Windstar Opens 2014 Tahiti Voyages

Windstar's Wind Spirit Will Sail in Tahiti in 2014

Windstar Cruises announces 2014 Dreams of Tahiti voyages open for sale. Wind Spirit, the line’s newly renovated 148-passenger sailing yacht, will sail seven-day voyages from the capital city of Papeete, Tahiti, beginning May 2, 2014, with stops through the Society Islands of Moorea, Tahaa, Raiatea, Huahine, and Bora Bora. Dreams of Tahiti will sail through to November 7, 2014, with voyages starting from $2,799 per person.

 

“There is no better way to experience the true wonder of Tahiti than from on board our sailing yacht Wind Spirit,” said Hans Birkholz, Windstar Cruises’ chief executive officer. “Our guests can enjoy the beauty of Polynesia as we voyage from one island to the next, staying overnight in most ports to give guests time to savor paradise.”

 

The week-long voyage on Wind Spirit begins in Papeete, Tahiti and sails to:

• Moorea (overnight) – the beauty of this unforgettable island of love lies in drama and adventure.
• Tahaa – this fragrant island is known for its abundance of vanilla and offers a glimpse of the traditional tranquil life of the Tahitians.
• Raiatea (overnight) – recognized through French Polynesia as the ‘Sacred Island,’ it also serves as the cultural heart of French Polynesia.
• Huahine (overnight) – known as the Garden of Eden, with lush forests, untamed landscapes and quaint villages.
• Bora Bora (overnight) – an island paradise in the South Pacific, known worldwide for its natural beauty.

 

While on board, guests will delight in the engagement of the island culture brought to life in Windstar style. Traditional Tahitian dancers will come on board for a magical evening to remember, while regional dishes are served during Windstar’s signature deck barbecue, held under the sails and stars one night per cruise. Windstar will also be running an onboard scuba program allowing for the ultimate dive experience. In addition, guests can soak up the crystal-clear lagoons from Wind Spirit’s Water Sports Platform, which offers paddle boards, kayaks, Hobie Cats, wind surfing, snorkeling equipment, and more. 

 

On shore, excursions are delivered in true French Polynesian style. Vacationers can hop on a colorful Le Truck in Papeete for a scenic drive and cultural experience all in one; watch villagers on Tahaa wade into the lagoon and beat the water with rocks in the ancient practice of stone fishing; experience life in a traditional Tahitian village at the Tiki Village Cultural Center on Moorea; or just simply gaze into a fiery sunset and watch for the green flash as the sun melts below the horizon.

 

======================================================= 

 

 Check Out Our Other Sites

NYCruiseInfo.com Website   
NortheastCruiseGuide.com    
Blog on Cruises From New York, Boston, Baltimore, Norfolk & the Northeast
Free Cruise Newsletter

, 

 

SeaDream Cruises SeaDream II to Sail in Asia in Late 2013

SeaDream Yacht Cruises Sails to Asia in 2013 onboard the SeaDream II

Prompted by demand from it’s very loyal Club members, SeaDream Yacht Club has just released full details on its plans to sail a series of voyages in Asia and Northern Australia beginning in late 2013. The line reports that one of its twin mega-yachts, SeaDream II will sail to Asia after completing her 2013 Mediterranean season. Sure to be a unique voyage, the “Passage to the Far East” will depart Athens, Greece in October 2013 and include a transit of the Suez Canal, excursions to Egypt’s fascinating archeological sites (accompanied by Egyptologist) and calls to several other intriguing destinations before arriving in Mumbai, India. From Mumbai, the yacht will sail to Singapore and the Far East, planning to offer 18 unique voyages in the region. Voyages are 7 to 15 days long, but most may be combined as a back-to-back voyage for a lengthier holiday.  

Scheduled to stay in Asia through April 2014, itineraries include numerous exotic ports in several different countries including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar (Burma), East Timor, Northern Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong. “Whether you crave the peace and tranquility of undiscovered beaches and islands or the exhilarating energy and buzz of foreign cities, Asia offers something for everyone” said SeaDream’s President, Bob Lepisto. Adding, “Virtually every country in the region is accessible by water and SeaDream’s yachting itineraries include an incredible mix of commercial cities, pristine beaches and impressive historical sites. We’ve planned very unique calls, such as the little-visited islands of the Burmese Mergui Archipelago in the Andaman Sea and Sanya, on Hainan Island in China.”

Each voyage offers exciting and unique ports of call. Highlights include:

•  Overnight, 2-day stay in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), site of The Shwedagon Pagoda. Optional full day excursions by air to Mandalay and Bagan; a valley covered with 2,000 pagodas and temples.
• Yachting the beautiful Langkawi Archipelago of Malaysia.
• Visiting “the beach” (made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “The Beach”) in the Phi Phi Islands of Thailand. 
• Diving the vibrant underwater paradise of Thailand’s, Similan Islands National Park. 
• Playing great golf in Malaysia, Phuket and at the Andaman Club, a five star golf resort & casino on Thahtay Kyun Island, Burma.
• Spending New Year’s Eve in Patong Bay, Phuket, Thailand. A night of fireworks and thousands of floating, candlelit paper “magic lanterns”.
• Exploring the world heritage site of Halong Bay, Vietnam; one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
• Seeing giant monitor lizards on Komodo Island. 
•  From Singapore, pre & post voyage overland packages to Cambodia including Angkor Wat and the many famous temples. Also from Singapore, overland packages to Borobudur (UNESCO site) and Yogyakarta, site of the Prambanan Temple. 

SeaDream first shared the news with their devoted past guests and their travel professionals, allowing their Club members to be the first to reserve space, on what are expected to be highly sought after voyages.

=======================================================

 Check Out Our Other Sites

NYCruiseInfo.com Website   
NortheastCruiseGuide.com    

Blog on Cruises From New York, Boston, Baltimore, Norfolk & the Northeast
Free Cruise Newsletter 

.

Luxury Operator Crystal Cruises Releases Early 2014 Cruises

With other luxury cruise lines yet to dip their bows into 2014’s seemingly far-off waters, Crystal Cruises’ early-2014 preview itineraries are now open for booking. Seventeen voyages visiting 74 ports in 34 countries are available for January to April 2014 on Crystal Serenity and January through May on Crystal Symphony. “Book Now” fares offer savings of up to $2,000 per couple off attractive 2-for-1 brochure prices until June 30, 2012.

Distinctive, less-cruised, less-easily-accessible lands like Ghana, Mauritius, Brunei, Burma, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Sao Tome, Senegal, Namibia, and Angola complement vacation favorites like the Cayman Islands, Panama Canal, Thailand, and Hawaii. Crystal is not only maiden calling in Luanda, Angola; Lombok, Indonesia; and Malacca, Malaysia, but also returning to several destinations not visited in years, such as the Andaman Islands, India; Okinawa and Tokyo, Japan; the UK’s Pitcairn Islands; and Jakarta, Surabay, and Ujung Pandang, Indonesia.

All voyages but one offer overnights in local ports-of-call, including “double overnights” (two consecutive nights) in Yangon (Myanmar/Burma), Yokohama, Ho Chi Minh City, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai. Winter/spring voyages range from 12 to 26 days, in addition to a five-segment, 89-day World Cruise.

“We were the first cruise line out of the gate to share 2014 itineraries last December, and travelers have been anxious to book ever since,” says Crystal Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing Jack Anderson. “Experienced cruisers recognize that Crystal not only offers incredible value for a luxury vacation, our itinerary offerings for 2014 are incredibly innovative, with easy, intimate access to authentic cultures and vacation memories.”

New routes include:

World Cruise:

L.A. to London’s port of Southampton (Jan 18)

• Rare visits to USA’s Mariana Islands and Guam.
• Multiple Asian segments, one with three Vietnamese stops.
• Rounding Africa from Mauritius Islands to Morocco, with three South African stops and a maiden call in Luanda, Angola.
• Combine with Jan 5’s Panama Canal voyage beforehand to sail all the way from Miami to the UK.

Trans-Pacific:

Back-to-back Polynesian explorations, beginning with an unusual southern Trans-Pacific cruise, stopping at Easter Island, Pitcairn Islands, Mo’orea, Papeete, Tahiti (overnight), then continuing on to the Cook Islands, Tonga, and Fiji. (Jan 8 & 20)

• 15-day Tokyo to L.A. ocean-crossing, with just one stop/overnight in Honolulu, for sea day lovers. (May 1)

Unusual Asia:

• Java/South China Seas: Four Indonesia ports-of-call, including a Bali overnight, plus Malaysia and Brunei visits. (Feb 28)
• Andaman Sea: 14-day Southeast Asia cruise with three stops in Malaysia, an Andaman Islands visit, and two nights in Myanmar. (March 12)
• “All-China”: 10-day Chinese voyage features a Hong Kong overnight, double overnight in Shanghai, and optional three-day, add-on land package to Beijing. (April 9)
• Japan-China: Three stops in China and four in Japan, with one night in Osaka and two in Shanghai. (April 19)

Until June 30, 2012, “Book Now” fares for 2014 start at $2,975, with attractive air add-ons from over 90 North American gateways.

Crystal Cruises’ resort experience always includes a host of complimentary amenities, from enlightening enrichment speakers and fitness classes to pampering pillow menus and specialty restaurant dining including the cuisine of Nobu Matsuhisa. Starting this spring, vacations will also include complimentary fine wines and premium spirits throughout the ship, open bar service in all lounges, and pre-paid gratuities for housekeeping, bar and dining staff. Crystal’s passion for taking care of guests in an inviting environment of extraordinary space, quality and choices has earned the company more “World’s Best” awards than any other cruise line, resort, or hotel in history.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Links:

Cruises From New York and New Jersey - Main Page
Cruises From New York and New Jersey - Cruise News

Cruises From Boston
Cruises From Baltimore
Cruises From Norfolk

Sign Up for Free Cruise Newsletter

Nick's Cruise Corner Blog

TUI Cruises New Ship

STX Finland Oy and TUI Cruises have today signed a contract for the design and construction of a 97,000 gross ton cruise vessel. The sophisticated and highly innovative cruise vessel is scheduled to be delivered in spring 2014. The vessel has many environmentally friendly features, with a particular emphasis on the vessel's energy efficiency. The project will bring some 5,500 man-years of labour to STX Finland's Turku shipyard. TUI Cruises has an option to order another ship subject to the decision of TUI Cruises shareholders.

The vessel will be approx. 295 meters long and approx. 36 meters wide. The ship will have 1,250 staterooms and will serve maximum of 2,500 passengers and a crew of 1,000 persons. High balcony ratio will ensure that most of the passengers will have a possibility to enjoy their own balconies during the cruise. The ship has a wide variety of restaurants, a theatre, a spa, a nightclub and a large deck area which all are carefully designed to ensure a unique cruising experience for passengers of all ages.

"We are extremely pleased to sign this contract with TUI Cruises. This order is highly important for STX and STX Finland. By building this innovative ship we continue our successful and long history of building top class cruise vessels," says Sujou Kim, CEO of STX Europe and STX Finland.

"This is a very important contract for STX Finland's Turku Shipyard and for the entire Finnish maritime cluster. We are delighted to deliver to TUI Cruises their first newbuilding which will represent the next generation of energy efficient and environmentally friendly cruise ship," says Jari Anttila, Director of STX Finland's Turku Shipyard.

"Due to its outstanding positioning as a shipyard and long-term cooperation with Royal Caribbean Cruises, we trust that STX Finland is a great partner for us and will successfully realize our ideas in the new ship," says Richard J. Vogel, CEO of TUI Cruises. Turku shipyard was the only yard that was capable to delivery the ship by May 2014.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Links:

Cruises From New York and New Jersey - Main Page
Cruises From New York and New Jersey - Cruise News

Cruises From Boston
Cruises From Baltimore
Cruises From Norfolk

Sign Up for Free Cruise Newsletter