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Take Advantage Of Off-Peak Cruise Deals

Cruisers who aren't after hot weather or calypso bands can find some great cruise deals by sailing to Alaska off peak, often referred to as Alaska's shoulder season. The off peak season begins in May through to early June and restarts again in September.

Peak season Alaska cruises can be more expensive than Caribbean cruises as there are fewer cruise companies sailing, however if you're after bargain cruise deals Royal Caribbean Cruises have some very tempting deals which provide passengers with the a look at Alaska's great wilderness and natural beauty. With less than two months until the off-peak season begins the deals are gradually rolling out, but you should also remember that many of the deals being offered mean you have to sail within sixty or ninety days.

Last minute bargains abound and whilst you may not get the stateroom you want, regular cruisers will know that they can still expect the same superb service and facilities they've always enjoyed, just at a lower price.

Shop around and keep you eye out for the latest cruise deals and you may find you can enjoy offers such as two-for-one, or reductions on future off-season cruises.

'Search For The Epic Star' Has Begun

Norwegian Cruise Lines have joined the latest influx of talent scouting by inviting amateur entertainers to take the opportunity to join world class entertainers on board their latest Freestyle Cruising ship during her inaugural festivities 2nd -4th July 2010, as they 'Search for the Epic Star'.

Entries opened last Friday to those who believe they have a unique and 'epic' talent in singing, dancing, juggling and comedy, single or groups of no more than four are invite to send a one minute video of their performance to arrive before April 25th 2010 in order to be included for judging. Applicants must be over 21years and reside in either the US or Canada. Terms and conditions apply.

At present Norwegian Epic has a host of world class entertainers including Blue Man Group, Cirque Dreams and Dinner, Howl at the Moon and Nickelodeon, the winner of the contest will join these performers and share the spotlight on board this fabulous cruise ship.

Norwegian Cruise Lines chief executive officer Kevin Sheeman said; 'Norwegian Epic is known for its ground-breaking, world-class entertainment offerings. Therefore, we wanted to take that a step further and search for tomorrow's star and give them a chance to showcase their epic talent during the ship's inaugural festivities'.

Image: Norwegian Epic's Headliners Comedy Club

World Cup Fever Has Begun In Earnest!

As World cup fever gets well and truly under way, few thousand football supporters will be able to really enjoy their accommodation as Holland America Cruises have two ships, the Noordam and the Westerdam will dock at three South African ports, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban to follow the World Cup action between June 10 to July 12.

The ships have been chartered by One Ocean Club, a German based hospitality service, and are offering numerous two to five night packages. Although the packages do include transfers to the football grounds they don't include tickets to any of the matches, they have to be sourced from FIFA.

The two ships will also have African touches along with all the normal facilities the two cruise ship offer. Menus will included locally sourced African food and the standard show program will be replaced by African artists.

Holland America Cruises are expecting an international mix of passengers who all have one thing is common – football!

Chartering cruise ships for major sporting events is nothing new for One Ocean Club, it used cruise ships on a charter basis to act as floating hotels in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics.

With hundreds of thousands of worldwide football fans arriving in South African to watch the World Cup, those luck few thousand will really have the best of both worlds – as long as they remembered to book their tickets to the matches!

Image: Holland America Cruise ship Noordam

The Cruise Industry Forecast To Stay Afloat As Cruises Becoming Increasingly Popular

Great news for the cruise industry predicted by Mickey Arison, Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation, Carnival Cruises, as the UK cruise market has double over the last decade, he is forecasting that the numbers will double again over the next decade bringing the cruise passenger figure to three million annually.

He said; 'it will be partly stimulated by a much-increased range of cruises coming onto the market, including more short duration cruises from UK ports'.

The results of an online survey by one of the the leading cruise retailers received approximately 5,000 responses from frequent cruise passengers. The survey also revealed that more than a quarter of the people who took part were prepared to reduce other outgoings to ensure they have enough money to go on their main cruise holiday. Furthermore, one in three passengers said they would rather pay less than they would normally budget for a cruise and take the opportunity of cruise deals than not book one at all.

The survey highlighted some other interesting results which included that eight out of ten cruisers preferred smaller ships, carrying less than 1,000 passengers and half voting for cruise ships which carried between 1,000 and 2,000 passengers. Only one in every hundred people voted for cruising on a ship which carries more than 4,000 guests. A high percentage of people also indicated that they prefer cruises which were shared with predominately UK passengers.

Image: Carnival Triumph

Feeling Terra-Firma Under Your Feet

Passengers on board cruise ships who like to feel terra-firma under their feet, long to glimpse green grass or simply love the smell of a freshly mown lawn can have the best of both worlds on Celebrity Solstice cruise ship.

Celebrity Cruises are renowned for innovative design features to keep their guests content whilst on board and have managed to incorporate real grass, we're not talking synthetic astro-turf, on board Celebrity Solstice. The Lawn Club covers approximately half an acre and is sited under huge canvas shades.

The original concept was to use synthetic grass, however after different real grasses where tested for strength, durability, wind and sea exposure and a series of growing mediums, filters and irrigation systems they managed to have a 'live' lawn growing on deck!

The Lawn Club is much like a country club on a reduced scale, the lawn is mowed every two or three days and kept to a height of approximately 10-15 millimetres. The gentle pass times of croquet and putting are actively encouraged, however, high heels, deck furniture and towels are strictly forbidden in order to preserve and managed the lawn appropriately, as neither Celebrity Solstice crew or cruise passengers would hardly likely to see it looking like a ploughed field!

Legendary Sophia Loren Godmother To MSC Magnificia

The 11th in the MSC Cruise fleet MSC Magnificia was christened by actress Sophia Loren to a backdrop of spectacular fireworks and of course champagne.

The ceremony was enjoyed by invited on board guests as well as being viewed by thousands via two giant floating screens and full MSC TV coverage.

MSC Magnificia weighs 90,000 gross tonnes and has capacity for over 3,000 passengers. The ship boasts state of the art facilities with it's innovative design concepts being found on the company's flagships MSC Fantasia and MSC Spendida.

MSC Magnificia's features include the Magrodome, the 1st within the Musica class series of ships. It's retractable roof, the largest of its kind, offer the opportunity for passengers to swim in all weathers, which is ideal for the Mediterranean sailings.

The ship also has world class double star Michelin chef Mauro Uliassi who will be at the forefront of the L'Oasi Restaurant. What more would one expect from MSC Cruises?

Passengers who like to keep fit, but also like to relax are also superbly catered for with a myriad of Olympic themed articles displayed in the L'Olimpiade sports bar.


MSC Magnifica will cruise the Mediterranean starting on the 20th March 2010. The 7 night itineraries take in Bari and Venice- Italy, Katakalon/Olympia -Greece, Izmir and Istanbul -Turkey and Dubrovnik - Croatia. Further MSC cruise deals and sailings are scheduled throughout the year.