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Celebrate The Holidays In Style!
Hi Everyone,
I received this press release from the Cruise Lines International Association and thought it would be of interest. If you have missed any of my news' postings, they are available on my web site. Best regards, Ray LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL 800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905 http://www.lighthousetravel.com A Cruise Makes The Holidays Delightful Celebrate The Holidays In Style, With Cruises In Norway, Antarctica And Points In Between NEW YORK, Oct. 22 Holiday cruises are a popular segment of the cruise industry, and it's easy to understand why, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the nonprofit marketing organization which represents 19 cruise lines and more than 16,000 travel agencies. "With ships decked out for the season, and all the menu planning and entertainment taken care of, guests can relax and focus on what truly counts during the holiday season: spending quality time with family and friends, celebrating old traditions, and creating new ones along the way, " said Terry Dale, president and CEO of CLIA. This holiday season, CLIA-member cruise lines are offering holiday itineraries as far north as Norway and as far south as Antarctica, and many points in between, including the Mediterranean and Europe, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, the Panama Canal, South America, Mexico, Tahiti, Africa and Australia. "With such a wealth of destinations and experiences, you might be able to forego presents altogether," said Dale. All holiday itineraries include special religious observances, gourmet menus featuring classic holiday favorites as well as regional specialties, and live onboard holiday entertainment, sometimes with an international twist. And let's not forget visits from Santa, who manages to squeeze cruise ship visits into his busy schedule. CLIA fleets will also feature champagne toasts, under the stars and in magnificent ballrooms on New Year's Eve. Here is a sampling of how CLIA-member lines will celebrate the 2004 holiday season: Carnival Cruise Lines offers a variety of three- to eight-day holiday sailings to the Bahamas, Caribbean and Mexican Riviera, with special treats for children including a visit from Santa, and a chance to shine in a special holiday performance. Ships are decorated with Christmas trees, wreaths and mistletoe; carols are performed on deck and in the shows, and piped into cabins; midnight mass is celebrated; and Christmas dinner features roast turkey and pecan pie. Celebrity Cruises' ships feature Christmas trees and wreaths, sparkling garland and other festive dicor to help set the tone on sailings to the Caribbean and Mexico which are timed to whisk guests away to celebrate Christmas and New Year's at sea. This year, Costa Cruises offers 18 holiday itineraries for Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's. Expect seasonal menus, religious services, Santa visits, Hanukkah and Christmas gifts for children, tree-decorating for kids and holiday-themed entertainment. Itineraries are designed to showcase the splendors of the eastern and western Caribbean, Europe and the Mediterranean, and South America. Guests of Crystal Cruises find the ambiance festive yet sophisticated, with each ship showcasing $100,000 worth of seasonal dicor, including handcrafted ornaments, ornate sleighs, Old English toy soldiers, and a dozen twinkling Christmas trees. Christmas Eve services and masses are planned, and Christmas Day serves up eggnog, a noontime buffet, a "Chocolate Tea Time," a visit from Santa and an extravagant dinner. Celebrate the holidays in British style aboard Cunard Line's QM2 and QE2 in the Caribbean. Festivities include a visit from Father Christmas, a Festival of Carols, a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, a Yuletide show and religious services. And, passengers get to experience an additional holiday: the British celebration of Boxing Day on Dec. 26. New Year's Eve is celebrated with a black-tie gala, deck parties, hats, noisemakers, streamers and Baby New Year and Father Time. Disney Cruise Line offers a Christmas experience for the entire family. Highlights include a tree-lighting ceremony where "snow" magically falls; a visit from Santa Goofy; carols performed by crew members from around the world; opportunities for families to design and decorate their own gingerbread houses; a reading of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" by Mrs. Claus; traditional holidays feasts; and multiple faith and inter-denominational holiday services. On Holland America Line, guests experience a multi-cultural holiday, with the international crew choir and staff singing native carols to entertain passengers. Other special holiday features include seasonal decorations throughout the ships; holiday movies; a visit from Santa; and a feast featuring goose, turkey, plum pudding and eggnog. MSC Cruises' new MSC Opera is the setting for a pair of roundtrip holiday cruises out of Fort Lauderdale: a 10-night Dec. 18 "Christmas of Your Life" Panama Canal sailing, and an 11-night Dec. 28 "Swing Into The New Year" deep Caribbean sailing. The Dec. 18 itinerary features entertainment by the Lorri and Mike Hafer Quartet and screenings of holiday film classics, and the Dec. 28 sailing features the "Swing! Swing! Swing!" cast, Michele Anastasio and the Music of Your Life Swing Band, and comic Bill Terrell. Guests aboard Norwegian Coastal Voyage's vessels experience the traditions and customs of the Norwegian Yuletide, with local holiday delicacies and an extravagant Scandinavian smorgasbord on Christmas Eve, readings of the Christmas gospel by the crew, caroling, Santa visits, and shore-side church services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when ship schedules permit. Passengers also can make old-fashioned ornaments and revel at an after-dinner dance on Boxing Day. Norwegian Cruise Line's holiday itineraries feature all the usual amenities, with special decorations, feasts, carols, seasonal shows and visits from Santa Claus. Catholic priests and Protestant ministers are onboard for masses and services, and rabbis for Hanukkah observances. Oceania Cruises' festively garbed vessels provide a fitting backdrop for menorah lightings, caroling and visits from St. Nick. Two itineraries are offered: a 17-day voyage aboard Insignia, departing from Valparaiso, Chile on Dec. 17 and visiting Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas, Chile; Ushuaia and Puerto Madryn, Argentina; and Montevideo, Uruguay, before ending in Buenos Aires; and a 12-day, roundtrip Caribbean cruise aboard Regatta, departing Miami Dec. 21. Enjoy a White Christmas? How about a trip to the White Continent? Orient Lines offers a holiday cruise lasting 33 days featuring a leisurely tour along the west coast of South America and a visit to Antarctica. The itinerary includes, weather permitting, zodiac landings at points of interest in Antarctica, including major penguin rookeries. Princess Cruises' ships are trimmed stem to stern with wreaths, holly, mistletoe and, of course, Christmas trees, sometimes even on the ship's mast. It's not uncommon to see Yuletide carolers strolling the decks, waiters wearing Santa hats, and seasonal entertainment including live shows and classic movies. Midnight mass and interdenominational services are offered, and Christmas dinner features seasonal favorites such as roast turkey or goose, gingerbread mousse, mincemeat pie, chocolate Yule logs and cookies. Radisson Seven Seas Cruises offers a wide array of holiday itineraries aboard festively decorated vessels, such as an 11-night French Polynesia voyage aboard the Paul Gauguin. Departing Papeete, Tahiti on Dec. 28, guests visit Motu Mahana and Bora Bora, ring in the New Year at sea under the South Pacific sky, then visit the Marquesas' Hiva Oa (Atuona) and Nuku Hiva (Taiohae) as well as Rangiroa and Moorea before returning to Papeete. Royal Caribbean International's vessels are decked out with Christmas trees, wreaths, sparkling garland and other festive dicor, and holiday revelers have their choice of voyages to the southern, western and eastern Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Baja Mexico, with departures from Galveston, San Juan, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, Port Canaveral and Tampa. Guests of Silversea Cruises sail the Far East and South Pacific aboard Silver Cloud's 16-day "Passage Down Under" cruise, departing Singapore Dec. 22 and calling at Semarang, Darwin, Thursday Island, Cairns, Townsville, Hayman Island and Newcastle before reaching Sydney. Silver Wind features a 16-day "Voyage to the Bottom of the World" itinerary departing Valparaiso, Chile, for Buenos Aires on Dec. 21, and sailing through Chile's scenic fjords and around Cape Horn. Swan Hellenic's Minerva II sails along the Ivory Coast of Africa, departing Capetown on Dec. 18 and visiting East London, Durban, Mozambique Island, Zanzibar and La Digue. Expect traditional festivities, dinner carols and mince pies, and an informative lecture from Dr. Penny McCracken, art historian, on "The Influence of African Art on Europe and the Christmas Story In Art." Guests ring in the New Year in Praslin on the island of Mahe. Holiday festivities onboard Windstar Cruises' ships blend traditional decorations, such as trees and wreaths on stateroom doors, with cultural activities based on the individual itineraries and holiday shows by the crew. Special menus pay homage to the season with time-honored favorites accented by flavors of the tropics. Itineraries include 11 days in Tahiti aboard Wind Star, nine days in the Caribbean aboard Wind Surf, and 10 days in the Caribbean aboard Wind Spirit. The Yachts of Seabourn celebrate the holidays in warm and sunny climes. Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Legend sail 14 days roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale to the islands of the Caribbean. Passengers on each vessel experience Seabourn's signature Champagne and Caviar in the Surf beach barbecue on a secluded beach. Seabourn Spirit sails 14 days from Singapore to Hong Kong, exploring Thailand and Vietnam, with a Champagne and Caviar in the Surf extravaganza at Thailand's Kood Island. To find a cruise expert to help plan your vacation, visit CLIA's Web site, http://www.cruising.org. By typing in your zip code you can find the nearest CLIA-member agency. The Web site also features a wide range of information on cruises and destinations, as well as numerous links to member cruise lines and other resources. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is a nonprofit marketing and training organization comprising 19 leading cruise lines in 2004, which together accommodate 95 percent of the North American cruise passengers. Approximately 16,000 travel agencies focused and engaged in the sales of cruise vacations in the U.S. and Canada are members of the association. The association conducts cruise industry-related research and communication initiatives to educate and promote the attributes of cruise vacations and CLIA member travel agencies to the traveling public. CLIA is a recognized travel industry leader in sales education. CLIA provides an extensive array of educational programs for travel agents including curriculum leading to certification as Accredited Cruise Counsellors, Master Cruise Counsellors and Elite Cruise Counsellors - considered the consumers' best resource for planning a cruise vacation. For more information on CLIA, its member cruise lines and travel agencies, visit its Web site at http://www.cruising.org. |
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