Cruising Tips and Information

New York City to be the home port for NCL newest ship!

2011-10-07T15:58:00.002-04:00

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan today announced that Norwegian Cruise Line's new state-of-the-art 4,000 passenger ship, Norwegian Breakaway, will make New York City its year-round home port. Beginning in May 2013, Norwegian Breakaway - which will be the largest ship ever to home port in the City - will replace Norwegian Star, and embark on a minimum of 88 cruises from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal through March 31, 2015. The ship calls will bring an estimated 140,000 additional embarking passengers into New York City over two years, resulting in an estimated $35 million in additional direct spending. Mayor Bloomberg and Norwegian Cruise Line were joined at the announcement in the Manhattan Cruise Terminal by New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky and NYC & Co CEO George Fertitta.

Out-of-town visitors spent $31 billion last year, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in our restaurants, shops, hotels, and cultural institutions," said Mayor Bloomberg. "By making New York City home to its newest and largest ship, Norwegian Cruise Line is further confirming our standing as a top cruise destination and a place that tourists from around the world want to visit."

"New York is not only one of our top markets, but also my hometown," said Norwegian Cruise Line Chief Executive Officer Kevin Sheehan. "Therefore, I am thrilled to announce that New York will be the year-round home for our next generation Freestyle Cruising ship, Norwegian Breakaway. In addition, we are offering an exciting inaugural summer itinerary cruising to the beautiful island of Bermuda, a much sought-after summer destination."

"Norwegian Breakaway will be the largest ship ever to homeport in New York City, bringing more passengers, generating more spending, and creating more jobs in our City," said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky. "Thank you to Norwegian Cruise Line for their commitment to New York City, and for making Manhattan Cruise Terminal the homeport for this amazing new state-of-the-art ship."

"New York City remains one of the top ten cruise ports in the United States, and we thank Norwegian Cruise Line for making Manhattan Cruise Terminal Norwegian Breakaway's year-round home port," said George Fertitta CEO of NYC & Company, New York City's marketing and tourism arm. "Approximately 583,000 cruise passengers embarked in New York City in 2010 and that number continues to grow helping the City to report record breaking tourism numbers year after year. We hope Norwegian Breakaway and all of the Norwegian Cruise Line passengers will have an opportunity to visit New York City pre- or post-cruise and discover the energy and vibrancy of all five boroughs."

Norwegian Cruise Line was the first cruise line to homeport year-round in New York City beginning in 2003. Since then, the company has been committed to bringing its newest and largest ships to the Big Apple, with two ships calling in New York City since 2005. In 2013 alone, Norwegian Breakaway is expected to make 34 calls at Manhattan Cruise Terminal (MCT). In addition, Norwegian Gem will continue to call year-round at MCT, with an expected 47 calls, and Norwegian Star will make 15 calls in 2013 before being replaced. In total, Norwegian Cruise Line ships will bring approximately 285,000 embarking passengers into New York City in 2013, generating approximately $70 million in direct spending in the City - a $13.5 million increase due to the additional passengers on Norwegian Breakaway.

Currently under construction at Meyer Werft in Germany, Norwegian Breakaway will be 144,017 gross tons and is scheduled for delivery in April 2013. Following inaugural events, the ship will sail a series of 22 seven-day cruises from New York to Bermuda beginning May 12, 2013 through Oct 6, 2013. Departing on Sundays, the ship will spend three full days in Bermuda, along with three days at sea.

"The Government of Bermuda is honored to be the destination of choice for the inaugural sailings of Norwegian Breakaway for 2013. As a long-standing partner with Norwegian Cruise Line, we look forward to the launch of this new and innovative cruise product," said the Hon. Terry Lister, Minister of Transport. "We know their passengers will enjoy the cruise itinerary and the hospitality of the Bermudian people."

Norwegian Breakaway's New York to Bermuda cruises are scheduled to go on sale to Latitudes members, Norwegian's frequent guests, on Friday, October 14, 2011 and to the public on Monday, October 17, 2011. Information on Norwegian Breakaway's accommodations and itineraries can be found at www.ncl.com/breakaway. To book a cruise call me at 800-945-0383.

Freedom of the Seas vs Oasis of the Seas

2010-09-20T18:04:00.008-04:00

Why Not?

Two of Our Ships Pose for a Rare Photo Opportunity in Cozumel
I'm excited to share these unique photos I received of Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas docked in Cozumel, Mexico. The colors and angles of the ships in these pictures are really something striking to look at. I hope you enjoy looking through the aerial images captured from a helicopter.

Norwegian Cruise Line Partners with SVEDKA Vodka on Ice Bar (July 6, 2010)

2010-08-08T12:30:00.001-04:00

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced an exclusive partnership with SVEDKA Vodka and Inniskillin ice wine to be introduced on board Norwegian Epic, its largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship ever. As part of the partnership, this unique frozen bar will be called the SVEDKA Ice Bar and will feature specialty SVEDKA and Inniskillin ice wine drinks.

Inspired by the original ice bars and ice hotels in Scandinavia, the cruise industry’s first true ice bar is the ultimate chill. This frozen chamber is set in changing hues of blue, green and purple LED lighting that simulates the Northern Lights and creates a distinctive arctic atmosphere. The SVEDKA Ice Bar features a bar, walls, tables, stools, glasses and life-size sculptures all made from ice. Guests are given hooded coats and gloves to keep them warm, since the room’s temperature does not rise above 17 degrees Fahrenheit.

The SVEDKA Ice Bar accommodates 25 people and can be reserved from 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. nightly. The cost is $20 per person and includes two signature cocktails. There are six specialty drinks made from SVEDKA vodka and Inniskillin ice wine including: Polaris: SVEDKA Citron, Inniskillin ice wine, and lemon/lime soda; Cobalt Blue: Inniskillin ice wine, SVEDKA vodka and Blue Curacao; Nordic Apple Juice: SVEDKA vodka, Sour Apple Schnapps, Midori and a splash of fresh sour; Caribbean Dreams: SVEDKA Citron, Triple Sec and lemon juice; Sunburst Yellow: SVEDKA vodka, peach liquor and orange juice; and Northern Lights: SVEDKA Citron, Cointreau and Blue Curacao.

There are also two non-alcoholic drinks – the Strawberry Eskimo Kiss made of strawberry puree, pineapple juice and lemon juice and the Creamsickle, with orange juice, vanilla ice cream and milk - in case children want to partake in the chilling fun. All drinks are served in specially-created glasses made entirely of ice.

2009-11-01T12:01:00.002-05:00

Disney's new's cruise ship the Disney Dream opens for reservations starting Nov. 9, 2009. All those Castaway Club Gold and Platinum members get to reserve a week early.

Some of the feature include:

Special kids rooms based on some of you favorate Disney movies like Toy Story and Peter Pan
Animators Studio
Two Teen and Tweens Clubs
Champagne Bar
Pub
And of course the waterslide (pictured) called The AquaDuck, a 765 foot long waterslide

She sets sail in 2011, but make sure to reserve your cabin early, Disney hasn't come out with a new ship in some time, so fans will definately be booking this new ship. Don't miss out, give us a call and we can take care of all your travel arrangements for you.

Kid's Sail Free on Disney Cruise Line

2009-10-31T14:02:00.003-04:00

Kid's Sail Free on Disney Cruise Line

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Carnival Promoting Kids’ Contest for Dream Waterslide "Godchild" (8/26/09)

2009-09-01T19:38:00.003-04:00

Carnival Promoting Kids’ Contest for Dream Waterslide "Godchild" (8/26/09)

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What will they think of next!

2009-08-19T22:24:00.005-04:00

Can you imagine being at sea zipling down the center of the ship or watching the watershow from your inside balcony or having a drink in the ice bar. Well you won't have to wait much longer. Royal Caribbean's new Oasis of the Seas and Norwegian Cruiseline's Epic will have more than you could image.

Review of MSC Orchestra

2009-01-24T18:03:00.006-05:00

We cruised on MSC Orchestra on Jan. 10, 2009 for 7 nights. My first impressions were not that great, this was the first full sailing with passengers. The ship is very nice, no complaints about the ship at all. I also feel that inspite of the some of the bad things, we had a great cruise vacation. I also believe once a little time goes by, most of these problems will disappear.

The problems were with the crew, having found out that a brand new crew was just put on board, they moved the more experience crew to a different ship. It seemed like the crew did not know how to handle a ship of this size nor how to handle people in general and were a little rude. Here are just a few examples:

It seemed like the buffets stations were empty unless you went when it first opened. If you ask a question all you got was a shake of their head, since they didn't speak English and didn't understand was you were saying. They also didn't change the times of breakfast and lunch according to when you arrived and left ports. Many other cruiselines alter the times to make it more convenient. There was one day, when we got back from a shore excursion and went back to the boat to get some lunch (since we didn't have enough time to eat in port) and there was no food was to be found anywhere. We even asked. That's the first time that I've ever been on a cruise were there was no snacks available or any buffet open throughout the day.

When arriving at ports that required tendering (a smaller boat that takes you to the port if the boat is too big or not enough dock space) you had to obtain a tender ticket with a number on it. You had to wait for the number to be called to go down to the appropriate deck. Well instead of only have the announcement in one specific area of the ship, the announcements were heard everywhere so people were gathering around where they needed to get off making it over-crowded. Since there were so may people no one was checking to the tender numbers and everyone was just pushing to get on.

The main dining rooms were located mid-ship, where most have them either in the front or the back. I had second seating which was originally schedule to start at 8:15 nightly. The waiters and the asst waiters didn't quite have the system down yet so the first night we basically missed the show, which started at 10:00. After the first night, they moved up both first and second dinner time by half hour (7:45 for us) so that we would have enough time to make it to the show. Well that didn't work either. First seating still ran over therefore we didn't get into the dinning room until about 8 and we finished around 10:15 every night.

Thing did seem to get a little better as the week went on, but only time will tell.

MSC Orchestra is almost here

2008-12-14T21:15:00.008-05:00

MSC's newest ship, MSC Orchestra, starts its inaugural season on Jan. 2, 2009 for a 2 Night New Years Weekend Cruise. Departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and calls to Nassau,Bahamas, Fort Lauderdale,Florida .

I can't wait, we are sailing on it January 10, 2009, Western Carribean itinerary with calls to Key West,Florida, Cozumel,Mexico, Georgetown,Grand Cayman, Cayo Levantado (Samanà - D.R.), Fort Lauderdale,Florida. I will be sure to post my reviews of the ship and cruiseline.

Kids 17 & under sail free with paying adult.

When is the best time to book a cruise?

2008-10-25T15:40:00.005-04:00

When is the best time to book a cruise? That all depends on when you want to travel. If you are limited on when you can take a vacation because of school breaks or preset vacation dates, early is the best. I can't stress this enough. Well, how early is early? As soon as you know that you want to go on a cruise, contact your travel agent (hopefully you'll call me) to determine what's the best cruise for your needs and book it. You can book some cruises two years in advance! I recently booked a cruise for Sept. 2010 on the Oasis of the Seas. Historically, the ones that book early get the best cabin rates as well as the best selection of cabins. Don't worry if rates happen to go down, your travel agent can adjust your prices, as long as there is still is availibilty on the exact cruise.

If your thinking of going to Alaska, now is the time to start planning your cruise.

2008-10-06T12:15:00.001-04:00

The dates for next years cruise with Nickelodeon are listed below.

Nickelodeon and Royal Caribbean have announce plans to do TWO cruises next year!

July 26 - August 2, 2009: 7-day cruise through the Mexican Riviera on the Mariner of the
Seas®

August 9-16, 2009: 7-day cruise through the Eastern Caribbean on the Freedom of the Seas®

2008-10-06T12:05:00.009-04:00

NICKELODEON EXPANDS CRUISE PARTNERSHIP
WITH ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL

Two Brand‐New Nickelodeon Family Cruise Itineraries‐‐to the Mexican Rivera
and Eastern Caribbean‐‐Announced for Summer 2009

NEW YORK–August 21, 2008 – Nickelodeon and Royal Caribbean International announced plans to once again set sail together on two brand‐new, exotic cruise adventures in summer 2009. Based on the success of the first‐ever, sold out Nickelodeon Family Cruise with Royal Caribbean, the two companies are teaming up to offer families new cruises from each U.S. coast—one on Mariner of the Seas to the Western Mexican Rivera, and another on the Freedom of the Seas to the Eastern Caribbean. The announcement was made just after the completion of the first‐ever Nickelodeon Family Cruise with Royal Caribbean (August 10‐17).

“We are witnessing the coming of age of Nickelodeon families and seeing an emerging family dynamic of kids and parents wanting to spend a lot more time together,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “Our goal is to be able to provide unique opportunities to bring families together and Nickelodeon is doing that by launching these new cruise offerings with Royal Caribbean.”

“Coming off the success of the first Nickelodeon cruise this past week, we’re thrilled to build upon our relationship with the announcement of two additional themed cruises,” said Adam Goldstein, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Royal Caribbean International constantly works to give our guest unparalleled vacation experiences which provide every family member with a very special and memorable cruise. Our partnership with Nickelodeon helps build upon this foundation.”

The 2009 Nickelodeon Family Cruises will depart from the East and West coasts: the first cruise will sail from Los Angeles, Calif. on July 26, 2009, on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, the largest ship to be homeported on the West Coast, and will travel to the exotic Mexican Rivera (exact locations to be determined); the Eastern Caribbean itinerary will leave on August 9, 2009 from Port Canaveral, Fla., on the largest ship in the cruise industry –t he Freedom of the Seas‐‐and will sail to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Royal Caribbean’s private island, CocoCay, Bahamas.

The Nickelodeon Family Cruise with Royal Caribbean brings families experiences that are unique to the cruise industry. Traveling to exotic destinations, the Nickelodeon Family Cruise is designed for families of all generations—kids, parents and grandparents. It brings together the entertainment expertise of Nickelodeon with the cruise specialists, Royal Caribbean. On‐board, Nickelodeon will provide families with such experiences as interactive games shows; meet‐and‐greets and performances by their favorite Nickelodeon stars; never‐before‐seen screenings and premieres of new, original Nick TV shows and movies; visits with favorite Nick characters including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Diego and Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender; and plenty of Nickelodeonʹs signature slime.

On the two new cruises, families will enjoy all of the luxurious accommodations that Royal Caribbean cruise liners offer. Mariner of the Seas offers guests revolutionary amenities, such as an on‐board ice‐skating rink, full‐size basketball court, inline skating track, the cruise line’ iconic rock‐climbing wall and the Royal Promenade, a boulevard of shops, restaurants, bars and lounges that runs nearly the length of the ship. Freedom of the Seas, the largest ship in the world, also offers a multitude of activities, including the FlowRider surf simulator, the H2O Zone water park, an ice skating rink, a nine‐hole mini‐golf course, 10‐route rock‐climbing wall, as well as the line’s other signature amenities.

Vacation packages for each Nickelodeon Family Cruise go on‐sale to the public beginning in mid‐September. Additionally, in 2009, a new sales program for travel agents will be implemented. Visit http://www.nickfamilycruise.com for more information and reservations.

Coming Soon Oct. 16, 2008 - World's Largest Cruise Night

2008-10-03T15:03:00.010-04:00

The second World's Largest Cruise Night will be held on Thursay, October 16, 2008. This event is sponsered by Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).

Get ready to book your next cruise vacation. On this night only all the major cruiseline (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL, Princess, etc.) will be offering specials (e.g., onboard credits, reduced deposits) if you book a cruise on Oct. 16.

Where can you book your next cruise? You can book on-line right here on the Cruise Finder on the right-hand sidebar, click here http://www.cruisetheeasyway.com/ to book on our website or you can call us at (800) 945-0383 to book or if you simply have questions.

Visit our CLIA webpage http://wlcn.cruising.org/CruiseTheEasyWay

2008-09-27T00:44:00.010-04:00

NY Giants Cruise with the Champions

Sailing on Norwegaian Cruiseline's Gem 03/07/2009

TENTATIVE Agenda (Subject to change without notice)

The Daily Agenda of Activities is not published at this time however here is a small sampling of exclusive activities planned for Giants fans:

Welcome Reception for players and fans. Enjoy an open bar plus hot and cold appetizers. Meet fellow fans and your hosts. Hear all about the special activities planned for the week ahead!
Autograph and photograph times at this reception and throughout the cruise.

All fans meet in the theater for an incredible, memorable chalk talk opportunity hosted by the players. Plenty of audience participation.

Superbowl game highlights and player commentary gathering.

Fan events and contests throughout cruise. Winners will be announced and will receive certificates from the players at the farewell evening.

Break out sessions hosted by the players to discuss a variety of football subjects. This is an intimate opportunity to meet the players, learn and ask questions like never before!

For more information, visit my website at http://www.cruisetheeasyway.com/ for contact information.

Alaska the great adventure

2008-09-23T23:23:00.000-04:00

We just got back from Alaska look for our stories and pictures.