Cruise Talk

‘Historic’ compensation deal for passengers of Costa ConcordiaNews from CityNews:The head of the Italian Tour Operators Association (ASTOI) said on Friday the compensation deal for passengers of the Costa Concordia agreed in meetings with Costa Cruises, was an historic agreement.
         
Several of Italy’s consumer groups signed an agreement with Costa Cruises to pay about 11,000 euros (about $ 14,500 CAD) to each of the more than 3,000 passengers aboard the Costa Concordia when it hit a rock and [...] Continue Reading…

Carnival sued by crew member over cruise ship disasterNews from Reuters:
Scuba divers sit in a dinghy near the Costa Concordia cruise ship which ran aground off the west coast of Italy at Giglio island January 24, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Tony Gentile
…………… continues on Reuters
>>> Read the full article

Latest holiday dealsNews from Telegraph.co.uk:
Five-star Morocco
Save £142 per person on a four-night stay at the five-star Sofitel Agadir Royal Bay Resort. Offer includes a 200 Moroccan Dirham (£15) spa credit per per person, flights and transfers, daily breakfast and one dinner. Book before January 31.
Click here for full details and booking
Thailand tour
Save 37 per cent on a 14-night tour of Thailand including flights from Heathrow and domestic flights between Bangkok and Chang Mai. Offer includes three nights at Rembrandt [...] Continue Reading…

Travel Deals: Disney in HawaiiNews from Toronto Star:
The new Aulani resort by Disney is on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu and is a great spot for families.
photo courtesy aulani resort

By Kathryn Folliott Travel Reporter

You can say ‘aloha’ to Mickey, Minnie and the whole Disney gang, plus get your sixth night free, thanks to a promotion from Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii. Bookings must be made by Feb. 29 for travel March 1 – 17 and again [...] Continue Reading…

Cruise vacations: top trends for 2012News from Toronto Star:
Guests aboard the Carnival Magic walk in the WaterWorks aqua park, while another shoots through one of two tube slides.
Andy Newman/Carnival cruise lines

By Diane Tierney Travel Reporter

The passion for cruising as an exciting way to explore the world continues to grow for 2012. More than five new ships launched last year and six more are coming. Here are the top 10 cruising trends, as predicted by cruise experts.
Emerging destinations
Richard Sasso, president [...] Continue Reading…

Disney Cruise Line to launch sailings out of MiamiNews from USA TODAY:
(8:50 AM) — Watch out, Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Entertainment giant Disney is moving in on your turf.
The Disney Cruise Line today will announce its first voyages out of Miami — a cruise hub long dominated by locally-based Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Disney plans to offer more than two dozen winter sailings out of the city starting in December, even as it cuts back on cruises [...] Continue Reading…

Disney Cruise Line to pull out of LA, start sailing from MiamiNews from Los Angeles Times:

The Disney Wonder in the port of Los Angeles will leave at the end of 2012. (Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times)

By Mary Forgione Los Angeles Times Daily Travel & Deal blogger
January 24, 2012, 10:39 a.m.

Disney Cruise Line will leave Los Angeles at the end of 2012 and reposition the Disney Wonder to Miami, marking the first time the company will sail from that Florida port. [...] Continue Reading…

Today’s latest cruise dealsNews from Telegraph.co.uk:
Latest deals, added January 23
Italian Mediterranean
Royal Caribbean International has a 14-night cruise around Italy, from £1079 per person, departing from Southampton on August 25. The price includes all meals and entertainment, and all port taxes and charges. Ports of call include Gibraltar, Provence, Florence, Civitavecchia, Ajaccio, Seville, Lisbon and Vigo.
Click here for full details and to book
Scandinavia & Russia
Sail around Scandinavia and Russia on board Celebrity Cruises’s Eclipse, calling at Reykjavik, Faroe Islands, Geiranger, [...] Continue Reading…

Today’s latest cruise dealsNews from Telegraph.co.uk:
Mediterranean cruise
MSC Cruises has a seven-night Mediterranean cruise on board MSC Fantasia, from £849 per person. Ports of call include Naples, Palermo, La Goulette, Barcelona and Marseille. The price return flights London Gatwick, all tranfers, all meals and entertainment on board, and all port taxes and charges. Departing from Genoa on July 15.
Click here for full details and bookings.
Dubai
Royal Caribbean International has a seven-night cruise on Brilliance of the Seas, from £1219pp, including flights [...] Continue Reading…

Carnival reviewing cruise ship safetyNews from UPI.com:Published: Jan. 21, 2012 at 2:44 PM

MIAMI, Jan. 21 (UPI) — Carnival Corp., the U.S.-based parent of the operator of the Costa Concordia, says it’ll review all its cruise ships’ safety and emergency-response procedures.
The review, which comes in response to the Costa Concordia disaster that has left at least 12 people dead, will examine the procedures at all 10 Carnival lines, the company said in a news release.
The company said it has had [...] Continue Reading…