Friday, September 19, 2008
MSC Cruises orders two new ships
MSC Cruises recently announced in Milan, Italy, that it has ordered two new cruise ships from France's Aker Yards. The new 2,550-passenger ships will be called MSC Meraviglia and MSC Favolosa and are due to be delivered in 2011 and 2012. The ships will boost MSC's fleet total to 14. "The new orders are the result of a careful evaluation of trends in the cruise industry in recent years," said Domenico Pellegrino, MSC Cruises general manager.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 Embarks on 100th Transatlantic Crossing
September 18, 2008 – As Queen Mary 2 prepares to sail her 100th Transatlantic Crossing, Cunard Line reveals the captivating statistics that illustrate the Line’s singular hold on the bygone glamour that defines their Transatlantic travel experience. The only company offering regularly scheduled Transatlantic service via flagship Queen Mary 2, Cunard Line continues a tradition that began 168 years ago. The iconic ocean liner will depart on her 100th Transatlantic voyage on September 21 from Southampton, England arriving in New York on September 27. On arrival, she will have logged 711,288 nautical miles since her debut with 316,729 nautical miles on Transatlantic voyages alone.
“Perhaps more than any other voyage, a Transatlantic Crossing captures the imagination of the most intrepid travelers,” said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line. “A Transatlantic voyage recalls a bygone era of glamour and sophistication. For many, it is on par with the world’s most storied travel experiences.”
Queen Mary 2’s regularly scheduled Transatlantic service forms the cornerstone of her annual itineraries, which also includes her second World Cruise in 2009 and forays into the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Norway.
Since the ship entered service in 2004, Queen Mary 2 has made dozens of maiden calls around the world, including San Francisco - where thousands lined the shores of the City by the Bay to witness her sail beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and her overnight visit caused gridlock traffic on the Embarcadero; along with great port cities such as Boston and Ft. Lauderdale. She has provided a glamorous backdrop for a myriad of high-profile events, including The Britannia Ball (a charity gala benefitting the New York City Opera and Brooklyn Academy of Music) in 2007; the PBS TV Concert Special: Carly Simon: A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2; an onboard event honouring George Lucas at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival; as well as several Cunard Royal Rendezvous events in New York, Ft. Lauderdale, Long Beach, California and Sydney, Australia with her sister ships, QE2 and Queen Victoria. Queen Mary 2 even played a role in literary history, transporting the first author-signed copy of the highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to its U.S. debut.
In addition to logging nearly three-quarters of a million miles, Queen Mary 2 will mark other milestones on her 100th Transatlantic voyage, including:
· More than 229,000 guests crossing the North Atlantic
· 450 pets crossing the North Atlantic
· 97,000 pounds of lobster served
· 2,700 pounds of caviar served
· 206,200 bottles of Champagne served
· Enough tea to fill nearly five Olympic-sized swimming pools
Queen Mary 2 has welcomed many notable guests, including Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Uma Thurman, John Cleese, Richard Dreyfuss, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Tina Brown and Harold Evans, Terrance Howard, Donald Trump, and Dame Shirley Bassey. Her eminent visitors have included HRH Queen Elizabeth II, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Noor, Former President George Bush, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator Hillary Clinton.
In 2009, Queen Mary 2 marks her fifth year of service with an extended Transatlantic season of 6-, 8- and 9-day Crossings. In total, she will sail 25 Transatlantic Crossings, including classic six-day voyages between Southampton and New York, two eight-day voyages between Hamburg and New York, one eight-day voyage from Boston via New York to Southampton and one nine-day Crossing from Southampton via New York to Halifax and Boston.
“Perhaps more than any other voyage, a Transatlantic Crossing captures the imagination of the most intrepid travelers,” said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line. “A Transatlantic voyage recalls a bygone era of glamour and sophistication. For many, it is on par with the world’s most storied travel experiences.”
Queen Mary 2’s regularly scheduled Transatlantic service forms the cornerstone of her annual itineraries, which also includes her second World Cruise in 2009 and forays into the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Norway.
Since the ship entered service in 2004, Queen Mary 2 has made dozens of maiden calls around the world, including San Francisco - where thousands lined the shores of the City by the Bay to witness her sail beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and her overnight visit caused gridlock traffic on the Embarcadero; along with great port cities such as Boston and Ft. Lauderdale. She has provided a glamorous backdrop for a myriad of high-profile events, including The Britannia Ball (a charity gala benefitting the New York City Opera and Brooklyn Academy of Music) in 2007; the PBS TV Concert Special: Carly Simon: A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2; an onboard event honouring George Lucas at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival; as well as several Cunard Royal Rendezvous events in New York, Ft. Lauderdale, Long Beach, California and Sydney, Australia with her sister ships, QE2 and Queen Victoria. Queen Mary 2 even played a role in literary history, transporting the first author-signed copy of the highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to its U.S. debut.
In addition to logging nearly three-quarters of a million miles, Queen Mary 2 will mark other milestones on her 100th Transatlantic voyage, including:
· More than 229,000 guests crossing the North Atlantic
· 450 pets crossing the North Atlantic
· 97,000 pounds of lobster served
· 2,700 pounds of caviar served
· 206,200 bottles of Champagne served
· Enough tea to fill nearly five Olympic-sized swimming pools
Queen Mary 2 has welcomed many notable guests, including Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Uma Thurman, John Cleese, Richard Dreyfuss, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Tina Brown and Harold Evans, Terrance Howard, Donald Trump, and Dame Shirley Bassey. Her eminent visitors have included HRH Queen Elizabeth II, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Noor, Former President George Bush, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator Hillary Clinton.
In 2009, Queen Mary 2 marks her fifth year of service with an extended Transatlantic season of 6-, 8- and 9-day Crossings. In total, she will sail 25 Transatlantic Crossings, including classic six-day voyages between Southampton and New York, two eight-day voyages between Hamburg and New York, one eight-day voyage from Boston via New York to Southampton and one nine-day Crossing from Southampton via New York to Halifax and Boston.
Florida's Space Coast Plays Host to Elvis Impersonators & Bikers
from Space-Coast.com:
Florida's Space Coast and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. are co-sponsoring the Southeast's first-ever Elvis-themed music festival, "Elvis Has Landed" on October 17-19!
This 3-day music festival will pay tribute to the King of Rock-N-Roll by featuring Elvis tribute artists from around the United States and Canada. Many of whom will perform in dozens of venues around the Florida's Space Coast and the festival's host hotel, Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, in preparation for the festival's grand finale competition and garner support for the coveted People's Choice Awards.
Besides the Tribute Artist competition, festival goers can also expect dozens of other events to keep them busy such as several main stage concerts, fashion shows, a Kidz Zone, and a vendor pavillion featuring long lost Elvis LPs to retrohome fixtures and furnishings.
The shake, rattle, & roll doesn't stop with Elvis Has Landed! On October 22-25, the 2008 Florida H.O.G Rally rolls into town bringing with them thousands of biking enthusiasts from all over the Southeast!
Rally organizers have four days of events which will months to recuperate from! Not only can you watch drill teams perform, but you can try your hand in the H.O.G roast poker run, or show off your skills at the Bike Games, enter your bike in the highly anticipated Bike Show to take place outside world-famous Ron Jon Surf Shop, show off your ink work in a "Tattoo" contest, or dance the night away at SunCruz Casino's cruise to no where!
Even though it's not too late to register or to find a reasonably priced room on the beach, you better get your motor running!
Florida's Space Coast and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. are co-sponsoring the Southeast's first-ever Elvis-themed music festival, "Elvis Has Landed" on October 17-19!
This 3-day music festival will pay tribute to the King of Rock-N-Roll by featuring Elvis tribute artists from around the United States and Canada. Many of whom will perform in dozens of venues around the Florida's Space Coast and the festival's host hotel, Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, in preparation for the festival's grand finale competition and garner support for the coveted People's Choice Awards.
Besides the Tribute Artist competition, festival goers can also expect dozens of other events to keep them busy such as several main stage concerts, fashion shows, a Kidz Zone, and a vendor pavillion featuring long lost Elvis LPs to retrohome fixtures and furnishings.
The shake, rattle, & roll doesn't stop with Elvis Has Landed! On October 22-25, the 2008 Florida H.O.G Rally rolls into town bringing with them thousands of biking enthusiasts from all over the Southeast!
Rally organizers have four days of events which will months to recuperate from! Not only can you watch drill teams perform, but you can try your hand in the H.O.G roast poker run, or show off your skills at the Bike Games, enter your bike in the highly anticipated Bike Show to take place outside world-famous Ron Jon Surf Shop, show off your ink work in a "Tattoo" contest, or dance the night away at SunCruz Casino's cruise to no where!
Even though it's not too late to register or to find a reasonably priced room on the beach, you better get your motor running!
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Hurricane Damages Grand Turk Cruise Terminal
Hurricane Ike in the Atlantic and Tropical Storm Lowell in the Pacific continue to wreak havoc on travel plans. Ike apparently caused major damage to the new Grand Turk cruise terminal in the Turks and Caicos. A spokesperson for Carnival Corp. (which owns the facility) told the Associated Press that it will take “some time” to repair and re-open the facility, though the pier itself apparently survived the storm relatively unscathed. Almost a dozen different cruise lines that have existing plans to call in Grand Turk this year and beyond – from Celebrity and Crystal to Princess and Royal Caribbean – will probably change their itineraries in the near future to replace Grand Turk.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Continental to Begin Charging for the First Checked Bag
Effective Oct. 7, 2008, customers will be charged $15 for their first checked bag when traveling on tickets purchased on or after Sept. 5, 2008, within the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. The service fee will not apply to EliteAccess® customers, including those seated in First or BusinessFirst®, OnePass Elite and SkyTeam® Elite members, customers traveling on full-fare economy (Y) class tickets, or military personnel and their families traveling on official orders.
Effective for travel on or after Jan. 1, 2009, OnePass members will earn the actual miles flown rather than a minimum of 500 miles per flight for tickets purchased on or after Nov. 15, 2008. This affects base miles and Elite Qualifying Miles on flights operated by Continental* and most OnePass airline partners**.
Also effective for reward travel booked on or after Jan.1, 2009,
reward travel mileage requirements will increase for customers traveling between North America and Tel Aviv (TLV) and between Hawaii and Tel Aviv. Effective for travel on or after March 1, 2009, Elite Mileage Bonuses will decrease for Platinum members from 125% to 100% and for Silver members from 50% to 25% for tickets purchased on or after Nov. 15, 2008. Gold members will continue to earn 100% mileage bonuses.
Full details of all changes can be found at continental.com.
Effective for travel on or after Jan. 1, 2009, OnePass members will earn the actual miles flown rather than a minimum of 500 miles per flight for tickets purchased on or after Nov. 15, 2008. This affects base miles and Elite Qualifying Miles on flights operated by Continental* and most OnePass airline partners**.
Also effective for reward travel booked on or after Jan.1, 2009,
reward travel mileage requirements will increase for customers traveling between North America and Tel Aviv (TLV) and between Hawaii and Tel Aviv. Effective for travel on or after March 1, 2009, Elite Mileage Bonuses will decrease for Platinum members from 125% to 100% and for Silver members from 50% to 25% for tickets purchased on or after Nov. 15, 2008. Gold members will continue to earn 100% mileage bonuses.
Full details of all changes can be found at continental.com.
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