Aloha!

Recently the Norwegian Pride of America came out of dry dock after a $30million renovation and upgrade. As part of that upgrade, they added 32 newly created ocean view balcony suites plus created studio staterooms for solo cruise travelers. As the only large cruise line that has weekly departures to many of the islands in the Hawaiian Island chain, Norwegian knows it must provide what it’s past guest have kept asking for when the cruised on the Pride of America in the past.

Here are the Top 10 Reasons To Cruise The Hawaiian Islands on Norwegian:

1. Hawaii is a year round destination. Some cruise lines offer sailings before and/or after the Alaska cruise season but NCL is there every week year round.

2. Beautiful weather. With it’s almost constant 80 degree weather and gentle pacific trade winds Hawaii is perfect for a tropical getaway.

3. Because of demand, almost every major airline has added flights to the Hawaiian islands for travelers ease, so getting to the island from anywhere in the world is easier than ever.

4. On a 7 night Hawaiian cruise you visit 4 of the Hawaiian islands  with overnight stays in Maui & Kauai so you only have to unpack once and no inter island flights. Spend every day in port exploring the pristine beauty of Hawaii, without sea days.

5. Each of the Hawaiian Island are diverse, so any person can find lots to do and see while visiting there. Norwegians Pride of America stays over 100 hours in the different cruise ports on its 7 night itinerary, offering longer daily stays at each port.

6. Porthole Magazine voted Norwegians 7 night Hawaiian Island cruises the best destination cruise for Hawaii 7 years in a row.

7. The staggering natural beauty of cascading waterfalls, active volcanoes, historic sites all with the perfect climate.

8. Our Hawaii cruises give you more vacation for less than you’d spend on land.

9. Norwegian is the only cruise line that sails round trip from Honolulu year-round, enabling you to vacation on your schedule.

10. A cruise is perfect for whale watching, witnessing Kilauea Volcano or taking in the dramatic views of the Napali Coast.

Each June the islands of Hawaii celebrate Kamehameha Day, it was established back in 1871 by King Kamehameha V in honor of his great-grandfather Kamehameha the First. King Kamehameha was born on the Big Island of Hawai`i between the years 1740-1758. He was the son of Chief Keoua Kupuapaikalani and Kekuiapoiwa. He was raised by foster parents and trained in the art of battle. Kamehameha is remembered for fearlessly unifying the Hawaiian islands and becoming the first unified ruler of the islands in 1795.

Sorry for the lack of postings over the last few days. I had surgery and so out of commission for a little while. I’ll be back soon.

Happy & safe travels!

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we can find in our travels is an honest friend.

-Robert Louis Stephenson

When people consider taking a river cruise somewhere in the world, many turn to one of the leaders Viking River Cruises. They will have to change their name a bit because Viking has just announced that they will soon be offering sea going voyages. The first ship of the Viking Ocean Cruises will be called the Viking Star and should be launched in May 2015. The Viking Star will be able to host 928 guest and will have itineraries that visit the Baltic and the Mediterranean. The ships decor will stay with the understated modern Scandinavian style they are known for.

The Carnival Splendor will be soon departing from New York City to San Juan Puerto Rico with a series of 8 day one way cruises. These ships will then turn around and travel one way from San Juan back to New York City. The 8 day itineray will include other stops such as St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Thomas and Aguilla. These one-way cruises will begin in October 2014 after completing a series of 4/5/7 night cruises to New England and Canada.

For a few years Norwegian Cruise Lines has been letting people know that its newest ship, the Breakaway, will be dedicated to cruising out of New York City’s Manhattan Pier. Now Royal Caribbean has announce that their newest ship currently being build, the Quantum of the Seas will be also departing from New York’s Manhattan cruise terminal.

For years, cruises from New York City was a staple but as trends changed less cruises departed from this famed cruise port. Bit NYC is now again one of the hottest cruise departures on the east coast. Several cruise lines now sail from New York city to New England and Canada, to Bermuda, to Europe and finally to the Caribbean. The east coast cruise terminals have seem a nice influx of ships to cruise out of ports such as Cape Liberty, NJ; Baltimore, MD; Norfolk, VA and Charleston, SC. But the greatest increase of cruise traffic is NYC and why not – it is the city that never sleeps, right?

So Bon Voyage all you New Yorker’s and East Coasters – enjoy the ride!

The dreams and the engineers had many sleepless nights I am sure when they were creating the model for the new Royal Caribbean Quantum if the Seas. Especially when they were searching for a newer, bigger, better, badder WOW factor. They found it and created it with their exclusive North Star which will bring guest up to 300 feet above sea level and give them a 360 degree view of the ship and it’s surroundings. The North Star will litteraly give you a birds eye view of the ship and breathtaking views of the ocean and its ports of call.

This is just one of ships newest creations to add fun to each passengers experience while on board, but wait there’s more! Yes, Royal Caribbean has added even more fun and excitement to their newest ship on order to make sure that the ship itself is just as a fantastc detination as the ports of calls thery cruise to.  Below is a Top 7 listing and brief description of each new item, but don’t just read about it, experience it yourself when the ship cruises into service.

1. SeaPlex – The largest and most interactive sports complex that includes a full size regulation basketball court, plus by day, guests can experience a circus school and flying trapeze, as well. Then by night, the first-ever bumper car and roller skating offerings at sea will deliver thrills, with music provided by a floating DJ booth that hovers above the activity happening below. And if all this play makes you hungry, the first-ever food truck at sea is on hand to serve up tasty snacks.

2. Ripcord by iFly – This skydiving simulator lets guests experience the sheer thrill and exhilaration of flying. RipCord by iFly®’s air machine will keep you afloat in a safe, controlled environment. So you can feel the wind in your hair, and utter WOW of flying, all without ever having to leave the ship.

3. Two 70 – This new venue marries tecnology, entertainment this one-of-a-kind grand room promises to take you on a transformative journey from day to night. During the day, the space is a modern, open area living room with magnificent 270° panoramic views — the perfect place to kick

As the lights go down and the music comes up, you’ll find yourself immersed in the center of spellbinding performance art, mind-blowing light shows, and dazzling digital scenery. And did we mention there also happens to be an ice bar serving up your favorite cocktails? You truly have to see it to believe it.

back and relax while taking in the scenery from vast floor to ceiling windows spanning two-and-a-half decks high. By night, Two70° transforms.

Over the past two plus years there has been a baby boom happening in the cruise industry. Cruise lines are introducing new ships with more innovations that make the ship just as much of a destination as the places they visit.  Every few months there seems to be an announcement of the expectancy of a new ship. These new additions to the cruise lines families are being added by cruise lines across all spectrums from luxury to budget cruise lines. With each new announcement comes the photos, videos and postings of updates of the cruise lines newest babies growing and taking shape in the ship yards. Like any expectant parent they want to brag about their newest addition to their family.

Of course then there is the delivery, a day of celebration when the ship is towed out of the protection of the ship yards protective custody. Of course, like any child there is then the childs acclimation period where the ships go thru their sea trials. This can be harkened to the likes of a child taking its first steps. Everyone is so enthused when they can walk without any wobbling at all and are ready to take on the world!

Yet another rite of passage is taken by the cruise lines families before their newest ship is set to explore its new world. A formal christening event where a Godmother is names, the ship christened and then a big celebration to show off their beautiful baby to all their friends and relatives.

The travel industry has seen many of these events happening over the past few years with new ships such as the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas & their newest Quantum of the Seas, Norwegian’s Epic plus their Breakaway & Getaway, Carnival’s Dream, Disney’s Fantasy to just name a few. Plus river cruising has seen a baby boom as well, such as Viking Cruise Lines christening 10 new ships at one time (making it into the Book of World Records).

Congratulations to all! We in the travel industry all look forward to seeing your children get out into the world and make thousands of new friends and go on hundreds of new adventures.

“I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.” -Hilaire Belloc