Cruise Holidays Irish Cruise Blog

It's here! The Cruise Holidays & Tour America Red Cow Annual Holiday Sale Day.

Tour America & Cruise Holidays, Ireland's leading tour operator to the USA and Cruise Holidays, are this week launching our Annual Sale Day at The Red Cow Moran Hotel to take place on Sunday 7th October.

 

This is the 12th year Tour America & Cruise Holidays have run this holiday show, and we have organised for suppliers from all over the USA to join us on the day. From cruise companies such as Norwegian Cruise Line with a host of special offers and top tips for our cruise clients. Some of the key tourist boards from the USA will also be there including Florida Beaches, Las Vegas, Massachusetts, California, Deep South and much more.

There will be at least 30 exhibitors, with lots of gifts for you and your family; there will be a children's area, and all the Tour America experts there to bring you all the exclusive offers of the day. In addition, we will have key guest speakers to keep you up to date with all that is travel, and to provide you with additional information on all the destinations available to book in the USA wih tips, advice and special offers on the day.

And if you're a technology savvy person, you'll be able to connect with us on the day through Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Foresquare. We'll be taking pictures and videos so you can tag yourself, we'll be tweeting event information (Q times, deals on the day etc.) and much more. And we'll have a competition on the day to give one lucky person a €100 One4All gift voucher just for checking in on their mobile phone either through Facebook or Foresquare. If you have been before, you will know how busy it is, so arrive early. If you have not been before, now is your chance to take advantage of the best holiday prices for the USA and cruising. Doors open at 10am (admission is free) and the fun continues till 6pm.

My Celebrity Constellat​ion Trip - Seminar at Sea Amsterdam to Southampto​n

Hi All,

Just back from a spectacular 2 day seminar at sea on Celebrity Constellation and while all is still fresh in my mind thought  I would share some of the highlights with you.




GETTING THERE:

I flew ex Cork to Amsterdam 0600 hrs flight ( nice and early !!! ) scheduled arrival time  in Amsterdam 0845 hrs ( flight took off at 0620hrs but still made it in 1 hr 20 mins ) which was great for all the panicked passengers onboard who had onward connections to the US as we still landed at the scheduled time. I was able to meet up with my travel companion the lovely Miss Tracy McLoughlin very easily as the Dublin flight arrived at the same time so all went very smoothly .

Word of warning there are 2 cruise ports in Amsterdam so just make sure you know which one you need to go to and explain well to the taxi driver as they can easily mix them up.  Once we got to the terminal it was all very easy to figure out where to go we boarded nice and early as boarding started from 11 am and we got there around 10 am.  Lovely hotel right at the port, the Movenpick for people who may want to fly the night before Dublin - Amsterdam and stay at the port as boarding is early on the Constellation as is the departure of the ship is 1630 hrs so for ease and hassle free this is a good choice of hotel.

EMBARKING:

WOW!, huge terminal with  plenty of check in desks, very easy and quick to get through, though we were early which may have helped. I did get talking to other people who arrived later betweem 1 and 2 pm at the terminal and said it was crazy so would definitely advise early arrival if you want to make sure your holiday starts in a relaxing manner.




ONBOARD:

Once onboard we were lucky to have the first day to explore the ship on our own as our group were not meeting until the evening. We only had to wait until 1 pm for our cabin to be ready and once we had walked in our lovely cabin steward arrived with our bags  so again very efficient. We stayed on Deck 2 in an ocean view stateroom with port hole and I was delighted and surprised at the size and also it was a large port hole plenty of light and really airy would def recommend as it was very comfortable and roomy. I have attached a pic to give you an idea.!!


 

Muster drill was carried out just before we set sail and then up to Deck 10 to wave goodbye to Amsterdam.

Courtesy of Celebrity cruise lines we had a cocktail party in the Rendezvous Lounge Deck 4 on our first evening with champers and cocktails supplied by Celebrity /Royal Caribbean and had a welcome talk from our host Leon and really just a chance to meet the other guests lucky enough to be onboard for your 2 day trip, then it was into the lovely formal dining room San Marco where we dined as a group, fabulous food and huge menu, lots of choices for every possible taste.

From then on it was 'plain sailing', excuse the pun :-)  We simply kicked back and enjoyed this stunning ship and although our trip was short, we did get to experience all the Celebrity Constellation has to offer, amazing dining, plenty of activities to both old and young happy and a real sense of being in the lap of luxury.
 

DISEMBARKATION:

Arrived in Southampon at 4 AM but luckily as we were carrying off our own bags and transfering ourselves to southhampton airport the last call for passengers to be off the ship was nearly 9.30 am so not too bad as our flight was with FLYBe Southhampton to Dublin at 1420 hrs. so not too long to wait, I'd advise anyone taking this cruise to do likewise and avail of that extra bit in bed, you'll thank me for it. A fleet of taxis at southampton port were waiting for us, apparantely it's big business for them so no problems there and 15 mins approx to airport so nice and quick (and cheap). I know Royal Caribbean /Celebrity cruises provide transfers to London Heathrow but if you want to price cheaper flights yourselves, Flybe into and out of Southampton do match up with nearly all the cruises giving plent of time on arrival and also on the return so a good option as an alternative and no real hassle in doing it this way either.

ALL IN ALL A MEMORABLE AND FUN 2 DAYS.  I'd fully recommend this short but ideal cruise across to the Dutch capitol.

THANKS A MILLION Celebrity but most of all Cruise Holidays for making it all happen.



 

Lorna

Best Cruise Ship Shower Ever

Check out this amazing shower in the top suite on Celebrity Reflection!

The first drawings of the glass-enclosed space, were unveiled today and show a soaring, polygonal area that juts outward from the 14th deck of the vessel, affording sweeping vistas to the sea.

Billed as an industry first, the cantilevered shower will feature see-through glass on its floor and ceiling as well as its sides that is coated with a reflective material that Celebrity promises will keep outsiders from looking in during the day. At night, shower users can flip a switch to trigger a fogging function that further obscures the view.

"You can see out, but the important part of the story is no one can see in. We spent a lot of money making sure of that," said Celebrity senior vice president of hotel operations Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

Announced in December, the 1,636-square-foot Reflection Suite will be the largest accommodations ever on a Celebrity ship, eclipsing the 1,432-square-foot Penthouse Suites found on the line's four Millennium Class vessels.

The Reflection Suite will be the first suite on a Celebrity ship with two bedrooms and come with a wrap-around balcony that at 194 square feet is larger than some basic cabins on the vessel. Designed by New York-based BG Studio International, it'll also feature a butler on call around the clock (as do all Celebrity suites) and can accommodate up to six passengers.

Lutoff-Perlo says there's growing demand from Celebrity's customers for elaborate suites, even at high prices, and the line has realized it needs more of them. The Reflection Suite is one of six large new suites that Celebrity is placing on the Celebrity Reflection.

"The type of people we are attracting is a customer that is willing to pay more and is looking for these kind of accommodations," Lutoff-Perlo says. "We spend a lot of time listening to our customers."

The Celebrity Reflection enters service on October 12th with a nine-night sailing from Amsterdam to Barcelona followed by two more Europe sailings and a trans-Atlantic voyage from Europe to the USA.

Celebrity Cruises Secures Rights To Air Eagerly Anticipated Olympic Games Onboard, ‘LIVE’ From London 2012

   
It’s estimated that more than one-billion people will tune in for this year’s Olympic Games in the host city of London, and Celebrity Cruises has arranged the rare opportunity for guests sailing on its modern luxury fleet to be among them.

From the eagerly anticipated Opening Ceremony July 27th to the celebratory Closing Ceremony August 12th, Celebrity will broadcast ‘live’ via satellite the swimming, diving, gymnastics, rowing, cycling, athletics, and basketball events, in addition to airing daily compilations of highlights from all 26 sports featured in the Games of the XXX Olympiad. On Celebrity ships sailing in North America, the events initially airing live also will be re-broadcast during more convenient times of day forguests to enjoy.

Whether sailing on Celebrity Constellation in Scandinavia and Russia; in Iceland and the Fjords on Celebrity Eclipse; in the Eastern Mediterranean on Celebrity Equinox; in the Adriaticon Celebrity Silhouette; in the Mediterranean from Venice on Celebrity Solstice; in Bermuda on Celebrity Summit; or in Alaska on Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Infinity and Celebrity Century, Celebrity’s guests can stay on top of the Games while vacationing.
       
Celebrity’s guests will be able to view the Olympic Games within the comfort of their stylish staterooms and suites, or in several hip bars and lounges on every Celebrity ship (with the exceptionof Celebrity Xpedition, which sails year-round in the Galapagos Islands). The specific locations and event times will be listed within each Celebrity ship’s daily newsletter.

 

 

Celebrity Cruise introduces supreme luxury suites

Celebrity Cruise Line's new suites are the largest ever created by the cruise holiday company - but are they about to set a new standard for luxury on board accommodation?

Set to feature on the new 3,052-passenger liner the Celebrity Reflection, the deluxe suites will be offered as part of Celebrity Cruise Line's elite Solstice Class Line – reserved for the most affluent of travellers.

Each suite is spread across a 1,636-square-foot of space and has been created as part of a $3.7 billion expansion of the Celebrity Cruise Line services that began in 2008, with the promise that a new ship would be launched every year.

They could be just the tickets to set the company apart from its competitors for pure luxury too with each one equating to more than half the size of the entire top deck of each liner.

Aside from the usual luxury features, the bathroom of the suite has to be seen to be believed with a view of the ocean that promises a better vantage point than even the one afforded to the captain himself.

These new suites signal a contrast to the cruise industry's previous focus on low cost deals, and could signal the start of further luxury offerings for cruise holiday enthusiasts.

What do you make of this giant suite?

Celebrity Cruises Embraces Healthy Eating

Celebrity Cruises has launched a new series of interactive activities themed around healthy eating choices, in collaboration with Rodale Inc. -"the world's leading authority on health and wellness"

The line says the new activities will draw on Rodale's expertise in health and wellness; the first of these activities are themed around Rodale's New York Times best-selling "Eat This, Not That!" series.

Celebrity's version of "Eat This, Not That!" is an interactive trivia game that challenges guests' knowledge of healthy eating and promotes ways to make smart, healthy choices when dining out.

"Cook This, Not That!" is a cooking demonstration that highlights ways to get the most flavor and nutrition for fewer calories when cooking at home.

"Drink This, Not That!" is a mixology demonstration that presents tips for serving up tasty, libations while avoiding unnecessary calories.

Celebrity and Prevention Magazine, one of Rodale's longest-running publications, are in the midst of developing additional wellness-focused activities, including enrichment talks led by a host of health and wellness experts from the title.

"Our guests have told us how fulfilling our wellness activities are, particularly in a world where schedules are hectic and vacation time is so precious," said Dominique Bonavita, Director, Product Development. "The collaboration with Rodale is a new evolution of programming that enriches our guests' lives long after their cruise, and we couldn't be more excited about all that we're offering and all that is yet to come."

David Marchi, Senior Vice President of Rodale Integrated Marketing, commented, "Partnering with Celebrity Cruises is a smart and entertaining way to extend Rodale's health and wellness mission-- now guests can enjoy our passion for wellness while relaxing and enjoying the best Celebrity Cruises has to offer."

New Celebrity European Food & Wines Cruises

Celebrity Cruises have just announced that they'll be operating a series of scrumptious food and wine-themed sailings from Southampton next year.

From September 7 to November 18, 2012, Celebrity Constellation will present an entirely new "Immersive Europe Wine Cruises" from Southampton.

Designed to offer guests rich experiences in the classic wine countries of France, Spain and Portugal, the new itineraries feature overnight stays in Le Havre (for Paris/Normandy) and Le Verdon (for Bordeaux), France, as well as Bilbao, Spain, allowing passengers ample time to sip Champagne in the "City of Light," taste robust Bordeaux in the land that bears its name, and relish fine Rioja wines.

Guests also will have the opportunity to enjoy tours and tastings at some of the region's most renowned wineries, grape harvesting experiences, and gain in-person insight into how Port wine is blended and aged in Porto, Portugal.

Celebrity's onboard experience will reflect the flair and flavour of the region, too, with activities developed in partnership with local wineries, including Rioja tastings, Champagne brunches, Bordeaux samplings featuring up to five wines from well-known Chateaus, Port and food pairing dinners and more, including special events in the ship's Cellar Masters bar, complete with its "Enomatic" by-the-glass wine serving system. A seasonal wine package featuring special selections from the region also will be added to Celebrity's already popular package offerings.

"This new series of modern luxury holidays represents a perfect blend of Celebrity's innovation and expertise in food and wine with the regions of Europe that have long been recognized for both," said Celebrity's President & CEO Dan Hanrahan.

"It's a truly one-of-a-kind vacation. No other cruise line offers such an enormous breadth and depth of experiences in this highly-rated region during harvest season, and no other line can deliver it like Celebrity can, with our exceptional wine programme, expertly trained sommeliers, Cellar Masters wine bars, and up to 500 selections of wine on every ship."

Celebrity Cruises to attract kids with Nerdel!

Celebrity Cruises is attempting to attract more families to its cruise holidays with the introduction of a new puppet show for children’s entertainment.

Nerdel is set to feature on Celebrity Cruises from October 15th, offering kids the chance to enjoy puppet shows and puppet making workshops.

The interactive programme has been created to get across a message about the importance of healthy eating to kids.

As Celebrity Cruises senior vice president of hotel operations Lisa Lutoff-Perlo explains, "Nerdel has been designed to instil wellness-focused values in children"

"We offer our adult guests a number of ways to include wellness in their vacation experience, and now we are looking to do the same for our younger guests," she said.

"Children will learn more about the importance of nutritional choice alongside physical fitness with classes including a healthy pizza-making session."

The World of Nerdel was created by a team of doctors, nutritionists and entertainers keen to provide parents with more value in onboard childrens entertainment.

Nerdel will make his Celebrity Cruise debut next Saturday performing for children aged three to eight.

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.

Celebrity Silhouette Invites Guests to unwind in "The Alcoves"

 

Celebrity Cruise holiday guests can now rent a private cabana by the day, or even for the full voyage, on the luxurious Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship.

"The Alcoves" consist of eight chic, cabana-style settings comfortably accommodating two to four guests each. Within them, guests can enjoy stunning views of the lawn and sea; ambient mood lighting for cozy, romantic evenings; complimentary amenities including a fresh fruit plate, hand-held fans, chilled towels, four bottles of water, and all-day use of an iPad loaded with a variety of music, movies, games and magazines.

Additionally, fresh, themed picnic baskets with delectable selections from Celebrity's specialty restaurants, as well as a la carte beverages, are available for an additional charge, and just a phone call away, via Celebrity Silhouette's dedicated Alcove Attendant.

Wine and cheese evenings under the stars also can be arranged, along with special spa services, once onboard. Guests enjoying The Alcoves can even stay in touch with family and friends back home, if they choose, as the area is fully WIFI-equipped.

"This is yet another vivid illustration of our commitment to ensuring our guests can spend more time enjoying every moment of their vacation, versus planning what they'd like to do after they're onboard," said Celebrity's Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

The Alcoves can be booked online for full-day rentals, from 9 am to 9 pm, or even for the entire voyage. Rates are $99 per Alcove per day on days in port, and $149 per day on days at sea.

Adjacent to The Alcoves, guests will find eight inviting hammocks and two whimsical, oversized Adirondack chairs, each offering complimentary, additional opportunities to relax amidst the atmosphere of the lawn and sea.

Celebrity Silhouette enters service July 23, enhancing guests' precious vacation time with a host of industry-first venues and experiences within The Lawn Club. In addition to The Alcoves, those new experiences include the industry's first interactive, outdoor grill, "The Lawn Club Grill," where guests can select and grill their own meats side-by-side with Celebrity's expert chefs, or have them cooked to order; Celebrity's first Art Studio, with engaging courses led by professional artists; "The Porch," a breezy, casual dining spot offering sandwiches, coffees and captivating views of the sea and the lush lawn; and, at the center of the ship, with views of the sweeping, glass-encased Grand Foyer and its signature 'live' tree suspended within a commissioned work of contemporary art, yet another entirely new venue, "The Hideaway," an intimate, quiet space reminiscent of a childhood tree house.