Staterooms on Avalon’s “Suite Ships” feature a large seating area adjacent to a wall to wall panoramic windowthat when opened transforms the entire suite into an open-air balcony. With a focus on bringing the beauty of Europe inside, Avalon’s Open-Air Balconies can be enjoyed any hour of the day, all year, adding comfort to the overall guest experience.

“With two full decks of suites, nothing showcases the best of river cruising like our Suite Ships,” said Patrick Clark managing director of Avalon Waterways.    “Each Suite has been thoughtfully designed to enhance the European cruise experience.  From bed and bathroom positioning to storage and sound-proof insulation, we provide cruisers a renewed feeling of freedom, space and comfort not found with other cruise lines.”

Docked parallel to one another at the North Holland marina of Enkhuizen, guests gathered to witness two godmothers bless two Suite Ships, for the first time.   The order of this unique, dual christening was determined by coin toss.  The Avalon Visionary won the honor of leading the ceremony.

• Nicole Mazza addressed the crowd first to bless the Avalon Visionary.  In her blessing, she said, “May all who sail this new vessel find joy and enrichment on board.  May the rivers rise to meet the sky and carry all in comfort and ease.  May gentle breezes flow across her bow as she sails the great rivers of Europe. I christen you Avalon Visionary.  May God bless you, your passengers and your crew.  May there always be a swift current beneath your hull to guide you safely with beauty and grace.”
• The Avalon Vista followed with Vanessa Lee saying the following words:  “ As we christen this ship, I trust that she will be guided by strong and worthy hands and the steadfast knowledge and skill of her Captain and crew.  I hope she will be a true vessel of encouragement and promote harmony, understanding, grace and camaraderie, thereby enriching the lives of those who sail with her.  May the men and women who conceived of her, built her and those to whom she is now entrusted be recognized for their work and inspire others.  And may she stay on the truest of courses, sail safely to each of her destinations and always be a stellar presence on the rivers of Europe. 

I name this ship Avalon Vista. May God bless and protect her and all who sail in her for ever more.“

After the christening, guests were invited aboard the Avalon Vista for a Champagne reception with entertainment from de Swingers and five-course Captain’s dinner.  An impressive, 15-minute fireworks celebration followed culminating in a sparkling display that featured the names of both christened ships.

Chris Owen is a travel writer from Orlando Florida charged with sharing frank, inside information on cruise vacations with travelers. Certified a Master Cruise Counselor by the Cruise Lines International Association, Chris can be found via the popular travel blog, ChrisCruises.net and on the long-running cruise information website, YourCruiseDream.com

Related articles

• Avalon Christens Two Newest ‘Suite Ships’ in Dual Ceremony(cruisecritic.com)

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• Oceania Cruises Christen ‘Riviera’ in Barcelona(cruiseradio.net)

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Seabourn‘s 2012 Europe Suite Sale is offering savings up to 50 percent or more, plus other valuable benefits for travelers booking Eastern Mediterranean voyages aboard Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Quest or Seabourn Spirit.

“The Eastern Mediterranean offers such an interesting mix of ports, from gorgeous beaches to medieval towns and ancient empires,” said John Delaney, Seabourn’s senior vice president of marketing and sales. “Our Europe Suite Sale offers tremendous value and a wonderful opportunity for travelers to visit this amazing region while sailing on our award-winning ships.”

• Seabourn Odyssey will explore the picturesque villages and golden beaches of the Greek Isles, the classical cities of Turkey and the charming ports on Dalmatian Coast on seven-day cruises departing from Athens, Istanbul, and Venice. Starting at $2499 per person.
• Seabourn Quest will offer similar seven-day Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea voyages, providing guests with a full range of departure dates exploring this splendid region. Many of these voyages will visit Kusadasi, Turkey, and stay late into the evening to include Seabourn’s signature complimentary Evening at Ephesus featuring a private classical concert in the ruins under the stars. Rates start from $2,499 per person on this one too.
• Seabourn Spirit’s 10-day cruises, sailing roundtrip from Venice to the Adriatic and Dalmatian coasts. Stops include the Croatian towns of Dubrovnik and Split, and Kotor in Montenegro, where the ship sails into the Gulf of Kotor, the southernmost fjord in Europe. Rates start from $3,499 per person with an air credit of $800 per suite from select U.S. and Canadian gateways.

Cruise fares are based on double occupancy and subject to change without notice. Air credits and other promotional amenities are available on select voyages. Certain other restrictions apply. For more information or reservations, contact a travel professional, call Seabourn at 1-800-929-9391 or visit www.seabourn.com

Chris Owen is a travel writer from Orlando Florida charged with sharing frank, inside information on cruise vacations with travelers. Certified a Master Cruise Counselor by the Cruise Lines International Association, Chris can be found via the popular travel blog, ChrisCruises.net and on the long-running cruise information website, YourCruiseDream.com.

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• Cruise line expands menu in popular poolside dining venue(cruiseradio.net)

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• Seabourn fleet dominates Conde Nast Traveler best list(chriscruises.net)

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• Seabourn Odyssey Named Best Small Cruise Ship Two Years in a Row(seatravel.wordpress.com)

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Doug is at sea this week aboard Norwegian Sky

This morning started out great.  I woke up around 7am to watch Norwegian Sky pull into Freeport, Bahamas. It was pretty overcast today and really windy so I’m sure a lot of people hung around the pier and didn’t try to go out to the beach. In fact, it was raining off and on all day.

I took my camera with me on deck and filmed some of the docking procedures and then went to grab some breakfast on the aft deck before getting off the ship.

What is Freeport like? It’s an industrial port with a lot of maritime commerce. All the beaches, resorts and activities are a good 20 to 30-minute drive away. The ship cleared customs around 8am and at 8:15 I was on shore looking for some wi-fi. I found it at a place called Seaman’s Sports Bar.

The wi-fi wasn’t free there, it was $5 an hour but if you justify going into town in a cab and having to pay, you could get about four hours of internet time for what the ride into town would have cost. The sports bar had a variety of beers, frozen concoctions, liquors and mixers, surprisingly all priced fair – a beer cost $4.

It didn’t take long before Carnival Fantasy joined us and that little bar was hopping. For lunch I headed back on the ship to check out the dining areas. There was four venues open for lunch: Garden Café (buffet), Longboard (sports bar), Il Adagio (Italian pizza joint), and Great Outdoors Café located aft deck (where I had breakfast this morning).

I wanted to put the dining through the test so I went to the aft dining venue first and grabbed a burger, not a lot of people and very quick. Went to Garden Café where the meat carving station, wok, salad bar, desserts, soups, and hot food was – it was a mess. There was a line all the way out the door to get into the buffet line and from standing in line to getting to my table took 19-minutes. By no means am I complaining but my thoughts were if this was a port day, what is the line going to be like on a sea day? This cruise doesn’t have any sea days on the four-night sailing (thank God). So yeah, Garden Café line was awful and whoever designed it clearly wasn’t thinking of passenger flow and there’s way to many areas of mass congestion.

After lunch I got off the ship and did a walk around of Freeport and checked the little shops out. There’s a little more there than I remember.  A lot of people really think Freeport sucks but it doesn’t. If you know where to go, it’s not a bad little port stop. The whole “sucks” part falls back on the person for not doing research and checking out the beaches, all-inclusive resorts offered, diving and so on.

All aboard was at 4:30pm for a 5pm departure. The gym is located on deck 11 forward on this ship and is really nice, offering guests a great view. They have personal trainers available in there but I just did my norm, ran three miles and pigged out (totally defeating the purpose).

I opted for the buffet tonight instead of sit-down dining and it was okay. Again, the food really hasn’t impressed me on this ship. The food was cold at the buffet and really just looks blah. They do have ice-cold milk available for breakfast, lunch and dinner – thumbs up!

The Deal or No Deal interactive game that Norwegian has on their ships is awesome. It’s just like the popular TV show but everything is interactive. You have to pay $19.99 a card and you follow along at your seat with a bingo-like card.

Tomorrow is the private island of Great Stirrup Cay. Norwegian has really enhanced the island … stay tuned.

Related articles

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About a year ago, Holland America Line announced its Sustainable Seafood Program.  The then new program adopts environmentally responsible purchasing practices and features menus that showcase sustainable seafood. Working in conjunction with the Marine Conservation Institute,  Holland America Line’s sustainable seafood program emphasizes adopting sustainable seafood purchasing practices by eliminating “bad choice” seafood.

Each seafood item is evaluated for its abundance, how well the fishery is managed and what damage is done to the surrounding marine ecosystem through catching or farming the seafood. Fleetwide, 75 percent of the seafood served on board is considered a best choice option; the remaining 25 percent is good choice.

Why is this so important?

Over the last few decades, the world’s fishing fleets have evolved, using increasingly sophisticated technology to locate and harvest seafood including sonar, GPS, satellite data, seafloor scouring devices, long-lines, and highly effective gill nets.

Now, due to a more sophisticated fisherman, 80 percent of the world’s commercially-fished species are being fished at or beyond the brink at which their populations can sustain themselves.

“Our sustainability program is an important element in our ongoing commitment to oceans on which we sail and to being responsible corporate citizens in every aspect of our business,” said Richard Meadows, executive VP of marketing, sales and guest programs at Holland America 0n SeafoodSource.

[kkytv id="zFFnmvENgSA"]

Flickr photo by dave.palmater

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“Our aim in outlining this case is to begin a meaningful, industry-wide dialogue that articulates the unique role agents play in today’s travel industry and considers the steps necessary to develop a strategic road map for developing the next generation of travel agents,” said Christine Duffy, CLIA president and CEO.

The report begins by noting that travel agency sales account for one-third of all travel sold and that U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast a 10 percent increase in growth of the travel agent workforce, which is on par with average predicted overall U.S. job growth.

The report calls attention to the long history of and evolving value proposition of travel agents over the decades, and it poses questions to the agents and the broader travel industry as to how the agent profession can adapt to the changing environment and thrive. The report aims to stimulate ideas and coalesce industry support around the concept of a unified effort to better position travel agents for future success, and to shift the conversation about agents from one of survival to growth.

“The evolution of the travel agency industry will have a direct and powerful impact on the U.S. and global travel and tourism industry in the coming years,” said Tony Gonchar, CEO of the American Society of Travel Agents and major contributors to CLIA’s report. “CLIA’s report is an excellent first step to help begin a dialogue with the travel industry to ensure the future growth of the travel agency community and the whole of the travel industry.”

Chris Owen is a travel writer from Orlando Florida charged with sharing frank, inside information on cruise vacations with travelers. Certified a Master Cruise Counselor by the Cruise Lines International Association, Chris can be found via the popular travel blog, ChrisCruises.net and on the long-running cruise information website, YourCruiseDream.com

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Fort Lauderdale resident celebrates her 100th birthday by cruising like a Norwegian.

MIAMI – January 4, 2012 – Norwegian Sky had a lot to celebrate last week. On January 1, 2012, the ship rang in the New Year and the 100^th birthday of Mrs. Zara Holtz.

Mrs. Holtz, originally from Queens, NY, now residing in Fort Lauderdale, FL, was sailing on board Norwegian Sky with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. She was not expecting a birthday celebration on board, especially one as large as this. To help her commemorate her 100^th birthday, Norwegian Sky’s more than 2,000 guests were invited to the pool deck for a special sail away party. There, they witnessed Master Ice Carver Ronaldo carve an enormous block of ice into a huge “100.” Then, Mrs. Holtz was brought on stage, presented with a birthday cake and saluted by her fellow guests, officers and crew who sang “Happy Birthday” in her honor.

This celebration came as a complete surprise to Mrs.Holtz and her family.  When asked to say a few words to the crowd, she stated that at no point in her life would she have expected to live up to 100 and wished everyone the same.  A former travel agent, Mrs. Holtz has traveled a great deal, and she closed her speech by saying she wished everyone could be sailing on their birthday, and if they do, it should only be on board Norwegian Cruise Line.

Following her pool deck celebration, Mrs. Holtz and her family were invited by the Captain, officers and crew to a special birthday dinner in Cagney’s Steakhouse. While dining, Mrs. Holtz thanked Jean-Michel Dhélin, Norwegian Sky’s hotel director, and told him that although she has travelled a lot in the past, Norwegian Sky and her crew provided the very best cruise experience she could recall to date!

Source: Norwegian Cruise Line

Throughout the Disney Fantasy, guests will discover creative and whimsical technical innovations – whether it’s mealtime, playtime or bedtime. “Paintings” spring to life. Guests’ own drawings dance with Disney characters. Interior staterooms have a porthole view of the sea outside. Animated characters chat with guests. The floor beneath children comes alive to movements. Among the highlights:

Muppets Adventure Game

The Muppets are coming to the Disney Fantasy! While playing “The Case of the Stolen Show,” guests take an interactive adventure quest around the ship, uncovering clues via more than a dozen pieces of Enchanted Art and physical “evidence.”

The adventure begins with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal and a cast of more than 20 Muppets preparing to stage a big performance. But there’s a problem: Kermit’s banjo is missing, Fozzie’s squirting flower has vanished, Gonzo’s crash helmet has gone astray, Animal’s drum sticks have disappeared and the Swedish Chef can’t find his cleaver! All of the props for the big show have been stolen by a cunning thief (or more likely, another Muppet).

Pepe the King Prawn offers to take on detective duties to help Kermit and the rest of the Muppets find their missing props. Kermit, worried about Pepe’s lack of detective skills, turns to the guests for help.

Guided by a map and holding a unique game card in front of select pieces of Enchanted Art, guests unveil clues and find missing props. Elsewhere on the ship, guests may check a Muppets message board and find a Muppet-sized stateroom door to discover clues. Their mission is to identify the culprit and solve the crime before it’s time to raise the curtain and light the lights on the Muppets’ big show.

“The Case of the Stolen Show” is a self-paced adventure game designed for guests ages nine and older. It features several possible endings and multiple randomized events – so each time a guest plays, they have a different gaming experience.

Source: Disney Cruise Line

Stewart Chiron the Cruise Guy drops in to give us a full run down of this weeks Cruise News.

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We talked to Ashley Chisholm, spokesperson for the Pensacola Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Owner of Joe Patti’s Seafood, Frank Patti joined us talking about the effects of the oil spill and his business.

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