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July04, 2005 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Greetings, Cruise Fans, Let me begin this evening by offering a huge apology to each of you! I've neglected my cruise news duties and I hope I never let you down again! As some of you know, I have a "day job" writing for Bluegreen Corporation here in Boca Raton. It' s a great company and a really good job, but three times a year, I have to put together a magazine and it not only occupies all my waking hours, it cuts into the nights, too! Now that the summer issue has been put to bed, I am back to 45 hours a week - and back to newsletters! Again, my apologies and thanks for your patience. Pat asked me to remind you that it's time to apply for your passport. As of January 1, you can't get back in the U.S. without one. No excuses. If you are planning a trip out of the country in 2006 or a holiday trip that won't return until the first of the year, don't delay! You don't want to be scrambling around trying to get a passport at the last minute. So hop to it now! And now, a little cruise news... The first brand-new U.S.-flagged cruise ship in nearly 50 years. Pride of America was christened on June 17 in New York. The new NCL ship has been designed to reflect America's favorite places. On board, you will enjoy the spirited entertainment options, Americana d?©cor and regional fare. And perhaps best of all, this fabulous new ship will offer all the freedom and choice of Freestyle Cruising. During her inaugural season, she's offering three exhilarating, historic itineraries from the exciting shores of Miami through the Panama Canal, to a voyage from San Francisco across the Pacific to her new home in Hawaii. As a U.S.-flagged ship, once in Hawaii, her guests receive the exclusive benefit of cruising through the Hawaii Islands with no required foreign port stop. So come be a part of history in the making and join us as Pride of America makes cruising history. Representing some of the United States' proudest assets, Pride of America is a tapestry of Americana, including vibrant stars and stripes hull artwork, a New Orleans-style Mardi Gras Cabaret Lounge, Alaskan Gold Rush Saloon, Napa Wine Bar, Capitol Atrium, Santa Fe Spa and Fitness Center, Newbury Street Shopping area, Washington Library and the ship's Hollywood Theatre. In addition to offering NCL's signature Freestyle Cruising and superior customer service, the vessel also features several firsts for NCL including an onboard tennis court, a new category of Family Suites, the Soho Art Gallery and a Conservatory touting a tropical landscaped garden. After a series of coastal sailings, Pride of America will arrive in her homeport of Honolulu on July 23, 2005 where she will begin offering a unique itinerary no other cruise line can deliver. As the first new ocean-going passenger ship in nearly half a century to sail under the U.S. flag, Pride of America will visit all four main islands in one week-long itinerary and offer passengers up to 100 hours in port, more than any other cruise line sailing the islands. The seven-day cruises from Honolulu will feature a day in Hilo, Hawai'i; two days in Kahului, Maui; a day in Kona, Hawai'i; and two days in Nawiliwili, Kaua'i. You may recall that the Pride of America wasn't always such a happy story. The ship was damaged during a storm at the Lloyd Werft German shipyard where the ship was under construction in January 2004.. The ship was scheduled to be sailed from Germany to Hawaii in April 2004, followed by its maiden voyage from Hawaii on July 4. The ship was sitting on the floor of the harbor with three decks under water. NCL bought the ship as an uncompleted hull when American Classic Voyages went bankrupt in 2001. NCL transferred the ship from its original shipbuilder in Mississippi to Bremerhaven, Germany in 2002. The Lloyd Werft Shipyard was lengthening the $400 million ship by 82 feet and extending its capacity to over 2,000 passengers. The ship shifted suddenly just after midnight on the stormy night of January 14, listing about 15 degrees to starboard. The Pride of America took on water and settled on the bottom of the harbor, with three decks submerged. When the ship listed, it caused a construction crane to crash into a building, injuring three workers on the ship. Congratulations to NCL. Nice to hear such a happy ending! And when you're ready to sail her, please give Pat a call. 1-866- 424-1090 toll-free! Royal Caribbean is getting serious about wireless Internet connections on its ships. Wi-Fi (Wireless Internet Access) and the updated Internet Cafe is available on the following ships: Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Sovereign of the Seas. New installations include Radiance of the Seas and Empress of the Seas. Enchantment of the Seas will be ready by July 7. There will be six designated *"Hot Spots" on each ship. To use the Hot Spots, guests will need their own laptop, Windows operating system, 802.11b Wireless networking capability. Guests who do not have a wireless ready laptop may obtain a wireless card at the Guest Relations desk for. $10.00 per day or $50 per voyage - 7 nights and longer. Damage Insurance is $2.00 per day and a Lost/Damaged Card Fee is $250. Internet access either by the Internet Workstation or the guest's own laptop for Wi-Fi is $.50 per minute or the guest may choose from a prepaid package: $25.00 for 60 minutes, $35.00 for 90 minutes, or $50.00 for 150 minutes. Royal Caribbean provided these Q&As for the curious... Q. What is a "Hot Spot"? A. A Hot Spot is a particular location where you can go to gain access to the Wireless network ie. Schooner Bar, Viking Crown, etc. Q. Are the designated areas going to be where the Internet Cafe use to be or still is? A. The Hot Spot areas differs dependent of ship class. Q. Are we still going to have the Internet Cafe workstations for guests who do not have a laptop? A. Yes. The regular Internet Cafe does not go away. We've upgraded them with a new look and interface. Q What about teens and children? A. Now Teens ages 12-17 can surf the net, e-mail, instant message and send e- Cards to their friends for a nominal per minute fee. Club Caf?©, located in Fuel or The Living Room on Deck 12, is available exclusively for Teens. Kids ages 6-11, participating in Adventure Ocean, can send friends back home e-cards and journals to show off their vacation onboard for a nominal per minute fee. They can also surf popular web sites designed just for them or chat with friends online. Surf Stations are located in the Adventure Ocean area on Deck 12. Guests must be registered in the Adventure Ocean program to use these workstations. At present the "nominal fee" is 25-cents per minute. Pat and I thought this was pretty interesting. We like taking our laptop when we cruise. Last trip we were able to get unlimited access from our cabin for $100 for the full week. While it was nice, it certainly wasn't necessary. Just keep an eye on the kids. At 25-cents a minute, that can really add up! Incidentally, all adult sites are disabled in the teen's and kid's areas. That's about it for tonight. Pat will visit with the cruise lines for some bargains and we'll let you know what he finds! Until next week, smooth sailing... Teri |
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July04, 2005 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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