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April21, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Hello, Cruise Fans, Welcome to another edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News, brought to you by Pat Crane-my favorite cruise discounter (and we hope, yours, too!) As I mentioned last week, Pat and I are getting ready to relocate 7 Seas Cruises to Americus, Georgia, so that I can take a job writing for Habitat for Humanity International. I am delighted to be able to contribute to such a worthy organization, and living in a small southwest Georgia town is just what this ol' city girl needs! If any of you have some hints for small town living or places in Georgia we need to experience, please let us know. There's nothing better than a restaurant someone told you about, or a favorite place for sightseeing! Speaking of sightseeing, there's no better place than Europe, and if you ever dreamed of going, summer 2003 is the time. War worries have reduced the number of ships in the Mediterranean and the Baltic, and also the prices! For less than $1000 a person, you can sail the Baltic Capitals on a line like Princess or NCL and spend 10 days in Scandinavian capitols, plus St. Petersburg, Russia. This is the trip that we planned to take this summer, but buying a new house and moving has changed all that. If you'd like to know more, call Pat at 1-866-424-1090 or send him an e-mail at cruiseplanners7seascruises@ msn.com Celebrity has incredible airfares to Europe, too! And now, some news??¦NCL announced its 2004-2005 European itineraries for Norwegian Dream and details on its popular Europe Plus program. The European schedule features a series of 13 Scandinavian capitals cruises -- NCL's longest season ever -- highlighted by a full day and evening excursion to Berlin via train from the port of Warnemünde and overnight stays in St. Petersburg, Russia and Copenhagen, Denmark. Additionally, NCL guests are the only passengers on a major cruise line to transit the Kiel Canal. The line is also offering two free nights in a first-class hotel in either Rome or London as part of its early booking Europe Plus program with a private hospitality desk at the hotel for assistance with sightseeing, shopping and/or dining and a private cruise check-in for those guests staying pre-cruise. European Itineraries for 2004-2005 include: Scandinavian Capitals From April 19 to September 10, 2004, Norwegian Dream will depart round-trip from London ( Dover) on a 12-day Scandinavian Capitals cruises calling at Warnemünde, Germany with an optional tour to Berlin; Tallinn, Estonia; 2 full days in St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and an overnight in Copenhagen, Denmark. The itinerary includes a transit of the 61-mile Kiel Canal from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea and scenic cruising in the Swedish Archipelagos. Transatlantic Mediterranean Combination Norwegian Dream's transatlantic Mediterranean combination voyages offer the best of both worlds -- the relaxed days at sea of a transatlantic voyage combined with the rich history of Europe's historic cities. The ship is offering a 16-day Transatlantic Mediterranean cruise from Miami to Rome departing March 22, 2004 and March 28, 2005. The cruise calls at Funchal, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain; Villefranche, France; and Genoa and Livorno, Italy for tours to Florence and Pisa. The fall transatlantic Mediterranean combination voyage departs from London on September 22, 2004 and calls in Le Havre, France; La Coruña, Spain; Lisbon and Funchal, Portugal before arriving in Miami on Oct. 7, 2004. Mediterranean and Western Europe From April 17 to April 29, 2004, Norwegian Dream will sail from Rome to London on a 12-day Springtime Western Europe cruise that visits Genoa and Livorno (for excursions to Florence and Pisa), Italy; Cannes, Le Havre and Marseille, France; Barcelona and Cadiz, Spain; and Lisbon, Portugal. These cruises also feature optional tours to Milan and Portofino in Italy and Nice, Monte Carlo and the Provence region of France. NCL offers its early booking Europe Plus program to guests who book any of Norwegian Dream's European Itineraries. The program is available either pre- or post-cruise in Rome or London and offers the added value of two free nights in a first-class hotel, a private hospitality desk at the hotel for assistance with sightseeing, shopping and/or dining and a private check-in for those guests staying pre- cruise. To be eligible for the Europe Plus program passengers must book and deposit their European cruise more than 180 days (150 for groups) prior to sailing. Call Pat for more details. At Royal Caribbean ??¦ Monarch of the Seas will undergo extensive renovations, including the addition of new amenities and activities to appeal to West Coast cruisers, before arriving in her new homeport of Los Angeles in June 2003 to sail year-round, three- and four-night Baja Mexico cruises. Renovations on the 2,350-passenger Monarch of the Seas will extend to every area of the ship, from expanded spa and fitness facilities to additional dining options to refurbished guest staterooms, public areas and lounges. Monarch also will be the first Royal Caribbean ship outside the Voyager and Radiance classes to sport one of the line's signature rock- climbing walls, which will appear fleetwide by the end of 2003. In addition to trying their skills on the new rock-climbing wall, fitness-conscious travelers on Monarch of the Seas can maintain their workout regimen at the relocated and expanded ShipShape Fitness Center and Spa. Moving to Deck 9, the new ShipShape facilities will have a contemporary look and feature a bigger gym with additional cardio equipment. The full-service spa will have a hair and nails salon, as well as 11 treatment rooms, including a two-person room for couples. California-style cuisine inspired the new additions to Monarch's two-story casual dining venue, the Windjammer Cafe. The first floor of the Windjammer will now include an Asian- fusion restaurant, Jade, in addition to its previous extensive buffet of contemporary entrees, salads, sandwiches, side dishes and desserts. The Windjammer also will be reconfigured with buffet "islands" to facilitate traffic flow. Upstairs, guests can try the exotic offerings at the upscale sushi bar, Jade Sushi, or check out the creative creations at the gourmet pizza station. In addition, the ship's main dining rooms are being renamed and refurbished with design modifications as well as new carpet, chairs, tables and décor. The dining rooms - now called Claude's and Vincent's - will feature color palettes inspired by the works of Monet and Van Gogh. The mid-ship lounge on Deck 7 now will be a Latin-themed bar, Boleros, offering specialty tequilas and cocktail favorites like mojitos, as well as outstanding live entertainment including jazz bands and dueling pianos. The secondary lounge on Deck 8 is being transformed into a disco hot spot with a new look and name - The Circuit. The main theater will also be updated with new carpet, upholstery and seating arrangements. The renovations will triple the space dedicated to Monarch's Adventure Ocean Youth Program, giving younger guests additional amenities just for them. The new areas include a video arcade and three, teen-only concepts originally introduced on Royal Caribbean's newest Voyager-class ship, Navigator of the Seas: The Living Room coffee bar and hangout, complete with Club Café Internet center; Fuel nightclub; and The Back Deck, a private outdoor area. For meetings and incentives groups, Royal Caribbean is adding a new conference center, featuring three individual meeting rooms, Voyager, Explorer and Adventure, which will accommodate a total of 240 people. The spacious center will be located on Deck 7, with large windows lining the outer rooms to allow meeting participants to enjoy the sun and sea views. Other refurbishments will include updates to all staterooms - new and upgraded bathrooms, carpets, linens, and artwork; general facelifts to the lobbies, elevators, landings, corridors and restrooms; and enhancements to the shopping areas and Pool Deck. Renovations will begin in mid-April with limited, unobtrusive work being done while the ship is in service, followed by major demolition and rebuilding beginning mid-May in the Freeport, Bahamas, shipyard. Rebuilding will be completed in transit as Monarch relocates to Los Angeles with a crew-only Panama Canal passage. Beginning June 6, Monarch of the Seas will depart Los Angeles on Fridays and Mondays, offering three-night, weekend cruises with a call in Ensenada, Mexico, and four-night, weekday cruises with stops in Ensenada, San Diego and Catalina Island. And, they're celebrating at Holland America, because Holland America Line's private Caribbean island paradise, Half Moon Cay, has won the 2003 Editor-in-Chief Award for "Best Private Island" in the cruise industry from Porthole Cruise Magazine, for the second year in a row. Since developing Half Moon Cay in 1997, Holland America and Windstar ships have brought more than 600,000 guests to enjoy its stunning scenery and luxurious amenities. Half Moon Cay is located on 45 acres of the 2,400- acre Little San Salvador Island, which lies less than 100 miles southeast of Nassau between southern Eleuthera and Cat Island. Most Holland America Caribbean cruises include a visit to Half Moon Cay, a crescent-shaped, white sand beach more than a mile long that fronts a protected bay. The site has been cited as a model visitor destination by the Bahamian government for its balance of environmental and cultural concerns. Guests may sail, swim and snorkel in the turquoise waters, bask on white sand beaches, have a beachside massage and then enjoy an array of traditional barbecue fare. The company's Club HAL children's program offers a variety of age- appropriate activities for younger visitors to Half Moon Cay. Half Moon Cay features an aqua-sports center with beach gear and water-sport equipment, a fully-equipped Club HAL children's playground, beach chairs, volleyball, shuffleboard and horseshoes, a trail with exercise stations and a network of nature trail bridges across dunes for beach access, and a designated wild bird reserve. All facilities are accessible to persons using wheelchairs, featuring hard- surfaced pathways to connect venues. Beach and jitney trams also operate at the island. Half Moon Cay also has a West Indies Village with shops, including an art gallery and a straw market, a post office selling a Bahamian stamp bearing a Half Moon Cay design, a Spanish-style chapel, and an ice cream shop, soda bar and frozen drink bar. The food pavilion includes 15 tropical, open-air dining shelters, a large bar and three convenient satellite bar stations, two fresh fruit and condiment shelters, and a bandstand. Suits me! Until next week, thanks for reading. And if you have nothing better planned, let's hop off to Half Moon Cay for the day. Look for me at the fresh fruit shelter. I'll be the one eating a big ol' Georgia peach! Teri |
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| << April09, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
April21, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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