August 26, 2009. Posted by Dave Beers.
Holland America has upped the ante when it comes to buying trip cancellation insurance. It used to be true that buying private insurance was the best way to go - both in price and in coverage - but perhaps not anymore. Read more from the [...]

August 25, 2009.
Celebrity Cruises has decided to move the Century to the Mediterranean next summer, which means the previously announced 4 and 5-night cruises from Miami have been canceled. Those sailings were set to run from May through October of 2010.
Celebrity Solstice is scheduled to cruise the Caribbean for all of 2010, doing 7-night [...]

August 20, 2009 — Promoting relaxation and well-being, three Holland America Line packages provide guests with more ways to customize their cruise vacation. The Well-Being Package, Suite Amenities Package and Suite Elite Package feature select combinations for fitness, luxury and revitalization.
“As the needs and expectations of our guests continue to diversify, we, in turn, continue [...]

August 18, 2009 – In celebration of Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest and largest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, the company has announced the Virtual Book of Dreams contest, inviting residents in the U.S. and Canada to participate. Children between the ages of 7 to 12 have the opportunity to share their dreams [...]

August 13, 2009.
NCL’s latest quarterly earnings report is surprisingly good for the company, and even more importantly a nice turn around for a very tough economic environment. NCL showed a profit in the quarter just ending of $15.4 million, compared to a loss of $27 million in the same quarter last year. Reports are generally [...]

August 10, posted by Dave Beers.
NCL has chartered the Norwegian Dawn for the February 21, 2010, cruise and thus all regular bookings will be canceled. The ship will be hosting the charter for the Cayamo Musical Cruise.
Persons affected by this change should contact your travel provider immediately.

August 4.
Crystal Cruises has announced a significant makeover of their highly rated ship the Crystal Symphony. $25 million dollars has been budgeted for this overhaul which will include new interiors and added deck space.
Changes will include the following:
Penthouses
Crystal Symphony’s two 982-square-foot Crystal Penthouses will be completely transformed into the feel of elegant residential apartments [...]

Crystal Cruises is warning the public (not just travel agents) to be on the lookout for fraudulent checks bearing the name “Crystal Cruises.” The upscale cruise line says a yet-to-be-determined fraudulent check writer is sending out checks by mail to individuals who respond to job postings for Mystery Shoppers, or possibly just random mail addresses. [...]

August 3, 2009. By Dave Beers.
I attended the Celebrity Equinox naming ceremony at Southampton last week. It was a ceremony that was beautiful for it’s elegant simplicity.
The ceremony opened with a bugle call from the boxes above the stage. Then the air filled with the sounds of bagpipes as a Royal Air [...]