Princess Cruises passengers will have a variety of opportunities to sail with best-selling maritime author and popular public speaker John Maxtone-Graham as he makes appearances on a number of sailings to South America and Europe in 2011.
Maxtone-Graham is well-known to cruise enthusiasts as he has chronicled the full history of ocean travel from the early days of passenger shipping to today’s modern cruise vacation. Among his many books are The Only Way to Cross, a bible for ship buffs that has been in print for more than 35 years; and Titanic Survivor. His most recent book is about the famed SS Normandie.
Among his presentations on board, passengers can enjoy stories of famous ocean liners, a dramatic recreation of the Titanic’s fateful final night, and tales from the historic explorations of the North and South Poles.
Princess passengers can enjoy Maxtone-Graham’s appearances on the following 2011 sailings:
Jan. 26-March 9 — Star Princess: 14-day Cape Horn Route to Rio (three cruises) — These sailings travel between Santiago and Rio de Janeiro around the fabled Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego.
March 9-24 — Star Princess: 15-day Brazilian Adventure — Cruising from Rio de Janeiro to Fort Lauderdale this adventure includes calls in two other Brazilian ports plus visits to several Caribbean islands.
May 7-22 — Crown Princess: 15-day Western Europe Passage — Sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton this Atlantic crossing includes calls in Portugal, France, Belgium and Holland.
July 2-20 — Ocean Princess: 18-day Land of the Midnight Sun — A roundtrip Dover sailing visiting the remote northern coast of Norway and Russia.
July 20-Aug. 7 — Ocean Princess: 18-day Top of the World — A Dover to New York sailing by way of Iceland and Greenland, featuring passage close to the site of the Titanic’s sinking.
Aug. 7-25 — Ocean Princess: 18-day Fire and Ice Explorer — This New York to Dover sailing features Iceland, Greenland and Scotland, plus the Titanic sinking site.
Oct. 19-Nov. 6 — Ruby Princess: 18-day Venetian Passage — A Venice to Fort Lauderdale Atlantic crossing including Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.
First off, we didn’t dedicate the entire show to Carnival Splendor but we didn’t ignore the situation either. The fact is there were some other stories to talk about as well…
Oceania rolls out Phase 2 of their Pillars of Distinction improvements
Cruise lines discuss what the trends are at this year’s Cruise Planners convention.
More old ammunition is found around the Seattle piers.
More members of Disney Dream’s crew are arriving at the shipyard.
Royal Caribbean announces that 5 ships will be getting upgrades next year. Allure of The Seas arrives at her homeport.
Celebrity Eclipse arrives in her new home of Miami.
Princess will offer onboard credits to members of the US and Canadian militaries.
Finally we wrap with what we know about Carnival Splendor and our thoughts on the situation, in particular how Carnival handled it.
In recognition of Veterans Day, Princess Cruises is promoting the line’s military onboard credit program for active and retired military personnel. The credit, which ranges from $50 to $250 per stateroom depending on the length of the cruise, is available to members of the United States and Canadian armed forces with appropriate service identification.
The line’s military personnel onboard credit program is available to active military personnel plus retired and disabled military veterans with proper verification as follows:
–Active personnel currently serving in the following service divisions: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserves, Canadian National Defense (military verification certificate)
–Retired personnel defined as: Enlisted personnel or officers with a minimum of 20 years of service, medically retired or 100% disabled (blue or tan uniformed ID card/Canadian white N.D. 21 ID card)
–Veterans with an Honorable Discharge serving a minimum of 2 years or 6 months in an active war zone in any of the United States service divisions listed above or Canadian National Defense (DD 214 plus current photo ID)
The onboard credit amount is $50 for cruises 6 days or less, $100 for cruises of 7-13 days, or $250 for cruises of 14 days or longer, offered on a per stateroom basis.
To request the military personnel onboard credit, eligible persons should apply no later than one week prior to the cruise departure date. Passenger and sailing information should be accompanied by proof of eligibility and provided to the passenger’s travel agent.
There was a lot going on the last two weeks! From ship repairs, to new ships and port news there was plenty to talk about…
Celebrity will be making some changes to their Lido dining offerings, and Celebrity Century had some rudder problems.
Costa Classica was damaged in a collision in the Yangtze River and repairs to Seven Seas Voyager’s propulsion system are on schedule.
Azamara CLub Cruises announces Antarctic itineraries in 2011/12 and Princess announces that they will be sending a fourth ship to Alaska in 2012.
Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream continue their march to completion with Disney Dream on track for an on time delivery.
Two ports are looking at changes that may affect cruise ship visits and delays with construction in Falmouth has pushed back the first calls to the new port until January.
Coki Point Beach in St Thomas should be a much safer place for visitors in the wake of the death of a cruise passenger there earlier this year.
After two years operating just three ships on its Voyage of the Glaciers route, Princess Cruises announced that it will be returning a fourth ship to its signature itinerary for the 2012 summer season.
The decision by Princess to increase its Alaska capacity was prompted, in part, by recent changes to the head tax structure in the state and the more balanced approach to doing business in Alaska, according to the line.
“We are particularly appreciative of the efforts of Governor Sean Parnell and the Alaska state legislature that have resulted in meaningful progress toward resolving the challenges facing Alaska’s recovery as a cruise destination,” said Alan Buckelew, president and CEO of Princess Cruises. “We still have work to do, but the recent changes definitely played a part in this decision.”
Buckelew pointed out that bringing a fourth ship back to the Gulf of Alaska route has wide economic impacts from Southeast Alaska to Prudhoe Bay. “Because the one-way route lends itself to longer visitor stays, with visits to both the interior and Southeast Alaska, we calculate it has twice the potential economic impact of roundtrip cruises,” he said.
“We are especially pleased to be able to announce this additional capacity to our business partners and supporters throughout Alaska who have worked tirelessly to advocate for a more positive business climate,” Buckelew added. “They have improved the investment environment for all cruise lines and for all cruise dependent businesses throughout the state.”
Princess’ Voyage of the Glacier itinerary is the line’s most popular Alaska itinerary, taking passengers between Vancouver and Whittier across the Gulf of Alaska with a visit to Glacier Bay and ports of call in the state’s southeast. Because many passengers on this one-way route usually spend extra time in Alaska’s interior utilizing Princess’ lodges, rail and motorcoaches, this itinerary provides significant tourism benefits to the state.
Full details of Princess’ 2012 Alaska deployment will be announced in spring 2011, including which ship will be added to the lineup.
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