CRYSTAL CRUISES CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS & SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS30/12/2014 Celebrating two and a half decades as a leader in luxury travel, Crystal Cruises is embarking upon a year of commemorative celebrations.
Celestyal Cruises, the new brand for Louis Cruises, has announced the itineraries for its latest addition to the fleet, Celestyal Odyssey.
Oceania Cruises' Insignia, will remain out of service until at least 22nd March 2015, after a fatal engine room fire killed 3 people in St Lucia on 11th December.
The first charter flight under a partnership between Air France KLM and MSC Cruises took off from Paris (Charles de Gaulle) this week carrying 432 MSC guests to the Dominican Republic for a week-long Caribbean cruise.
Celebrity Cruises is to base the Celebrity Constellation in Abu Dhabi for six sailings from winter 2016. Although it is not the first time a Celebrity ship has visited Abu Dhabi, it will be the first time the port has been used to base one of their vessels. The Celebrity Constellation, will operate six sailings, the first departing November 28th, after re-postioning from Istanbul. The final voyage from the Middle Eastern port, will be on January 11th with a sailing to Singapore. Celebrity Cruises president and chief executive Michael Bayley told Travel Weekly that the decision to base a ship in Abu Dhabi had been borne out of customer feedback and added that he expected the programme of sailings to be very popular with UK and Irish guests: We're always looking at winter destinations. We have a lot of ships based in the Caribbean or Australasia but this is something new and came as a direct result of research among our passengers. We're all about offering destination-rich, genuine quality, authentic experiences that appeal to the affluent traveller. That's what Celebrity is all about. We are not in the mass market offering a seven-night cruise from A to B around the Caribbean for a cheap price. A 12-night 'Spice and the City of Gold' cruise on November 28 will visit Khasab, Mumbai, Goa, New Mangalore, as well as Dubai before arriving at Abu Dhabi.
Two 9-night 'Arabian Adventures' sailings will deaprt Abu Dhabi on December 10 and January 2, calling at Khasab and an overnight stop at Muscat in Oman. The ship will then continue onto Dubai for a double overnight stay, before sailing back to Abu Dhabi for another overnight. Celebrity Constellation will also operate a 14-night sailing over Christmas and New Year. The 'Spices and Cities of Gold' sailing will start with an overnight in Abu Dhabi on December 19 before heading to Muscat in Oman. Guests will spend Christmas Eve in Mumbai, Christmas Day in Goa, Boxing Day in New Mangalore, a visit Cochin on December 27. The ship will then call at Dubai for an overnight stay, allowing guest to experience New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in Dubai. The ship will then arrive back in Abu Dhabi on 2nd January. Cruises will go on sale first for Captain's Club members in December, before going on general sale a few days later. Costa Cruises has made a shocking announcement regarding its newly acquired Costa Celebration.
Transferred from the now defunct Ibero Cruises, the Celebration has just come out of a $4.5 million refit. She officially joined the fleet on 22nd November 2014, but just a day later, Costa has already announced that the ship will leave the company's fleet after its current 14-night itinerary. Costa Cruises has not announced the reasoning behind the sudden U-turn, however some Italian sources are stating that the ship has been sold to Celebration Cruise Lines, after their vessel grounded in Freeport, Bahamas back in October. Guests who had booked on sailings will be transferred onto different Costa vessels. The 2015 deployment will be taken over by Costa neoClassica. Cruise Capital will continue to monitor this story and update you on any new information. UPDATE: The Costa Celebration arrived in Freeport, Bahamas on 18th December, after leaving Genoa on 5th December and making a brief call into Tenerife on December 9th. She will replace Celebration Cruise Line's Bahamas Celebration, as she undergoes repairs, after she hit an underwater object on 31st October. The ship will sail on 2-night cruises between Palm Beach and Freeport. Costa Celebration is due to rejoin the Costa Cruises fleet in April 2015, operating 7-night cruises between Venice and Istanbul. Windstar Cruises has announced that Wind Spirit will resume year-round sailings in the Tahitian islands starting 26th May.
Windstar returned to the islands this past summer, after a 10-year absence from the region. Wind Spirit will operate 10- and 11-night voyages sailing around the islands including the Tuamotu islands. The voyages will operate four times in 2015 and seven in 2016. Before repositioning to the region, Wind Spirit will receive a renovation. As part of the refurbishment, a sofa will be introduced into cabins,as well as an improved, more open layout. Holland America Line has released a preview of the itineraries for their new ship, ms Koningsdam, which will set sail from February 2016. The vessel will be home-ported in Civitavecchia and guests can book a voyage on the vessel from 1st December 2014.
The first cruise will be a 7- and 19-night round trip voyage from Civitavecchia (Rome) departing 20th February 2016. The 7-night itinerary includes Dubrovnik, Corfu, Katakolon and Naples. Cruise only prices start from £699. The 19-night voyage will include the 7-night voyage detailed above, as well as visits to Piraeus for Athens, Istanbul, Kusadasi (Ephesus), Rhodes and Crete, before returning back to Civitavecchia. Prices start from £1,749. A 12-night 'Greek & Turkish Treasures' cruise will depart Civitavecchia on 27th February, 22nd March and 15th April 2016 with ports of call at Katakolon, Piraeus, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Crete, Naples and returning back to Civitavecchia for Rome. Cruise only prices start from £1,199. The final preview cruise released is a 12-night 'Mediterranean Mosaic' voyage with prices starting at £1,199. The itinerary include calls at Naples, Palermo, Cagliari, Gibraltar, Cadiz for Seville, Malaga, Cartagena, Barcelona and arriving back into Civitavecchia. Departures include 10th March, 3rd April and 27th April 2016. More itineraries throughout the year will be released at a later date. Cruises go on sale from 1st December 2014. British cruise operator, Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) has added a series of Mediterranean fly-cruise itineraries. Following the announcement of new ship Magellan, joining their fleet in March 2015, CMV now have the capacity to expand the choice of cruises offered. Starting in September 2015, Azores will operate five fly-cruises. Bookings made before 12th December 2014, will also benefit from the hugely successful 'Buy One Get One Free' offer. The first departure will leave from Bristol – Avonmouth on 8th September 2015. Sailing on a 9-night voyage to Genoa in Italy. The cruise will visit La Coruña in Spain, Leixoes (Oporto), Lisbon, Gibraltar and Malaga before arriving in Genoa where guests will return to the UK by air. Prices are from £1369 for two people (£685pp) Azores will then offer two fly-cruises from Genoa on 17 September and 9th October. The ship will sail an 11-night voyage visiting Civitavecchia with an optional excursion to Rome, Santorini, Mykonos, and Kusadasi for Ephesus. Next up is the beautiful island of Samos, then Piraeus for Athens and on to Katakolon where Olympia is not too far away. Azores will then call into Corfu and Korcula (Croatia) before arriving in Venice where passengers will stay overnight on board before flying back. On 28th September and 20th October 2015, this cruise will operate in reverse sailing from Venice to Genoa and then a flight back to the UK. Prices start from £1999pp for two people (£999pp). Mike Hall, Head of Marketing at CMV said: We are delighted to add these cruises in the Mediterranean with the opportunity to visit a wide range of interesting and scenic places. Those CMV cruises involving Venice, Piraeus for Athens and Civitavecchia for Rome are bound to be attractive to many of our regular passengers who have been asking us for cruises in the Med. Book before 12th December and you will benefit from the 'Buy One Get One Free' promotion. Flights are based on London airports, regional flights can be arranged subject to an additional cost.
Visit cruiseandmaritime.com, call 0844 414 6185 or visit your travel agent for more information about these amazing itineraries. Thomson Cruises has unveiled 10 new destinations and itineraries the line will be visiting during Winter 2015.
Thomson Dream will offer a round-trip of Cuba for the first time with its new 'Cuban Revolution' itinerary. Thomson Dream will also visit Trujillo (Banana Coast) in Honduras and sail on a 'Mayan Treasure' itinerary. The ship will also feature Cape Verde on its transatlantic 'Beyond The Sunset' itinerary. Its transatlantic 'Atlantic Adventure' cruise introduces stops in Santiago de Cuba and King’s Wharf, Bermuda. New destinations for Thomson Celebration include Bequia in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Thomson Majesty will be introducing stops at Valle Gran Rey in La Gomera and Puerto de la Estaca in El Hierro to its 'Island Explorer' itinerary to the Canary Islands. Also new for Thomson Majesty is the chance to watch the fireworks in Madeira on New Year’s Eve. Two Thomson ships, the Thomson Dream and Thomson Majesty will undergo a refurbishment in 2015, with the addition of new sun decks and lounges as well as a new a la carte restaurant on each ship. 2015 Winter Cruises with Thomson, will go on sale this December. Disney Cruise Lines has revealed new itineraries for early 2016.
For 2016, Disney is introducing two new popular Caribbean destinations, Tortola, capital of the British Virgin Islands and Martinique. Disney Fantasy and Disney Magic will sail 7-night itineraries from Port Canaveral calling at Tortola, St Thomas and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Prices start from $1,120. Disney Wonder will sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico operating seven-night cruises to Southern Caribbean ports; Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and St Kitts. Four departures will also include a stop in Martinique, with fares starting at $980. Disney Cruise Line will also operate cruises sailing out of Port Canaveral and Miami to the Bahamas and Caribbean. Bookings open to the public on October 30th. Image Credit: NOAA/NASA GOES Project
Hurricane Gonzalo, which is currently battering Bermuda, has forced Royal Caribbean to alter Explorer of the Seas' upcoming schedule. The local authority in Bermuda, has asked that all tourists do not attempt to visit the island over then next few days, as the hurricane passes over the island and while the recovery efforts are underway. Therefore, Explorer's 18th October sailing from New Jersey, will no longer call at Bermuda and will now visit Halifax, Nova Scotia on Monday 20th October from 7am until 3pm and St. John, New Brunswick on October 21st from 9am, departing 8pm. The new itinerary now differs greatly from the original one and Royal Caribbean is asking guests to pack accordingly for the weather, which is significantly colder, than what guest would expect in Bermuda. As a gesture of goodwill, Royal Caribbean is providing each stateroom with an undisclosed amount of onboard credit. If guests are unhappy with the changes and would like to cancel their voyage, Royal Caribbean are offering guests a future cruise certificate for 25% of the cruise fare paid for their sailing. Explorer of the Seas was scheduled to sail a 5-night cruise from New Jersey to Bermuda and back. It is not known if Explorer's 25th October sailing will be affected. Image: Cruise & Maritime Voyages
British small ship operator, Cruise & Maritime Voyages has announced a new ship charter for 2015. The 550 passenger classic cruise ship 'Azores', has been chartered from Portuguese based, Portuscale Cruises on a long term basis. The ship will enter service for CMV on 26th January 2015 and operate year round sailings from the UK, commencing operations from Bristol Avonmouth with a 30 night maiden voyage to the West Indies. Azores will also be sailing from Hull and London Tilbury with programme highlights including; the Solar Eclipse & Northern Lights, Seville Fiesta, Summertime Gardens & Medieval Cities and a Scottish themed Edinburgh Festival cruise. Chris Coates, Commercial Director of CMV commented, “Azores is an excellent, upgraded addition to our cruise fleet and has been affectionately and very well maintained by her Owners. We are confident that Azores will prove to be a ‘real winner’ with our dedicated growing number of loyal customers and will also attract new clients seeking smaller ship alternatives and regional ex-UK no fly cruise options”. Rui Alegre, Chief Executive Officer of Lisbon based Portuscale Cruises added, “I’m a strong believer in developing close and long term business partnerships. I’m very pleased to have concluded a charter with CMV and look forward to working closely with their team in successfully establishing Azores on to the British market. Azores is a beautiful ship and has been operating very well in achieving high levels of customer satisfaction. I am proud that she will be carrying CMV passengers next year and for many years to come”. Full details of CMV’s new ship Azores and her exciting programme alongside Marco Polo and Astor will be unveiled on Tuesday 1st July 2014 when a 2015 first edition preview brochure will be released featuring a cruise collection of over 50 sailings through until October 2015. Royal Caribbean has announced they will not be sending a ship to New Orleans for the Winter 2015-16 season.
Janet Diaz, Royal Caribbean spokeswoman, made this comment regarding the decision, "At this time, we do not have any ships planned for New Orleans in the winter 2015-16 season once Serenade of the Seas departs in April 2015." Serenade of the Seas offers seven-night cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Cruises on board Royal Caribbean's latest ship, Anthem of the Seas, went on sale to its Crown and Anchor members on Wednesday 26th February.
The sister ship to Quantum of the Seas, will launch in April 2015, sailing from Southampton in the summer season, and Fort Lauderdale for the winter season. The ship will operate various itineraries ranging from short 3- and 4-night 'taster' cruises up to 16-night Mediterranean itineraries. A 3-night taster cruise from Southampton to Brugge and Le Havre starts at £399. If you're wanting a longer cruise, 14-night cruise in July 2015 costs £1599. |
Subscribe To Our Email Updates!Meet The EditorJordan Bailey is 19 and loves to travel! He has been on over 20 cruises around the world, with many different cruise lines, making him a source of knowledge.
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