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March20, 2006 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Greetings, Cruise Fans Welcome to the March 13 edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News. Sorry about the gap between newsletters. I had a great assistant at my day job and he left me to get a Ph.D. in English. Bottom line for me is all his work along with all my work. which doesn't leave a lot of time for newsletters-or cruises. Pat, on the other hand, has plenty of time for you, and he would love to help you plan your summer vacation, your fall getaway, or your family holiday. He'll be happy to search out the very best fares-and then cut his commission to give you the best possible discount. Okay, there are a couple of cruise lines that won't let him do that, but all the rest do, so call him, Put him to work for you! 1-866-424-1090 toll-free! You can send him an email at cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com, or visit www. 7seascruises.com, where you can research your cruise. Then call Pat or request a quote right on the website. One thing Pat learned this week is that US passengers traveling on Costa cruises that call at Tripoli will no longer be allowed to leave the ship at that port. Apparently the Libyan government is not currently welcoming US visitors. Okay. Sad, but if you can't, you can't right? Well, it gets worse. If your passport is found to have an Israeli visa stamp in it, you will not be allowed to board the ship. Passports will be collected and shown to authorities in Libya, even if you are not allowed off the vessel. Should an Israeli visa stamp be discovered on your passport, there will be serious consequences. So, Costa has announced that prior to calling at Tripoli, passports will once again be examined and if an Israeli stamp is found, you will be debarked in the last port of call before Tripoli and you will be on your own in terms of getting back to your homeland. This Israeli visa stamp prohibition appears to apply to all passports, not just ones issued by the USA. If you carry a non-US passport and wish to visit countries in the mideast, and you have an Israeli visa, you should get a new passport without Israeli motifs. Sad, isn't it? Okay, here's other cruise news... Among hotel brands, so the story goes, one of the top names is the Regent brand. Carlson Companies is the parent of both Regent Hotels and Radisson Seven Seas Cruises. Recently, the cruise line has been realigned with the Regent name, rather than the Radisson brand. So, henceforth, the Regent Seven Seas Cruise brands will be the new name of the cruise line. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has established itself as a distinguished luxury cruise operator with a new generation of all- suite ships. The re-naming of the company to Regent is another step in their evolution as a luxury brand, as they continue to improve products and services to the point where Regent can provide the most luxurious experience on land and at sea. The cruise line stresses that the only change will be the name alone. Costa Cruises has announced that it will enter the Asian market in July 2006 with the Costa Allegra operating round-trip voyages from Shanghai. The 1, 000-passenger (total capacity), 28,500-ton vessel will be marketed exclusively to Chinese clientele, initially operating a series of 24 five-day cruises from Shanghai to Nagasaki, Japan, and Cheju, Korea, beginning July 3, 2006. Costa points out that China is one of the world's fastest growing travel markets, with more than 31 million Chinese traveling abroad last year. That number is expected to grow to 50 million by 2010. Prior to the launch of service from Shanghai, Costa Allegra will undergo a multi-million-dollar renovation to create an on-board product specifically tailored to the preferences of Chinese vacationers, but with a European flair. Following the refurbishment, the Costa Allegra will offer a variety of dining options, including a "fusion" (Asian/Italian) restaurant, a sushi/ noodles bar, an Italian restaurant, a wellness center, and a shopping area. Entertainment will be geared toward Asian tastes, as well. While Costa Allegra's deck and engine officers, along with key departmental management, will be Italian, they will be assisted by more than 230 Chinese professionals who will be hired from local hotels and resorts. Princess Cruises announced that it will expand its fleet with a sister vessel to the line's popular Tahitian Princess and Pacific Princess. The 680-passenger ship will be named Royal Princess, taking the name of a much-beloved Princess ship which had long been cruising in Europe and other exotic worldwide destinations. Its new successor will take over a similar deployment when she enters service in spring 2007. The 30,000-ton ship originally entered service in 2001 as a Renaissance vessel (named R8) and is currently cruising as Swan Hellenic's Minerva II. Royal Princess will join its sisters Tahitian Princess and Pacific Princess to give passengers a cruising environment with all the hallmarks of choice for which Princess is known, including a variety of dining and entertainment options and a large number of cabins with private balconies. And for those of you who like small ships, here's another opportunity to sail on a small ship that still offers plenty of things to do onboard. That's about it from here. Pat and I will be aboard the Celebrity Century for a one-night cruise to nowhere next Saturday, March 18. It should be an interesting trip. They'll be showing us just exactly what they'll be doing to the ship when it goes into European dry dock. Hopefully, we'll get to go back onboard in the fall to see what changes they made. We'll keep you informed! Until next week, if you know an English major who writes well and would like a job here in sunny South Florida, let me know! Of course, it doesn't pay very well, but he (or she) would have a great boss! Smooth sailing, Teri |
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March20, 2006 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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