We've got seven pithy items to keep you up to date on the latest happenings across the cruise industry. Get the skinny on new low-carb menus, take advantage of Amtrak's rail and cruise offer, save on stays in Seattle before or after your cruise and more.
Alaska Cruise Season Sees Bumpy Opening
Did someone move around all the rocks and docks during Alaska's long, cold winter? It seemed that way as the season's first few weeks saw three ships in minor accidents.
On May 10, the LeConte, one of eight ferries operated by the Alaska Marine Highway system, ran aground on Cozian Reef in Peril Strait, a narrow waterway between coastal Sitka and the Inside Passage. One day later, Glacier Bay Cruiseline's 76-passenger Wilderness Adventurer sustained minor hull damage when she struck sharp ice that had calved off of Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm. All passengers aboard both ships were evacuated without injury.
On May 23, while docking in Victoria, British Columbia, Princess's new Diamond Princess sustained a few scrapes but no significant damage when high winds forced her into collision with a small finger pier. Divers reported that the tips of the vessel's starboard propeller had been slightly bent, but nothing more than scratches was reported to the hull.
LeConte's grounding forced the Alaska Marine Highway to reshuffle its fleet and enlist the aid of Alaska Catamaran LLC to continue providing necessary services. Glacier Bay expects Wilderness Adventurer to be repaired quickly, with no cancellation of sailings. Delays in Victoria and propeller repairs in Seattle forced the cancellation of two port calls on Diamond Princess's next sailing, for which guests were compensated with a $250 per-person onboard credit. Since her departure from Seattle, the ship has reportedly operated to its normal parameters, and no further sailings are expected to be affected.
Click here for a review of Diamond Princess.
Royal Caribbean Launches Liberty, Heads Back to Haiti
On May 14, Royal Caribbean (800/398-9819, www.royalcaribbean.com) officially unveiled its new New York area cruise terminal, Cape Liberty, located on the west side of the Hudson in Bayonne, New Jersey. Assembled dignitaries included Bayonne mayor Joseph V. Doria, who commended Royal Caribbean's "intrepidness" in coming to his city, and New Jersey governor James E. McGreevy, who quipped that, having been born in nearby Jersey City, "I always knew Bayonne was a vacation resort."
Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas are homeported at Cape Liberty through October, sailing to the Caribbean, Canada, and Bermuda. The facility, a former military and industrial zone, is in the initial stages of a multi-year redevelopment project that will eventually encompass residential and office space, film studios, light industry, and recreational and park areas. It's current industrial vibe is offset by extensive and inexpensive parking, easy access from Newark International Airport, and bus service from nearby states. Currently, Royal Caribbean is in negotiations to provide ferry service from Manhattan.
Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, Royal Caribbean announced it would resume port calls at Labadee, its peninsular resort on the northern coast of Haiti.
The line dropped Labadee from its itineraries in February during the political unrest that swept President Jean Bertrand Aristide from power.
Based on assurances from an independent security firm, three of RCI's Voyager-class ships will resume weekly calls to the peninsula immediately: Voyager of the Seas beginning May 24, Mariner of the Seas May 25, and Navigator of the Seas May 27. Extra security measures put in place during the unrest will continue after port calls resume.
Labadee is a rarity among cruise lines' private islands in that it gives visitors a real glimpse of island culture. At the straightforwardly named "Folkloric Show," a large, colorfully costumed troupe performs Haiti's distinctly African brand of dancing, drumming, and song, while bands at the various bars and restaurants perform the kind of acoustic guitar, banjo, and percussion "mento" music that was a precursor to reggae and other Caribbean styles. Five beaches are spread around the peninsula, one of which includes an offshore children's aqua-park called Arawak Cay, full of floating trampolines, inflatable iceberg-shaped slides, and water seesaws. Kayaking and parasailing are offered from a dock nearby. The peninsula is reserved solely for guests of Royal Caribbean and its sister-line, Celebrity Cruises.
Princess News: A Godmother for Sapphire & a Grand Tour of Europe in 2005
Every ship needs a godmother, and this week Princess (800/PRINCESS, www.princess.com) let on that Sapphire Princess, the line's third new vessel in almost as many months, will be christened in Seattle on June 10 by Nancy Murkowski, a lifelong Alaskan and wife of Alaska governor Frank Murkowski. Following her big party, the 116,000-ton, 2,670-passenger Sapphire will sail 7-night Inside Passage cruises roundtrip from Seattle, visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria, BC, and glacier cruising in Tracy Arm. Sister-ship Diamond Princess was christened in February, followed by the Grand-class vessel Caribbean Princess in April.
With Caribbean Princess set to hold the fort in the Caribbean year-round, Princess has also announced that it will position its other three Grand-class ships and two smaller vessels in Europe for summer 2005 -- a significant expansion of its European presence.
The 109,000-ton, 2,600-passenger Grand Princess -- the first of the Grand ships, and once the biggest passenger ship in the world -- will sail in the Mediterranean, offering 12-night cruises between Barcelona and Venice (visiting ports in Italy, Turkey, France, and Greece) and Rome and Venice, concentrating on the Greek Isles with an additional stops in Turkey, Italy, and Croatia.
Sister-ship Golden Princess will sail the British Isles and Western Europe, offering three 10-night itineraries sailing roundtrip from Southampton, UK. The British Isles itinerary takes passengers on a circuit of Britain, with calls at Dublin and Belfast (Ireland), Holyhead (Wales), and Glasgow, Kirkwall, and Edinburgh (Scotland). The new Western Europe Capitals cruise visits London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Oslo, and Copenhagen, while the Western Europe/British Isles itinerary calls at Dublin, Glasgow, Bergen (Norway), Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, and Le Havre.
Third sister Star Princess heads to the Baltic for the first time, offering two different 10-night itineraries. The Scandinavia/Russia sailings roundtrip from Copenhagen include calls at Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn (Estonia), Gdansk (Poland), and Oslo, with an overnight stay for two full days in St. Petersburg. An alternate Baltic Heritage itinerary replaces Oslo with Warnem?nde, Germany, with excursions taking passengers to Berlin. The sailing includes an overnight stay in Copenhagen.
In addition to the Grand-class ships, Princess's older Sea Princess (originally a Princess ship but currently sailing for sister line P&O Cruises as Adonia) will return to the Princess fleet at spring 2005 and operate a number of different European voyages from Southampton. As part of the fleet swap, the beloved old Royal Princess will leave the Princess fleet after her May 12, 2005, sailing, and will thereafter sail for P&O.
Crystal Goes Atkins, Offers Low-Carb Luxe
It seems that less is still more, even when you're paying big bucks for ultra-luxury cruise cuisine. Beginning this month, high-end Crystal Cruises (800/820-6663, www.crystalcruises.com) will begin offering low-carb options in all of its restaurants fleetwide. The three-course menus are based on recipes with carefully calculated carbohydrate counts and include an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. For instance...
- Plum Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella with Balsamic Tossed Mixed Greens (20.5g total carbs), Sautéed Veal Scaloppini on low-carb Spaghetti with Broccoli and Lemon Sauce (18.5g total carbs), Decaffeinated Coffee Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries (18.5g total carbs);
- Tuna Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing (7.4g total carbs), Sautéed Chicken Breast with Balsamic-Teriyaki Sauce on Stir Fried Vegetables (20.1g total carbs), Trio of Cr? Brulees (15.3g total carbs); and
- Tartar of Smoked Salmon with Dill Cucumbers (8.5g total carbs), Porcini-dusted Filet Mignon with Grilled Asparagus, Cauliflower, and Mustard Hollandaise (25.8g total carbs), Flourless Cheese Cake with Sugar Free Strawberry Sauce (23.5g total carbs).
Beyond the formal and specialty restaurants, special selections will even be available at the ships' ice cream bars, buffets, poolside grills, and afternoon teas.
NCL Expands Freestyle Connection Program, Offering Amtrak Discounts
Over the past several years the paradigm has shifted for how people begin their cruise. Back then, unless you lived in Florida, Southern California, New York, or Vancouver, you were stuck usually taking a plane to your port of embarkation. Today, new homeports are popping up like mushrooms along both U.S. coasts, and now a deal between Norwegian Cruise Line and Amtrak makes beginning your trip as easy as commuting to work (though a lot more romantic).
The program -- part of Amtrak's Rail and Cruise discount program, which also covers sailings on Carnival and Holland America -- offers discounts of up to 25 percent for travel between cities throughout the U.S. and Canada and the ship's homeport. It's available through December 31, 2005.
NCL's Freestyle Connection also offers add-on travel by bus (New York and Miami sailings only), limousine/sedan, and air to U.S. homeports. Guests can find information on fares, pickup points, times, locations, and blackout dates for rail travel at www.ncl.com under "More Info."
Guests can find information on fares, pickup points, times, locations, and blackout dates at www.ncl.com under "More Info."
The Amtrak program is also described at www.amtrak.com/savings/railandcruise.html.
Orient Express Hotels to Acquire "Afloat in France" River Cruise Company
Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., which manages luxury properties worldwide, has entered into agreement to acquire the river and barge line Afloat in France (800/313-2702, www.bargeaif.com), whose five 6- to 12-passenger luxury canal barges offer cruises in the canals of Burgundy and Provence.
In describing the impetus for the purchase, Orient Express cited a marked drop in canal-trip bookings by Americans, owing to the weakness of the U.S. dollar and disputes between the U.S. and French governments over the Iraq war. With Afloat in France currently unprofitable and on the market, Orient Express felt it should acquire the business and its assets now "to be in a position to benefit from the market recovery," according to a statement.
Mayflower Park Hotel Offers Discounts to Travelers Sailing from Seattle
Seattle is booming as cruise homeport, and the city's Mayflower Park Hotel (405 Olive Way, tel. 800/426-5100, www.mayflowerpark.com) wants its share of the action. "With so many cruise ships coming and going from Seattle we decided to create an easy way for our guests to put their travel adventure on Cruise Control and let us take care of the details," said Stacia Williams, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, describing its new "Cruise Control" discount offer, which includes room tariff, shuttle transportation from the hotel to Pier 30 or Pier 69, and 50% off extended-stay overnight valet parking for cruise guests.
The Cruise Control Special starts at $159 for a classic guest room, and $179 for a deluxe room. Extended stay parking is available for $10 per night with a seven-day maximum. Built in 1927, the renovated Mayflower Park Hotel is one of the last remaining locally owned and independent hotels in the Seattle area. It's connected to the upscale shops of Westlake shopping center and is flanked by Nordstrom and the Bon Marché, and its bar, Oliver's Lounge, also serves up the best martinis in Seattle.
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