Crystal Cruises Land Options

Matching the host of new developments on board their luxurious cruise ships, Crystal Cruises has also announced a host of things they now offer to do on land.

Besides new experiences on board, Crystal is introducing 20 maiden calls, new itineraries, multi-day overland adventures, pre- and post-cruise land packages and a wealth of new excursions within itineraries. New highlights include:

Luxurious Land Programs:More than 100 new shore excursions in the first six months alone, including:
o Samba-ing in Rio’s Carnival
o Helicoptering over Paris
o Exploring the slow food movement in Bordeaux
o River rafting in Iceland
o Pilgrimage-ing to a Bosnian holy site
o Evening strolling through Copenhagen’s old streets, guided by a traditional night watchman

You Care, We Care: Crystal’s second year of complimentary voluntouring excursions on every cruise spreads more goodwill to new locales, such as:
o Cambodia: Teach children the arts, plus plant a vegetable garden, at an orphanage
o British Columbia: Stock, pack, and distribute food and toys at a local food bank
o Singapore: Help literacy-challenged children to read
o Odessa: Provide assistance to the homeless at a Ukrainian social services center
o South Korea: Bring benevolent support to a home for underprivileged children

For more about Crystal Cruises take a look at the very recent news item at Prow’s Edge Cruise Magazine or visit the Crystal Cruises web site.

Arctic Concerns About Cruising

After the latest disaster in Europe with the Costa Concordia of Costa Cruises, would-be cruisers today are becoming a lot more cautious about the safety of the ships they are opting to use to take a cruise - especially when they’re traveling to climatically less inviting areas of the world. Possible cruise ships are now susceptible to a more detailed scrutiny before bookings are made.

The MV ‘Le Boreal’ offering Arctic cruises is no exception.

As far as personal safety is concerned, a technologically-advanced stabilizing system minimizes the effect of rough seas. MV 'Le Boreal' has an ice rating which exceeds that required for these demanding conditions and is equipped with the latest navigation, communications and safety equipment, including a GMDSS emergency communication system and a satellite weather system that receives real-time images of weather and ice conditions.

And as far as environmental issues are concerned, the MV ‘Le Boreal’ is also the most environmentally-friendly ship to sail in Arctic, with cutting-edge technology that includes the most up-to-date waste water system, recycling facilities, and other measures designed to ensure that the ship operates with minimal impact on the environment. Zodiac boats are equipped with fuel efficient 4-stroke engines that meet the strictest environmental standards.

The ship has been “Cleanship” certified by the Bureau Veritas. This label is given to ships whose design and equipment are utilized to control and limit the emission of polluting substances in water and air, and who go beyond the MARPOL convention for waste treatment, anti-fouling or propulsion systems.

Click here for more information about Abercrombie & Kent’s An Arctic Cruise Adventure: Polar Bear Country cruise, or visit the latest Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine News page about this topic.

Aurora Expeditions in Papua New Guinea

Aurora Expeditions have started the new year off with a bang, taking up to 15% off their 2012 expeditions to Papua New Guinea, Australia's closest neighbour. This could mean savings of up to AU$1500 per person!

Papua New Guinea Cruise highlights include:

• Colorful displays of the traditional dance and costume of tghe many diverse cultures of the region

• Glimpses of real, daily life with welcoming local villagers.

• Snorkeling and swimming

• Sea kayak expeditions and explorations

• Local guides showing off the forests and natural wildlife

• Markets full of exquisitely carved souvenirs.

If you happen to be based in Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne, Aurora Expeditions are also holding information evenings in early February, highlighting their exciting destinations and voyages.

For more information about Aurora Expeditions take a look at the profile about them at Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine - Aurora Expeditions or visit their website at www.auroraexpeditions.com.au/

Oceania Crusies and thier new cruise ship

For those of you interested in the wonderful new cruise ships due to set sail, Oceania Cruises was notified by Fincantieri late last week of construction delays and as a result, are now having to reschedule the maiden voyage of its m/s Riviera. Construction on the 1,250-guest ship fell behind schedule when strikes at Fincantieri's shipyard near Genoa, Italy, lasted longer than expected.

The maiden voyage of Riviera has moved from April 24 to May 16, and all guests affected by the delay will be contacted by their travel agents or by Oceania Cruises directly to discuss alternative cruise dates.

The new maiden voyage is a 10-day “Pearls of the Aegean” cruise that includes an overnight aboard ship in Venice before visiting Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Monemvasia, Crete, Santorini, Kusadasi (gateway to Ephesus), Delos, Mykonos and Athens.

Guests booked on affected sailings will have the option of rebooking another cruise and receive a future cruise credit, which ranges from $250 to $1,000 per guest, depending on category of accommodation. In the event guests do not wish to rebook, they will receive a full refund.

For more information on Riviera or Oceania Cruises, or to order a brochure, contact a travel professional, visit www.Oceaniacruises.com or call toll-free at 800-531-5658.

Or visit the Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine Cruise Lines page all about Oceania Cruises and take a look at the profiles the other cruise lines as well.

About Oceania Cruises
Award-winning itineraries with Oceania Cruises visit more than 330 ports in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the Americas aboard the 684-guest Regatta, Insignia and Nautica. The line’s 1,250-guest Marina debuted in January 2011 and will be followed by Riviera – a sister ship – in May 2012.

Carnival Corporation

People often assume that the Carnival Cruise Company is exactly the same thing as the Carnival Corporation & plc.

This is not true. In fact, the Carnival Corporation & plc is a global cruise company and one of the largest vacation companies in the world with an approximate annual income of more than $2 billion.

The cruise lines (plenty of the big names you would be surprised to learn are part of the Carnival Corporation & plc) include:

Carnival Cruise Lines (23 ships)
Princess Cruises (17 ships)
Holland America Line (15 ships)
Costa (15 ships)
P&O Cruises (7 ships)
Cunard (3 ships)
Seabourn (5 ships)
AIDA (8 ships)
P&O Cruises Australia (3 ships)
Iberocruceros (4 ships)

These cruise lines, including some of the most recognized cruise brands in North America, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, offer a wide range of holiday and vacation products to a customer base that is broadly varied in terms of cultures, languages and leisure-time preferences.

With no less than 101 ships, the vessels of the Carnival Corporation & plc can be found in all parts of the world, including Alaska, the Bahamas, the Baltic, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Mediterranean, New England, North Cape, Panama Canal, South America, South Pacific and other worldwide destinations.

Approximate;y 10 news ships are on order. One for Carnival Cruises, 2 for Costa Cruises, 4 for AIDA, 1 for P&O Cruises and 2 for Princess Cruises.

The Carnival Corporation & plc has approximately 85,000 employees worldwide.

Also part of the The Carnival Corporation & plc is the tour company that accentuates many of the existing cruising possibilities - such as the Holland America Princess Alaska Tours in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon.

For more about these cruise lines take a look at Prow’s Edge Cruise Magazine

Costa Cruise Lines Offers Assurance

Costa Cruise Lines and its parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc, today confirmed their commitment to provide full support to those passengers, crew and families of the victims of the Costa Concordia grounding.

"I give my personal assurance that we will take care of each and every one of our guests, crew and their families affected by this tragic event. Our company was founded on this principle and it will remain our focus,” said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

In this spirit, Costa has been arranging lodging and transportation for affected passengers and crew members to return home. Every passenger and crew member or their family is being contacted and the company has offered its assistance and counseling as needed, and will be addressing personal possessions lost on board.

Costa has also begun the process of refunding all voyage costs including both passenger cruise fares and all costs incurred while on board. Our senior management teams are working together to determine additional support.

“During this time of tragedy, we are doing our very best to provide the needed support to the Costa Concordia passengers, crew and their families,” said Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and CEO of Costa Cruises.

For news on the other items of interest in the world of cruising, Prow's Edge Cruise magazine offers a wealth of news items at the Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine News Pages

Costa Concordia Tragedy Impact on Cruise Bookings

Some 260 of over 1,000 people polled in the aftermath of the running aground of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Tuscany say they are “less likely to take a cruise given the incident”, according to the web’s largest opinion-based community, SodaHead.com.

The results, says SodaHead, demonstrate that the disaster may have a deep impact on the cruise industry. To put this in perspective, with an estimated 18.8 million people cruising in 2010, if 26% were going to change their cruise travel plans based on this disaster, that would mean the industry would see 4.9 million fewer cruisers.

Full results of the poll are available at SodaHead Costa Concordia poll

Of course, voting “less likely” doesn’t mean they won’t be on a cruise this year. A large number of them, come what may, will be will be packing their glad-rags for the usual reasons and head for the Caribbean, Alaska and elsewhere. But the repercussions for the cruise industry are ugly no matter how few decide against a cruise.

Additional findings of the survey show that the respondent’s age had an impact on their vote. While only 14% of respondents between the ages of 25-34 said the tragedy might impact their future cruise plans, a striking 34% of those over the age of 65 said that they are now less likely to cruise and many of the traditional cruisers are from this age group.

With cruise ships becoming ever bigger (some now carrying 6,000 passengers), the tragedy has focused attention on the International Maritime Organization’s new rules for passenger ship safety. A comprehensive package of amendments to the international regulations affecting new passenger ships came into force on 1 July 2010. Increased emphasis is now placed on reducing the chance of accidents occurring and on improved survivability, embracing the concept of the ship as “its own best lifeboat”, capable of returning to port in the event of a major mishap.

Port of Miami

MSC Cruises announced today that PortMiami will be its exclusive homeport for its Caribbean sailings as of fall 2013 pending approval by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners later this month.

MSC is the fastest growing cruise line operating a fleet of eleven cruise ships with its newest ship, the MSC Divina, scheduled to launch May 2012 featuring its ship-within-a-ship concept - the MSC Yacht Club.

Beginning in fall 2013, MSC Cruises, which now homeports out of Port Everglades, will join the PortMiami cruise line-up. The initial term of the agreement is for three years.

“We are very excited to join the impressive roster of cruise lines operating out of PortMiami and look forward to sharing MSC Cruises’ unique style of Mediterranean elegance, international cuisine and white-gloved service with more and more guests,” said Richard E. Sasso, President and CEO of MSC Cruises (USA), Inc.

PortMiami Director Bill Johnson said the new MSC service will strengthen Miami’s offerings of luxury cruise brands. PortMiami, known worldwide as the Cruise Capital of the World, handled more than four million passengers in fiscal year 2011, more than any other cruise port in the world.

“For cruises to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico and beyond, PortMiami is the port of choice for cruise vacationers--with itineraries to meet every budget and taste,” Johnson said. “MSC is a great addition to our line-up.”

For more about the Port of Miami, from details of the passenger terminals to local attractions, check out the Prow's Edge Port Page on Miami.