Posts in category: Diplomacy

MSC Cruises, the world’s fastest growing cruise line, has added an Open Booking program for guests who want to put a deposit down on a future cruise while on a cruise.

MSC’s new Open Booking program will work like this. If you are on a current cruise, you can pay a $100 reduced deposit for a future MSC cruise. You no longer have to commit to a ship, itinerary, or sailing date when putting down the deposit.

Guests will have one year to apply the deposit down on a new cruise. If they do it within 60 days of paying the deposit, they will receive up to $200 in onboard credit to spend on the ship. For those who book within one year, they will receive up to $100 in onboard credit on their cruise.

The deposit can also be used as a gift for family or friends.

Guests who make a new future booking onboard can also enjoy an extended best price guarantee timeframe and greater flexibility. This allows them to choose a sailing date prior to final payment and choose from the best selection of cabins and suites.

Koreen McNutt, SVP of Sales & Trade Engagement and Commercial Sales Officer, MSC Cruises USA, said: “We want to offer our guests more flexibility in choosing their next ship and sailing date, and the Open Booking program gives guests onboard up to a year to make that decision while earning future credit for their next vacation at sea.”

Celebrity Cruises is making a change to the adults only Solarium that is found on each of their cruise ships.

Celebrity Cruises, a premium cruise line from Royal Caribbean Group, will now allow guests under the age of 16 to use the Solarium for a few hours per day on select cruises in colder weather.

The cruise line will open the Solarium from 5-7 p.m. daily for guests of all ages on select cruises to Alaska, The Baltics, and Antarctica. Celebrity announced this change in their weekly newsletter that went out to travel agents this morning.

The Solarium on Celebrity cruise ships is an adults only pool area with hot tubs and loungers. Since it is enclosed, it can be used even in inclement weather.

Celebrity Cruises operates a fleet of 13 ocean cruise ships and three expedition vessels. The cruise line has one ship, Celebrity Xcel, under construction that will debut later next year.

One of Carnival Corporation’s nine cruise lines has announced their most extensive modernization that will happen to three of their cruise ships.

AIDA Cruises has announced their largest modernization in their history. The first phase of the program will see the three Sphinx class ships (AIDAdiva, AIDAbella and AIDAluna) completely overhauled in 2025 and 2026. AIDAdiva will be modernized first during a six week dry dock in the spring of 2025.

Not only will the cruise ships receive a new interior design, but the technical equipment and systems on the vessels will be updated.

There will be increase in the number of suites on each ship and every stateroom will be completely re-decorated.

Suite guests will have a greater number of restaurants to choose from and new services for passengers staying in suites will be created.

For families cruising with small children, new activity areas will be added to the ships.

The Theatrium, the heart of the ships, will be enhanced with new seating and a harmonious color concept.

Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises, says: “As the market leader and pioneer in the industry, we are committed to constantly rethinking cruising. The ships of the Sphinx series have written cruise history with their innovative space concept and colourful design. The AIDA Evolution program will further develop these fantastic ships.”

The modernization with new technologies will reduce fuel consumption, increase energy efficiency, and conserve resources.

AIDA’s Sphinx class ships first debuted in 2007. It is the oldest class in the cruise line’s fleet.

Carnival Cruise Line is offering a combination of three deals for Presidents’ Day 2024 that end at midnight tonight.

Carnival Cruise Line is called America’s Cruise Line since they offer cruises from more homeports in the U.S. than any other cruise line. They were recently named the Best Ocean Cruise Line in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

Carnival Cruise Line’s Star, Stripes, and Savings has up to 35% off cruises, up to $50 in credit that you can spend on the ship, and deposits marked down by 50%.  This offer is good on cruises that depart through April 2026.  View Best Prices on Carnival Cruises

This offer from Carnival ends at midnight, February 19, 2024. Request rate code OJS when booking.

The onboard credit is $12.50 per person on cruises that are two to five nights in length and $25 per person on sailings six nights and longer.

The 50% off deposits is good on Carnival cruises that are outside of final payment and depart through April 2026.

For complete terms and details of this sale from Carnival Cruise Line, visit Carnival.com or contact your preferred travel professional.

USA Today has released their 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for 2024 for several different cruise categories that range from Best Cruise Line to the Best Cruise Ship for Dining.

USA Today reached out to cruise experts (including Cruise Fever) to nominate cruise lines and cruise ships for each category. The top 20 in each category were named finalists and USA Today readers had one month to vote for their favorite among the finalists. The categories for this year were:

• Best Ocean Cruise Line
• Best Adults Only Cruise
• Best River Cruise Line
• Best Cruise Line for Families
• Best Cruise Line for Solo Travelers
• Best Cruise Ship for Dining
• Best Cruise Ship for Entertainment
• Best Boutique Cruise Line
• Best New Cruise Itinerary

Readers were allowed one vote, per category. per day.

Here are the just released results of USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for 2024.

Best Ocean Cruise Line 2024

1. Carnival Cruise Line
2. Viking
3. Windstar Cruises
4. Crystal Cruises
5. Princess Cruises
6. Holland America Line
7. Azamara
8. Cunard
9. Norwegian Cruise Line
10. Royal Caribbean

You can visit USA Today’s 10Best page for Best Ocean Cruise Line here.

Best Adults Only Cruise 2024

1. Wind Spirit – Windstar Cruises
2. Crystal Serenity – Crystal Cruises
3. Viking Mars – Viking
4. Azamara Onward – Azamara
5. Viking Neptune – Viking
6. Scenic Eclipse – Scenic
7. Crystal Symphony – Crystal Cruises
8. Royal Clipper – Star Clippers
9. Queen Mary 2 – Cunard Line
10. Star Breeze – Windstar Cruises

You can visit USA Today’s 10Best page for Best Adults Only Cruise here.

Best River Cruise Line 2024

1. Viking
2. Avalon Waterways
3. Abercrombie & Kent
4. Grand Circle Cruise Line
5. Pandaw Cruises
6. CroiseEurope Cruises
7. American Cruise Lines
8. Riviera River Cruises
9. American Queen Voyages
10. Amadeus River Cruises

You can visit USA Today’s 10Best page for Best River Cruise Line here.

Best Cruise Line for Families 2024

1. Adventure Canada
2. Carnival Cruise Line
3. Margaritaville at Sea
4. Holland America Line
5. Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic
6. Princess Cruises
7. Disney Cruise Line
8. Royal Caribbean
9. Norwegian Cruise Line
10. Quasar Expeditions

You can visit USA Today’s 10Best page for Best Cruise Line for Families here.

Best Cruise Line for Solo Travelers 2024

1. Grand Circle Cruise Line
2. Carnival Cruise Line
3. Crystal Cruises
4. Viking
5. Azamara
6. Holland America Line
7. Princess Cruises
8. Norwegian Cruise Line
9. Cunard
10. Seabourn Cruise Line

You can visit USA Today’s 10Best page for Best Cruise Line for Solo Travelers here.

Best Cruise Ship for Dining 2024

1. Carnival Celebration – Carnival Cruise Line
2. Viking Jupiter – Viking
3. Carnival Horizon – Carnival Cruise Line
4. Rotterdam – Holland America Line
5. Viking Star – Viking
6. Scenic Eclipse – Scenic
7. Regal Princess – Princess Cruises
8. Royal Princess – Princess Cruises
9. Oceania Marina – Oceania Cruises
10. Norwegian Bliss – Norwegian Cruise Line

You can visit USA Today’s 10Best page for Best Cruise Ship for Dining here.

Best Cruise Ship for Entertainment 2024

1. Carnival Celebration – Carnival Cruise Line
2. Carnival Breeze – Carnival Cruise Line
3. Carnival Vista – Carnival Cruise Line
4. Koningsdam – Holland America Line
5. Regal Princess – Princess Cruises
6. Celebrity Beyond – Celebrity Cruises
7. Norwegian Encore – Norwegian Cruise Line
8. Allure of the Seas – Royal Caribbean
9. Symphony of the Seas – Royal Caribbean
10. Wonder of the Seas – Royal Caribbean

You can visit USA Today’s 10Best page for Best Cruise Ship for Entertainment here.

Best Boutique Cruise Line 2024

1. Windstar Cruises
2. SeaDream Yacht Club
3. Viking
4. Crystal Cruises
5. American Cruise Lines
6. Explora Journeys
7. Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic
8. Scenic
9. Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
10. Oceania Cruises

You can visit USA Today’s 10Best page for Best Boutique Cruise Line here.

Best New Cruise Itinerary 2024

The results of this category was announced in early January.

1. Port of Palm Beach to Grand Bahama Island – Margaritaville at Sea
2. Great Lakes Collection – Viking
3. Panama and Scenic South America – Viking
4. Tahiti – Variety Cruises
5. Mediterranean Connection – Oceania Cruises
6. Western Caribbean Cruise from Galveston- Royal Caribbean
7. Hawaiian Islands aboard Discovery Princess – Princess Cruises
8. Madagascar & the Mascarene Islands – Ponant
9. Adriatic Sea & Greek Gems – Virgin Voyages
10. Greek Island Glow – Virgin Voyages

You can visit USA Today’s 10Best page for Best New Cruise Itinerary here.

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Carnival Cruise Line has named the entertainment leaders and senior officers for the latest ship to enter their fleet, Carnival Firenze.

Carnival Firenze will sail its first cruise on April 25, 2024, a voyage to the Mexican Riviera from Long Beach. The cruise ship is currently being transformed into a Carnival Fun Ship after coming over from sister cruise line Costa Cruises. Carnival Firenze is a sister ship to Carnival Venezia.

Joey Boyes will serve as the ship’s Cruise Director with Gordon Travis serving as the Entertainment Director. Captain Crescenzo Palomb will lead the ship and has been working with Carnival Cruise Line for 25 years.

Renil Kuruvilla will be Carnival Firenze’s Hotel Director and Rosario Capilli will be the Chief Engineer.

“Our inaugural team members launching Carnival Firenze are fortunate to work alongside some of the most skilled and experienced leaders in the cruise industry. This ship is a special addition to our fleet as we expand our operations on the West Coast, where we already embark more guests than any other cruise line. We have a unique opportunity to bring our signature FUN to a beautiful vessel inspired by the iconic city of Florence, Italy to our popular homeport of Long Beach. I’m certain this strong team is the perfect group to deliver this dynamic offering to our guests,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Even though the ship is only four years old, it is undergoing a massive renovation before it enters service with Carnival.

Carnival Firenze will homeport year-round in Long Beach, California offering a variety of cruises to the Mexican Riviera.

Holland America Line, the only cruise line to offer Cruisetours that go into the Yukon, is updating their McKinley Chalet Resort and adding a new Gold Rush experience.

Holland America Line’s Cruisetours combine a cruise to Alaska along with a land tour to Denali. The cruise line is adding balconies to 28 river view rooms at McKinley Chalet Resort and upgrading them to the Denali Suite category. The resort is located on 68 acres at the entrance to Denali National Park.

They are also adding a new “Klondike Gold Tour” on select Denali and Yukon Cruisetours. This excursion visits the original discovery claim site that launched the gold rush and Gold Dredge 4. This tour will be complimentary on select Cruisetours that include Dawson City.

“We are consistently evolving our Alaska Cruisetour product by adding new amenities that will enhance the overall experience and opportunities to learn more about the destination,” said Dan Rough, Holland America Line’s vice president of revenue management. “Increasing the balcony rooms at McKinley Chalet Resort offers even more visitors the opportunity to take in the incredible views, and adding the Deluxe category allows additional guests to have an elevated stay at the property.”

“The Yukon Territory is where the Klondike Gold Rush began, and we’re excited to include this new tour to Gold Dredge 4 that will give our guests a first-hand encounter with an important part of North American history and in-depth insight into this era,” added Rough. “Holland America Line is the only cruise line that shows the beginning and end of the Klondike trail, from Skagway all the way to the Yukon.”

Alaska Cruisetours on Holland America Line are available with sailings on Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam and range from nine to 14 days. All of them include a seven night Glacier Discovery cruise and several nights at the cruise line’s resort.

Yukon and Denali Cruisetours are combined with cruises on Koningsdam, Zaandam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Noordam and range from nine to 18 days in length. They also include a seven night Glacier Discovery cruise. These tours spend one to two nights in Dawson City giving guests time to relive gold rush history.

Royal Caribbean has announced that they have entered into an agreement with the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard for a seventh Oasis class cruise ship that will debut in 2028.

The Oasis class by Royal Caribbean ushed in the era of mega cruising more than 15 years ago. Their sixth Oasis class vessel, Utopia of the Seas, will debut this July and offer short cruises from Port Canaveral.

“While we eagerly anticipate the debut of Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas this summer, we’re already dreaming up her sister ship and the next installation in the brand’s extremely popular Oasis Class,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “Across our three brands, we are focused on continuously challenging ourselves to deliver the ultimate vacation experience.

“This order signals Royal Caribbean Group’s continued confidence in our partnership that has delivered some of the most innovative ships at sea,” said Laurent Castaing, general manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique. “We look forward to building upon this relationship as we help bring this ship to life.”

The ship’s name, homeport, and itineraries will be announced at a later time.

This order by Royal Caribbean for a seventh Oasis class ship is contingent upon financing, but that is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

The cruise ship will be a sister ship to Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, and Utopia of the Seas. The Oasis class is the second largest class of cruise ships in the world.

Royal Caribbean is the world’s largest cruise line and carries more passengers each year than any other line.

Royal Caribbean has opened cruises to the Caribbean from Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico for bookings. In addition, the cruise line has released new sailings from the Northeast in 2025-2026.

Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society members, frequent cruisers with the cruise line, can now book these new cruises. They will open to the general public tomorrow on February 15, 2024. This includes cruises on seven Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Odyssey of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, and Liberty of the Seas will offer cruises from Bayonne, New Jersey. These sailings will visit The Bahamas, Caribbean, New England, and Canada.

Vision of the Seas will sail from Baltimore offering five, nine, eight, and 12 night cruises to the Caribbean and Canada.

Jewel of the Seas will homeport in San Juan, Puerto Rico offering week long port intensive cruises to the Southern Caribbean.

Brilliance of the Seas will sail from both San Juan and Boston. From Puerto Rico, the ship will visit the Southern Caribbean and from New England, the vessel will visit Canada.

Allure of the Seas will sail from Galveston and Ft. Lauderdale. Cruises from Texas will be seven nights in length while the ones from Florida will either be six or eight nights. All of these cruises will visit the Caribbean.

Symphony of the Seas will split time between Bayonne and Miami offering seven night cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean.

This is the sixth of nine deployment releases from Royal Caribbean for the 2025-2026 season.  Cruises in China, Australia, and Singapore have yet to be released but will open for bookings over the next few months.