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| << July21, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
August04, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Hello Again, Cruise Fans! Welcome to another edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News. Pat tells me that there are now more than 2000 subscribers to our little ezine- and I couldn't be happier! Welcome to all of our first-timers, and a hearty " thankyouverymuch" to all! My wonderful husband Pat asked me to mention that he has some terrific rates for the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas for Alaska in September! Plus, there are excellent senior rates (and you only need to be 55 to be called a 'senior" by the cruise lines!) and he has coupons to help lower the price even more if you're interested in an ocean-view or balcony cabin! These are round-trip cruises from Vancouver and just a week long, so if a fall getaway appeals to you, and you'd like to pack a lot of spectacular scenery in a few brief days, call Pat at 1-866-424-1090 toll-free or drop him an e-mail at cruiseplanners7seascruises@ msn.com and find out how inexpensive Alaska can be on the lovely Radiance! And remember, please, you are always welcome at the Website, www. 7seascruises.com And now, some news??¦ Ultra-luxury Silversea Achieves Highest Rating of All Cruise Lines Silversea Cruises has been named "World's Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine. The results of the recently announced 2003 readers' survey placed Silversea, with an overall score of 91.1, above all other cruise lines, including those in the large-ship category. This is the fifth time Silversea has been voted number one in the prestigious readers' poll. Silversea Cruises, announcing its 2004 itineraries, will make its first-ever visit to Alaska next summer. The 28,000-ton, 388- passenger Silver Shadow will offer 11 Alaska cruises, whose itineraries may also include inaugural calls in Seattle and Vancouver. The cruises will vary in length from seven to 14 days. In other port-firsts, pathfinder Silver Shadow will call at 10 new-for-Silversea cities in Japan. These include Kobe, Tokyo, Nagasaki, Sapporo, Hakodate, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato, Moji and Shimonoseki. Itineraries on these springtime voyages, which will range from nine to 14 days, may also include stops in Russia and China. Prices are, appropriately, sky high. Peace & Quiet at Dinner In a strategy that's only partly aimed at giving parents a night off, Carnival has now launched, fleetwide, a children's dining program. Part of Camp Carnival, the kids-café will occupy Carnival's lido-deck Seaview Bistro. Menu items will include traditional youngster fare, such as pizza, fish sticks, chicken nuggets and ice cream, and not-so- usual offerings like a 35- item salad bar. Dinner, which is available every night (except the first night) on three- and four-day cruises, and on every night (but the first and last) on five-day-plus voyages, occurs between 6 - 7 p.m. and leads into Camp Carnival's evening schedule. Parents who may think this means they'll get to spend most nights kid- free may want to heed Carnival president Bob Dickinson, who, while extolling the benefits of kid-free dining in the company's announcement, also made sure to point out the new program is not meant to be a babysitting service. "While we expect most children will dine with their parents in the main dining rooms, this new program provides a wonderful opportunity for kids to enjoy a delicious meal with the youth staff and other children on board, while offering parents a leisurely and romantic dinner by themselves," Dickinson said. Another new feature of Camp Carnival, which is aimed at kids ages two - 15, is the EduCruise science/geography program. Other aspects include a special children's turndown service with chocolate chip cookies, computer labs, arts and crafts workshops and video game rooms. New Princess Ports Princess will add to its roster of homeports when it begins offering first-time cruises from Galveston to the Western Caribbean starting in fall 2004. The line will base its 109,000-ton Grand Princess in the Texas port, and it will become the largest, newest and most amenity-filled ship to sail from Galveston. The vessel will also offer the only week-long, four-port itinerary from Galveston during the season. The 2,600- passenger Grand Princess will offer 22 roundtrip departures from Galveston between November 13, 2004 and April 9, 2005. In addition to its seven-day roundtrip cruises, the ship will offer a special nine-day holiday sailing celebrating both Christmas and New Year's Day. Grand Princess' new Western Caribbean itinerary will feature calls at some of the most scenic spots in the Western Caribbean, and offer passengers one more port than competitors' Galveston cruises next fall. The route features stops at Belize, Costa Maya (Mexico), Grand Cayman and Cozumel. A special holiday sailing on December 24 will also feature an additional port of call in Ocho Rios. The vessel brought a number of firsts to the cruise industry, including the first wedding chapel at sea - and the only opportunity to actually be married by the ship' s captain. Among the vessel's many amenities are a highly praised authentic Italian trattoria, an extensive children's center, golf simulator and nine- hole putting course, Lotus Spa, fitness center, a swim-against-the- current pool, and the ship' s dramatic Skywalker's Lounge, suspended 150 feet above the sea. Oceania Getting Positive Feedback One week into her inaugural voyage, Oceania Cruises' M/S Regatta is receiving rave reviews from guests onboard. Having set sail from Barcelona, Spain on July 5th, guests who spent their first week sleeping in Oceania Cruises' exclusive Tranquility Beds, sampling Regatta's culinary delights in the four, open seating, gourmet restaurants and exploring enchanting ports of call are already firing off e-mails and letters of congratulations-or so says a press release from Oceania. At least 80 guests aboard the inaugural voyage have already booked future cruises. (Tsk. Tsk. Pat could have beaten their price!!) Here are some samples from the "love letters": "The food is outstanding, attention to detail is excellent, the staff to passenger ratio is phenomenal. It' s also the friendliest staff I' ve ever encountered at sea." -- J. Neilsen " Beautiful ship! Elegant and luxurious accommodations, superb and friendly service. The menu in the Grand Dining Room is excellent, imaginative, beautifully presented and overall, exquisite." -- A. Lawrence "The beds are so comfortable, the sheets are so gorgeous, and the staff is friendly and wonderful. The waiters are absolutely charming!" -- C. Sabitini "The ship is great, food wonderful and those beds!!! ! I cannot say enough about how comfortable they are." -- L. Duggan "Love the attitude of your staff, no other ship has come close to it! On other ships, most just pass you by. Here, they smile, make comments and call you by name. " -- P. Fletcher Oceania Cruises features two intimate and luxurious 684 passenger ships, REGATTA and INSIGNIA. Regatta's sold-out summer season sees her cruising throughout Northern Europe and Russia before repositioning to the Western Mediterranean for the fall season. On November 25th, Regatta will begin her inaugural season of voyages to the Exotic Caribbean, Panama Canal and Central America with convenient departures from Miami and Los Angeles. Pat will be happy to help you with a genuine discounted price on either ship! Meanwhile on the S/S Norway??¦ NCL has been evaluating several bids from shipyards for repairs to the S/S Norway. The company announced today it would lay up the S/ S Norway at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven Germany, until a final decision has been made on which yard will be appointed. The detailed bids from shipyards are largely in line with the preliminary indications given, but with one major and critical exception. Although all of the work around the damaged boiler can be completed within the time frame first planned, the delivery time for the new replacement boiler itself is estimated to be between seven to 12 months, a timeframe that is significantly longer than first indicated to NCL. Marine boilers are manufactured by specialized companies and then delivered to a shipyard for installation. The detailed specification and bidding process has revealed that no boiler maker is able to meet the ambitious repair deadline initially indicated to NCL by the shipyards. NCL now estimates that the earliest the ship could return to service is spring of 2004; however it is not yet possible to be certain of this timeframe. In June, with the information available at the time, the company announced the ship would return for the October 5th sailing after more than four months out of service. Instead, the company has taken the ship off its fleet roster until they have a firm date for the Norway to come back into service. That's all the news for this week. We're counting down to our Baltic cruise on the brand new Holland America Oosterdam! She makes her maiden voyage on August 3 and we'll be aboard for voyage #3 on August 27. Pat asked me to remind you that we'll close the office from Monday, August 24 through Wednesday, September 10. We will check e-mail (and hopefully send out an issue or two of this ezine!) while we're away, but if you want any cruise quotes, please call or e-mail in the next week or two! (Those of you who know Pat well can just about imagine how hard it has been to DRAG him away for this period of time! He loves his work, his clients, and the cruise business! But, as I tell him often, what kind of a cruise agent can he be if he doesn't get out there and sail on a ship now and then??) Until next Sunday, may gentle currents guide you through this week. Teri |
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August04, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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