It's Wave Season! FULL List of Special Offers!

Once again, cruise wave season is upon us, the time when most bookings for the year are made, and the cruise lines roll out attractive specials to entice you. Below is a FULL list of wave season offers by cruise line! Most of these offers are available through February 4, 2010, though other booking dates may be listed in the specific offers:

Azamara Club Cruises: Receive up to $400 in Onboard Credit (per stateroom) when you book an Ocean View stateroom or higher on select Azamara Club departures. Booking Window: January 7 - February 4, 2010

Applicable Sailings:
Azamara Journey, 5/2/10
Azamara Journey, 5/23/10
Azamara Journey, 6/18/10
Azamara Journey, 8/29/10
Azamara Quest, 7/12/10
Azamara Quest, 11/27/10

Carnival: Up to 2 Category Upgrade on select dates.

Celebrity: Up to $100/cabin onboard credit! Celebrity January Sale

Interested in an Alaska or Europe cruisetour? Up to $200/cabin onboard
credit on Alaska cruisetours if booked by January 31, or $300/cabin onboard
credit for Europe cruisetours if booked by March 31!

Crystal: In addition to the absolutely wonderful As You Wish onboard credits up to $2,000/cabin, 2-for-1 fares and free air on select sailings, an additional $200/cabin onboard credit and pre-paid gratuities.

Solo Travelers: Remember that Crystal has some of the
lowest single supplements in the industry, standard starting at only 25%.
Crystal can be a fabulous value for solo travelers.

Cunard: Up to $300/cabin onboard credit for all 2010/2011 sailings (except 2011 World Cruise) on QM2, Queen Victoria and the new Queen Elizabeth.

Solo traveler alert: I have found ZERO single supplement on some fall 2010 Transatlantic sailings on the Queen Mary 2! Most notably the 11/10/10 sailing. Zero. Nada. Zip! Current inside fares are less than $1,000 SINGLE OCCUPANCY! If you've dreamed of a classic Cunard Transatlantic and sail solo... DO NOT WAIT! These sailings are also eligible for the onboard credit and reduced deposit offers!

Disney: Onboard credit for selected 3- and 4-night spring sailings!

Holland America: Reduced deposit and coupon book for all bookings! Don't forget the ongoing View and Verandah sale with lowered fares for oceanview cabins and above, 50% reduced deposit, savings for 3rd and 4th passengers, and even savings on pre- and post-cruise hotels!

In addition, in an EXCLUSIVE for my clients, I have some Limited Edition The Art
of Cruising books from Holland America! This lovely coffee table book
highlights the fine art and antiques aboard Holland America ships. Book
with me on Holland America by February 5, and I'll enter you into a drawing for
these collectible books!

NCL: Year of Freestyle Vacation offers. Up to 6 category upgrades, certificate books, plus rotating offers every two weeks. Currently on sale: Norwegian Epic with upgrades and reduced deposits!

In addition, for solo travelers, Norwegian Epic is offering
150% single supplements for most 2010 and 2011 sailings! This is huge, as
NCL rarely reduces single supplements. A great opportunity to try not only
NCL, but their brand new Epic!

Princess: Through January 21, reduced deposits of $100/person and coupon books on all sailings 7 days or longer.

In addition, for select 2010 European, Caribbean and Alaska sailings, book a balcony at the price of an Oceanview!

Alaska Cruisetours including Denali are on sale! Up to 25% off Alaska
Cruisetour packages! Book by February 28. Prices start as low as
$1,274/person.

Royal Caribbean: Up to $200/cabin savings for select sailings throughout 2010! Book an oceanview cabin or above by February 28 on select sailings and receive up to $200/cabin savings!

River Cruising: River cruise lines continue to offer tremendous savings, with 2-for-1 pricing, free or reduced air and other special offers. These specials are frequently changing, but if you're considering a river cruise for 2010, don't wait. Unlike 2009, many special dates are already extremely limited.

This is the time to book your 2010 (or even 2011) cruise!

If you're thinking of Alaska this year, I can't emphasize enough to BOOK NOW! Because of the reduction in the number of ships and sailings, I expect Alaska cruises and cruisetours to be going up in price throughout the year. Booking now locks in your preferred cabin and pricing.

Remember that several lines will allow me to adjust your fare if they lower prices, EVEN AFTER FINAL PAYMENT! If you're concerned with getting the best fare, and who isn't, ask for information on these policies. I never charge a fee for changes to your booking, unless the cruise line imposes one directly. So you're protected when booking with me!

Call me at 303-690-8937, or toll-free at 888-SAIL-123 (888-724-5123), or email at amber@cruiseresource.com for more information on any sailing, offer, or to book your cruise! You deserve a great vacation in 2010!

Crystal Cruises Offers 2 for 1 Fares and More for all 2009/2010 Sailings!

While cruise fares are beginning to rebound, and as my clients can certainly attest, certain itineraries are getting hard to book, the luxury lines are extending out their unprecedented offers and lower fares for 2009 and 2010 sailings. Crystal is the most recent line to announce a significant savings program.

The main component of the savings is 2 for 1 pricing on all categories for all sailings in 2010! That's huge, but it's not all. In addition, they are offering:

• Up to $2,000 per couple in “All-Inclusive. As You Wish.” Spending Credits Receive up to $1,000 per person to spend any way you wish. Click here for details
• Free Air Fly free in Business or Economy Class on most 2010 voyages. Click here for details
• Price Guarantee Book early and pay the lowest applicable cruise fare - guaranteed! Click here for details

There are also other special offers which can often be combined with the above. These are:

• Birthday Bonus - Sail on your birthday and save 50% off a future cruise. Click here for details
• 20th Anniversary Celebrations – Enjoy onboard celebrations, commemorative merchandise and more on our special reunion cruises
• 20th Anniversary Commemorative Cruises – Celebrate 20 years of the World's Best with special events on our anniversary, July 20th, aboard voyages 0216 and 0317.
• Crystal Society 20th Anniversary Reunion Cruises – Enjoy special guests, events and receptions exclusively for Crystal Society members. Voyages 0210 and 0226.
• President’s Cruise 20th Anniversary Celebration – Join Crystal Cruises' President Gregg L. Michel aboard voyage 0210 for special guests, events and receptions.
• Up to $10,000 World Cruise “As You Wish” CruiseBank Spending Credits – Receive up to $5,000 per person to spend any way you wish. Click here for details
• Share the Experience – Earn $100 shipboard credit for each new-to-Crystal guest you sail with. Click here for details
• Crystal Family Memories – Sail with six or more family and friends and enjoy free third berths (17 years and under), pre-paid gratuities, shipboard spending credits and more. Sail with ten or more and receive a free berth! Click here for details
• Crystal Society Benefits Program – Shipboard credits, upgrades, free cruises and more for past guests. Click here for details

Crystal is a true luxury line, perfect for those who like the traditional style of cruising pared with exceptional service and amenities. While even with these offers it may be slightly more initial investment than a mainstream cruise line, the benefits are extensive, and the bottom line price, of the fare and onboard costs combined, is often very similar to what you'd experience on a premium line.

Is it time you started looking at luxury lines? Take advantage of the extraordinary savings you can experience now on Crystal or other lines and see what you may have been missing! Luxury cruising IS worth it and an amazing value, especially now. Call or email me to explore your options.

Crystal's End of Summer 3-Day Sale

While the calendar tells us otherwise, for many of us, the 4th of July weekend signals the mid-point of summer. That means it's time to start planning your fall getaways, and Crystal Cruises wants you to plan them on a Crystal ship.

Crystal will be holding a 3-day sale starting on Wednesday, July 8 at 6AM Pacific and running through Friday, July 10 at 6PM Pacific, offering 25% savings and up to $1,000 "As You Wish" Onboard Credit and fares as low as $2,655/person on selected sailings!

The applicable sailings are:

• Crystal Serenity, September 26, 2009 12-Nt Venice to Athens Adventures of Tycho
• Crystal Symphony, November 10 12-Nt New York to Miami Caribbean Connoisseur
• Crystal Serenity, November 12, 2009 10-Nt Lisbon to Miami Atlantic Adventure
• Crystal Symphony, December 5, 2009, 15-Nt Manaus to Buenos Aires South American Splendor
• Crystal Serenity, December 10, 2009 11-Nt Costa Rica to Miami Coral Sunsets

Crystal brings you true luxury cruising with a traditional feel and impeccable service. If you're interested in a fall getaway on Crystal, give me a call at 303-690-8937 or toll-free at 888-SAIL-123. Of course, I'm always available by email at amber@cruiseresource.com.

Luxury Savings News

You've all most likely been inundated with sales and offers from the mainstream brands such as Carnival, Princess, NCL, etc. But you may not have seen some spectacular offers from lines such as Crystal, Regent, Oceania and Azamara. All are offering similarly amazing deals, which bring their pricing down to values never before seen.

Would you believe up to $2,000 in onboard credit from Crystal for 2009 European sailings? In addition to other savings offers? Huge discounts on the Regent Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia if booked prior to March 31? And did you notice that there are now included shore excursions with Regent sailings?

Azamara has announced they will be offering cruise-only rates so you can take advantage of the discounts available in airfares right now direct from the airlines.

How about a historic Transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2? You've not seen prices like this before!

Interested in a river cruise? There are fabulous bargains to be found this summer, even in high season.

And these are only a tiny portion of the offers available right now in the Deluxe and Luxury brands.

So if you've longed for the pampering and quality of these Deluxe and Luxury lines, and have the ability to travel this summer, now is the time to book! You might find yourself paying less for one of these cruises than you've paid in the past for a mainstream brand.

As a CLIA-certified Luxury Cruise Specialist, I can help you find the line, itinerary and value best suited to your preferences. Give me a call or email me at amber@cruiseresource.com!

Dancing at Sea with Crystal

Premium and Luxury lines, such as Cunard, Holland America, MSC and Crystal, often do Big Band or other dance-oriented sailings during their Transatlantic crossings, and Crystal has just announced a particularly interesting one for one of their spring repositioning cruises in April, 2009.

Crystal Cruises has booked the Glenn Miller Orchestra for concerts and dancing during the May 23 10-day Trans-Atlantic Big Band cruise from Miami to Lisbon. The cruise will include daily live performances and evening dancing, as well musically themed lectures, swing dance lessons, trivia contests, and classic Big Band-themed films. Extra Ambassador Hosts will be available for those who need a dance partner. Led by jazz trombonist Larry O’Brien, the 19-piece band will perform hits made famous in the 1930s and 40s, including “Moonlight Serenade,” “Tuxedo Junction” and “In the Mood.”

The 10-day cruise departs Miami and visits Hamilton, Bermuda and Ponta Delgada, Portugal, before arriving in Lisbon. West Coast guests can precede their trans-Atlantic cruise with a Panama Canal cruise from Los Angeles. The cruise can also be extended in Europe, with a Mediterranean cruise that continues on to Venice. Value Collection cruise fares begin at $3,540 per person, double occupancy. Crystal is also offering bonus savings up to $1,500 per couple, depending on accommodations selected. Other special savings include a Crystal Family Memories package and an additional 5 percent savings for combining two or more voyages.

One of the nice things about a sailing such as this is that it's great for solo ladies who love to dance, but don't have a partner, but equally so for a couple where the husband doesn't particularly like dancing, as the dance hosts are happy to fill in on the dance floor.

Having sailed a Holland America Big Band cruise, I can tell you these are a lot of fun, for dancers and music lovers alike, and active quite late into the night. I was almost literally danced under the table by many close to twice my age. I can't wait until I can book another Big Band cruise!

If this sounds interesting to you, even if not on Crystal or a transatlantic sailing, contact me for information on other options to you as well.

2009 Season Itineraries Released - Uniworld, Crystal, Regent and Princess

Tis the season... for new itineraries! More 2009/2010 itineraries are being released. Up now are Uniworld, Crystal, Regent and Princess!

Citing people wanting to schedule bookings farther in advance, this week Uniworld opened their 2009 European schedule of river cruises. Their full schedule is available for booking now.

Crystal, too, has opened their entire 2009 schedule, with the exception of the 2010 World Cruise, which will come later. The 57 destination-rich itineraries call on 185 different ports with an extensive mix of cruises ranging from seven days to a 106-day World Cruise. New for 2009:

• A return to cruising the Amazon for the first time since 2006;
• Virtually all Mediterranean cruises feature overnight calls in cities including Barcelona, Istanbul, Monte Carlo, Venice and Sorrento;
• Two ships cruising Asia, including cruises in China/Japan, Southeast Asia and India with overnight stays in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Osaka, Kōbe, and Bangkok among many others;
• A choice of exotic and tropical holiday voyages in South America and Antarctica or Caribbean.

Most itineraries feature at least one overnight stay allowing for greater exploration into some of the world’s most fascinating destinations. In addition to attractions like Dubai, Athens, Stockholm, Sydney and Vancouver, there are 11 maiden calls in Kiel, Germany; Rangiroa, French Polynesia; Napier, New Zealand; Komodo, Indonesia; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; Petropavlovsk, Russia; Kotor, Montenegro; Lipari, Italy; Sinop, Turkey; Patmos, Greece; and Trogir, Croatia.

Regent has opened their bookings for two sailings in Antarctica on their new Minerva (formerly Exlorer II) expedition ship, currently undergoing renovation. (Gee, there seems to be a theme here - we've recently reported on similar acquisition and renovation of an expedition ship by Silversea. I think we can conclude that expedition cruising is getting extremely popular! But back to Regent Minerva.)

Setting sail Jan. 14-25 and Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2009, both voyages begin with visits to the Falkland Islands' wildlife-rich shores and the village of Port Stanley. Minerva then cruises to the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula (with opportunities for disembarkation and exploration as weather permits), followed by a transit of the Drake Passage. Before returning to Ushuaia, Argentina, Minerva will sail along Cape Horn, at the confluence of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The 14-night cruise on Jan. 25 adds a call at South Georgia Island, which features large colonies of king penguins, fur and elephant seals.

Both itineraries include a one-night, pre-cruise stay in Santiago, Chile; roundtrip charter flights from Santiago to Ushuaia; a city tour and Patagonian lunch on embarkation day in Ushuaia; and a complimentary backpack and parka. Minerva has an ice-strengthened hull. Inside, Minerva offers all ocean-view suites and staterooms, two open-seating restaurants, a full-service health club and a salon. Designed to carry up to 394 guests in Antarctica, Regent limits the ship's capacity to just 198 guests for maximum comfort.

Finally, Princess has announced they will open bookings for their 2009 summer European program on March 14. With 6 ships (Ruby, Emerald, Crown, Grand, Royal and Tahitian Princesses), 90 voyages on 36 different itineraries, visiting 132 ports and destinations, Princess definitely has one of the most varied and comprehensive programs in Europe.

As was posted here previously, there will be two mid-summer "top of the world" itineraries between New York and London on the Tahitian Princess which offer calls in Greenland and Iceland. The Ruby Princess, also making her European debut, will operate cruises in the Mediterranean and Greek Isles. Emerald Princess takes over the Scandinavia and Russia itineraries, while Crown Princess sails in Northern Europe, British Isles and the Mediterranean. Grand Princess will offer itineraries to the Mediterranean from London (primarily marketed to residents from the UK, but a nice, different itinerary for those from North America as well), along with late season sailings to the Greek Isles and Egypt which proved extremely popular in 2007 and already for 2008. Finally, Royal Princess will focus on sailings to the Holy Land, Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Accompanying this launch announcement from Princess is a new promotion for their past passengers. Princess' Europe cruises will be the first to offer Captain's Circle Launch Savings, a new discount for past passengers. This $100-per-person discount is available to Captain's Circle members who make their Europe bookings by Sept. 30, 2008, and will remain combinable with subsequent promotions. Princess is the first line to offer such broad discounts to their past passengers, available to bookings on all their ships, in any type of cabin. Way to go, Princess!

A full list of itineraries is available at www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na935.

If you're interested in any of these itineraries, give me a call soon so we can plan your 2009 cruises!

Crystal Changes Smoking Policy

Continuing the trend toward more limited smoking on cruise ships,
Crystal Cruises, starting in May, will prohibit smoking on verandas
of all staterooms and suites aboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal
Serenity. In keeping with lifestyle trends, most areas of Crystal
ships have been non-smoking for several years, including restaurants
and the main entertainment lounges. Non-smoking areas dominate most
bars and lounges, although there are some tables that permit smoking.
Cigarette smoking is permitted in private accommodations, although
pipe-smoking and cigars are only permitted in the Connoisseur Club
and most open decks.

"The majority of our guests are non-smoking, and travelers are used
to more non-smoking environments today," said Gregg Michel, Crystal
president. "We respect that smoking is a personal lifestyle decision
but there is growing discomfort from non-smokers about veranda smoke
negatively impacting the enjoyment of their personal outdoor living
space." As with the current policy, guests who do not observe the
non-smoking policy will first be asked to comply. Failure to do so
can result in a guest being asked to leave the ship at his/her own
expense. The new smoking policy takes effect with the May 7
London-to-Rome cruise on Crystal Serenity and the May 25
Athens-to-London cruise on Crystal Symphony.

Want Some Cheese With That?

Several lines offer "sommeliers" - some with actual certifications, others in name only, but are you aware there are cheese sommeliers as well? Crystal Cruises is quite aware, and is working toward providing an expert experience to their cruisers.

Crystal Cruises has been taking steps to gain certification for all of its onboard wine and cheese sommeliers -- and expects to reach that goal in 2008. Overseeing the certification of Crystal's wine sommeliers is Master Sommelier Robert Bath, one of only 124 worldwide to hold this title and the creative force behind the wine program at the lauded French Laundry. Cheese sommeliers will be certified by Professor Gerhard Ebner of the International Cheese Academy at the Hotel and Tourism School in Bad Gleichenberg, Austria. Certification for Crystal's cheese and wine sommeliers takes more than 60 hours of schooling and 5.5 hours of testing.

The wine sommeliers can share in-depth information about the history, horticulture, vineyards, and subtle flavors of the wines being tasted. The cheese sommeliers will be expanding Crystal's selection of regional and artisanal cheeses and can offer insights on sampling suggestions, the harmony with wines and spirits, and information on the history, manufacturing and distinctions of each cheese. The hands-on training, which includes visiting dairies and cheese shops, and studying and tasting fine cheeses, provides the sommeliers with knowledge of from numerous countries with an emphasis on France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and England.

YUM!