2015 themed cruises on MSC Divina revealed

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 09 December 2014 09 December 2014

MSC Divina, one of the most elegant and ultramodern ships sailing from Miami to the Caribbean – is offering travelers a series of themed cruises in Winter/Spring 2015.

“MSC works hard to create the best vacation experience possible,” said Hans Hesselberg, senior vice president of hotel operations for MSC Cruises. “These special themed cruises add an extra layer of fun and excitement and promise to make the cruise even more memorable for our guests.”

2015 themed cruises on MSC Divina include:

Post-New Year Extravaganza (2-night) – Jan. 11 departure to Nassau, Bahamas

MSC Divina is continuing the New Year’s celebrations and helping guests start 2015 off right! The ship’s festivities will include a New Year’s Party on the pool deck, complete with a countdown to midnight, and New Year’s themed decorations and noisemakers. Prices start at $99 per person for double occupancy.

Valentine’s Day/Mardi Gras Celebration (4-night) – Feb. 14 departure to Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas:

MSC Divina’s Valentine’s Day cruise is the perfect getaway for couples and singles looking for romance. The cruise will feature a special Valentine’s Day party where guests can send secret messages to their Valentine; Valentine’s Day-themed couple competitions; special arts and crafts activities for kids; a special ‘Tulip of Love’ dessert and dedicated list of Love Potions; and a Valentine’s Day package that guests can purchase for their significant other. In addition, for those looking for love, MSC will host a fun “singles mingle” party and is offering a special single occupancy rate. Adding to the fun, on Feb. 17 MSC will celebrate Fat Tuesday with a festive Mardi Gras themed party. Prices start at $369 per person for single occupancy and $299 per person for double occupancy.

Songs of the 60s: (4-night) – April 22 departure to Cozumel, Mexico

Guests sailing aboard MSC Divina will be transported back in time, with groovy 60’s and 70’s music from the Mellow Yellow band. The band will pay tribute to the 60’s and 70’s with truly authentic renditions of some of the genre’s greatest songs during an immersive musical theater show. In addition, throughout the 4 nights, guests will participate in 60’s and 70’s themed activities including a Saturday Night Fever Disco & Costume Party; Mellow Yellow Deck Concert and Deck Party; Summer of Love Prom Formal; 60’s/70’s trivia; and 60’s/70’s karaoke. Prices start at $299 per person for double occupancy.

Baseball Greats (7-nights): Feb 7, Feb. 21, and March 7 departures to Philipsburg, St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas

Awarded “Best Themed Cruise” by Porthole Magazine’s 2014 Reader’s Choice Awards, MSC’s 7-night Baseball Greats cruises feature instructional clinics, Q&As, story-telling sessions, passenger pitching contests, baseball trivia games, and a complimentary autograph session with the baseball stars on board. Hosted by former Yankee star Stan Bahnsen, 2015 itineraries will feature former baseball pros such as Art Shamsky (New York Mets), Gorman Thomas (Milwaukee Brewers), Randy Hundley (Chicago Cubs), and Ken Griffey (Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine”). Prices start at $349 per person for double occupancy.

Carnival Cruise Lines to offer series of longer voyages in 2015-2016

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 07 December 2014 07 December 2014

Carnival Cruise Lines will offer a series of 10- to 14-night voyages on six different ships between October 2015 and February 2016 that feature extended calls at magnificent destinations throughout the Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexican Riviera and The Bahamas.

Reservations opened Friday on 11 different voyages offered on Carnival Miracle, Carnival Dream, Carnival Glory and Carnival Sunshine which depart from Long Beach, Calif., Port Canaveral, Fla., San Juan, Miami, and New Orleans and visit more than two dozen tropical destinations, including less traveled ports like Bonaire, Martinique, Dominica, Grenada and, for the first time on a Carnival ship, Tobago. Several of the 10- and 11-day voyages can be combined into three-week-long Caribbean adventures providing an unmatched combination of breathtaking ports of call, amazing experiences ashore, and fun-filled sea days, all at an incredible value.

These new voyages are in addition to a previously announced series of nine 10- to 14-day departures to the Caribbean and Bermuda offered on Carnival Triumph from Galveston and Carnival Pride from Baltimore in 2015-16.

“Based on feedback from our guests and travel agent partners, we’re delighted to offer these longer length voyages which provide vacationers an opportunity to visit some of the world’s most breathtaking destinations while enjoying all the wonderful on-board innovations and features found aboard Carnival’s ships,” said Terry Thornton, Carnival’s senior vice president of itinerary planning.

The new voyages include:

Carnival Dream

– Oct. 4-15, 2015: 11-day Caribbean/Bermuda cruise from New Orleans to San Juan featuring Nassau, King’s Wharf, Bermuda (overnight call), St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

– Oct. 15-25, 2015: 10-day Caribbean cruise from San Juan to New Orleans with calls at St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Grand Turk, and Falmouth, Jamaica (the above two cruises can be combined to create a 21-day round-trip voyage from New Orleans).  

– Jan. 3-14, 2016:  11-day southern Caribbean cruise from New Orleans to San Juan with stops at Grand Turk, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Kitts, Antigua and St. Maarten

– Jan. 14-25, 2016: a 10-day Caribbean cruise from San Juan to New Orleans calling at St. Thomas, Dominica, St. Kitts, Grand Turk and Falmouth (the above two cruises can be combined to create a 21-day round-trip voyage from New Orleans).

Carnival Glory

– Oct. 31–Nov. 14, 2015: 14-day Caribbean cruise round-trip from Miami visiting Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

·         Jan. 23-Feb. 2, 2016: 10-day cruise from Miami to San Juan calling at the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Thomas.

– Feb. 2-13, 2016: 11-day cruise from San Juan to Miami visiting St. Croix, St. Maarten, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, and Curacao (the above two cruises can be combined to create a 21-day round-trip voyage from Miami).

Carnival Sunshine

– Nov. 28-Dec. 9, 2015: 11-day Caribbean/Bahamas voyage from Port Canaveral, Fla., to San Juan visiting Grand Turk, St. Thomas, Tortola, St. Kitts, Dominica, St. Lucia, Antigua and St. Croix.

– Dec. 9-19, 2015: 10-day Caribbean cruise from San Juan to Port Canaveral featuring St. Thomas, Antigua, Dominica, Martinique, St. Croix, and Grand Turk (the above two cruises can be combined to create a 21-day voyage round-trip from Port Canaveral).

– Feb. 21-March 5, 2016: 13-day southern Caribbean cruise round-trip from Port Canaveral calling at St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados, Scarborough (Tobago), Grenada, Martinique, St. Kitts and St. Thomas.

Carnival Miracle

– Jan. 31- Feb. 12, 2016:  13-day Mexican Riviera voyage round-trip from Long Beach, Calif., calling at Cabo San Lucas (two-day call), La Paz, Mazatlán, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Manzanillo, and Puerto Vallarta (overnight call).

In addition to fantastic dining, entertainment and activity options available on board, each of these destinations offers beautiful beaches, interesting historical attractions and natural landmarks, and unique sightseeing, dining and shopping opportunities.  During these cruises, guests can zipline across the lush countryside, view centuries-old architectural structures, visit world-class museums, and snorkel and scuba dive in crystal-clear waters teeming with tropical fish and other sea life.

Norwegian to have exclusive partnership with Margaritaville

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 05 December 2014 05 December 2014

Cruisers should get their Fins Up and shakers of salt ready, as the first-ever floating Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant and 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar will soon set sail onboard the all-new Norwegian Escape. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Kevin Sheehan announced the news at a company-wide event, with the help of a very special guest – the legendary Jimmy Buffett who performed for the crowd. Norwegian’s exclusive partnership with Margaritaville Holdings LLC extends to Norwegian’s island destinations including the new Harvest Caye in Belize and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, as well as other ships in the fleet.

“Jimmy Buffett is an icon who embodies the island lifestyle and his Margaritaville lifestyle brand which includes restaurants and bars in its portfolio is a perfect fit for Norwegian Cruise Line and the incredible new Norwegian Escape, that will sail the Caribbean and offer our guests the first and only Margaritaville experience at sea,” said Sheehan.  “We are more than thrilled to form this exclusive partnership with Jimmy and his talented team and we know our guests are going to love the new tropical experiences.”

Margaritaville’s iconic name brings to mind the desire in everyone to kick back and escape the everyday, if only for a few hours or days. Norwegian Escape’s Margaritaville restaurant and bar will embody that essence of escapism with a laid back atmosphere inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett. Nostalgic island moments will come to life with a menu that invites guests to take a bite out of paradise with signature items like the Cheeseburger in Paradise and Who's to Blame Margarita. This venue will be one of Norwegian Escape’s many complimentary dining outlets. In addition to the restaurant, Norwegian Escape will feature the 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar, a music venue and outdoor bar on The Waterfront. The 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar will feature live nightly performances so guests can enjoy the sounds of the tropics while sipping a signature margarita or “boat drink” and gazing out to the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

“This partnership is a perfect match between two brands that celebrate escapism, relaxing and having fun,” said John Cohlan, chief executive officer of Margaritaville. “Opening our first Margaritaville at Sea on Norwegian Escape will be a huge milestone for our company. We can’t wait to bring the Margaritaville experience to Norwegian guests and let the floating ‘fin’ begin!”

Along with the venues on Norwegian Escape, the partnership also includes Margaritaville branded food and beverage locations on Norwegian’s new island destination in Harvest Caye, Belize, set to open in fall 2015 and a 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar on Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, planned to also debut in 2015. In the future, the partnership will extend to other ships in the fleet.

Norwegian Escape will begin weekly 7-night cruises from her year-round homeport of Miami to the Eastern Caribbean beginning on November 14, 2015. The ship will be the largest to home port year-round in Miami, carrying 4,200 guests to tropical Caribbean destinations including St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands and Nassau, Bahamas.

CLIA to consolidate headquarters in Washington, DC

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 04 December 2014 04 December 2014

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has announced that in 2015 it will consolidate its U.S. offices into a single location in Washington, DC.

“With the globalization of CLIA, we have added new capabilities and expanded our resources in various parts of the world to support a growing cruise industry,” said Christine Duffy, CLIA President and CEO. In the U.S., CLIA has always maintained two centers of operations. The Arlington, Virginia, office has focused on advocacy, technical and regulatory affairs, communications and organizational operations; while the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, office supported travel agent Members and Executive Partners. “To better serve our Members, CLIA will bring all functions under one roof in Washington, DC,” Duffy said.

In addition, CLIA has hired Cindy D’Aoust as Executive Vice President, Membership and Operations. In this role, D’Aoust will be responsible for managing and expanding the functions previously based in Fort Lauderdale. D’Aoust comes to CLIA from Meeting Professionals International, where she served as Chief Operations Officer, and brings more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry and in membership organizations, including senior roles with Maritz Travel. D’Aoust will also oversee the consolidation of CLIA’s U.S. offices and have responsibility to fill the Vice President, Trade Relations position held most recently by Dwain Wall.

The CLIA Arlington office staff will relocate to a new office in Washington, DC in mid-January. Operations in the Ft. Lauderdale office will conclude in the Spring. Some Florida staff have been asked to consider a transfer to Washington, some will work for CLIA remotely, and others will transition out of the Association.

“I have a great appreciation and regard for our Ft. Lauderdale team and their dedication to our members. CLIA will be providing support to them throughout this transition,” said Duffy.