature the following all-inclusive amenities: roundtrip economy air travel and transfers; two-night pre-cruise hotel stay and transfers; free Silver Shore Select excursions; free Wi-Fi (for all 2016 sailings to all regions of the globe). “When we introduced our...
Carnival Takes Delivery of Vista
At a traditional maritime handover ceremony held yesterday (April 28) at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, Carnival Cruise Line took delivery of its newest, largest and most innovative ship, the 133,500-ton Carnival Vista. The 3,954-passenger ship will reposition to Trieste, Italy, where it will depart on its maiden voyage May 1, kicking off a summer schedule in Europe that runs through October. Following a 13-day transatlantic crossing, Vista will operate a pair of 11-day cruises from New York in November and then launch year-round Caribbean service from Miami later that...
MSC Book Goes Live in Canada
MSC Cruises reports that MSC Book, its new booking engine for travel agents, is now live in Canada. Agents can sign up for MSC Book by visiting http://www.MSCCruisesAgent.com. “As we’ve rolled out MSC Book to different markets around the world, we’ve received excellent feedback from travel agents who believe this is a real game changer in terms of making the booking process as quick and simple as possible,” said Ian Patterson, director of business development for MSC Cruises in Canada. “In addition, we’ve listened closely to our valued travel agents comments and have...
MSC Seaside Marks Major Milestone
MSC Cruises and Fincantieri recently marked an important milestone in the building of MSC Seaside with the celebration of the traditional maritime coin ceremony held at the Monfalcone, Italy shipyard. MSC Seaside, the first of up to three MSC Cruises’ next-generation “Seaside” class of new cruise ships, is set to come into service in December 2017 and will be the cruise line’s newest ship to sail year-round from Miami to the Caribbean. Seaside forms a key pillar of the company’s 10-plus years US$10.2 billion investment plan, which includes the building of up to 11...
Uniworld, Butterfield & Robinson Team Up on the Danube
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has partnered with Butterfield & Robinson on its popular eight-day “Enchanting Danube” departures, taking travellers through four countries and three capitals on a journey from Budapest, Hungary to Passau, Germany. Debuting this year on select Enchanting Danube departures, travellers wishing to enjoy the best of river cruising paired with a more active exploration of the region can join an exclusive biking excursion led by the experts from Butterfield & Robinson. Guests will cycle along the Danube River bike path, Europe’s longest...