Staying fit on a cruise has never been easier or more fun, as Princess Cruises introduces new ways for passengers to stay active on their vacation — including the industry’s first in-room fitness program, fun yoga classes for kids and teens, and a new array of Lotus Spa classes featuring the three vital components of balanced health.
Designed for cruisers of all ages and activity levels, these innovative fitness choices will help passengers get moving in the privacy of their own staterooms with Fitness@Sea hosted by celebrity trainer Gillian Clark; strike a pose in an interactive yoga class for junior cruisers; or test their mettle with a “Tour de France” spin class as part of the line’s new Core.Balance.Strength. program.
Click on “more” below for additional details about the new programs.
In response to the overwhelming success of the keyboard classes offered through Yamaha’s “Passport to Music” program, Crystal Cruises and the pioneering music company are adding a series of progressively challenging classes called “Passport to Music PLUS”. Geared toward more accomplished piano and keyboard players, the new curriculum builds from the basics to more advanced levels.
Available complimentary through the ultra-luxury line’s Creative Learning Institute, the courses are scheduled this year on more than a dozen Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity cruises in the Mediterranean, Baltic, Transatlantic, Panama Canal and South America.
The three new “PLUS” classes are:
- Playing By Ear – Sharpen listening skills to enhance playing or singing, and discover music without the printed page;
- Exploring Chords 101 – Learn the basics of harmony, music theory and orchestration and how to create and play chords and the basics of; and
- Exploring Chords 202 – Progress to higher levels of harmony study.
Study materials for each class will include “homework” exercises that participants can complete during lab sessions held during days at sea. The lab sessions will provide guests with additional practice and one-on-one time with instructors. By the end of 2008, an Independent Study option will debut, enabling participants to work on their own selected pieces of music with the aid of step-by-step guidelines and instructor assistance.
Crystal’s exclusive Creative Learning Institute has offered “Passport to Music” keyboard classes through Yamaha aboard every cruise on Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony since 2003 and 2004, respectively. “Passport to Music PLUS” classes began on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity in May and June 2008, respectively.
This week it was the Carnival Cruise Lines news show with three ships moving and one more getting some revised itineraries.
Carnival Fantasy will be moving to Mobile next year, being replaced by Carnival Triumph in New Orleans. Meanwhile Carnival Holiday will join the Iberocruceros fleet. Carnival Elation’s 3 and 4 day sailings from San Diego are being tweaked as well.
Disney Cruise Line has applied for Glacier Bay access beginning in 2010, and cruise lines have addressed the concerns raised earlier about Ocean Ranger’s access to shipboard operations.
Finally a proposal by the US Coast Guard to revise stability models may cause some passenger vessels to reduce their passenger capacity.
Speaking of the US Coast Guard, this past week I got the rare opportunity to sail onboard the USCGC Eagle the largest and only square rigged barque in US Government service. It’s a cruise of a different sort that we’re talking about this week. Photos from the trip will be up in the photo gallery very soon.
According to Seatrade Insider (registration required) Disney Cruise Line is among six operators submitting proposals for 10-year Glacier Bay contracts. The contract terms are from 2010 through 2019.
Disney joined Compagnie des Iles du Ponant, Cruise West, Holland America Line, NCL Corp. and Princess Cruises in submitting proposals to the National Park Service.
The contracts will include the initial allocation of a limited number of vessel use days in the peak Glacier Bay season, June through August, of each year of the contract term.
Princess and Holland America legally qualify as ‘historical operators’ in Glacier Bay, giving them the ability to lock up their existing historical permits, which number 71 of the total 153 available permits annually for the next 10-year contract period. Additionally, Princess holds 13 ‘preferential’ entry permits.
HAL and Princess have the potential to maintain 84 of the peak season entries of the total of 153 available.
Dave Nemeth, chief of concessions management for Glacier Bay National Park, said the National Park Service hopes to allocate the permits by year’s end.
San Diego-based Carnival Elation will offer a new three- and four-day schedule starting Feb. 12, 2009. The current schedule of four- and five-day cruises and will continue through the of Feb. 7, 2009 sailing.
On its new route, Carnival Elation will depart Thursdays on three-day cruises to Ensenada, while four-day cruises will depart Sundays and visit Ensenada and Catalina Island.
These new itineraries echo those currently offered by Carnival Paradise from Long Beach, with departures on Fridays and Mondays.
« Newer Articles — Older Articles »
