2-5-09
Regent and Oceania to Repay $3.1 Million in Fuel Supplements
The Florida state’s attorney general had received “several hundred” complaints about concerning fuel surcharges being charged to people after they had already paid their cruise fare in full by the entire cruise line industry.

And now two of those cruise lines have agreed to refund over $3 million to consumers nationwide. Oceania Cruises agreed to pay more than $2.1 million in restitution and Classic Cruise Holdings, aka Regent Seven Seas Cruises, will pay $1 million.

Under these agreements, any consumers who were retroactively charged a fuel supplement by the companies will be refunded the full cost of the surcharge. It is important to note that many cruise lines imposed fuel surcharges after cruises had already been paid in full and entrusted travel agents to contact the guests and ask them to pay the additonal fee. In most cases, if people refused to pay the extra fee their cruises were cancelled and their money refunded.

Some returns will come be onboard credits for consumers who have not yet sailed, the state said.

2-5-09
Feb 9-16 One Week Sale - Yachts of Seabourn
The Yachts of Seabourn has a one-week sale of certain cruises in Europe with savings of 60% off for 14 voyages between March and August of 2009. Bookings must be made from Monday, February 9 until close of business on Monday February 16, 2009.

The offer is for fares from $2,840 pp, double occupancy of a 277-square foot ocean-view suite. with new bookings on these 14 voyages in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. The list of included voyages is:

Seabourn Pride
March 18 Portugal Passage I - Fort Lauderdale to Lisbon 13 days
March 31 Grand Mediterranean - Lisbon to Athens (Piraeus) 14 days
April 14 Mediterranean Panorama - Athens (Piraeus) to Lisbon 14 days
May 12 Grand Harbors of Europe - Dover to Copenhagen 11 days
June 13 Norwegian Fjords - Round Trip Copenhagen 9 days
June 22 Scandinavia & Russia - Round Trip Copenhagen 12 days

Seabourn Spirit
June 20 or July 11 Italian Idyll - Venice to Rome (Civitavecchia) 7 days

Seabourn Legend
Apr 16 Iberian Spring - Lisbon to Barcelona 10 days
June 20 Cote d’ Azur & Spanish Isles - Monte Carlo to Barcelona 7 days
June 27 The Yachtsman’s Riviera - Barcelona to Monte Carlo 7 days
July 11 Sardinia, Corsica & Cote d�Azur - Rome (Civitavecchia) to Monte Carlo 7 days

Seabourn Odyssey
July 18 Aegean Odyssey- Istanbul to Athens (Piraeus) 7 days
July 25 Greece & Dalmatian Delights - Athens (Piraeus) to Venice 7 days

For details, or to take advantage of this special one-week sale, contact your travel agent, call Seabourn at 1-800-929-9391 or visit www.seabourn.com.

2-5-09
Royal Caribbean CEO Invests in Own Company
Royal Caribbean’s chairman of the board and CEO, Richard Fain, put almost 1/2 million dollars of his personal money into the cruise line “for investment purchases”. He purchased some $471,635 of the company corporate bonds according to an SEC filing.

The “junk bonds” bonds are trading at a deep discount to face value. “I already own a lot of stock in our company, and I bought these bonds because I thought they were ridiculously undervalued,” Fain said. Moody’s downgraded the bond rating from Ba1 to Ba2 on Friday, Jan 30.

Fain bought $200,000 of 8 percent bonds due May 15, 2010; $200,000 of 8.75 percent bonds due Feb. 2, 2011; $150,000 of 7 percent bonds due June 15, 2013, and $100,000 of the company’s 6.875 percent bonds due Dec. 1, 2013. This adds up to over $550,000 face value for the bonds upon maturity for which he paid $471,635.

2-4-09
James Taylor to Play on Queen Mary 2 Crossing
The Irish Herald newspaper is reporting that folk music legend James Taylor has found a novel way of getting his entourage across the Atlantic to play Ireland and Britain this summer — singing for his supper on a Queen Mary 2 Atlantic crossing.

Multi-Grammy winning James Taylor, whose hits include You Got A Friend, performed alongside Beyonce and Stevie Wonder at President Obama’s inauguration celebrations last month.

Taylor will record a DVD of his performances aboard the liner. This was also done by Taylor’s ex-wife, Carly Simon, who recorded one in 2005.

“To bring all those people over to Europe and to bring all the equipment is a big hump to get over. So we have made a deal with Cunard Line to bring everybody over on the Queen Mary,” Taylor said.

Cunard said it continues a grand tradition aboard the transatlantic liner dating back to the times of Noel Coward, when stars would make impromptu performances for their fellow seafarers.

2-3-09
Carnival Holiday to Miss Two Cruises; 2-28 and 3-4-09
Carnival Holiday is set to enter dry dock at Atlantic Marine on Feb. 28 and remain there until March 8, missing two cruises, according to Carnival. Holiday will simply undergo regular maintenance, according to a local marine business.

Guests who had booked cruises on the affected dates were given the option to move their vacations to another date, book a trip on another ship or receive a full refund, according to Carnival.

Holiday, Carnival’s oldest and smallest ship, has been Mobile Alabama’s permanent cruise ship since 2004. Its rated capacity of two people per cabin is 1,452. Carnival plans to replace Holiday in Mobile with its 2,052-passenger Fantasy next November. At that time, the Holiday is scheduled to start service at a Carnival subsidiary in Spain.

2-3-09
NCL Offers New Discounts - Kids $99, $250 Onboard Credit
Norwegian Cruise Line is extending its Freestyle Resolution promotion. Families who book a cruise from now through March 15, 2009 on many of NCL’s sailings can take their kids for as low as $99 each, and also receive up to $250 in on-board credit to be used on anything from shore excursions and specialty dinners to spa treatments, the casino or otherwise.

Says Kevin Sheehan, NCL’s president and CEO, “Family cruises on NCL have great activities for kids of all ages, from our expanded Kid’s Crew program allowing parents to take the night off for a romantic dinner, to the two-story Nintendo Wii, four-lane bowling, rock climbing wall, teen disco, and arcade.”

NCL notes its most popular summer sailings include a seven-day Sawyer Glacier cruise round-trip from Vancouver to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, Alaska, from $599 per person. Norwegian Spirit sails a seven-day Bermuda cruise round-trip from Boston, from $599 per person; and Norwegian Gem features a seven-day Western Mediterranean sailing round-trip from Barcelona, Spain to Valletta, Malta; Naples, Rome and Florence, Italy; and Cannes, France; from $599 per person. Pride of America offers a seven-day inter-island Hawaii cruise departing from Honolulu and visiting Hilo and Kona, Hawaii; along with overnights in Kahului, Maui and Nawiliwili, Kaui from $999 per person.

Families sailing with NCL can also save with half price dinners for children three to 12 years old in its numerous specialty restaurants. Unlimited soda package for kids 12 and under are $39.50 which includes a Kid’s Crew backpack, t-shirt and baseball cap. For teens, the Teen Passport Program is just $34.50 and includes a booklet with 20 tickets for non-alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic smoothies; and admission to an afternoon dance party with DJ, pizza and unlimited soft drinks.

With NCL’s new Groups 2.0 program, families looking to host reunions onboard can save. When booking eight or more staterooms via a travel agent, amenities offered range from the ability to make advance Freestyle Dining reservations in any restaurant prior to sailing, to a group cocktail party, on-board credits which can be used throughout the ship, and Freestyle Bowling in the Bliss Ultra Lounge, amongst others.

2-2-09
Caribbean Princess Receives Signature Upgrades in Drydock
Caribbean Princess has just emerged from an extensive three-week drydock to add many of Princess Cruises’ signature features that have proven so popular on its newest ships. The vessel now offers passengers the engaging street-café atmosphere of the piazza-style atrium with its International Café and Vines, the wine, seafood and cheese bar; the adults-only Sanctuary, seven new suites, and a more centrally located casino. Work is also nearly complete on a new Crown Grill steak and seafood restaurant.

These amenities became passenger favorites when they debuted aboard Crown Princess, Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess over the last three years, and are being added to a number of ships, including Golden Princess in May. The company has already introduced many of these features on Star Princess and Grand Princess.

“We want to give passengers who sail aboard any of our large ships the opportunity to enjoy the innovative amenities that have become hallmarks of the Princess cruise experience,” said Jan Swartz, executive vice president of Princess Cruises.

Caribbean Princess’ new atrium now features the specialty coffees, fresh baked cookies and pastries, paninis and tapas of the International Café. Also new is the Vines wine bar offering a selection of more than 30 wines by the glass, plus a selection of seafood, artisan meats and cheeses, and a wine shop where passengers can purchase their favorite bottle.

Adult passengers looking to get away from it all will be able to relax in the tranquility of The Sanctuary, Princess’ signature retreat featuring plush padded lounge chairs and the services of dedicated Serenity Stewards. Visitors to this exclusive space can enjoy refreshing beverages and light snacks, or receive a massage in one of two private cabanas.

Caribbean Princess will soon debut a brand new Crown Grill restaurant featuring an open kitchen where passengers can enjoy watching as chefs prepare chops, steaks and seafood, including live lobsters.

As part of the renovation, the 3,080-passenger ship � which debuted in 2004 � also received seven new suites with ocean-view picture windows, and a relocated casino on deck 7, bringing it into the ship’s central entertainment area. Other changes include a new location for the sports court, a new Limelight boutique, new shore excursions and Captain’s Circle desks, new Internet café and library, and the addition of flat-screen televisions in all staterooms.

The dramatic makeover took place at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas, where more than 1,500 workers and contractors worked around the clock to complete the impressive project.

2-2-09
Alaska Cruising Beginning to Suffer
The Alaska cruise economy is taking a beating right with plenty of controversy about the reasons why. Royal Caribbean has already announced that it will reduce the number of sailings there in 2009 and that they are taking one ship out of the market completely in 2010.

Cruise West, a small-ship cruise line that specializes in Alaska cruising, has already taken three ships out the Alaska area for 2009, including the namesake Spirit of Alaska. While Cruise West ships only carry about 200 passengers apiece, it is an important referendum on certain government policies that Alaska tourism officials say are contributing to the downturn.

In 2006 the state imposed a $50 per head tax on all cruise passengers. This was opposed by Governor Sarah Palin but was passed by the legislature. The economic impact on the state just for the loss of the one Royal Caribbean ship, Seranade of the Seas, is estimated anywhere from 40 to $57 million dollars for the season in total revenue.

According to certain estimates, the cost of an Alaska cruise is roughly half the price what it was last year, especially on the larger cruise lines. The smaller Cruise West is relocating its small ships to the Columbia River where the decison to halt operations by Majestic America Line has left a void. Majestic America is the owner of several steamboats such as Delta Queen, Columbia Queen and Empress of the North. All of the ships have been taken out of service and the cruise line is for sale.

1-30-09
Grand Turk Cruise Center Projects 500,000 Visits in 2009
With 229 cruise ship calls scheduled for 2009, the Caribbean island-based Grand Turk Cruise Center built and basically owned by Carnival Corp. is on track to host a record 500,000 passengers in the coming year. The unprecedented half-million passenger mark is a 25% increase over 2008, during which the center was closed for 30 days following Hurricane Ike.

Most of the visits to the cruise center are made by Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Princess and Costa ships (all owned by Carnival Corp.) although Silversea, Oceania Cruises, Crystal and Regent Seven Seas also have stops scheduled there in 2009.

Grand Turk has successfully developed a wide array of organized excursion opportunities for visitors, from horseback riding and kayaking to world-class diving, snorkeling and fishing. A recent addition is the new Grand Turk Grace Bay Car Rentals recently opened at the Grand Turk Cruise Center. Guests can now self-drive to the island’s historical sites, gorgeous white-sand beaches, quaint Bermudian-influenced architecture and friendly locals at their own pace.

The Grand Turk Cruise Center, which can accommodate up to 6,000 passengers per day, consists of a 13-acre complex including an 800-foot-long private beach, swimming pool, expansive recreation area with a diversity of retail shops, FlowRider® surfing adventure and the Caribbean’s largest “Margaritaville”-themed bar and restaurant.

For more information about the island, the Grand Turk Cruise Center, as well as the 2009 cruise ship schedule, shore excursion offerings visit grandturkcc.com. For information on Grand Turk Grace Bay Car Rentals visit their web site at gracebaycarrentals.com.

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