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New AmaWaterways Trips a Cure for You Lazy River Cruisers 

3/20/2015

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Photo courtesy of Backroads
By John Roberts

River cruises are for lazy people.

People who just want to sit and watch the world roll by outside their window as they flow along the great interior waterways in Europe.

OK, that's a bit harsh and points to a stereotype that I have been happy to prove incorrect in the past two years since I have joined the growing legions of river cruise lovers. (Check out my first Viking River Cruises adventure.)

You know by now that I take my fitness seriously. Indeed, it has taken creative measures at times to satisfy my desire for an active adventure while I'm on a river voyage.

It is true that river-cruise demographics skew toward older cruisers more likely to be seeking something relaxing in their travels.

But a collaboration between river line AmaWaterways and Backroads, an active travel company, will please active travelers of all ages who seek fun and challenging new ways to explore destinations along rivers throughout Europe and Asia.

The travel adventures program from Backroads that includes biking and hiking journeys starts with itineraries on AmaWaterways' Danube River sailings in spring 2015. They are pricey, though. The eight-day, seven-night cruises start at $5,400 per person. Backroads has designed bike tours that take you through Wachau Valley vineyards, farmland in Bratislava, around bike-friendly Vienna and along the Austrian countryside. The company provides expert guides, titanium bikes and routes to suit cyclists of various abilities.

The range of tours expands in 2016, when Backroads and AmaWaterways will feature adventures along the Rhine, Rhone, Seine, Douro, Garonne and Mekong rivers.

See, you don't have to be lazy on a river cruise.

You definitely need some disposable cash for these trips, but you don't have to be lazy.

Travel happy!

JR 

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Crystal Cruises Brews Up a Craft Beer-Themed Sailing

6/3/2014

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By John Roberts

Crystal Cruises announced a craft beer theme for fall culinary cruises. Crystal's popular Experiences of Discovery program has long featured a "Wine & Food" event. In a twist to cater to the rising interest in craft brews, the line is offering a microbrew-themed luxury sailing. Passengers can take part in beer-focused experiences such as expert presentations, cooking classes, tasting sessions and dinners on Crystal Serenity during its Nov. 5 sailing from New York to Miami with East Coast and Caribbean port stops in between. Shore excursions also will be offered to visit microbreweries in and around New York and Charleston, South Carolina. I'll raise a bottle to this great plan.

Princess Cruises has revealed its 2015-16 "Exotics" program. These sailings take passengers dozens of unique destinations across six continents. You can finally try Tahiti or Australia or Asia or Africa. How about an 111-day world cruise circumnavigating the globe? (Pack extra underwear.) Here's some of what you can choose from:

Asia and Africa sailings -- Sapphire Princess will sail from Singapore to ancient Asian cities, and small ship Ocean Princess will set off on a 36-day West African voyage from London to Cape Town, followed by a 35-day trip that ends in Rome. You can combine the sailings, too.

Australia and New Zealand -- Golden Princess joins the Australia fleet, making five Princess ships in four Australian homeports -- in addition to Diamond Princess, Dawn Princess, Sun Princess and Sea Princess. Choose from itineraries that include Vanuatu, Tasmania, New Caledonia or a 33-day circumnavigation of Australia.

Tahiti and Polynesia -- Pacific Princess heads to Tahiti to offer 10-day cruises sailing from Papeete throughout the fall. Each trip includes two full days in Bora Bora. 

Pacific Princess also will sail roundtrip from Los Angeles or Fort Lauderdale on an 111-day world cruise visiting 35 destinations, 26 countries and includes overnight stays in Hong Kong, Dubai and Venice, as well as maiden calls to Chania, Crete and Bari, Italy.

AmaWaterways says it is launching a new river ship, AmaDara in August 2015. The ship is scheduled to make its debut with an inaugural sailing Aug. 17 and will join sister ship AmaLotus in offering 16-day river cruises on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2015 and 2016. Both ships will sail as part of the AmaVoyages program, which focuses on travel in remote, undiscovered destinations.

Holland America Line has launched a "Perfect Day Cruise Sweepstakes" on Facebook. One winner gets a seven-day cruise for two in a verandah stateroom to Europe, Canada/New England, the Caribbean, Mexico or Alaska. The sweepstakes runs through June 24, and the winner will be selected in a random drawing in early July.

To enter the contest, new visitors to Holland America Line's Facebook page must "like" the cruise line page. HAL fans click on the Perfect Day Cruise Sweepstakes tab and complete an entry form. Participants can enter once per day through June 24 for a chance to win the cruise. The sweepstakes is available to persons 18 or older who are legal residents of the United States, District of Columbia, United Kingdom or Canada -- except Quebec.

VIDEO: The extravagant water fountain show on Princess Cruises' Regal Princess? 

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Cruise Lines Score with Plans to Show World Cup

4/14/2014

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By John Roberts

Costa Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line delighted soccer (futbol, football, footie) fans everywhere who might have been anguishing over whether to cruise during the upcoming World Cup. Costa's fleet of 14 ships and Norwegian's 14 ships will be showing live broadcasts of matches from the June 12 to July 13 championships, which rank as the world's largest sporting event, taking place once every four years. Costa also will have a range of festive soccer-themed activities onboard as the games are broadcast live from Brazil. This news counts as a big score for cruisers and soccer fans alike.


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Carnival Cruise Lines says it will sail 10- and 11-day cruises between Galveston and San Juan, with visits to six different Caribbean destinations on one itinerary. You have plenty of time to plan for these long cruises on Carnival Triumph.

Two 11-day cruises sail from Galveston to San Juan, Puerto Rico -- Oct. 24, 2015, and Jan. 16, 2016 -- and two 10-day cruises from San Juan to Galveston -- Nov. 4, 2015, and Jan. 27, 2016. These longer-length tropical itineraries are a first for Carnival's Texas-based program, which also includes year-round four-and five-day Mexico cruises and seven-day Caribbean itineraries.  

Also offered for the first time on a Carnival itinerary is Bonaire (a personal favorite of In The Loop Travel), which is featured on 11-day cruises. An island nestled in the Dutch Antilles, Bonaire is known for its brightly colored scenery and some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world. Other islands on these new itineraries rarely visited by Carnival ships include Antigua, Grenada and Martinique.

The 11-day voyages on Carnival Triumph originate in Galveston and include stops at Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Martinique and St. Maarten, with the voyage ending in San Juan. The 10-day San Juan-to-Galveston itinerary visits St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Antigua, Grand Turk, and the private Bahamian island Half Moon Cay. With non-repeating ports on the two different itineraries, passengers with a lot of free time can book back-to-back cruises to create a three-week voyage roundtrip from Galveston that hits all the ports.

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Crystal Cruises is offering a Game of Thrones-themed excursion for passengers enthralled with the HBO series. The tour takes a look at the show's key filming location, Northern Ireland. Passengers will explore several iconic production locations near Belfast, where they will step into mythical medieval life, shooting arrows, taking photographs with show costumes, and learning how centuries-old castles and towers are transformed into sets for the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The half-day excursion is offered with an August 24, seven-day sailing through the British Isles aboard Crystal Symphony and a September 5, 14-day Ireland/Iceland and New England transatlantic cruise aboard Crystal Serenity.

AmaWaterways has introduced two new river ships to its fleet. Last week in Vilshofen, Germany, the line held a christening ceremony for AmaReina. Sister ship, AmaSonata, will be christened July 22 in Vilshofen. The 164-passenger ships, with most staterooms offering French or twin balconies, will sail intineraries in Europe on such rivers as the Rhine and Danube.

The cruise industry will gather June 11-13 in Port of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, for the 16th annual Canada New England Cruise Symposium. The event highlights the Canada and New England region as a cruise destination. Sessions will discuss shore excursions and seasonal itineraries for the ports.  
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