Passenger Freighter US East Coast / Far East (65 days)

 

MSC Kenya and MSC Tanzania (4 Double cabins,  swimming pool, maximum 8 passengers), 63,645 dwt tons.

Route: New York – Savannah  – Port Everglades – Freeport, Bahamas – Manzanillo, Panama – Long Beach – Tokyo – Yokohama – Kaohsiung – Hong Kong – Chiwan – Yantian – Shanghai – Ningbo – Pusan – Manzanillo – Freeport – New York.

MSC Kenya (ex Pusan Senator) and MSC Tanzania (ex Pudong Senator) offer four very nice cabins that can accommodate a maximum of 8 passengers. All cabins are carpeted, air-conditioned 2-room suites that are outside-facing and have private facilities. The large living room in each cabin has a sofa, love seat, chair, large writing desk and chair, mini-refrigerator and bar, and electronics that include a multisystem VCR (which accepts North American video tapes), tape deck, radio, and CD player. Each bedroom is also equipped with a wardrobe, small chest of drawers, and a large wall mirror. The bedrooms have two twin beds in cabins 1, 2 and 3, and the bedroom in cabin 4 has one double bed against the bulkhead. The dining room is shared with the officers, as is the lounge, indoor pool, sauna, and recreation room, which is equipped with a ping pong table, stationary bicycle, and multi-training machine. The lead officers are German with an international crew. The ships do not have elevators. Built in 1997, the vessels are 965 feet in length and 63,645 DWT, and are designed to cruise at 24 knots.

Prices begin at Euro 80 per day plus port taxes/fees and deviation insurance.

Please note passengers must show proof of out-of-country hospital/medical insurance including emergency evacuation (sometimes called air ambulance) coverage. Visas and shots may be required by some countries.

GOLDEN PRINCESS Enters Victoria BC Drydock for Makeover; Transformation Chronicled Daily With Twitter Updates

As Golden Princess begins the most extensive makeover ever undertaken by the company, Princess Cruises is inviting cruise fans to follow the progress through Twitter updates that will showcase a daily photo journal of the ship’s transformation. A first for Princess, the online posts will chronicle the changes throughout the ship during her nearly three-week drydock at Victoria Shipyards in British Columbia.
The journal has launched at princess.com/goldendrydock and will run through May 5, when the ship sets sail again with her new features, including a new piazza-style atrium, an adults-only Sanctuary, a Movies Under the Stars poolside movie screen, a new Crown Grill steak and seafood restaurant, and a variety of other enhancements.
Twitter users will receive a daily “tweet” about the latest construction progress after they follow an easy sign up process and elect to follow Princess at http://twitter.com/PrincessCruises.
“We know there’s a great deal of interest in a ship transformation such as this, so we’re inviting cruise enthusiasts to get a unique glimpse of the ship’s progress through this drydock,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “None of our other vessels have[sic] ever had this many new features added in a single drydock, so our online journal will offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the amount of work required for such a huge undertaking.”
The amenities being added during the drydock are the Princess signature features already aboard the line’s newest ships, Crown Princess, Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess. Many have also been introduced aboard Caribbean Princess, Star Princess and Grand Princess during earlier drydock periods.
When Golden Princess emerges from drydock, her atrium will feature a new Piazza with a street café atmosphere featuring roving entertainers and two new dining options. The International Café will serve specialty coffees, fresh baked cookies, pastries, panini sandwiches and tapas. Vines, a wine bar, will offer a selection of more than 30 wines by the glass, plus a selection of seafood, artisan meats and cheeses, and a wine shop where passengers can purchase their favourite bottle.
A new restaurant, the Crown Grill, will offer an open kitchen where passengers can watch as chefs prepare chops, steaks and seafood, including live lobsters.
Adult passengers looking to get away from it all will be able to relax in the tranquility of The Sanctuary, Princess’ signature retreat featuring plush padded lounge chairs and the services of dedicated Serenity Stewards. Visitors to this exclusive space can enjoy refreshing beverages and light snacks, or receive a massage in one of two private cabanas.
Above one of the ship’s pools, Movies Under the Stars will debut onboard with a state-of-the-art Times Square-style LED screen, offering evening movies and a variety of daytime programming. The 300- square-foot screen offers passengers a movie experience comparable to the best shoreside movie theatre. In addition to family cinema and first run hits, Movies Under the Stars also features major sporting events, concerts and other can’t-miss programming – up to 50 different offerings per week.
As part of the renovation, Golden Princess will also be fitted with seven new window suites with ocean-view picture windows, and a relocated casino on deck 7, bringing it into the ship’s central entertainment area. In addition, 10 new balcony suites and two ocean view cabins will be added in the aft of the ship, replacing the former video arcade. Other changes include new locations for the sports court, a new Limelight boutique, new shore excursions and Captain’s Circle desks, new Internet café and library, and the addition of new gym equipment in the fitness centre.

One cannot help but notice how many of these modifications are designed to provide onboard revenue for Princess.  Mind as long as it helps keep the fare down it can be argued this is not a bad thing.

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through The Cruise People at 1-800-268-6523.

PBS Chef of “Christina Cooks” to Sail in Holland America Line’s ZUIDERDAM 8 August

Christina Pirello, television personality, author and chef, is scheduled to sail as part of the guest-enrichment programme on the Aug. 8, 2009, Alaska voyage aboard Holland America Line’s ms Zuiderdam.

During her cruise, the epicurean expert will perform cooking demonstrations for passengers in the ship’s state-of-the-art show kitchen, conduct seminars and tastings, and participate in question and answer sessions.

Ms Pirello discovered the value of healthy eating when, at age 26, she cured herself from Leukemia. She’s an expert chef, author and Emmy Award-winning television personality who is passionate about eating a plant-based diet to prevent cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other health-related epidemics. She also believes that a plant-based diet will help you look and feel younger and more vibrant.

Ms Pirello is the host of two television shows: “Christina Cooks!” premiered in 1998, is currently in its ninth series and airs on more than 150 public television stations nationwide in the U.S. and on CN8 The Comcast Network. “Christina, Naturally” premiered in 2007 and airs on CN8 The Comcast Network.

With a Masters Degree in food science and nutrition, she has a broad knowledge of the science of nutrition. In addition to being the keynote speaker for the U.S. Defense Department’s food service convention (Defending the Health of Our Nation’s Defenders), Ms Pirello has been a regular guest on television shows like “The Early Show” on CBS, “Home Matters” on The Discovery Channel, “Women’s Day TV” on The PAX TV Network and “In Food Today” on the Food Network.

The dynamic chef also is the author of several books, including “This Crazy Vegan Life,” “Cooking the Whole Foods Way,” “Christina Cooks: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Whole Foods but Were Afraid to Ask” and “Cook Your Way to the Life You Want.”

The round-trip Vancouver, British Columbia Alaska cruise calls at Tracy Arm, Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway, Alaska with Glacier Bay scenic cruising.

Holland America Line launched its innovative culinary guest-enrichment programme in 2005. Each of the line’s 14 ships features a Culinary Arts Center. A first-class “show kitchen at sea,” the Culinary Arts Centers presented by “Food and Wine” magazine resemble the elaborate show kitchens used by celebrity chefs on television cooking programmes and offer culinary demonstrations, tastings and hands-on cooking classes aboard every Holland America sailing.

Each facility features a theatre-style venue, with two large plasma video screens and a large cooking display counter where guests can learn from the masters. In partnership with “Food and Wine” magazine, Holland America Line has scheduled approximately 60 celebrated chefs and wine experts to sail in 2009. On cruises that do not have a celebrity chef on board, classes and demonstrations in the show kitchen are scheduled with Holland America’s own expert chefs.

Holland America Line also offers a youth Culinary Arts Center activity programme to teach kids and teens how to cook. The programme incorporates dishes from breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in complimentary 45-minute-long classes. Kids under eight years old learn to make theme cookies, fruit roll-ups, ice cream sandwiches, salad people art and scones. Kids eight and over make soft pretzels, granola bars, pita chips and hummus, and saltwater taffy. Teens also can attend adult culinary demonstrations.

Holland America Line ships are the perfect setting to showcase award-winning guest experts. In addition to the enrichment experience provided by the culinary stars on board, passengers can dine in a variety of venues, including everything from a quick bite poolside to a formal five-course affair. Every ship features an elegant main dining room, a sophisticated Pinnacle Grill where guests can sample Sterling Silver beef and fresh seafood, the casual indoor-outdoor Lido Restaurant, and the Terrace Grill on deck for lunchtime fare.

For a full schedule of Holland America Line’s Culinary Guest Programme, visit http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Enrichment.action and click on the Culinary Arts Center tab.

For cruise brochures or for more information, consult Diana Lang at The Cruise People, Ltd, a veteran of numerous cruises to Alaska.

 

Technorati Tags: Christina Pirello

MSC Rhapsody ex CUNARD PRINCESS Sold

Cruises confirmed the sale of MSC Rhapsody to a new owner, rumoured to be an Israeli company.

The 16,852 gross registered ton MSC Rhapsody — 681 feet long, 89 feet wide with 382 cabins — was built in 1977 for the Cunard Line as Cunard Princess and has been part of the MSC Cruises’ fleet since 1995. The ship was refurbished in 2004.

MSC Cruises says MSC Rhapsody will leave the fleet immediately.

Pierfrancesco Vago, CEO of MSC Cruises, says, “This event confirms MSC Cruises’ focus on cutting-edge service, offering its guests the comfort, elegance and technology of the most modern fleet in the world.”

My self, John Lang, am not too pleased with this departure from the fleet.  While the vessel could not compete in the US market – no balconies, dated onboard amenities, she had a friendly, intimate atmosphere.  She was quite acceptable for sailing the out of the way waters where the sailing apartment blocks of to-day are out of place.

 

LiveJournal Tags: Cunard Princess,Cunard Conquest,MSC Rhapsody

A Passenger Freighter for All Ages

 

It’s sad to find people who don’t discover passenger freighter travel until they are above the age limit. When we find a product which has no age limits, we want to get the word out as quickly as possible. This passenger freighter will also carry very young children!:

Z-0835 – East coast to Europe and Mexico – NO AGE LIMITS AS LONG AS HEALTH IS GOOD! Approximately 42 days full round trip. Segments available (space permitting and subject to cabotage).

Two double cabins. Rates from Euro 90 per person per day plus taxes and fees.

Ports – Countries / Duration in days
Genoa, Italy 0
Barcelona, Spain 1
Valencia, Spain 3
Port Everglades, Florida / USA 15
Veracruz, Mexico 18
Altamira, Mexico 19
Houston, Texas / USA 21
New Orleans, Louisiana / USA 23
Cagliari, Italy 39
Leghorn, Italy 41
Genoa, Italy

Please call, fax or e-mail for more information.

An Excellent Year to Cruise Alaska

Diana and John Lang of The Cruise People, Ltd. at Juneau, Alaska

 

Every destination visited by ships has its own special character and personality. The Caribbean is all about tropical beaches and sensuous indulgence. Europe is history, sophistication and cosmopolitan charm. And, then there is Alaska.

America’s Last Frontier – the “Great Land” – is like nowhere else on earth. Wild, expansive, magnificent in scale and natural beauty, its boundaries seem limitless and visitors are constantly reminded of the immensity and power of Mother Nature. Cruising through sweeping bays and steep fjords against a backdrop of giant glaciers, even a cruise ship seems tiny. As spring bursts into summer, this is what travellers from around the world come for – the unique experience of Alaska, thoroughly enjoyed in the comfort and luxury of a cruise. With new itineraries, ports, land options and special offers by cruise lines of, there has never been a better time to visit.

Alaska cruises are offered in varying lengths from ports all along the West Coast, from California to British Columbia to Alaska. Most lines also feature extensive land programmes to ensure that the full offerings of the destination are appreciated, whether it’s by dog sled, floatplane, jetboat or steam train. For 2009, cruise lines are making all this even more irresistible with added-value and special pricing, even, in some cases, two-for-one offers.

“The scope and beauty of Alaska is hard to imagine until you’ve seen it for yourself, and there is no better or easier way to see it than by cruise ship,” said Terry Dale, CLIA’s president and CEO. “If you’ve never been or have been yearning to return, this is the year to go north to Alaska.”

 

Here is a sampling of Alaska cruises offered in 2009:

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES
Carnival’s Alaska season begins May 13 with the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit embarking for Glacier Bay and the Last Frontier. The week-long Glacier Route voyages operate either northbound from Vancouver to Whittier/Anchorage or southbound, with stops in Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka plus cruising Prince William Sound, College Fjord and the Inside Passage. Carnival Spirit also will make three round trip voyages from Vancouver to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, with two days cruising the Inside Passage.

In each Alaska port, Carnival passengers have the option to engage in numerous shore excursions, from kayaking, canoeing and steam train adventures to rafting, horseback riding and flightseeing.

CELEBRITY CRUISES
Three ships – Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Mercury and Celebrity Millennium – will sail Alaska in 2009 from a total of five ports. The itineraries include the first roundtrip Alaska cruise from Los Angeles, a 14-night voyage to Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia plus five stops in Alaska. Celebrity also offers the line’s first 10-night roundtrip cruise from Vancouver; a series of seven-night sailings featuring Hubbard Glacier, with roundtrips from Seattle and Vancouver and one-way voyages between Vancouver and Seward.

Celebrity offers more than 20 cruise tours featuring a wide variety of destinations, including rail travel on the Whistler Mountaineer Coast Classic, Calgary, Banff, Denali and more.

CRYSTAL CRUISES
Crystal Cruises returns to Alaska for the first time since 2005 with an early season itinerary departing Yokohama on April 16. The 22-day voyage also marks the first time Crystal Serenity has ever visited Alaska, with calls at Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Seward and Ketchikan.

Land programmes called Crystal Adventures will highlight the region’s scenery and wildlife, with zip-lining in the Tongass National Forest, flightseeing wildlife tours, puffin expeditions, yachting off Kodiak to view Alaska’s sea life and cruising across Resurrection Bay into Kenai Fjords National Park.

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE
With more than 60 years experience in the region, Holland America will have eight ships in Alaska this season sailing three different itineraries. These include seven-day Alaskan Explorer roundtrip cruises from Seattle; seven-day Glacier Bay Inside Passage roundtrips from Vancouver; and seven-day Glacier Discovery voyages between Seward and Vancouver. With more than 250 optional land excursions, the line’s itineraries are planned so that even CruiseTour guests who are on board only three days will visit a tidewater glacier.

Among its extensive CruiseTour offers is Holland America’s 17-day Voyage of the Glaciers CruiseTour which combines two cruises with inland options as well.

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE
NCL has three Freestyle Cruising ships sailing in Alaska this summer from May through September. Norwegian Pearl will sail a seven-day Glacier Bay cruise from Seattle. Norwegian Star and Norwegian Sun will offer seven-day voyages to Sawyer Glacier departing from Seattle and Vancouver respectively.

Denali National Park is featured on a four-night pre-cruise “Discover Denali” package that includes a first class hotel stay in Anchorage, motorcoach and rail sightseeing, tour guides and airfare back to the guest’s embarkation port.

PRINCESS CRUISES
Princess Cruises will offer seven-day “Voyage of the Glaciers” Gulf of Alaska cruises between Vancouver and Whittier featuring Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and College Fjord as well as seven-day roundtrips from Seattle featuring Tracy Arm. In addition, the 680-passenger Pacific Princess will sail on 14-day voyages from Seattle, with stops at Kodiak, Valdez, Icy Strait Point, and Seward as well as Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria and Glacier Bay. Sea Princess will offer varying itineraries on 10-day roundtrips from San Francisco.

Princess’ Alaska Cruisetours combine the Voyage of the Glaciers cruise with land options ranging from three to nine nights, featuring two nights in the Denali wilderness area, plus the unique Direct to the Wilderness rail service.

REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES
Regent Seven Seas will position the 700-passenger, all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Mariner in Alaska this season between May and September. The ship will make seven-night voyages between Vancouver and Seward featuring Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Ketchikan and cruising the Inside Passage. The ship will also offer a seven-night roundtrip Alaska cruise from Vancouver with two days of cruising the Inside Passage and visits to Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka.

Regent Seven Seas is offering two-for-one savings on most Alaska cruises, as well as free roundtrip economy airfare and free unlimited shore excursions.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL
In its 20th consecutive Alaska season, Royal Caribbean will offer different itineraries ranging from seven to fifteen nights on sailings from San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Seward and Vancouver. Passengers will sail aboard one of three Royal Caribbean ships: Radiance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas. Radiance and Serenade feature 10-story glass-enclosed Centrums for spectacular views of the coastal landscapes. Itinerary highlights include Hubbard Glacier, Tracy Arm, Sawyer Glacier and Icy Strait Point.

Royal Caribbean offers 21 cruise tour options, including a seven-night overview of Alaska’s interior, including Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Anchorage and Talkeetna.

SILVERSEA CRUISES
Silversea’s all-suite, 382-passenger Silver Shadow will set course for Alaska in May to offer 12 voyages ranging from seven to 12 days with round-trip or open-jaw departures from San Francisco, Seward and Vancouver. Highlights of the itineraries include the Tracy Arm fjord and twin Sawyer Glaciers as well as Misty Fjords National Monument.

New Silversea land programmes in Alaska this year include a “Champion Alaska Huskies” dog-sledding experience with Iditarod race champion Martin Buser; a “Wilderness Retreat” escape to two of Alaska’s premier remote lodges for hiking, floatplane sightseeing, jetboating and fine dining.

 

Diana Lang of The Cruise People, Ltd. has extensive knowledge of all the Alaska sailings and Cruisetours.  She can be reached at 1-800-268-6523.

Five Baseball Themes Scheduled for MSC Poesia’s 2009-10 Caribbean Season

Fans of America’s pasttime can gain unique insights into the world of Major League Baseball on MSC Cruises’ “Baseball Greats” theme cruises.

Some of the greats of the game will be onboard, sharing their skills and their memories, during the powerful lineup of five baseball greats theme cruises scheduled for MSC Poesia as the ship sails her inaugural season in North American waters during the 2009-10 Caribbean season.

The “Baseball Greats” theme cruises consistently have been among the line’s most popular sailings during the last few Caribbean winter seasons.

In addition to visits to some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful locations, each “Baseball Greats” sailing includes free interactive guest/player activities, including a player-hosted trivia game in which passengers can test their baseball knowledge, question-and-answer sessions with the players, a guest pitching contest and a lively story-telling session in which the players share some candid revelations about some of the “characters” of the game. Players will also host pitching, hitting, fielding and base running clinics.

Perhaps the most popular activity is the free autograph session at the end of the cruise.

MSC Poesia offers “Baseball Greats” theme cruises on the following roundtrip itineraries from Fort Lauderdale:

· Nov. 20, 2009: 10-night Southern Caribbean featuring Panama, calling at Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba;; Cartagena, Colombia; Cristobal, Panama; and Playa del Carmen, Mexico

· Jan. 16, 2010: 7-night Western Caribbean, calling at Key West, Florida; Playa del Carmen, Mexico; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Nassau, Bahamas.

· Feb. 6, 2010: 7-night Western Caribbean

· March 6, 2010: 7-night Eastern Caribbean, calling at San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philippsburg, St. Maarten; Road Town, Tortola; and Nassau, Bahamas

· April 3, 2010: 7-night Eastern Caribbean

Special guests on these itineraries will be announced at a later date.

Cruise-only rates begin at US$549 per person, double occupancy (government fees and taxes additional). On MSC Poesia’s Caribbean itineraries – as on all MSC Cruises’ sailings – kids ages 17 and younger sail free when sharing a cabin with two full-fare-paying adults.

MSC Poesia’s 2009-10 Caribbean season of roundtrip sailings from Fort Lauderdale will also feature Big Band and Polka theme cruises. To obtain more information about MSC Cruises and its theme cruises, contact Michael Abel of The Cruise People, who has sailed on these baseball themed cruises.

Technorati Tags: baseball theme,baseball cruise,Michael Abel

Quieter Heads (Toilets, WCs)

One of the comments from passengers in ships is about  the noise generated by the flushing of vacuum toilets.  Finnish company Evac Oy has come up with a solution to this problem with its recently launched Evac 910 vacuum toilet.

As the result of the incorporation of a new patented quick relief valve, the Evac 910 vacuum toilet is much quieter than previous generation vacuum toilets. Recent testing carried out by an independent research centre has demonstrated that the sound level of the Evac 910 is around  5-8dB(A) lower than other vacuum toilets on the market.

New Transatlantic Passenger Freighter

MSC Uganda – Approximately 7 weeks round voyage. Segments depend on space availablity and limitations of cabotage (no availability for sailings between two ports in same country)..

Charleston, Savannah, Freeport, Veracruz, Altamira, Houston, New Orleans, Freeport, Port Everglades, Savannah, Charleston, Antwerp, Felixstowe, Bremerhaven, Le Havre

4 cabins double occupancy, dayroom, bedroom, shower lavatory, TV, CD/DVD-Player, radio, mini-refrigerator

Sports room, swimming pool, sauna, recreation room, no elevator

Priced from Euro 80 per day plus port taxes/fees and deviation insurance.

First availability from Charleston is 01 August, 2009.