Grand Circle to Operate Three Mediterranean Cruises

Grand Circle Cruise Line, the leader in small ship and river cruises worldwide, today announced that the cruise line will operate three Mediterranean small ship cruise tours beginning in September 2012. The 50 passenger, 4-plus star ocean vessels offer passengers unique itineraries and exceptional value, including per diems beginning as low as $136 per day, free single supplements on both the cruise tours and all pre-and-post trip extensions, and a best price guarantee.

“The addition of three deep-sea vessels to our fleet brings a new dimension to our 12 award-winning, privately-owned European and Russian river ships and exclusive charters,” said Lewis. “These vessels are the perfect size to explore the islands and shores of the Mediterranean and then slip into the smaller ports and harbors for the night, away from the larger cruise ships. We believe that these three small ship cruise tours will greatly appeal to our passengers, especially to our women passengers who consistently tell us they want opportunities that connect them to local people and their ways of life.”

Grand Circle Cruise Line’s small ship cruise tours operate aboard the fleet’s privately-owned 50 passenger vessels: the M/V Arethusa, the M/V Artemis, and the M/V Athena. Passengers travel in two groups of 25 or fewer, and each group has a dedicated local, expert Program Director. Built in a style that evokes the elegant, golden era of cruising, each ship is complemented by modern amenities and a casual, welcoming atmosphere. There are 26 cabins, three teak decks, including a sun deck, reception area and lounge in every ship.

Hidden Gems of the Dalmatian Coast & Greece

On this cruise tour, passengers explore Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes, Split, Hvar, Korcula, and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Bay of Kotor, Montenegro; Butrint, Albania; and Corfu, Delphi, Corinth Canal, and Athens, Greece.

Cost: 15 days from $4595 ($307 per day) or 16 days from $5595 ($350 per day) with international air from New York or Newark. Passengers may choose an optional three- night pre-trip stay in Bled, Slovenia from $895 ($299 per night) as well as a five-night, post-trip stay in Greece (ancient glories:Olympia)(ancient glories:Nafplion & Athens) from $1095 or $219 per night.

Treasures of the Aegean: Greek Island Cruise, Athens & Istanbul

During this cruise tour, passengers visit Athens, Meteora, Delphi, the Greek Islands of Mykonos, Santorini and Patmos in Greece; and Ephesus and Istanbul, Turkey.

Cost: 15 days from $4295 ($287 per day) or 16 days from $4995 ($313 per day) with international airfare from New York or Newark. If desired, passengers may choose a five-night pre-trip stay in Greece from $1095 ($219 per night) and also, a five-night, post-trip stay in Ankara & Cappadocia, Turkey from $1195 or $239 per night.

Cruising the Adriatic: Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina

On this cruise tour, passengers will journey to Zagreb, Zadar, Sibenik, Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik, and Korcula, Croatia: the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro; and Mostar and Neum in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Cost: 14 days from $1895 ($136 per day) or 15 days from $2845 ($190 per day), including international airfare from Boston, New York, Newark, and Washington, DC. A four-night pre-trip option to Ljubljana, Slovenia is available from $595 ($149 per night) as is a four-night post-trip stay in Zagreb, Croatia from $495 or $124 per night.

What’s Included:

These Grand Circle Cruise Line’s cruise tours include all land and cruise accommodations, most meals, small group adventures that connect passengers with local people and their cultures and customs, services of a Grand Circle Program Director who speaks English and a native language, all land transportation and offshore excursions, personal headsets, a special good buy discount (when you pay in full you can save up to 10%), baggage handling for one bag per traveler, and more. Travelers may make their own air arrangements or use Grand Circle’s contracted rates. Through Grand Circle Cruise Line’s new True Choice program, passengers may customize their own airfare, including departure dates, routing, carrier and seating. Travelers choosing to make their own air arrangements will now be able to arrange round-trip airport transfers beginning at $100 per person.

Best Price Guarantee:

While Grand Circle Cruise Line’s small ship cruise tours are generally $200-$500 per day lower than any competitors, if a passenger books a river cruise at least 120 days in advance and then finds a lower, published per-day price on a comparable 2012 vacation directly from a competitor serving American travelers, Grand Circle Cruise Line will match the lower price.

Please visit www.gct.com for a free catalog or more information, or call 1-800-221-2610.

Royal Caribbean’s Labadee – ultimate private island

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s cruise lines began looking for ways to create new itinerary alternatives for their guests. The concept of the “private out island” experience was born.  For Royal Caribbean International, this included the development of a relatively unknown, but pristine location called Labadee.

 Background of Labadee

 Located on the northern coast of Haiti, Labadee is actually a  1,300 foot peninsula that juts into the Northern Atlantic Ocean and is in Haiti’s Cap Haitian region. This remote area  has been  providing  a private island experience for Royal Caribbean guests for well over two decades, with beaches, water sports, and beach barbeques.

 The Labadee Experience

 Today the Labadee experience  includes seven distinct  “neighborhoods,” thanks to a $55 million investment made in 2009 by Royal Caribbean. Much larger than most private islands,  it also has a tram service for guests to use.  Another feature is the addition of the new pier  – guests don’t have to be tendered in. This 1,300 pier allows Royal Caribbean’s newest ships, the Oasis of the Seas  and Allure of the Seas(225,282 gross registered tons) to dock there as well.

The neighborhoods include  several distinct beach areas.   The newest beach, Adrenaline Beach, is also the site of Labadee’s newest attraction as well – Dragon’s Tail Coaster,  where guests can enjoy breathtaking views as they go up to Santa Maria’s lookout mountain, race through 360-degree turns, waves, and dips while also getting glimpses of the ocean. There is also the Dragon’s Breath zip-line, a cable slide that starts from a nearby hill and ends in the resort, providing spectacular views as well.

Another is Nellie’s Beach, which provides more of a tranquil side to this paradise. Columbus Cove  is a terrific kid-friendly spot (even for adults)  to go swimming or enjoy one of the many options available – a new water slide, climbing icebergs, trampolines, and the log roll.

Buccaneers’ Bay is where guests can reserve boat tours, excursions and watercraft. And Dragon’s Plaza is another area to enjoy the sand and beach as well as having a barbeque lunch at the Dragon’s Café.

Exclusive Beach Area

 The Barefoot Beach Club & Cabanas are exclusively for guests who stay in certain suite categories onboard their ships. Entrance to this private beach area is complimentary for these guests, and complimentary amenities include lounge chairs, floating mats, use of snorkeling equipment and an upgraded beach barbeque luncheon.  In addition, there are 20 cabanas available for daily rental.

Culture and shopping

 Labadee Town Square includes  the Artisan’s Village and  Market with more than 70 shops to choose from. Guests can find one-of-a-kind pieces of art or handicraft. These shops provide unique paintings,  wood carvings and sculptures. Guests can sample free rum, and  at the Artisan’s Showcase, they can also watch local artisans craft their creations and art work. The new outdoor Village Amphitheatre, also located in Labadee Town Square, features traditional folkloric singers and dancers.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited – a strong commitment to Haiti

 For over 30 years, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, parent company of Royal Caribbean International, has  had a strong commitment when it comes to Haiti’s economy as well as the people who reside there. It’s also been a much needed center of tourism especially in the aftermath of the  2010 earthquake that  devastated Haiti. Labadee is  separated by miles of jungle areas and mountains  from other communities as well Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital.  But after the 2010 earthquake, Royal Caribbean continued to call on Haiti and used their ships to also ferry in personnel and supplies. In addition, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited has donated over $2.5 million to the Haiti relief effort. Another positive impact? Over 500 local Haitians are either vendors or employees at Labadee, and commute there from some of the local villages.

I’ve been fortunate to go to Labadee  a few times myself  (my first was in  the late 1980’s.) It’s a wonderful combination of  pristine beaches, scenic mountains and lush terrain with cultural touches. And now with the development of these distinct neighborhoods as well as fun activities, it’s definitely a port to target in on when planning your next group cruise.

 

Quick Shuttle Service – Option for Guests on Alaska cruises from Vancouver

With the Alaska cruise season just around the corner, one of the challenges has always been the best way to get to Vancouver, still the key departure port where most cruise lines sail from. Flying in and out of Vancouver can be more involved with limited nonstop flights, changing planes and overall, the higher cost.  Flying into the Seattle Airport is another option to consider and as far as transportation, Quick Shuttle Service provides a tremendous way to get between Seattle and Vancouver.

During high season summer months. Quick Shuttle Service runs 8 trips per day in each direction between Seattle and Vancouver on their luxury motor coaches, complete with Wi-Fi and newspapers.  It’s a beautiful, scenic route, ranging between 3 ½ to 4 hours one way, and a very cost effective way to save extra money by flying in and out of Seattle Airport (SeaTac Airport.)

Unique Feature Offered – Expedited Border Clearance

Another unique special feature that Quick Shuttle Service provides their guests with is expedited border pre-clearance procedures, referred to as the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS.)

What this involves?   Quick Shuttle Service collects pertinent, required information on the passengers they are transporting between Seattle and Vancouver via their motor coaches. Then they relay this information electronically to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.  By relaying this information in advance to the border officials, it expedites the actual border clearance procedures for their passengers.

How Quick Shuttle Service Came to Offer Advance Passenger Information System

Quick Shuttle Service has actually been offering the Advance Passenger Information System for the past year, and they are an industry first. According to Barry Keys, President, Quick Shuttle Service’s program is actually the pilot project for all of North America with the Homeland Security Act.  Barry explained that over the years, he had ongoing discussions about the challenges of transporting passengers between the U.S. and Canadian borders with border officials. He mentioned that if they ever wanted to try a program to help resolve some of these challenges he would be a willing participant, because his company, Quick Coach Lines Ltd. had developed a sophisticated reservation system which was already in place.  What resulted was a four year planning process where he and his company were involved with government officials handling this area of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. So that’s how Quick Shuttle Service’s involvement with this pilot program came about

More about Quick Shuttle Service and Quick Coach Lines, Ltd.

Quick Coach Lines, Ltd. which operates Quick Shuttle Service, was launched by Barry Keys in 1987 with 2 small buses running 3 trips a day between Vancouver and Seattle. Today, their fleet includes 25 luxury motor coaches each accommodating 47 guests, and they transport 120,000 people each year. Based in British Vancouver, Quick Coach Lines Ltd. also has a charter division, and they have pick up points in Washington State and British Columbia. They also provide   affordable hotel packages in downtown Seattle, Vancouver Airport, Tulalip & Seattle Premium Outlets, Downtown Seattle, and the SeaTac Airport.

Using Seattle as a Gateway for your group

Once again, if your group is considering an Alaskan cruise sailing out of Vancouver, a terrific option to offer is using Seattle as the gateway city to fly in and out of. Not only will the cost of the flights probably be substantially less, but tapping into a well known, long term company like Quick Coach Lines Ltd and their Quick Shuttle Service will fill the rest of your needs.

 

 

Historic Falmouth Cruise Port – Creation of a new destination

As the cruise industry continues to grow, the quest never ends to find new ports. One of the newest cruise destinations is Historic Falmouth Cruise Port. It officially opened March 22 when Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas did its maiden call there.

Historic Falmouth Cruise Port accommodates the world’s largest cruise ships, Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. In addition, two “Freedom-class” ships, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas visit this port, as do three “Voyager –class” ships, Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, and Voyager of the Seas.

This innovative cruise port facility is an industry first, with its thematic destination appeal. The first phase has a two berth pier, restaurants, retail services and a transportation center.  Later phases will include adding onsite experiences and attractions, along with hotel developments and more restaurant and retail options.

How Historic Falmouth Cruise Port Evolved

The development of Historic Falmouth Cruise Port came about through a partnership between the Port Authority of Jamaica and Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., parent company of Royal Caribbean International.  It took four years to develop and create this innovative facility, with environmentalists pulled in to review everything along the way.

Historic Falmouth – a step back in time

When I recently spoke with Chris Wright from the Jamaica Tourist Board, he shared some of the fascinating history about Falmouth, which was actually founded in 1790 from land was owned by Edward Barrett. (Yes, his granddaughter was Elizabeth Barrett Browning, one of the greatest English poets.) Back then, Jamaica was the world’s leading sugar producer, with 80+ sugar estates nearby.  And Falmouth actually had the first piped water supply system in the Western Hemisphere, dating to 1799.  The town evolved into a Colonial presence with streets named after British heroes and royalty, and a strong cultural history.

As Chris Wright further explained, Falmouth is like going back in time. The 19^th century architecture combines well with some unique tours, including 30 foot bamboo rafts offering adventure rides on the Martha Brae River. Guests can relax as the raft captain takes them through the island’s tropical scenery.

Location is another advantage.  Falmouth is just 22 miles from Montego Bay and about 40 minutes from Ocho Rios. So cruise guests can take advantage of the best that both these resort areas have to offer with tours and sightseeing if they like, yet can experience Falmouth, a destination with its own fascinating past.

Cruising Alaska and Beyond

Alaska is a destination that conjures up images of glaciers, mountains, wildlife, blue ice waters, but photos don’t do this cruise destination justice. It has to be experienced. Over the years, the number of cruise lines offering Alaska cruises has grown, with most now offering land tour extensions as well. Even more options exist to explore this incredible destination, with cruise departures now readily available out of Seattle, Vancouver, Seward and Whittier.