Princess Cruises is marking Memorial Day with a sale on more than 60 worldwide cruise vacations. Beginning today and running through May 28, the Memorial Day Sale features air savings to intriguing destinations such as Hawaii and Tahiti, Asia and Europe. Passengers can save up to $700 in air savings for two passengers. More information about the cruise sale and pricing can be found at princess.com/sale.

Examples of cruise deals include:

• Tahiti cruise – 10 days: $1,879 interior; $2,469 balcony (air savings up to $350)

• Asia cruise – 10 days: $1,269 interior; $1,999 balcony (air savings up to $250)

• Greek Isles cruise – 12 days: $1,079 interior; $1,579 balcony (air savings up to $200)

• Mediterranean cruise – 12 days: $1,229 interior; $1,629 balcony (air savings up to $200)

• Hawaiian Island cruise – 15 days: $1,599 interior; $2,299 balcony (air savings up to $100)

In addition to the Memorial Day Sale, Princess is also reminding passengers that the line offers a special onboard credit program with benefits for active military members and veterans. This credit of up to $250 (depending upon the length of the cruise) is available year round, and can be combined with the credit available through the Memorial Day Sale. Past passengers who have qualified for retired or veteran-status Military Personnel Benefits on previous sailings will have this discount automatically applied to their booking. Air savings are available to passengers booking Princess eZAir flights in conjunction with the cruise. Princess eZAir gives passengers easy and full control of their flights and the ability to seamlessly coordinate them with their cruise itinerary.

All cruise prices are per person, based on double occupancy and include all applicable government fees and taxes.The Memorial Day Sale runs from 12:01 a.m. PT on May 23 through 11:59 p.m. PT on May 28, 2013 and is available to residents of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the company’s website at www.princess.com.

Reported by © www.expertcruiser.com – Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

Acclaimed culinary trainer David Bilsland, a former instructor at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in London, is again set to host Silversea’s exclusive “Relais & Châteaux L’École des Chefs” interactive cooking school in 2013.

On 14 ultra-luxury voyages across the globe, Chef Bilsland will present a program developed in collaboration with Jacques Thorel, a consulting Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux. Silversea enjoys the privilege of featuring the only “Relais & Châteaux L’École des Chefs” cooking school at sea. The innovative program — which is offered completely free of charge — provides guests with a special culinary curriculum, including hands-on instruction, and entertaining events.

With the curriculum for each of these cruises carefully designed to celebrate the cultural flavor of the ship’s itinerary, participating guests may prepare Cajun-spiced shrimp, vegetable fritto misto, or spanakopita, as well as other international delicacies. Highlights include specialized workshops covering an array of topics from basic knife skills and kitchen terminology to sauces and baking; cooking demonstrations with wine pairings and interactive Q&A sessions; lively cooking competitions between Chef Bilsland and the ship’s own culinary team; a “Lunch and Learn” event offering small groups of guests a chance to sample a delicious meal of specially prepared dishes; and inspired “Take It Home” recipes that will give guests an edge when entertaining at home.

Also offered on certain voyages, when the itinerary permits, is a “Market to Plate” experience that provides an escorted tour of a local market followed by a cooking class, and a “Culinary Outing,” an instructor-escorted excursion to a local restaurant, hotel or other venue where guests can enjoy a unique culinary exploration.

“What’s really great about our L’École des Chefs cooking school is that it’s free, fun and entertaining,” said Ellen Bettridge, Silversea’s president of the Americas. “And it lets our guests get hands-on training, working side by side with an accomplished chef to learn new cooking techniques and sample delectable dishes.”

Following below is a small selection of the L’École des Chefs voyages for 2013:

AFRICA

Voyage 2336: Silver Wind departs Las Palmas December 3 on an 18-day sailing to Cape Town with calls in Porto Novo, Praia, Dakar, Takoradi, Walvis Bay, and Lüderitz. Silver Privilege fares start at $5,450.

ASIA

Voyage 3329: Silver Shadow departs Tokyo September 29 on a 10-day sailing to Shanghai with calls in Hiroshima, Busan, Jeju, and Tianjin (Beijing). Silver Privilege fares start at $4,350.

Voyage 3331: Silver Shadow departs Tokyo October 19 on a 12-day sailing to Hong Kong with calls in Osaka, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Shanghai, and Xiamen. Silver Privilege fares start at $5,650.

MEDITERRANEAN

Voyage 2334: Silver Wind departs Rome November 19 on a 7-day sailing to Málaga with calls in Sorrento, Trapani, Valletta, La Goulette, and Cartagena. Silver Privilege fares start at $2,050.

Voyage 2335: Silver Wind departs Málaga November 26 on a 7-day sailing to Las Palmas with calls in Cádiz, Casablanca, Agadir, Arrecife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Santa Cruz de la Palma. Silver Privilege fares start at $2,750 for a Veranda Suite (Vista Suites are sold out).

NORTHERN EUROPE

Voyage 7309: Silver Explorer departs Lisbon April 29 on a 14-day “Flavors of Europe” voyage to Portsmouth with calls in Oporto (Leixoes), Vigo, Santander, St. Jean de Luz, Bordeaux, Quiberon, Saint-Malo, Guernsey, and Honfleur. Silver Privilege fares start at $6,850 (for Adventurer Class accommodations).

Voyage 1318: Silver Cloud departs Southampton June 9 on a 10-day sailing to Copenhagen with calls in Honfleur, Oostende, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Warnemünde (Rostock), and Helsingborg. Silver Privilege fares start at $4,150.

SOUTH PACIFIC

Voyage 5304: Silver Spirit departs Los Angeles February 1 on a 31-day roundtrip odyssey exploring the enchanting isles of the South Pacific with calls in the Marquesas Islands, Rangiroa, Society Islands, Kiribati, and Hawaii. Silver Privilege fares start at $14,550.

TRANSOCEANIC

Voyage 3328: Silver Shadow departs Vancouver September 12 on a 16-day transpacific voyage to Tokyo with calls in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Kodiak, Petropavlovsk (Kamchatka), and Hakodate. Silver Privilege fares start at $6,250 for a Veranda 1 Suite (Vista Suites are sold out).

For a complete list of L’École des Chefs voyages, visit Silversea.com and click on Life Onboard/Enrichment/Culinary & Wine Voyages/Cooking School Voyages.

Silver Privilege fares listed above are cruise-only rates per guest, based on double occupancy for a Vista Suite, unless indicated otherwise. Silver Privilege is a capacity-controlled program and subject to change.

Visit Silversea’s website for more details.

Reported by © www.expertcruiser.com - Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

“There are some amazing cruise deals from cruise lines this fall,” says Stewart Chiron, a cruise industry expert who is nationally recognized as The Cruise Guy.

Chiron has uncovered some incredible deals that are hard to pass up. A few even include free airfare, free hotel, pre-paid gratuities, and discount shore excursions. It’s important to note that the following fares are starting prices, which means they are for inside cabins. You will almost certainly pay more for an outside cabin.

Here are the deals:

Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess – 7-night Southern Caribbean from Ft Lauderdale to Princess Cays (private beach), Curacao and Aruba. Prices were from $1799 per person now they are from $499 per person.

Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Dream - 7-night Eastern or Western Caribbean from Pt Canaveral (Orlando) to Cozumel, Roatan, Belize and Costa Maya OR Nassau, St John/ St Thomas and St Maarten. Prices were from $1749 per person, now from $399 per person.

Azamara Club Cruises’ Azamara Journey sailing on December 12, 2012 – 11-night Burma and Andaman Sea Islands from Chenai (Madras), India to Singapore (overnight) with stops at Pt Blair, Rangoon Myanmar (Yangon, 2-overnights) and Phuket. Prices were from $6998 per person, now from $2499 per person. This includes roundtrip air from select US gateways, 2-nights hotel, prepaid gratuities, 50% off shore excursions!!

Princess Cruises’ Star Princess sailing on December 5, 2012 — 17-night South America from San Francisco to Valparaiso (Santiago) with stops at Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, San Juan Del Sur, Puntarenas, Quito (Manta), Callao (Lima) (overnight) and La Serena (Coquimbo). Prices were from $2665 per person, now from $1395 per person.

The message is clear: Don’t miss the boat with these great deals!

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For five days only, beginning April 19, Princess Cruises is offering special cruise deals to destinations around the world, including cruises to Europe, the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Hawaii, South America, Asia, and Australia & New Zealand. With the World of Savings sale, passengers can take advantage of savings up to $2,000 per stateroom, plus up to $100 onboard credit.

These select September 2012 to January 2013 sailings feature the best of Princess’ worldwide cruise destinations, offering the opportunity to sail to exciting ports of call such as Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Rome; to explore the natural wonders of Alaska; or to enjoy the idyllic islands of Hawaii or the Caribbean.
In addition to fare savings, passengers booking interior or oceanview staterooms can receive an onboard credit of $25 (cruises up to 9 days) to $50 (cruises 10 days or longer), and in balcony staterooms or above can get credits of $50 (cruises up to 9 days) or $100 (for sailings 10 days or longer). All onboard credits are offered per stateroom.
Examples of cruise deals include:

• Alaska – 7 days : $999 balcony (was $1,649); $549 interior (was $874)

• Caribbean – 7 days: $849 balcony (was $949); $549 interior (was $599)

• Europe – 12 days: $1,599 balcony (was $2,790); $999 interior (was $1,790)

• South America – 13 days: $2,099 balcony (was $2,395); $1,199 interior (was $1,495)

• Australia & New Zealand – 14 days: $2,199 balcony (was $2,995); $1,299 interior (was $2,095)

• Hawaii – 14 days: $1,999 balcony (was $2,345); $1,299 interior (was $1,445)

• Panama Canal – 14 days: $1,799 balcony (was $2,299); $1,099 interior (was $1,599)

• Asia – 16 days: $2,499 balcony (was $3,195); $1,499 interior (was $1,995)

All cruise prices are per person, based on double occupancy. The World of Savings event begins at 12:01 a.m. PDT on April 19 through 11:59 p.m. PDT on April 23, 2012 and is available to residents of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Reservations made during the sale require a non-refundable deposit.
Additional sale information is available at http://www.princess.com/sale

Reported by Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

© www.expertcruiser.com - Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

Silversea Cruises said the Silver Shadow “was involved in a minor incident on March 16, 2012, at around 4:20 GMT as it was approaching the pilot station in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. There was contact between Silver Shadow and a local commercial vessel. Silver Shadow incurred limited minor dents and guests’ safety was never compromised. The ship was fully operational and continued on its course to Ha Long Bay, where all shore tours operated normally.”

CNN has an iReport from Silver Shadow passenger Andrew Lock who noted the collision left a hole in the container ship. He added that passengers headed to their muster stations, but the captain soon announced that the ship was not in danger.

Silversea said it will carry out a full investigation into the incident.

Stay tuned for more information…

Reported by Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

© www.expertcruiser.com - Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

Windstar Cruises, which operates a fleet of three luxury sailing yachts that explore hidden harbors and secluded coves of the world’s most treasured destinations, announces the completion of the first phase of Wind Surf’s refurbishment encompassing the yacht’s staterooms, suites, bridge suites and corridors.

Wind Surf welcomed guests December 10 in Philipsburg, St. Maarten and set sail for the start of its Caribbean season with a new luxurious, classic, stylish yacht look for its accommodations and corridors. Wind Surf’s staterooms now feature leather headboards, stately arm chairs, linen wall coverings, new lighting features, elegant window coverings, plush wool carpeting, art work and stylish bed cushions. Suites were additionally outfitted with new furniture that converts easily to lounging, dining, or accommodating a third occupant. Corridors were completely renovated from floor to ceiling with new wall coverings, carpeting, ceiling finishes, lighting and art work.

“The new look enables us to provide an unparalleled guest experience and dramatizes Windstar’s brand position of providing a unique, boutique yacht vacation that is 180 Degrees from Ordinary,” said Hans Birkholz, President and CEO of Windstar Cruises.

The line is investing $18 million refurbishing the fleet and the second phase of Wind Surf’s refurbishment will take place in the fall of 2012 and focuses on the yacht’s public spaces including the Lounge, The Restaurant, Degrees, Veranda, Compass Rose, WindSpa, Yacht Club and Pool Bar.

• In the Lounge, wall-to-wall carpeting will be replaced with hard flooring accented with inset rugs, a contemporary mix of furniture, lighter color palette and improved sound insulation around the casino.
• The Restaurant will be completed with a new seating layout, all new soft goods, and state-of-the art wine display and storage.
• Degrees Restaurant will be transformed into a Mediterranean bistro, anchored by a central wine bar for counter dining as well as an inviting area to relax before and after dinner.  Wine tastings and cooking demonstrations will also be conducted here.
• The Veranda’s outdoor seating will be significantly expanded, creating an ideal mid-ship area for enjoying breakfast and lunch alfresco.  The interior will include a new buffet, new lighting, and epicurean style display counters.
• The Compass Rose will be reconfigured to open up expansively to the adjoining outdoor deck, and its interior completely renovated to reflect the sophisticated elegance of a private club.
• The Pool Bar will sport new awnings for additional shade, new deck furniture, and improved outdoor dining layout for Candles Grill.

Wind Star and Wind Spirit will undergo complete refurbishments of staterooms, owner’s suite, and corridors along with public spaces including The Restaurant, Veranda, Lounge, WindSpa, Library, Reception, and Pool Bar following their respective Costa Rica and Caribbean seasons. After the completion of work, both yachts begin their Mediterranean seasons with Wind Spirit starting April 15, 2012, and Wind Star beginning April 29, 2012.

Recommended Reading:

Read www.expertcruiser.com’s review of the Wind Surf: Intimate Cruising Aboard Windstar’s Wind Surf

By Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

© www.expertcruiser.com – Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.