Greetings!
Looking forward to Summer
We have been inundated with travel news and updates, so we’ll get you up to date as much as possible.
First, American Cruise Lines is purchasing four river cruise ships from its former rival, American Queen Voyages. The purchase includes the American Queen, the largest-ever US paddle-wheeler. In addition, ACL will purchase the American Duchess, the American Countess, and the American Empress. Look for promotions later this year on cruising American waterways.
Speaking of river cruising, Uniworld has announced its latest Super Ship, the SS Victoria which began operation in Holland and Belgium last month. The ship is absolutely beautiful reflecting the upper end of river cruising. Interested?
Not wanting to be left behind in the new ship category, NCL has announced the largest-ever order for new cruise ships. It is ordering eight new ships across three brands – Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania, and Regent Seven Seas. Namesake brand NCL will receive half of the ships that are for delivery over a decade from 2026 to 2036. There will be two new ships each for Oceania and Regent. In other NCL news, it has unveiled new culinary and beverage experiences coming to the NCL Aqua, the line’s first vessel of the expanded Prima Plus Class. This ship is set to sail in April 2025. Norwegian Aqua will have three brand-new onboard offerings including Sukhothai, NCL’s first-ever Thai specialty restaurant. It will also house Swirl Wine Bar, a new upscale wine bar; and Planterie, the first dedicated eatery offering a full plant-based menu.
Silversea is getting ready to launch the ultra-luxury new Nova-Class ship, Silver Raya. Silversea has long been recognized as an innovator in the ultra-luxury cruise industry, offering guests large-ship amenities aboard its intimate, all-suite ships.
In addition, Windstar Cruises has announced that it is expanding its fleet with two new ships. In December 2025, it will launch the Star Seeker, the first in its new class of ships, Star Class. It will be followed by the Star Explorer in December 2026. Serving 224 guests, each ship will feature 112 suites with full private verandas and infinity windows.
Princess fans will be interested in knowing it is upgrading its main dining options all across its fleet. The changes are designed to give guests more flexibility and dining choices, offering three table service options – Traditional, Reservable, or Walk-in Anytime. This is in addition to the OceanNow location-based ‘anywhere’ service. Princess will designate separate dining rooms aboard every ship in the fleet to the three table service options. One is dedicated to traditional dining room offerings with early and late seating every evening, one offers reservable dining times, and a third with open seating for walk-ins anytime. The OceanNow service allows ship guests the convenience of ordering anything, anytime and receiving it anywhere on the ship.
Now for some train news. Princess Cruises has joined hands with rail operator Brightline to launch a Rail & Sail program in Florida for cruise ship guests. It will offer rail connections to Florida homeports Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral. To mark the collaboration, a Brightline train will have four custom-designed cars with Princess’ Love Boat branding. Princess’ branding will also be featured in Brightline’s five terminals throughout Florida. The program features a value-added baggage express service allowing cruise ship guests to check in bags at their Brightline station which are shipped directly to their stateroom upon arrival at the port.
In other train news, the Las Vegas-Los Angeles high-speed rail project has celebrated its groundbreaking in Sin City. It marks a key milestone in progress toward a nationwide electric high-speed rail network, the U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition said. Brightline West will be America’s first operating true high-speed rail line, scheduled for completion in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. The train will reach speeds of 200 miles per hour, completing the 218-mile trip to Rancho Cucamonga in just over two hours. From there it links with Southern California’s commuter rail system.
With all this exciting news, we are delighted to announce our just-released sailing on the new Celebrity Ascent in May 2025. This sailing is a round-trip to Rome, so you’ll have multiple opportunities to visit the Eternal City either pre-cruise, post-cruise, or both! We can easily design a land adventure to enhance your Roman Holiday. In addition, we have space on the Monarch Queen for a Danube River cruise ending in Prague this August.
So, Where in the World Do You Want to Go?
Betty & Frank Villani
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7 Nights - Mexican Riviera
Roundtrip: Los Angeles
June 14 - 21, 2024
Navigator of the Seas
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VISITING: Los Angeles, California; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Mazatlan, Mexico; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico |
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7 Day Voyage of the Glaciers
Vancouver to Anchorage
June 19 - 26, 2024
Grand Princess
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5 Ports: Vancouver, Canada;
Ketchikan, Alaska;
Juneau, Alaska; Skagway, Alaska;
Glacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), Alaska; College Fjord (Scenic Cruising), Alaska; Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska
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4 Nights - Catalina & Ensenada
Roundtrip: Los Angeles
June 24 - 28, 2024
Navigator of the Seas
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VISITING: Los Angeles, California; Catalina Island, California; Ensenada, Mexico |
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11 Day Rhine River Cruise
Basel to Amsterdam
July 4 - 14, 2024
Monarch Baroness
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Have an unforgettable journey visiting these stunning ports: Basel, Switzerland; Breisach, Germany; Strasbourg, France; Speyer, Germany; Koblenz and Cologne, Germany; and a full day in Amsterdam! |
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Join Us!
Rocky Mountaineer
Vancouver to Jasper
July 4 - 13, 2024
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Enjoy 3 days onboard the Rocky Mountaineer in Gold Leaf Service, nine nights of hotel accommodations, gourmet meals, and unlimited beverages while onboard, lunch at the Columbia Icefields, Ice Explorer and Glacier Skywalk, Banff Gondola, all tours and transfers as specified in the itinerary, luggage handling/porterage at the hotels and train stations, prepaid gratuities for onboard Hosts.
Space is limited, so contact us as soon as possible!
See the video below for Rocky Mountaineer highlights.
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Join Us!
7 Day Alaska Gulf (Northbound)
Vancouver to Anchorage
July 13 - 20, 2024
Royal Princess
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Join Us! for a beautiful cruise to Alaska, visiting these 5 stunning ports:
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12-Day Danube River Cruise with Prague
Regensburg to Budapest
August 7 - 18, 2024
Monarch Queen
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Enjoy this amazing river cruise visiting these stunning ports: Passau, Melk Abbey, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. The Prague extension gives you more time to see this amazing capital. |
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15-Day Off the Beaten Path
Alaska Cruisetour
Vancouver to Anchorage
Grand Princess
August 14 - 29, 2024
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Cruise first (7 days), followed by land (8 days)
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Best of Scandinavia
August 16 - 28, 2024
Roundtrip: Rotterdam
Celebrity Silhouette
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Enjoy 12 nights aboard the Celebrity Silhouette, visiting these amazing ports:
Rotterdam, Netherlands;
Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany;
Gdansk (Gdynia), Poland;
Visby, Sweden;
Tallinn, Estonia;
Stockholm, Sweden;
Copenhagen, Denmark
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North to Alaska
7 Nights
August 18 - 25, 2024
Roundtrip: Seattle
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Cruise the beautiful Majestic Princess to these 5 stunning ports:
Ketchikan, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier (scenic cruising), Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, Canada.
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Ancient Mediterranean Treasures Cruise
8 Days: September 18 - 25, 2024
Athens to Istanbul
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Visit 2 countries and 6 ports: Athens, Heraklion, and Rhodes in Greece and Ephesus, Troy, and Istanbul in Turkey, and discover the wonders of these ancient lands. |
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Turning Leaves
October 7 - 17, 2024
Boston to Quebec
Emerald Princess
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Experience the beauty of fall and visit these stunning ports:
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Join Us!
10 Night Voyage
Southern Caribbean
Round trip: San Juan
January 11 - 21, 2025
Resilient Lady
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Join Us! on the amazing Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady visiting Tortola, BVI; St. Kitts; Antigua & Barbuda; Martinique; Barbados; St Lucia and St Vincent from San Juan. This will be a fabulous cruise!
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Join Us!
11 Day Japan Explorer
Round trip: Tokyo, Japan
March 25 - April 5, 2025
Diamond Princess
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12 Nights British Isles Cruise
Roundtrip: Amsterdam
Celebrity Eclipse
April 27 - May 9, 2025
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Visiting 7 stunning ports:
Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Cork (Cobh), Ireland;
Waterford (Dunmore E.), Ireland;
Liverpool, England;
Holyhead, Wales;
Belfast, Northern Ireland;
Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland;
Lerwick, Scotland;
Amsterdam, Netherlands
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10 Night Cruise
Greece, Italy & Croatia
Round trip: Rome
Celebrity Ascent
May 16 - 26, 2025
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VISITING: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy; Olympia (Katakolon), Greece; Corfu, Greece; Split, Croatia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Bar, Montenegro; Sicily (Messina), Italy; Naples, Italy; Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy |
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7 Day Mediterranean Cruise
Athens to Barcelona
June 21 - 28, 2025
Sun Princess
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Aboard the NEW Sun Princess.
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Mediterranean Cruise
Athens to Venice
October 5 - 15, 2025
Seven Seas Grandeur
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Sail aboard the luxurious Seven Seas Grandeur from Athens, Greece to Santorini, Greece; Heraklion (Crete), Greece; Katakolon, Greece; Tirana (Durres), Albania; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Zadar, Croatia; Koper, Slovenia and Venice, Italy. |
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