Courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines.

Camp Carnival Night Owls – featuring fun-filled children’s parties offering a full schedule of late-night activities and premium giveaways, along with nightly babysitting services – is being rolled out on all 23 Carnival Cruise Lines ships.

Perfect for when parents want some much-needed “me” time, Night Owls further bolsters Carnival’s distinction as the leader in family cruising, with complimentary children’s programs for three age groups catering to the 670,000 children who sail with the line annually. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Silversea Cruises.

Ultra-luxury Silversea Cruises is pleased to announce that four additional voyages this year will feature the exclusive “Relais & Châteaux L’École des Chefs” interactive cooking school.

Rudi Scholdis, Silversea’s director of culinary development, said: “Our L’École des Chefs cooking school is proving extremely popular with guests and we’re pleased to roll it out to more voyages this year.”

The new L’École des Chefs voyages for 2011 are: [Read more →]

Courtesy of Cunard Line.

In addition to the compelling series of Cunard Insights speakers and other activities aboard a luxury cruise vacation on Queen Mary 2, the ship’s 2011 Transatlantic Crossings season will feature a robust line-up of some of the world’s most sought-after music performances. Aboard Cunard Line’s flagship, guests will have the rare opportunity to intimately experience the world-class talents of virtuoso violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn, musicians from New York’s famed Juilliard School, and London’s in-demand National Symphony Orchestra under Conductor Anthony Inglis.

“At Cunard Line, we pride ourselves on providing glamorous experiences to our guests, whether it is through our formal nights or extensive entertainment options,” said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line. “The caliber of these accomplished musicians will certainly heighten the grand sense of occasion that our guests enjoy whilst sailing on a Cunard voyage.”

Elizabeth Pitcairn
Having set sail on 17 May from New York, celebrated American virtuoso violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn will perform in partnership with one of the world’s most legendary instruments, the Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius of 1720, said to have inspired the Academy Award(r)-winning film “The Red Violin.” Ms. Pitcairn appears in the 10th anniversary Meridian Collection edition of the film in a special feature documentary interview.

Influenced by the musical and comedic genius of legendary Hollywood stars Judy Garland, Jackie Gleason and Victor Borge, as well as the beauty and talent of concert violinists David Oistrakh and Jascha Heifetz, Pitcairn has created her own signature style of performance. During the summer of 2011, she will become the first successive executive director of the  Luzerne Music Center and Chamber Music Festival in New York in more than 30 years. An alumna of the intensive summer camp in upstate New York, she was chosen by the founders to carry on the tradition of building young artists and audiences of the future. She is an alumna and former adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, and is currently on the faculty of the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

Prior to Tuesday’s embarkation, Queen Mary 2′s Entertainment Director Paul O’Loughlin presented Pitcairn and Luzerne board member Michael Conway with a donation from Cunard of $7,500 to support the school’s summer camp performing arts programme for instrumentalists, composers and conductors, ages 10-18.

Juilliard School Jazz Ensemble
As part of Cunard Line’s ongoing partnership with the renowned Juilliard School, jazz musicians from the famed performing arts institution will return for a second year to demonstrate their extraordinary talents on an even greater number of Crossings. With performances scheduled in the Chart Room and the Royal Court Theatre, guests will also have the opportunity to attend fascinating Q&A sessions with the musicians. They will sail aboard these select Transatlantic Crossings: 17 May, 10 June, 20 July, 15 August, 22 August, 5 September, 23 October, 10 November and 12 December.

The National Symphony Orchestra with Conductor Anthony Inglis
Following their spectacular Transatlantic Crossings in 2009 and 2010, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) will perform on the 7 October Eastbound Transatlantic Crossing. Once again, guests will be invited to sing with the NSO on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre.

Additionally, guests will have the opportunity to attend rehearsals with NSO Conductor Anthony Inglis, and prepare for Cunard’s Last Night of the Proms to be staged at the end of the Crossing. A Grammy(r)-nominated conductor, Inglis has been featured more times at London’s Royal Albert Hall than anyone else in the iconic venue’s history. He leads a prolific international career, appearing with some of the greatest orchestras in concert halls from Australia to Scotland.

The NSO is one of the busiest freelance orchestras in the United Kingdom, working with Katherine Jenkins, Russell Watson and many other popular classical artists. Members of the NSO can be heard on many major film soundtracks, and among the luminaries with whom they have appeared include Reba McEntire and Sir Cliff Richard, who was backed by the ladies of the NSO string section at the Royal Albert Hall.

Queen Mary 2′s Transatlantic Crossings reflect the pinnacle of civility and refinement in ocean travel. The only company offering regularly scheduled Transatlantic liner service, Cunard is sailing 21 classic Transatlantic voyages between New York and Southampton, with extended Crossings between New York and Hamburg. In addition, “Grand” voyage options are available, roundtrip from New York, combining classic European itineraries with a Transatlantic Crossing on either side.

The Cruise Web, Inc.
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Courtesy of Celebrity Cruises.

Celebrity Cruises has long been recognized for its vast, exceptional collection of contemporary art. With hundreds of original works by both recognized and emerging artists exhibited on every ship in the fleet, and the recent introduction of self-guided tours on an iPad™, Celebrity aims to offer guests who appreciate art ample opportunities to enjoy it. And now, the line is offering an opportunity for guests to create original works of their own, within one of the entirely new venues on Celebrity Silhouette, “The Art Studio.” [Read more →]

A compilation from The Cruise Web employees.

Cruising as a single is a wonderful way to vacation. You are able to do as you please and be on your own schedule. It is also a great away to get away from everything and just relax! Some of The Cruise Web staff members have some wonderful tips for you when traveling as a single.

Ellicia A.
Partaking in shore excursions is a great way to meet new people who enjoy some of the same activities as you. Also, I tend tend to visit the same establishments on the ships each day and meet people who also become “regulars.”

Viviane T.
When booking dining for your cruise consider anytime dining and ask for a larger table, it gives you the opportunity to meet new people everyday. [Read more →]

By: The Cruise Web, Inc.

April has been a busy month for The Cruise Web employees, both inside and outside the office, as a large amount of staff went off on their own vacations – or, as we at The Cruise Web like to call it, freshening up on our cruise skills. Here is a glimpse into some of the April vacations taken by members of The Cruise Web family:

Jaime F.
My husband and I went on a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise aboard Holland America Lines newest ship, Nieuw Amsterdam. We sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and made stops in Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Georgetown, Cayman Islands; and Costa Maya, Mexico. We really enjoyed the beach at Half Moon Cay and were able to experience the private hospitality cabana because the group with which we sailed had reserved it for the day. While in the different ports we were able to take part in various activities such as the FlowRider in Grand Turk, golfing at Jack Nicklaus’ Brittania Golf Club in Georgetown and walking around the markets in Costa Maya. My favorite onboard dining venue was Tamarind, the sushi was fresh, the teas was very tasty, and my main course – Vegetable Saba Noodles – was just delicious. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Royal Caribbean International.

Freedom of the Seas returns into service this week after completing a week-long drydock at the Grand Bahama Shipyard. As part of the Royal Advantage revitalization and enhancement program, Freedom of the Seas received new dining concepts, entertainment options, children’s programming and technology advancements that were introduced to wide industry acclaim aboard Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis-class ships. The Royal Advantage program comprises approximately $70 million of enhancements aboard five of the world’s most innovative cruise ships in 2011 to expand unparalleled onboard experiences across the cruise line’s fleet. Freedom of the Seas alternates an Eastern and a Western Caribbean seven-night, round-trip itinerary from Port Canaveral on Florida’s Space Coast. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

The highly anticipated Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be televised live on Princess ships on April 29. Passengers will be able to follow along with full coverage of the pomp and majesty of the historic wedding through BBC World’s broadcast of the event.

Not only can passengers follow along as the future princess walks down the aisle, but they’ll enjoy viewing parties on board as they watch the most extensive coverage of this royal event. BBC is the official wedding broadcaster and has exclusive access inside Westminster Abbey during the ceremony. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Crystal Cruises.

Tattoos.  Murder.  Secrets.  And Stockholm.  Only one of these things is normally associated with a luxury cruise line, but with Crystal Cruises’ new Crystal Adventure, “Stieg Larsson’s Stockholm,” guests can discover a little Scandinavian intrigue first-hand in 2011.

With over 46 million books sold worldwide, deceased Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s Millennium book series has made him the biggest novelist to come out of Europe since J.K. Rowling.  The first of his trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, has already been turned into a critically acclaimed film that is now getting a big-budget Hollywood remake by renowned director David Fincher, and starring Daniel Craig and Robin Wright.  [Read more →]

Courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced that the next installment of Legends in Concert tribute artists will make their debut on Norwegian Epic on Saturday, January 22, 2011. The three Legends represent some of the world’s most famous entertainers Janet Jackson, Neil Diamond and Aretha Franklin. A staple on the Las Vegas’ center strip for over 25 years, Legends in Concert is known as the pioneer of live tribute shows and has assembled the greatest collection of live tribute artists and celebrity look-alikes in show business. [Read more →]