Cruise
Costa is Looking for a Travel Agent Godmother
Costa Cruises is launching a contest to select Costa Diadema's godmother through a worldwide search among female travel agents. Application submissions run through Sept. 15, with the winner and four "bridesmaids" to be announced on Oct. 15. Female travel agency owners, managers or front-line sales staff of any travel agency that sells Costa Cruises may enter the contest. Those who want to be considered should visit http://www.madrinadellaregina.it , insert the Costa agency code and follow the instructions to complete the application form. "We rely on our travel agent partners to...
`Star`of Bergen Named Viking Star Godmother
Viking Ocean Cruises has released a new online video highlighting the “float out” ceremony of its first ship – the 930-passenger Viking Star – set to debut in early 2015. The traditional ceremony, which took place on June 23 at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard outside Venice, Italy, marked a major construction milestone – the first time the ship touched water – and kicks off the final stage of outfitting and interior build-out. Accompanying the new video, Viking announced that Trude Drevland (pictured with Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking Cruises), the mayor of Bergen,...
Carnival Teams Up With Cigar City Brewing
Capitalizing on the growing popularity of craft beer, Carnival Cruise Lines has entered into an exclusive agreement to offer Tampa-based Cigar City Brewing’s craft beers on all of its Florida-based ships. Cigar City’s Florida Cracker Belgian-Style White Ale and Invasion Pale Ale will be available on 13 Carnival ships sailing from five Florida ports beginning this week. Combined, those ships carry more than two million guests each year. The agreement – the first partnership of this magnitude between a craft brewery and a major cruise line – was announced July 13 at an event...
Cruising Offers New Surprises for Adventure Seekers
Cruising today is anything but sedate and while “R & R” and reading a book poolside are always options, more and more travellers are opting for one-of-a-kind experiences when they hit the seas or the rivers of the world. In response, cruise lines are offering more ports of call in exotic locations, ships that feature an extraordinary range of action activities, and shore excursions that are original, exclusive and often impossible to organize on one’s own. The following, from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), is a sampling of unconventional experiences that can be...
European Waterways Waives Single Supplement Fees
European Waterways is waiving its single supplement fees on select sailings in August, offering savings of up to $2,000 for solo travellers. The waivers apply to the following luxury hotel barges in the Canal du Midi and Burgundy regions of France: Anjodi: A classic, eight-passenger luxury hotel barge cruising on the Canal du Midi, Anjodi is waiving single supplements for Aug. 10 and Aug. 17 departures. The rate is $4,550 per person, a saving of $1,650, and includes all meals, wines, an open bar, excursions and local transfers. La Belle Epoque: A spacious, 12-passenger luxury...
Encore Offers Two-For-One Gratuities with Carnival
Encore Cruises is featuring an exclusive new offer with Carnival Cruise Lines -- book any cruise and Encore pays the gratuities for the second passenger. The promotion is valid on all new bookings made by July 31 and applies to any Carnival ship, departing on any date prior to May 31, 2015, and in any category. To book, call Encore Cruises at 1-800-661-6361 (please note, this offer is not available for online bookings) and request rate code: ADTPRO CGRA. This offer is capacity controlled and is not combinable with any other Encore Cruises or Carnival Cruise Lines promotions. It...
Avalon to Feature French-Escorted European Cruise
Quebec agents have asked and Avalon has listened: next year the company will offer one of its most popular cruises featuring a French-speaking cruise director, and accompanied by Stéphanie Bishop, managing director for Globus family of brands in Canada. The cruise will be the eight-day Romantic Rhine departing Amsterdam on Oct. 2, 2015. The ship will sail through Holland, Germany and France enroute to Basel, Switzerland, with stops in Cologne, Koblenz, Rüdesheim, Mainz, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, and Breisach, the gateway to the Black Forest. To help ensure their French-speaking...
Uniworld Extends Solo Savings
Solo travellers can cruise Europe’s legendary waterways with waived or reduced single supplements on a variety of Uniworld Boutique River Cruises’ most popular itineraries throughout 2014 and 2015. The all-inclusive river cruise line has waived or reduced the single supplement fee usually charged to guests staying alone in a double accommodation stateroom, so solo travellers can enjoy their own private sanctuary. Close to 10% of Uniworld’s guests travelled on their own last year and interest in solo travel continues to grow at a steady rate. It is encouraged to book early...