You didn't hear this from me...

Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I have advance information that RCCL is planning on opening their Summer, 2009 Europe schedule on March 18. It's not set in stone yet, but that's what they're looking at.

Since I'm heading to the Galapagos, if you're looking for something for the summer of 2009, give me a call Tuesday or Wednesday (that's today or tomorrow) so I can get it set up for cabins to be held for you on the 18th.

Azamara and Oceania Europe 2009 Itineraries Announced

Oceania has opened the books on their 2009 European season! Since their inception as a line, they've become known for their innovative and exciting itineraries, and 2009 will be no exception. Some of the highlights:

• All sailings will be offered with Free Airfare & 2-for-1 Cruise Fares through August 31, 2008.
• From the Black Sea to the Baltic, there are 52 extraordinary voyages to choose from including 10 distinct Western Mediterranean itineraries.
• A new 16-day Venice to Rome voyage highlights the scenic splendor and intriguing history of the Dalmatian Coast.
• Regatta returns to Scandinavia and Russia and marks Oceania Cruises' return to Norway and the British Isles.
• Magnificent maiden ports include: Hellesylt, Norway; Fowey, United Kingdom; Biarritz, France; and Koper, Slovenia.

Following on the heels of sister line Celebrity, and not surprisingly right after competitor Oceania announced their 2009 summer European schedule, Azamara Cruises has announced the opening of their 2009 European season. Sailings will go on sale starting April 2.

Cruises range in length from 7-15 nights, and feature visits to a total of 91 ports in 36 different countries. They will depart from five different home ports through the season: Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Rome and Venice, Italy. Overnight stays are be offered in Barcelona; Edinburgh, Scotland; Florence and Ravenna, Italy; Istanbul, Turkey; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Stockholm, Sweden. Late-night (10 p.m. or after) departures will be offered in 10 ports of call.

Azamara ships, being smaller and targeted toward cruisers who are looking for a more intimate experience, both onboard and ashore, are well suited for European cruising. In many locations, they can dock as opposed to tender, or dock far closer to cities such as Paris, allowing passengers more time in the featured cities.

This looks to be a great season for both lines! And of course I have to say - if you're interested, or want to know more about the itineraries or to get in your advance reservation, give me a call or drop me an email!

Celebrity Announces 2009 Europe Itinerary Releases

Celebrity has announced the opening for their 2009 European season! Captain's Club members have an exclusive early booking period from March 13-20, with bookings open to the general public starting on March 20.

5 ships will make up the Celebrity fleet in Europe in 2009, with the brand new Solstice and Equinox being joined by the Century, Constellation and Summit. Big season for them!

With regard to the Equinox, she will be making her debut in Europe on August 8 with a 10-night sailing from Southampton to Rome, to be followed by a series of 13 and 14-night "Ancient Empires" sailings featuring several overnight port calls and Egypt.

Call or email me now to discuss plans for 2009!

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!

First 2009 Summer Sailings Released!

Carnival Cruise Lines has announced the opening of some of their Summer, 2009 itineraries! They're certainly getting the jump on their competition.

The ships and itineraries announced today are:

CARNIVAL TRIUMPH 4, 5 & 7 Day Canada Cruises - Departing NYC - 2009
One (1) 4 Day Canada Cruise on Sunday, June 7, 2009
Six (6) 5 Day Saturday cruises: 6/20, 7/4, 7/18, 8/1, 8/15, 8/29/09
Sieven (7) 5 Day Monday cruises: 6/15, 6/29, 7/13, 7/27, 8/10, 8/24, 9/7/09
Seven (7) 4 Day Thursday Weekend cruises: 6/11, 6/25, 7/9, 7/23, 8/6, 8/20, 9/3/09
Five (5) 7 Day Fall Foliage Saturday cruises: 9/12, 9/19, 9/26, 10/3, 10/10/09

2009 Alaska - Carnival Spirit - 7 day cruises - May 6, 2009 through September 9, 2009!

2009 Europe - Carnival Liberty - May 9, 2009 through November 18, 2009 (plus two special Caribbean sailings):

Sat. 5/9/2009 London - 12 Day 1 Northern Europe
Thurs. 5/21/2009 London - 12 Day 2 Northern Europe
Tues. 6/2/2009 London - 12 Day 3 Northern Europe
Sun. 6/14/2009 London - 12 Day 4 Northern Europe
Fri. 6/26/2009 London - 12 Day 5 Northern Europe
Wed. 7/8/2009 London - 12 Day 6 Northern Europe
Mon. 7/20/2009 London - 12 Day 7 Northern Europe
Sat. 8/1/2009 London - 12 Day 8 Northern Europe
Thurs. 8/13/2009 London - 12 Day 9 Northern Europe
Tues. 8/25/2009 London - 12 Day 10 Northern Europe
Sun. 9/6/2009 London - 13 Day Western Europe
Sat. 9/19/2009 Rome - 12 Day 1 Grand Mediterranean
Thurs. 10/1/2009 Rome - 12 Day 2 Grand Mediterranean
Tues. 10/13/2009 Rome - 12 Day 3 Med, Greece & Turkey cruise
Sun. 10/25/2009 Rome - 12 Day 4 Grand Mediterranean
Fri. 11/6/2009 Rome - 12 Day 5 Grand Mediterranean
Wed. 11/18/09 Rome - 16 Day Transatlantic to Miami
Fri. 12/4/09 Miami - Offers a special 8 Day Exotic EC cruise
Sat. 12/12/09 Miami - Resumes 7 Day WC & EC alternating cruises
(this one is EC)

2009 Europe - Carnival Freedom - May 9, 2009 through November 5, 2009 (plus two special Caribbean sailings):

Sat. 05/09/09 Rome - 12 Day 1 Med, Greece & Turkey cruise
Thurs. 05/21/09 Rome - 12 Day 2 Grand Mediterranean
Tues. 06/02/09 Rome - 12 Day 3 Grand Mediterranean
Sun. 06/14/09 Rome - 12 Day 4 Grand Mediterranean
Fri. 06/26/09 Rome - 12 Day 5 Grand Mediterranean
Wed. 07/08/09 Rome - 12 Day 6 Grand Mediterranean
Mon. 07/20/09 Rome - 12 Day 7 Grand Mediterranean
Sat. 08/01/09 Rome - 12 Day 8 Grand Mediterranean
Thurs. 08/13/09 Rome - 12 Day 9 Med, Greece & Turkey cruise
Tues. 08/25/09 Rome - 12 Day 10 Grand Mediterranean
Sun. 09/06/09 Rome - 12 Day 11 Grand Mediterranean
Fri. 09/18/09 Rome - 12 Day 12 Med, Greece & Turkey cruise
Wed. 09/30/09 Rome - 12 Day 13 Grand Mediterranean
Mon. 10/12/09 Rome - 12 Day 14 Grand Mediterranean
Sat. 10/24/09 Rome - 12 Day 15 Grand Mediterranean
Thurs. 11/05/09 16 Day TRANSATLANTIC Rome to Ft. Lauderdale
Sat. 11/21/09 8 Day Exotic Western Caribbean - Ft. Lauderdale

In addition, the Carnival Miracle 8-night Caribbean sailings from New York will open later this week. If you're interested in any of these sailings, call now for the best availability!