Cruise
CRUISE3SIXTY 2013: Set for record numbers in YVR
Registration is now open for Cruise Lines International Association's (CLIA) annual cruise3sixty conference and trade show, now in its ninth year and being held for the second time in Vancouver from June 19-23. The cruise industry's largest travel agency event will see more than 1,200 travel advisors from across Canada and the US, as well as delegations from China, Australia and the United Kingdom. Started in 2005, cruise3sixty offers educational opportunities for agents, including CLIA training and seminars, up to10 ships available for inspection, hands-on technology training and product...
ENCORE PRESTIGE: Giving away iPad minis
To celebrate the launch of Encore Prestige, the new luxury division of Encore Cruises, agents booking an Encore Prestige package during the month of April will receive a free iPad mini as part of the division's "Inauguration Incentive."Running from April 1-30, for sailings up until April 30, 2014, agents simply need to make one Encore Prestige cruise reservation valued at $5,000 or more p.p. (double occupancy), with any of its cruise line partners, to receive the 16GB iPad mini (a $329 value). Featuring seven upscale cruise line partners, including AMAWaterways, Avalon Waterways, Azamara Club...
AZAMARA CELEBRATES: Free upgrades available
Azamara Club Cruises is marking its three-year anniversary this month with a month-long opportunity for up-market travellers to enjoy even greater value when exploring some of the world's most intriguing places. Travellers who make a booking in April for a voyage departing Aug. 1 through July 2014 will enjoy a double-category upgrade to a Club Veranda Stateroom when booking at a Club Interior price. Paired with the cruise line's existing ChoiceAir cruise credit of $1,000 per stateroom, more inclusive amenities and newly launched complimentary AzAmazing Evenings, Azamara has created a unique...
WORLD TOUR: Celebrity adds South America
Celebrity Cruises has announced the next set of itineraries in "Celebrity's World Tour,"the brand's guest-inspired, destination-rich, modern luxury vacations to all seven continents of the world in 2014-15. Now open with "Priority Access"and exclusive offers for members of Celebrity's Captain's Club loyalty program are Celebrity's exotic 2014-15 South America and Panama Canal vacations. The newly "Solsticized"Celebrity Infinity - enhanced with a series of guest-favourite attributes found on the brand's widely heralded Solstice Class ships - will provide travellers with Celebrity's modern...
NEWEST MEMBER: Aqua joins CLIA Australasia
Aqua Expeditions, the luxury river cruise operator in the Peruvian Amazon, has joined the newly renamed Cruise Lines International Association Australasia (CLIA). Aqua Expeditions launched its first vessel, the Aqua Amazon, on the Peruvian Amazon in 2008, and three years later, introduced the Aria Amazon. The company, now based in Singapore, will introduce its newest addition to its fleet, Aqua Mekong, in 2014. The Aqua Mekong will cruise the Mekong River between Vietnam and Cambodia....
RED CARPET AFFAIR: Stone christens AmaVida
AmaWaterways and its Portuguese partner DouroAzul rolled out the red carpet for the christening of its newest ship, the AmaVida. Shipbuilder/owner DouroAzul hosted a star-studded christening ceremony in Portugal's capital city on March 22 that spotlighted the AmaVida's celebrity godmother, actress and philanthropist Sharon Stone. Guests of the christening ceremony were also treated to a special performance by Grammy Award-winning singer Michael Bolton. The new 106-passenger AmaVida incorporates many innovative design features, with spacious staterooms and suites. The AmaVida also features a...
GLITZ & GLAMOUR: Queen Isabel christened
Uniworld Boutique River Cruises newest ship on Portugal's Douro River, Queen Isabel, was christened by Hollywood actress Andie MacDowell in Porto, Portugal on March 22. On hand for the inauguration ceremony were a number of celebrities, including singer Michael Bolton who performed at the event. Uniworld's Queen Isabel begins its maiden voyage on March 28 with a sold-out ship. The vessel has a 118-passenger capacity, with accommodation including 18 junior suites and two bigger suites on the top deck that feature full balconies, and staterooms on the mid-deck that feature French balconies....
SOLO PROMO: Crystal adds ways to save
Crystal Cruises has added more than a dozen new itineraries to its "Sole Occupancy"savings promotion for 2013. Offering single supplements of just 10% for a deluxe stateroom, the exceptionally low single occupancy fares are now available on 26 total 2013 Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony voyages around the globe: in the Mediterranean, Baltic, South America/Caribbean, Western Europe, Black Sea, North Cape, British Isles, eastern Canada and trans-ocean. Low solo supplements are available on seven- to 18-day cruises from June to December. "Crystal has always had one of the lowest supplement...