Cruise Holidays Irish Cruise Blog

Saw stars set for Horrific cruise offering

Fans of the Saw horror film franchise could be in for a terrifying treat this summer, with gore enthusiasts invited to set sail on the first official Saw movie cruise.

Departing from New York on August 11th, holidaymakers will embark on a spine-tingling five-night trip, which takes in Saint John, New Brunswick, Halifax and Nova Scotia along the way.

While travelling on this visceral voyage aboard the 2,974-passenger Carnival Glory, fans will also be treated to a whole host of Saw-related delights.

Chief among these is the appearance of various stars from the franchise including Costas Mandylor, who played the villainous Hoffman and, more importantly, the iconic puppet seen throughout the film series.

With plenty of photo and dining opportunities available to enjoy alongside the stars, the trip also offers three distinct packages to those would-be cruisers out there.

Available options include cocktail parties, photo sessions and private meals with the actors which are all available alongside specially organised question and answer sessions.

Other activities include a special trivia quiz, movie screenings and mini golf and volleyball tournaments with the onboard stars of Saw.

The themed cruise comes just months after Norwegian Cruise Lines announced plans to host a special Kiss-themed cruise.

What would be your ideal themed cruise?

Royal Caribbean to host Drag Queen Cruise

It was recently announced that Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas will play host to the "Disco Queens on the High Seas", a pageant for a half dozen drag queens, this September.

The western Caribbean cruise will feature nightly entertainment hosted by Darcel Steven and Orlando-area performers Ginger Minj, Chantel Reshae and Aysia Black.

Other activities onboard include the 1st Miss High Seas 2012 Drag Pageant during the cruise, and the event will judged by nationally known drag queen Tommie Ross. Organizers of the event are looking for six contestants for the pageant, which will include an evening gown competition, a swim wear competition and disco-themed performance competition.

Titanic Memorial Cruise

The Titanic memorial cruise, retracing the voyage of the Titanic, departed Southampton last Sunday with many travellers even dressing up for the occasion.

 

The MS Balmoral departed the south coast port as part of the special 12-night cruise, which will see the exact same number of travellers embark on the fateful journey.

The trip was organised to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of the ship's sinking on April 14th 1912, which saw 1,517 passengers lose their lives, after the vessel struck an iceberg.

The Balmoral will arrive at the site of the famous collision in the North Atlantic before travelling on to Nova Scotia and then New York, where the original ship had been scheduled to travel to.

A service will take place at the time it sank.

The trip, which was organised in part by Fred Olsen Cruises, will give passengers the chance to enjoy food from the menu of the original ship, while a five-piece band will provide music of the period.

Despite the popularity of the trip, the cruise package has garnered some criticism, amid suggestions it is in poor taste. Do you think the cruise is in bad taste?

Azamara to host Titanic cruise

The Azamara cruise ship is scheduled to depart from New York City in April next year and is set to travel to the Titanic's original destination in Halifax, England.

This new commemorative cruise has courted some controversy though, given that the original Titanic sank after clashing with an iceberg back in 1912.

Over 1,500 lives were lost in the sinking of the ship which has since garnered something of legendary status, particularly after the release of James Cameron's Titanic in 1997.

As part of the commemorative cruise, passengers will be invited to participate in a special expedition to the original wreck site and take part in a memorial service.

The macabre nature of the trip does not end there, with guests invited to visit three Halifax-based cemeteries to pay their respects to the dead.

Vacationers and fans of the doomed ship will be in good company though with a range of celebrity guests onboard.

These include Titanic artist Ken Marschall, Ben Mr Ocean Liner Miller and Captain Bill Wright, who is the current commander of the Allure of the Seas, the World's Largest Cruise Ship.

All three will be giving onboard talks with Mr. Wright hopefully ensuring a safe trip for one and all.

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."

Weezer teams up with Carnival for unique cruise holiday

 

American rock band Weezer has teamed up with Carnival Cruises to offer fans a unique cruise holiday opportunity.

For four nights in January 2012 the band – joined by a stellar cast of international rock talent – will sail from Miami to the island of Cozumel off of the Gulf Coast of Mexico aboard the Carnival Destiny.

Guests will be treated to all-inclusive 24-hour room service, in-door and out-door Weezer shows and a Q&A with the band.

“That’s right – Weezer is hitting the open seas,” read a statement from the band.

“It’s going to be our own floating music festival on a cruise ship.

“Bands will perform on the outdoor Lido deck and in the inside theatre.

“All of the bands will be performing in stages around the ship, festival style, so you can catch any or all of them during the entire trip to Cozumel and back.”

Sebadoh, Yuck, Wavves and the Antlers will also perform on this exciting cruise holiday.

Prices start at $799 per person for double cabins, or pile in four people for just $599 per person plus $179 for taxes and port fees.

Departure is on January 19^th.

 

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.”

Set sail for the sea of love

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

It could be the sun, the sea or the stars, but setting sail in sumptuous surroundings whilst visiting exotic ports of call makes the ideal romantic break. So this year, why not show your special someone just how much you care and whisk them away on an MSC Valentine’s cruise.

Even if you are unable to travel over Valentine’s week itself, MSC Cruises will still help keep those flames of passion burning! Between 14th and 21st February, couples who book a 7 night Mediterranean summer cruise on the MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, MSC Magnifica, MSC Musica, MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica and MSC Sinfornia, or a 8 night cruise on the MSC Orchestra or MSC Musica travelling between April and November 2011, will receive a complimentary bottle of Prosecco and a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries served in their cabin.

The Valentines offer is also combinable with the 4 Free extras offer, which included, Free upgrade, Free flights from London, , Free transfers and Free £50 onboard credit per cabin.

While, for the lucky couples who are sailing on Valentine’s Day, they will have the chance to taste a range of gastronomic Valentines delights made by our gourmet chef including themed romantic suppers rounded off with a complimentary ‘tulip of love’ dessert filled with strawberries, chocolate and cream.

Cocktails specially created for the occasion include Cheek to Cheek, Love at First Sight and Cupid’s Arrow, while champagne will be available at special discounted prices.

The MSC fleet will be dressed for the occasion, adorned with red hearts and floral arrangements. Meanwhile love is in the air for its onboard Valentine’s entertainment too: competitions for the best love poem, soirées for single travellers, romantic music and movies and couple-themed fancy dress parties.

Get creative with Cunard

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Cunard Cruises are aiming to inspire guests with a collection of onboard themes designed to tap into the artist in all of us.

Have a read of these and see if any of them would tickle your fancy.

A Creative Writing Competition Cruise

In conjunction with The Sunday Times, guests on board Queen Victoria from 5-19 June 2011 will be invited to write a piece of prose, poetry or something about their experience on board a trip, no more than 1000 words. The title for the piece will be announced on board.

A winner and three runners up will be picked by the panel and a special presentation will be made by the Captain. The winning story will be published on the Cunard website and a feature about the competition will be included in the quarterly Cunarder Magazine.

A panel of writers and reviewers from the Sunday Times will also be available during the course of the voyage to offer writing tips, support advice on your writing including structure, plot, “writers block”, character development and any other areas guests would like to discuss relevant to the competition.

Juilliard Jazz Transatlantic Crossings

Heralded quintets in the Chart Room, legendary jazz guitarists in the Royal Court Theatre and enthralling Q&A sessions with musical trailblazers. The incredible shows by members of New York’s acclaimed Juilliard School hit all the right notes during our flagship’s 2010 transatlantic season. It seemed only right, then, to request an encore.

Once again Juilliard performers will be on board Queen Mary 2 to show off their extraordinary talents, this year on an even greater number of departures including four westbound Transatlantic Crossings.

As well as breathtaking collaborations and individual performances, the brilliant Juilliard Quintet shall take centre stage on the 26 April -2 May and 10-17 November Transatlantic Crossings.

 

National Symphony Orchestra Cruises

The National Symphony Orchestra will be performing on board Queen Mary 2 and inviting guests to join the choir once again during 2011.

Guests on Eastbound Transatlantic Crossing 7-14 October 2011 will be invited to experience what it's like to sing with a National Symphony Orchestra on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre on board Queen Mary 2. Guests will have the opportunity to attend rehearsals with the Conductor, Anthony Inglis, and prepare for Cunard's Last Night of the Proms to be staged at the end of the crossing.

 

Cougar Cruise with NCL

Posted by Susan O’Driscoll

Norwegian Cruise Line has been causing a stir with a "cougar cruise" setting sail last Friday.

Following Carnival and Royal Caribbean’s lead the cruise was organised by California-based Singles Travel Company.

The Third International Cougar Cruise set sail Friday on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky.

Carnival hosted the world's first cougar cruise in December 2009, a three-night romp that drew international headlines, and Royal Caribbean hosted a Second International Cougar Cruise in May aboard Mariner of the Seas.

The controversial escapades are aimed at older woman who pursue younger men and NCL’S three-night sailing from Miami to the Bahamas sold cabins starting at $99 per person, based on double occupancy, not including taxes and fees.

As in the past, Singles Travel Company promised three days of singles meet-ups, dancing and fun inspired by Valerie Gibson's 2001 book Cougar: A Guide for Older Women Dating Younger Men. As the firm noted last year in a press release, a cougar "knows exactly what she wants ... (and) what she doesn't want is children, cohabitation or commitment."

Would you go on a cougar cruise?