December 11, 2003 -- Celebrities are flocking to cruises for christenings, weddings, anniversaries and a little TLC in this edition of our cruise news roundup.
Iraq POW Jessica Lynch to Serve as Godmother to Carnival's Newest Ship
Last week, Carnival Cruise Lines announced that Jessica Lynch, celebrity POW of the early days of the Iraq war, had been tapped to christen its newest ship, Carnival Miracle.
The former Army private will break the traditional bottle of champagne across Miracle's bow at a February 27th naming ceremony in Jacksonville, Florida, immediately preceding a special three-day inaugural cruise. The inaugural will be the first ever held at the Port of Jacksonville, which only recently became a cruise homeport as the industry continues to expand beyond its traditional Miami/Ft. Lauderdale base.
As part of the arrangement, Carnival will make what president and CEO Bob Dickinson called "a significant contribution" to the Jessica Lynch Foundation, established to provide scholarships to children of soldiers and to students at Wirt County (West Virginia) High School, Lynch's alma mater. For more information, go to www.carnival.com or call 800/327-9501.
Love Boat Actress to Tie Knot on Love Boat
Old sitcoms never die, they just turn into marketing tools. Such has been the case for two decades with Princess Cruises and The Love Boat, that seminally cheesy classic of late-70s/early-80s TV. Princess may have sold off the actual old Love Boats (the twin ships Island Princess and Pacific Princess) a few years ago, but that won't stop Jill Whelan, aka Captain Stubing's TV daughter Vicki, from getting hitched aboard the line's newest ship, Caribbean Princess, on April 2.
Whelan played Vicki throughout the show's nine-year run, starting at age 11. "Some of the best memories I have came from being a part of that show," says the actress. Appropriately, Captain S himself (Gavin McLeod) and other members of the Love Boat cast will be in attendance. Like most weddings held aboard Princess's ships, this one will be broadcast in real time via the chapel's webcam, with still photos updated every six minutes and viewable at www.princess.com.
Following the ceremony, the bride and groom will spend their honeymoon aboard Caribbean Princess's inaugural voyage. A bit of trivia: At 116,000 tons and carrying 3,100-passengers, Caribbean Princess will be approximately six times the size of the original Love Boats. She'll also be the largest ship in the Princess fleet, and sail year-round in (guess where) the Caribbean.
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises Teams with Carita Spas of Paris
Maybe it's a trend, maybe it's not, but this week Radisson Seven Seas Cruises signed a deal with Carita of Paris to take over control of their onboard spas. It thus becomes the second major line in a month to alter the management of its spa services, after Princess.
For the past decade, the cruise spa industry has been dominated by Steiner of London and its familiar army of green-frocked, British-accented masseuses and beauty therapists. Steiner operates spas on more than 100 ships, including Radisson's Radisson Diamond. While very successful, the company's practice of having employees hawk pricey beauty products at the end of each treatment session has been criticized frequently.
Carita of Paris has operated the spa on Radisson's Tahiti ship, the Paul Gauguin, since 1997, while Judith Jackson spas currently operates on the line's other ships, Seven Seas Mariner, Seven Seas Navigator, and Seven Seas Voyager. The changeover to Carita will take effect this month on those three ships, while Steiner will stay on with Radisson Diamond until March.
Carita was founded in 1950 by sisters Rosy and Maria Carita and has attracted celebrity clients such as Catherine Deneuve, Isabel Adjani, and Anita Eckberg. Aboard Radisson's ships, the Carita spas will be staffed by Carita-trained therapists and hairdressers imported from Parisian salons. In addition to cruise standards like anti-stress, therapeutic, and hot-rock massage, hydrotherapy, reflexology, aromatherapy, body wraps, facials, and manicure/pedicure treatments, Carita will also offer its exclusive Pro-Lift skin care therapies and R?vateur exfoliating process, a company specialty since 1960.
Last month, Princess Cruises announced that it was creating a new, self-managed, Asian-themed spa program for its two newest ships, Caribbean Princess and Sapphire Princess, which are due to enter service next April and May. They'll feature the usual array of massage, rejuvenation, and beauty treatments, plus innovations such as yoga classes serenaded by a live string quartet; natural, sea-based treatment and beauty products created by the French company Phytomer; special treatments targeted to men and teens; and the ability to pre-book treatments before your cruise -- an industry first. In a bit of synergy, hair-care products for the new Princess spas will be provided by Carita.
For more information on Princess Cruises, visit www.princess.com or call 800/PRINCESS; for Radisson go online to www.rssc.com or call 800/285-1835.
Silversea Cruises Announces Special 10th Anniversary Voyages
Ultra-luxe Silversea Cruises (877/215-9986, www.silversea.com) will celebrate its first ten years in 2004 by offering nine special Anniversary Voyages sailing in Europe, the Atlantic, Alaska, and the Caribbean.
Each Anniversary Voyage will feature unique celebratory events, commemorative gifts, and a complimentary shore event that focuses on the best each cruise region has to offer, such as a concert by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra at Revelin Fortress, a reception at St. Petersburg's Pavlovsk Palace, and a salmon bake at Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier. Each cruise will also feature two special dinners -- one recreating the inaugural menu served on the maiden voyage of the line's first ship, Silver Cloud, the other featuring a special 10th Anniversary menu -- plus meals prepared by guest chefs such as Joachim Koerper, Anne Desjardins, and Michel Roux Jr. In addition, a members of Silversea's executive team will sail with each cruise.
The 10th Anniversary Collection comprises the following itineraries:
- Across the Bering Sea: 14 nights departing May 23, Tokyo to Anchorage, aboard Silver Shadow, crossing the Bering Sea. Early-booking fares start at $5,721 per person.
- Mediterranean Tapestry: 7 nights departing May 31, Rome to Barcelona aboard Silver Whisper, visiting ports in Italy and Spain. Early-booking fares start at $4,187 per person.
- La Dolce Vita: 7 nights departing June 14, Rome to Monte Carlo aboard Silver Wind in the company of Silversea's CEO, Albert Peter. Advance Payment Bonus fares start at $3,790 per person.
- Scandinavian Summer: 7 nights departing July 8, Copenhagen to Stockholm aboard Silversea's flagship, Silver Cloud, featuring a three-day stopover in St. Petersburg, where guests are treated to a grand ball at the Peterhof Palace. Advance Payment Bonus fares start at $4,111 per person.
- Dalmatian Delights: 12 nights departing July 28, round-trip from Venice aboard Silver Wind, with calls in Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Yugoslavia, featuring a Venetian masked ball. Advance Payment Bonus fares start at $6,941 per person.
- Atlantic Impressions: 15 nights departing August 15, round-trip from Southampton aboard Silver Cloud, visiting Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and France, with a concert at Lisbon's 16th-century Convento do Beato. Advance Payment Bonus fares start at $8,316 per person.
- Alaska Harbors: 7 nights departing August 16, Vancouver to Seattle, sailing the Inside Passage, with a salmon bake at Mendenhall Glacier. Advance Payment Bonus fares start at $3,226 per person.
- The Grand Crossing: 16 nights departing September 14, London to New York aboard Silver Whisper, featuring a private reception for Silversea guests at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. Advance Payment Bonus fares start at $6,046 per person.
- Tropical Adventures: 11 nights departing November 8, round-trip from Ft. Lauderdale aboard Silver Whisper, visiting ports in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Mexico. Advance Payment Bonus fares start at $3,951 per person.
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