Cruise Holidays Irish Cruise Blog

Azamara launches 'Extended Voyages'

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Azamara Club Cruises has launched ‘Extended Voyages’ which allows guests to join two, three, four or more consecutive cruises into one experience. By combining select consecutive cruises onboard Azamara Quest or Azamara Journey guests can embark on a holiday of a lifetime, ranging from 11 to 78-nights without repeated ports of call. 
 
“Azamara Club Cruises is inviting travellers with the desire to travel further and for longer,” said Edie Bornstein, vice president of Sales and Marketing, Azamara Club Cruises. “Guests can choose among 114 possible Azamara Club Cruises Extended Voyages combinations that repeat no more than one port and delve deeper, explore more and discover a region’s hidden gems.”
 
Guests wanting a longer adventure can book Azamara Journey’s 77-night cruise from Stockholm (Sweden) to Civitavecchia (Rome, Italy). Departing 27 June 2012, the sailing features 25 overnight stays, four being two consecutive nights, where guests can experience the nightlife of Copenhagen (Denmark), Amsterdam (Holland), Paris (France) and Seville (Spain). This Extended Voyage features the Norwegian Fjords itinerary, which highlights the North Seas Jazz Festival, one of the world’s premiere musical festivals. 

 
For those keen on exploring the Far East, Azamara Journey’s Piraeus (Athens, Greece) to Hong Kong (China) cruise departs on 26 October 2012. This 72-night cruise, combines six cruises – Holy Land, Egypt & Suez Canal; Luxor, Petra, Sinai & Eilat; Luxor Petra & Sinai; The Spice Coast & Ceylon; Burma & Andaman Sea Islands; Vietnam & Thailand, Christmas and New Year – for an in depth exploration of the region, plus an opportunity to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong through a Land Discoveries excursion.
 
Azamara Quest departs Singapore on 29 February 2012, on a 78-night cruise, sailing from Singapore to Piraeus (Athens, Greece). This combines six cruises – Trade Routes to the Orient; Japan & Taiwan; Manila, Sabah, Borneo, Komodo & Bali; Spice Route; Petra, Sinai & Luxor; Holy Land, Egypt & Suez Canal.
 
During Extended Voyages guests have more time to enjoy Azamara Club Cruises’ service and inclusive amenities, such as included gratuities for housekeeping, dining and bar staff; complimentary bottled water, soft drinks, speciality coffee, and teas, as well as complimentary red and white boutique wines to accompany lunch and dinner; complimentary self-service laundry; English Butler service for suite guests; and shuttle bus to city centres in ports, where available.

 

NCL offer discounts for single parent cruise holidays

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Good news for single parents, NCL are making cruising easier and cheaper for you to travel with your kids.

Previously, single parents who travelled with the line had to pay a full adult fare for the first child in the stateroom. Now the child will get a discounted rate, up to half the adult cruise fare, with the 3rd and 4th child travelling at the existing lower third and fourth berth rates for children.

Under the new pricing structure, the line said it would now work out cheaper for families to book two staterooms as opposed to a four berth family stateroom, giving them more space and two bathrooms.

NCL's Director of sales, Nick Wilkinson, said: “Norwegian prides itself on looking after defined groups of guests. Our solo traveller staterooms on Norwegian Epic are examples of this. Now we’re delighted to offer solo parents a way to sail with us that saves them money. We know times have been tough and we want to make a cruise holiday accessible to all families.”

The new pricing is available now for all sailings aboard Epic from Barcelona between July - September 2011.

Dame Shirley Bassey Names Adonia

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Britain’s favourite female performer, Dame Shirley Bassey, named P&O Cruises’ latest ship Adonia, in a ceremony in Southampton yesterday.

“I name this ship Adonia, may God bless her and all who sail in her.”

Aided by master of ceremonies, actor and star of Downtown Abbey, Hugh Bonneville, around 500 guests witnessed the celebrations with afternoon tea, Hush Heath sparkling wine and tributes to Dame Shirley in performances of her greatest hits.

“I have had the most exciting career imaginable, but to be invited to be Godmother to a cruise ship is something very special and very personal,” said Dame Shirley.

“Dame Shirley is Britain’s most successful female artiste ever, a national treasure who defines the word ‘superstar’ and she is now one of our most celebrated godmothers. With Dame Shirley’s blessing I am sure Adonia will have a long and illustrious time with P&O Cruises and become a favourite within the fleet as she charms all those who sail on her,” said P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow.

Adonia provides an extensive range of on board facilities, yet carrying just 710 passengers is small enough to be able to reach off the beaten track ports of call.  Exclusively for adults, Adonia will offer an atmosphere that is intimate and refined – and the on board excellence for which the company is renowned. 

Speaking at the naming Ms Marlow said: “It is by no means for the first time that we have been able to claim that we are bucking the trend and going against the fashion of the time. Most cruise lines - including P&O Cruises - have gone down the road of building bigger ships with an extraordinary level of choice and range of facilities. But we also appreciate that whilst larger ships offer a special experience, and definitely have their place in cruising, there is still a role for smaller ships which offer passengers a more intimate ambience and experience - and not just on-board. They can be used as pathfinder ships exploring those ocean routes less travelled, to intriguing ports and destinations that see few if any other cruise ships including Zadar in Croatia, Koper in Slovenia and Savona in Italy.”

Adonia’s maiden cruise holiday on Sunday May 22 is a 16 night cruise to the Western Mediterranean, which includes calls to Alghero in Sardinia; Portofino in Italy; Sete in France; Port Mahon in Menorca and Barcelona in Spain.

 

Cruising Takes off in China

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Great article in USA Today about the emergence of a new cruise demographic, the Chinese.

Carlito Gayya, a Filipino bartender with 18 years' experience on cruise ships is quoted as saying:

"The Chinese are very shy and low-profile. They're not big drinkers and sleep and wake up early," complains Gayya, 50, working the Silver Shadow, an Italian-run luxury cruise ship.

As China's middle class expands, so too do cruising holidays and luckily China has already some of the best port facilities in the world.

"We thought China would be far behind, but we came here and were amazed," Gayya says of the Tianjin International Cruise Home Port. "It's gorgeous, clean and like an airport," he says.

There were 223 international cruise ship sailings in China in 2010.

"The social benefits are more important than the economic returns, as we want to raise our city's image to both travelers and investors," says Ning Fang, office director of the $20 million Tianjin port. 

The port opened in June and expects 31 cruise ship visits this year. Tianjin is Beijing's nearest port, so it’s the perfect stop for visitors to get to the Great Wall of China

"More and more Chinese want to try a cruise and have the economic capacity to pay," Ning says, noting that the cheapest trips, a week's cruise to South Korea and Japan, cost about $1,000.

Ning, 40, said the Hollywood film Titanic inspired her to take her first cruise, despite that ship's icy demise.

"As a woman, I think a cruise would be very romantic. I want to take my family to Europe," she says.

After the four main ports Shanghai, Tianjin, Xiamen and Sanya — at least seven other Chinese cities have expensive plans for dedicated cruise ports, says Zheng Weihang, secretary-general of the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association.

In 2010, Chinese cruise passenger numbers reached 400,000 and will easily top 1 million by 2015, Cheng believes.

Zheng says the first domestic Chinese cruise company will emerge this year. There's plenty of room, says Leo Liu, China managing director for Royal Caribbean International, the leading cruise line in China.

"We see China as potentially one of the largest markets in the world. The growth rate is difficult to imagine in other markets," he says.

"Chinese cruisers are younger than cruisers in the U.S. They spend more on gaming, shopping and shore excursions than their U.S. counterparts, and they drink less," he says.

Hollywood Godmum for Seabourn Quest

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Meet the Parents actress Blythe Danner has been announced as Godmother to the luxurious Seabourn Quest.

A legend on stage and screen Danner is also mother to another Hollywood beauty, Gwyneth Paltrow.

The glittering christening ceremony is set to take place June 20 in Barcelona ahead of the ship's 14-day maiden voyage to Athens, Greece.

Along with Seabourn's other ships, the Quest is rather intimate in size, carrying just 450 passengers, although the line points out that the low number allows for one of the highest passenger-to-space ratios in the cruise industry.

The ship will sail 7-day Mediterranean cruises during her maiden season through January 2012, when she will begin a 109-day world tour eastbound from Fort Lauderdale.

Tour America nominated for Best Facebook Page

Ireland’s leading holiday specialists on North America and World Wide Cruises, Tour America, has been nominated for ‘Best Facebook Page for Business’ in the Irish Social Media Awards 2011. 

The event is being held at the Mansion House on May 26^th and tickets cost just €50.  The awards will pay tribute to those at the forefront of social media in Ireland and promises to be a night of creativity and fun.

Judging will be mixed between the public and those with more of an expertise on social media and marketing.

Congratulations to Tour America who have shown fantastic innovation with their social media platforms from Tour America TV to an interactive space on Facebook and informative blogs.

 

Lovin’ Carnival Magic

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

The 3,690-passenger ship, Carnival Magic, makes for a fun and lively cruise holiday with a host of new features to keep everyone in the family entertained.

WaterWorks - WaterWorks offers two water slides, the 312-foot-long Twister and the towering, funnel-style DrainPipe. There's also two side-by-side miniature slides for toddlers and a 300-gallon "dump bucket" that sends water cascading over a wide area when you least expect it.

SportSquare – The cruise industry's first suspended-in-the-sky ropes course and first outdoor weightlifting area. SportSquare also encompasses Carnival's first two-level miniature golf course; a jogging track; Vita exercise course; ping pong and foosball tables; and a lighted multi-purpose court designed for basketball, volleyball and soccer.

Serenity – Carnival Magic is home to an adults-only, deck-top hideaway called Serenity, with cushion-topped chaise lounges and chairs, lusciously large hammocks and two jumbo-sized whirlpools and a private bar.

RedFrog Pub – This bar is infused with a laid-back Caribbean vibe, and serves up its own private-label draught beer, ThirstyFrog Red, as well as a wide selection of Caribbean beers in bottle. Food items are decidedly Caribbean in flavor, from Bahamian conch salad and grouper fingers to firecracker Jamaican chicken wings.

Cucina del Capitano - The first Italian eatery on a Carnival ship is a lively, family-style affair that pays homage to the company's historical connections with Italy. The walls of the restaurant are lined with framed archival photographs of the line's many Italian captains as well as Carnival's founders and other Carnival executives posing in front of early vessels. There also are singing wine stewards and dancing waiters. On the menu: Homemade pastas, risottos and other made-to-order Italian specialties.

   

Crystal Announces Golf Theme on Hawaii Holiday Cruise

 

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Are you a keen golfer? If so then Crystal Cruises may have just combined your two greatest passions in life, cruise holidays and golf!

With 51 PGA tour wins, many consider Casper the best putter of his era and on each cruise, guests can absorb stories and tips with this legend as well as other athletic stars, such as Emmy-winning sportscaster Jim Huber. They can also mingle and play with the PGA pros at some of the most stunning championship courses in the world, including:

• Poipu Bay (Kauai)—top Hawaiian course surrounded by ancient places of worship
• Royal Portrush (Belfast)—designed by course-architect great, Harry Colt
•  Carden Park (Liverpool)—Jack Nicklaus/Golden Bear “thinking golfer’s” fairway with spectacular views
• Royal Dublin (Dublin)—Ireland’s second-oldest link
•   El Saler (Valencia)—one of Golf Magazine’s “100 Greatest Courses in the World”
• Golf Club Del Sur (Canary Islands)—home to several PGA European tour competitions, surrounded by 8,000 palm tree
•   Palheiro (Funchal)—coastal ridge greens on a 200-year-old estate.

Crystal provides transportation, caddies, warm-up time, lunch, ‘19th hole’ get-togethers, TaylorMade club rentals or cleaning of your clubs and shoes, team-pairing, parties, awards, and private clinics with PGA instructors like John Clark and Bill Stutzer.

“We make it all easy,” says John Stoll, vice president land and port operations. “We sail everyone to paradise in luxury, where golf enthusiasts can pursue their passion at world-class locales, while loved ones see the sites or indulge their own vacation desires.”

Caribbean Cruises with MSC

Cruise to the Caribbean with MSC Cruises and experience a cruise holiday like no other!

   

Regent's $20 million refurb

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has announced its luxury fleet will be receiving another substantial nip & tuck to the tune of $20 million per ship.

IPads will be available in penthouse and higher categories, the Compass Rose and La Veranda restaurants will be expanded significantly and passengers in concierge-level suites and higher will have priority for shore excursion and restaurant reservations booked online starting next summer.

“We are pleased to continue enriching guests’ experiences with the third phase of our Seven Seas Signature initiative,” said Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Sea Cruises. “This is an ongoing plan to elevate our ultra-luxury brand and long-term value proposition. More updates and enhancements will be announced in 2012.”

The first and second phases of the initiative were completed last year: $100-million enhancements, plus a Coffee Connection café was added to all ships; exclusive Suite Slumber Beds were added to all suites, in addition to L’Occitane bath amenities; and Hermès amenities were added to Penthouse and higher suite categories.