The King’s 75th Birthday Celebrated on Carnival Fascination with Fourth Annual Elvis Cruise

Once again Carnival partnered with Elvis Presley Enterprises and Sixthman to produce the Elvis Cruise, this year celebrating The King’s 75th birthday. The 4-day voyage set sail earlier this month on the Carnival Fascination from Jacksonville, Florida.Hosted by Elvis’ longtime friend Jerry Schilling, the cruise attracted 1,800 Elvis fans who enjoyed entertainment by a number of musical artists,

The Royal Wedding Afloat

It's been nearly three decades since July 29, 1981, when a worldwide audience of over 750 million television viewers watched as Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana Spencer were married in a "Fairytale Wedding." However, seeing the nuptials live while at sea simply wasn't an option. Most cruise ship staterooms didn't have a television back then and, if they did, the programs aired were mostly old

Cruise Review: An "Elite" Cruise Aboard Crown Princess

Avid cruisers and frequent review contributors Vincent & Mary Finelli share their fifteenth cruise on Princess and it was another pleasant one. They are now Elite members of the Captain's Circle and look forward to more cruises on Princess ships for the enhanced benefits, such as complimentary Mini Bar set up, free laundry and professional cleaning services, deluxe canape selections, and, most of

Surprise Godmother for Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

Royal Caribbean has once again made maritime history. At the official naming ceremony for the world's largest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, guests were enchanted when her larger-than-life godmother was unveiled—Princess Fiona.If you don't know who Princess Fiona is, don't worry because we didn't either. However, her unique choice is a first—the first time that a 3-D animated character is the

Allure of the Seas Naming Ceremony: Live Video Web Stream

Although you can't be there in person unless you purchased a cabin for the one-night inaugural celebration charity fundraiser, you can still join Royal Caribbean and more than 3,500 guests today via live video web streaming of the naming ceremony of Allure of the Seas. The event will be held prior to the ship’s departure from her Port Everglades homeport.Allure of the Seas’ surprise godmother

Cruise Travel: A Holiday Gift For Cruise Ship Fans

As the year draws to a close and we're all shopping for unique holiday gifts for special people, here's one that cruise ship and ocean liner aficionados alike will treasure. The 2011 desk calendar from P.K. Productions features twelve images of passenger ships of all shapes and size, captured by cruise journalist Peter Knego during a busy year of travel in 2010.The vessels range from the former "

Paul Gauguin Cruises: Shop on Black Friday to Prepare for Tahiti Cruising

Paul Gauguin Cruises, operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, is offering a special Black Friday sale to kick off the holiday season.During their two-week sale you'll find Super Savings off cruise pricing in all categories on select sailings, plus free airfare from Los Angeles. And, as Black Friday comes to Tahiti, Paul Gauguin

Happy Thanksgiving From Jamaica

No, Cruise Diva isn't in Jamaica, but I'm not the only one in the family who travels on business. In this case, it's my husband Mel who's currently in Jamaica and arriving home in time for dinner on Thanksgiving Day.You may recall that in an October 20th blog story (Jamaica Me Crazy), I mentioned that my husband had recently been in Jamaica. I asked him to swing past the Falmouth Port area, where

Cruise Food: Thanksgiving Dishes

First, from Carnival Cruise Lines, we have a soup for the season that would be delicious on any cold night, but is particularly appropriate for Thanksgiving. Of course we mean their popular roasted pumpkin bisque with turkey and walnut quenelles. It's bound to warm you up on a blustery evening. Come to think of it, this recipe would an ideal day-after-Thanksgiving treat (and a way to use leftover

Sixthman on Selling Out, Ships and Dip, and More

Sixthman, the affinity travel company that develops musically-driven lifestyle events with an emphasis on themed cruises has updated their scheduled events by announcing that Cayamo is SOLD OUT! They are running a waiting list, so get on it while it's still short - Cayamo.com.In Addition, Kid Rock's Chillin' the Most Cruise, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Simple Man Cruise, and Sixthman's 311 Cruise are also

Your Cruise Vacation: Shopping

Nearly everyone who goes on vacation, and especially a cruise vacation, does a bit of shopping. It's the law. My motto is that there's no such thing as a "bad" souvenir if it brings you pleasure and reminds you of an enjoyable trip. Pictured here is one of my favorite and funky buys—turf for your tootsies from The Lawn Club shop aboard Celebrity Solstice.Cruise Diva offers suggestions on how to

Cruise Travel: Oprah's "Favorite"

Viewers know that Oprah Winfrey is the queen of swag and she enjoys sharing her "favorite things" with her live studio audience in an annual orgy of giving. This year was no different with the items ranging from a Season 25 T-Shirt from the O Store and Nike "Free Run+" shoes to a Nikon D3100 Digital SLR camera.Recipients of the final prize of the day can put those items to good use as they pack

Cunard Line Honors Military Personnel with On Board Credit Program

In recognition of recent Veterans & Remembrance Day Holidays and to honor those who have served and continue to serve in the military, Cunard Line is promoting its military on board credit program for active and retired military personnel. The credit, which ranges from $50 to $250 per stateroom depending on the length of the voyage, is available to members of the United States and Canadian armed

St, Kitts: Will Seabourn Sojourn Call There?

The last time I was on a cruise ship that called at St. Kitts it rained. It was such a deluge that the ship left early and repositioned to nearby Nevis where the weather was a bit drier. Since then I've been back to Nevis, but not St. Kitts and I must admit that I have been looking forward to visiting there next month.Unfortunately, an attack on cruise passengers by armed robbers last weekend may

And the Winning Name is “Power Drencher”

Our congratulations go out to Judy Yee of Las Vegas, Nevada, the winner of Carnival’s “Name the Bucket” contest!Judy’s entry of “Power Drencher” received more votes than any other, meaning that her creative moniker will now be displayed on the massive 300-gallon water bucket that will take center stage in the sprawling WaterWorks aqua park on the new Carnival Magic, set to debut May 1, 2011.The “

Carnival Splendor To Be Out Of Service For Repairs Until January 16, 2011

Carnival Cruise Lines has cancelled voyages of the Carnival Splendor through the departure of January 9, 2011, to allow time for repairs following an engine room fire last week. The ship is scheduled to re-enter service on January 16, 2011.Guests who were scheduled to sail on these voyages will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and air transportation costs, along with a 25 percent

Celebrity Cruises to Expand “Solsticizing 2.0” on Celebrity Infinity

Celebrity Cruises coined the word “Solsticized” earlier this year, and brought its meaning to life for guests who set sail on Celebrity Constellation following an ambitious 15-day revitalization in April.During that time in drydock, Celebrity complemented the ship’s already award-winning style and design with some of the most popular venues on the line’s widely-heralded Solstice Class ships,

Cruise Travel: An Updated Paper Luggage Tag Solution

As we reported on CruiseDiva.com some time ago, while most passengers have no complaint about printing e-documents for their cruise, luggage tags printed on paper are a cause for concern. Frequent cruiser George Hall said, "Someone will have to explain to me how these paper tags stay on through the process." Cruise Diva has had occasion to print out and use the paper tags and offered suggestions

Allure of the Seas Receives A Warm Welcome At Port Everglades

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, arrived at her homeport of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Thursday, Nov 11th, which is Veterans Day here in the U.S. Eagerly awaiting the ship's arrival amidst thousands of U.S. flags were hundreds of onlookers, including Royal Caribbean executives and employees, community organizations and residents, as well

Cunard Line Brings "A Grand Celebration at Sea" to the Tournament of Roses Parade

Following the revelry of Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Naming Ceremony last month, Cunard Line continues A Grand Celebration by announcing its inaugural participation in the 122nd Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade® presented by Honda, the globally televised event considered “America’s New Year’s Parade.” Cunard has revealed a rendering of its float, themed “A Grand Celebration at Sea," created by

Princess Cruises Honors Veterans With Military Onboard Credit Program

In recognition of Veterans Day, Princess Cruises is promoting the line’s military onboard credit program for active and retired military personnel. The credit, which ranges from $50 to $250 per stateroom depending on the length of the cruise, is available to members of the United States and Canadian armed forces with appropriate service identification.“As I discovered when I recently wrote about

Carnival Splendor: San Diego Arrival

November 11, 2010 (11:45 am EST)The cruise ship Carnival Splendor, which lost power after experiencing an engine room fire, arrived in San Diego at approximately 8.30am local time.Carnival has made arrangements for all guests to either travel home today or overnight in area hotels and has a large team of employees in San Diego to assist with these arrangements.Guests will be receiving a full

The Yachts of Seabourn: Better Bookings, Higher Fares

If you yearn to get away from it all on a Seabourn mega-yacht, you might want to make your plans sooner rather than later. As they have just announced, award-winning, small-ship cruise specialist The Yachts of Seabourn took more bookings in October, 2010 than in any other month in the company’s history. Net bookings exceeded the same month last year by a whopping 166 percent.Seabourn President

Update Carnival Splendor

Miami, FL, November 10, 2010 (12 noon EST)The cruise ship Carnival Splendor, which lost power after experiencing an engine room fire, is currently being towed via tug boats to San Diego. Based on favorable sea conditions, the ship is expected to arrive around midday on Thursday.As the ship gets closer to coastal areas, guests are now beginning to receive intermittent cellular service.

Carnival Splendor Update

Carnival Cruise Lines Statement: Nov 9, 2010 (8:15 pm EST) — At approximately 6 am Monday morning (U.S. Pacific Standard Time), a fire was detected in the aft engine room aboard the cruise ship Carnival Splendor. The fire was extinguished and there were no injuries to guests or crew.The ship has been operating on auxiliary generators and engineers have been unable to restore additional power to

Crystal Adds New Pacific Coast Cruises for Fall 2011

You may recall reading on the Cruise Diva blog back on August 14th that we weren't surprised when Crystal Cruises announced they were cutting back on their future Mexican Riviera sailings. At that time the luxury line announced they were replacing two planned Mexican Riviera cruises with new 7-day springtime getaways departing on April 10 and 17, 2011 to explore the Pacific Coast.Due to popular

Carnival Splendor Fire

At approximately 6 am Monday morning (U.S. Pacific Standard Time), a fire was detected in the aft engine room aboard the cruise ship Carnival Splendor. The fire was extinguished and there were no injuries to guests or crew.The ship has been operating on auxiliary generators and engineers have been unable to restore additional power to the vessel. As a result, the current voyage is being

Speed Counts With Norwegian Cruise Line’s Freestyle Dash Offer

Dash to book by Nov 12 for reduced deposits and up to $250 in on-board credit. Norwegian Cruise Line launches its 3-day Freestyle Dash limited time offer* on Wednesday, Nov 10, 2010 with a special preview day for its Latitudes members (past guests) on Tuesday, Nov 9.Get ready to escape the cold of winter and spend the holidays in the Caribbean on a 7-day getaway from Port Canaveral on Norwegian

Three's A Charm: MSC Divina

If you think writing cruise travel guidebooks is easy, think again. There's a lot of research involved and cruise lines don't always make it easy. Sure, they are very cooperative, but now and then I get thrown a curve when itineraries change, ships are sold, and now, MSC Cruises has named, renamed, and renamed the next ship in the Fantasia-class for the third time.First it was planned that the

Disney Dream: Ride The AquaDuck Coaster

When Disney Dream launches in January 2011, it will feature the world’s first-of-its-kind shipboard water coaster–the AquaDuck, which will sweep guests away on an exhilarating high-speed flume ride featuring twists, turns, drops, uphill acceleration, and river rapids–all while traversing the upper decks of the ship. ABC television's "Good Morning America" got an exclusive first look and shares

Cruising From Charleston

Sailing From Charleston, South Carolina: It's the hottest homeport in the southeast. What's to see and do and how do you get there? Cruise Diva has the answers. Take a look at cruising from the Antebellum Belle, Charleston.After an "Evolutions of Fun" transformation, Carnival Fantasy sails year-round from Charleston on a diverse schedule of itineraries. Cruise Diva takes you on board.

Princess Cruises Introduces New Europe Cruisetours for 2011

A common complaint about cruise travel is that you don’t get to “see enough” of the countries cruise ships visit. Princess Cruises has long recognized that their guests want to explore further afield and offers numerous cruisetours that allow them to do so. And now the line has unveiled two new cruisetour options for passengers on Europe cruises in 2011, providing them the opportunity to explore

Oceania Cruises Unveils ‘Pillars of Distinction’ 2.0

As part of its ongoing Pillars of Distinction initiative–the most significant product investment in the company’s history–Oceania Cruises has announced the second phase of innovative fleet-wide enhancements. These multi-million-dollar updates are in addition to the previously announced physical enhancements being made during the regularly scheduled dry-docks for Regatta, Insignia, and Nautica."As

New Promotion From Carnival Offers Military Personnel Discounts

In honor of Veteran’s Day, Carnival Cruise Lines is offering a promotion throughout November that allows active and retired military personnel to book up to three “Fun Ship” staterooms at discounted rates for themselves and their friends and family members. Reservations must be made between Nov 1-30, 2010, to qualify for this special offer, which is available in conjunction with a variety of 3-

Cruise Line Entertainment: Which Is The Best At Sea?

For years cruise lines have presented production shows described as Broadway-themed or Vegas-style entertainment. Their aspirations have been high, but seldom would they have been mistaken for the real thing. As a rule, cruise ship shows are quite entertaining and the performers range from good to excellent. Don't forget that "American Idol" finalist and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson got