Crystal Serenity to focus on North America in 2017

Crystal Cruises said the Crystal Serenity will sail in North and South America in 2017 after spending most of its time in recent years in the Mediterranean.  Following its world cruise from Miami, the Serenity will embark on a repositioning voyage to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal. Subsequent cruises include seven-day explorations of California’s coastline; a 14-day Mexico itinerary; a 16-day route through the Hawaiian Islands; seven-, nine- and 10-day cruises through the ports and glaciers of Alaska and British Columbia; seven- and 10-day itineraries through the ports of New England and Eastern Canada; and warm-weather fall and winter cruises along the southern East Coast into the Caribbean.  Crystal said that guests seeking a European experience will by 2017 be able to try its Crystal Esprit mega-yacht, which will spend nearly all of its time in the Med, or its new river cruises.

For more information and to make reservations on a Crystal Cruise with  exclusive rates and amenities, contact The Cruise Professionals at  TheCruiseOutlet.com at 203-288-1884 or email: info@thecruiseoutlet.com

Norwegian Cruise Line toughens cancellation terms

Norwegian Cruise Line announced new terms for canceling booked cruises that will require earlier decisions about backing out of trips and impose higher penalties on cancellations.  The changes, which take effect on bookings made after Jan. 1, are complex. But on one common product, the cruise or cruise tour of 7 days or longer, the least costly cancellation will require forfeit of 25% of the cruise fare for bookings cancelled 76 to 89 days from sailing. The current policy is loss of deposit for bookings cancelled 56 to 75 days before sailing. Cancellations 60 to 75 days out come with a 50% penalty, those from 31-60 days a 75% penalty and within 30 days, 100% penalty. The current schedule penalizes cancellations from 29 to 55 days out at 50%, and those from 15 to 28 days at 75%.  Currently, when guests cancel within 14 days of sailing, they lose their full fare.  Standard deposits will be $100 per person on cruises of two to six days, $250 on cruises seven to nine days and $400 on voyages 10 days or longer.  Final payment will be due 75 days from sailings of two to six days and 90 days on longer voyages. Holiday sailings will require final payment 120 days from sailing, except for the Norwegian Sky.

For more information and to make reservations on a Norwegian Cruise or Land Combination package with  exclusive rates and amenities, contact The Cruise Professionals at  TheCruiseOutlet.com at 203-288-1884 or email: info@thecruiseoutlet.com

Viking Star to sail Caribbean cruises from San Juan

Viking Ocean Cruises said its first sailings in North America and the Caribbean will occur from September 2016 to February 2017, when the Viking Star will sail from San Juan.  The ship will make a series of nine 11-night round trips from San Juan, visiting Tortola, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.  Prior to arriving in San Juan, the Viking Star will do several repositioning cruises, starting with a 15-day Bergen to Montreal trip that departs Sept. 18.
From Montreal, the ship will do a 13-day voyage up the St. Lawrence River, through the Canadian Maritimes and New England to New York.  A 15-day Eastern Seaboard itinerary departs New York for San Juan on Oct. 18.
At the end of the season, the Viking Star will offer an 18-day San Juan-to-Barcelona cruise that departs Feb. 25, 2017.  Presently since its debut in April, Viking Star has been sailing in the Mediterranean and elsewhere in Europe.

For more information and to make reservations on Viking Ocean  Cruises  with  exclusive rates and amenities, contact The Cruise Professionals at  TheCruiseOutlet.com at 203-288-1884 or email: info@thecruiseoutlet.com

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Hatches Plan For Cage-free Eggs

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will provide guests with cage-free eggs over the coming years. The cruise company is committing to 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2022, building on an initiative that first introduced cage-free eggs into its supply chain in 2010.  “By moving to 100 percent cage-free eggs we are not only delivering quality food, but acting responsibly when it comes to the welfare of animals in the food system,” said Mike Jones, Vice President, Supply Chain, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  In recent years the cruise company has undertaken significant efforts to provide sustainably sourced food for guests including sourcing pork from gestation crate free suppliers. “Royal Caribbean supports the continual movement of the food service industry in this direction, and remains committed to keeping the treatment of animals in consideration when supplying its fleet with food.”

For more information and to make reservations on a Royal Caribbean Cruise or Land Combination package with  exclusive rates and amenities, contact The Cruise Professionals at  TheCruiseOutlet.com at 203-288-1884 or email: info@thecruiseoutlet.com

RCCL keeps pricing in tact, does not lower

FORT LAUDERDALE — Richard Fain, chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said that the company’s 9-month-old price integrity policy had not been violated by its recent Wave kickoff sale, which offers up to $300 in onboard credit for cruises departing as soon as Dec. 10. Fain said the policy evolved to curb “super steep” discounts on the last 2% of empty cabins that didn’t raise “bupkus” in revenue but “antagonized the people who were most important to us — our travel agent partners and our customers.” Fain said the policy varies from banning discounts within 10 days of sailing for a five-day Caribbean cruise to 30 days for certain two-week European sailings.  The whole idea was to stop passengers from comparing prices and being penalized for booking early.  “We were creating a great deal of dissatisfaction for a relatively small group that from our point of view were gaming the system,” Fain said.
Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s vice president of sales, trade support and services, later said the line’s latest sale is really a buy-one, get-one promotion, in which buyers of a cruise get discounts of 25% or 50% on fares for second, third and fourth passengers in the cabin. Prices on the cruises would not be lower than those paid by guests who had booked earlier, she said.
On the subject of Internet at sea, Fain said that Royal’s Voom high-speed service now on Quantum- and Oasis-class ships should be rolled out to the entire fleet by the end of 2016. He said interest in Cuba alone is creating new demand for other Caribbean itineraries.  “All the publicity about Cuba has raised the level of awareness in the U.S. about cruising to the Caribbean,” Fain said.
For more information and to make reservations on a Royal Caribbean Cruise or Land Combination package with  exclusive rates and amenities, contact The Cruise Professionals at  TheCruiseOutlet.com at 203-288-1884 or email: info@thecruiseoutlet.com

Royal Caribbean testing charge for RFID wristbands

Royal Caribbean International has begun charging $4.99 on the Anthem of the Seas for radio-frequency identification (RFID) wristbands. Branded Wow bands, the colored, rubberized wristbands are a substitute for SeaPass key cards. Royal said the charge is a test of a new pricing strategy for the bands, which had been distributed for free up to now on Quantum-class ships.  Using the bands, passengers can access their cabins and pay for onboard purchases.  Royal had discussed a $2 charge for the bands when they were introduced on Quantum of the Seas, but it was never implemented.
Guests in Junior Suites and above on Anthem will continue to get the bands free in their staterooms upon boarding.
The Anthem, newly arrived in the U.S., sails year-round from Bayonne, N.J.
For more information on making reservations for a Cruise  with  exclusive rates and amenities, contact The Cruise Professionals at  TheCruiseOutlet.com at 203-288-1884 or email: info@thecruiseoutlet.com