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Cruise Weekly today
Cruise Weekly today features two pages of all the latest cruise industry news.
ACL adds Starlink
American Cruise Line (ACL) has announced new Starlink wi-fi has been added to its fleet, joining a raft of brands to adopt the satellite internet constellation. The new SpaceX-operated service is a major upgrade, ensuring complimentary seamless connectivity and faster upload speeds nearly everywhere the company’s small ships are cruising throughout the United States. American beta-tested the Starlink service last year, and cruise guests who experienced the platform during the testing phase responded with rave reviews.
Crystal launches Open Deposits
Crystal Cruises is inviting former guests to join its new Open Deposits program, offering priority bookings on itineraries, stateroom & suite selections, and experiences, for the brand’s inaugural season under its new Abercrombie & Kent ownership (CW 23 Jun 2022). The new season launches early this year, and the Open Deposits program offers a USD$250 per guest “As You Wish” shipboard credit, which can be used to book shore excursions, shop in Crystal’s onboard boutiques, or eat at its specialty dining venues. Open Deposits also offers an exclusive “first look” period at itineraries, with guests able to confirm their reservation within 90 days of the inaugural launch of cruises. The Program is fully refundable, and has no expiration date, meaning the value of the Open
Deposits will always remain. Guests were emailed about Open Deposits late last year ahead of Crystal’s relaunch in Australia, which will also include the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Canada, New England, Alaska, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, the Middle East, Asia, and New Zealand. There will also be curated Grand
Journeys, along with Crystals’ World Cruise, which will depart next year. “On behalf of everyone at Crystal Cruises, we look forward to welcoming you back on board,” President Jack Anderson wrote in the letter. For more information and to sign up for the Open Deposits program, CLICK HERE.
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Thursday 5th Jan 2023
PORTHOLE Residents of Scarborough in the United Kingdom rang in the new year slightly unexpectedly this time around, with a local fireworks display cancelled to protect a walrus which was “on holiday” in the town. The fireworks were cancelled at the last minute over fears they could cause distress to the walrus, who himself had been drawing large crowds since showing up. The walrus is believed to have since headed back out into the North Sea, but not before “relieving himself” in the harbour, and going viral on the internet because of it.
Azamara offer
Azamara has unveiled its “best wave season offer yet”, offering guests great prices and $300 onboard credit on all stateroom categories across select voyages. Available now until 31 Mar, this special wave season promotion is available on select sailings departing between 28 Feb 2023 and 03 Apr 2024. Guests can take advantage by booking unique itineraries aboard the cruise line’s four ships, including the 11-night Spain Intensive Voyage on board the brand’s latest addition Azamara Onward.
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Celeb lets the fun be-gin
It’s all aboard Celebrity Cruises’ exclusive Four Pillars Gin sailing (CW 16 Sep 2022), with the line calling on all culinary connoisseurs to join the Celebrity Eclipse voyage. The upcoming five-night Tasmania itinerary departs Sydney on 10 Mar, with culinarycurious guests to embark on a journey of exclusive gin tasting and food pairing experiences curated in collaboration with one of Australia’s leading craft gin distilleries. Across the sailing, Celebrity and Four Pillars will host a series of interactive sessions to refine guests’ palates and enhance their knowledge, appreciation, and love of gin, including: Introduction to Gin Workshop; Japanese Gin-spired Degustation; Gin and Local Tasmanian Oyster Pairing; and Gin Cocktail Masterclass, to help cruisers master the perfect martini. Two of the sessions will be hosted on sea days, while the other two will be hosted while Eclipse is docked in Hobart. There will also be a Sail Away Party with Four Pillars, featuring a complimentary gin cocktail to celebrate the start of the sailing -
EDITORIAL Editor in Chief and Publisher – Bruce Piper Associate Publisher – Anna Piper Senior Associate Editor – Adam Bishop Associate Editor – Myles Stedman Contributors – Janie Medbury info@cruiseweekly.com.au info@cruiseweekly.co.nz
and a few more surprises. Four Pillars will also host Q&A sessions with Senior Brand Ambassador Wes Baimbridge, allowing guests to discover the story behind the distillery, and what goes into making its gins. For more information and to book, CLICK HERE.
Appeal underway
Two of the four cruise companies ordered to pay USD$110 million each in damages to the owner of a Havana dock are set to appeal the award (CW 03 Jan). The port was confiscated by the Cuban government in 1960, and an American judge in Miami last week ruled to award a total of USD$440 million to the plaintiff Havana Docks Corp, registered to two American citizens who claim to be descendants of the original owners of the Havana Cruise Port Terminal. Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises both said they would be appealing, while MSC and Norwegian are yet to comment.
keep dreaming... A month-by-month guide to travel through the year, and more destination inspiration for 2023!
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