Royal Caribbean offers Virtual Cruise

VIRTUALLY CRUISING
“The ever-changing FreedomoftheSeas.com sitelet is now giving guests more reasons to embark on a virtual visit of the line’s newest and most innovative cruise ship, Freedom of the Seas. Commissioned by Royal Caribbean, the successful sitelet, a joint effort by Arnold Worldwide and I-Q Interactive, features full-motion video, complete with three-dimensional renderings of the ship’s features folded into onboard scenes for a truly interactive, life-like experience. New content showcasing the ship’s innovative features has been revealed on a rolling basis beginning in July 2005 through the launch of Freedom of the Seas in May 2006.

Some of the newest content on the site is the interactive Art Preview. This area showcases all art onboard Freedom of the Seas, including information on the artists and in-progress pictures of these customized works. Freedom’s onboard art theme is “The Four Elements – Earth, Fire, Air and Water,” each of which the site will visually explore January through April. The sitelet features the Centrum, where the art will encompass all four elements.”

Barbados: Cruise visits down

Cruise visits down
“Barbadian tour businesses are feeling the pinch of a fall off in cruise tourism.The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association says the nearly twenty-two percent drop in passenger arrivals during 2005 has put pressure on these businesses which derive a large percentage of their revenue from cruise ship passengers.

Members of the BHTA say the drop is attributed to a decrease in cruise passenger arrivals, the significant number of guests who are in transit on a fly cruise itinerary, as well as the increasing number of persons on the ships who do not have the purchasing power to buy tours.”

Seabourn Cruise Ships: Insider Tips

Seabourn
“Ultra luxury cruise pioneer Seabourn Cruise Line will team up with Condé Nast Traveler to provide the line’s guests with exclusive, up-to-date information about what’s new, what’s hot and what’s hip in various ports of call, gathered from the pages of the magazine. The innovative complimentary service will be introduced in April 2006, when the line’s three all-suite ships begin their European cruising season.

Dubbed “Condé Nast Traveler’s Seabourn Insider Tips,” the service will provide expert information from the world’s most influential travel magazine, highlighting recommended attractions, suggested lunch spots, popular bars, unique experiences, shopping tips and more, produced in the form of easy-to-carry flyers. The Seabourn Insider Tips service is designed to augment the menu of exclusive shore excursions offered by the line in every port of call, and to offer reliable intelligence for guests who wish to customize their own port activities through the ships’ onboard concierge services.”

Travel News | Don’t get caught all at sea

Travel News | Don’t get caught all at sea
Cruising is officially the new skiing – more people will go on a cruise holiday this year than skiing this winter.

American Express Travel Insurance is advising cruisers to check their insurance before sailing off into the sunset.

Joanne Field, Marketing Manager, American Express Insurance Services, comments: “Travel insurance is just as important on a cruise as for any other type of holiday. Clearly it is reassuring to know that there are trained medics on board but that does not make travel insurance any less essential.”

Insurance: Don’t get caught all at sea

Travel News
“Cruising is officially the new skiing – more people will go on a cruise holiday this year than skiing this winter.

American Express Travel Insurance is advising cruisers to check their insurance before sailing off into the sunset.

Joanne Field, Marketing Manager, American Express Insurance Services, comments: “Travel insurance is just as important on a cruise as for any other type of holiday. Clearly it is reassuring to know that there are trained medics on board but that does not make travel insurance any less essential.”"

Carnival Cruise Lines New Website

Carnival Cruise Lines Launches Social Networking Web Application Through New CarnivalConnections.com Site
“The Internet has proven to be the choice method for many for vacation travel and planning,” said Bob Dickinson, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. “The launch of CarnivalConnections.com enables friends and family members to plan their vacations and group getaways online in just one setting, taking advantage of the web’s unique social networking capabilities.”

“Other site features include the ability for the group coordinator to invite others to consider cruising, get them to vote on which cruise they would like the group to go on, answer poll questions, select a theme for the event, and send messages to all the group members and more. Users also have direct access to current specials from Carnival.com, detailed information on ships, destinations and shore excursions. Lastly, reviews and postings from actual Carnival guests are available.”

Cruise passengers abandoned in Malta

[MaltaMedia.com]
“A couple of Vienna who were on a ship for a seven-day Mediterranean Cruise from Genoa, Italy was abandoned in Malta on their third day, the Washington Post reported. Jim and Okyul Harris were told that they have to go back home from Malta after the ship authorities discovered that the woman had an Israeli stamp on her passport.

The newspaper explained that usually the majority of Islamic Middle Eastern nations, except Egypt and Jordan, prohibit passengers to travel if they have Israeli stamps on their passports. However, it added, that the Costa Cruise ship had informed passengers that these travellers would be allowed to stay on the cruise liner but would be prohibited to step land during the ship’s brief stops.”

Cruise worker charged with sexual battery

AP Wire
“A Royal Caribbean cruise employee was arrested and charged with attempting to rape a passenger during a weeklong cruise, authorities said.

Henry Maceto Forbes, 34, was arrested Saturday when the Legend of the Seas docked in the Port of Tampa, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.”

Gay cruise decision defended

Cayman Islands – Cay Compass News Online
“The Cayman Islands Government has a responsibility to allow the all–gay cruise participants to come to shore tomorrow from the ship Navigator of the Seas, Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts said at the Cabinet press briefing on Friday.

As many as 3,200 homosexual men and women passengers will be aboard the ship on a cruise organised by Atlantis Events and billed as “The Largest Gay Cruise in History II”.”

Cruise Poll Picks Top Ships

Cruise Critic
“In a sign that cruise travelers are increasingly diverse in interests, from lifestyle to destination, Cruise Critic reveals that the top picks in its Cruisers’ Choice Poll range from luxury ships (Radisson Seven Seas’ Mariner) to exotic destinations (Princess’ Cruises’ Tahitian Princess) and from family-oriented (Disney Magic and Disney Wonder) to the ultra-recreational Navigator of the Seas.

Other top picks include MSC Opera, Norwegian Jewel, Sea Princess, Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas and Celebrity Constellation.”