12 New Ships!

Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from the Cruise Lines International
Association (CLIA) 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


CLIA Fleet Continues to Grow, With 12 New Ships Bringing New
Amenities, Programs In 2004

NEW YORK, Dec. 8
Twelve exciting new cruise ships serving the North American vacation
market will debut in 2004, according to Cruise Lines International
Association (CLIA). The new entries to the CLIA fleet include the
largest ocean liner ever built, the first new American flag cruise
ship in 50 years and a bevy of floating resorts, each with its own
unique style and personality.
While many of the new ships are large resort-style ships -- five are
more than 100,000 tons -- they join a fleet that prides itself on
diversity, from small, intimate vessels to megaships and a range of
experiences to suit every vacation style.

"The vessels being introduced in 2004 demonstrate that the cruise
industry continues to grow with innovative new ships that set
standards not just for cruising but for all vacation travel," says Bob
Sharak, CLIA's executive director. "The new ships complement those
already in the fleet, giving travelers even more choices when it comes
to their cruise vacation."

The following cruise lines have ships slated to enter the CLIA fleet
in 2004:

Carnival Cruise Lines introduces the 2,124-guest Carnival Miracle in
February and the 2,974-passenger Carnival Valor in December. Carnival
Miracle boasts indoor and outdoor promenades, upscale supper club and
a large number of balconied staterooms. The 110,000-ton Carnival Valor
has 22 bars, three restaurants, four swimming pools, a 214-foot-long
water slide and a 14,500-square-foot spa.

Costa Cruises' new 105,000-ton Costa Magica enters the fleet in
November.

The 2,720-guest vessel has 458 staterooms with verandas, 11 bars, four
restaurants, a theater extending over three decks, and three swimming
pools.

Cunard Line's new flagship Queen Mary 2 debuts in January as the
largest, longest, and tallest liner ever built. The 2,620-guest vessel
sails transatlantic voyages between Southampton and New York and has
grand duplex living spaces with private elevators, butlers and staff
as well as a Canyon Ranch SpaClub®, a Todd English restaurant, and an
Oxford University enrichment series.

Holland America Line's 1,848-passenger Westerdam debuts in April. The
ship features a large number of verandah cabins.

MSC Italian Cruises' 1,760-guest Opera enters the fleet in April. The
60,000-ton vessel, with its 14 decks and six elevators, is the sister
ship to the Lirica, which entered service in 2003.

Norwegian Cruise Line's NCL America brand introduces the first new
ocean-going passenger ship in nearly 50 years to sail under the
American Flag in July. The 2,146-passenger Pride of America sails
seven-night inter-island Hawaii cruises, and boasts eight dining
venues, more than 660 balcony staterooms, state-of-the art
entertainment lounges, three pools, and the largest dedicated meeting
facilities at sea.

Oceania Cruises' second ship, the 30,200-ton, 684-passenger Insignia,
debuts in April.

Princess Cruises adds three ships. The 113,000-ton, 2,670-passenger
sister-ships Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess debut in March and
June, respectively. The main dining rooms are themed to focus on
Italian, Asian, and Southwestern cuisine as well as a steakhouse. The
line's largest ship, the 116,000-ton, 3,100-guest Caribbean Princess,
debuts in April. It features a poolside movie screen, as well as 900
cabins with balconies.

Royal Caribbean International's 2,100-passenger, 90,090-ton Jewel of
the Seas debuts in April. In addition to the highest percentage of
balcony staterooms in the line's fleet, the ship has a rock-climbing
wall, coffee house featuring Seattle's Best Coffee, Italian restaurant
and steakhouse, self-leveling pool tables, indoor Solarium, and
expansive kids' facilities.

For more information on cruise vacations, visit CLIA's website at
www.cruising.org.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is a nonprofit marketing
and training organization comprising 21 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 and Master 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 website at www.cruising.org.

Oh, goodness! Twelve new ships in one year! I ADORE new ships. Howie
will need another two-year sabbatical, and even then we probably
couldn't squeeze in more than half of these - not to mention the ones to
come afterwards.

It just ain't fair.

Eileen

Ray Goldenberg wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from the Cruise Lines International
Association (CLIA) 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


CLIA Fleet Continues to Grow, With 12 New Ships Bringing New
Amenities, Programs In 2004


Twelve new ships, how cool is that? This should keep pricing right down
there where I like it.

Howie

"Ray Goldenberg" wrote in message
...
| Hi Everyone,
|
| I received this press release from the Cruise Lines International
| Association (CLIA) and thought it would be of interest. If you have
| missed any of my news' postings, they are available on my web site.
|


Great news for the experienced cruiser! But for me who is planning my first
2 cruises, this just makes my decision harder! lol

Actually, the Carnival Miracle has been in the front running for my second
cruise (See thread titled (Narrowing the field" to see my 3 choices for our
first cruise)

Now I might have to rethink the second one... which btw will also have us
either in port or at sea for my 34th birthday (2005 that is)

It's exhausting being me, but oh so much fun planning our first 2 cruises!


--
LES!

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