P&O Cruises introduces once in a lifetime shore excursions

P&O Cruises is offering a new collection of shore excursions for holidaymakers setting sail in 2008/09.

Designed to meet and exceed the needs of new and more adventurous cruise passengers, the programme offers a range of ‘must do’ activities and experiences on land, sea and in the air.

P&O Cruises managing director, Nigel Esdale, said: “We are now attracting more new to cruise passengers than ever before and these holidaymakers are looking for something a little different to do on shore than a guided coach tour.

“We can now offer them experiences that simply would not be possible on any other type of holiday. In a two week Mediterranean cruise they could charter a private yacht, go zip-wiring, learn to cook an authentic Italian specialities and make their very own fragrance.

“It is this breadth of choice that sets our holidays apart from any other.”

Highlights of the Mediterranean shore excursion programme are:

• Driving a red Ferrari F430 for the day through the streets of Italy, from the port of Livorno.
• Creating a personal fragrance with master perfumers in The Galimard Studio in Grasse, from port of Cannes (from 2009).
• Learning how to make fresh Tuscan specialties in a farmhouse overlooking the Alps, from the port of Livorno.

In the Caribbean, highlights include:

• Zip wiring through the rainforest, in Jamaica
• Racing a private Beneteau 40 yacht, in Antigua.

Highlights in the Baltic / Northern Europe are:

• Exploring glaciers and ice-fields on a snow truck, from Reykjavik.
• Floating downstream on the River Suldalslågen, for a 2km ‘Salmon Safari’, from Stavanger.

Official P&O Cruises press release Posted 31 Jul 08

Island Cruises Welcome New Captain

Island Cruises is pleased to welcome Captain John Clark on board.  Captain John joins the Island Cruises team from Wind Star Cruises.  He will work with Captain David Bathgate and together they will both be responsible for the Island Star.
 
Stuart Horne, Operations Director, commented: ‘I am delighted that John has chosen to join us as Captain of the Island Star.  He brings with him a fantastic wealth of knowledge and a broad spectrum of experience from across the Marine Industry. I have no doubt that he will fit in very well with Island Cruises, the relaxed, friendly and informal way of cruising.’

‘I am very excited to become part of Island Cruises, a successful cruise experience delivered in a rather more informal manner than I have ever encountered before.’ Comments Captain John Clark.

Official Press Release Island Cruises Dated 31st July 2008.

Disney Cruise Line Introduces Podcasting

 In a cruise industry first, Disney Cruise Line is reaching out to perspective guests through podcasts that offer a new way to get customized information about family-friendly Disney cruise vacations.

 Hosted by family travel expert Emily Kaufman, the podcast episodes showcase the unique experiences Disney offers on a cruise vacation, providing guests in-depth, portable information on specific areas of Disney Cruise Line. In each episode, Kaufman, also known as The Travel Mom, offers tips for parents looking to take a cruise vacation.

“The podcasts immerse guests in the Disney Cruise Line experience, bringing to life the way we cater to the specific needs of kids, adults, and the entire family,” said Joe Rand, Director of Marketing for Disney Cruise Line. “Each episode is three to five minutes long, making it easy for on-the-go parents to learn more about specific areas of the Disney cruise vacation experience.”

Emily Kaufman narrates the podcasts with expert advice for not only a Disney Cruise, but also for family vacations in general. Her expertise in family travel makes her a great fit for the official Disney Cruise Line podcast.

“I’m extremely pleased to partner with Disney Cruise Line on this podcast series and hope parents considering a cruise vacation find them to be a valuable resource,” explained Kaufman. “As the mother of two, I truly believe that Disney Cruise Line is a great getaway for families. I have taken both my teenagers and my toddler nieces on a Disney Cruise, and have seen first hand that they offer something for every age.”

Interested guests can find all of the videos on disneycruise.com. In addition to watching episodes on the website or downloading them directly to their computer or video iPod, guests also have the ability to share episodes with friends and family via email.

Official Press Release Disney Cruises dated 31st July 2008.

Two Cruise Ships Collide In Greece

Two cruise ships collided in Greece’s main port in Athens. No injuries were caused although there was damage to the cruise ships.
The Pullmantur cruise ship Zenith which was carrying nearly 2000 passengers onboard hit the Aegean Pearl as it was maneuvering to dock in the port.
Nobody was injured in the collision but the ships are not allowed to leave the port until all damage is assessed.
Aegean Pearl sustained minor damage but will be out of service for a week whilst it undergoes repairs.

MSC Cruises Launch Online Check-In

MSC Cruises, the world’s fastest growing cruise line, has launched MSC Express, a new and innovative check-in service, available at all major ports in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

This new system will allow passengers to significantly reduce the time it takes to get on board the ship by
utilising a simple, fast track system.
The first port of call for passengers is the new www.mscexpress.net website, which for extra convenience
is also accessible via the www.msccruises.co.uk website.
Once logged on, passengers simply enter their booking information - reservation number, passenger
name and surname, together with the ship name and departure date.
After inputting these brief details, a second screen is displayed where passengers’ personal details
need to be entered in order to complete online check-in. This then produces a printout which allows
passengers to be fast tracked through check-in at the port, thanks to the new addition of dedicated
MSC Express desks. Passengers simply present their printout and tickets at the desk on the day of
embarkation, vastly reducing waiting times and queues.
“MSC Cruises has a commitment to providing innovative solutions that help our passengers have the
most enjoyable trip possible. The addition of online check-in and dedicated MSC Express desks is an
extra convenience that cuts queues and waiting times at the port, meeting the growing demands of
busy clients.
“We hope that this new service will help our passengers to start their trip sooner and ultimately get
their holiday off to the most relaxing start possible,” said Guilio Libutti, MD, MSC Cruises UK and
Ireland.
The MSC Express service is currently available to passengers departing from the ports of Genoa,
Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo, Bari, Venice, Marseille, Barcelona, Valencia, Kiel, Copenhagen and
Amsterdam.

Official Press Release MSC Cruises dated 28th July 2008.

Celebrity Cruises Soap Cruise

Cruise enthusiasts who enjoy the intrigue, drama and romance of daytime TV’s most popular soap operas – and the actors who star in them – are likely to find the vacation of their dreams in “Soap Cruise,” which will be held on Celebrity Century in 2009.

Soap Cruise – the second voyage of its kind – will pair Celebrity’s Star TreatmentSM with exclusive activities allowing guests who have purchased the Soap Cruise package the opportunity to directly interact with 16 of the hottest actors on all eight of daytime TV’s top shows. The activities will include autograph and photo sessions, soap opera trivia games, an elite cocktail party with the stars, and other special events, including the opportunity to write a script and act it out with one of the stars.

Hosting Soap Cruise will be Cameron Mathison, who plays “Ryan” on All My Children, and has appeared on Dancing with the Stars. Mathison will be joined on Celebrity Century by fellow All My Children actors Alicia Minshew (”Kendall”) and Jacob Young (”J.R.”); Austin Peck (”Brad”) from As the World Turns; Brandon Beemer (”Owen”) of The Bold and the Beautiful and formerly “Shawn” on Days of Our Lives; Winsor Harmon (”Thorne”) and Lesli Kay (”Felicia”) of The Bold and the Beautiful; Nadia Bjorlin (”Chloe”) and Jay Johnson (”Philip”) of Days of Our Lives; Bradford Anderson (”Spinelli”) and Greg Vaughn (”Lucky”) from General Hospital; Murray Bartlett (”Cyrus”) and Ricky Paull Goldin (”Jake”) of All My Children, formerly (”Gus”) on Guiding Light; Kamar de los Reyes (”Antonio”) on One Life to Live; and Don Diamont (”Brad”) and Christian LeBlanc (”Michael”) of The Young and the Restless.

The soap stars will mix it up exclusively with guests who have booked the Soap Cruise package on Celebrity Century’s January 22 itinerary departing roundtrip from Miami, with visits to Key West, Fla., and Cozumel, Mexico. A limited number of staterooms have been reserved for guests interested in experiencing Soap Cruise. For reservations and to view images and video from last year’s Soap Cruise, visit Soap Cruise website or call (248) 855-7918. Bookings on Celebrity Century’s January 22 itinerary through other avenues will not include access to Soap Cruise activities.

Celebrity Cruises offers comfortably sophisticated, upscale cruise experiences with highly personalized service, exceptional dining, and extraordinary attention to detail. Celebrity sails in Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, California, Canada/New England, the Caribbean, Europe, Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, the Pacific Coast, Panama Canal and South America. The line also offers unique cruisetour vacations in Alaska, Australia, Canada, Europe and South America. Noted for four of the top 10 “Top Cruise Ships in the World,” as voted by the readers of Conde’ Nast Traveler (February 2008 readers’ poll), Celebrity’s current fleet will be joined by Celebrity Solstice in 2008, Celebrity Equinox in 2009, Celebrity Eclipse in 2010, and a fourth Solstice-class ship in 2011. For more information, call your travel agent, dial 1-800-437-3111 or visit Celebrity Cruises website.

Official Press Release Celebrity Cruises dated 28th July 2008.

P&O Cruises Ban Smoking

P&O Cruises is to go smoke free in all inside areas on board three of the ships in the fleet.

As of October this year two family-friendly ships, Oceana & Ventura, and adult-only Artemis will be no smoking in all inside spaces. There will be allocated outside smoking areas on all ships and passengers will be able to smoke on their cabin balconies.

P&O Cruises managing director, Nigel Esdale, said: “Since Britain went smoke free in July 2007 the British public has become accustomed to being in a smoke free environment with 76 per cent of the general public supporting the ban*. We hope that becoming smoke free will give all our passengers, especially children, a cleaner and more pleasant environment in which at enjoy their holiday on board.

“Cruise ships already provide so many ways to have a fun and healthy holiday, such as spas and fitness centres, and this is another step towards an even healthier holiday experience for all. Ventura and Oceana are both child friendly, and between them could have over 1000 children on board at any one time, therefore we want to ensure they are breathing clean air on board as well as clean ocean air out on open deck.”

Official P&O Cruises press release Posted 25 Jun 08

Hapag-Lloyd Awarded New AEO Certificate

Hapag-Lloyd AG is the first German liner shipping company to be awarded the AEO Certificate introduced by the EU at the beginning of 2008. Thanks to this status, which stands for special reliability and trustworthiness, in Germany Hapag-Lloyd will in future enjoy more rapid Customs clearance in the ports. In addition, the process of AEO certification is intended to ensure increased security in the transport chain.

The AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) Certificate has been available for companies based in the EU and with Customs-relevant business since the beginning of 2008. The EU is also negotiating for recognition of AEO status with third countries such as the USA, China and Switzerland.

Official Press Release Hapag-Lloyd dated 25th July 2008.

Holland America Line Offers Savings on Early Bookings

Gearing up for its 2009 cruise season, Holland America Line will offer Early Advantage savings on a wide selection of cruises and CruiseTours when booked by September 15, 2008. Past guests can save even more, and on select sailings, special fares are available for third or fourth guests who share the same stateroom starting at just $99 per person.

With savings of up to $2,200 per person, the Early Advantage promotion encompasses an extensive selection of 2009 cruises sailing to more than 320 ports of call in destinations around the world: Alaska, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama Canal, and South America/Antarctica.

Highlights of next year’s deployment include the first full year of itineraries aboard the new ms Eurodam; four distinctive Grand Voyages of 50 to 117-days aboard ms Rotterdam, ms Prinsendam and ms Amsterdam; full Panama Canal transits in fall and winter aboard ms Statendam; ms Oosterdam sailing in South America as the first Vista-class ship in the Southern Hemisphere; and more than 20 new ports introduced worldwide.

“Cruising is a popular vacation choice and a very good value today so we want to reward those who book early,” said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. “Planning ahead means even greater savings plus more stateroom and departure options.”

For example, with these special advance fares, guests can book a 10-day Mediterranean cruise with fares starting as low as $1,449 per person, double occupancy, for an inside stateroom and $2,149 for a verandah - and third or fourth guests cost from only $299. A 16-day South America cruise starts at $1,899 for an inside or outside stateroom. A 14-day Australia/New Zealand cruise starts at $1,699 for an inside and $1,899 for an outside.

In other regions, a 7-day Caribbean cruise starts at $599 for inside staterooms and $899 for verandahs. A 15-day Circle Hawaii cruise starts at $1,499 with an optional upgrade to an outside stateroom for only $200. And a 14-day full transit of the Panama Canal begins at $1,499 for an inside or $1,799 for an outside.

The popular 7-day Alaskan Explorer cruise, roundtrip from Seattle, starts at $699 for inside staterooms or $1,149 for verandahs. Another option is an Alaska CruiseTour, varying in length from 11 to 20 days, starting at $1,249 for inside staterooms and $1,449 for outside staterooms.

Official Press Release Holland America Line dated 25th July 2008.

Thomson Cruises Sail From Southampton

Thomson cruises have announced that cruise ship Thomson Spirit is to do two Southampton sailings in its 2009 programme. The Iberian sailings will take place in September and October 2009.

In September there will be a 12 night sailing that will visit destinations such as Lisbon, Malaga and Porto before making its return to Southampton.
In October there will be an 8 night sailing that will visit destinations such as Lisbon and Alicante before finishing in Palma.

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