So long fuel surcharges, hello zip-lining: a 2009 cruise preview
At this time of year, just about everyone devotes a column to predictions for the year ahead. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I can tell you the shape of things to come on the high seas in 2009: no fuel supplements (for now), massive tonnage, new luxury, greener ships, ship makeovers, and — would you believe? — zip-lining and a carousel.
Don’t miss the boat on these amazing cruise deals
Cruising has always been a good vacation value and now with global economic woes cruise lines have come up with some unprecedented deals to entice people to keep vacationing. Imagine cruising for $25 a day. See what all the hubbub is about and learn how to land the best cruise deals.
What was Travel Weekly thinking when it called YTB a power player?
What’s wrong with Travel Weekly’s inclusion of YTB in its 2008 Power List? Maybe a better question is: What’s not wrong? Ned Levi has the answer.
Quantum leap of Celebrity Solstice
The new $750 million Celebrity Solstice has onboard features that will wow its passengers — a deck full of real grass and a live glass blowing show. But, the real story is the ship’s design — it’s chic, hip and unlike any cruise ship sailing today.
Tipped off – computer glitch stiffs couple
The Johnsons from Utah had dreamed for years about their Alaska cruise. While scanning Cruise.com’s Web site they found a great deal on a 7-day Inside Passage cruise that included pre-paid gratuities. But a few days into the cruise the couple learned the tips weren’t prepaid and they would have to pony up an additional $147 they hadn’t planned on.
Don’t wave goodbye to your own cruise
When my husband and I first cruised, over 20 years ago, we booked the cheapest flight we could find on the day of sailing and took a local taxi from the airport to the pier in Acapulco. The ship wasn’t using the main pier plus, the taxi driver got lost. Eventually, we were tendered, along with another couple, out to the ship about an hour and a half before it sailed.
Is the cruise ship building party over?
High gasoline prices and a slumping economy have put a damper on leisure travel. The timing couldn’t be worse for the cruise lines. With 35 vessels on order over the next four years at a total cost of 22 billion some cruise lines are cutting back and repositioning their fleets, laying off employees, and holding off from ordering new ships.
These blazing hot summer cruise deals are unsinkable
The economy is slumping and cruise lines are scrambling to fill their berths. What does that mean for you? Great deals on a cruise vacation — and a good excuse for spending that tax rebate check. Anita Dunham-Potter has the details.
Recession? Not for the cruise industry
Cruise line executives speaking at the annual Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention in Miami last week presented a surprisingly rosy outlook despite record oil prices and the U.S. economy’s bleak outlook. Still, with 36 new ships to be delivered within the next four years they can’t afford to feel any other way.