Crown and Anchor Updates
Starting November 11th, Crown and Anchor Society Members with 
Royal Caribbean can be considered for a complimentary stateroom upgrade the week prior to sailing. Crown & Anchor members must select their upgrade preferences at RoyalCaribbean.com/CrownandAnchor. Complimentary upgrades will only be processed for members whose preferences have been registered. In other Crown and Anchor news, single passengers in a cabin will get extra points for their sailings and members will also be rewarded with a $25 onboard credit for every stateroom your friends and family reserve when they sail with you on your next Royal Caribbean International cruise. Contact us for exciting cruise deals around the world.
Free Internet at Sea
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is expanding its all-inclusive product with free Wi-Fi. Beginning this fall, concierge-level 
and higher passengers will receive up to 500 minutes based on the length of the voyage. Sailings of one to seven nights will receive 200 minutes, while eight to 10 nights will get 300 minutes. Itineraries of 11 to 15 nights will come with 400 minutes and all sailings longer than 16 nights will get 500 minutes. Concierge-level and higher passengers may also opt to upgrade to an unlimited package at half the price of a standard package. Regent is also investing several million dollars in upgrading the fleet’s wireless infrastructure. As part of the upgrade Regent will double satellite bandwidth, expand the Wi-Fi signal range to the entire length of the ships, and replace all onboard hardware including modems, routers and bandwidth compression equipment.
Holland America’s Explore4
Holland America Line is enticing your family to book early for the 2014 season with four exceptional offers under the Explore4 early booking promotion. Explore4 focuses on four value-added exclusive extras when you book select December 2013 holiday cruises and 2014 sailings. To receive all four offers together, bookings must be made by November 15. The Explore4 benefits include a free Signature Beverage Package or beverage card; a free specialty restaurant dinner; free or reduced fares for third and fourth guests in the same stateroom; and 50 percent reduced deposits. Book early for the best cabin availability and pricing!
Short Cruises on Princess
We are excited to note that Princess Cruises has launched a variety of short cruises. On the West Coast, you can choose from three- 
and four-day cruises from late September to early January, offering ports of call in Santa Barbara, Catalina Island and San Diego in California in addition to Ensenada in Mexico. The cruises depart Los Angeles on the Golden Princess and Sapphire Princess. Princess is also offering a few short cruises from Houston for the first time and returning to a short-cruise program from Fort Lauderdale. From Fort Lauderdale, Princess is using the Ruby Princess for a series of four- and five-day cruises on both Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. The Eastern route includes stops at Princess Cay and Grand Turk, with two cruises that also include Nassau. The western route includes either Grand Cayman Island or Cozumel on the four-day itinerary, and both destinations on the five-day cruise.
Volunteer While Cruising
Our cruise excursion provider, ShoreTrips, has launched a new program that lets your family spend a morning helping charities. The program, 
called GIVE, offers nine four-hour volunteer tourism excursions on five Caribbean islands — Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Thomas and Tortola. Belize, Roatan and Cozumel will soon be added. The GIVE tours differ in content from island to island. For example, on Barbados, you can help a volunteer lunch program, preparing meals and cleaning up. On St. Thomas, options include volunteering at a rescue animal shelter or a community development organization. ShoreTrips plans to include one charitable activity as an option in its “Three-Port Discount Package” of Caribbean shore excursions. Land based vacationers can also take advantage of this unique program.
Crystal’s Hypoallergenic Cabins
Allergy-friendly pillows and bedding are not a rare find on cruise ships. But entirely hypoallergenic cabins will be a 
first for the industry when Crystal Cruises gives 70 verandah cabins aboard Crystal Serenity the “Extreme Makeover” during its November dry dock. Partnering with PURE Marine Solutions, the cabins will undergo a seven-step process to remove all allergens, bacteria and viruses. Among the weapons in the hypoallergenic arsenal are ozone shock treatment, air purification system, tea tree oil cartridge and hypoallergenic bedding. The luxury line is preparing for a $17-million redesign with sweeping makeovers of the ship’s Crystal Penthouses (the line’s coveted top accommodations) and Lido Deck, including the popular indoor/outdoor Trident Grill, Tastes restaurant, and Crystal Serenity’s Lido cafe. Crystal is expanding its green concept “living wall” to the Lido area as well. Maintenance, cleaning, mechanical updates, and environmental upgrades will also be implemented throughout the ship’s interior and exterior spaces.
Disney Cruise Line Updates
Disney Cruise Line will prohibit smoking on stateroom balconies effective November 15. However, portions of open-air decks on each ship will continue to be designated as smoking areas. Guests found smoking in their staterooms or on their verandahs will be charged $250 for air filter replacement, carpet extraction, verandah cleaning and cleaning and replacement of drapes, comforters, blankets and pillows. In addition, the cruise line will drop language prohibiting shorts in as suitable dining room attire. The change applies to the three “rotational” restaurants on Disney ships, such as Animator’s Palate, but not the specialty restaurants such as Palo or Remy. Through September 30, cruise from Miami on the Disney Magic are on sale with 5 night sailings to the Western Caribbean.
French Barging for Families
Looking for a unique and relaxing way to travel with your family in France? Barges in France wants your family to save 20 percent off regular rates on the June 1, 2014 canal cruise on the 8 passenger and ultra-deluxe C’Est la Vie barge. 
Cruise through the centuries-old Burgundy canal on this lovely 6-day trip. The barge will moor in picturesque, medieval villages and meander through miles of magnificent countryside dotted with wineries and chateaux, where superb wines, bountiful regional cheeses and sumptuous foods are synonymous with the good life in this part of the country. The itinerary in Northern Burgundy includes visits to the Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay, the Renaissance Chateau of Ancy le France, local markets, and the historic town of Auxerre. A drive through the vineyards to Chablis for a wine tasting will highlight the beauty and practicality of this well-known area. Sit back and unwind as your cruise takes you into the peaceful and tranquil life that defines rural France. Walk, jog or bike on the various towpaths along the way or relax on the sun deck and soak up the rays and enjoy the ever-changing vistas. Explore the route on one of the bicycles provided on board as you breeze along the riverbank, or stroll through the picturesque villages along the towpath and meet up with the boat at the next lock.
New NCL Programs
Norwegian Cruise Line is introducing new offerings for parents with toddlers as well as for fans of magic and illusion. 
The cruise line just added a new fleetwide program called Guppies for parents and children ages 6 months to 3 years old. The programs lets parents engage in sensory-based activities with their little ones including art, Rhyme Time and a mini workout. Meanwhile, the cruise line announced a new magic-themed dinner show on the Norwegians Getaway when it enters service next February. The Illusionarium will feature a 30-foot video dome and a collection of magic artifacts in a steampunk-inspired environment. The show, inspired by magicians such as Houdini, is being designed in part by magician Jeff Hobsob. There will be 12 magic and illusion performances per cruise, two shows per night. The venue will seat about 230-240 people for dinner; the cover charge has not been determined.
Crystal’s Dream Job
Crystal Cruises announced a variety of new shore excursions and onboard programming to inspire children to focus on a dream job. 
Each cruise offers a different career option. For example, your children and grandchildren can demystify the last frontier with the Northern Enchantment voyage from Copenhagen to Stockholm where they will get a taste of what becoming an astronaut entails. They will get a lesson in zero-gravity, check out the world’s largest hydro-space laboratory and install a space antenna while wearing an authentic liquid-cooled spacesuit. Future writers will want to check out the Aquitaine Tapestry voyage from Lisbon to London where they can take a journalism lesson from award-winning journalist, Tom DeFrank. Other cruise options feature careers such as a pilot, a veterinarian, an athlete and a teacher. And through August 30, Crystal allows a child free as a 3rd passenger on select 2013 and 2014 sailings!
