Cruise Weekly News

Keep in mind that many large ships cruise ocean waters, but some of the smaller ones set sail on large lakes and even rivers. Decide what type of experience you want, whether a tropical get away to a Caribbean island or an Alaskan holiday adventure. In your search for the perfect cruise for you, meet with a few different Cruise Planners Lynbrook New York NY  travel agents to get the scoop on price, seasonal discounts, airfare combinations, and schedules. A Lynbrook Cruise Planners can tell you which cruise line and package is right for your journey, based on what types of activities and excursions you are interested in. If you want a real close look at each cruise ship, take a virtual tour online of each one. Check out each Caribbean island or other destination to come up with the itinerary that’s right for you and your fellow travelers. This will give you a good idea of what your cruise vacation can look like. Many online cruise line and vacation sites provide photo galleries, customer testimonials, free estimates, news and reviews, and travel information. Before committing to a travel agent, find out how many years the company has been in business, what qualifications the company has and what services the company specializes in, such as cruise vacations or holiday package deals. Ask if the travel agent is part of a local, national or international entity, and whether it has a website you can check out for additional information. Before booking a cruise adventure and setting sail, make sure you have everything in writing—airfare, price, dates, and cruise line information.

People who want to go on a vacation where they are constantly pampered will often take cruises. Many cruise lines have luxurious, multi-storied ships that offer a wide variety of activities to guests. Some cruises offer swimming pools, lap pools, spas and saunas for the guests’ pleasure. Most packages on cruises include meals and gratuities, so that guests need not bother with carrying extra cash while on board. Cruises often vary in how they accommodate alcohol consumption by their guests and people often inquire about this when planning for the amount of cash to take on cruises. Cruise ships sometimes stop on islands or other land masses and guests disembark to explore and shop there.

Published and credited by cruiseindustrynews.com on March 9, 2009

Carnival Cruise Lines is launching a new promotion offering “cash back” of up to $240 per stateroom for a wide range of “Fun Ship” departures this summer.

The new promotion is available in conjunction with virtually all three- to eight-day summer departures, including voyages to the Caribbean, Bahamas and Mexico from 14 convenient North American homeports. Bookings must be made between March 9 – May 10, 2009, to qualify for the promotion, which is valid with the line’s “Fun Select” advance purchase discount fares.

The cash back option is provided in the form of a shipboard credit that can be redeemed once on board. Guests will receive a $100 per stateroom shipboard credit on three- and four-day cruises; $150 per stateroom shipboard credit on five-day voyages; and $240 per stateroom shipboard credit for six-, seven- and eight-day sailings.

The shipboard credit is automatically applied on guests’ Sail & Sign accounts when they board their cruise and can be redeemed toward shore excursions, spa treatments, supper club reservations, gift shop items and a variety of other shipboard purchases. Any unused funds at the end of the cruise will be returned to guests on debarkation day in the form of a check.

“A ‘Fun Ship’ cruise is already an affordable vacation option for today’s value-conscious consumers and this new promotion – which provides guests with cash back that can be used toward any shipboard purchase — makes the value of a Carnival cruise even more outstanding,” said Lynn Torrent, Carnival’s senior vice president of sales and guest services.

The new promotion is capacity controlled and applies to new individual bookings for stateroom categories 4A to 11. Please call your local cruise travel agent or visit www.nycvaluecruise.com to speak with a CLIA Accredited Cruise Counsellor (ACC), Kenneth Chow on specific times available.

Carnival is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages ranging from three to 16 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Europe, and Bermuda. The line currently has two new ships scheduled for delivery between now and 2011. The first of those, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, is set to debut Sept. 21, 2009.

Credited and published on: March 12, 2009 by travelpulse.com

Carnival Cruise Lines for the first time will operate seven-day Alaska cruises roundtrip from Seattle beginning in May 2010. In total, 17 week-long Alaska cruises will operate from the Port of Seattle from May 11 to Aug. 31, 2010, departing Tuesdays aboard the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit. Port calls include Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, as well as Victoria Island and cruising Tracy Arm Fjord. The Carnival Spirit also features an onboard naturalist who educates guests on the region’s history and points out animal and marine life from the ship’s bridge. This year, the Spirit is operated open-jaw Alaska cruises between Vancouver and Whittier, the port for Anchorage. “Seattle is a terrific addition to Carnival’s industry-leading number of North American departure points,” said Lynn Torrent, Carnival’s senior vice president of sales and guest services. “It will provide our guests with a convenient and affordable air transportation option, as well as the opportunity for those in the Western region of the U.S. to drive to Seattle.”
Prior to the start-up of the new program, Carnival Spirit will operate two special voyages — a six-day Inside Passage cruise from Vancouver to Seattle departing May 5, 2010, and a seven-day Glacier Bay cruise from Seattle to Vancouver Sept. 7, 2010. Both voyages include a cruise through the Inside Passage along with calls at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. The seven-day cruise also includes a day of cruising in Glacier Bay. Reservations are being accepted for Carnival’s 2010 Alaska cruises from Seattle. For more information, please visit your local cruise travel agent.

Keep in mind that many large ships cruise ocean waters, but some of the smaller ones set sail on large lakes and even rivers. Decide what type of experience you want, whether a tropical get away to a Caribbean island or an Alaskan holiday adventure. In your search for the perfect cruise for you, meet with a few different Garden City, New York NY cruise travel agent specialists to get the scoop on price, seasonal discounts, airfare combinations, and schedules. He or she can tell you which cruise line and package is right for your journey, based on what types of activities and excursions you are interested in. If you want a real close look at each cruise ship, take a virtual tour online of each one. Check out each Caribbean island or other destination to come up with the itinerary that’s right for you and your fellow travelers. This will give you a good idea of what your cruise vacation can look like. Many online cruise line and vacation sites provide photo galleries, customer testimonials, free estimates, news and reviews, and travel information. Before committing to a Garden City, New York NY cruise travel agent specialist, find out how many years the company has been in business, what qualifications the company has and what services the company specializes in, such as cruise vacations or holiday package deals. Ask if the travel agent is part of a local, national or international entity, and whether it has a website you can check out for additional information. Before booking a cruise adventure and setting sail, make sure you have everything in writing—airfare, price, dates, and cruise line information.

People who want to go on a vacation where they are constantly pampered will often take cruises. Many cruise lines have luxurious, multi-storied ships that offer a wide variety of activities to guests. Some cruises offer swimming pools, lap pools, spas and saunas for the guests’ pleasure. Most packages on cruises include meals and gratuities, so that guests need not bother with carrying extra cash while on board. Cruises often vary in how they accommodate alcohol consumption by their guests and people often inquire about this when planning for the amount of cash to take on cruises. Cruise ships sometimes stop on islands or other land masses and guests disembark to explore and shop there.

Following are important questions you should ask when shopping for a cruise vacation: If the person you are talking to is hesitant, won’t answer or doesn’t know the answer to these questions, say thank you, walk out or hang up the phone.

• Is the agency a member of Cruise Line International Assoc. (CLIA)?
• Is the agency insured and bonded?
• Does the agency have a CLIA Master or Accredited Cruise Counselor on staff? If not, does it have a cruise specialist? (If the agent is an Accredited or Master Cruise Counselor you can skip the next question.)
• How many cruises has the agent taken? (Should be more than 5 with at least 3 different cruise lines–the more the better!)
• When I book my cruise will the agent provide me with a direct confirmation from the cruise line and a booking number? (Very important!)
• When was the last time the agent cruised? (Should have cruised within the past 2 years.)
• Will the agent be the only person who will be handling my cruise transaction from start to finish? (At Cruise Planners, one person will be handling your cruise transaction from start to finish, reducing the chance for errors.)
• Will the agent help me select my shore excursions?
• Will the agent be available to answer any questions and concerns before and after my cruise?
• If the agent suggests a particular ship or itinerary, ask why they are recommending this particular cruise line, ship or destination.
• Will the agent monitor my booking and honor any price reductions or newly added promotions (reduction in airfare, upgrades, etc.) that may occur from the time of deposit until I cruise?