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| << December21, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
January12, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Happy New Year, Cruise Fans! First off, a hearty welcome aboard to all of our new subscribers. We hope you'll enjoy this little look at cruises and the business of cruising that we bring to you each Sunday. (Well, almost every Sunday evening. Sometimes I have homework to do over the weekend, and if I have to spend part of the weekend writing, I just don't have words left over for "fun writing" like this.) Pat asked me to say "Thanks!" to all of you who let him help you with a cruise vacation in 2003. And if 2003 wasn't your year to cruise, let's hope 2004 will be! If you'd like to price a cruise, count on Pat to give you a prompt quote with all of the "fat" cut out of it. By getting the best prices available from the cruise line (based on volume earned by Cruise Planners and lower than your direct-from-the-cruise-line price) and then cutting his commission, too-well, it just doesn't get better than that! You can reach Pat anytime at cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com or toll- free in the U.S. at 1-866-424-1090. And you can always stop by the website to have a look around. Just remember, prices posted at www.7seascruises.com are provided by the cruise lines. Pat can usually get you an even lower price! We hope you all had a great holiday season. We had a hasty trip to daughter #2's house in suburban Birmingham, then returned so I could get back to work on the 29th. Our New Year's Eve was quiet. We were so soundly asleep that we barely heard the fireworks at midnight. We did take a day to visit Everglades National Park and saw 10 alligators! As Florida residents now, we are committed to seeing what there is to see. Next adventure will have to be the Florida Keys! For those of you who have asked about our weather, let me assure you we are thoroughly enjoying our 78 degree winter days! Even Bob, our big white snow dog, seems to be enjoying the warm weather which allows him to go out onto the screened patio whenever he likes. So much for our news. Now, about cruising??¦ So what if you don't want to sail from Florida? This year there are more alternatives than ever for those who want to sail from a port closer to home. The Norwegian Dawn is a lovely new ship that is sailing every week from New York. The itinerary is interesting-with port calls at Nassau (arriving at 1 p.m. and sailing out at 2 a.m. the following morning), Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island), a full day in Miami (your chance to see the Everglades!) and a full day in Port Canaveral-which allows you to visit Kennedy Space Center or DisneyWorld! Norwegian has another interesting 7-day itinerary-this one sailing from Charleston! Port calls include Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Key West. The ship is the Norwegian Majesty. Sailings continue weekly through April 10. NCL also offers their popular Texaribbean cruises, sailing from Houston every Saturday year-round. Ports are Cozumel, Roatan Islands (Honduras), Belize and Cancun. Another new port where cruises originate is Jacksonville, FL-a great departure point for Georgia, North Florida, the Carolinas-even Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia. Carnival plans to deploy the 1,486-passenger "Fun Ship" Jubilee on a series of four- and five-day cruises from that port May 11 - Aug. 26, 2004. On this program, four-day cruises will depart Thursdays and visit Freeport and Nassau, The Bahamas, while five-day cruises will depart Mondays and Saturdays and feature Key West, Fla., and Nassau (with the exception of a special four-day introductory cruise that will depart Tuesday, May 11 and call at Freeport and Nassau.) From Feb. 27 to April 27, 2004, the new 2, 124-passenger Carnival Miracle, currently under construction in Helsinki, Finland, will operate a series of three-, five- and six- day voyages from Jacksonville. Then in the fall, the 1,452-passenger Holiday will kick off Jacksonville's first year-round cruise program with a special six-day voyage Oct. 17, followed by the launch of four- and five- day service Oct. 23, 2004. The new Carnival Miracle's interior was inspired by characters from novels, songs, poems, myths, movies and Broadway, these " fabulous fictional icons" were chosen for their styles that evoke a different mood in each of the Carnival Miracle's public areas and rooms.A Deco-style lobby and atrium are named after the Metropolis of Superman fame. The lobby lounge is called the Jeeves Lounge, after the fictional butler of P.G. Wodehouse' s novels. The foyer is the Batman-inspired Gotham Lounge. The Miracle's lower promenade is called the Fountainhead, from the Ayn Rand novel, whose main character is the idealistic architect Howard Roarke. The upper promenade is called Kane's Way from Orson Wells' film "Citizen Kane." The card room is The Joker, referring again to Batman. Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, lends his name to the dining room, while the restaurant annex is named after his wife, Ariadne. The restaurant's walls have elements that look like giant silver goblets with a leaf design of a grape vine. Grape lights with antique copper finished leaves are hung in garlands in between the goblets and appear on the ceiling as well. The ship' s casual dining Lido Deck area, Horatio's, takes its cue from the C.S. Forester stories about the Napoleon-era British naval captain Horatio Hornblower. Nick and Nora's, Carnival Miracle's supper club, is named after detectives Nick and Nora Charles, characters created by Dashiell Hammett. The room, located at the top of the Miracle's atrium and under a red skylight, has a sophisticated look with all ebony paneling. The Phantom Lounge takes its theme from "The Phantom of the Opera," from the popular Lloyd Webber musical, which derived from the 1911 novel, Le Fantome de l'Opera, by Gaston Leroux, both of which are set in the Paris Opera House. Guests entering the Mad Hatter' s Ball show lounge will feel like they just chased the white rabbit into Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." Depicted on the sloping walls are three-dimensional characters from the novel - the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit - having tea together. Carnival Miracle's dance club, Dr. Frankenstein's Lab, resembles an old gothic castle in ruin with faux stone walls and other decorative touches. The casino is called Mr. Lucky's, after the 1943 Cary Grant movie and television show of the 1950s where Joe Adams, a.k.a. "Mr. Lucky," runs an illegal gambling yacht, The Fortuna, which sails out of New York. The overall motif is a sophisticated Irish sports bar with lots of television screens and bar-top gaming machines. The 19th-century anonymous poem and Jazz Age song are the inspiration for Frankie & Johnnie's jazz club, a swanky, speakeasy-modern design. Of all the gin joints in the world, Carnival Miracle's piano bar had to be named Sam's, after the movie "Casablanca." The Raven Library is named after Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven," and looks the way one would expect the author's library to appear, with beautiful woodwork and a kind of modern Victorian atmosphere. Gatsby's Garden, a winter garden, has long arches that look like cast iron trelliswork with intertwining vines, and the pattern is repeated on the walls. "Gatsby's" also features a faux stone floor, along with a ceiling comprised of a series of little domes with ceiling fans. Can't wait to hear what the first to sail her think of this d?©cor! Sounds hopelessly overdone to me, but as I have said before, what do I know?!? I personally prefer the understated and less ornate beauty of Princess, Costa, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and NCL ships. Pat is already getting some interest in holiday trips for 2004. Some of these people are those who were disappointed this year because they waited until the last minute- and found the ships they wanted and the cabins they wanted were sold out. It may seem early, but it isn't! Same with Alaska cruises for the summer! If you book now, Pat will keep his eye on your ship and departure and if the price goes down, Pat will get the lower price for you! There is no penalty for canceling if you do so before your final payment is due-usually about 75 days before sailing. Now is an excellent time to apply for a passport! Winter is traditionally light for the U.S. Passport Service, so you' ll get excellent turnaround. Visit your post office or passport office for an application. The day is coming when you'll need one to sail, even from a U.S. port. Why not beat the rush and get yours now! Pat had lunch aboard the Oceania Regatta on Friday while it was in port in Miami. He said the ship is lovely, understated and elegant! The dining room was primarily designed for four-top tables. The theater looked more like a dinner theater or nightclub with tables rather than theater seats. The casino was small-although it is described as adequate. Slots are 5-cents to $ 1. The computer room is lavish. The lounges are plush and cozy. The ship's d?©cor featured lots of beautiful wood-either cherry or mahogany. Deck chairs are teak. There are some double and triple- wide lounges for relaxing with company! There are only two places where smoking is allowed-a small area by the pool and another small outdoor area. This would be a great ship for non-smokers! As for the food, Pat said it was good, but "fussy." (He is a meat and potatoes man and lavish sauces are not for him!) Other than fussy food, his only complaint was cabin size. Although he said the cabins are beautifully decorated, they are small-especially the inside cabins. Ocean-view cabins are adequate. The balcony cabins are also adequate, but the balconies are small. The owner's suite was terrific, with two rooms, a bathroom and a powder room. The only drawback with the owner's suite is that balcony railings are metal rather than plexiglass, so if you sit on the balcony, you can't see out while seated. If you'd like to know more about the Regatta and where she is sailing, give Pat a call for more information. That's it for now. Here's wishing each of you a terrific New Year! Until next week, smooth sailing! Teri |
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| << December21, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
January12, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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