This 146,000 ton slightly smaller than older sister Epic is an evolution for Norwegian and a finely tuned product offering a contemporary, premium, and luxury cruise experience all wrapped up into a spectacular resort package.

I’ve sailed on all the current Norwegian ships and have been a fan of this innovative company since my first voyage on the ss Norway in June of 1980. That ships set the pace for a decade and a half as the leader of the cruise market and frankly, putting cruising on the map. The Norway introduced Broadway Plays, top name entertainment and co-branded with amazing American brands for entertainment and a great guest vacation. Today, Breakaway is the evolution of that earlier product in an exciting 21st century way and a new innovator!

The Breakaway will sail year round from New York to Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. She has Manhattan written all over her from the hull art designed by famed pop artist Peter Max to the ships godmothers, Radio City Hall Rockettes (they will sail in pairs once a month entertaining guests, lecturing, and even teaching dance classes).
These are the main reasons I LOVE Norwegian Breakaway:

1) The Haven- a key card all penthouse suite access area for top paying guests that want exclusive luxury accommodations, the best service, concierge, 24-hour butler, have a private pool area, spa, sauna, bar, lounge, and restaurant, private show seats, and so much more. This is just a few of the amazing amenities of this couture designed and inspirational luxury suites…
2) The Studio- single 100 square foot inside cabins (59 of them) offered at attractive rates for the solo-traveler and offer a unique and sexy design style!
3) The Waterfront on Deck 8- an extremely innovative inside and outside area where most of the ships main bars, clubs, and alternative dining venues offer dining inside and out. The newest attractions are Ocean Blue by famed culinary star Geoffrey Zakaraian and Carlos Bake Shop by Buddy, The Cake Boss!
4) The ships entertainment is spectacular with full Rock of Ages Broadway musical performance, Burn the Floor Dance Show- a sexy dance routine performed in the ships theater and the Manhattan Dining Room on most nights, Cirque Dreams Jungle Show-the latest incarnation of spectacular dinner show entertainment (for a fee) in the amazingly well-designed NEW Spiegel Tent (a huge improvement over sister ship Epic), great kids programs from Nickelodeon, Slam Alan Blues in the Fat Cats, Howling at the Moon dueling pianos, and Second City comedy troupe in the Comedy Club…
5) The cabins on Breakaway offer larger bathrooms than any other Norwegian ship, are more spacious, well designed, and most offer balconies. Beware though, many balconies mid ship are small and you will want to counsel carefully with your travel professional to select the right sized cabin and balcony to fit your needs… There are tons of cabin types to choose from form interior to family ocean view, and mini-suites…
6) Excellent signage throughout with interactive screens for show and dining booking-this ship is easy to navigate and very user-friendly.
7) Superb dining options with most FREE dining rooms offered in a number of locations and panache-some with entertainment like the amazing Art Deco inspired Manhattan Room. The fee based venues are very fairly prices with fees of $15-$39.99pp. You can even buy a Lobster Roll at the Waterfront Ocean Blue by Geoffrey Zakarian for a modest $3.50! Norwegian continues to offer an amazing array of dining options (like a large resort hotel). For those not wanting to pay for a fee based venue, there are still more FREE dining choices than any other cruise line.
8) The Vibe is a new fee based private beach club for guests wanting a sexy area to lounge in the sun on fine high end resort furniture with pool butler type service, food, beverage, Jacuzzi s, and cabanas for rent. Rates for this fee access club are $29-$299pp for a day to a full week. The higher rate comes with a $100 Food and beverage credit. I thought this concept was very cool and again, innovative!
9) The amazing Aqua Park with several exciting water slides, The sports Deck with Walk The Plank, mini-golf, full basketball court, ropes course, bungee jump, and large kids water park complete with Nickelodeon characters… There is even an adults only club called Spice H20 which by day is an adults only lounging area and at night becomes a cool rave dance club with theme parties, and even a spectacular fireworks show shot off here right from the ship to set the mood for more excitement!
10) Norwegian has really created the Freestyle resort concept and has mastered it with its latest masterpiece Breakaway where all guests are serviced by a friendly crew f nearly 1640 for her 4026 privileged guests…
So, I loved this ship if you haven’t figured out by now. I was fortunate to partake in all the venues, entertainment, and 5 separate dining venues during my short 2-day preview cruise! This very stylish ship is decorated more in the vein of Celebrity and Holland America than her other contemporary players Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Breakaway really offers three cruise experiences in one due to her innovative entertainment, dining options, and remarkable accommodations…

She will live a long and prosperous life sailing from New York City. We will see her twin sister Norwegian Getaway arrives in Miami in late January 2014 sailing year round from Miami to the Eastern Caribbean. This ship will have major features of Breakaway but will show the musical Legally blonde and the cirque Dreams program will be replaced with a magical experience in the Illusionarium. The Fat Cats lounge will be replaced by the Grammy Experience where Grammy wining performers will showcase music in a club like environment. There is still more to be announced!
Check out some excellent interior pictures of Norwegian Breakaway taken by a German Travel Agent from Cruise Trick here:http://cruisecenter.smugmug.com/Other/Norwegian-Breakaway-from/29185586_Pqn7TT#!i=2486440239&k=s2wHkTW

Happy Cruising!!!

Carnival announce lower fares than ever this past week to attract consumers but the issue persists among the general public that the brand is unsafe, unhealthy, and sub-par! Trying to sell Carnival as a retailer these past months has been like trying to sell the Titanic. Lower fares may be an enticement to fill your ailing ships but Carnival has hurt the entire cruise industry with this plow and its silence on dealing with its recent string of unfortunate incidents…
How Can Carnival overcome this?
Step up and apologize to the public, be honorable and humble. I see this as their biggest public and media concern. Carnival PR seems to be missing in action… Then, talk about what you are doing in a big way to make things better for your current and future fleet of ships. You can then play up on your past 40 years of near perfect safety and health records. I think investors will understand and have better faith in the brand going forward. Your silence has been deadly…

I promise to return to my Asia review as I have not covered Vietnam and Cambodia and will return to my review later next week…
In the meantime, I have discovered a NEW European river cruise product that I am very excited about. A Rosa is a NEW entrant into the North American travel base. They are a company that has been around since 2005 and have 10 boats in service on the European rivers. A Rosa was built exclusively for the upscale German market but decided last year to expand and gear its luxury product to the North American English speaking market. A Rosa has dedicated 13 exclusive sailing for English speaking guests who can take privilege in some very special summer offers sailing the Rhine, Rhone, and Danube Rivers!
River cruising has taken off as one of the fastest growing segments in travel. The wonderful thing about this type of travel is that one can pack and unpack once while your floating boutique hotel takes you to amazing central European cities and most dock right in the heart of these old world cities along the gorgeous rivers. River cruising is now so popular that most cruises sell-out nearly a year in advance of departure. This is due to the amazing popularity, great value, and very limited capacity of these boats compared to large ocean going vessels… River cruise boats have anywhere from 150-200 guest capacity vs. large ocean going vessels with thousands of beds to fill…
What I am most excited about is that this affordable NEW A Rosa product with summer 7-day Rhine cruises in June 2013 with cruise only rates starting at $2492pp (single supplements are waived on select departures), if you book by April 15th is truly one of the only All-Inclusive river cruise offers!
Some of the A-Rosa “All Inclusive” differences are:
Open bar (all day and all venues)
• All gratuities
• Airfare & Transfers (optional). A Rosa offers an air program offered from 10 major gateways)
• Complimentary Shore Excursions
• Exquisite cuisine that many have called the BEST in the industry!
• Modern & stylish ships built 2005-2012 with chic staterooms, 80% with French Balcony
• Room Service
• Complimentary use of bicycles

I have heard the food is among the best if not the best on the rivers according to many industry experts. This is a huge plus. A Rosa cabins average 156 square feet and 80% have French Balconies. There has been a huge plus for most NEW boats to add balconies but honestly, I think it is a bit silly. First, most boats spend little time actually cruising along the river for one to enjoy this privacy, the view is only dedicated to whatever side of the boat your cabin resides on, and most will go up top to the panorama deck for the best views during cruising time. Second, when the boats are docked, most tie up sided by side completely obscuring ones view and privacy. A French balcony allows guests to open their sliding patio door and still enjoy fresh air weather permitting. A Rosa also has a screen that can be pulled down to keep insects out-a nice touch for those wanting fresh air in their cabin…
A few other features about this type of cruise that are unique are as follows:
• Room Service is offered- almost all boats do not have this!
• A Rosa uses high end German based Babor bath products for its guests
• The ship offers lively entertainment and creates a very social atmosphere
• A Rosa offers a walk in buffet kitchen for breakfast and lunch
• An exclusive gourmet wine-pairing dinner is offered for $75pp-it is over the top
• Wines are chosen based on the river, country and destination
• A Rosa offers family cabins on the lower river level deck (there is no dedicated kids program but children are not left out)

If you have not tried a river cruise, now is the time… If you want to experience something really special, A Rosa has an exceptional product and offering, especially this summer on the Rhine!
I will return back to my Asia review next week…
Happy Cruising!

Hong Kong is a bustling affluent city that continues to set the trend for China and the rest of Asia as the Capital of excess. It is an exciting place to visit although the shopping bargains of yesteryear seem to have disappeared and it has become a series of giant luxury shopping malls. The main charm remains on Hong Kong market in the narrow streets and markets that take the traveler back to the days of old.

I joined Celebrity Millennium at Ocean Terminal on Kowloon located in a giant shopping mall as part of the pier. This is a great location to dock as it is adjacent to the Star Ferry and a great place to watch the nightly sound and light show that blazes the city’s skyline with an array of lasers colored lights and buildings that dance in a variety of colors and images. It is quite a spectacle. After overnighting, the ship set sail across the harbor at 8pm and headed towards Hanoi in Vietnam, our first port-of-call.

Millennium is the first of Celebrity Cruises Millennium Class ships built in 2000 and at 90,000 tons, 1000 feet long, and carrying 2100 passengers, is considered a medium sized ship in today’s modern cruise industry. Personally, I love this ship, its exceptional contemporary art collection, easy to navigate layout and pleasant interior décor. Celebrity Cruises allegedly spent some $65 million renovating the ship in the spring of 2012, however, it was primarily given over to soft good refurbishment of existing furnishings, some new pay for alternative dining and bar revenue enhancements for the line, and addition of nearly 100 guest staterooms into existing passenger spaces. While the ship looks good inside for the most part, the exterior has been somewhat neglected and appears unkempt with paint chipping off, dirty bulkheads, windows, and many interior surfaces have not been well tended to either. This was due to lack of proper care by the line of a number of years due to clear financial cutbacks so the aggregate damage is apparent.
I don’t want to leave the reader with the impression that the ship is poor. It does have great features and offers pleasant service and cuisine. The refurbishment, however, needs added touches of TLC to keep her even remotely in the same class as her NEWER Solstice Class ships. This $65 million dollar “Solsticizing” needs added work.
I have enjoyed excellent meals in the Olympic Restaurant (one of 3 fee based venues $40pp) which offers fine French Style dining in a room that used original Edwardian wall panels from the RMS Titanic, the one year older twin sister to the ill-fated RMS Titanic. It is a gorgeous room and offers an exceptional atmosphere onboard.
Newly added Q-suine replaces an old Sports Bar and offers an amazing contemporary dining experience wherein the guest picks its international menu from an I-pad. Food is presented in a unique manner with items like sushi lollipops rolled in crushed Dorito chips, and the food is to-die-for! This fee based venue is now offered on all Celebrity ships but the Celebrity Constellation and Celebrity Century. The fee here is also $40pp.
Bistro on Five is a creperie added over old lounge/bar space and offers cooked to order simple meals for a $5pp fee. It is seldom used and a great respite from the very busy Main Dining Room.
Adjacent is the Newly added Cellar Masters wine bar where guests can purchase many faceted wines and the charge is based on consumption, not the glass, or bottle. It is a popular concept and a great place to sample fine wines.
The service staff onboard are mostly efficient and friendly. I think there is a fair amount of challenge to servicing guests on an itinerary like Southeast Asia due to the long travel times; busy port overnight stays, and weather changes that can go from cool to very hot in a matter of a few days. Celebrity does a pretty good job training its international staff but I have noticed some testy crew in dealing with the guests.
I did not participate in Celebrity shore excursions as I am not personally fond of large group movements so I found an upscale tour operator called Trails of Indochina to create my tours and they certainly not disappointed. I’m not one to buy into the fear factor created by cruise lines that strongly discourage private excursions using the excuse that you may miss the ship and if you do, getting to the next port will be on the guests own dime. Well, I have been using private excursions for 30 years and have never been tardy or missed a ship. If your communication is good, you won’t miss the ship. I also take along the local port agent’s phone number just in case of an emergency.
T
rails of Indochina offer superb private guest and small group excursions that go above and beyond. It goes to the quality of the guide, restaurant choices, and fine hotel selections for travelers. They are the Mercedes E-class of touring in Southeast Asia. I will be spending 5 nights of the 14 night cruise itinerary in Vietnamese and Cambodian hotels maximizing my time ashore and getting the most out of this 14-day cruise program.

Celebrity Millennium has acted as my floating home during this particular cruise and my accommodations were in Sky Suite 6131 on Deck 6. This S1 category had one of the largest balconies and the suite was 350 square feet with and extra 150 or so square feet of mostly uncovered balcony space. The view was excellent but the uncovered space was not private to most of the ship looking down from above or side-to-side. I would use this suite again due to its larger outdoor space that held a dining table and two full chaise loungers. The suite had a king sized bed, small sofa, club chair, large vanity with chair, plenty of storage space, a completely glass mirrored wall (giving the feeling of a much larger space), walk-in closet, and average sized marble clad bathroom with tub show space and a small levelor window that allowed a view to the flat-screen Samsung television or out to the sea and balcony. It was a comfortable room with age worn cabinetry and paneling but had all new bedding, carpets, draperies, and soft goods on the furniture. I personally feel the dark copper and metal tones made the suite seem kind of drab with the already extensive use of dark red hued wood paneling.

My services were provided by an amicable European Butler, Asian maid, and Filipino assistants. Celebrity Cruises offers many added features to its suite booked guests to value add the onboard experience.
All in all, the Millennium needs some polish and further work (mostly on painting and exterior) to keep her up to standards. I hope Celebrity Cruises steps up and takes notice…
After sailing from Hong Kong we head off to Vietnam (Hanoi, Hue, and Saigon), Bangkok, and ending in wonderful Singapore! This itinerary is a total treat!

Enjoy this link to my Celebrity Millennium Interior Photo Shoot:

More to come on Asian Cruising in the next installment.

Celebrity Cruises has successfully introduced 5 amazing premium class vessels of the Solstice Class in just 4 years time. These ships have been heralded as among the best designed in recent maritime history. Celebrity Reflection was introduced this past summer in Europe and was the final of the five ship series. The big difference with the latter and likely my least favorite, is it has an added deck of cabins in the same basic guest space. It is a revenue managers dream but not necessarily a benefit to have several hundred more guests sharing the same space as her less populated predecessors…

I am a huge fan. I have sailed several times on this class of ship and will tell you they still are my favorite and best in class. They do not compare to the Holland America Vista Class which are more densely populated and have much smaller and less interesting public spaces.

Having just returned from a 15-day Europe/Transatlantic Crossing on Celebrity Silhouette, I am more enamored with this lovely class of ships than ever and here is why!

Celebrity has created unique maritime architecture and beats its competitors for creating large open spaces with tons of natural light
Cabins are among the best laid out and decorated in the cruise industry for a premium class ship
The Molecular Bar is the sexiest martini bar on any ship!
Celebrity has created a spectacular Lawn Club at se with real grass and a fantastic new restaurant that makes you feel like you are at a golf country club
Service is always professional
Qsuine is an exceptional alternative dining venue and sets the bar for a contemporary dining experience
This class of ship rides very smoothly even in rough seas!
One never feels too crowded even during peak movement hours (dining and entertainment)

I like this ship and her sisters and favor them in the big ship market. Celebrity has managed to create a unique product and excels in the premium class market! Keep up the good work. I head off to Celebrity Millennium in Asia tomorrow and am excited to see how the original Millennium Class ship looks and delivers now over a decade old and having been renovated in 2012 to bring her up tot he standards of her newer Solstice Class fleetmates!

Dubai continues to amaze the world with its innovative architecture and ability to draw guests to visit this once desolate desert on the Gulf of Hormuz on the Arabian Peninsula.

It is today one of the most popular tourist destination for resort stays and is the hub of the fantastic Emirates Airlines which has become one of the finest formidable international players.

Of the nearly 4 million residents of the United Arab Emirates, only 17% are Emirate and 35% are Indian nationals. The population working in the amazing resorts is quite international give a hugely western influence.

The Burj Al Arab Hotel, often referred to as the World’s only 7-Star Hotel sits on a manmade island some 920 feet from the mainland and is nearly 1025 feet tall. It is one of the world’s tallest hotels. It continues to be an enigma after opening to great media fanfare in 1999.

I was fortunate to spend a night at this wonderful hotel during my forced overnight stay from an Emirates flight to Cairo. It was without doubt-amazing!!!

I have had the great fortune to visit and stay at the very finest resorts and hotels in the world and I clearly understand why the Burj is still THE BEST. There has been some controversy as to the hotel not being completely refurbished and a handful called it tired. It is frankly, over the top, immaculately maintained to perfection, and while the color schemes and suite décor are of another era, it is unique and adds to the Arabic mystique of the UAE!

The smallest suites are some 1890 square feet and many feature 2 levels with a sweeping grand staircase. The bathrooms are sheathed in Italian marble, mosaic tiles and resplendent with more full-sized Hermes bathroom amenities than any hotel elsewhere.

While my 2-level Panoramic Suite was on the 5^th and 6^th floor of this grand palace, it was some 2500 square feet in size and offered sweeping views to the West and the Gulf.

Upon arrival, I was met by a host of young ladies, fresh scented towel, fresh dates to snack on, and the concierge and butler to whisk me to my suite and show me all the many electronic gadgets to o and confuse me! All in all, I was overwhelmed by the genuine kindness of the staff and the ability of Burj management to hand select its employees by personality…  The key here is genuine warmth and personality making the guest feel welcome in someone’s private home!

So, here I am to savor my 2-story suite with massive floating bedroom over the Gulf, a full-sized office with laptop, massive living room, bar, dining room, and bar! I had to check out all the details and see how everything worked-too much fun …

Click to view slideshow.http://cruisecenter.smugmug.com/Travel/Burj-Al-Arab-Hotel-Dubai/25953231_WnbNvB#!i=2152449965&k=L9zJdRJ

I decided to keep my electronic shades open and wake up naturally with the sunrise at 5am. My night’s sleep was erratic to due to jet lag so I decided to go exploring. The architecture and changing colors with moving sun both natural and lit on the interior atrium of this hotel was the most beautiful thing I experienced.. I was in awe of the color used on the interior atrium of the hotel.  It was a hot morning with a dusty red sky and a helpful staff member took me on a golf cart tour of the grounds without me having to ask. Again, impressive staff here that go-beyond! My Butler brought room service promptly at 645am and then off to do some more exploring of the gorgeous lobby, fountains, massive fish tank, and aplomb that this spotlessly clean and massive hotel structure affords its most privileged guests staying in its relatively low suite count of 202 spectacular suites…

As it was the day after my 51^st birthday, my butler brought me a bouquet of gorgeous roses and chocolate cake with macaroons! I was shocked and surprised by the generosity. Would I come back? YES!!!!

I was fortunate to have a buffet lunch on the top floor  restaurant (equivalent to the 60^th floor) which offered a spectacular buffet that rivaled the finest food quality found anywhere in the world. Lunch was taken with the Director of Sales, a lovely Turkish woman who again, embodied the style, class, and elegance of the fine reputation this hotel maintains.

To sum it up, this pricey property with rooms starting and $1800 USD per night is a splurge for most. I was one of a handful American’s staying at the hotel. Most of the other guests hailed from China and Russia!

I look forward to coming back to Burj Al Arab and will hands-down say, it is the BEST OF THE BEST!

TOM’S PHOTOS

http://cruisecenter.smugmug.com/Travel/Burj-Al-Arab-Hotel-Dubai/25953231_WnbNvB#!i=2152449965&k=L9zJdRJ

In the world filled with bad airline public relations, long airport and flight delays,  cancelled flights, lost luggage, and rising customer complaints, there is one major airline that rises above the rest!

Emirates has been one of the rising stars since the mid-1990’s and has emerged as a solid brand offering near perfection as an airline catering to guests worldwide from its Dubai headquarters.

Nearly 50 million air traveler’s transverse Dubai International airport each year and 10 million visit this exciting wonderland in the desert of the Persian Gulf.

My flights took me from Houston, Texas to Cairo, Egypt roundtrip and I had the great fortune of traveling in Emirates wonderful “Award Winning” Business Class. My flights allowed me to overnight in Dubai both going to Cairo and coming home due to planned air schedules. I’ll report on Dubai in my next blog report. Upon check-in at Houston, I was treated professionally and with courtesy from the Emirates ground staff.

The boarding was smooth with priority boarding, I was soon sitting in my window seat 8A on a perfectly clean and maintained Boeing 777 extended range aircraft. I felt like I had my own cubicle with full reclining flat-bed seat, touch screen control panel that included Emirates exclusive ICE TV with hundreds of on-demand movies and television programs, seat controls, and seat massage control-yes, an in-seat massage!!! I also had a large screen 15 inch touch screen television; USB port, plug for laptop or electronic accessories, and many Emirates flights even have excellent wireless capability wherein one can use their mobile phone and email live from their flight. Emirates has created unique technology to allow this capability and is rolling it out to all aircraft in its huge fleet of Boeing 777, Airbus A340, and the coveted A380 (double decker) aircraft.

What I was most impressed with was how clean and maintained this plane was as well as all of my Emirates flights. This carrier rises above the rest to keep its planes looking fresh and nearly spotlessly clean-this is a major feat. I travel internationally frequently and have traveled on Air France, British Airways, KLM, and United in business Class during the last year with really mixed bag experiences. None of these compare to the quality, efficiency, or style of Emirates! Kudos!!!

The flight attendants are also stylish, well dressed, fit, and all look like they stepped out of a glamour magazine. I keep having great memories of old Pan am and TWA in the 1960’s when USA domestic travel was really first class… The multi-national onboard staffs remains professional, kept the plane clean during flight by picking up loose paper, plastic, food, and even folding a blanket when a guest makes his visit to the rest room….

The onboard amenity kit is a large overnight type of kit that includes full-sized shaving gear, toothbrush, comb, and a boxed set of Bulgari cologne and body crème… Now that is First class.

As I euvec and reviewing all the inflight offerings, the menu was delivered by a flight attendant that included several pages of international sumptuous choices for dining, a separate extensive wine and beverage list (all complimentary), and included my favorite Vueve Clicquot champagne…

My flight was pretty uneventful and fairly smooth for the 15 hour flight to Dubai. I watched several movies, slept a good 7 hours in my comfortable flat-bed complete with a mattress pad provided by the attendant to make the bed most comfortable and big comforter/blanket. It was pretty sublime by any flying standards…

The reason I gush as that this is a welcome change from most other carriers and flying on this airline (even in economy) beats almost anything else out there… And, by spades…

Emirates services most international gateways though its hub Dubai and is best suited for travelers heading to the Middle East, Asia, South Africa, and Australia from the USA.

The amazingly efficient Dubai International Airport is also a dream to visit with an amazing array of duty-free shops, dining venues, in-terminal hotel, and is as attractive an airport as one will find anywhere.

My flight sadly ended after a most pleasant flight and off to my hotel for a night stay at the world-famous Burj Al Arab Hotel. By the way, Emirates provides a complimentary hotel stay with transfers and meal vouchers for guests who have a forced overnight stay due to planned air schedules. Business class guests stay at the close-by Le Meridian Hotel.  Please ask Emirates for details when making your reservations.

The rest of my Emirates overseas trip and air flights were as pleasing with superb service, efficient on-time flights, and an amazingly pleasant flying experience.

Keep it up emirates as you are TOPS in my travel book…

Happy Flying.

Royal Caribbean International has announced the repositioning of two of its Voyager Class vessels to Asia year round. Both Voyager and Mariner of the Seas will set sail to Asia to meet the demands of the growing Asia cruise market in 2012 and 2013…

Mariner of the Seas has been a perennial favorite sailing part of the year in the Caribbean and seasonally in Europe. She currently sails in the Mediterranean but spends November through April sailing from Galveston, Texas to the sunny Western Caribbean on 7-day cruises.

On April 21, 2013, this 3500 passenger mega-ship complete with massive ice-skating rink, rock-climbing wall, Johnny Rockets, Royal Promenade (mall down the middle of the ship, and oh-so much more sets sail from Galveston for a 41-day cruise to Singapore!!!! This is basically a HALF-AROUND THE WORLD CRUISE!

This exciting cruise heads across the warm South Atlantic to Barcelona, Egypt, Suez Canal, Jordan (for Petra-one of the 7-Wonders of the World), Dubai, India, Malaysia, and into Singapore…

Cruise devotees get your check books ready!!! This cruise starts at 2307 per person for an inside cabin, 2967 for an ocean view cabin, and 3597 for a balcony room… all of this from just 56 dollars a day!!! Who can afford to stay home! One way to airfare home  to the East Coast starts as low as 724….

Put this in perspective- a full 90 day World cruise on Queen Mary 2 in 2013 starts at 17,356 per person… This cruise is roughly half that length at pennies on the dollar in cost!!!  Unbelievable? No, it is for real…

If you have the time, funds, and ability-take this cruise!!!! Sure, beverages, taxes, tips, and excursions are extra-but it is still one of the best values I have ever seen…

I am working on a an excursion program for Egypt where my booked guests will have access to private and affordable excursions in Egypt (including overnight stay to maximize the most sightseeing), Luxor and Karnak, and Petra in Jordan-just to name some…

Royal Caribbean offers an amazing array of lively entertainment so one could never get bored but don’t expect heavy cerebral lecture series or enrichment. This isn’t the mantra of this particular brand.

This does allow an avid cruiser a great port sampler to add to his “bucket list” and to get half way around the world at a most affordable price… Hurry though; this is going to sell-out and FAST!

Happy Cruising!!!