2009 Cruise Planners Convention & Oasis Of The Seas

2009 Cruise Planners Convention & OASIS OF THE SEAS       I'm just back from our 2009 Cruise Planners convention, which began in Ft. Lauderdale, at the beautiful Embassy Suites, and wrapped up, onboard the most incredible cruise ship ever!  Royal Caribbean's OASIS OF THE SEAS!  Over 300 of our agents attended this year, and while the convention portion, was very motivational and inspiring, with wonderful seminars given by the CEOs of the major cruise lines, the most highly anticipated part of convention, was our special cruise onboard OASIS.OASI...

SilverSea's 2011 Worldwide Cruise

SILVERSEA'S 2011 WORLDWIDE CRUISE SCHEDULE OPENS FOR SALE TODAY  Silver Spirit Set to Embark on 119-Day Inaugural World Cruise(Ft. Lauderdale, FL -- November 23, 2009)  Ultra-luxury Silversea Cruises is pleased to announce all voyages for 2011 are now open for sale and complete day-by-day itineraries are available at www.silversea.com.  In the next few weeks, reservations will also open for the expedition ship Prince Albert II.   In 2011, the company's quintet of elegant all-suite ships, Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper and the new Silver Spirit,...

Celebrity Cruises Wine Celebration

Celebrity Cruises Toasts Guests With Wine Harvest Celebration

Celebrity Cruises is toasting guests on every sailing with a seasonal expansion of the brand's new Celebrity Life "Savor" series of onboard food and beverage programming. From now through December 15, guests on every Celebrity ship can enjoy the line's Wine Harvest Celebration, a "full-bodied" program celebrating the global harvest of the grape through rich wine appreciation courses and tastings, aromatic food and wine pairings, "smoky" silent auctions, and "crisp" presentations by noted authorities on select sailings.

"Celebrity continues to offer one of the broadest and best wine selections in the industry, inspired by the high percentage of our guests who are wine enthusiasts," said Celebrity's Vice President of Culinary Operations, Chef Jacques Van Staden, who sh aped the Savor series of Celebrity Life. "Our Wine Harvest Celebration presents a series of activities celebrating the Fall harvest and our guests' passion for wine."

Among the highlights of Celebrity's Wine Harvest Celebration will be an industry-first unveiling of Beaujolais Nouveau simultaneously across the fleet on November 19. Hosted by a guest speaker and one of Celebrity's own certified cellarmasters, the event will offer guests the opportunity to sip the eagerly-anticipated light wine from oak casks and commemorative bottles, while enjoying live music and dancing, canapes, a cheese carving station and a roast carving station.

Guests with a passion for cool music and rich chocolate are likely to be "seduced" by Celebrity's "Jazz, Port and Chocolate Tasting Seduction," with a complimentary glass of port wine and a deluxe chocolate buffet and fountain, all set against a backdrop of light jazz music.

At the "Grand Cru Dinner," following a sparkling wine reception, Celebrity's cellarmaster, guest speaker and chef will prepare a top-tier dinner comprised of food and wine reflective of the region in which each ship is sailing. Up to 40 guests can participate in each distinctive dinner in Celebrity's intimate specialty restaurants.

Through "Sabering at Sea," guests will observe the delicate, age-old art of sabering - uncorking a bottle with saber or knife - while participating in tastings and discussion of sparkling wines including Champagne, Cremants, Spumantes and California Methode Traditional wines.

Throughout the course of the celebration, a "Celebrity Wine Harvest Exposition" will be open to all guests on embarkation day. Hosted by Celebrity's certified cellarmasters and a variety of noted wine authorities from around the world, the event features a complimentary glass of house wine, canapes and hors d'oeuvres, and an overview of the varied wine experiences and packages available for guests, paired with the opportunity to make reservations for limited-capacity events.
Additionally, among the wine-focused experiences offered year-round through the Celebrity Life "Savor" series are:

-- "Wine Appreciation 101" presents tastings of six different varietals and wine appreciation tips offered by Celebrity's certified cellarmasters. -- "The Art of Food and Wine Pairing" explores how certain flavor components, such as acids in food, can impact the flavor of wines. -- "Celebrity's World Wine Tasting and Silent Auction" allows guests to taste wines from each of the regions represented in Celebrity's global wine program, in cluding Africa, France, Germany/Austria, Italy, Spain, the U.S. and South America. The tastings are paired with canapes, fruits and cheeses, and highlighted by a silent auction of premium wines packaged at special prices. -- "The Riedel Comparative Wine and Crystal Workshop" is a one-hour seminar Celebrity has offered since becoming the first cruise line endorsed by Riedel to offer it in 2007. Participants learn and experience how dramatically the shape of a wine glass can affect the outcome of flavors on the palate, and hear the interesting tale of how the Riedel family has influenced the crystal industry.

Princess Alaska Wilderness Sale-2010

Princess Launches Alaska Wilderness Sale on Convenient Cruisetours from Seattle

Holland-America Unveils E-DOCS

Holland-America Line will now provide electronic cruise documentation through its new Express Docs program that begins with cruises departing May 9.

My LIBERTY OF THE SEAS cruise

On Jan. 31, 2009, I set sail from Miami for 7-nights, on an absolutely amazing ship:  Royal Caribbean's Liberty Of The Seas.  Our ports-of-call were San Juan, St. Maarten and Labadee, Haiti.  Liberty is currently the largest and most innovative cruise ship in the world!  This is my second time aboard.  I sailed with a terrific group of friends & past guests.                                ...

Silversea: New Silver Spirit Itineraries

SILVERSEA DISCLOSES THE INAUGURAL ITINERARIES OF SILVER SPIRIT Grand Inaugural Voyage 2010 (Ft. Lauderdale, FL -- January 6, 2009)   Silversea announced today that its newest ultra-luxury ship, Silver Spirit, is set to debut in lavish style with a Grand Inaugural Voyage on January 21, 2010. On this extraordinary 91-day journey, dubbed "The Spirit of South America," Silver Spirit will sail from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles and twist back to New York on a fascinating itinerary highlighted by a visit to Rio de Janeiro in time for Carnival, a journey around the end of the earth at Cape ...

New: Seabourn Odyssey debuts June '09

Seabourn Odyssey to Launch in June, 2009   Anticipation is mounting for the June, 2009 maiden voyage of the stunning new yacht, the Seabourn Odyssey.  Seabourn's intimate, 208-guest yachts continue to be ranked the best of the very best. Condé Nast Traveler readers just ranked them #1 for both service and food-for the third year in a row! Celebrity chef Charlie Palmer helps keep that rating u...

Holland-America's EURODAM-Cruise Planners Convention

On the third day of convention, we all boarded the four buses, down to Port Everglades, to board Holland-America's newest Signature ship, the EURODAM, for a 3-night Bahamas cruise, which would visit Nassau and Half Moon Cay.