Norwegian Breaks Booking Record

Norwegian Cruise Line broke its single-day booking record on Monday, January 24, 2011 as it saw continued growing demand for its fleet of 11 Freestyle Cruising ships, particularly for its newest and most innovative ship, Norwegian Epic. Overall bookings rose substantially above the company’s previous best booking day and Norwegian Epic achieved the highest number of individual reservations in a single day since her launch.

On January 31, Norwegian will continue with its popular Wave Season promotion “Free Upgrades For All” (www.ncl.com/upgrade) by offering balcony upgrades on its Alaska sailings. New reservations booked through March 27, 2011 receive up to a four-category upgrade, along with e-coupons in on-board savings of up to $400. In addition, bi-weekly special offers on select ships and destinations will continue featuring Hawai’i, Bermuda, Bahamas and Florida, as well as another Epic offer.

For an UPDATED overview of Norwegian Cruise Line visit the Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine Cruise Line Profile section.

Guests can make a reservation on any of the line’s 11 Freestyle Cruising ships by calling Norwegian at 866-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784), visiting www.ncl.com, or contacting a travel professional

New Oceania Cruises Marina

Oceania Cruises’ new ship Marina departed from Barcelona Saturday, Jan. 22 at 6:00 pm (local time) on her Maiden Voyage.

The 13-day passage to North America will call at Malaga, Spain; Casablanca and the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic. Seven days at sea will give guests time to explore Marina from stem to stern before she arrives in Miami for christening festivities beginning Feb. 4, 2011.

A ship of firsts, Marina features the Bon Appétit Culinary Center, the first hands-on cooking school at sea, Master Chef Jacques Pépin’s first namesake restaurant at sea; Ralph Lauren Home-furnished Owner’s Suites; luxurious accommodations by designer Dakota Jackson; Wine Spectator wine program; and Lalique grand stairway. Moreover, Marina has been designed for epicureans offering an unprecedented 10 dining venues – comparable in quality to the very best shore-side restaurants.

“Marina has been so eagerly anticipated by our past guests,” stated Frank Del Rio, the founder of Oceania Cruises and chairman & CEO of parent company Prestige Cruise Holdings. “It is exciting to now host our first guests onboard and see their reaction to her stunning facilities and amenities.”

When she arrives in Miami on Feb. 4, a celebratory welcome will commence and continue throughout the weekend. At a lavish ceremony on Feb. 5 ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT Icon Mary Hart will name Marina and christen her with a 15-liter Nebuchadnezzar of Champagne, custom-made by Armand de Brignac. The festivities culminate with a gala sailaway party and fireworks display in Biscayne Bay overlooking the Miami skyline.

After the christening festivities in Miami, Marina sets sail Feb. 8 on the first of two 18-day Panama Canal transits that visit San Francisco and San Diego, both new ports for Oceania Cruises. Marina then operates a 12-day Caribbean cruise, round-trip from Miami, departing March 16, before sailing along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and on to Europe to begin her inaugural Mediterranean season.

Oceania Cruises’ new Marina has been purposefully designed to carry 1,250 guests to the world’s most alluring ports in elegance and style. Rich woods, marble and granite, fine wool carpets and illustrious leathers adorn public rooms. Facilities include 10 dining venues including six open-seating gourmet restaurants, an array of bars and lounges, a full-service Canyon Ranch SpaClub and fitness center, swimming pool and hot tubs.

For an overview about Oceania Cruises visit the Oceania Cruises profile at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine, or for more information or to order a brochure, contact a travel professional, visit Oceaniacruises.com or call Oceania Cruises toll-free at 800-531-5658.

Secrets of The White Sea

The first Russian voyage in 2011 with Aurora Expeditions isn’t called ‘Secrets of the White Sea’ for nothing!

The White Sea is an area with a long history that is mostly unknown to the West. The Russian navy was established in the port of Arkhangelsk by Peter the Great; in the Middle Ages the city became Russia’s gateway to commerce with northern Europe; and, in the last century, a long line of explorers departed from here on many famous polar expeditions.

The Solovetskiy Archipelago played a major role in Russian religious and political history. In the early 15th century, a small monastery founded on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island by hermit monks. By the 17th century, the monastery had spread across several islands, with a network canals to connect buildings and to transport fresh water from the interior lakes. What began as a remote hermitage developed into a strategic defense post and grew into an important political force in the White Sea region.

Between the late 18th century and the Russian Revolution in 1917, the monastery fought brutal battles with invading Swedes, Germans, and Finns who sought to raid the island coffers, art treasures, and vast library collection that had been amassed there. In the early 1920's, the Bolsheviks under Stalin closed the monastery, killed most of the clergy, and turned the buildings into the Solovki Camp of Special Designation—a concentration camp for their ideological enemies: teachers, writers, artists, men of the church, etc.

The 'Gulag Archipelago', as the Solovetskys came to be known, was the first of a Russia-wide system of labor camps where millions of Russians were imprisoned and killed. The conditions at Solovki were unspeakable and thousands of prisoners died here before the camp was finally closed in 1938.

The 10-day 'Secrets of the White Sea' voyage departs Murmansk on 17 July 2011 and finishes in Arkhangelsk. Voyage prices start from US$6,90, and include overnight accommodation and a city highlights tour in Murmansk, plus group transfers in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.

For an overview of Aurora Expeditions take a look at the brand new Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine profile for Aurora Expeditions, or visit the official web site at http://www.auroraexpeditions.com.au

Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum

The first Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum: The Challenge for Greece, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea will take place on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd of June 2011 at the recently opened prestigious Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, Greece.

With the rise in the popularity of the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Black Sea for cruisers and cruise lines, this highly anticipated event should throw up some interesting light on the region.



This is a new Posidonia event that will examine the potential for sea tourism and its significant role in the development of the economies of Greece, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea region.



The event will focus on three different dimensions of Sea Tourism: Cruise, Yachting and Inter-island Passenger Shipping. Issues to be addressed at the Forum will include how countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea can benefit through collaboration and by investing in a long-term strategic approach to the further development of sea tourism in the region.



For the programme and further information on the event please visit www.PosidoniaSeaTourism.com

Best Cruise Ships of 2011

Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas have been named on Frommer’s Best Cruise Ships of 2011 list.

In particular, the market leader in travel guides and a branded imprint of Wiley Publishing, Inc. cited Allure of the Seas as the newest and most groundbreaking ship with “undoubtedly the best entertainment ship at sea, with truly exceptional programming for both adults and kids.”

Judges praised the 225,282 gross-registered-ton, 5,400-guest cruise ship and her sister-ship Oasis of the Seas, for "letting light and air into the center of the ships" via a radical new superstructure design.

Allure of the Seas shares the title of the world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ship with sister-ship Oasis of the Seas. With a cache of distinct onboard activities and amenities, Allure of the Seas offers one-of-a-kind entertainment performances, culinary concepts, retail venues and technology innovations. An architectural marvel at sea, Allure’s neighborhoods are divided into seven distinct themed areas, which include Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone. She spans 16 decks, encompasses 225,282 gross registered tons, carries 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and features 2,700 staterooms. Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas alternates a Western Caribbean with an Eastern Caribbean seven-night itinerary from her home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Visit www.royalcaribbean.com or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN.

For an overview of Royal Caribbean take a look at the PROW'S EDGE CRUISE MAGAZINE CRUISE LINE PROFILE - ROYAL CARIBBEAN

Following our last blog item - and beginning her inaugural Maiden World Voyage, Cunard Line’s newest ship, Queen Elizabeth, made her premier visit to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, yesterday alongside her sister ship, Queen Victoria.

The two luxury cruise liners, who sailed in tandem from New York, are coming off the heels of the historic Cunard Royal Rendezvous that occurred there just three days earlier, when all three of Cunard’s Queens met in New York for only the second time in the Line’s 171-year history. Welcoming Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria to this popular maritime port was the honourable Mayor John P. "Jack" Seiler, along with travel agents, media and local dignitaries.

Upon departing Fort Lauderdale, Queen Elizabeth continues her Maiden World Voyage on to Aruba and then will traverse the Panama Canal to Mexico and ultimately call on the Port of Los Angeles on 29 January. Following this voyage, Queen Elizabeth will spend the remainder of the year in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, calling on exotic and unique ports such as the Norwegian Fjords, St. Petersburg, the Holy Land and Canary Islands.

Queen Victoria will continue on her debut Americas season, traversing between the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts via the Panama Canal, and calling on Los Angeles four times between January and March (30 January, 13 February, 17 February and 3 March). She will sail two roundtrip voyages from Los Angeles to Hawaii, and sail a brief Getaway voyage to Mexico.

For more information about Cunard and to book a voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth or Queen Victoria, consult your travel agent, call toll-free 1-800-7-CUNARD or go to www.cunard.com.

For an overview of Cunard Line take a look at PROW'S EDGE CRUISE MAGAZINE- PROFILE - CUNARD LINE

Cunard Royal Rendezvous in New York

Exactly three years to the day after Cunard welcomed a trio of its Queens in New York, this history-making event takes place again today when Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth call on New York for another spectacular Cunard Royal Rendezvous that includes sail-away fireworks at the Statue of Liberty.

Queen Mary 2 offers 14 spacious decks of opulent public areas, extravagant dining rooms, ballrooms, theatres, lounges, and even the only Planetarium at sea.

Combining the best of a luxury Cunard ocean liner, Queen Victoria, also known as QV, is famous for the dramatic three-tier Grand Lobby with a magnificent grand staircase and eye-catching artwork.

The newest luxury ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth, or QE as she is affectionately known, recalls the rich heritage of the first Cunard ship to bear the name.

This rare maritime event is only the second time in Cunard’s 170-year history that three regal Queens have docked together in New York Harbour. Then, just three days later, on January 16, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth rendezvous again in Fort Lauderdale during Queen Elizabeth’s Maiden World Voyage and Queen Victoria’s debut Americas Season.

For brief overview of Cunard Line visit the updated Prow’s Edge Cruise Magazine Cruise Line Profiles - Cunard Line, or visit the official Cunard web site at www.cunard.com

The Latest in Cruise Food News

Do you know what the Holland America Line Culinary Council is all about? Have you even heard of the Holland America Line Culinary Council?

Do you know about the popular Relais & Châteaux L'École des Chefs interactive cooking school aboard Silversea Cruises?

And do you know about the plethora of new dining options for passengers aboard Oceania Cruises new Marina ?

If not - no need to worry - the new Cruise Food section at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine includes a page dedicated to the latest news about food on cruises, including news about the latest meeting of the Holland America Line Culinary Council and how they provide guidance on the line’s culinary initiatives; news about the 10 new voyages from Silversea Cruises offering the only Relais & Châteaux L'École des Chefs cooking school at sea; and news about Oceania Cruises’ 10 dining venues, six of which are no-charge, gourmet restaurants aboard the new Marina.

Take a look at CRUISE FOOD NEWS at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine