Cruise
New MSC Site Has Agents In Mind
With the goal of making the travel agent and consumer experience more user friendly, MSC Cruises has launched the first phase of its new, redesigned web site for North America – http://www.MSCCruises.com. Improvements made include a completely new look and feel with enhanced graphics and attractive design; new, intuitive navigation, with easier access to information about MSC Cruises’ special offers and deals, destinations and excursions; and improved web check-in functionality. And, thanks to a new partnership with Rough Guides, the new site also features richer, more relevant...
Silversea 2017 Itineraries Open For Reservations
Silversea Cruises has unveiled its collection of 246 voyages for 2017 – now available for booking – covering more than 800 destinations across seven continents. “Every year Silversea strives to offer inspirational journeys that combine the luxury of intimate cruising with the thrill of making new cultural discoveries,” said Kristian Anderson, Silversea's senior vice-president and general manager for the Americas. “We believe our voyage collection for 2017, with its wealth of longer, port-intensive cruises, will accomplish just that. From the rainforests of South America to...
Avalon Names Latest Celebrity Godmother
Jill Ellis, head coach of the championship U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, has been named Avalon Waterways' latest celebrity godmother and will christen the Avalon Passion, the company’s 11th Suite Ship, in Europe in 2016. Ellis will christen the Avalon Passion in an international ceremony that will take place on April 13, 2016 in Linz, Austria. “As the head coach of the winning U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and former development director of the U.S. Women’s Youth National Teams, Jill Ellis has a history of proving that with passion – and hard work – dreams...
At Sea And In The Air With Carnival
Carnival Cruise Line is making it easier for agents to get their clients to their cruise with the launch a new air program – Fly2Fun – designed to provide travellers with “maximum value, choice and convenience” when making their air arrangements. The new Fly2Fun program is highly flexible as it allows agents and their guests to customize their air reservations with a variety of options, including the ability to specify a preferred carrier, departure point, specific flight schedule, and type of accommodation (coach, business, etc.). Immediate confirmation is received once the...
Puerto Vallarta Fully Operational
Tourism officials in Mexico report that Puerto Vallarta is fully operational following Hurricane Patricia, with 100% of its hotel and restaurant facilities open, as well as its International Airport (PVR), marina, cruise port and convention centre. All domestic and international airlines as well as buses, taxis and other ground transport companies have resumed normal services. All tourists who were transferred to shelters and hotels outside of Puerto Vallarta as a precaution measure have been safely returned to Puerto Vallarta. Officials also report that no changes have been made...
European Waterways Offers Early Spring Specials
European Waterways is offering 10% off per cabin and 10% off whole boat charters for select cruises in March and April 2016 on many of its popular routes. Among the hotel barges offering 10% off per cabin is L’Art de Vivre in Burgundy for its April 10 and 17 departures; the Anjodi on the Canal du Midi in the Languedoc-Rousillon region for its March 20 and 27 departures; and the Rosa in Gascony for its April 17 and 24 departures. These “specials” must be booked by Dec. 31. “Along with comfortable temperatures, a landscape in bloom and fewer tourists, spring is an ideal time...
NCL Takes Delivery of Norwegian Escape
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) took delivery of the line’s largest ship to date, the 164,600 gross ton Norwegian Escape, from MEYER WERFT during a ceremony in Bremerhaven, Germany, on Oct. 22. Escape is the first ship in the company’s new Breakaway Plus Class, signifying an evolution of Norwegian Cruise Line and bringing to life the brand’s promise of “freedom and flexibility with a premium experience from bow to stern.” Following delivery, the ship set sail for Hamburg for the start of its European inaugural festivities. After a two-night stop in Southampton, Norwegian...
A Texas-Sized Makeover
Royal Caribbean International's 3,634 passenger, Liberty of the Seas will undergo an extensive, bow-to-stern, makeover as it prepares introduce a number of firsts to its sailing of Mexico and the Caribbean from the port of Galveston, Texas. During the dry dock, the Liberty of the Seas will see the addition of a collection of waterslides called the Perfect Storm – including the first ever boomerang style slide at sea, Tidal Wave. The new hair-raising slide features a steep drop that propels riders up a near vertical wall for a moment of weightlessness and into free fall. The...