They're Practically Giving It Away

Onboard Norwegian Pearl

Photo ©2009 Aaron Saunders

We seem to be talking a lot lately about Norwegian Cruise Line.  First we told you about the departure of the Norwegian Majesty, then one day later we talked about NCL's unique South America itineraries aboard Norwegian Sun.  Now, NCL is giving us yet another reason to talk about them: their Deals of the Decade promotion.

Designed to celebrate a decade of innovation (and increase bookings, no doubt), the Deals of the Decade sale is a little different from other sales in that it covers a wide variety of destinations and departure dates.  If you can pack up your bags and go in the next two or three weeks, you can practically get onboard for next to nothing - indeed, some Caribbean and Bahamas sailings are going for less than a nights stay at a nice hotel.

For more information on this sale, and to get in on the action yourself, visit NCL's Deals of the Decade page - they have last minute sales on the front page, but don't forget to play with their booking engine to search for other dates and destinations. 

A Journey of a Lifetime

Penguins in Antarctica.

Photo courtesy Hurtigruten

One of the most remote, unique cruise destinations on the planet is without a doubt Antarctica.  And after 2011, it will be one of the most difficult destinations to cruise to.

Antarctica has no permanent population.  It is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent - in fact, it's so dry that it is actually considered a desert.  Like its northern counterpart, it has been the subject of numerous expeditions - from Captain James Cook's arrival in 1773 to James Clark Ross in 1841 - with the Ross expedition commanding HMS Erebus and Terror, which five years later would be beset by ice in the Arctic under command of the ill-fated Sir John Franklin.

Norwegian Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911, managing to beat the ill-fated expedition led by Robert Scott by a mere month. 

Ernest Shackleton led three expeditions in 1901, 1907, and 1914 - the latter having claimed their ship, Endurance and resulted in the party barely escaping with their lives.  Indeed, Shackleton is perhaps better known today as a result of this harrowing journey to Elephant Island.

The seductive pull of Antarctica has not subsided for many modern-day travelers.  Many cruise lines sail a handful of voyages between January and March, and expedition vessels dedicate even more time to visiting this snowy continent.  So what do you choose - Expedition ship or cruise ship?  Depending on your preference, you might pick one over the other.

Here's our guide:

Mega-Ships:  Celebrity, Holland America,and Princess all have ships sailing to Antarctica in the winter of 2010 and 2011.  While you'll travel in supreme comfort, these ships carry too many passengers to make shore landings - you will visit Antarctica, but it will be scenic cruising only.

After 2011, mega-ship cruising to Antarctica is up in the air.  Strict environmental restrictions may result in cruise lines having to pull out of the region permanently.  If you want to take a megaship to this amazing place, GO NOW.

Mid-size ships:  Hurtigruten offers voyages to Antarctica aboard its purpose-built MV Fram.  Built in 2007, the Fram carries less than a full passenger compliment, allowing for shore landings.

Also in this category, but traveling in supreme luxury, is Silversea's small expedition vessel Prince Albert II.  Carrying only 132 passengers, Prince Albert II is able to ferry passengers ashore in zodiacs when weather permits.

Expedition ships:  There are many lines that offer expedition voyages to Antarctica, but perhaps the most extensive and well known are the ships of Quark Expeditions.    Founded in 1991, Quark offers the widest variety of polar itineraries of any adventure company, and the largest number of departures to Antarctica.  Shore landings are possible when weather permits, and their Icebreaker-class ships even boast onboard helicopters.  Their flagship icebreaker, 50 Years of Victory, is even nuclear-powered.

For more information on each lines Antarctic offerings, visit their websites:

Quark Expeditions

Silversea

Hurtigruten

Princess Cruises

Holland America Line

Celebrity Cruises 

Last Song for Black Prince

Black Prince.

Photo courtesy Fred.Olsen

Today's update is a chance to let someone else do the talking.  Peter Knego has a fantastic blog on his Sea Treks page that chronicles the last voyage of Fred. Olsen's Black Prince.  The venerable (and unusual) ship is being withdrawn from service due to SOLAS 2010 regulations, though she has reportedly been sold to Venezuelan-based SAVECA for potential use as a floating hotel.

Read Peter's fascinating blog here.

Also check out Bart de Boer's fantastic ShipParade website for a great shot of Black Prince in the Photo of the Week section.

For information on Fred.Olsen, visit their website.

Unique Itinerary of the Week - 10/3

Illustration courtesy Norwegian Cruise Line

Always in search of the unique and different, this weeks Unique Itinerary comes to us from Norwegian Cruise Line.

Departing from Buenos Aires, this 14-night cruise aboard the Norwegian Sun travels around the horn of South America, calling at Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Puerto Chacabuco, Puerto Montt, and finally arriving in Valparaiso, the port for Santiago, Chile.

The ship also spends time cruising the scenic Beagle Channel, home to Argentina's glaciers, as well as time spent cruising the Chilean Fjords and the Strait of Magellan. 

While the embarkation and disembarkation ports of Buenos Aires and Santiago may seem to be a long distance from North America, they are in fact connected by daily, sometimes nonstop flights from cities like Toronto, Houston, New York and Miami.  In fact, a standard flight to South America may involve less connections than a transcontinental flight across the United States!

Perhaps the best thing about this unique itinerary may be its price: fares start at just $999 USD.

For more information including pricing and itinerary details, visit NCL's website.  The Norwegian Sun sails this itinerary from November 2009 to March 2010. 

Majesty, Meet Majesty

The Norwegian Majesty.

Photo courtesy Norwegian Cruise Line

Saying goodbye is always difficult.  On October 31st, Norwegian Cruise Line prepares to say goodbye to one of the last remnants of the old NCL - the Norwegian Majesty.

Built in 1992 as the Royal Majesty for Majesty Cruise Line, the ship became part of the NCL fleet in 1997.  In 1999, fresh off the success of lengthening the Norwegian Wind and Norwegian Dream by way of cutting the ships in half and inserting a new, prefabricated midsection, the decision was made to also lengthen the Norwegian Majesty.  A new 110-foot midsection was inserted at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany.  Things looked good for the midsize cruise ship.

In 1999, however, NCL launched the Norwegian Sky - their first newbuild in over six years , and the first ship at sea to offer features like an Internet Cafe.  NCL re-branded itself in 2001, launching an open dining and relaxed dress code concept called Freestyle Cruising.  The dual launch of the Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Star in late 2001 firmly ushered in this concept with ships purpose-built with multiple dining options - options the Norwegian Majesty noticeably lacked.

The Majesty outlasted the Norwegian Wind and Dream, built in 1992 and 1993 - both of which were larger and offered more amenities.  The Norwegian Wind was transferred to Star Cruises to become SuperStar Aquarius sailing out of Hong Kong.  The Norwegian Dream has languished at anchor off of Piraeus, Greece since being removed from service in October 2008 - awaiting a buyer to put her back into service.

The Norwegian Majesty was sold in 2008 to Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines, which plans to rename her Louis Majesty and deploy her on a series of Mediterranean cruises from Italy starting in December.

Why is this a good thing?  The Norwegian Majesty has served NCL well, but the last few years with the line have seen it stagnate: the ship has not received either the much-applauded Freestyle 2.0 enhancements or the colorful hull artwork that so distinguishes the ships of NCL.  With Louis Cruise Line, the ship will hopefully find a new legion of fans and carry many more passengers thousands of nautical miles around the warm shores of Italy, Greece and France.

For more information on the soon-to-be Louis Majesty, visit the Louis Cruise Line webpage. 

It's Never Winter In The Nation Of Why Not

It's October, and for most of us, that means it's getting colder.  Maybe you've had to dig out the umbrella recently, or prep the snow gear for another season or maybe you just saw them setting up the Chrismas trees at Costco.  In September.  Either way, Royal Caribbean noticed it was getting colder too - and they're here to help.

Starting on October 6th and continuing until October 7th (that's next Tuesday and Wednesday, people), Royal Caribbean is offering 50% Reduced Deposits and Onboard Credits of up to $200 depending on stateroom category.

The sale is valid for any cruise or cruisetour departing on or after December 1, 2009 - but excluding Oasis of the Seas sailings between January 1 and March 31, 2010.  In order for the reduced deposit and onboard credit to be valid, you must book and make the deposit on October 6th or 7th - courtesy holds will not count.

The offer is also only valid on new bookings only, so if you have an existing Royal Caribbean sailing booked, do not cancel and re-book!

If you're thinking of planning a winter getaway, this is a fantastic time to do so.  Visit Royal Caribbean's site for more details and information.

It's Delicious, Too

We had Chinese this evening.  My fortune cookie said - I kid you not -  "ships and water are in your future."

Smart cookie.