Clever Cruiser

Kansas.com:

Nearly a dozen new cruise ships, some designed to carry from 3,000 to 4,000 passengers apiece, will be debuting this year. They will add more than 20,000 new berths a week, more than a million such berths a year. And they will be less like ships than like frantic amusement parks with bells clanging, lights flashing and crowds rushing from one spectacle to another.

On a recent broadcast of my Sunday Travel Show, a guest expert described all the new gimmicks we can expect. “They will be like nothing you have ever seen before,” she announced, and with enthusiasm in her voice, she ticked off the advances:

The Queen Victoria and the Celebrity Solstice, in particular, will have “circus-training programs,” “bungee jumping” and “clown acts.” These will be added, presumably, to the rock-climbing walls, boxing rings, bowling alleys and vertiginous Jacuzzis jutting out from the top deck and hanging perilously over the sea (the latter have become standard on some ships, but not necessarily on the Queen Victoria or Solstice). But let me repeat those outstanding new features: “circus-training programs,” “bungee jumping” and “clown acts.”

On a new ship of Costa Cruises, expect every conceivable game, sport and competition. What’s more, Costa will introduce new, extra-charge “spa cabins” so close to fitness rooms that those staying in them can walk to the showers in their bathrobes. People booking the new spa digs will have exclusive access to that spa and to their own spa restaurant.

On some of the new ships, the democratic, one-class policies of cruising will be totally jettisoned. There will be a “ship within the ship” — an area enjoyed solely by passengers paying higher fares, a number of restaurants to which they alone will be admitted, lounges set aside for the elite. On a new ship of Norwegian Cruise Lines, elite passengers will have special suites, special sun-deck areas to use and special swimming pools for them alone.

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Business Wire:

This week, priceline.com is launching its winter Cruise Blowout Sale. For starters, the sale offers savings of up to 75% off select cruises to the world’s most popular destinations. But that’s not all. From now through February 15, customers who call (800-735-8000) and book a four-night or longer getaway in an oceanview or higher category stateroom on certain cruises will receive a special discount coupon that can be used toward a hotel stay.

In addition, for customers who book their cruises by January 31, Priceline Cruises major cruise line partners are offering many other extras, including:

• Carnival Cruise Lines: Free onboard savings booklet. Free upgrade worth up to $120.
• Celebrity Cruises: Up to $200 in free onboard spending.
• Royal Caribbean International: Up to an extra $200 off. Two free onboard savings booklets.
• Norwegian Cruise Line: Free $300 onboard savings booklet. Up to $100 free onboard spending. 10% off suites and villas.
• Azamara Cruises: Up to $800 free onboard spending.
• Holland America Line: Up to $100 free onboard spending. Free dining upgrade. Free champagne and strawberries. Free upgrade to oceanview. Upgrade to balcony from $100.
• Crystal Cruises: $200 in free onboard spending. Pre-paid gratuities.
• Oceania Cruises: Up to $150 in free onboard spending. Ask about free airfare. Ask about 2-for-1 cruise fares. Pre-paid gratuities.

Image from Priceline.com.

USA Today Cruise Log:

Celebrity Cruises says its next ship will feature a country club-like lawn area to be called The Lawn Club where passengers can play bocce ball and croquet; practice their putting; or even picnic with wine and cheese.

“We think it will be just the coolest space on the ship,” Celebrity president and CEO Dan Hanrahan tells us. “This is definitely separating us from the pack.”

The lawn area is planned as a focal point for the new Celebrity Solstice, launching in December. Hanrahan says it will take up deck space that other lines use for miniature golf courses and other non-pool activities. It will cover about half an acre of the ship’s top deck — a sizable area that is the equivalent of about eight tennis courts.

“We started by talking about doing a putting green up there,” says Hanrahan. “Then the idea came up that we could make it natural grass, and it just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger.”

Still, the Lawn isn’t coming at the expense of the top deck’s pool area, says Hanrahan, noting that the Solstice will be bigger than previous Celebrity ships and have plenty of room for both lawn area and pools. “We aren’t losing anything here; we’re just gaining,” he says. “The pool area is spectacular.”

Hanrahan admits that when the idea came up, it seemed a little out there. “We weren’t sure in the beginning,” he says. But after extensive testing to find grass strains that will survive at sea, they realized they could do it, he says.

e-Travel Blackboard:

New Zealand needs to improve its port infrastructure, while Australia should ease the stringent Customs regulations that create hurdles for cruise lines trying to import provisions for their ships, according to senior officers aboard Celebrity Cruises’ vessel Mercury.

Mercury, currently in Melbourne, is operating a series of cruises that combine both of New Zealand’s main islands with the Australian cities of Melbourne, Newcastle and Sydney. At 77,713 tons and 264 metres in length, Mercury is the largest passenger ship ever to visit Newcastle.

Passengers just love New Zealand and Australia, reports Captain Costas Patsoulas, master of the Mercury and one of Celebrity Cruises’ senior captains.

“But New Zealand is not very well prepared yet,” Patsoulas adds. He says many New Zealand ports have difficulty accepting two big passenger ships at once and the relatively narrow, open-air gangways provided prove a major challenge for elderly or disabled passengers.

Speaking yesterday aboard Mercury, Patsoulas said New Zealand piloting and port operations were good and reliable.

“They show very good seamanship and they know where and when a tug is needed and when it is not needed. But most of the ports, in relation to the size of the ship, are very small. In bad weather conditions, it is tough to bring the ship alongside.”

Travel Video Television News:

Building on the popularity of its 2007 Golf cruises, luxury travel specialist Crystal Cruises has expanded its Golf Theme Cruises for 2008. During three 11- and 12-day Golf Cruises, guests can tee off and perfect their swings in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, and the maritime coast of Canada and New England. In addition to enjoying championship golf ashore and special onboard events, golfers can compete in Hole-in-One competitions for a chance to win a free Crystal cruise.

Every detail of the optional shoreside golf excursions - from tee times, tipping and transportation to caddies and carts - is included and handled by Crystal’s expert staff. Storage and cleaning of guests’ golf clubs and shoes are also provided after each round.

Blending onboard enrichment with optional shoreside golf adventures, these cruises feature golf clinics, group and private instruction from the visiting PGA professionals, celebrity hosts and the unique opportunity to golf in as many as three different countries on a single voyage, while only having to unpack one’s suitcase once.

“The challenge and excitement of playing these world-class courses is every golf enthusiast’s dream,” says John Stoll, Crystal’s director of land programs. “The attention to detail ensures that our guests’ expectations are consistently met, whether they play some of the world’s finest golf courses, or simply sharpen their short game with tips from our PGA Golf Instructors on board.”

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