Nov 11, 2011 Cruise Notes from Mary

Cruise Notes from Mary
Mary Engram, CTA/MCC Travel Consultant
November 11, 2011

Happy Friday Everyone and Happy Veterans Day to all our vets. Thank you so much for your service to our country.

British Airways increases fuel surcharge
Effective today, November 11, 2011, British Airways will increase the fuel surcharge for all tickets issued in North America for travel originating from this area to the destinations as detailed below.

US/Canada to the UK
US – UK: $10 one-way in economy/premium economy and $20 one-way in First/Club World

US/Canada to Europe
US – Europe: $10 one-way in economy/premium economy and $2 one-way in First/Club World

US/Canada to Spain
US – Spain: $10 one-way in economy/premium economy and $20 one-way in First/Club World

For cruisers, a chance to sample Cozumel Palace
Cruise visitors to the port of Cozumel now can purchase a CozumelForADay Resort Pass, an all-day, all-inclusive shore excursion option.

Guests spend the day at the Cozumel Palace while their ship is in port. They have full access to all resort facilities, including two pools, a hospitality room for changing, a kiddie pool and Kids Club, snorkeling and free WiFi, as well as unlimited dining and drinks (beer, wine, tropical drinks, sodas).

Transfers from the ship to the resort are not included. The Cozumel Palace is a five-minute cab ride from both the Puerta Maya and TMM International piers and an easy walk from the Punta Langosta pier. An adult pass (16 years and up) is $88 and a child pass (ages 4 to 15) is $44.

Celebrity Cruises Upgrade Your View Event
Imagine unwinding on your private, spacious veranda as the vibrant tropical islands drift serenely by. Or dining alfresco as the sun sets over tranquil, turquoise waters. And the best part? You get to experience every veranda moment at exceptional savings.

Upgrade to a veranda stateroom—free or $99.* Book by November 1 - 30, 2011 and enjoy veranda staterooms at ocean view rates, or for $99 more, on select Caribbean sailings.*

Free Upgrade from Ocean View to Veranda
7-Night Eastern Caribbean onboard Celebrity Eclipse®
2012 Dates: Feb 4, 11, 18; Mar 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Apr 7, 14

12-Night Caribbean
onboard Celebrity SIlhouette◊
2012 Dates: Feb 22; Mar 5, 17

7-Night Eastern/Western Caribbean
onboard Celebrity Solstice®
2012 Dates: Jan 2 2; Feb 5, 12, 19; Mar 4, 11, 18, 25; Apr 1, 8

$99 Upgrade from Ocean View to Veranda
10/11-Night Ultimate Caribbean onboard Celebrity Equinox◊
2012 Dates: Jan 2; F eb 3; Mar 16; Apr 6

12-Night Caribbean onboard Celebrity Silhouette◊
2012 Dates: Mar 29; Apr 10

$49 Upgrade from Inside to Ocean View
4/5-Night Caribbean onboard Celebrity Millennium®
2011 Dates: Nov 14, 28; Dec 3, 12, 17 , 22, 26
2012 Dates: Jan 14, 19 , 23, 28; F eb 2, 6, 11, 20 , 25;
Mar 1, 5, 10 , 19, 29; Apr 2, 7 , 16

7-Night Southern Caribbean onboard Celebrity Summit®
2011 Dates: Nov 19, 26; Dec 10, 17, 24, 31
2012 Dates: Feb 11, 25; Mar 10 , 24, 31; Apr 7, 14

Carnival Cruise Lines Raises Gratuities by 15 Percent
Carnival Cruise Lines has increased its gratuity guidelines from $10 to $11.50 per person, per day, effective for voyages departing on or after December 1, 2011. Passengers who have already prepaid their gratuities will not be affected by this change.

Per company policy, tips are automatically added to Carnival passengers' onboard accounts. However, you can adjust the gratuity amount up or down at your discretion. There are two exceptions. According to the line's Web site FAQs, for "cruises to nowhere" -- short cruises that do not visit a port -- gratuities must be prepaid. In addition, all gratuities are automatically added during the booking process for cruises leaving from Barbados.

The move also represents a change in how Carnival distributes tips to crew. The old tipping levels were broken down as follows (per day): $5.50 to the headwaiter/waiter, $1 to the assistant waiter/cooks and $3.50 to the cabin steward. The new guidelines allocate $5.80 to dining room services, $3.70 to cabin services and $2 per day for alternative services, which include kitchen, entertainment, guest services and other hotel staff members.

Disney Cruise Line - Kids Sail FREE to the Mexican Riviera
7-Night MexicanRiviera Cruise Departing from Los Angeles to visit Puerto Vallarta
Two stops in Cabo San Lucas Includes Three Fun-Filled Days atSea
*This offer is only available to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Offer applies only to stateroom categories 4A-10C (excluding suites and concierge) for most sail dates January 8 – March 4, 2012. The number of staterooms allocated for this offer is limited. There are a limited number of staterooms for four or more guests. Must mention booking code FKMR. This offer cannot\

Princess finishes Sanctuary project
Princess Cruises completed its three-year project to add the Sanctuary, an adults-only relaxation area, to 14 of its ships. The Sapphire Princess will be in drydock Jan. 7 to Feb. 4, where it will receive the line’s signature Piazza atrium with its International Café and Vines wine bar; the line’s second Alfredo’s pizzeria; and the Movies Under the Stars poolside movie screen

Splendour of the Seas undergoing renovations
Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas entered drydock at the Navantia shipyard in Spain, where it will undergo revitalization as part of the line’s $300 million Royal Advantage fleet-upgrade program. During the five-week drydock, the ship will receive an extension to the bridge wings along with regularly scheduled maintenance work on the propellers, rudders and tail shafts.

The 1,800-passenger ship also will emerge with a variety of new dining venues and amenities, 124 new balconies and technology and stateroom upgrades (including flat-panel televisions).

Caribbean deployment scheduled for Independence of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International is pulling the Independence of the Seas out of Europe in November 2012 and will deploy the ship in the Caribbeanfor the 2012-13 winter season. With the repositioning, all three Freedom-class ships (the Independence of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas) will be based in Florida. The Liberty and Independence in Fort Lauderdale and the Freedom in Port Canaveral..

This winter, the Independence this winter is sailing 11-night Spain and Canary Islands cruises roundtrip from Southampton, England. The ship will sail a transatlantic voyage from Southampton on Nov. 22, 2012, and sail from Fort Lauderdale from December 2012 through March 2013.

The ship will sail a three-night Bahamas cruise before starting a series of alternating eight-night Eastern Caribbean and six-night Western Caribbean itineraries. Independence of the Seas will return to England in April 2013 and offer Mediterranean and Europe cruises through summer.

Thought for the Month
I just returned from the Malt Shop Memories 50’s and 60’s theme cruise. It was a training cruise to learn about theme cruises and I honestly did not expect to like it. Shame on me. It was fantastic and a lot of fun. Will be sharing my experiences in a future trip report.

Wishing you a great weekend
Mary Engram, Your Personal Travel Consultant