Cruise
NCL Tackles Sagging Loonie
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is tackling Canada's weak loonie head on by offering travellers a Canadian At Par promotion (launched March 1) or its “Free At Sea” initiative in which guests can choose two of four onboard amenity offers – from free unlimited beverages, a free specialty dining package, shore excursion credits or a free 250-minute Internet package. “It’s become clear to us that the Canadian consumer has been impacted by the disparity between the Canadian and US dollar. Our Canadian Pricing At Par promotion is our attempt to address this directly, and show both our...
Empress of the Seas Ready for Cuba
Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s senior VP of sales, trade support and service, has confirmed rumours that the line’s smallest ship has been brought back into service to operate Cuba cruises once the island destination puts out the welcome mat for shipboard vacationers. “That’s the plan,” Freed said during a visit to St. Nazaire’s STX France shipyard to tour the almost completed Harmony of the Seas; the line’s third and largest Oasis class vessel. The 2,020-passenger Empress of the Seas is currently undergoing a stem-to-stern refit following a stint with Pullmantur...
NCL Introduces Norwegian Joy
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has unveiled the English and Chinese names for the world's first purpose-built cruise liner for the China market – Norwegian Joy. “After closely studying the Chinese cruise market for several years, we wanted to be clear about what we will deliver to our guests on this spectacular vessel,” said NCL Holdings chief executive officer Frank Del Rio. “Norwegian Joy will provide the same sense of freedom and flexibility found on all Norwegian Cruise Line ships, but with resort-style vacation experiences and amenities designed specifically with the Chinese...
Silversea Takes Divers to New Depths
Silversea Expeditions has unveiled its collection of Scuba Diving Expedition Voyages for 2016 and 2017, offering diving enthusiasts the chance to delve underwater and explore some of the world's most remote destinations at top diving sites in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. The 120-guest, all-suite Silver Discoverer, the latest addition to the line's expedition fleet, will feature 20 voyages offering scuba diving opportunities for experienced divers in such regions as the Maldives, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Palau archipelago, and the Andaman Islands. The diving program...
Uniworld New ACA Sponsor
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is the latest sponsor to join the 2016 Agents' Choice Awards (ACA). The TravCorp division is offering as an incentive prize an educational all-inclusive seven-night, eight-day itinerary in Europe (2016/17) to one lucky travel agent (and guest) participating in the 17th annual readership survey. Other prizes include: A 16-day tour of Spain, Morocco and Portugal, courtesy of Trafalgar; an eight-day Romantic Danube or Rhine Getaway cruise from Viking River Cruises; and, two return seats to any sun destination from Air Canada and Air Canada...
Uniworld’s Joie de Vivre Is Super
Uniworld will unveil is new super ship, S.S. Joie de Vivre, on a sailing along France's historic Seine River in early 2017. Guy Young, president of Uniworld, said, “We are extremely proud to launch the S.S. Joie de Vivre in Northern France in March 2017. Uniworld was one of the very first river cruise companies to sail the rivers of France, and our parent company, The Travel Corporation, has been bringing travellers from all over the world to this amazing country for over 70 years as this has been one of our most popular destinations, so our commitment to France is unwavering.” As...
Vacation Of Choice
According to new research from both the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), cruise travel is becoming the vacation of choice around the world and is quickly outpacing leisure or land-based travel. The UNWTO's research reveals that in the last decade – 2004 to 2014 – global cruise vacations have grown faster in popularity than global land-based vacations by a 23% margin. And in its 2016 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook, CLIA reported that the industry is showing no signs of slowing down with 24 million...
Book Emerald, Fly Free
Travellers have until the end of the month to take advantage of Emerald Waterways' free air offer on select 2016 sailings. All guests booking a Balcony Suite, including the Panorama Balcony Suite, the Grand Balcony Suite and the Owner’s One Bedroom Suite on 2016 Europe river cruise itineraries departing through Aug. 31 will get free round-trip airfare from major Canadian and US gateways. Guests booking a stateroom cabin category on a Europe itinerary will be eligible for a reduced airfare rate of $995 per person. Additionally, guests booking any cabin category on all 2016 Southeast...