Cruise
Adventure Meets Luxury With PONANT
With a new focus on the North American market – including a recently launched partnership with Canada's Cruise Strategies Ltd. – a PONANT, Cultural Cruises & Expeditions official visited Toronto Wednesday to help get the word out on all that the line has to offer. Specializing in luxury expedition cruises, the French cruise line offers more than 200 departures to 81 countries touching all seven continents and is the number one cruise company in polar expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica. Helping increase PONANT’s presence in Canada, Cruise Strategies has been involved...
Quantum Sets Sail From Shanghai
Royal Caribbean International celebrated the arrival of Quantum of the Seas in Shanghai (Baoshan), China, this week, set to sail on three- to eight-night, roundtrip itineraries, year-round from Shanghai to North Asia destinations. The ship sailed a 53-night epic journey across the world from New York to Shanghai via the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean, following its inaugural season at Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, N.J. and bringing the largest group of international cruise vacationers ever – up to 4,000 guests – to Shanghai. Government officials, port...
Softvoyage Sailing Into New Territory
Softvoyage is expanding into the cruise market with a new cruise booking engine scheduled to launch in the fall with Carnival Cruise Lines and MSC Cruises already onboard. Negotiations are also in the works with Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line. By connecting directly to the cruise lines' reservation systems, Softvoyage intends to enrich its cruise content and augment the number of cruise offers available for Canadian tour operators and travel agents using SIREV, and to online travel agencies using the company's business-to-consumer e-commerce solutions. Softvoyage CEO...
Ovation of the Seas Heading Down Under
Royal Caribbean International is heading “Down Under” in 2016-17 when its new Ovation of the Seas home ports in Sydney, Australia for the winter season. Currently under construction in Germany, Ovation of the Seas will not only claim the title of the largest cruise ship to ever call Australia home, but also the most technologically advanced in the region. “Royal Caribbean has been breaking the boundaries in Australian cruising since we arrived in 2007 but today, we have completely changed the face of the cruise industry, making the single largest investment in Australia by any...
Natalie Cole to Join QM2 Blue Note Jazz Cruise
Cunard reports that multiple Grammy Award-winning vocalist Natalie Cole will headline the first-ever Blue Note jazz themed cruise, which will debut on Cunard’s flagship, Queen Mary 2, on Oct. 29. Cole will join a roster of venerable jazz musicians on this special transatlantic crossing, including Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and record producer Robert Glasper, acclaimed trumpet player Keyon Harrold, tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, guitarist Lionel Loueke, bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Kendrick Scott. In addition to these celebrated musicians and others, the Blue Note...
Carnival Breeze, Magic on the Move
Carnival Cruise Line has announced deployment changes designed to enhance its position in two key homeports – Galveston and Port Canaveral, Fla. – while providing new “Fun Ship” itinerary choices in time for next summer’s cruise season. Carnival Breeze will reposition to Galveston in May 2016 and Carnival Magic to Port Canaveral in April 2016, several months earlier than previously announced. Breeze will assume Carnival Magic’s year-round schedule of seven-day Galveston cruises beginning May 8. Carnival Magic will take over Carnival Valor’s current seven-day Port...
Staying in Touch Made Easy With Silversea
Starting with voyages departing in January, Silversea will offer free Wi-Fi to all guests, throughout the ship, including all suites and public spaces, on all cruises, including expedition cruises. “For well over 20 years, Silversea has set the course in defining the all-inclusive, ultra-luxury cruise experience. By offering truly free Wi-Fi to all guests regardless of the suite reserved, Silversea is once again setting the standard for all-inclusive luxury,” said Kristian Anderson, Silversea's senior vice-president of sales and general manager for the Americas. “Because we know...
Silversea Site Now Available in Multiple Languages
Silversea Cruises reports that its web site, http://www.Silversea.com, is now available in Spanish, French, and Portuguese – in addition to English and German. “As a worldwide luxury cruise operator, we are committed to expanding our global reach,” said Kristian Anderson, Silversea's senior vice-president and general manager for the Americas. “By offering easy access to information on our web site in five languages, we are better able to serve our loyal guests, attract new guests, and support our travel agent partners in a variety of markets.” Visitors can now easily...