Disney Cruise Line's Disney Fantasy

Dwain Wall, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CruiseOne, the nation’s leading cruise retailer, recently returned from Disney Fantasy’s inaugural sailing. Below are his thoughts:

This ship is fit for travelers of all ages.
Multigenerational groups should look no further than Disney Fantasy, given the diversity of onboard activities and dining options. Disney has really worked hard to incorporate elements of each family member’s dream vacation onboard Fantasy. The show Wishes is a production appropriate for all ages. The private, adults-only areas of the ship are an especially nice retreat. Castaway Cay is an amazing private island oasis that only Disney could create, with bicycling, swimming with stingrays, character encounters, age-specific play areas and more. I was especially impressed by the beach wheelchairs Disney offers, which make shore excursions accessible and ensure every family member can participate in the fun.

A meal is no longer just a meal.
When guests sit down to dine at the Animator’s Palate restaurant, they immediately become engaged in creative, unique ways. Disney has taken the traditional family dinner and turned it into a 360-degree experience. Children – as well as adults – have the chance to interact with animators through dinner, who draw images that instantly come alive on the walls of the restaurant. This interactive experience is something incredible to watch as it comes to life and will take any cruiser’s vacation to the next level.

Evening entertainment is absolutely unprecedented.
Evenings aboard Fantasy are enchanting. The fireworks display that lights up the Caribbean – which is choreographed to everyone’s favorite Disney tunes – is an exciting magical Disney moment at sea.

Disney Fantasy is a unique opportunity for corporate and incentive travel.
CruiseOne will be celebrating our 20th anniversary and our first-ever joint land and sea National Conference aboard Disney Dream is this fall. After experiencing all that Disney brings to group travel onboard the Fantasy inaugural, I am excited to see what we are able to do for our network of travel professionals, vendors and partners.

To begin planning a dream vacation with CruiseOne, visit www.CruiseOne.com or take a look at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine for coverage on all sorts of topics and all the cruise lines.

Savings on Alaska Cruises

Norwegian Cruise Line will launch a One-day Alaska Spectacular Sale on Monday, March 26, 2012, providing guests the opportunity to receive $100 on board credit per stateroom on all Alaska sailings.

Vacationers who make a new Alaska cruise reservation on March 26, 2012, will receive $100 per stateroom to spend on board for exciting Alaska shore excursions; treatments in Norwegian’s award-winning spas; or dinners in any of Norwegian’s Freestyle Dining restaurants.

This incredible Alaska offer is combinable with Norwegian’s Take It to the Next Level Sales Event featuring free up to 4-category stateroom upgrades, including balcony upgrades, and an e-coupon booklet valued at up to $400 in on board savings.

To make take advantage of the One-day Alaska Spectacular Sale limited time offer, contact a travel professional, call Norwegian at 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784), or visit www.ncl.com.

For more experiences on cruise ships in Alaska take a look at Alaska cruise experiences at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine Cruise Experiences

Oceania Cruises 2013 Europe Cruises

Oceania Cruises’ summer 2013 itineraries feature three ships –Riviera, Marina and Nautica – deployed to cultural, scenic and exotic ports throughout Europe.

Including voyages from April through September, the summer 2013 European season is available for booking on March 7, 2012, and features first-time ports, new itineraries and the addition of extra sea days, allowing guests to fully indulge in the line’s onboard culinary and enrichment experiences.

All summer 2013 voyages booked by June 30, 2012, feature two-for-one cruise fares and free air transportation, bonus savings of up to $3,500 per stateroom and, for added value, two-for-one deposits on bookings made by March 31, 2012.

With the upper-premium line’s recently introduced beverage packages, priced from $29.95 per guest, per day, and new shore excursion options with savings up to 40 percent for an unlimited package of tours, guests can enjoy enhanced value and convenience to further customize the ideal cruise vacation.

For more about Oceania Cruises and other cruise lines take a look at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine

Putting people off cruises

In January, in the aftermath of the Costa Concordia cruise tragedy, SodaHead.com – the web’s largest opinion-based community – ran a poll to determine if the general public was “less likely to take a cruise given the incident.”

At that time, according to the SodaHead poll, 27% of respondents said "YES, they are less likely to cruise."

After the recent fire on the Costa Allegra, SodaHead once again polled its members, and the results showed that a startling 47% of respondents were now less likely to cruise based on these incidents, a 20% jump in less than two months.

The age of the respondent played a factor in the results, as 53% of those over 65 are stating that they are now less likely to cruise, while 31% of those between 25 -34 are having second thoughts about getting on a ship.

Click here for the full poll results, with respondent demographics.

For more details about all cruise all over the world take a look at Prow's Edge Cruises Magazine

Princess Cruises Auction Tickets

As time nears for bookings to open on Princess Cruises’ highly anticipated new ship, Royal Princess, the line is holding an unprecedented charity auction for a chance to secure a stateroom aboard the ship’s inaugural sailing on June 16, 2013. The auction, which opens on eBay today under the eBay Giving Works program, will enable one lucky bidder to become the very first passenger booked on the ship, while at the same time raising money to support worldwide charitable causes.

All proceeds from the eBay auction will go directly to the Princess Cruises Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity, which supports causes around the globe.

The winning bidder will secure a coveted cruise for two on the maiden voyage – a seven-day, four-port Iberia sailing from Southampton to Barcelona with calls at Vigo, Lisbon, Gibraltar and Malaga. The lucky passengers will sail in a new class of accommodation debuting on Royal Princess, a deluxe balcony stateroom offering additional space, a sofa bed and enhanced amenities.

Bidding starts at just $1, and the 10-day auction will close with the highest bid winning the cruise on March 12, 2012. Anyone with an eBay account, regardless of location, may bid on the cruise.

For more about cruises and all cruise lines, visit Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine