Regent Seven Seas Cruises

FREE AIR plus FREE UNLIMITED SHORE EXCURSIONS AT SAVINGS UP TO 45%

Regent Seven Seas is offering some amazing deals to Alaska on the Seven Seas Mariner. For a limited time, we are pleased to present you with FREE unlimited shore excursions on select 2009 cruises.

Simply book your sailing by March 31, 2009 and your cruise fare will include complimentary, award-winning shore excursions during your voyage. This is in addition to the all-inclusive cruise experience you have come to expect for the World's Best Cruise Line!

Call us today for details!

Great Deals with Royal Caribbean and CruiseOne!

Right now, when you book any future sailing, you'll receive a 50% reduced deposit. Plus, when you book an Ocean View or above stateroom you'll also save up to $200 per stateroom on select sailings.

Be sure to book by February 28, 2009!

If that's not enough, when you book an Ocean View or above stateroom on any 7-night or longer sailing before January 31, 2009, you'll also receive a pair of luxurious Royal Caribbean bathrobes!

4-Night W. Caribbean, Sailing roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale
Enchantment of the Seas
Oceanview from $449 and save $50 off

7-Night Mexican Riviera, Sailing roundtrip from Los Angeles
Mariner of the Seas
Oceanview from $749 and save $100 off

7-Night Caribbean, Sailing roundtrip from Miami
Liberty of the Seas
Oceanview from $799 and save $100 off

10-Night Mediterranean, Sailing from Venice to Lisbon
Spendour of the Seas
Oceanview from $1149 and save $200 off

We know you want to get the most value from your hard earned dollars. Call us today and let your personal Cruise Specialist show you how much you can get for so little!

Green Ships At Sea

Most major cruise lines have fleet-wide environmental programs, but this week we are focusing on the Celebrity Solstice!

While Celebrity Cruises uses a fleet-wide sustainability plan to make its ships more environmentally friendly, the newly launched Celebrity Solstice is the first ship to implement all of the initiatives from the get-go, since they were included in the ship's construction. For example, the Solstice is the first cruise ship equipped with solar power technology. It also has glazed, high-efficiency glass windows, which prevent solar heat gain, thus reducing the amount of air conditioning required. Celebrity worked with paint manufacturers to develop environmentally safe silicon coatings for a smoother hull, creating less water resistance. In addition, the Solstice is equipped with common rail diesel engines, which reduce energy consumption and have lower nitrogen oxide content within air emission standards at all engine loads.

Initiatives on the Solstice that are being implemented on other ships in the Celebrity fleet include air-conditioning equipment that results in a 25 to 30 percent improvement in air-conditioning efficiency over ships built as recently as five years ago; Advanced Wastewater Purification (AWP) equipment; chilled river rocks in the buffet area instead of ice beds, reducing water consumption; technology and appliances that reduce the use of water-producing equipment that consumes fuel or electricity; fluorescent and Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting; and high-efficiency appliances.

KUDOS to Celebrity Cruises and all the cruise lines that are being GREEN!

GOING HOME WITH CHEF'S JAN D'ATRI AND MOMMA!!

Check out the details on this AMAZING opportunity!!

Join Chef's Jan D'Atri and Momma as they cruise the Eastern Mediterranean on the new Celebrity Solstice!

Click on the flyer below for more information on how you can be part of the fun! Call us today: 1-800-570-6407

Mexican Riviera Pictures

Back From Our Cruise

We're back from our NCL cruise and had a very nice time! We sailed out of Long Beach, and along with 3 enjoyable sea days, we visited Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta!

Cabo San Lucas is a great town with fun shopping and excursions. We actually swam with the dolphins at their new "Dolphin Center" located right next to the marina where the ship's tender brings you to port. We had a BLAST and would recommend the dolphin swim to anyone. If you haven't done it before... put it on your list! Amazing experience!

Next was the port of Mazatlan where we docked along the pier. My advise would be to definitely sign up for an excursion. You can take a taxi into the downtown area where they have an open-air market and butcher, and that is an experience... but after talking to other cruisers onboard that took an excursion... they had a much better time! We chose to walk around the town and really didn't get to see the beauty the Mazatlan has to offer. Still fun to see!

Puerto Vallarta was our last port on the cruise and such a great place! We jumped on the local bus for $1.00 (for both of us) and rode into downtown. The shopping and great, and the boardwalk along the beach is gorgeous! We also went into Old Town which is a definite must when visiting Puerto Vallarta! It is very charming indeed! We ended up finding the perfect ocean view table in an open air restaurant called "The Cheeky Monkey". Sat and enjoyed the ocean views while having some great Mexican dollar beers. Ahhhh... 'tis the life!

The Norwegian Star was a nice ship, one of their oldest BUT still only built in 2001. NCL definitely has the youngest fleet on the planet. It was interesting experiencing the "Freestyle Dining" option that they have onboard... and while it was enjoyable to not have to be at dinner at any particular time... I have to say that we still prefer traditional dining. There is really something to getting to know your waiters onboard and having them get to know you. It does make the dining experience more fun, personal and special!
We had a nice balcony stateroom. It wasn't the biggest and didn't seem to have as much storage as some of the other ship's we've sailed on but it was nice all the same... and of course Mark and I have a blast no matter what!!!
The nightlife on the Star was fun, and the entertainment was pretty fantastic! Some of the show they had were outstanding!
We probably don't need to cruise on NCL again in the near future, as we do prefer a little more elegance to our cruises... but all in all we really did have a fun time!

It was beautiful and 80 degrees in Mexico... and we came home to snow! What happened?? I'll get the pictures we took uploaded and on the blog soon!

Happy Cruising!

CRUISING ON NCL

Mark and I are getting excited for our next adventure... cruising the Mexican Riviera on Norwegian Cruise Lines!

We leave this weekend and can't wait to check out their product and report back our thoughts and some pictures. We have cruised many times on (almost) all the other cruise lines, but not NCL so this will be a great opportunity for us to experience Freestyle Cruising!

We will be sailing on the Norwegian Star and we're looking forward to seeing the highlights of this ship. Stay tuned for news upon our return!

Happy Cruising!!

Princess's New RUBY PRINCESS!

Princess Cruises has just taken delivery of their newest addition, Ruby Princess!

The 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess includes a dramatic piazza-style atrium featuring small-bite eateries and an ever-changing array of performing street entertainers. Passengers will also enjoy Princess' other array of dining venues including the signature Sabatini's Italian restaurant and the Crown Grill Steak and Seafood restaurant, plus a relaxing oasis just for adults called The Sanctuary. Their new ship offers many other innovations that define the Princess experience, including the popular Movies Under the Stars poolside movie screen, Personal Choice Dining, multiple entertainment venues, a relaxing Asian-style Lotus Spa with fitness center, an extensive children and teen's center, a wedding chapel and nearly 900 staterooms with private balconies.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is so much to be thankful for! Here's wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving day tomorrow.

And remember... Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence! Go Seahawks!!

Royal Caribbean Revises Disembarkation Process

Royal Caribbean International introduced new procedures fleetwide to further ease the departure process on all ships! The company also added programming for guests who are staying onboard for multiple sailings. “We listened to our guests’ feedback regarding the opportunity to transform the departure experience and responded with the launch of a refreshed process fleetwide,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president-hotel operations at Royal Caribbean. “Early testing aboard Freedom of the Seas has yielded very positive guest feedback, with the enhanced communications cited as one of the most helpful tools for our guests on departure day. We also continue to see an increase in guests sailing with us for multiple cruises and our focus on special communications and programming for these guests will also greatly enhance their overall cruise experience.

”On departure day, guests will have extended access to their staterooms, as well as continued in-stateroom TV entertainment. Guests also will receive an “As You Depart” notice, which communicates the new enhancements and the location of departure lounges offering refreshments and light entertainment. Among the departure lounges will be a dedicated Family Zone, which will include refreshments, toys and games geared toward younger cruisers. Guests in suites will be treated to an exclusive continental breakfast hosted by guest services or the concierge. Additionally, there will be a minimal amount of ship-wide public announcements all morning to maintain a relaxing atmosphere, with nearly all departure updates limited to the departure lounges and through the in-stateroom TV programming. Guests may also elect to carry their own luggage as part of the Express Departure option. Express Departure allows guests to disembark the ship first and as soon as the gangway is opened and cleared by local authorities!

Guests sailing on multiple consecutive cruises will receive a special Compass, a variation of the daily Cruise Compass program schedule. The special Compass will offer an overview that includes the following sailing’s itinerary highlights -- such as entertainment and dining events throughout the guests’ stay -- as well as special events exclusively for guests on consecutive cruises. Consecutive cruises guests will receive special attention, activities and dining options, including personalized services, a letter from the hotel director, calls from Guest Services, and assistance to ensure main dining room seating requests are made in advance of the following cruise.

We're very excited about this change and look forward to seeing it for ourselves!

GREAT DEALS FOR THE DAY!

Here are some great deals that we've found:

Carnival 7-Night, Exotic Eastern Caribbean - Fort Lauderdale r/t
Ship Splendor - New ship
Sail date 12/20/08
Inside $599
Ocean $799
Balcony $1049

Offering our customers coupon booklets and free upgrades to the best available cabins in select categories on most 2009 sailings.
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Royal Caribbean 7-Night, Western Caribbean - Galveston r/t
Ship Voyager of the Sea
Sail Date 01/25/09
Inside $499
Outside $649
Balcony $1149

Discounts of $50 to $200 per cabin for military personnel on select sailings. As an added bonus, this discount may be extended to non-military family or friends traveling on the same departure (limited to a maximum of 2 additional cabins). Royal Caribbean is also offering onboard credits of $100 to $200 per cabin on select 2009 cruise tours in Alaska, Australia, Europe and South America. Past passengers of Royal Caribbean will receive additional discounts of $25 to $200 per cabin on select sailings. Finally, Royal Caribbean is offering additional discounts of $100 to $200 per cabin on select 2009 Alaska and Europe cruises.
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Cunard - 15 Nights Caribbean
Ship Queen Mary 2
Sail Date 12/19/08
Inside $1295
Outside $2095
Balcony $2295

Reduced deposits plus onboard credits of $50 to $600 per stateroom on select Europe and trans-Atlantic sailings. Cunard is also offering our customers free pre-paid gratuities plus shipboard credits of $650 to $1800 per stateroom on newly released 2010 World Cruises and certain World Cruise segments. Finally, Cunard is offering shipboard credits of $50 to $300 on most upcoming sailings.
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Celebrity 7-Night, Western Mediterranean - Barcelona r/t
Ship Century
Sail Date 10/31/09
Inside $699
Outside $999
Balcony $1399

Celebrity is offering additional discounts of $100 to $200 per stateroom on select cruises.
Celebrity is also offering shipboard credits of $200 to $300 per stateroom on select cruise tours. And, Celebrity is offering shipboard credits of $25 to $100 per stateroom on select sailings.
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Norwegian 7-night Mexican Riviera - Los Angeles r/t
Ship Spirit
Sail date 4/11/09
Inside $599
Outside $699
Balcony $949
Also shipboard credits of $50 to $100 per cabin on select Alaska and Bermuda cruises. Shipboard credits of $30 to $60 per cabin on select Bahamas, Caribbean and Mexico cruises.
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Call to get your name on a stateroom with these prices today! These really are great rates and special descounts so take advantage.

More Pictures of the Celebrity Solstice!

Royal Caribbean and Nickelodeon Partner Again!

Royal Caribbean International and Nickelodeon announced plans to once again set sail together on two brand-new cruise adventures in summer 2009. Based on the success of the first-ever, sold-out "Nickelodeon Family Cruise With Royal Caribbean," the two companies are teaming up to offer families new cruises, one from each U.S. coast.

The first cruise departs July 26 from Los Angeles on the Mariner of the Seas, bound for the colorful Mexican Riviera (exact ports-of-call to be determined). Then on August 9 the Freedom of the Seas sets sail from Port Canaveral to call on the Eastern Caribbean ports of St. Thomas and St. Maarten, plus Royal Caribbean's private Bahamian island, CocoCay.

The "Nickelodeon Family Cruise With Royal Caribbean" brings families experiences that are unique to the cruise industry. Traveling to exotic destinations, the cruise vacation is designed for every member of the family - kids, parents, and grandparents. It brings together the entertainment expertise of Nickelodeon with the cruise expertise of Royal Caribbean. Onboard, Nickelodeon will provide families with such experiences as interactive game shows; meet-and-greets and performances by their favorite Nickelodeon stars; never-before-seen screenings and premieres of new, original Nick TV shows and movies; visits with favorite Nick characters including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Diego - and plenty of Nickelodeon's signature slime!

For more information, call us today!

Holland America's Personalized Shore Excursions

Holland America Line has launched a new shore-excursion e-brochure online systems for it's guests to view and print shore-excursion information for booked cruises. Now, you can receive up-to-the-minute, personalized information that is specific to your itinerary. This technological web enhancement allows you to access and update any shore excursions that apply to you cruise itinerary on a 24-hour/7-day basis.

Besides tailoring the shore excursion e-brochures to your ship and sail date, the online versions offer you the same useful information as the print versions but with two newly added and helpful features: tour pricing and excursion departure times.

By visiting the shore excursions page on Holland America's website, you simply need to input your booking number and last name, click on the "View Your Personalized Shore Excursion Brochure" link, and a personalized e-brochure will immediately download. The shore-excursion e-brochure will present all available shore excursions for your booked cruise. You have the option of continuing their shore-excursion viewing online, printing their personalized e-brochure for review at a later date, or booking their tours immediately. Additionally, you may review your personalized shore-excursion e-brochure from six months to a year before your cruise departure date.

Quote of the Day

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” - Samuel Johnson