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Travelers Urged To Book Early For Best Pricing & Itineraries

New ships, expanded itineraries and strong early bookings from travel agents all point to a vibrant 2006 cruise season in Europe, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the premier marketing organization for 19 leading cruise lines and nearly 17,000 North American travel agencies.

Cruise vacationers in Europe lock in significant savings versus land-based travelers because they pay for accommodations, dining and entertainment beforehand in U.S. dollars, rather than paying out-of-pocket for such costs while traveling. Cruise guests also have the option of extending their vacation with hotel stays before or after their cruise, which can also be paid in U.S. dollars before departure.

"Much can be learned about the 2006 cruise season from last year," said Terry L. Dale, president and CEO of CLIA (www.cruising.org). "CLIA travel agents say that those travelers who booked early in 2005 received the best savings – and those who booked later were left with fewer itineraries and ships to choose from, and also paid higher cruise fares."

This year, CLIA-member cruise lines in Europe will offer remarkable journeys to all parts of the Continent. Northern Europe itineraries feature cosmopolitan capitals including London, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, as well as the bright flower fields of the Netherlands and lush greens of Ireland.

Baltic cruises focus on Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, with itineraries that include overnight hotel stays in Copenhagen and St. Petersburg, Russia. The region’s landscapes also include the rugged beauty of the Norwegian fjords and the North Cape, the proverbial "land of the midnight sun."

Eastern Mediterranean cruises visit ports across the Aegean Sea, including Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos and Crete. Seven-day cruises often depart from Piraeus (the port for Athens, Greece) and Istanbul, Turkey, for voyages across the Adriatic, Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas.

Western Mediterranean cruises sail to ports ranging from well-known cities to small villages, from the Adriatic to the Straits of Gibraltar, including Venice, Naples, Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Genoa, Italy. The voyages also call at Monte Carlo, Nice, Cannes, Ville de France and St. Tropez, France; Barcelona, Spain; and Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Southern Mediterranean cruises visit exotic ports of call along the Black Sea and coast of North Africa from Morocco to the Holy Lands, including Tunis, Tunisia; Tripoli, Libya; Alexandria, Egypt; and Haifa, Israel.

Following Is A List Of Europe Programs Offered In 2006

By CLIA-Member Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines celebrates its second year in Europe with a series 15 Grand Mediterranean cruises of 12 days each aboard Carnival Liberty. The itinerary, roundtrip from Civitavecchia (Rome), includes extended port calls in Naples, Dubrovnik, Venice, Sicily, Barcelona and Cannes.

Celebrity Cruises features sailings on four ships this year on itineraries that range from seven to 16 nights. The line’s ships will visit Spain’s Balearic Islands, the British Isles, the Norwegian fjords, Scandinavia, Russia, the Eastern and Western Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Luxury line Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Symphony operates in the waters of the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Western Europe while her sister, Crystal Serenity, will sail to Western and Northern Europe, the British Isles, Baltic Sea, North Cape, Mediterranean and Canary Islands.

Continuing Cunard Line’s longstanding tradition of offering its guests legendary voyages, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 sail European waters on itineraries of five to 18 days, roundtrip from Southampton, England; to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands.

Holland America Line deploys five ships in Europe on itineraries that feature 14 maiden port calls and 27 unique itineraries visiting ports in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Russia, Greenland and Iceland, North Cape and Polar Icecap, Black Sea, North Africa and the British Isles.

MSC Cruises positions its entire fleet of eight ships on Northern Europe and Mediterranean itineraries. Its newest vessel, MSC Musica, which debuts July 1, will sail its inaugural season on a series of seven-night cruises roundtrip from Venice throughout the summer and fall.

From May to October, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel features 16 seven-day itineraries from Barcelona and six 12-, 14- and 15-day one-time only itineraries. Norwegian Dream operates on 12-day Baltic Capitals itineraries from May to September, roundtrip from Dover, England.

Oceania Cruises deploys its fleet of three ships, Regatta, Insignia and Nautica, on itineraries that visit Scandinavia and Russia, the British Isles, Northern Europe, Western Europe and the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Africa and Greek Isles. Three voyages will visit Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

Four ships in the Princess Cruises fleet will sail on itineraries of seven to 16 days. In all, the ships will blanket the sailing regions of Scandinavia and Russia, the Mediterranean, including the Greek Isles, and the British Isles and Northern Europe.

Radisson Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Navigator joins Seven Seas Voyager for its first full season in Europe in four years. The luxury ships sail 24 seven- to 14-night voyages in Scandinavia and Russia, the British and Greek Isles, Byzantium, the Balkans, the Côte d’Azur, Iberia as well as the Adriatic and Mediterranean.

Royal Caribbean positions four ships in Europe, including Voyager of the Seas, marking the first time the line has put a 3,100-passenger vessel in Europe. Voyager of the Seas’ seven-night itineraries, roundtrip from Barcelona, will call at ports in France, Italy, Malta and Spain.

All three luxury Seabourn Cruise Line ships sail European waters on itineraries in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Itineraries range from seven to 17 days, with seven-day Mediterranean itineraries combinable up to four and five weeks with no repeating ports.

Silversea Cruises’ Silver Cloud, Silver Wind and Silver Whisper offer 61 voyages ranging from seven to 16 days visiting destinations in Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the U.K. and Ukraine.

SWAN HELLENIC

Swan Hellenic Cruises’ Minerva II features 15 European itineraries sailing to the Black Sea, Greek Isles, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Baltic, Norwegian fjords, Iberia, Western Mediterranean, North Africa and the Adriatic. The line makes its maiden call to Iceland in August.

Windstar Cruises’ Wind Surf, Wind Star and Wind Spirit sail a total of 40 voyages in the Mediterranean. Homeports include Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome, Athens, Monte Carlo, Málaga, Marseille, Nice and Venice. Non-repeating seven-day itineraries are available to create 14-day voyages with no repeating ports.

For additional information on Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), please visit their website at Cruising.org

 

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Last Modified: 01/12/06