Royal Caribbean International celebrates naming of Oasis of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International officially named its newest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, yesterday, during an elaborate maritime celebration designed especially for the world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ship. Putting a new twist on one of maritime`s longest standing traditions, the global cruise line was honored to have not one, but seven celebrity godmothers –
Gloria Estefan, Daisy Fuentes, Shawn Johnson, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Michelle Kwan, Jane Seymour and Dara Torres – preside over the festivities. The celebration took place throughout the seven signature neighborhoods onboard Oasis of the Seas, culminating with the traditional Champagne bottle breaking ceremony followed by a fireworks display in the AquaTheater, the ship`s dazzling oceanfront theater. Video of the event is available on the ship’s dedicated website,
www.OasisOfTheSeas.com.
Marking the finale of 10 days of preview sailings, the naming ceremony provided Royal Caribbean the opportunity to give back to the community, doubling as a one-night inaugural celebration-fundraiser to benefit the non-profit Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Celebrities including NBA legend
Michael Jordan, Corbin Bleu of High School Musical and Olympic gymnast, Oasis godmother
Shawn Johnson and Dancing With the Stars professional dancer,
Karina Smirnoff were in attendance, granting the wishes of several children that wanted to meet them. Royal Caribbean has enjoyed a long relationship with Make-A-Wish. Since 2000, the cruise line has hosted more than 1,300 children who wished to go on a cruise to destinations around the world and has contributed more than $2.8 million in in-kind services and $372,000 in discount savings through its Wishes at Sea program. Through employee and guest fundraising efforts, Royal Caribbean has also raised more than $480,000 and 460,000 frequent flier miles, used to secure airline tickets for children’s wish travel and help the Make-A-Wish Foundation conserve critical financial resources. The cruise line donated 1,000 staterooms for this inaugural, once-in-a-lifetime event to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with all proceeds benefiting the nonprofit organization.
As the ultimate expression of Royal Caribbean’s legacy of imagination and innovation, Oasis of the Seas introduces unique industry "firsts" including a neighborhood concept – seven main themed areas providing guests with the opportunity to seek out relevant experiences based on their personal style, preference or mood. Within these seven neighborhoods – Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, Pool & Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone – are extraordinary elements such as the first living park at sea; a thrilling zip line that races diagonally nine-decks above an open-air atrium; an original handcrafted carousel; 28 multilevel urban-style loft suites boasting floor-to-ceiling windows; an amphitheater-style theater that serves as a pool by day and a dazzling ocean front theater by night; and an array of epicurean innovations that allow for new culinary experiences each day of a guest’s cruise vacation.
Oasis of the Seas is the largest and most revolutionary cruise ship in the world. An architectural marvel at sea, 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 is the first ship to tout the cruise line`s new neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas, which includes Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone. The ship will sail from her home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Additional information is available at
www.oasisoftheseas.com.
Seven Seas Navigator has completed an extensive refurbishment that updated and upgraded the ultra-luxury ship
Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 490-guest
Seven Seas Navigator debuted in Port Everglades yesterday fresh from a comprehensive, stem-to-stern 50-day transformation.
Considered one of the most luxurious ships afloat, the intimate, all-suite vessel sports a sophisticated new dÉcor, with rich fabrics and furnishings, much like those found in an elegant estate home.
“The makeover of Seven
Seas Navigator gives the ship a stunning new look and feel,” stated Mark Conroy, the line’s president. “Along with the new Canyon Ranch SpaClub, I’m sure our loyal repeat guests will love the new dining options, including La Veranda, Prime 7 and the Patio Grill, as well as the redecorated main dining room.”
Highlights at a Glance:
Prime 7 – a new restaurant – features a rich palette of green and gold, with supple leather seating, granite and burnished woods. The menu features prime-aged steaks and chops as well as poultry and fresh seafood.
Compass Rose – the ship’s main dining room – has undergone a dramatic update with new window treatments, carpets and plush cranberry and camel armchairs. New signature china, silver and glassware complete the redesign.
La Veranda – with both indoor and al fresco seating – replaced Portofino’s restaurant. New furniture, carpeting and draperies create an elegant ambiance. Food stations have been redesigned and enhanced for guests to enjoy lavish breakfast and lunch buffets. In the evening diners select from a menu of regionally themed specialties.
A New Pool Grill features a hot and cold buffet, panini sandwich station and coffee and dessert area in addition to a state-of-the-art barbecue grill. The Pool Bar, at the other end of the pool deck, was expanded and enhanced with a new ice cream station, fully equipped with machines for milkshakes and frappes.
Star's Lounge received a masterful makeover. A ruby-red carpet running the length of the entryway sets the stage for this glamorous club with furnishings that exude a classic Hollywood elegance.
Galileo’s sports bold new interiors, window coverings and a sleek new bar area. An outdoor lounge has been added with stylish sofas and chaises overlooking the sea.
Navigator Lounge features rich hues of cappuccino, camel and navy accented by apple-green. The card room and library were redecorated and all public spaces throughout the ship were refreshed.
Canyon Ranch SpaClub: Last, but certainly not least, the former health club and an observation lounge have been transformed into the ship’s new Canyon Ranch SpaClub. The serene and stylish wellness center has body and skin-care, massage and thalassotherapy treatment rooms, including a couples’ suite. Added is an aerobics studio and new gymnasium with cardio and strength-training machines, both affording forward-facing, panoramic ocean views. Locker rooms, including his and hers sauna and steam rooms, have been updated as has the full-service beauty salon, which features new wood cabinetry and granite accents. A juice bar and relaxation lounge are additional SpaClub amenities.
Seven Seas Navigator will operate seven- to 11-night cruises to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America this winter, followed by a summer series of seven-night Alaska cruises between Vancouver and Anchorage. Upon completion of the Alaska season, the ship embarks on a 96-night Grand Asia Pacific cruise.
Princess Cruises Rings in Year with Two Wave Season Promotions
Princess Cruises is ringing in the new year with two ways for passengers to save on this summer's vacation during the annual "Wave Season" booking period through February 28. Travelers can choose to enjoy their own private balcony for the cost of an oceanview stateroom with the
"Balcony Bonanza" promotion, and those planning travel to Alaska can save up to 25 percent on a land and sea cruisetour with the
"Denali on Sale" event.
"The beginning of the year is a favorite time for making travel plans, so we're offering our customers some great reasons to book now," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. "Denali National Park is a highlight not to be missed on a trip to Alaska, so with the Denali on Sale cruisetour promotion, it's the perfect time to plan a vacation to the Great Land. And a private balcony adds so much to a cruise, so we're offering a free upgrade to a balcony with our Balcony Bonanza deal."
Balcony Bonanza -- Passengers will discover just why a balcony stateroom is the only way to travel for many cruisers. For the price of an oceanview stateroom, cruisers can enjoy the fresh air and sweeping ocean vistas of a private balcony on select summer 2010 cruises and cruisetours to Europe, Alaska or the Caribbean. Balcony Bonanza pricing begins at just $899 per person for a seven-day Caribbean sailing, with balconies on a 12-day Europe sailing starting at $2,799.
Denali on Sale -- Travelers who book their Alaska vacation with Princess can now can save up to 25 percent off select Alaska cruisetours featuring the state's spectacular Denali National Park. All Princess cruisetour itineraries include at least two nights in the Denali area, with lodging at Princess' own wilderness lodges, plus a cruise featuring the dazzling ice of Glacier Bay National Park. The promotion features a variety of 10- to 15-night itineraries, including the popular Direct to the Wilderness rail service, which gets travelers to the wilderness faster, plus options in the Kenai and Copper River areas. Passengers can also take advantage of Princess' special roundtrip packages that include air from Seattle or Vancouver, and two family cruisetour options with special amenities and tours included just for family groups. Cruisetour fares for a 10-night vacation begin at $1,274 per person.
Norwegian Celebrates 10 Years Of Freestyle Cruising; Declares 2010 'The Year Of The Freestyle Vacation'
Norwegian Cruise Line is ringing in the New Year three weeks early with a bevy of promotions marking 2010 as "The Year of the Freestyle Vacation." All new reservations up to March 14, 2010 on any of the line's 10 Freestyle Cruising ships will receive up to a six-category upgrade and on-board savings certificates of up to $400.
In addition, bi-weekly promotions will feature special offers on select ships and destinations. The first offer from January 4-17, 2010 includes reduced deposits and kids from $249 for bookings on Norwegian Epic's seven-day cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
"It has been ten years since Norwegian first introduced its innovative Freestyle Cruising, so it is fitting that we celebrate 2010 as 'The Year of the Freestyle Vacation' as we move to introduce the next phase of Freestyle Cruising with the launch of Norwegian Epic in the summer of 2010," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian's chief executive officer. "We encourage travel partners to take advantage of these value-oriented offers to help spur consumers into booking their Freestyle vacation."
Royal Caribbean Fuel Supplement Suspended
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has announced that they are to suspend the fuel supplement for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises. This suspension applies to all sailings that depart from the 1st January 2009 to anywhere in the world.
This suspension in the fuel supplement is due to the lower prices of fuel that are currently in place.
Guests who now book a cruise that departs from 1st January 2008 will not be charged the fuel supplement and those who have already booked for sailings after this date will receive a refund.
For the full press release see The Cruise News.
St Lucia - a jewel in the Caribbean
St Lucia is one of the Windward Islands in the middle of the Eastern Caribbean, south of Martinique and northwest of Barbados.
The capital is Castries in the north west of St Lucia, which is 27 miles long and 14 miles wide with a central mountain range the whole length of the island with peaks as high as 3000feet plus. It is the combination of mountains, forests, low lying land, small coastal fishing villages, and beaches that makes a lot of people choose a St Lucia Vacation.
The mountains are forested and the lush lower slopes have splashes of colour thanks to the jasmine, scarlet chenille, and wild orchids. Probably the most famous landmarks in St Lucia are the two towering volcano cones on the south west coast called the Twin Pitons which are the most incredible sight especially at dusk.
St Lucia’s climate is obviously tropical with temperatures varying between 70 degrees to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with rain from June to November and fairly dry between December in May. St Lucia has a lot of accommodation choices to suit most pockets and tastes. There is everything from all-inclusive resorts, and large deluxe hotels to luxury villas.
You will also be able to find lovely small hotels, traditional inns, and apartments and guesthouses. You will find accommodation on the beach or inland, in the north which is completely different in characteristics to the south.
A St Lucia Vacation is for pleasure seeking people, for people who like unspoiled undiscovered places. It is for people who want to celebrate their wedding on a Caribbean Island and for honeymooners who are looking for a tropical island paradise, because St Lucia is all of these things.
St Lucia is a great place for a family vacation which can include any number of land and water sports, including but not restricted to golf, tennis, cricket, table tennis, biking, horse riding, and deep sea fishing, windsurfing, sailing, para sailing, and waterskiing. Water sports are definitely a large part of any St Lucia Vacation, especially when you think about the white sand beaches, and beautiful inviting turquoise blue sea.
In addition to all of that there are places to visit like the beautiful Marigot Bay, Maria Islands Nature reserve, Whale and turtle watching, to name a few. Dining out in St Lucia is a treat because St Lucians enjoy their food, so this logically means there are a large number of restaurants on the island. The cuisine is best described as a combination of International and Creole, where fresh local produce plays a huge part.
Now you can sea what a great place St Lucia is for a vacation, the only question left to answer is how to get there. You can reach St Lucia by air or by sea. You can arrive at airports in the north or the south with many popular airlines, and you can travel on to your final destination by helicopter or ferry. You can fly into a neighbouring island like Martinique and then catch a ferry to St Lucia. You may also arrive on a cruise ship or a yacht.
It really doesn’t matter which way you choose to arrive in St Lucia, because you will find a Caribbean Island paradise unlike any other and you won’t want to leave.
Labels: StLucia
Why choose Antigua?
Choosing a Caribbean Island vacation is difficult because to the outsider the Caribbean is just the Caribbean, with each island being much like the other.
The insider will however tell you that each island has its own identity, none more so than Antigua. The island of Antigua is always associated with Barbuda, but this article isn’t about Antigua and Barbuda, but about what it is that should make you want to choose Antigua for your Caribbean Island Vacation.
Antigua is the largest of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, north of Montserrat and Guadeloupe, and to the south and east of Nevis, St Kitts, St Barts, and St Martin. It is some fourteen miles long and eleven miles wide, totalling 108 square miles.
This means with its 365 beaches, one for every day of the year, there is plenty Antigua to explore, and furthermore there is lots to see thanks to the close links with Britain and the British Navy in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Visitors who have chosen Antigua for their Caribbean Island Vacation, also inevitably visit English Harbour which is Antigua’s evocative historical district, around Nelson’s Dockyard National Park.
The whole harbour area was the headquarters of the fleet in Nelson’s time. There are historical buildings and fortifications to be seen around the park.
Antigua’s beaches are of course a huge reason for taking a Caribbean Island Vacation here. The majority of the beaches are on the west coast , which is the more sheltered calm and protected part. All of the beaches are open to the public and each has different characteristics, so the main difficulty you will have is finding the perfect Antigua beach for you.
One piece of advice is to never go to isolated beaches on your own, and another is to make sure you get good directions before you go. On the northwest coast you will find Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay, both highly developed and great resort beaches. Closest to St Johns are Fort James, and Deep Bay. In the winter surfers go to Galley Bay and the four beaches at Hawksbill are impressive, just beware that one is a nudist beach.
On the southwest and south coast of Antigua are where you will find the less visited and developed beaches because the area is quite hilly. A road winds along the coast here and you will find beaches like Fryes Bay, Darkwood Beach, and the beaches around Johnsons Point. Rendezvous Bay, and Doigs Beach are especially very quiet beaches but not easy to get to.
If you are looking for an Antigua Beach to relax on after visiting English Harbour then try Pigeon Point. On the east coast, the south east corner is Half Moon Bay, is a national park, and if you want a family beach, then this and Long Bay which is as far to the east as you can go are both outstanding. The beaches facing east are quite rough but great for beachcombing. Whether it is history and sightseeing or beaches, Antigua has something for everyone as a Caribbean Island Vacation
Labels: Antigua
