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| << November29, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
December13, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Greetings, Cruise Fans, Welcome to another edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News. Today it is my pleasure to welcome all of you new subscribers. I hope you'll enjoy what you read here each week. Pat and I love cruises. We know you do, too. So, along with the best prices on them -- and you get those from Pat every day), we are pleased to bring you a weekly look at cruise news and opinions (usually mine) about cruises. Last week, I told you that Pat was trying hard to make his annual goal. He did! Thanks to a few people who took our advice and decided to squeeze in one more cruise in 2004. If you'd still like to get away this year, call Pat toll-free at 1-866-424-1090 or send him an email at: cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com Remember, you can start your vacation planning for 2005 with a visit to our website at www.7seascruises.com And, as usual, let me remind you that the prices you see on the website are NOT Pat's prices. They come to us from the cruise lines. Almost always, Pat can get you a better price and sometimes, a MUCH better price than you see posted. If you want to book something early in 2005, please give Pat a call soon. We're closing the 7 Seas Cruises office from December 15 through December 23 in order to sail the Mexican Riviera with our 4 daughters, 2 sons-in-law, favorite aunt and uncle, dearest cousins, #2 granddaughter, plus one extra boyfriend, some friends and clients. Quite a merry mob - and a great way to celebrate the holidays. And now, some cruise news??¦ You, along with 2,973 of your closest friends, can have a great time when the new 110,000-ton Carnival Valor -- the largest Carnival "Fun Ship" ever based in Miami -- launches year-round seven-day Caribbean service December 19. The $500 million SuperLiner was constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. It is expected to arrive in Miami Dec. 13 then operate a special two-day Bahamas cruise Dec. 15-17. On Dec. 17, Carnival Valor will be "officially" named in ceremonies presided over by Katie Couric, longtime co-host of NBC News' "Today," who will serve as the ship's godmother. Carnival Valor will then launch a year-round schedule of alternating weeklong eastern and western Caribbean cruises from Miami Dec. 19. Eastern Caribbean cruises call at Nassau, The Bahamas; St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.; and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, while the western route features Belize City, Belize; Isla Roatan, Honduras; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. Among the largest passenger vessels at sea, Carnival Valor is the next in the line of Conquest- class Carnival ships. The next to follow will be the Carnival Freedom in 2007. The ship houses 22 lounges and bars, four swimming pools, a 214-foot- long water slide, an Internet caf?©, a 13,300-square- foot health club, a comprehensive golf program, and four restaurants, including an upscale supper club. Family-friendly amenities include a 4,200-square- foot children's play room, as well as a teen club/ game room. Of the ship's 1,487 staterooms, 60 percent offer either an ocean view or a balcony. That is an interesting statistic - a departure from the most-recent, balcony-bedecked ships that brag " 80% of cabins are oceanview and 80% of those ocean- vew cabins are balconies." Unless my math skills have deserted me completely, that would mean that on a ship with 1000 cabins, 800 of them would be oceanview and 640 of those would be balconies. Right? So Carnival is saying that 600 of every 1000 cabins are ocean-view accommodations, either window or balcony on the new Valor. This is a contrast to Princess, for example, where ships with more and more balconies are the order of the day. This tends to make balcony cabins more reasonably priced on Princess ships and other, similar lines. In this case, more inside cabins may result in lower prices on inside cabins. I'll ask Pat to keep his eye on this and let us know. I do like that Western Caribbean itinerary! Roatan, Honduras is a great port stop. Fabulous beaches, excellent snorkeling and diving and some fine shopping. Wooden pieces, fashioned from famous Honduran mahogany, are beautiful! The people are among the friendliest in the Caribbean. And Honduras is home to (my opinion) the world's best beer, Port Royal! It adds up to an excellent combination for tourism. Belize City is great, too. If you're traveling with kids, book a shore excursion that includes the boat trip and the visit to the Belize Zoo. The collection of Central American animals is amazing! The habitats are natural. We loved it and our #1 granddaughter, then 2, loved the monkeys, iguanas, tapirs, giant stork and a peculiar mammal that came to be called a "stinky piggy." You will understand when you visit! Add in Cozumel and Grand Cayman and you have a fine, four port, seven-day itinerary. Call Pat for prices. Sailing on a brand new ship is always fun! And it sounds like the Valor has everything! And here's another reason to call Pat. If you have any plans to cruise Europe next summer, please call Pat as soon as possible. He is already finding a number of sailings sold out! So if Europe is on your radar for summer vacation, call Pat now. A deposit will hold your cabin while you finalize your plans, and it's refundable up to 70 days before departure. There is still pretty good space for Baltic cruises, but the Mediterranean is tight already since some cruise lines are re-routing ships up to the Baltic. Whichever you choose, you are in for a magnificent experience. Book it now so you're not disappointed. It's time for me to get back to my "homework," so until next week, have a terrific, productive and very happy week. Smooth sailing! Teri |
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| << November29, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
December13, 2004 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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