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July07, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Hi Everyone, Welcome to another edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News. We have lots of curious and interesting stories this week, so I'll pause only long enough to remind you that Pat says there is still room aboard most sailings of most ships this summer. You may not get the exact cabin you want, but you can pick your sailing-and prices are still good on most ships. If you can make do in an inside cabin, for instance, Alaska offers some great values. If you have to have a balcony, Alaska may not be your 2003 trip, but this is the right time to book a cabin for 2004! Don't forget those low fall fares, too! Until the holidays, you can sail and save on a variety of destinations. Call Pat for some ideas. He's at your service at the toll-free number, 1-866-424-1090. Or you can e-mail him at cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com or drop by the website for some inspiration. It's available 24-hours a day at www.7seascruises. com And now, the news??¦ Royal Caribbean, working with Finnish shipbuilder Kvaerner Masa-Yards, has developed a design for a prototypical new class of ship that it is calling "Ultra-Voyager." The proposed ship will be about 15% larger than the "world's biggest" Voyager of the Seas class of ships. The new one would weigh in at about 160,000 tons and carry 3,600 passengers. Voyager ships hold 3,100. The deal is contingent upon improving the euro-dollar exchange rate. The ship would be delivered in 2006, with a possible second ship in the class to follow in 2007 or 2008. Speaking of Royal Caribbean, passengers on the Radiance of the Seas slept through a dramatic rescue effort early one morning last week. The ship, in the Inside Passage's Hecate Strait on its way from Ketchikan to Vancouver, received a radio call at 4:55 a.m. from the Prince Rupert Coast Guard Station. Three fishermen on an 80-foot vessel sent an SOS as the vessel started to sink. The sinking ship was about 15 miles away, so officers increased Radiance's speed from 17 knots to 23 knots-top speed. An hour later when the Radiance arrived in 12- foot seas and with 40-mile-per-hour winds howling, the fishing boat was half submerged. As the last of the three fishermen was hoisted up into a rescue boat, the 80-foot Silver Bounty slipped completely under the surface. The rescue was completed at about 6 a.m. The fishermen were treated in the ship's medical center, spent the day on Radiance as it sailed through the Inside Passage, and were transferred to a Canadian Coast Guard ship. Perhaps that's why you want a balcony when you sail to Alaska! Imagine watching that in your pajamas! Princess announces today it's planning to swap ships in Hawaii next year. The not-yet- launched Island Princess will replace the Regal Princess on the 15-day Los Angeles roundtrip itinerary. The 88,000-ton, 1,970- passenger Island Princess is slightly larger than the 70,000-ton, 1,590-passenger Regal Princess. In addition to more space on board, Princess is adding 5 additional sailings. Island Princess' Hawaii cruises run from September 21 (2004) to April 19 (2005). Ports of call include Hilo, Kona, Honolulu, Nawiliwili (Kauai) and Lahaina (Maui). The Regal Princess will be assigned to Panama Canal sailings. Meanwhile, Norwegian Cruise Line has announced it will move Norwegian Star out of Hawaii to make room for Pride of America. Sailing from Los Angeles, Norwegian Star will offer an 8- day Mexican Riviera itinerary. Port calls will include the usual Puerto Vallarta-Mazatlan- Cabo San Lucas visits and will also offer an overnight in Acapulco and a day at Zihuatanejo. NCL explains that the ship's speed-25 knots- allows it to travel greater distances in an 8- day itinerary.The 2,240-passenger Norwegian Star begins its Mexican Riviera cruises September 26 2004 and runs through April 30, 2005. Celebrity has lured some famous faces aboard its ships this summer. Walter Cronkite, the former CBS anchorman and a broadcasting legend, who will sail on Summit's June 20 and June 27 voyages. Others you might spot onboard various Celebrity cruises are "Famous Amos," the chocolate chip cookie entrepreneur, on Horizon July 5 and controversial politico Dick Morris ( a one-time consultant to President Clinton), who will sail on Infinity's July 25 cruise. Academy Award-winner Ernest Borgnine will also be on the July 25 Infinity sailing. Rita Moreno and Richard Dreyfuss will be the featured stars on Galaxy's September 22 cruise. At Carnival, there are big plans for 2004. Carnival's 46,052-ton Holiday will become the first cruise ship based year-round in Jacksonville when it launches a new program of four-day Bahamas and five-day Key West/Bahamas cruises Oct. 23, 2004. Four-day cruises call at Freeport and Nassau, while five-day cruises call at Key West and Nassau. The 2,124- passenger Carnival Miracle, currently under construction at the Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki, Finland, will debut with a series of three-day Bahamas and six-day Mexico sailings from Jacksonville March 1- April 17, 2004. Three-day cruises call at Freeport; five-day sailings visit Key West and Nassau; and six- day voyages visit Cozumel and Costa Maya or Playa del Carmen. Carnival Miracle will also operate a series of 14 week-long round trip Key West/Bahamas sailings from Baltimore. The program, which will feature Key West, Nassau and Freeport, will run April 25 - May 30 and Sept. 5 - Oct. 24, 2004. Carnival will increase capacity from New Orleans by 41 percent when the 2,052-passenger Sensation takes over the 1,452-passenger Holiday's four- and five-day Mexico cruise program beginning Oct. 23, 2004. On the Sensation's new route, four-day cruises call at Cozumel, while five- day voyages add a stop in either Calica or Costa Maya. Beginning Nov. 7, 2004, Carnival Miracle will replace Inspiration on seven-day " exotic Caribbean cruises from Tampa, becoming the largest cruise ship homeported year-round at that port. Featured ports on this itinerary include Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Belize. That's about it from here for this week. Smooth sailing and favorable winds! Let us hear from you! Teri |
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July07, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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