Cruise Holidays Irish Cruise Blog

Crystal Cruises to visit Slovenia

Crystal Cruises has now added Slovenia to its cruise itinerary.

As part of its November 16 “Italian Splendor” sailing, ultra-luxe Crystal Serenity will visit medieval Koper, Slovenia’s largest coastal town. 

Six new shore excursions, spread throughout the tiny Italo-Slavic nation, provide an in-depth exploration of the history and culture well beyond the Adriatic port. 

Fairytale castles, oenophile indulgences, coastal hamlets, and underground geological wonders are all part of the authentic local experiences planned.

“Slovenia is a largely-undiscovered European gem that has suddenly become trendy in the travelsphere,” says Thomas Mazloum, senior vice president operations. 

“Offering travellers new, intimate global experiences, delivered in our signature luxury style, are at the heart of Crystal’s six-star ethos.”

Royal Caribbean expands partnership with Universal Orlando

Royal Caribbean and Universal Orlando have expanded a partnership to offer theme parks and cruising together. Beginning in November, they will package a theme park visit with a cruise out of Tampa. The new option builds on a two-year existing arrangement that has included a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Port Canaveral in Florida.

The new Royal Caribbean arrangement will combine three- or four-night stays at Universal with a four- or five-night cruise on 2,500-passenger Jewel of the Seas, which will sail seasonally from Tampa. The existing options from Port Canaveral include a three- or four-night Bahamas cruise aboard Monarch of the Seas, and a seven-night Eastern or Western Caribbean cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas.

As with Royal Caribbean's package out of Port Canaveral, passengers staying in one of Universal's three on-site hotels, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort and Hard Rock Hotel, get Universal Express ride access, allowing them to skip regular lines at the parks. Just as enticing, they get early admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an incredibly popular attraction. Those choosing less expensive, off-park hotels don't get these benefits.

The packages, which will offer savings over buying the component parts separately, include hotel and cruise, multi-day passes to Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure parks, and ground transfers between airport, hotel, theme parks and the ship at port.

 

New Images of Carnival Breeze

Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Breeze is being built at a shipyard near Trieste and is due to launch their cruise holiday season next June. They've just released these computer generated images. What do you think?

 
Adult Only Serenity Retreat

 
Red Frog Pub

 
Sapphire Dining Room

 
Piano Bar

 
Atrium

 
Resort Style Pool

 
Cucina del Capitano

Carnival Cruises' heading to New Zealand

Carnival Cruise Lines knows Kiwis love to be active in the water and that’s why the biggest addition to Carnival Spirit will be two new water firsts for the New Zealand market, a thrill slide and a splash park. Carnival WaterWorks, onboard Carnival Spirit, will have the steepest water slide at sea.

It will have a vertical drop set to send pulses racing, kids screaming with excitement and bigger kids screaming even louder. Plus, there’s a giant soaking water bucket in the splash park – perfect for the young ones.

Kiwis can enjoy good times with friends and family by indulging in the full onboard entertainment programme, which has been tailored specifically to suit the taste of New Zealanders.

We all know Kiwis are spoilt at home when it comes to wine, coffee and world class cuisine. For this reason, Carnival Spirit has ensured the onboard offering will be up to Kiwi standards with cuisine sourced locally in Australasia and flat whites available around the clock!

Apart from the food, Kiwis can laugh the night away at ‘The Punchliner’ comedy club, featuring some of the best comedians on the Australian circuit, test out their vocal skills in the ‘Superstar live karaoke’ or explore Carnival Spirit’s 16 bars and lounges.

The entertainment programme continues all day long with live music, art auctions, exclusive retail sales, family ping pong tournaments, dance classes, wine tasting and destination seminars to ensure guests get the most of their time ashore.

Kids will be entertained throughout the day at one of Carnival Spirit’s three dedicated kids clubs and well into the evening with babysitting services.

The new Serenity area offers the ultimate in chilled out time, minus the kids. This large open-air deck has a pool, spa, comfortable lounges and a bar so you can enjoy a cocktail or two and watch the world go by.

Plus, two-thirds of Carnival Spirit’s staterooms have their own balconies so you can experience your own private space with expansive ocean views.

Guests can experience a dedicated menu with some well-loved iconic dishes made from the freshest local produce. Even the coffee is being refined by working with popular baristas to get the perfect blend of latte, cappuccino and flat white.

Carnival Cruise Lines has even nailed the fine print by featuring New Zealand power points so there’s no need to travel with an adaptor.

And of course, the Carnival Cruise Lines commitment to fun and quality doesn’t stop at its products. One of the cruise liner’s top-rated cruise directors worldwide has been carefully selected to be the first Cruise Director for Carnival Cruise Line’s itineraries departing from Australia.

As a born and bred Sydneysider, Stu Dunn knows what Kiwis call fun and has a legion of fans from all over the globe. Stu will be the Carnival Spirit’s first Cruise Director when she sails out of Sydney. He will be responsible for coordinating the onboard entertainment programme so guests can enjoy their type of holiday every day.

Crystal’s 2013 sailings go on sale

Crystal cruise itineraries for the first half of 2013 have gone on sale including Serenity’s first world cruise circling South America.

The ultra-luxury mammoth 74-day voyage will visit fourteen countries and will feature multiple stops in Ecuador, Peru and Chile, plus two weeks of sailing through Patagonia.

Cape Horn is among the maiden ports of call, and the ship will stay overnight in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

The 922-passenger Crystal Symphony will begin 2013 with an all-Australia cruise, followed by sailings through the Pacific and Asia before heading back to the U.S. via Russia, Alaska, and Canada.

Gareth Gates to perform on P&O Cruises' Oceana

 

Pop Idol star Gareth Gates is to perform on a two night cruise holiday on board P&O Cruises Oceana departing September 3, 2011.

Gareth will perform three shows in the 500-seat Footlights theatre on board. His performances will include his hit singles such as Spirit in the Sky, Anyone of Us, and his version of Unchained Melody – the second biggest selling single of the last decade. There will also be opportunities after the shows for photos and autographs.

The cruise departs from and returns to Southampton and calls in Bruges, from Zeebrugge. Balcony cabins are available and priced from £406 per person based on two sharing on a full board basis including all main meals and entertainment including the Gareth Gates performance.

P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow, said: “Entertainment is one of the key elements of any cruise holiday and we are proud of our vast range of entertainment and guest appearances. Gareth is a worldwide pop star and we are very excited to have him perform on board Oceana. We are sure he will be a great hit with passengers on this weekend cruise.”

Gareth Gates said: “I’m really excited about performing on board Oceana, I’ve never been on a cruise ship before but I’ve always wanted to and so this is going to be a fantastic experience for me.”

NCL to host a Twitter Cruise

Norwegian Cruise Line says it will host its first "Tweetup" cruise on a sailing in November.

The idea behind the SeaTweetup Cruise (@SeaTweetup) is that Twitter users can share their cruise experiences with followers and build more traffic, according to the line. The cruise is being coordinated with the help of several members of the South Florida social media community.

The three-day sailing is on the 2,002-passenger Norwegian Sky and embarks from Miami on the 18^th of November. Fares start from $271 per person and include special shipboard networking events and social media marketing panels and discussions.

In addition the cruise line said participants will be invited to exclusive in-port events they can post, tweet, and blog about.

Social media-savvy cruisers will also have access to all the ship's facilities and entertainment happenings.

"After a long day of tweeting, guests can dance the night away at the White Hot Party, the line's signature dance party."

Princess Cruises ban smoking from 2012

Starting next January smoking will be prohibited in cabins and on balconies on the Princess Cruise fleet.

"As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every passenger has a comfortable onboard experience, Princess Cruises will be introducing more restrictive smoking policies, and will prohibit smoking in passenger staterooms and balconies for all voyages departing after January 15, 2012.

Countries around the world from North America to Europe are moving to more restrictive smoking policies and our latest consumer studies show that smokers are a small minority of our passengers. In fact, the vast majority of cruisers value having their primary living space (both stateroom and balcony) smoke-free. As you know, balconies are a hallmark of Princess Cruises, and we believe it is important to keep this peaceful space clear of smoke. Violations to this policy will result in a $250 fine for each occurrence, which will be charged to the passenger’s stateroom account. Keeping with the global trend and honoring the wishes of our passengers, we feel this change will enhance our onboard experience and do more to help our passengers escape completely.

Of course we still welcome passengers who smoke, and will continue to provide convenient smoking areas throughout each ship, including cigar lounges, a section of the nightclub and casino, and a portion of the open decks."

Are you a smoker? What do you think about this new restriction, would it impact on the enjoyment of your cruise holiday?

Host a 'Celebrity' dinner party!

Are you looking for inspiration for your next dinner party? Then look no further, Celebrity Cruises have just launched a new book to inspire you.

Inside you'll find an abundance of recipes, beautiful photography and lots of insider tips for entertaining and hosting your own "Celebrity style" dinner party.

 

It's been put together by master chef Jacques Van Staden and features more than 250 recipes created by Van Staden and his team.

Tips and anecdotes from Celebrity’s culinary staff and profiles of vintners and other Celebrity dining partners are included.

Among the recipes are Murano’s ‘Wild Forest Mushroom Cappuccino,’ ‘Chocolate Tombstone’ from Qsine and ‘Lump Crab Martini’ from Blu.