Expert Cruise Outlooks for 2013
wouldn’t want to unpack once, go to fabulous ports and have the security of a safe haven to call home after exploring foreign lands all day? Here are what some of the experts
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had to say on Cruise Radio about the travel industry for 2013: Buy Now, Save Later, says Chris Owen of popular Travel Blog, Gadling. com. “Look for cruise lines to offer big savings and special bonus perks for past guests as an incentive to choose their line over another. Book as far in advance as possible using a flexible fare that allows you to take advantage of future savings while locking into your preferred cabin location.” Invest in Travel Insurance, says Dan Skilken, CEO of
TripInsurance.com. “Travel insurance costs between 3.5 and 10 per cent of the trip cost and it’s a great deal if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to make a claim, which happens a lot more than you think. Travelling with the peace of mind to know you are covered in the event of an emergency is so valuable. We have heard many stories of common accidents onboard ship where the infirmary bill runs upwards of $3,000, all of which is covered by travel insurance, if you have it.” Book early to grab a cabin, says
Vicky Garcia, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Cruise Planners – American Express Travel. “If the rates go down, you’ll be protected.” Look for the river cruise boom,
says Theresa Norton Masek, cruise editor of
TravelPulse.com. “With more than a dozen new river ships due to enter service in Europe in 2013, the river-cruise segment continues to grow faster than ever. The expansion allows lines to offer new itineraries in destinations such as the Douro River
t goes without saying that right now is a better time than any to book a cruise. I mean, who
in Portugal, the Po River and Venice in Italy, and Eastern Europe. “The new vessels offer features found on their ocean-going sisters, such as heated swimming pools with swim-up bars, intimate speciality restaurants and balconies that close against the elements at the touch of a button. River cruising continues to expand on other continents as well, with cruise-safari packages in Africa, ships with upscale executive decks in China, more offerings on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia, and, finally, a return to steamboating on America’s Heartland.” As always you can hear more great
advice from travel industry experts every week on
www.CruiseRadio.net.
2013 – FULL STEAM AHEAD
Look for these new builds (and one refit) in 2013:
• MSC Cruises 140,000-ton, 3,500-passenger MSC Preziosa will enter service in March. • AIDA Cruises will add the 71,300-ton, 2,194-passenger AIDAstella in March. • Norwegian Cruise Line’s 144,000-ton, 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway will enter service in April. • Carnival Destiny will be converted into the all-new Carnival Sunshine in April. • Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will debut the 39,500-ton, 516-passenger Europa 2 in May and plans to market increasingly to English- speaking travellers. • Princess Cruises’ 3,600-pas- senger, 141,000-ton Royal Princess is scheduled to enter service in June. • Compagnie du Ponant plans to introduce 10,900-ton, 132-pass- enger ship Le Soléal in July.
CRUISE NEWS ROUND-UP
Tracy Wilson Mourning, whose lifelong ambition to help others inspired her to establish the Honey Shine mentoring programme for young girls a decade ago, has been selected to serve as godmother of Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, Carnival Breeze. The 3,690-guest vessel offers year-round six and eight-night voyages from Miami.
Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line will launch service from the Port of Houston again beginning in 2013 and 2014, sailing from the state-of-the-art Bayport Cruise Terminal. Caribbean Princess starts service November 2013 and Norwegian Jewel starts in autumn 2014.
Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian’s new ship for 2013, will offer a true Ice Bar on board, which will be kept at 17 degrees Fahrenheit and feature ice sculptures of the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty and the Chrysler Building to pay homage to New York City, its year-round home-port. In true New York tradition, the line recently announced the ship will offer Sabrett Hot Dogs and Brooklyn Lager beer on board.
In an agreement with Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, Carnival Corporation announced it will be adding two new ships to its fleet in the next few years. Carnival will add a 4,000-guest 135,000-ton ship in winter of 2016 while sister line Holland America receives a 99,000-ton 2,660-guest ship due out in autumn 2015.
Congrats to American Cruise Lines as they announced record sales in the months of August, September and October. Recently, the line rolled out the Discover America Cruise Collection for 2013, an assortment of featured itinerary combinations and themes that showcase some of the United States’ most intriguing places, such as the American Heartland on the Mississippi River and the Wild West on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
Royal Caribbean announced it is completing a fleetwide multi-million dollar investment to their ships’ main dining rooms. Some of the new features include increased menu options, regional menus, catering for dietary restrictions and increasing dish presentations. Along with the enhancements, added favourites such as hand-cut steaks, escargot, shrimp cocktails and crème brulee will be available every night in the main dining rooms.
Winter 2012-13 I WORLD OF CRUISING
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