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Carnival cash deadline July 31
Lots of promotions from lots of cruise lines these days, the latest from Carnival, a cash-back sale good for category 4A and higher (4A is an interior category). The sale is based on a shipboard...
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Silhouette splendid, weather rough
Before I continue on my observations of Celebrity’s Silhouette, I found it interesting to hear the chairman of Royal Caribbean, owners of Celebrity, say that next year the rest of the world will book...
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McKinley or Denali…it’s tops
I am taking some time off and have turned the Blog over to my colleagues Bob and Nancy Dunn of cruisingdoneright.com. They are currently on an Alaska tour and cruise with Princess Cruises. Today’s...
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Princess lodges define landscape
I am taking some time off and have turned the Blog over to my colleagues Bob and Nancy Dunn of Cruising Done Right. They are currently on an Alaska tour and cruise with Princess Cruises. Today’s blog...
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Whither the weather in Glacier Bay
I am taking some time off and have turned the Blog over to my colleagues Bob and Nancy Dunn of Cruising Done Right. They are currently on an Alaska tour and cruise with Princess Cruises. Today’s blog...
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Juneau — Mendenhall and more
I am taking some time off and have turned the Blog over to my colleagues Bob and Nancy Dunn of Cruising Done Right. They are currently on an Alaska tour and cruise with Princess Cruises. Today, their...
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Ketchikan’s rain a laughing matter
I have been taking some time off and my colleagues Bob and Nancy Dunn of Cruising Done Right filled in during their Alaska tour and cruise with Princess Cruises. Today’s final epistle is from...
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Variety of deals for Caribbean
These are promised pricing from my Ports and Bows column running nationally on November 5 in Postmedia papers across Canada. The column is re-printed below the pricing noted here. Some are tremendous...
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Silversea sales now for 2013
What I find interesting these days is the number of sales that cruising’s luxury brands are promoting. Silversea has completed its earlier bargains and now has put 2013 sales on the market. What this...
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Princess to Alaska quite the trip!
I liked the price and the itinerary on this cruise tour and cruise from Princess Cruises, as noted in my Ports and Bows column in the Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Windsor Star, Regina Leader...
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WLCN: Something special for cruisers
Just a reminder: Entries for the Allure are now in, and it will soon be time to vote. Click on the graphic above on Friday to see how you can help send a Canadian family on the latest “biggest ship in...
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Conditions for a birthday bash
Looking for a free cruise? Do you have a birthday between November 14 and December 19? Can you be in the Caribbean on the MSC Poesia (above) on your birthday? If the second person in your cabin pays a...
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Thirty days in the South Pacific
We’re seeing a lot of unique back-to-back cruises these days, and I always like it when cruise lines come up with “one-of-a-kind” options like three I cruises have for you today. Two of Holland...
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So much for ‘Pass the pretzels!’
I read a column in Travel Mole today and I would have laughed out loud if it hadn’t been directed at us, the consumers, and our lack of amenities on airlines. For many of us, the only way to cruise is...
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Cruise news — from near and far
Let’s catch up on some cruise news which, like flowers and showers, is almost the same at this time of year…or to steal a line from an old, old movie: “It Happens Every Spring.” —— The Aussie cruising...
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Closer look at Crystal’s luxury perks
The luxury brands are offering a lot of perks these days. Generally, they don’t like to discount. They would rather offer on-board spending credits, tours, air or any combo of the above. Crystal...
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Radiance still glowing in Vancouver
While Disney is moving its Wonder from Vancouver to Seattle for the 2012 Alaska season, Royal Caribbean is staying put with one ship in Vancouver. Radiance of the Seas will be undergoing a major...
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Alaska, Panama Canal on sale
Cruise Connections has a couple of deals on Panama and Alaska.Let’s start with the Panama Canal with a departure on Holland America’s Statendam 19 nights In total. Departure date is Sept 25th out of...
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Different ways to board U.S. airlines
If you’re going to take a cruise, chances are you are going to have to fly on an American aircraft for part or all of the trip to your embarkation port. Here are some things you should know about...
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Aussie cruise boom still booming
It’s amazing how fast the Australia cruise market is growing. Carnival Corporation is leading the way with seven ships based Down Under by the time the 2012 season gets underway. P&O, which is...
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News and more news
Let’s get caught up on the news.It’s not anywhere near the numbers out of Vancouver for Alaska, but Buenos Airies will welcome over 300,000 visitors in the next year.Right now they can handle 14,000...
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Jobs at sea
Cruises on the West Coast to Alaska are in high season, and they are heading toward high season on the East Coast. All those ships represent available jobs for Canadians. “It may take awhile, or you...
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Hurricane forecast better than expected
Good morning. Here is something new from Carnival Cruise Lines. The company is upgrading their Flyaway program. They are now offering full travel protection to any guest who encounters any trip...
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Alaska–a differernt kind of cruise
This is an interesting cruise I am on. I actually will only be on the Radiance of the Seas for three days then it’s off into the wilderness. (Well…not quite a tent and survival kit.) The idea behind...
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Travel day in Alaska
Our ship Radiance of the Seas arrived right on time in Juneau, greeted by a severe blast of wet weather. I say severe as the wind was howling and the rain was falling in waves—horizontally. I was...
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Boats, Dogs, and Buses
As mentioned yesterday, we are now on the mini version of a Royal Caribbean cruise/cruise tour. If it were the full meal deal, we would have taken the full Alaska cruise on the Radiance of the Seas...
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Riding the rails with Royal Caribbean cruise tours
We’re into our second day of the land tour part of our cruise tour.I can’t remember the last time I was on a tour—I would expect it was with a group of friends on a bus, but we would have been headed...
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The final day in Alaska
This is my final day of my Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise and cruise tour. By way of background, Royal Caribbean offers cruise tours before and after their cruise. As an example, if you’re cruising to...
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Wrap up on Alaska
The cruise, the tour—it has all come to an end. Below are some thoughts on the trip. All the buses, areas of the hotels and lodges, and the train cars were either owned or controlled by Royal...
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Singles rejoice
Cruise West, the small ship cruise line out of Seattle that cruises to some hard to get to areas of the world, is offering singles a break.The line is waiving the single supplement on its 18-night...
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Old time rock and roll and more
Phil ReimerDid you dig the music of the 50’s and 60’s? Carnival Cruise Lines and Sixthman are putting together a cruise they call Malt Shop Memories. It’s a 4-night cruise aboard the Carnival...
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Cruise West and Phil’s Pick
Phil Reimer–If you counted the passengers on all 10 ships in the Cruise West fleet, then doubled that number, you still wouldn’t reach the entire 2,100-passenger capacity of Holland America’s Eurodam....
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Cruises numbers on the rise
Phil Reimer–Here is more proof that the cruise business is surviving the downturn in travel. While airlines, resorts and hotels are suffering decreases in percentage numbers, the cruise lines are...
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Regent Navigator ready to sail
There is nothing like a refurbishing to get ready for the New Year–whether it’s for you, your house or a ship. Regent Seven Seas Navigator is back sailing after a major refurbishing. Navigator was...
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2009 disappears
It could be the end of the decade, or maybe I’m getting older, but it seemed that 2009 found a new gear and raced by more quickly than the years before. Last year started off with sales by all the...
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Royal sees price improvement
Phil Reimer–It’s not a huge amount of money, but it’s a profit. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines LTD, owners of Royal, Celebrity and Azamara among others, announced a profit of 2c a share for the fourth...
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Alaska loses another ship
Phil Reimer–Alaska is losing another ship. Princess Cruises has announced that the Royal Princess will no longer be on the Alaska run after this season. Although it’s a small ship—under 800—it is...
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Crystal’s making deals
Phil Reimer–The ink had just dried on my blog post in regards to Crystal and their new dine anytime program that starts this January, and out comes their schedule for 2011. As they say in the music...
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Gauguin–no single supplement on several cruises
Phil Reimer–Paul Gauguin Cruises, operators of the luxury ship of the same name, is waiving the single supplement fees on some of its spring cruises. Reservations must be made by April 30, 2010 on one...
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Cruise stories that count
It’s great to be back from Europe. However, I have not learned to get back on to the West Coast clock as quick as I should. The first morning I woke up at 1, the second at 3—I am talking a.m.–until...
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Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale
Phil Reimer–Getting ready for another cruise—this time it was a much shorter flight than last week’s from London. I’m in Ft. Lauderdale getting ready to board Holland America’s Zuiderdam for the...
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Panama Canal transit
Phil Reimer–aboard Holland America’s Zuiderdam As soon as we cleared the first set of locks we were in Gatun Lake and heading the 70 kms to the Pacific Locks and down 85 feet to sail out into the...
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Zuiderdam–Size is important
Phil Reimer aboard the Zuiderdam. Overall, the cruise experience aboard this Holland America ship has been fairly well received by our 180 Ports and Bows guests. Dinner at the Pinnacle (pay)...
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The beautiful San Diego
Phil Reimer aboard the Zuiderdam. It was a beautiful day when we arrived in San Diego early in the morning. However, it turned into a mini-nightmare for those who wanted to spend as much time as...
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Oceania sends Regatta to Alaska waters
Oceania Cruises will have a new ship, the Marina, scheduled for launching in January. As a result of that, one of their other three ships will enter the Alaska waters next year. The Oceania Regatta...
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Royal loyalty and its rewards
Over the past few years, loyalty to a particular cruise line has stayed fairly consistent. However, with recent price wars, economics has played a big part in a cruiser’s final decision. Obviously,...
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Before you embark on your cruise…
This is all about air travel, an important part for most in the overall cruising experience. If you’ve had a lousy flight, especially if it’s overnight, it makes for a bad start to your holiday. A...
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Multiple sales from Holland America
There continues to be evidence that the cruise lines are not doing as well as expected. Sales on all the lines continue and one more example comes from Holland America, with a 3-day sale that starts...
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Alaska Air fares can impact cruise fares
For you who live on the West Coast, there’s a new way to get to Hawaii. Alaska Airlines has announced it will start a new service from Bellingham to Honolulu on January 7. The carrier will fly...
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It’s Official — Cruise West gone
According to the Seattle Times, Cruise West — the Seattle-based cruise line of small ships — is closing today and cancelling all its cruises except one, the September 22 sailing on the Danube River....
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