April 2010

Crystal Cruises has added a “first time ever” overnight visit to Ashdod, Israel. This is in addition to an overnight stay in Egypt.  This 12 night “Ruins & Relics” Mediterranean cruise on Crystal Serenity departs Athens for Rome Oct. 19, also visiting Naples and Sicily, Italy, and Valetta, Malta.

           Western Wall, Israel               Caesarea, Israel

This itinerary allows visits to Caesarea, Temple Mount, to Israel’s Western Wall (formerly Wailing).  Also the Great Pyramid and the treasures of King Tutankhamen in Egypt; Herculaneum and the excavations at Pompeii in Italy and Athens’ Acropolis.

On board, experts in world affairs, including former White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater, will host presentations and workshops.

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Carnival Dream, the newest and largest ship of the Carnival fleet earned a perfect 100 score on its first full U.S. Public Health inspection conducted in Port Canaveral, Fla.  The Carnival Splendor also earned a 100 score on its USPH inspection two weeks earlier.

In order to earn a 100, cruise ships must receive perfect marks on all 42 items that comprise the USPH’s Vessel Sanitation Program checklist. These inspections are unannounced and are conducted twice a year.  The checklist includes proper food handling, preparation and storage procedures, proper filtration of water supplies used in spas and pools and overall galley cleanliness. This is required for any cruise ship with an international itinerary calling at a U.S. port.

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Delta has requested authorization from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to introduce two weekly flights between Detroit and Sao Paulo beginning Nov. 4. Delta already holds certain rights to operate Sao Paulo service, but requires DOT permission to fly from Detroit.

Delta would operate the flights on Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 35 seats in BusinessElite and 181 seats in Economy Class. Both governments (United States and Brazil) have agreed to this expansion of U.S. carrier and Delta has separately applied for new rights to increase Detroit-Sao Paulo to daily service as soon as permitted by Brazil.

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How does this sound on a cruise ship?  Morning Tai Chi, Sudoku, afternoon Pilates, Wii bowling, yoga, step classes, spinning, Golf Challenge, ballroom dance classes, team trivia, and more……ready to sign up?!  Explore Wellbeing has extended the offerings of the Greenhouse Spa to incorporate new entertainment. 

Other interesting activities include the Party Planner hosting Explore Food & Entertaining events in the Culinary Arts Center.  More than 70 culinary experts come onboard each year, in addition to classes and demonstrations on every sailing.

The Techspert will offer Explore Technology classes and Digital Workshops where guests learn how to blog, work with digital photos, arrange a digital scrapbook, create a slideshow or edit a movie. On cruises lasting 14 days or more, there will be a book club.

The Travel Guide will be giving multimedia presentations about the ship’s itinerary and be a one-stop source for port-of-call information.

This is what you call “Edutainment”!!

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All four of Celebrity's Solstice-class ships will be in Europe 2011 – the ships are Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse & Silhouette.

Celebrity Silhouette sets sail for the first time in July 2011.  It will offer a maiden voyage from Hamburg to Rome and a nine-night Mediterranean voyage. Then, it will operate 12- and 13-night Holy Land sailings roundtrip from Rome. After Celebrity Silhouette makes its debut in Europe, it will homeport in Bayonne during winter 2011-12 with a series of 12-night Caribbean voyages.

Celebrity Equinox also will sail from Rome, offering 10- and 11-night roundtrip Mediterranean cruises.

The Constellation (although a Millennium class ship) will undergo a series of refurbishments later this month which are inspired by the Solstice-class vessels.  The Celebrity Mercury & Constellation will also be in Europe, This marks the first time Celebrity will have six ships in Europe.  In total, Celebrity will visit 70 ports in 23 countries in Europe,

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