Cruisers Missing Ships Due to Bad Weather

We are getting reports of cruise passengers missing their ships due to nationwide weather delays. Please keep in mind that flights with stopovers in cities like Chicago, where bad weather often causes delays, can mean you arrive at your destination hours later than anticipated.

Even though a Holland America ship stayed docked in San Diego two extra hours last week, it is estimated between 50 to 100 people still missed the ship because their flights did not arrive on time. Those people had to fly to Honolulu and wait three days for the ship to catch up to thempaying for the air and hotels out of their own pockets unless they had travel insurance that covers such delays.

Even rain and especially fog is enough to cause significant delays, so CruiseMates recommends arriving a day early for your cruises if possible, especially if you are being routed through the Midwest (Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Cincinnati).

Carnival Gives Us a Preview of Its Biggest Ship Ever
Carnival has just added renderings and photos of Carnival Dream, the 130,000-ton behemoth that will be the biggest Carnival ship ever built to date when it debuts September 2009. The new information is available on the Carnival web site with a new section for Carnival Dream.

Included are digital renderings of the ship’s WaterWorks aqua park claiming the longest water slides at sea, as well as the ship’s décor for the dance club, casino, piano bar and dining venues.

John Heald, the new Carnival “Ambassador of Fun” and former top cruise director blogs a behind-the-scenes tour of Carnival Dream’s unique characteristics There is also a look at the The Lanai, a wrap-around promenade deck.

Heald highlights the new “cove balcony” staterooms closer to the water line and deluxe ocean view staterooms with five berths and two bathrooms made for families.

Carnival Dream will appear in Europe Sept. 21 with the first of three 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises from Rome (Civitavecchia) through Oct. 27, 2009.

The ship will then sail to New York Oct. 27 – Nov. 12, 2009 for two eight-day Bahamas/Florida cruises on Nov. 15 and 23, 2009. Then following a nine-day cruise from Port Canaveral, Fla. the ship will launch year-round seven-day Caribbean service from that port Dec. 12.

Oasis of the Seas Arriving early – December 1st
Royal Caribbean International says Oasis of the Seas will arrive in the U.S. earlier than expected. Additional cruises are scheduled starting with a four-night voyage sailing December 1, 2009 to the launch of an all-new Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach paradise in Haiti.

There will also be a new date for the first seven-night inaugural cruise, departing December 5, 2009. On this inaugural Eastern Caribbean voyage guests will receive a special commemorative certificate to mark the occasion.

Guests booked on the original inaugural sail date of December 12, 2009 can move their cruise to December 5 until January 11, 2009. The following special benefits will apply for these guests; Those choosing to sail consecutively on both the December 1 and 5, 2009 voyages for an 11-night cruise also will receive a $200 onboard credit per stateroom ($300 onboard credit per suite).

Booked guests who wish to take either the December 1 or 5 sailing will be re-accommodated in the same stateroom and category. The cruise fare for the December 5 sailing will remain unchanged. Guests wishing to sail on the four-night voyage will receive a prorated fare.

Oasis of the Seas, to be the largest cruise ship launched to date, features new entertainment venues and amenities including the breathtaking AquaTheater light and water shows, and new productions in the Opal Theater and Studio B ice-skating rink.

The seven-night itinerary will call at St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Nassau in the Bahamas.

On the four-night itinerary, guests will make a call at Labadee to herald new facilities. Water taxis and five different walking paths, trails and avenues will take guests from the welcome plaza to many areas throughout the peninsula, including the new Dragon’s Plaza, Labadee Town Square, and Columbus Family Beach, all currently under development. Sea-based excursions, including a new fast boat tour, also will depart from the welcome plaza.

At the north end of the peninsula, Dragon’s Plaza will be the heart of Labadee and feature the Dragon’s Breath Cafe and Pub, a welcome center, and central tram station, which will ferry guests to other areas of the peninsula. Guests booked on the extremely popular Dragon’s Breath Flight Line, the world’s longest zip-line over water, also will begin their excursion here.

At the base of the peninsula, Labadee Town Square will offer the new Alpine Coaster, a thrilling new roller coaster experience on Labadee.

Oasis of the Seas (2009) and Allure of the Seas (debuting in 2010) will claim the title of the world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ships. Oasis and Allure of the Seas will span 16 decks, encompass 220,000 gross registered tons (GRT), carry 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and feature 2,700 staterooms and the cruise line’s new neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas.

New categories of onboard accommodations include bi-level, urban-style Loft Suites; two bedroom/two bathroom AquaTheater Suites; and Central Park- and Boardwalk-facing exterior staterooms with balconies. Both ships will be homeported at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. More information about both ships’ exciting, first-at-sea onboard amenities can be found at www.OasisoftheSeas.com.

NCL Freestyle Sale Offers Onboard Credits up to $500
Norwegian Cruise Line just launched its biggest ever “Freestyle Resolution Sales Event,” three weeks ahead of Wave Season, the January through March period when the majority of cruises are booked.

Cruisers who make a reservation from now through February 1, 2009 on any NCL sailing can earn up to a $500 on-board credit – amount depending on the length of cruise and stateroom category. On cruises 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.

Travel agents can find more info at www.bookncl.com.

On December 30, NCL will take to the Internet and the streets of South Florida asking consumers to declare their New Year’s resolutions in an effort to promote its Freestyle Resolution offer. Consumers who log onto www.nclresolutions2009.com or visit the resolution wall from noon to 9 p.m. at Bayside Marketplace (Miami) on December 30 and 31; Lincoln Road (Miami Beach) on January 1 and 2; or Sawgrass Mills Mall (Sunrise) on January 3 and 4 will be entered to win a four-day Bahamas cruise, round-trip from Miami, on Norwegian Sky.

NCL and STX Europe Agree to Revise and Restart Original F3 Order
F3, the radical new ship design for a 150,000-ton free-style ship from NCL, is back on track! Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and STX France Cruise SA, the French shipyard charged with the building contract for the F3 project for NCL, announced today that they have reached an agreement and are moving forward.

NCL and STX Europe have agreed to revise the original F3 order. STX France Cruise is now building one F3 ship at 150,000-tons with a total of 4,200 passenger berths, representing the largest ship in NCL’s fleet. This will mean a continuation of the original hull which is currently in the early phases of construction, with delivery set for late May 2010, as originally scheduled. The planned second vessel, currently only in the preparatory stages, will not be built. Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

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 www.f3.ncl.com.

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