Louis PLC has completed the $162m purchase of Norwegian Majesty according to Seatrade Insider, however that doesn’t mean the ship will be departing the NCL fleet anytime soon. The ship will still be operated by NCL under charter until December 1, 2009. There’s no word on what will happen to the ship after that date.
In addition, Louis’ purchase of Norwegian Dream is expected to be completed by the end of September.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Norwegian Cruise Line Posted by Michael on 07/28/08
Crystal Cruises is offering a host of new savings incentives and added value to guests booking the first two back-to-back segments of its 14th annual 2009 World Cruise. The 26-day voyage from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand now offers free air transportation back to the U.S., a combination-fare discount, a full payment discount, and no fuel surcharge. The new savings are valued between $2,000 and $3,300 per couple.
Further, guests taking two segments of the World Cruise enjoy a $200 per person onboard spending credit and two complimentary shore tours, as well as the added entertainment, classes and activities inherent in a Crystal World Cruise.
Special savings add up:
Free air transportation: Available from Auckland, New Zealand back to 20 U.S. gateways (or $600 air credit per person);
5% Combo Savings: Usually offered to guests taking two or more non-World Cruise voyages, has been extended to the first two segments of the 2008 World Cruise - save up $2,900 per couple;
3.5% Full Payment Discount: Guests paying for the back to back segments in full by October 27, 2008, can save up to $1,924 per couple;
No Fuel Surcharge: Receive a rollback of the $12 per person per day fuel surcharge - save $312 per person.
Grand total savings up to $6,600 per couple.
Added World Cruise value:
- · $200 CruiseBank shipboard credit - for guests taking two World Cruise segments.
- · Complimentary Crystal Adventures shore excursions in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Noumea, New Caledonia.
- · More onboard Creative Learning Institute enrichments classes, including progressive Berlitz language and Yamaha music programs.
- · More lecturers from celebrity and special-interest guest speakers and experts.
- · Nearly a dozen brand new Crystal Adventures - from swimming with dolphins in Cabo San Lucas to exploring New Zealand by Kayak and helicopter.
From Los Angeles to Auckland, Crystal Serenity will call in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands; and French Polynesia’s Rangiroa, Moorea, Papeete and Bora Bora; Rarotonga, Cook Islands; Suva, Fiji; Noumea, New Caledonia; and Waitangi (Bay of Islands), New Zealand. Cruise fares start at $12,910 (after 5% savings) per person, double occupancy, less all of the special offers listed above.
Crystal Serenity’s full World Cruise - “Pacific Circle Celebration” - spans the globe, visiting 46 ports of call in 17 countries throughout the South Pacific, Asia, Africa and Europe. The seven distinctive segments range from 12 to 22 days.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Crystal Cruises Posted by Michael on 07/28/08
Folks appear to be returning from their summer vacations as this week we had some actual cruise news to discuss!
First up was a small piece from Royal Caribbean’s earning call, what caught our attention was the announcements of layoffs and spending cuts intended to save the company as much as $125 million a year.
Seabourn announces the godparent for Seabourn Odyssey although godparents would be more accurate.
The NTSB released their final report in the investigation of the Empress of The North grounding last year in Alaska.
Holland America announces early advantage fares on all 2009 sailings and folks in Ketchikan want visiting ships to stay longer.
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Filed under: Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Majestic America Line, Podcast, The Yachts of Seabourn Posted by Michael on 07/26/08
Several news outlets are reporting that City Officials in Ketchikan are trying to convince cruise lines to schedule longer visits in the Southeast Alaska city. Of the three primary Alaska cities that cruise ships call on, Ketchikan has the shortest stays according to the Downtown Steering Committee.
According to one downtown shop owner and Committee member the time individual ships spend in Ketchikan has shrunk over the past few years, which reduces the amount of money cruise passengers spend there. As a result That means less sales tax for the local governments, and fewer job openings.
The Committee says that many of the ships this season will stay about six hours in Ketchikan, which gives most passengers enough time for one tour and nothing else. By comparison the worldwide average port stay is between eight and 10 hours. If the cruise ships stayed a total of 1,000 extra hours in Ketchikan over a season, the Committe believes it could bring up to $1.8 million more in sales tax.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: General News Posted by Michael on 07/25/08
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.
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