Cunard to hold another Royal Rendezvous in Long Beach Harbor on March 3

Cunard Line announced that they will hold another History Royal Rendezvous on March 3, 2011 when the Queen Victoria, who will be on her way to Fort Lauderdale via the Panama Canal, comes into Long Beach Harbor to meet with the Queen Mary. The two legendary ships will be visible together for approximately 30 minutes beginning at about 6:00 pm.

According to Cunard's press release:

"This rendezvous marks only the second time in Cunard’s venerable history that a modern Queen has visited her docked sister ship; the very first-ever rendezvous was in February 2006 when, on the occasion of her maiden call to Los Angeles, flagship Queen Mary 2 met her namesake, garnering international attention.

This historic event also signals the celebration of a significant milestone:  the upcoming 75^th anniversary of Queen Mary’s maiden voyage from Southampton, England (27 May 1936).

“After the spectacular Cunard Royal Rendezvous in New York with our three modern Queens back in January, it is quite fitting that we continue the grand celebration on the West Coast,” said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line.  “Queen Mary is an important part of our history and legacy and what better way to salute her than with a visit from Queen Victoria to celebrate the completion of her debut Americas season.”

The best viewing location is on the Promenade deck of Queen Mary, at the aft (back) of the ship. Queen Mary will offer free admission for guests to board the ship to experience her attractions, including:

• Dining at the Promenade Café, Sir Winston’s and the Chelsea Chowder House
• Tours, including Behind-the-Scenes, WWII, Haunted Encounters, Twilight Historical and the Ghosts & Legends show, among others (All tours sold separately.)
• Shopping at more than a dozen shops, including Stacks, Queen Mary’s signature souvenir boutique
• Experience vast views of the Harbor from the Observation Bar, the ship’s original first class cocktail lounge, and enjoy live entertainment until 7:00 p.m.

Earlier that day, Queen Victoria makes the last of four visits to the Port of Los Angeles as part of her debut Americas Season, which continues through late March and features several transits through the Panama Canal, two roundtrip voyages to Hawaii, and one Getaway voyage to Mexico.  Queen Victoria returns to the West Coast again in early 2012.

Debuting in December 2007, Queen Victoria is the third largest Cunarder ever built, weighing in at 90,000 tons. The 2,000 passenger liner is infused with a sense of luxury and tradition, from the Royal Court Theatre, which includes the first private viewing boxes at sea, to the signature two-storey library featuring a spiral staircase and nearly 6,000 volumes.

During Cunard’s legendary 171-year history, the iconic Queen Mary epitomized the golden age of ocean travel and served as a Cunard liner for more than 30 years.  Additionally, she served as a troopship during World War II and a Royal Mail Ship, under contract with the British Royal Mail service. Queen Mary’s influence lives on today serving as interior design inspiration for the modern Cunard fleet, the youngest at sea, and continues to be a popular destination for maritime enthusiasts.  She retired from service in 1967 and remains in Long Beach, Calif. as a hotel, museum and tourist attraction. For more information about Queen Mary, visit http://www.queenmary.com/."

This will certainly be a sight to see, so if you are in the area on March 3, 2011 at 6pm, head down to Long Beach Harbor to get a glimpse of two Queens together! Bon Voyage!

Norwegian wins first Design Award from Travel + Leisure

Norwegian Cruise Line has the distinction of being the first line ever in the cruise industry to be awarded the distinguished Design Award from Travel + Leisure magazine. It was tabbed for this honor by the publication with the largest audience for travel because of the innovative design of its Studio staterooms on the new Norwegian Epic. The recipients of the seventh annual award represent the best new examples of design in a range of categories from hotels and transportation to luggage and travel fashion.

Norwegian Epic was awarded "Best Transportation" for its Studio staterooms, a private key-card access complex on two decks, which consist of 128 staterooms and the Studio Lounge. The concept was designed by Priestmangoode as an alternative for solo travelers who didn't want to pay the industry's single supplement cruise price.

Each Studio stateroom is approximately 100 square feet of living space, and features a contemporary design with a full-size bed and separate areas for the bathroom, sink and shower. In addition, guests have access to the private Studio Lounge, where they can get coffee in the morning, meet other guests to plan their day, or just relax with a drink in the evening with their own private bar. A great feature to these staterooms is that many of them are connecting, so friends can travel together, yet have the private space that they may need as opposed to being "roommates".

The Norwegian Epic is currently featured on http://www.travelandleisure.com/ and is highlighted in the March magazine issue, slated to hit newsstands on February 21, 2011. This is a ship worth looking into, and the magazine will do a great job portraying it.

Bon Voyage!

Still not convinced that a travel agent is your best option?

I have booked travel all different kinds of ways, and I have to say, that the level of service that you get from a travel agent is far superior to the service you get from online agencies such as Orbitz and the like. Sure, it's nice to have some discounts here and there, and I do have recommendations for certain things, such as Hotwire and the like, but when you are looking for a full-on vacation, there is nothing better than a travel agent.

Look, I know there are pros and cons, but the article below from WCNC.com in Charlotte, NC should give you some insight into the travel industry. The title of the article is called "When you spend thousands on a dud vacation, and you can't get your money back". That should say it all, right? This is yet another failure story on why you should not use online agencies to book your vacations. A travel agent is always your best option. Come on folks, wake up! Travel agents' services are free and they can take care of problems like these, whereby online agencies give you little to no customer support. The only thing that they can typically give you for free is the "middle finger".

Please read this article and video below by clicking on it and I look forward to your feedback!

Avoiding Costly Vacation Nightmares

Bon Voyage!

Princess Cruises to broadcast the Royal Wedding

Are you, by chance, going on a Princess cruise and worried that you won't get your fill of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton? No reason to fear! Passengers onboard will be able to get their fill on April 29, 2011 when BBC World will cover the entire event and broadcast it on Princess ships.

According to Princess' news release:

"Not only can passengers follow along as the future princess walks down the aisle, but they'll enjoy viewing parties on board as they watch the most extensive coverage of this royal event. BBC is the official wedding broadcaster and has exclusive access inside Westminster Abbey during the ceremony.

The onboard viewing parties will add a celebratory flair to the event with British-style refreshments and special royal-themed cocktails. Passengers can also test their knowledge with royal wedding trivia competitions and participate in a William and Kate look-alike contest.

...Royal Wedding broadcasts are planned for all ships in the Princess fleet, subject to satellite availability. In some time zones, the broadcast may be delayed for viewing at a convenient hour.

The Royal Wedding is one of several special events shown on the Movies Under the Stars screens, including the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards. The giant LED screens are more than 300 square feet in size with a 69,000-watt sound system and have sufficient lighting power to be seen clearly at mid-day and heard even while the ship is moving at full speed - offering cruise passengers a movie experience comparable to the best shoreside movie theater."

For those who have not booked a Princess cruise for this time period but would like to do so, see the bottom of the article for more information.

Bon Voyage!

You may call Princess direct at 1-800-PRINCESS (774-6297) or you may contact Theresa Cooke, at CruiseMasters in Pineville, NC at 704.887.3968 or email her at tcooke@vivavoyage.com.

Celebrity 'upgrades' its offer for Caribbean sailings

From time to time, I like to fill people in on specials that the cruise lines are offering. I get these emails regularly, and if I find something of interest, then I will let you know about them. Here is my latest on The CruiseHonk:

This week, Celebrity Cruises is offering upgrades on its Caribbean cruises. You can upgrade from an Ocean View Stateroom to a Veranda Stateroom for FREE. You can also upgrade from an Inside Stateroom to an Ocean View Stateroom for just $49 per person.

Go to CelebrityCruises.com to get more details on which sailings are available. They do have some limitations and conditions, like most cruise lines, so it pays to read all of them before booking to make sure you have everything covered. Here are a few of those regulations to spare you some time, courtesy of Celebrity:

"Upgrade from Ocean View to Veranda for Free Offer is applicable to select Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Eclipse 7-night Caribbean sailings. Upgrade from Inside to Ocean View for $49 Offer is applicable to select Celebrity Summit 7-night Caribbean sailings, Celebrity Century 4- & 5-night Caribbean sailings and Celebrity Millennium 4- & 5-night Caribbean sailings. Offers limited to new individual bookings only made February 1-28, 2011, in USD, subject to availability, subject to change without notice, not combinable with any other offer, and may be withdrawn at any time. Other terms and conditions apply."

Remember, it does pay to use a travel agent when booking travel, even if it isn't a cruise. They don't cost anything additional (they are actually paid by the vendors, not by YOU) and they provide service in times of trouble that websites and low-cost booking engines do not. Also, the referring agency has excellent relationships with the cruise lines that most do not have and can price-match in most cases, or in some cases, beat legitimate prices outright! That being said, if you ever need a great travel agent, look no further than below. I will continue to provide this information on most entries, so do not think that you are seeing things after a lot of entries! Please look below for that information. Bon Voyage!

Travel agent information: Theresa Cooke, CruiseMasters, Pineville, NC. Phone: 704.887.3968. Email address: tcooke@vivavoyage.com . Parent company website: http://www.vivavoyage.com/ .

Princess' Alaska reservation system is easier than before

Princess Cruises has made it simpler to book your Alaskan cruise vacation along with tour reservations. If you are looking to be a Cruisetour traveler, and I would assume you would be, then you can pre-reserve your land tours, which are a big hit on cruises to Alaska. This will also ensure that you get what you want, as popular tours are booked up quickly.

The land excursions from its wilderness lodges this summer can be reserved with a system that is similar to that used to reserve shipboard shore excursions. There are also more options available for this summer, from both the lodges and cruise ships, which include active adventures and special family and connoisseur tours. This system, which will be through Princess' Cruise Personalizer, will accommodate you in this process. This allows you to book all of your excursions in one place, where in the past; you would need to book them from the lodge itself.

The new excursions available include: glacier hiking, panning for gold, meeting sled dogs, or even an extreme event: experiencing life at 40 degrees below zero! New family tours from the lodges include:

• Worthington Glacier Hike - Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge
• Explore Cooper Landing & Gold Panning Adventure - Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge
• Black Diamond Treasure Hunt - Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

Shore excursions from the ships include:

• Potlatch Totem Park, Hatchery, Bird Show & Meal - Ketchikan (Connoisseur)
• Gold Panning, Sled Dogs & 40 Degrees Below Zero Experience - Skagway (Family)

For more information on these excursions and all of Princess' offerings, please consult your travel agent, or if you do not have one, please see below for the listing of one that can help you. Remember, it pays to use an agent, and you do not pay extra for that personalized service!

Bon Voyage!

Travel agent information: Theresa Cooke, Cruise Masters, Pineville, NC. Phone: 704.887.3968. Email address: tcooke@vivavoyage.com. Parent company website: http://www.vivavoyage.com/