On Friday Royal Caribbean’s latest masterpiece, the Oasis of the Seas, set sail from Finland on its maiden voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The massive ship is five times larger than the Titanic and twenty stories high, which made sailing under a low bridge in Denmark a bit too close for comfort. Even after the smokestacks were lowered, Oasis cleared the Great Belt Fixed Link with less than two feet to spare.

Carrying a $1.5 billion price tag, the new ship is loaded with innovative entertainment options like an outdoor theater featuring acrobatics and high diving acts, a boardwalk, zip line, carousel, and – in the middle of it all – rests a living garden appropriately named “Central Park”.

The ship is expected to arrive in its home port of Port Everglades on Thursday, November 12 and will embark on a series of inaugural voyages before settling in to its routine schedule in the Eastern Caribbean.

For an up-to-date status of ship’s transatlantic journey, visit www.oasisoftheseas.com.

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.

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Plans to expand the cruise terminal in the port of New Orleans are moving full speed ahead. The $9 million project − of which $8.1 million will be funded by the state of Louisiana − will combine the two smaller terminals on Julia Street in an effort to accommodate the industry’s largest vessels. The undertaking was given the go-ahead at a crucial time because Carnival Cruise Lines plans to replace the 2,056-passenger Fantasy with the larger 2,758-passenger Triumph in November.

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As we’ve reported, the recent swine flu epidemic has caused a number of cruise lines to cancel port stops in Mexico, and instead many have re-routed ships to the Pacific Northwest. (Many have announced they will be resuming the regular service soon.) Although some passengers feel that they have been short-changed on their vacation, other travelers are jumping at the opportunity to visit ports that are not as heavily trafficked as the destinations in Mexico. What’s even better, is that while sailing the Pacific Northwest can be costly, because cruise operators are desperate to fill cabins prices have dropped drastically, and a 7-night cruise can be had for as little as $459.

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Try a Musical Transatlantic Crossing

The Luxury The 10-night Atlantic crossing from Miami to Lisbon this May from Crystal Cruises is music to our ears. The renowned Glenn Miller Orchestra will headline this big band–themed cruise, which will feature daily performances, swing dance lessons, and music lectures. Passengers can enjoy Crystal’s spacious rooms and exquisite dining venues, unwind in the only ocean-going feng shui–inspired spa, and stretch their sea legs in Bermuda and the Azores along the way before arriving in Portugal’s capital. There open-air plazas, cobbled streets, and painted-tile houses await.

The Value Now offered as part of the line’s 2009 Value Collection, berths start at just $3,165/person—almost 45 percent off the original price of $7,080.

The Catch Act fast. The ship sets sail on May 23.

The Details For more information, call 888/799-2437 or visit crystalcruises.com.

From the April/May 2009 issue of Sherman’s Travel magazine. 

First by land, now by sea – the swine flu has caused numerous cruise lines to temporarily suspend calls at Mexican ports. Princess, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Carnival have all announced that they will be being rerouting their ships, or adding additional days at sea to itineraries with ports of call in Mexico.

A handful of these cruises were only scheduled to call in Mexico, meaning the cruise lines are going to have their hand’s full keeping passengers satisfied after they were set on enjoying an ice-cold Margarita on a tropical beach. (The cruise directors better hope the bartender on board makes a mean Margarita.) In the case of the Carnival Splendor, instead of sailing to Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta the cruise is now making only one call in San Francisco.

To make amends, Carnival is allowing cruisers who do not wish to accept the alternative ports of call the option of taking the cruise at a later date.  Princess is offering passengers that were booked on one of the three cruises that were sailing exclusively to Mexico 50% off a future cruise fare. Should all cruise lines be following this example? The Swine Flu outbreak is obviously beyond their control, but yet for many people this was their time off work, and they were expecting the cruise line’s to deliver the vacation they had purchased.

Should cruise lines offer compensation for rerouted  itineraries? What do you think?

A number of major cruise lines include a port of call at one of their “privately-owned islands,” but while there’s no doubt that this concept has mass appeal, these islands are left with a manufactured feel, because nearly every aspect – from the tropical drinks to the straw markets – is cruise line owned-and-operated.

Cruise West’s latest announcement is in a league of it’s own by entitling passengers to a true private-island experience at a Costa Rican National Park. Beginning next January, the cruise line will sail to Cocos Island, an uninhabited area that was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2007, and was short-listed as a candidate to be one of the New7Wonders of Nature. The island is so remote that before cruise lines can anchor their ships, they must first receive permission from the island’s only inhabitants – a handful of Costa Rican Park Rangers. Read the rest of this post »

Princess Cruises knows how to make lemonade when life tosses them lemons, by turning what was deemed an “unnecessary maintenance period” into a profitable opportunity for guests to check out the new Ruby Princess.

Now that we’re well into April, I know the last thing you probably want to think about is winter, but get over that for a moment and remember just how hectic the holidays were last year. Princess has envisioned a nice little solution to the holiday headache, by offering two new 3-night sampler sailings from Fort Lauderdale on December 14, and 17. Forget about gift wrap, cleaning the house, or putting up with the in-laws for a bit while you relax on the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas.

Plus, you’ll get to see the shiny new features on the Ruby, like the poolside “Movies Under the Stars” experience, the adults-only Oasis, and a 3-hour behind-the-scenes tour of the ship. This “Ultimate Ship Tour” takes passengers to the engine room, ship’s command center, the galley, backstage area, and more. Prices start at just $249 for interior cabins, so do something useful with those lemons and save your sanity.

Everyone has been talking about Royal Caribbean’s newest monstrosity of a ship, the Oasis of the Seas, which has catapulted into celebrity-status. With the paparazzi fiending for an inside photo of the Oasis– which launches in December – kid-sister the Allure of the Seas has been living in its icy shadow. (Cue music: “Wind Beneath My Wings”). This ship will soon have its shot in the limelight, because Royal Caribbean just announced that bookings will officially be open to the general public on April 13.

The cruise line also revealed the ship’s inaugural sailing schedule, which includes 42 voyages in the Eastern and Western Caribbean departing from Fort Lauderdale. The Allure will call at St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Nassau, Cozumel, Labadee (the cruise line’s private port in Haiti), and the spanking new port of Falmouth. Located in Northern Jamaica, Falmouth remains relatively untouched by tourism – so far, and is often compared with Colonial Williamsburg for its Georgian-styled plantation homes.

Both ships will hold 5,400 passengers, and span over 16 decks featuring new entertainment complexes like a boardwalk with the first ever carousel at sea, an AquaTheater with acrobatics, water ballet, and high-diving, and a Central Park the length of a football field – for those who need a dose of green trees on the high seas. The Allure’s inaugural season will kick off in December 2010, but in the meantime, keep a close eye out – it might accidentally sail into a photo op next to its A-list sister.

The city of Long Beach, California celebrated the debut of the Carnival Splendor’s 7-night itineraries to the Mexican Riviera, further establishing the cruise line’s presence on the West Coast and creating an estimated $14 million for the city of Long Beach. The 3,006-passenger ship is Carnival’s newest, and will depart each Sunday to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. 

The Splendor moving in to the area marks the fourth Carnival ship now available to cruisers sailing from California, and together the ships are expected to carry a record of 620,000 passengers annually. To celebrate the new arrival, the cruise line performed an $8 million facelift to the Long Beach cruise terminal, including improvements in the passenger waiting areas, and a new VIP lounge.

The new vessel offers vacationers an extensive array of onboard amenities and activities throughout its 13 decks. One of the most talked about features on the Splendor is the two-level 21,000-square foot health spa - Carnival’s largest - and a 5,500-square-foot children’s play area. The ship also provides 22 lounges and bars, a movie theater, and a 24-hour pizzeria.

To learn more about the Carnival Splendor, visit their website at Carnival.com