Cruise the Caribbean with Azamara Journey and the Far East with Azamara Quest

Azamara Journey offers some great Caribbean cruise deals along with Panama Canal cruises from November 2010 till April 2011. The cruises will include a vast array of 23 ports from 13 countries.

The not-to-be-missed Caribbean cruise on the Azamara Journey will have a roundtrip from Miami, visiting ports in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, St. Martin, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, St. Barts, St. Lucia and Dominica.

This Azamara cruise ship usually has all-adult crowds, but it’s best to check the particular cruise you choose.

The Azamara Quest cruises to the Far East give you the opportunity to sail across the Indian Ocean to exotic ports such as Dubai, Bombay, Cochin, Penang, Pt Kelang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and more. This premium cruise liner also has Middle East and Europe cruises that are similarly enticing.

The Azamara Quest has two specialty restaurants, concierge service, spa, piano bar, wine bar, live entertainment: basically, the works. It is a small cruise ship, hence an exclusive cruise holiday is guaranteed.

Both ships provide the purchase service called ‘ChoiceAir’, initiated by parent company Royal Caribbean Pvt Ltd. This service allows you to choose specific airlines and flight times while looking for the best published fares. So, you know the airline itinerary as soon as you book. Also the air support team from Azamara will be available to you before, during, and after the cruise at just a $15 fee per person for domestic flights and $25 per person for international air.

Thus, cruises with the Azamara ships – Quest and Journey – are your ticket to a memorable holiday. They are convenient, fun, and abound with luxury.

P&O Cruises’ brand new Cruise ship Azura to debut in April 2010

Azura is the newest addition to the P&O Cruise fleet and you must experience to believe it. Book your cruise holiday to the Mediterranean now on P&O Azura, which will begin operations in April next year.

The 3,100 passenger superliner will set sail from Southampton to the most wonderful of cruise destinations like the Baltic, Canary Islands, Norwegian Fjords, the Caribbean, and so on.

Azura’s maiden voyage to the Mediterranean is a classic 16-night cruise with ports of call in the central Mediterranean like Venice and Dubrovnik.

Among the features that will add to your unique experience aboard the P&O Cruises’ ship is the Indian fine dining restaurant, Sindhu, steered by Michelin-starred Chef Atul Kochhar. It will also offer fine British cuisine. Pan-fried lobster tail in coconut milk and other exotic delicacies will tempt you into this restaurant, which is just one of the 11 dining venues on board.

The ship will also have an open-air cinema-at-sea, an open-air spa and single cabins.

TV wine expert Olly Smith has been pulled in to help create a new wine bar and restaurant concept – The Glass House. A must for wine lovers, The Glass House menu will feature different wines recommended with each course, all served by the glass and expertly matched by Olly.

You can enjoy a great night life at sea at Manhattan, an entertainment venue inspired by the dynamic city of New York.

And with all the different cuisines to taste and relish, a visit to the ocean view gym will help you keep fit in a fun way on your cruise vacation.

P&O Cruises Azura combines traditional cruise values of service with the flexibility and choice that today’s contemporary customer. The high level of early bookings for April 2010 Azura cruises goes to prove how popular P&O cruise line is.

Oasis of the Seas Balloon Mystery

There has been mass debate regarding the strange spherical object that is tethered to Royal Caribbean’s latest ship Oasis of the Seas since photos were posted on STX Europe’s web site as the ship undergoes sea trials. Speculation about the balloon flying above the 220,000 ton, 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas has been raging and its ideas of its intended use includes a weather station and blimp cam, although a cruise industry website believes it is a trial balloon ride.

The balloon is connected to Oasis of the Seas by a cable to the aft of the ship and it flies 50 metres above the vessel. It can be lowed via the cable to its docking station on the upper deck of the ship and it is believed that a gondola or basket will have space for passengers.

Royal Caribbean’s Chairman Richard Fain has not confirmed the rumours and has posted on his blog: "The idea is interesting, but it has such a cornucopia of practical issues that I give it less than a 50 percent chance of being used on Oasis," he writes. "If we don't use it on the ship, I will consider it just another of the many ideas our people develop that didn't work."

Norwegian Epic cruises go on sale

Cruises on Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, Norwegian Epic, went on sale yesterday with a choice of Caribbean Cruises on offer. The first Eastern Caribbean sailing from Miami is scheduled for July 17 2010 and the ships’ alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries are available through April 2011. Norwegian Epic's Eastern Caribbean itinerary includes calls in Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and Nassau, Bahamas. The ship's Western Caribbean itinerary includes calls in Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico.

The 4,200 passenger Norwegian Epic features many new innovations that include the first Ice Bar at sea, an expansive Aqua Park with the only tube slide and largest bowl slide at sea, an extreme rock-climbing wall 33 foot high and 64 foot wide, plus several new types of accommodations such as the curved New Wave staterooms, the largest ship-within-a-ship suite complex at sea, spa and family friendly accommodations. In addition to all this Norwegian Cruise Line will be enhancing their Freestyle Dining on board Norwegian Epic with 14 restaurant choices and 18 bars and lounges to choose from.

Southampton fourth terminal to open Saturday 9 May

The new £19 million terminal at Southampton is set to open on Saturday 9^th May. The new facility is the first purpose-built cruise terminal to be built in the UK for almost four decades and will receive around 4,000 passengers travelling through it every day.

Ocean Dock, as the new terminal will be known, is located opposite the site of the old Ocean Terminal which was once home to many of the great transatlantic liners of the last century, when the port was first known as the ‘Gateway to the World’. The new terminal will stand both as testimony to Southampton’s ocean-liner history and as a symbol of the modern cruising age, with cruises from the UK becoming ever popular.

P&O Cruises ship Ventura will be the first ship to use the new berth. Priority use of the terminal will go to Carnival Cruises brands such as Princess Cruises and Ocean Village. Doug Morrison, Port Director at ABP Port of Southampton said: “Over the last few years, the cruise industry has seen enormous growth, which has securely positioned the port of Southampton as the cruise capital of Northern Europe. The new terminal is essential for the Port’s future growth within the cruise market but also represents a significant economic contribution to the Southampton region.”

Roaming mobile services coming to MSC Cruises

Guests travelling on MSC Cruises ships are set to have greater mobile phone services after the cruise line have signed up with leading maritime mobile phone firm On Waves to provide roaming services on all ships.

Constantin Simeonidis, chief executive of On Waves, said the launch of code divisional multiple access (CDMA) services will enhance passenger experience across the cruise line's fleet.

"To have renewed the trust of an organisation like MSC Cruises is a great endorsement," he commented, adding: "We expect the launch of CDMA services will further increase overall usage of mobile devices."

The new service will also be included for all MSC Cruises new builds in the future.

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth maiden voyage all sold out

Cunard Cruises maiden voyage on their new Queen Elizabeth ocean liner has become the fastest selling voyage in the cruise lines history.

29 minutes! That is all it took for the 13 night Canary Islands voyage to sell out, beating the record of 36 minutes set in June 2007 for the final sailing of Queen Elizabeth 2. More than half of the remainder of the maiden season cruises were then snapped up within 90 minutes.

Carol Marlow, president and managing director of Cunard, said that bookings had been particularly strong from people in the UK, the US and Germany.

"This is an impressive record set by what will be an impressive ship and speaks volumes for the Cunard brand as well as for the resilience of the cruise sector," she commented.

Cunard Cruises latest ship Queen Elizabeth is set to launch in autumn 2010 and will only further enhance Cunard Cruises illustrious reputation for exquisite ocean travel. Queen Elizabeth will feature many luxurious and elegant public rooms, plus a bowling green, a croquet lawn and even country house parties.