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Greetings, Cruise Fans, Welcome to the February 19th edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News. Pat's having a great time finding good cruise deals (and in some cases, great deals!) for many of you, but he has time to take on more. So, plan your summer vacation right now, while deals and availability are at their very best. You can reach him at 1-866-424-1090- toll-free. You're welcome to browse at www. 7seascruises.com whenever you like, but remember, Pat can usually get a better price than what's advertised on the website. Whenever he can legally do so, Pat cuts his commission to ensure you a better deal! NCL has some attractive deals if you're planning a family trip and intend to put 3 or 4 people in a cabin. If the days match up, Pat can get free passage for 3rd and 4th passengers, so they sail for taxes only. Get some dates together and Pat will check for you. They seem to be scattered throughout the sailing calendar, so it's hard to say which dates are the right ones. NCL has some excellent itineraries. The ships are clean and well-maintained. The food is very good and served in NCL's signature "Freestyle" tradition-which simply means no set dining, so you can have dinner when you want. NCL's older ships have fairly small cabins, but their new ones, like the Norwegian Sun and Star, have large accommodations. Pat and I have sailed a lot on NCL - the Mediterranean, the Mexican Riviera, exotic western Caribbean, etc., and we've always enjoyed the experience. There's plenty to do onboard, good entertainment and a good program for kids. And now, some cruise news... Celebrity Cruises has exercised its option to order a second 118,000 gross-registered-ton ship today, reaffirming its commitment to innovative products and high guest satisfaction. German shipbuilder Meyer Werft will build the new tonnage, with delivery of the first ship planned for Fall 2008 and the second ship in Summer 2009. Celebrity also announced names of both new ships. The first new ship will be called Celebrity Solstice, and the second ship will be named Celebrity Equinox. The new series of ships will be known as the Solstice class. Terms for the second Solstice-class vessel are substantially the same as those of the first ship. Both new ships will be 2,850-guest vessels measuring 1,033 feet in length and 121 feet in width. Their added size will allow Celebrity to offer larger standard staterooms, a higher percentage of balconies and an exceptional range of guest- inspired services and amenities. Carnival has announced the "2006 Rusty Wallace Cruise" - a 7-day cruise aboard the Carnival Pride. This will mark Carnival's eighth sailing with the NASCAR legend who recently retired from racing! In order to qualify for all the goodies, Pat will book you with a special code that will entitle you to Onboard events: Q & A Sessions with Rusty, a private cocktail reception and a wide variety of prizes and memorabilia - everything from complimentary race passes and authentic autographed shirts. Themed contests and giveaways will take place during the special Rusty Wallace events. Meanwhile, Carnival's Ecstasy, now docked at the Poland Street Pier in New Orleans, took a little unexpected cruise the other day. About 5:30 one morning, while high winds blew across the Crescent City, the ship broke free of its moorings and headed down river. It actually made it about a mile down the Mississippi before the anchor was dropped and the ship stopped. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard warned away other traffic. No harm, no foul, as tugs and river pilots brought the ship back to its moorings. The ship is providing lodging primarily for firefighters, police and other workers. A complete complement of ship's officers are on board since the ship is in the water. Royal Caribbean International fast-forwarded cruise-ship innovation the other day by ordering a new ship that will take the line's award- winning guest experience far into the future. The 5,400-guest, 220,000-gross-registered-ton ship, a prototype developed under the project name, Genesis, builds upon the trailblazing innovations of the brand's landmark Voyager and Freedom classes of ships. Finnish shipbuilder Aker Yards will build the ship for a Fall 2009 delivery, continuing a 35-year collaboration with Royal Caribbean. At 1,180 feet long, 154 feet wide and 240 feet high, Project Genesis will be substantially larger than your average aircraft carrier and certainly will not fit through locks like the Panama Canal! Energy efficiency is a priority in the new design with significant modifications made in the form of the hull and in the air conditioning and water production and treatment systems. The company estimates the all- in cost of the ship to be approximately $230,000 per berth or roughly comparable per berth to a Freedom-class ship, despite its being a prototype with significant advancements. The contract is contingent upon the completion of certain conditions by the end of February. Royal Caribbean also has an option for a second ship. Project Genesis will take an estimated 5,800 man years to complete. Aker Yards has delivered 11 ships to Royal Caribbean over the last four decades. Three of the brand's new ones are now under construction at the yard. The first out is Freedom of the Seas, the biggest to date, which debuts in June. Shockingly huge, isn't it? Imagine the lines for that midnight buffet! Seriously, economics seem to dictate that high-density ships are the way of the future. I, for one, am not a fan of the Voyager-class ship. It just seems like a big resort with very little sense of being at sea. I like the ships that feel like ships, which lots of open deck and views of the water from every room, so the Radiance class of Royal Caribbean ships is about right for me. There are a lot of people who love the Voyager class, though, and they'll be right in line when this Genesis monster floats out. I'd like to know what you think. Drop me an email at cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com. Please feel free to disagree. I just want to know how big you think your optimal ship should be. Guess that's it for this week. Until next week, fair winds and following seas! Teri |
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| << February06, 2006 - 7 Seas Cruise News |
March14, 2006 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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