This has been a big news week for the Cruise Industry. Oasis is arriving early, F3 is back on and Carnival reported earnings that beat expectations.

Oasis of the Seas Arriving Early!

Oasis of the Seas, the next “Largest Cruise Ship In the World” will be arriving almost two weeks earlier than expected. The first cruise will now be a four-day cruise sailing December 1st sailing just to Labadee, the private enclave beach resort Royal Caribbean owns on the Island of Haiti.

The new inaugural 7-day eastern Caribbean cruise date uis now December 5th. People who had gone to the trouble to book the inaugural sailing of the Oasis have the option of moving to this cruise, or combining it with the preceding 4-day cruise for one long 11-day cruise.

The cruise will also celebrate the launch of the new Labadee which will feature, among other things, the longest zipline in the world (currently under construction). This is facet alone should be enough to draw zip-line enthusiasts worldwide to Royal Caribbean, since many have been to travel as far as South America to try what is now the longest zipline in the world.

More importantly, if you have not already heard everything there is to know about Oasis of the Seas you need to catch up. This ship is going to be amaaaaazing! It is at least 30% larger than the current world’s largest cruise ships (the Freedom-class also from Royal Caribbean).

More details on the new release date can be found here: CruiseMates Oasis Debut News.

F3, the radical new ship design from NCL, is back on track!

F3, the radical new ship design for a 150,000-ton free-style ship from NCL, is back on track! Norwegian Cruise Line and the French shipyard charged with building F3 announced they have reached an agreement and are moving forward. The ship was almost cancelled a few months ago when cost overruns due to late design changes became an issue between the two companies.

NCL and STX Europe have agreed to revise the original F3 order, but the ship is still 150,000-tons with a total of 4,200 passenger berths, representing the largest ship in NCL’s fleet ever. Delivery is set for late May 2010, as originally scheduled.

To date, information has only been revealed regarding F3′s staterooms and nightlife. NCL plans to unveil the full F3 story in the near future. Further information can be found online at CruiseMates F3 news.

NCL Announces Huge Sale – Up to $500 shipboard Credit.

Cruisers who make a reservation from now through February 1, 2009 on any NCL sailing can may be offered up to a $500 on-board credit by their travel agents – amount depending on the length of cruise and category of stateroom booked. On sailings of six days or longer, the on-board credit ranges from $50 for an inside stateroom; up to $150 for a balcony and $500 for a suite or villa. For three to five day sailings, the on-board credit ranges from $35 for an inside stateroom up to $150 for a suite/villa. One and two-day sailings are excluded from this promotion.

More infrmation can be found here: CruiseMates NCL Sales Event News.

Holland America offers “Vacation Stimulus Plan”

Holland America has a new series of incentives for cruisers to book a cruise now. The new campaign is the “Holland American Vacation Stimulus Plan,” and according to company executive vice president, Rick Meadows, “the return on investment is guaranteed.”

The “Vacation Stimulus Plan” is comprised of four points: “Unprecedented” low fares, Deposits reduced by 50% on cruises and cruisetours departing on or after May 1, 2009, A 25% savings on the standard Cancellation Protection Plan for cruises and cruisetours departing on or after May 1, 2009, Suspended fuel supplements for cruises departing on or after Dec. 17, 2008.

Taxes are additional on all per person cruise fares. For more information go to the CruiseMates Holland America vacation Stimulus Plan News.

Carnival Reports Good Earnings

Carnival reported better than expected earnings this week for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008, beating expectations by a few million dollars. Most of that was attributable to lower fuel costs.

Fuel Supplement Charges Rescinded

Speaking of lower fuel costs, with the price of a barrel of oil now below $40 – an amazing turnabout, virtually ALL of the cruise lines have stopped charging extra for fuel supplements when booking a future cruise. In addition – those people who paid for higher fuel supplements are now receiving onboard credits when they get aboard ship for their cruise.

The average charge was about $10 per person per day. This means most people on a 7-day cruise will receive a $70 onboard credit per person. What a deal!

That is it for cruise news this week. As always, for more information go to CruiseMates Cruise news.

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