Celebrity Names World Travel Holdings 'National Account Partner of the Year'

Celebrity Cruises has named World Travel Holdings (WTH) its 2008 "National Account Partner of the Year." WTH owns and operates several cruise brands, including Ft. Lauderdale-based CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.

"Throughout 2008, Celebrity Cruises showed that they are willing to make a continued investment in the travel agent community," said Brad Tolkin, co-chairman and co-CEO of World Travel Holdings. "Celebrity was the first to implement a no rebate policy and was among the first to eliminate fuel surcharges. They are clearly committed to helping travel agents succeed. This level of respect does not go unnoticed by our agents and as we proudly accept this honor, we pledge to continue doing our part in 2009."

In September, Cruise One and Cruise Inc. held the companies' annual National Conference aboard the Celebrity Mercury, with Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior vice president of sales for Celebrity and Azamara Cruises, as the keynote speaker. At that same conference, CruiseOne franchise owners and Cruises Inc. independent agents named Celebrity their "Premium Cruise Line Partner of the Year."

In November WTH, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. exclusively chartered the Celebrity Solstice for a special two-night sailing.

"We are thrilled to recognize World Travel Holdings as our National Account Partner of the Year," said Ritzenthaler. "Day in and day out, the WTH team demonstrates nothing but professionalism and a desire to succeed, and it is a pleasure to partner with such a terrific group of people."

This is the first time the lines are honoring top producing agencies.

NCL F3 Name Is Norwegian Epic

Norwegian Cruise Line today announced that its new F3 will be named the Norwegian Epic. NCL also announced that only agents will be able to block group space when the group space opens for sale in mid-March. Only groups will be open for sale in mid-March, not FITs. "It is a great opportunity for agents and when we open it up to consumers, agents will be ready to take the influx of sales," NCL executive vice president, global sales and passenger services Andy Stuart told agents in a Webinar today.

The Norwegian Epic will be home ported in Miami and sail on alternating seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises year-round from Miami. The first sailing will be in summer of 2010, after a series of pre-inaugural cruises. Stuart said NCL "is determined to show this ship to as many agents as we can. We are excited about this new product."

Eastern Caribbean cruises visit St, Maarten, St. Thomas and Nassau and Western cruises will go to Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan. The two can be combined. "We are thrilled to return to Miami year-round," said Stuart.

With agents the only source for consumers to secure space on the Norwegian Epic, agents will be in great shape to be ready for bookings when the ship goes on sale, said Stuart. "It is a further demonstration of how travel agents are number one at NCL. This is the travel agents' ship and we would like agents to take ownership of the ship," said Stuart, noting that agents cut the first steel for the ship and that a number of NCL's top agents signed the first steel; their signatures are permanently welded into the Norwegian Epic's structure.

Call me in Mid-March to secure your space on this exciting ship, (706) 579-5005.

NCL Introduces Online Check-In

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has launched online check-in via its new "My NCL" portal. This online gateway enables guests to update and track pre-cruise activity.
"By checking in online with 'My NCL,' guests will speed up the boarding process," said Vivian Ewart, vice president of passenger services.

Booked guests can log onto www.ncl.com, from reservation inception up until 24-hours prior to departure, and click on the online check-in icon to begin the process. Guests will be asked to enter their name, ship, sailing date and reservation number in order to create a username and password. Once a profile is created, all guest preferences, including reservation details, required pre-cruise information, shore excursion reservations and printable cruise ticket are stored on their "My NCL" account.

The guest check-in form on "My NCL" is intuitive based on the guest's nationality and itinerary and will automatically alert the guest of the appropriate documentation needed to sail.
Guests can also log into their "My NCL" account at any time to update their profile and cruise vacation preferences, print their e-docs, as well as check on their Latitudes (past guest program)status.

AMA Waterways Offers Free April Air

AMA Waterways is offering free air to Europe on its river cruise departures in April. The offer is good on flights departing New York, Boston, Washington, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle.

The Free April Air Promotion is available to clients who book the following AMA Waterways April depatures:

• Tulip Time - April 3, 5 and 10, 9 days, Holland & Belgium;


• Spring Time Cruise - April 8 and 18, 12 days, Amsterdam to Paris;


• Romantic Danube - April 3 and 7, 12 days, Prague to Budapest;


• Europe's Heartland Cruise - April 22, 12 days, Paris to Prague;


• Cruising Portugal & Spain - April 14, 12 days, Douro River Valley.

Call me Mike at (706) 579-5005 or 877-Cruise1 or mziegenbalg@cruiseone.com to take advantage of these great rates. They won't last long!

Carnival Unveils New Early Booking Savings Program

Carnival Cruise Lines is launching a new cruise pricing option called Early Saver, which offers fares as much as 25% lower than the best generally available rates, and provides rate protection if rates later drop below what the client originally paid.

Early Saver rates will be available beginning Jan. 12 and offered up to three months prior to sailing date for cruises of five days or less and up to five months prior to sailing date for longer length voyages, subject to availability. When booking an Early Saver fare, you will be able to choose a specific stateroom.

"Early Saver fares should encourage clients to book early with confidence," said Lynn Torrent, senior vice president of sales and guest services. The program offers several great mechanisms to help secure early sales."
To book Early Saver fares, travel agents must use an electronic reservations channel. The standard required deposit is immediately non-refundable at the time of booking. Any changes in ship or sailing date outside of Carnival's standard penalty period require a $50 change fee.

The Early Saver rate protection feature ensures that if a lower Carnival advertised rate becomes available after the booking is made, a rate adjustment can be requested and the cruise line will issue the difference in the form of a non-refundable shipboard credit. The lower fare must be for the same ship, sailing date, stateroom category and number of guests. To request a price adjustment, a rate protection form must be completed and emailed to Carnival by agents.
The lower rate must be available at the time the form is submitted. Rate adjustment requests can be submitted up to two business days prior to the cruise departure date. Early Saver fares are available for both individual and group reservations.

The Early Saver fare program will be available on virtually all Carnival ships and itineraries. For more information, call Mike at (706) 579-5005.

Oceania Launches Fifth Anniversary Savings

As previously announced last week, Oceania Cruises will launch its largest promotion ever on Jan. 7, with what the line calls unprecedented price reductions on more than 40 voyages.
In celebration of the completion of its fifth year of business, the line is offering savings of up to 72%, on voyages in Europe, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, South America and the Caribbean. That means clients can enjoy the Oceania Cruises Experience for as little as $1,249 per guest, the line announced.
In addition, solo travelers can enjoy the Oceania Cruises Experience for a single supplement of only 25% and third and fourth guests in a stateroom will receive an additional 50% reduction off of their cruise fare.
"With these significant pricing incentives and valuable amenities such as shipboard credits and pre-paid gratuities, this is the perfect opportunity for travelers to enjoy the acclaimed destination experience and unrivaled value that Oceania Cruises represents," stated Bob Binder, president of Oceania Cruises.

2009 European Collection

On select 2009 European Collection voyages, guests will receive free airfare, 2 for 1 cruise fares and an additional price reduction of $2,000 per stateroom on accommodation in categories G through A.
Applicable Sailings: April 4 - Barcelona to Istanbul, 14 days; May 31 - Rome to Istanbul, 12 days; June 5 - Athens to Rome, 12 days; July 23 - Athens to Istanbul, 12 days; July 26 - Venice to Barcelona, 14 days; August 4 - Istanbul to Rome, 12 days; Aug. 16 - Rome to Athens, 12 days; Aug. 23 - Istanbul to Athens, 12 days; Sept. 4 - Athens to Rome, 12 days; Sept. 9 - Istanbul to Athens, 12 days; Sept. 28 - Venice to Barcelona, 14 days; Oct. 12 - Barcelona to Athens, 10 days; Oct. 17 - Athens to Venice, 12 days; Oct. 17 - Venice to Istanbul, 14 days; Oct. 22 - Athens to Venice, 12 days; Oct. 29 - Athens to Istanbul, 12 days; Nov. 3 - Venice to Rome, 12 days; and Nov. 15 - Rome to Barcelona, 10 days.

2009-2010 Winter Collection

For the 2009-2010 Winter Collection, guests will receive the following price reductions in addition to free airfare and 2 for 1 cruise fares along with amenities valued at up to $1,500 per stateroom.
10 Day Voyages: $500 per stateroom price reduction, $500 per stateroom shipboard credit and free prepaid gratuities.
12-24 Day Voyages: $1,000 per stateroom price reduction, $500 per stateroom shipboard credit and free prepaid gratuities.
25-40 Day Voyages: $1,500 per stateroom price reduction, $500 per stateroom shipboard credit and free prepaid gratuities.
Applicable Sailings: All Winter 2009-2010 Collection voyages to Australia and New Zealand, Asia, South America and the Caribbean and Panama Canal.

Call Mike for any Oceania Cruise at (706) 579-5005 or visit http://www.cruisesbymike.com/.

Carnival Rolls Out 'Fun4All' Event With Free Upgrades

Carnival Cruise Lines has rolled out a new sales event, called "Fun4All," with free best available upgrades on virtually all three- to 12-day cruises departing through Dec. 18, including voyages to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England and Europe. To be eligible for this special offer, bookings must be made between Jan. 5 and 23.

"With consumers beginning to make their summer and fall vacation plans, there's no better time to book a 'Fun Ship' vacation and this free best available upgrade promotion makes the value of a Carnival cruise even greater," said Lynn Torrent, Carnival's senior vice president of sales and guest services.

The new "Fun4All" sales event is capacity controlled and applies to new individual bookings for categories 4A and higher. Upgrades are available within specific stateroom accommodation types (i.e., interior to interior, ocean view to ocean view, balcony to balcony, etc.). Guests must request fare code PFF when making the reservation.

For additional information and reservations, call me (Mike) at 706-579-5005.