Nov 18, 2009 by Amber Nolan - 1 comment
Amber Nolan is on deck with the latest cruise deals, industry news, ship reviews, and advice on finding the perfect voyage to suit your personality.
Disney is the epitome of a successful entertainment conglomerate. They always have some magic up their sleeve — whether it’s creating new rides and attractions at Walt Disney World with ground-breaking technology or scripting a new blockbuster movie. But now, they just added one more project to their to-do list.
The cuisine on the Queen Mary 2 is deserving of an entire blog post. At one point, I was wondering how the days have been going by so quickly, and I have concluded it is largely due to the time I have devoted to sampling nearly every restaurant on the ship. When dining with Cunard, there is very little of “let’s grab a quick bite to eat.” Passengers can look forward to each meal and dinner preparations begin hours in advance with the ever daunting task of choosing what to wear.
I wasn’t expecting tropical weather, but I had anticipated spending some time on the outer decks curled up with a good book – but crossing the Atlantic can be breezy, cloudy, and always unpredictable. Of course, Cunard knew this when they built the Queen Mary 2, and designed her to make traveling these rough waters as smooth as possible, and to keep passengers entertained when the weather refuses to cooperate.
I ignored our steward’s advice to bring the pocket map. I wanted to wander and see where the ship’s seemingly endless hallways would take me, and as I heard the distant sound of plates clanging down the corridor, I realized it had taken me to breakfast. I thought a good cup of coffee would help to awaken me from this surreal dream I had been living in since yesterday evening, when I embarked on my first transatlantic cruise.
These days, you just can’t lie like you used to. The words you speak may be “I was on a business trip,” but your Twitter page, Facebook status, and out of office message indicate otherwise. If you think you’ve got what it takes, there is one place where liars are welcome, and the better the bluff, the richer you become. All you need is a bit of luck, and a ticket on a Carnival cruise.
As the travel industry increases its green initiatives, Antarctica may be joining the endangered destination list. When sailing to this region, new regulations are causing cruise lines to use cleaner – and more expensive - fuel compelling a number of companies to “86” future itineraries. Among the operators discontinuing these once-in-a-lifetime cruises are Voyages of Discovery, Saga, Swan Hellenic, and most recently Crystal Cruises.
Crystal’s 19-day holiday cruise setting sail from Buenos Aires this December will be the last Antarctic voyage for the Crystal Symphony. The ship’s “hulls” will be decked out for the occasion in over $100,000 of seasonal décor including giant toy soldiers and handcrafted ornaments. Prices for this “last call cruise” by no means reflect those of a going out of business sale- interior cabins start at whopping $8,995 per person, based on double occupancy.
For more information, visit www.crystalcruises.com.
People have always had a fascination with the legendary RMS Titanic, and now Fred Olsen cruises is allowing passengers to go back in time to that fateful day to relive the famous ocean crossing (only without the whole iceberg thing). April 12, 2012 will mark the 100-year anniversary of the sinking of Titanic, and even though there’s still three years to go, tickets are already on sale for the 12-night cruise aboard the Fred Olsen Balmoral that will follow the same path as Titanic, from Southampton to New York City.
Why the Balmoral? Would Cunard’s brand new Queen Elizabeth – which launches in 2010 be a better choice? It certainly has the look, but Fred Olsen has ties to Harland and Wolff – the company that built the original Titanic. During the ocean crossing, the Balmoral will offer cuisine that matches the menus of yesteryear, musical entertainment from that era, and historians who are fluent with the story of Titanic, beyond the tale of Kate and Leo.
For more information, visit:
http://www.titanicmemorialcruise.co.uk/
From mega cruise ships to houseboats, and steamboats to windjammers, we’ve got you covered
By ShermansTravel Editorial Staff
There’s little doubt that a cruise craze has swept the nation – some of us were just born with seafaring souls, some love cruising for the popular (or yet-to-be-discovered) ports of call, while still others are simply in it for the hassle-free vacation that a cruise vacation can provide.
The catch, for many of us, however, is finding the time to make our dreams of deck-time a reality. Well, happily your ship’s come in, thanks to these short cruise vacations that will get you just about anywhere from popular islands with turquoise shores to south-of-the border hotspots, or from the banks of the Mississippi to the historic harbors of New England. From mega cruise ships to houseboats, and steamboats to windjammers, we’ve got you covered. Best of all, each of these short sailings – ranging from 1 to 5 nights in duration – depart from ports within the continental U.S., making these quick cruise escapes within easy reach.
Click here to read the rest of this story.
My thrill-seeking side likes to test mortality during my travel adventures, and if there’s any chance I can defy-death, sign me up (as long as it’s only a slight chance). Naturally, Pamplona’s famous Fiesta de San Fermin, has been on the top of my to-do list for a few years running, but each year, forces beyond my control have prevented me from my dance with death to the tune of stampeding bulls. (Maybe it’s a sign?)
The legendary festival kicks off in July when the earth starts to shake with pulse-pounding music, dancers, entertainers, and dare-devils diving from statues into the outstretched arms of strangers. The real crowd-pleasing event is the “encierro,” when herds of people are chased by angry bulls through the streets of Pamplona. If you’re not the running sort but the festival sounds enticing, Crystal Cruises has created an attractive alternative.
Prior to the 12-night Mediterranean sailing bound for Venice, the cruise line is offering an interesting new shore excursion which will have you perched in a balcony seat overlooking the bull-run from a safe distance away. Once the excitement fades, passengers will take in some live music and dancing, followed by sightseeing through Pamplona. The 5-day program also includes guided tours in Madrid and Barcelona, a flamenco show, daily meals, hotel stays, a flight from Madrid to Pamplona, and flight from Pamplona to the departure port in Barcelona.
If I do manage to make to this year’s festival, I’ll be easy to spot from your birds-eye view. My “thrill-seeking-self” will be in front leading the charge, with hundreds of frantic, fellow adrenaline-junkies separating myself from the bulls - where there’s only a slight chance of a joining the casualty list.
For more details on pricing for Crystal Cruise’s Running of the Bulls program, check out our Editor’s Review.
Now, more than ever, travelers are seeking out vacation options that offer the best bang for their buck. And time and time again, cruising from a nearby “homeport” tops this list not only for its tremendous value, but for its sensible convenience, too. With a surplus of cost-conscious cruise lines operating in a healthy state of competition, our editors have seen bargain cruises sell for as little as $99 of late, ranging from one-night dinner-and-dancing “cruises to nowhere” to quickie trips to the Bahamas. Even for more exotic and lengthy sailings to locales like Hawaii or Latin America, it’s rare to see cruise starting rates quoted above triple-digit pricing (there seems to be a psychological barrier that the cruise companies don’t wish to cross by pricing base rates above $999). Good luck stretching your dollar that far – with lodging, meals, transportation, and many activities thrown in – back on land. Plus, save loads of cash by skipping out on the expensive international or long-haul domestic flights and opting for ground transportation or quick flights to nearby homeports instead. Read the rest of this post »
