mercedes

Thanks everyone. I am all packed and ready to go.

Rose and Howie, have a great cruise and Happy Anniversary.

Falina, I wish. I copied this from an article that someone else wrote and it was referring to them, not me.

Cruise junkies have something big to look forward to this weekend: The debut of a new series about cruise ships on the Travel Channel. Dubbed Cruises We Love!, the half-hour show premieres Saturday at 10:30 PM ET/PT and will air multiple times each week through the summer. The 12-part series will profile mostly high-end ships operated by the likes of Crystal Cruises, Silversea Cruises and SeaDream Yacht Club. The first episode is on the Regent Seven Seas Navigator. Cruises We Love! will include commentary from several industry experts including, yes, yours truly. Over the past year I traveled around the globe with a Travel Channel film crew to shoot segments on a number of ships, including the Emerald Princess and Silversea's Silver Shadow. The Travel Channel, meanwhile, soon will be posting Cruise Log items on its website, travelchannel.com.

Are you the kind of person who likes to spend hours on end watching and talking about movies? Princess Cruises is after you. Big time. The Love Boat line, which famously revolutionized movie-going at sea with its innovative Movies Under the Stars screens, is joining forces with celebrated film critic Leonard Maltin to offer what it is calling the Leonard Maltin Movie Club on all of its ships. As part of the program, Princess will showcase a new film chosen by Maltin each month, and passengers not only will be able to watch the movie on the big screen but will be encouraged to gather afterwards for a discussion of the film. In addition, the line is rolling out a Leonard Maltin Movie Channel in cabins, and Maltin himself is scheduled to sail on a number of voyages to discuss his favorite films. The new partnership comes as the line celebrates the fifth anniversary of its Movies Under the Stars program, which first debuted on Caribbean Princess. The giant Times Square-style movie screens are now on eight ships, and will be added to most other ships in the Princess fleet by 2011.

It's no secret that cruise lines have been struggling to fill ships in Alaska this year. Indeed, everyone from industry executives to Wall Street analysts have been calling the situation abysmal, noting that some lines have been forced to slash prices as much as 40%, on average, to keep ships full. But it's not just cabins in Alaska that cruise lines have been having trouble selling. Also hurting are bookings for Alaska shore excursions -- traditionally a big money-maker in the industry. In a sign of just how bad the situation has become, Royal Caribbean and sister line Celebrity Cruises today unveiled an unusual last-minute discount for customers who book Alaska shore excursions online in advance of upcoming voyages. The offer, for a 5% discount, is available for shore excursions on dozens of Alaska cruises on the two lines scheduled for June 5 and beyond. Bookings must be made on or before June 7. There's no limit on the number of shore excursions passengers can book at the discounted rate. Alaskan port towns such as Juneau and Skagway are reknown for their wide array of adventurous and often pricey shore excursion options such as $400-per-person helicopter rides to glaciers, and it's not uncommon for cruisers in Alaska to spend more on shore excursions than on their cabins. But the slumping economy has prompted many cruisers to cut back.

zosha, have a safe and enjoyable cruise.

Gibber, it’s great to have you onboard, and please post often.

elleeddens, it’s great to have you onboard, and please post often.

Great pictures, thanks for sharing. Roe looks wonderful.

This holiday season marks the last call for Crystal Cruises' award-winning ships to Antarctica. Beginning in 2011, a proposed ban on the carriage of certain fuel oils on board will effectively prohibit the sailing of most passenger vessels in the Antarctic. Crystal Symphony's December 20 Christmas/New Year cruise is the only time Crystal will be cruising the region in 2009 and 2010. The 19-day journey departs from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso with visits to several ports in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, including the breathtaking Chilean Fjords and Cape Horn. "There's no more exciting destination to spend the holidays than Antarctica, among the snow and stunning wildlife," says Bill Smith, senior vice president, sales and marketing. "Additionally, while Antarctica can offer a magical 'white Christmas,' it's summer in South America, allowing guests to enjoy two beautiful seasons on the same itinerary." Ashore, guests have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly to King George Island and walk on Antarctica, take a helicopter to a humpback whale sanctuary, enjoy a 4 x 4 expedition to a King penguin colony, and trek the mountains of Chile. Completing the Crystal Holiday experience, Crystal Symphony will boast more than $100,000 of exquisite seasonal decor. Handcrafted ornaments, elaborately decorated trees and larger-than-life toy soldiers are among the ship's holiday furnishings. Holiday dinners, parties and entertainment are planned for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, culminating in a black tie gala on New Year's Eve. Clergy will be on board to conduct services. Also during the holidays, Crystal's junior activities staff will be on hand to coordinate daily programming for children of all ages. Cruise fares start at $8,995 per person, double occupancy. The Antarctic Holiday cruise can be taken as part of a 62-day voyage, roundtrip from Miami that makes a complete circumference of South America, including an exploration of the Amazon.

A new Hip Hop dance adventure that transcends all ages, languages, and skill levels is taking Royal Caribbean ships by storm. Royal Caribbean International's new Gotta Dance program is offering guests the opportunity to let loose, chase a dream, and 'wow' their cruisecrazies with cool new dance moves. Based on the documentary film by Dori Berinstein, award winning director and producer of film, theater and television, the guest-participatory Gotta Dance experience is being exclusively offered by Royal Caribbean International and will be offered fleetwide in summer 2009. "Gotta Dance is the newest Royal Caribbean International program that offers guests an opportunity to try something different on their vacation regardless of age and experience," said Peter Compton, vice president, Entertainment, Royal Caribbean International. "Every age is welcome and no experience is necessary. As with many of our onboard programs, Gotta Dance helps bring families closer together and build lasting relationships among guests for an unforgettable cruise vacation." Royal Caribbean's Gotta Dance is inspired by the award-winning documentary film of the same name, which will hit the big screen across the United States beginning in July 2009. Gotta Dance (www.GottaDanceTheMovie.com) chronicles the first-ever senior-citizen, hip-hop dance troupe for the New Jersey Nets Basketball Team. Just like the film, Royal Caribbean's Gotta Dance program will offer guests, from the young to the young-at-heart, a chance to grab their moment in the spotlight. Kicking off each cruise will be a special screening of the film. Guests sailing on select ships before the nationwide roll-out of the movie will be treated to an advanced viewing of Gotta Dance. Participants will then be divided into teams and, over the course of their vacation, will learn choreographed routines with a member of the Royal Caribbean dance team in rehearsals during sea days. The program will culminate with the main event - a farewell show on the last evening of the cruise, whereby each of the teams will perform their routines in the ship's main theater. Each of the groups will perform a different routine, all of which were choreographed by New Jersey Nets Dance Coach Kimberlee Garris, who also appears in the Gotta Dance film. For each song an easy and more complex choreography has been designed, and Royal Caribbean's Gotta Dance instructors will have the option of tweaking these versions further based on group skill level.

Pearl Seas Cruises canceled its 2009 inaugural season in Atlantic Canada, blaming problems involving the launch of its first ship, the Pearl Mist. The fledgling upscale cruise line, an offshoot of small-ship operator American Cruise Lines, said in a statement that due to “deficiencies recently discovered during sea trials, quality issues and construction delays,” the Pearl Mist was not ready to sail this summer. The 210-passenger vessel, under construction at Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax, was originally scheduled to enter service year ago. The cruise line said last summer that due to delays at the shipyard, the ship would instead launch in early 2009. It then pushed the expected delivery to August 2009. Pearl Seas said that passengers booked on the canceled 2009 cruises will either receive a full refund of their deposits or can rebook a 2010 cruise. The company did not say when the ship was newly slated to enter service.

GGeane, it’s great to have you onboard, and please post often.

It's always good to read a great Carnival review. Thanks Ed.

This year’s six-month Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1, looks to be slightly less active than last year’s, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual forecast. NOAA predicts there will be nine to 14 named storms this year, that four to seven of them will be hurricanes, and that one to three of the hurricanes could become major, meaning sustained winds of at least 111 mph. Last year there were 16 named storms, eight of them hurricanes and four of them major. The agency released its outlook yesterday, saying there was a 50% probability that this season would be “near-normal." The cruise lines and the many cruise ports that have been ravaged by major storms over the last decade are hoping the 25% chance that NOAA gave of having an “above-normal” season does not bear out. NOAA forecast an equal chance of having a “below normal” season. Last year the Caribbean was battered by storms like Hurricane Ike that put Galveston’s and Grand Turk’s cruise ports out of commission. Unfortunately, NOAA can only do its best when it comes to predicting the hurricane season. As the agency noted, over the last few years, global weather patterns have had “greater uncertainty”.

seacat66, it’s great to have you onboard, and please post often.

obyrnebi, it’s great to have you onboard, and please post often.

workskipper, it’s great to have you onboard, and please post often.

Last summer, when at the pump gas prices hovered around $4 per gallon, and crude oil hit $145, fuel surcharges were a way of life with taxis, pizza deliveries, and yes, cruise lines. As we all know, oil prices soon plunged, and the cruise lines all dropped their surcharges late last fall. But while those supplements may seem like a distant memory, with fuel prices creeping back up, could they be on their way back? When Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.- parent company of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara sailings - dropped their fuel fees for all 2009 cruises last December, both companies said that they reserved the right to reinstate the fuel supplement should the price of oil increase above $65 per barrel. Just Wednesday, the price of oil rose to $62. Does that mean that NCL and RCCL are $3 away from reinstating those fuel fees? Royal Caribbean said today that while it is monitoring global fuel prices, and does reserve the right to reinstate a fuel supplement, "we hope business conditions will not require such action. We are pleased by the sustained lower prices of fuel and do not want to speculate on actions that may or may not be needed in the future." NCL said it has not had any discussions on reinstating the fuel surcharge. Carnival Corp. parent company of Holland America, Princess, Carnival, Cunard, Costa, and Seabourn, said when it eliminated its surcharge last December that it reserved the right to reinstate the fee when oil reached $70. Carnival Corp. spokesman Tim Gallagher also said that so far, the company has also not had any discussions on reinstating the surcharges.

frostyboy64, have a safe and enjoyable cruise.

I am definitely in.

bcurt2895, it’s great to have you onboard, and please post often.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s next ship will feature performances by the Blue Man Group, as well as a cirque-style show performed during dinner, the cruise line said today, revealing the final details about the Norwegian Epic. NCL has already said that the 4,200-passenger Epic, slated for a May 2010 debut, would introduce cruise industry firsts like cabins with curved walls and a water slide for tubing. Today, NCL executives said that the ship would also introduce new concepts in entertainment. The Epic will not have one main theater, as is the industry standard, but will have multiple, specially designed venues such as the “Spiegel Tent”, which looks like a big top, where the Cirque Dreams and Dinner show will take place. Billed as interactive dinner theater, performances will be staged throughout the meal by troupe members who will also serve dinner plates and fill water glasses from the air. If you drop a napkin at the Cirque show, a performer will literally bend over backward to pick it up. The Blue Man Group, whose interactive shows combine music, comedy and theatrics, will perform in the 685-seat Epic Theater.