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Greetings, Cruise Fans Welcome to the October 23 edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News. We're calling this the Hurricane Wilma edition, since all of South Florida (us, included) is under a Hurricane Warning. Wilma is due to hit the SW coast overnight and then roar across the state to our coast. It's a sort of " back door" hurricane for us. We are ready. Well, as ready as anyone can be. So, if you try to reach Pat, be patient. As long as we have power and telephone, the office is open! However, if power goes away, well, that could change things. Try anyway! 1.866.424.1090. Next Sunday, Wilma, Alpha and the rest of the Greek alphabet willing, we will set sail on the Canival Victory. We'll be checking email while we' re sailing, but you know how that goes!?! If you need an answer or want to price a cruise, please call this week! And as soon as we're back, watch for a newsletter with a review of that well-loved ship. Thanks to all who offered a prayer or an expression of sympathy on the loss of my mother. You are very thoughtful and both Pat and I appreciate your kindness. Now, how about some cruise news? Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises' innovative online check-in program that launched on two ships in July now is available fleetwide, in English and Spanish, reducing guests' check-in times to mere seconds at the pier. Named "Xpress Pass" for Celebrity Cruises and "SetSail" for Royal Caribbean International, online check-in allows guests to fill out all pertinent cruise documents before arriving at the pier. Boarding documents, immigration forms, onboard accounts and ticket contracts can be completed with just a click of the mouse. To check in online, guests are asked to visit the pertinent line's web site (www.celebrity.com/ onlinecheckin or www.royalcaribbean.com/ onlinecheckin). Guests will be asked to provide their booking number, ship and sail date, and to follow four easy steps to complete the process. Once all steps have been completed, they will be able to print the SetSail or XpressPass and provide it, along with identification, to agents at a specially designated express counter at the pier. In addition to English and Spanish, the system also will be available in Italian, German, French and Portuguese in the near future. In a cruise industry first, this fall the luxurious Crystal Symphony becomes a floating gallery at sea hosting a dramatic new photo collection from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit Service. Crystal guests will be among the first to view the arresting collection " Documenting China: Contemporary Photography and Social Change," exploring a country in transition as seen through the eyes of seven native son photographers. "Documenting China" debuts on Crystal Symphony on November 2, 2005, with 28 images on display. The exhibit runs through early May 2006 when it will transfer to Crystal Serenity. Onboard lectures and exhibit brochures by Smithsonian experts will complement the showing on selected sailings. Focusing on the impacts of urbanization and industrialization in China, the exhibit portrays the country from an insider's point of view. With raw black-and-white and color images, photographers Liu Xiaodi, Jiang Jian, Zhang Xinmin, Luo Yongjin, Zhou Hai, Lu Yuanmin, and Zhou Min unveil truths about China's internal struggle-a battle between modern industrialism and the traditional, agrarian past that has sustained the country for thousands of years. Crystal has often partnered with the prestigious Smithsonian Associates through its Crystal Visions?® Enrichment Program, which for the last several years has featured Smithsonian Associates lecturers aboard Crystal ships worldwide. In 2006, experts from the cultural and educational arm of the Institution will also travel with Crystal on eight voyages offering destination-specific lectures on the Panama Canal, the Amazon, Cape Horn, and New England. Heading into the 2006 Europe cruise season, Holland America Line deploys a record five ships and introduces a full summer of Mediterranean cruises aboard the new ms Noordam. The premium line covers all of Europe - featuring 14 maiden port calls and 27 unique itineraries sailing the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Russia, Greenland and Iceland, North Cape and Polar Icecap, Black Sea, North Africa, British Isles and Transatlantic voyages. Fourteen maiden ports of call lead guests to the pristine north of the Arctic Circle, once forbidden Libya, the breezy esplanades of Alicante and Palomos, Spain, or the rainforest-enveloped castles of northern Turkey during one of fifty-five 10- to 35-day cruises in spring through fall of 2006. In this hallmark European season, Holland America Line will feature the luxury of one- to two-night stays in Amsterdam, Athens, Gdansk, Istanbul, Marseille, St. Petersburg and Venice; and extended evening stays for enjoying night-life in lively ports such as Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Santorini. The European quintet of ships includes the intimate 793-guest ms Prinsendam designed for longer cruises; the new, state-of-the-art, 1,848- guest Noordam with open, airy spaces; the premium line' s twin flagships the 1,316-guest ms Rotterdam and 1,380-guest ms Amsterdam; and the five-star 1,258- guest ms Maasdam. Highlights of the Prinsendam sailings feature a 21-day Midnight Explorer journey to Jan Mayen Island and the Arctic Circle and an epic 34-day transatlantic sojourn covering Western Europe. The Rotterdam ventures throughout southern Europe on eight varied itineraries from the thriving arts center of Varna, Bulgaria to the impressive remains of long-vanished empires in Tripoli, Libya. With the arrival of the Noordam, Holland America Line offers a full summer season of 10-day Mediterranean cruises in 2006. Two different itineraries departing roundtrip from Rome feature either the Western Mediterranean or Eastern Mediterranean and Greek Isles, visiting various ports such as Naples, Italy; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; La Goulette, Tunisia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Corfu and Santorini, Greece; Valletta, Malta; and Kusadasi, Turkey. Altogether, three ships in the Mediterranean sail on 25 10- to 16-day cruises from May to October. New ports of call, from Ravenna, Italy, and its Byzantine architecture, to Antalya, Turkey, and its mountain-sculptured beaches, are in store for guests on the flagship Rotterdam and elegant explorer Prinsendam. The Rotterdam offers 10- and 12-day voyages between Lisbon and Athens, with four calls at Tripoli, Libya, which boasts colorful architecture and Roman ruins. The Prinsendam spends extra nights in Athens, Istanbul, Marseille and Venice for added leisure time. Her 16-day Cradle of Civilization itinerary explores eclectic markets in the maiden ports of Bizerte, Tunisia and Banghazi, Libya. The Rotterdam explores the Black Sea on four 12- day sailings between Venice and Athens, while the Prinsendam's Sept. 15 Empire of the Ottomans cruise leads guests to the legends of Troy in the maiden port of Canakkale, Turkey. Black Sea ports include Odesa, Ukraine; Constanta, Romania; Istanbul, Turkey; and maiden port calls to Varna, Bulgaria, and Samsun and Trabzon, Turkey, featuring lush valleys and a fourth-century monastery crowning a stunning mountain forest. Holland America explores the shimmering sights of Scandinavia and the Baltic on 19 10- to 16-day cruises from May through September. Featured are nine comprehensive Gems of the Baltic cruises, a 10-day compilation of eight interesting ports in six countries in this diverse northern sea. In 2006, every Baltic sailing aboard the twin flagships Rotterdam and Amsterdam includes an overnight in grand St. Petersburg and also calls at regal Scandinavian capitals such as ?…arhus, Denmark; Tallinn, Estonia; and Helsinki, Finland on Vikings and Czars, Best of the Baltic, and Treasures of Scandinavia and Russia cruises. Aboard the Prinsendam's 16-day Scandinavian Summer sojourn on June 24 guests enjoy two nights and three days in St. Petersburg as well as an overnight in Gdansk, Poland. A new 21-day Midnight Sun Explorer cruise roundtrip from Amsterdam on July 10 epitomizes awe inspiring scenic cruising, as the ship sails Norwegian fjords, and into the Arctic Circle to northernmost Longyearbyen then on to Iceland and Scotland. Offering a taste of Europe's diverse tapestry, the Rotterdam sails between Athens and Rotterdam or London in May and September, visiting the ancient treasures in Kusadasi, Turkey; Tripoli, Libya; Rome, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and Le Havre (Paris), France. The July 31, 14-day Prinsendam cruise visits Invergordon ( Inverness), Scotland; the remote Hebrides; Dublin, Ireland; La Rochelle, France; Leixoes (Porto), Portugal; Funchal, Madeira; and Cadiz, Spain. Following the success of Princess' groundbreaking debut of advance spa reservations last year aboard Caribbean Princess and Sapphire Princess, the company has expanded the feature to make it easier than ever for passengers on six additional vessels to pamper themselves by booking relaxing spa treatments before they sail. Princess' online Cruise Personalizer is now accepting Lotus Spa pre- reservations for passengers on Diamond Princess; Island Princess; Golden Princess; Grand Princess( after October 29); Coral Princess ( after November 24); and Star Princess (after December 11). The reservations tool operates as part of Princess' Cruise Personalizer on www. princess.com. This unique service makes booking spa appointments as simple as entering in a name and booking number and choosing from a full menu of services that includes massages, body treatments, facials, hair and nail options. Passengers will be able to see available appointment times and prices. Princess' Lotus Spas feature a relaxing atmosphere and treatments based on ancient therapies and rituals. Highlights include a series of unique spa and beauty services that will indulge guests from tip to toe. Among the options that can now be reserved in advance are Elemis brand treatments such as Aroma Stone Therapy, Absolute Spa Ritual ( which includes a Deep Tissue Muscle Massage and Pro-Collagen Marine Facial), Exotic Lime & Ginger Salt Glow, and a couples massage in the suite reserved for two. Other favorites include La Therapie anti-aging facials, Deep Tissue Muscle Massage and body wraps such as the Musclease Aroma Spa Ocean Wrap. Isn't that a lovely way to end a newsletter--all wrapped up in a spa robe and basking in the glow of sea minerals? Ahhh! Well, that's it for this issue. To all of our readers and clients in South Florida, may Wilma give your house a wide berth! Give Pat a call! And enjoy a week of exceptionally smooth sailing! Teri |
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October25, 2005 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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