This Week’s Handpicked Deals

Royal Caribbean Kids Sail Free to Europe

Now through May 31st, Royal Caribbean is offering select 9-Night cruises to Europe where children that are 11 and under sail free. Don’t miss out on this unbelievable offer! Read more about this sale here.

NCL Alaska Bonus Days

For three days only; today May 18th through May 20th, NCL is offering $100 onboard credit on all open for sale Alaska cruises!

What I really like about this offer is that it is for all cabin types and categories, and there are very few restrictions, you can even combine this with other onboard credit offers from CruiseDeals.com!

Here is my favorite Norwegian Alaska cruise deal:

Looking for something different? You can search all NCL Alaska cruise deals here. However, because this sale is not combinable with certain rate codes, it is best give us a call at 800-668-6414 to confirm your eligibility and book this offer.
 

On Deck: What’s Coming Up Next Week

Tuesday Price Drops

Each Tuesday brings fantastic price drops for one day only from both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Both cruise lines offer these weekly cruise deals on a handful of sailings, usually departing in the next few months, featuring seriously discounted rates. Don’t miss out on these great rates on Tuesday, because once Wednesday comes around the prices will go right back up!

Don’t want to wait until Tuesday? CruiseDeals.com is now offering the ability to pre-reserve these special rates. Call 800-668-6414 for more information.

As usual, I’ve done some research for you and picked out what I think are the best deals from each cruise line’s sale:

Celebrity

Royal Caribbean

What’s happing in the cruise world this week?  A new cruise app from Crystal Cruises lets you share postcards from your journey, and did you know you can take an Alaskan King Crab or Lobster Festival cruise on American Cruise Line? 

 Sign me up for all-you-can-eat crab or lobster! 

There was also two exciting cruise ship christenings that took place this past week from Oceania Cruises and Avalon Waterways.

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Crystal Cruises Introduces New Cruise Ap to Let Cruisers Share Virtual Postcards
In a luxury cruise industry first, Crystal Cruises has created an iPhone app to help travelers literally and figuratively share custom postcard images of their journeys via social media, email and even “snail mail.”  Incorporating the personalized memoir look and feel of the line’s just-launched “Begin a New Story” brand campaign, “The Storyteller” photo-customization app is available for free download from iTunes.

The user-friendly app invites both tech-savvy and tech-timid travelers to snap a memorable moment, stunning view, or new friend with their iPhone, and then use the app to add professional-style effects and share the image on one’s own Facebook page, Crystal Cruises’ Facebook page, or via email.  The “Storyteller” even provides an option to create an actual paper postcard that can be personally signed and mailed to friends and family with the tap of a touchscreen. 

American Cruise Line Introduce Culinary Theme Cruises
American Cruise Lines recently announced their new Culinary Cruise Collection, a various selection of cruises that place special emphasis on the trademark cuisine of specific cruising regions, including Alaska, New England, the Chesapeake Bay, the Mississippi River and the Pacific Northwest.  Theme cruises include:

• Alaskan King Crab Cruise
• Lobster Festival Cruise
• Crabfest Cruise
• Culinary & Wine Themed Cruise
• Savories of the South Cruise 

Oceania Cruises Christens Riviera in Barcelona
Oceania Cruises christened Riviera, the newest entry in the upper-premium cruise ship market, during an invitation-only, gala ceremony in Barcelona this week for 1,300 guests. The ship’s godmother, Chef Cat Cora, the restaurateur, humanitarian, author, and co-host of Bravo’s new “Around the World in 80 Plates,” named the ship, joined by Deacon Ricardo Rodriguez-Martos of the Barcelona’s Apostleship of the Sea, who bestowed the traditional blessings.

Like Marina, her sister ship, Riviera also features a Bon Appétit Culinary Center, a Canyon Ranch SpaClub®, luxurious suites by Dakota Jackson, Ralph Lauren Home-furnished Owner’s Suites, and a grand Lalique staircase lit from above by a dazzling, custom-made chandelier. Her distinguishing features include a museum-worthy collection of fine art focusing on the works of some of Latin America’s most accomplished and admired contemporary artists and an Artist Loft with hands-on instruction.

Avalon Waterways Christens Two Suite River Cruise Ships
Avalon Waterways unveiled and christened two Suite Ships in Enkhuizen, Holland – the Avalon Visionary and the Avalon Vista.  Guests gathered to witness two godmothers (TRAVELSAVERS’ Nicole Mazza served for the Avalon Visionary and Canadian travel insider Vanessa Lee for the the Avalon Vista) bless two Suite Ships docked parallel to one another on either side of the beautiful pier in the North Holland marina.

The Avalon Visionary and Avalon Vista mark the company’s 2^nd and 3rd Suite Ships in just 12 months.  Post-christening, the Avalon Visionary will introduce Panorama Suites to the Rhine River in 2012, sailing the 8-day Romantic Rhine cruise (starting at $1,849) as well as several Christmastime cruises.  The Avalon Vista will sail the 11-day Legendary Danube cruise (starting at $1,839) and 13-day Blue Danube Discovery (priced from $2,249) as well as the 15-day Magnificent Europe vacation.

Take a Europe cruise and bring the Kids for Free!

It may sound too good to be true, but now through May 31st, when you book select Royal Caribbean cruises to Europe, kids sail FREE.

Here are the details:

Children 11 and under sailing as the 3rd and 4th guests in a stateroom sail free on: any 9-Night or longer Royal Caribbean Europe cruise departing between July and December, 2012. Transatlantic and the Independence of the Seas sailings are excluded

Keep in mind, government taxes and fees are additional for all guests.

My Handpicked  Deal from this Offer:

Looking for something different? There are over 20 sailings that are part of this special sale. Search more of these Europe cruise deals here.

Of course, as with many promotions, this offer has some restrictions; the main things to keep in mind with this one are that it is for new bookings only and it cannot be combined with any other offer.

This is an unbelievable offer, and I highly suggest families try to take advantage of it. Sales like this are definitely once in a blue moon. So don’t miss out on this amazing Europe cruise deal, call CruiseDeals.com at 800-668-6414 to book !

This Week’s Handpicked Deals

Celebrity Bermuda & Alaska with up to $800 Credit

On top of incredibly low rates, Celebrity is offering $100 to $800 per stateroom onboard credit on select 2012 Alaska and Bermuda cruises when you book now through May 20th

The amount of onboard credit varies by the type of stateroom booked, and applies to 7-Nights or longer Celebrity Alaska and Bermuda cruises departing June through September, 2012.

Of course, I had to pick out my favorite deals for each destination. Be sure to check them out below. Or, you can search all applicable Bermuda cruise deals here and all applicable Alaska cruise deals here.

New Year’s Cruise Deal

It is no secret holiday travel can get pricey, and in my experience New Year’s cruises deals are not necessarily easy to come by, so when I came across this particular New Year’s cruise I just had to share it;

On Deck: What’s Coming up Next Week

Price Drop Tuesday

Look forward to some significant price drops for one day only on Tuesday from both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Both cruise lines each offer these sales each week, where rates have been reduced on a handful of sailings, usually departing in the next few months. Rates go right back up on Wednesday, so don’t miss out on taking advantage of these great rates! Keep in mind, because these rates are so discounted, they cannot be combined with any other offer.

CruiseDeals.com is also now offering the opportunity to “pre-reserve” these one day price drops starting today. Give us a call at 800-668-6414 and we’ll give you all the details!

As usual, I’ve done the research and picked out what I think are the best picks from both sales:

Jared Sherlock Pulls a Stunt at Cruise Holidays Meeting

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of Cruise Holidays franchise owners and agents.

The weekend consisted of lots of workshops and presentations, but the evenings were spent doing what many of us enjoy doing best: socializing!

Saturday night, a young man named Jared Sherlock entertained our group. He’s a magician, but as we soon found out, he could probably moonlight (when he’s not doing evening magic shows) as a comedian. This guy was funny – I don’t want to divulge the details of his final act, but he had us practically rolling in the aisles!

Since it’s a couple days later and I’m still thinking about Jared’s show, I thought I’d pass along a few things I was reminded of. You could call them life lessons, or maybe even business lessons. Yes, these lessons do come from an illusionist, but they don’t stand to disappear any time soon.

The 4 Lessons Learned

1. Roll with the punches.

I know Jared Sherlock is a professional entertainer, but all of us could stand to be reminded that when life throws you anything – whether it be lemons or something much more light-hearted – just go with it! Case in point: one of the staff members brought his four year old son to see the show, and they were sitting in the front row. Within about five minutes of some basic interaction with the audience, it was clear that little Kaden was going to be up on stage, and soon. Some of the hilarious things that came out of Kaden’s mouth could not be scripted. Somehow, Jared just fed off it, and from that point on, he had all of us in the palm of his hand.

Smile, and the World Smiles with You

2. Smile.

See point number one – he’s an entertainer – but great attitudes are contagious. There’s a reason why comedy shows sell out – it’s because people like to laugh and have a good time. Jared’s on-stage persona wasn’t fake. You could tell he was having a good time, and he just wanted us to enjoy the evening with him.

3. Thank your clients, or whomever else you’re thankful for.

At the end of his show, we felt like Jared really appreciated being able to perform for us. Today, I noticed he’d even shared some pictures on his Facebook page that we had originally posted on our own Facebook. Sure, self-promotion on his part, but he’s so darn likeable we came away wanting to promote him.

This is a concept I once learned from marketing guru Peter Shankman: Self-promotion is getting other people to want to do your promotion for you.

4. Master your craft.

We couldn’t believe some of the crazy tricks Jared performed. He’s obviously spent hours and hours – maybe years – working on his show. It contained lots of surprises and even some danger – and who doesn’t love a little bit of that? But when it was time for the big finale, his tireless preparation paid off.

The longer I work in my field, the more I feel I need to learn. Sometimes, when we first enter a situation, we are so sure we know all the answers because we earned a college degree in it, or we have some other type of qualification. But I really feel like certain elements of my own professional game are just now starting to become more polished – 15 years after college. You may find the same holds true for yourself. If Jared’s doing this stuff now, what a thrill it’ll be to catch him on a cruise ship or in Vegas some day!

Practice Makes Perfect for Jared Sherlock

See more photos from the Cruise Holidays Mid-Year Meeting here.

CruiseSource’s Cruise News

Enjoy our brief round-up of important cruise stories happening this week.  It’s good to know that you can now satisfy your vegetarian palette onboard Holland America Line, and experience the indulgent “Suite Life” on Celebrity Cruises!

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Holland America Line Introduces New Alternative Vegetarian Menu
Holland America Line has introduced a new alternative, vegetarian-only menu, as well as 30 new vegetarian dishes to their main dining room menu, furthering the line’s commitment to providing exceptional dining experiences for all guests.

Holland America Line’s award-winning Master Chef Rudi Sodamin has designed an exclusive 22-dish vegetarian and vegan menu that highlights vegetables and other naturally healthy ingredients in vibrant, flavorful culinary selections.

The alternative menu includes a full range of appetizers, salads, soups and main entrées, and is available upon request at no extra cost for lunch and dinner in the main dining room aboard all 15 ships in the fleet.

Celebrity Cruises Upgrades Suite Offerings
Vacationers who love a rich array of luxurious services and amenities have always enjoyed an indulgent experience while sailing in any Celebrity Cruises suite. And now, the “suite life” on Celebrity — already offering one of the industry’s broadest array of luxury amenities – is even sweeter.

In addition to one of Celebrity’s most idolized suite offerings – modern, 24/7 butler service that has consistently yielded rave reviews – suite guests now will enjoy an even broader list of services and amenities, including the Celebrity eXhale™ bedding program, with premium mattresses, 100% Egyptian cotton linens, and plush duvets and pillows; BVLGARI luxury bath products; dual iPod/iPad docking stations; reserved theater seating, and an upgraded “welcome” bottle of Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine, complete with a commemorative label featuring exclusive artwork from ArtCenter/South Florida artists.

Costa Introduces New Flagship Fascinosa
Costa recently introduced their new flagship Fascinosa at a ceremony in Venice, Italy.   Together with sister ship Costa Favolosa, the Fascinosa is now the largest Italian-flagged passenger vessel at 114,500 gross tons and carrying 3,800 total guests.  The delivery ceremony was attended by Italy’s Minister of Tourism Piero Gnudi, and his daughter Elsa was the godmother of the new flagship.

Costa Cruises and Fincantieri made a joint donation to the Papa Giovanni XXIII Community by Father Oreste Benzi, for the “Rainbow Project,” which aids children in need worldwide and is supported by Elsa Gnudi. The Fascinosa will sail weeklong cruises in the Mediterranean from Venice and from Bari, and will sail to South America for the winter season, calling in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas to Undergo Renovation
Royal Caribbean International’s Grandeur of the Seas will undergo a five week long dry dock renovation totaling $48 million at the Navantia ship yard in Cadiz, Spain.  Grandeur of the Seas’ renovations will include technological upgrades, new entertainment offerings, a new Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty guests, a Concierge Lounge for suite guests and top-tier loyalty guests, a transformed Viking Crown Lounge and an overall refreshment of furniture, carpet, upholstery and staterooms.

The ship will also receive a variety of new restaurant venues including Giovanni’s Table, an Italian trattoria; Izumi Asian Cuisine; Park Café, an outdoor market; Chops Grille, the cruise line’s signature steakhouse; and Chef’s Table – an exclusive five-course dinner and wine pairing event hosted by the Executive Chef and Sommelier.

This video just released today by Royal Caribbean caught my attention.

Once upon time, I was a club kid and now as an official cruise geek, I love it when the cruise lines get creative with their entertainment options.

So, I had to share it… I’ve never experienced a Silent Party, but according to the video they are popular in Europe.

Seems like it would be strange to walk into a dance club, hear no music, and see people dancing around to two different beats since they have 2 DJs to choose from in their headphones.   But, It would be cool to actually be able to have a conversation in a dance club.

Do you think you would like the Silent Party?  Let us know in the comments below.