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| << November24, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
December06, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Greetings, Cruise Fans, Welcome to another issue of the 7 Seas Cruise News. As Thanksgiving weekend winds down, Pat and I hope that you had a terrific holiday and are well-fed and ready to face the forthcoming holiday season with a happy heart and plenty of gift-giving inspiration. According to Pat, there is no better gift than a cruise. And there is still time to send someone you love on a voyage that they'll love. Carnival still has some limited cabins for cruises over the holidays. Send someone! Or better yet, take someone you love on a cruise! Call Pat for details. He is in a holiday mood, so prices will be rock-bottom! ( Truth is, he is trying to reach a sales goal so he will stop at nothing to give you amazing discounts on departures in 2004! Try him, if you don't believe me!) You can reach him at 1-866-424-1090 toll-free, or write to him at cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com. And now, here's this week's cruise news. Lots of Carnival news for a change. Carnival Cruise Lines' new Carnival Valor will offer a variety of all-inclusive and affordable wedding packages for couples seeking a romantic way to begin their lives together. Carnival Valor's wedding packages will feature a shipboard ceremony during embarkation day or at various on-island locations in the eastern and western Caribbean. Wedding vow renewal packages are also available. The wedding and vow renewal packages are part of the line's popular fleet-wide wedding program, which is expected to host 2,200 couples in 2005. Shipboard wedding options include the popular "Just for the Bride & Groom" package, which starts at $ 750 and includes an official civil ceremony, a champagne toast with keepsake flutes, flowers for both bride and groom, a wedding cake with cake topper, pre-recorded wedding music, a decorated bridal aisle and photographic services. The more elaborate "Welcome Aboard" package starts at $1,350 and offers all the amenities of "Just for the Bride & Groom," as well as a reception with one-hour open bar and hot-and-cold hors d'oeuvres, a traditional two-tiered wedding cake and coffee service. Couples may also select the "Deluxe Romance" package, which includes a one-and-a-half hour reception and an ice carving, as well as all the features of the other programs. Prices for this package begin at $1,450. Also available is the "Ceremony and Wedding Luncheon," which includes the amenities offered in the "Just for the Bride and Groom" package, as well as a full-service luncheon in the ship's main dining room. The package includes a five-course meal, wine, champagne and other beverages. Prices begin at $1,050. Shore-side ceremonies combining a variety of all-inclusive amenities with a romantic tropical setting are also available in St. Thomas on eastern Caribbean cruises and Grand Cayman and Cozumel on the western route. A wide variety of options such as videography services, live music and tuxedo rental are also available at additional cost. A shipboard wedding is not the least- expensive option a couple can select, but it is as close as they can get to a pre-planned package. Pat has planned several nice weddings for clients. If there is a wedding in your future, call Pat. He'll put you in touch with a wedding coordinator from the cruise line and he'll take care of booking all of your guests. Carnival Valor is slated to enter service from Miami Dec. 15, 2004 with a special two-day introductory voyage to Nassau, The Bahamas. The ship is scheduled to begin year-round seven-day service from Miami Dec. 19, operating alternating week-long voyages to the eastern and western Caribbean. Eastern Caribbean cruises call at Nassau, The Bahamas; St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.; and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, while western Caribbean cruises visit Belize City, Belize; Isla Roatan, Honduras; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. Carnival goes to the Mediterranean for the first time in 2005 and the cruise line is offering pre- and post-cruise hotel packages in several first class hotels in Rome, Italy, in conjunction with their first-ever Mediterranean cruises on the Carnival Liberty beginning in summer 2005. The one- to three-night hotel packages can be combined with the new 12-day Mediterranean voyages aboard the 110, 000-ton Carnival Liberty from July 20 - Oct. 12, 2005, as well as a 16-day transatlantic voyage departing Rome Oct. 24, and arriving in Fort Lauderdale Nov. 9, 2005. The featured hotels include the Cicerone Hotel, a 302-room property conveniently located in the center of the city and within walking distance of many popular attractions, including the Piazza del Popolo, Castel Sant'Angelo and San Pietro. There is also the Visconti Palace Hotel located in the heart of Rome with 247 rooms. This hotel is just minutes away from shopping areas and historic sites, such as the Spanish Steps and the Vatican. (Pat and I have stayed at this hotel and can vouch for it! It is a short stroll from the hotel to La Cupola, our favorite restaurant in Rome! ) You might also select the Hilton Rome Airport Hotel, adjacent to Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport. This elegant and stylish hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to the city's sites and attractions. Prices for the one- to three-night land stays range from $180 to $510 per person, based on double occupancy and depending on length of stay. Rates include complimentary buffet breakfast and porterage service. Transfers between the hotel and airport/pier are also available at an additional cost. The Cousteau Society and Carnival Corporation have reached an agreement in principle to restore the Calypso, the legendary research and expedition vessel of Captain Jacques Yves Cousteau. Once restored, Calypso will become an exhibit and a center for science and the environment. The Cousteau Society has been diligently working toward a successful solution for this historic vessel. The last eight months have been used to put together a plan to restore the former American minesweeper as authentically as possible. Calypso will be restored at a shipyard in the Bahamas at an estimated cost of $1.3 million, with work expected to be completed by the end of 2005. The vessel's new location, following refurbishment, is to be announced at a later date. The Calypso will maintain its French flag and will remain a historic symbol of the extraordinary work of Captain Cousteau and the Cousteau Society, which carries on his work in science and education for public awareness, as well as for international university research. Calypso was involved in a mooring accident and sank in the harbor of Singapore in 1996. Captain Cousteau decided then that the vessel must be saved and arranged to have her transported back to France, writing to The Cousteau Society, "I want Calypso to remain at the service of science and education." He began a campaign to find a permanent shelter for the vessel and ultimately the city of La Rochelle, France, offered a program to secure Calypso's future. Unfortunately, the La Rochelle plans were never realized and the Calypso has remained there in a caretaker status, in an increasingly debilitated condition. Carnival Freedom is the name selected by Carnival Cruise Lines for its new 110,000-ton cruise ship scheduled to enter service in spring 2007. To be built at a cost of $500 million at the Fincantieri shipyard in Sestri, Italy, the new 2,974-passenger " Fun Ship" will be the fifth in Carnival's highly successful Conquest-class, which also includes Carnival Conquest and Carnival Glory, currently in service, and Carnival Valor and Carnival Liberty, set to debut Dec. 15, 2004, and July 20, 2005, respectively. The new Carnival Freedom will encompass 13 passenger decks housing 22 lounges and bars, a 13,300-square-foot health club, a 2,400- square-foot children's play room, a 4,200-square- foot teen club/game room, four swimming pools, a 214-foot-long water slide, and four restaurants, including an upscale reservations-only supper club. Other features will include a nine-deck-high atrium, a full gambling casino, a duty-free shopping mall, and a comprehensive golf program. Of the ship's 1, 487 staterooms, 60 percent will offer either an ocean view or a balcony. That's it for now. Until next week, Pat and I want you to know that we all thankful for all of our readers and our clients. Remember you can call Pat anytime for cruises yet this year or anytime in 2005. He'll get you the best possible price, I promise! See you in December! Teri |
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| << November24, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
December06, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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