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| << February16, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
March08, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Hello Fellow Cruise Fans, ? Welcome to another edition of 7 Seas Cruise NewsTM and a special welcome to all of you who are receiving the newsletter for the first time. We hope you'll find something to entertain or inform in every issue. ? Before we get started tonight, I just wanted to remind you that Pat is standing by, ready to help each of you to arrange the cruise you want-at the most remarkably low price out there. It's what he does. Call him anytime at 1-866-424- 1090 toll-free or drop by the website at www. 7seascrusies.com. And you can always write him at cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com. Just a word about the website-the prices listed are provided to us by the cruise lines. They are NOT Pat' s prices. His are virtually always lower than what you see posted! You can use the cruise line prices as a rough guideline to help you find out which weeks are less expensive, etc., but please don't give up on a cruise just because it looks like too much money on the website. Call Pat! He will do the very best he can to get you a lower price. ? ? And now, some cruise news. ? The 10 largest cruise lines carried 8.3 million passengers last year, an 8% increase over 2002, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. Alaska passed the southern Caribbean to become the fourth most popular destination in 2003, and the western Caribbean held onto the top spot, with that area accounting for about one third of the year's traffic. New York and Galveston led U. S. ports in growth, increasing their passenger traffic by 45% and 39%, respectively. ? The Pride of America was refloated this weekend, about a month after the 2,200- passenger vessel sank in its berth at the Lloyd Werft shipyard here. The salvage company that handled the operations, Rotterdam-based SMIT, said Feb. 16 the Pride of America was "successfully refloated." The company pumped out the vessel and towed it to dry dock at the shipyard. Norwegian Cruise Line said, now that the Pride of America is in drydock, a "thorough survey of the damaged equipment and internal areas will take place." The Lloyd Werft yard, NCL and insurers are involved in producing a new "work plan," first for the repair and replacement of equipment and interiors that have been submerged for the past month, and secondly, for the completion of the ship, NCL said. The line said the assessment should take the next few weeks, "at which time Lloyd Werft and NCL should be in a position to conclude their ongoing discussions regarding completion of the ship, " NCL said, and a new delivery schedule will be finalized. The refloating operation took " several weeks" of preparations, SMIT said, which included connecting a submersible barge to the ship's side to stabilize it. ? Royal Caribbean International canceled calls to Labadee, the line's private beach on the northern coast of Haiti, during the next two weeks, citing "the safety of its guests and employees." The suspended calls affect the Voyager of the Seas, the Mariner of the Seas, and the Navigator of the Seas itineraries, each of which will substitute a day at sea; and the Radiance of the Seas, which will call in CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas. Although the Labadee peninsula is far from the troubles-which are centered in Port au Prince and Cap Haitian, the cruise line decided to not take any chances. For passengers on the Radiance of the Seas, Coco Cay is a lovely substitute- but it isn't Labadee, which is one of the prettiest places in the Caribbean. ? And speaking of the Radiance of the Seas, Pat and I spent a great afternoon on board this lovely ship today. The regional sales director invited us to lunch and a ship's tour. And are we impressed! The Radiance is the first of a new class of ships for Royal Caribbean. Radiance-class vessels are smaller than the huge Explorer class, but amenities like water slides and the climbing wall are still there. We really liked the decor-contemporary but still warm, elegant and tasteful. Unlike the Carnival whim of theming everything, Royal Caribbean gives things names, but doesn't overdo the silly themes. I, for one, appreciate that! The end result is a ship that looks like.well, a ship, or a very nice hotel-not a movie set. Cabins are not huge, but very well designed and convenient. There are plenty of balcony cabins. We didn't get to see a suite, but we saw the exclusive "Concierge Club"-a private room/coffee bar/lounge exclusively for the use of concierge-level passengers. Nice, but not necessary for most cruisers. ? Other things we liked: plenty of elevators, lots of open deck areas, including a wide promenade deck, a great big gym, the Aurora theater with balcony and great sight lines, another smaller bar/lounge/theater area that is adjoined by the card room-allowing a card game with a little music in the background- rather than the silent, sterile card rooms that some ships have. We were also impressed by the dining room. Our lunch of pate, mixed green salad, and a choice of orange roughy, strip steak or pasta carbonera, plus strawberry cheesecake? It was terrific! The service was excellent, too. We toured up top where arriving passengers were having lunch and we were impressed up there, too. A beautiful spread with lots of choices and what appears to be a pretty functional layout. (I am not a big buffet fan, but this one looked pretty good!) There are two alternative dining rooms available. I believe the up-charge to dine in one of these is $20 per person. The optional dining rooms are the Portofino-exceptionally upscale Italian, and the Chops Grille. The menu here offers goodies like Maryland Crab Cakes, Cheese N' Onion Soup, Caesar Salad ( among other choices) and then a choice of prime rib, filet, veal chop, lamb chops, pork, chicken or salmon. Desert choices include apple pie ala mode and warm brioche bread pudding. ? Another thing we liked is that because the ship is smaller, it was easier to get around and explore. In less than two hours, Pat and I saw the ship! A nice contrast to the megaships like Holland America's Oosterdam or the Grand Princess. Following 7 days or even 12 day cruises on this big ones, you can still have the feeling you haven't seen it all! I know that' s the case with the Grand Princess! Immediately after leaving the ship, Pat said, "You know, I think that would be a terrific ship for Alaska!" And I think he's right. Good visibility from the dining room, open decks and public rooms (even the elevators!) means pretty vistas wherever you look. And the slightly smaller size? Perfect! The Radiance of the Seas will be heading that way this spring. If you're looking for a nice Alaska cruise, I think we may have found it for you! Call Pat for particulars like price and itinerary! ? Incidentally, we didn't find anything to complain about on the Radiance. That's a first for me! ? And on that very bright note, I'll close. Here's wishing each of you a terrific week that's so easy and pleasant that you'd swear you were on vacation! ? ? Until next week, smooth sailing, mates! ? Teri "See More of the World for Less with 7 Seas Cruises" Visit www.7seascruises.com E-Mail: cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com 1-866-424-1090 toll-free in the U.S. |
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| << February16, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
March08, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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