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Crystal Cruises, Seabourn Launch New Adventure Excursions

5/19/2015

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Crystal Cruises offers an excursion to zipline Reversing Rapids in Saint John, New Brunswick.
By John Roberts 

Adventure travel has been on the rise in the past decade. Studies show it. 

In fact, the percentage of adventure travelers (someone whose main purpose of his or her last trip was to participate in an adventure activity like canoeing, hiking or caving, for example) from North America, South America and Europe increased to 42 percent of travelers in 2012 from 26 percent in 2009, according to the 2013 Adventure Tourism Market Study. 

This is not surprising to me. We know how awesome it is to get out and get your adrenaline racing while exploring fantastic sites around the world.  

What caught me off guard a bit is that ultra-luxury cruise lines (that means cruises filled with very rich people, usually of an older demographic than your stereotypical adventure traveler) are taking notice, offering new excursions for active adventure seekers.  

Not that I can afford a voyage on these luxury ships, but it's nice to see a trend for all demographics that understands the value and excitement in getting off your ass and away from the buffets for at least a few hours a day to interact with the awesomeness of nature.  

As a high school science teacher of mine used to say, "It's good for the heart!" 

Crystal Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line unveiled new excursions ranging from simple soft-adventure outings to more hard-core challenges for your days in port. 

Ventures by Seabourn, an excursion program, allows passengers to enjoy kayak and Zodiac boat expeditions led by expert guides. Three sailings from Copenhagen, Denmark, in summer 2015 will feature excursions -- launched straight from Seabourn Quest's fold-out watersports marina -- through fjords and waterways, as passengers go ashore at islands for hikes and view icebergs and more. 

Crystal Cruises has created a number of active excursion options for its fall sailings in New England and Eastern Canada. Passengers can, for example, hike at a national historic site in Nova Scotia; run the carriage trails at Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, along a 5-kilometer route led by a fitness instructor; hike the ocean trail at Acadia; zipline alongside Reversing Rapids in Saint John, New Brunswick; go cycling in wildlife marshes in Halifax, Nova Scotia; or go sailing in Newport, Rhode Island. 

Mass-market cruise lines have been coming around in recent years by expanding fitness-based and adventure offerings. Onboard, we see waterslides, ziplines, skating rinks, ropes courses, simulated skydiving and surfing, expanded gyms and fitness classes. Check out all the action available onboard Royal Caribbean's new Anthem of the Seas, for example.


Now, it's good to see that more upscale and specialty lines are aspiring to make the experience ashore more physical and fun, too. 

Thanks for reading, 

JR 

Travel fit. Travel happy!

Subscribe today to get the latest reviews, tips and tricks to help you have your best adventure ever.

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Big, Shiny New Cruise Ships Coming in 2015

11/25/2014

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The new Breakaway Plus class Norwegian Escape (coming in 2015) will be in the same mold as its Breakaway-class cousin Norwegian Getaway, also sailing from Miami and featuring neat water activities, right.
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Courtesy Royal Caribbean
By John Roberts

As the year winds down, we can look ahead to 2015, when a new batch of exciting cruise ships will be hitting the oceans.

That means more choices for you to consider for your next great adventure.

Let's check out what's coming from the major cruise lines.

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas is due to launch in spring 2015. This is the sister ship to the world's first smartship, Quantum of the Seas, which debuted in November 2014 and is sailing its initial voyages out of Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey. Anthem of the Seas (rendering at top) essentially will be an identical version to 4,180-passenger Quantum. You'll get a FlowRider surf simulator, RipCord by iFly skydiving simulator, SeaPlex sports court (bumper cars, roller skating, basketball, soccer), Dynamic Dining, climbing wall, 1/3-mile jogging track and a fantastic fitness center. The ship will come to the U.S. market in fall 2015 after a season in the Med. 

Viking Cruises, the fast-growing and best-known river cruise company, will debut its first ocean vessel, Viking Star, in May 2015. Viking, which operates more than 50 river ships, has plans for at least four ocean ship, including the 930-passenger Star, which will cruise in Northern Europe, in the Baltics and fjords, as well as the Mediterranean. It will feature a walkaround promenade that encircles the ship and a pool with a retractable glass roof. Star also will have the line's popular Aquavit Terrace indoor/outdoor restaurant area.

Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Escape will become the first ship in the Breakaway Plus class. It debuts weeklong sailings from Miami to the Caribbean in November 2015. So far, Norwegian hasn't revealed what will distinguish Escape from the two ships in the Breakaway class: Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway. Expect the 4,200-passenger ship to have many of the same features as the Breakaway ships, such as a ropes course (with walk-the-plank attraction), waterslides, waterfront outdoor promenade filled with bars and restaurants and a wide range of entertainment options. Escape will have a Tobacco Road bar, named for the iconic Miami establishment that was in existence for 102 years and owned the city's first liquor license.

Elsewhere in cruise news . . .

Crystal Cruises announced a unique journey it is taking through the Northwest Passage. Crystal Serenity is scheduled to become the first luxury ship to venture a route that takes passengers from Anchorage, Alaska, to New York, sailing a series of waterways north of the Arctic Circle that link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, from Greenland through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The 32-day voyage begins August 16, 2016, and prices start around $20,000 per person. A 14-person expedition team will lead you on an adventure during which you can spot musk ox, seals, walruses, whales and much more wildlife -- all while enjoying the all-inclusive onboard experience with Crystal. The expedition team will conduct workshops and lectures about the region and special topics such as landscape photography.

Scenic Cruises, a river line, gave plans for its latest luxury river cruise ship, Scenic Spirit, which will launch on the Mekong River in January 2016. The 68-guest ship will sail itineraries that range from eight days between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Siem Reap, Cambodia, to a 27-day journey that combines land adventures with your cruise traveling from Hanoi, Vietnam, to Luang Prabang, Laos.

I hope you find a fantastic voyage. Travel happy!

JR

Subscribe today to get the latest reviews, tips and tricks to help you have your best adventure ever.

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Carnival Cruise Lines to Build Port Stop on Haiti

8/11/2014

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Carnival Corp. developed Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas for its Holland America Line. Now, Carnival seeks to develop a port facility on an island off the coast of Haiti.
By John Roberts

Did you know that some cruise lines' have their own private islands? A stop at these islands serves almost like a sea day with a twist -- you get off the boat at a private beach resort with only your fellow cruisers sharing the space.

But you can spend the day any way you want. In solitude in a beach lounger, hammock or cabana. Or engaging in active pursuits like volleyball, snorkeling or even a 5K race, for examples.

The islands feature bar areas, barbecue buffet lunches and thrilling activities like ziplines and bike rides. Your ship is always within sight as you enjoy your day on the sands and in the waters, and you can go back onboard fairly easily if you've had enough sun or if you’ve forgot something.

You don't need to bring any cash ashore because -- like on the ship -- your stateroom key card serves as your credit card.

These islands are attractive to the lines because they get all the revenue for the excursion activities such as the ziplines, paddle boards, snorkel gear, cabana rentals, etc., as well as any drinks you buy while ashore.

Holland America runs Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Line offers Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. Royal Caribbean has Labadee in Haiti and Coco Cay in the Bahamas. Disney's Castaway Cay in the Bahamas is a wonderful outing, and the stop includes the chance to participate in the Disney Castaway Cay 5K run.

Now, Carnival Cruises says it will build a port in Haiti after it signed a deal to develop a new facility in Tortuga, an island just off the northern coast of Haiti.

It's not yet clear whether the development will be a private-beach-type stop for Carnival ships, but indications are that it will be similar to that or a facility developed like those in Costa Maya, Mexico, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, and Roatan, Honduras, that serve exclusively as cruise centers. 



"The development will create an exciting opportunity for our guests to enjoy a new, secluded and stunning destination on the island of Tortuga that the company expects will become a highly popular place for guests to enjoy for years to come," Carnival says. 

Elsewhere,

Australis, a expedition line that offers adventures to Cape Horn and Patagonia, is offering a four-day cruise that begins in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city, located on the island of Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America. The Great Canadian Travel Company created an excursion onboard the Via Australis cruise from Ushuaia, Argentina. The voyage goes through the Beagle Channel to explore one of the most breathtaking wilderness regions in the world: southern Patagonia, which includes the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

The ship will visit Garibaldi Fjord, where passengers can disembark for a hike through the forest up to a glacial waterfall to enjoy spectacular views. If you stay onboard, the captain will point the bow toward the blue Garibaldi Glacier so you can enjoy the panoramic view from the upper decks. Then, the ship navigates along the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel to reach Pia Fjord. A short hike takes you to a panoramic view of the Pia Glacier, which extends from the mountaintops down to the sea. 

The sailing continues through the Murray Channel and Nassau Bay to Cape Horn National Park, where, weather permitting, passengers will go ashore. Cape Horn, discovered in 1616, is a sheer 1,394-foot-high rocky promontory. For many years, it was an important navigation route between the Pacific and the Atlantic and is referred to as the "End of the Earth." The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005.  

The Australis will also stop at historic Wulaia Bay, originally the site of one of the region's largest Yamana aboriginal settlements. Charles Darwin landed there in 1833 during his voyage on the HMS Beagle. The ship then sails back to Ushuaia.

There are several departure dates for this program from October 2014 through April 2015. The cost is from $1,486 per person, based on double occupancy. Included are shipboard accommodations, all meals, drinks, and tours while cruising. Not included are transportation to and from Ushuaia and gratuities. Book by August 31, 2014, however, and the cost is $1,189 per person with a free cabin upgrade. Check out www.australis.com for details.

Crystal Cruises is installing a "Fitness Garden" along with indoor fitness center equipment upgrades during the drydock of its Crystal Symphony ship this fall. The outdoor fitness garden will exist as a circuit of fitness equipment laid out on three decks on the aft of the ship.

Another nice way to keep ship shape, right?

Thanks for reading,

JR

Subscribe today to get the latest reviews, tips and tricks to help you have your best adventure ever.

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