Carnival Horizon to sail from NYC in summer 2018

Image result for carnival horizon pictures
Carnival Horizon to sail from New York

After a debut in the Mediterranean, the Carnival Horizon will spend the summer of 2018 cruising from New York.

The Horizon, the second ship in Carnival’s Vista class, is scheduled to arrive in New York on May 23, 2018, after a 14-day repositioning cruise from Barcelona. It will sail from the Big Apple through Sept. 5 on eight-day cruises to the Caribbean, before redeploying to Miami on Sept. 22.

Carnival said the 4,000-passenger ship will make its maiden voyage on April 2, 2018, with a 13-day Mediterranean cruise round trip from Barcelona. A couple of seven-day Med cruises follow.

In addition to the new features introduced on the Carnival Vista, such as an IMAX theater and the SkyRide bicycle ride, there will be “a variety of unique dining and bar concepts and spectacular outdoor spaces found only on Carnival Horizon,” Carnival said.

Celebrity to add overnight port stays on long Caribbean cruises

Celebrity Cruises said it will add an overnight stay to the itinerary of Caribbean cruises of 10 days or longer, starting in January 2016. The decision affects 43 cruises, said Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior vice president of sales, trade support and services.

Ritzenthaler stressed that overnights are typically a feature of cruises outside the Caribbean, so Celebrity is breaking ground with the move.

“This gives us the ability to say we have more overnights in the Caribbean than any cruise line in the industry,” Ritzenthaler said. “While overnights have been a trend in the marketplace in Europe and in Asia, there really hasn’t been a movement and we believe we are a leader in this initiative.”

The destinations where overnights are planned include Aruba, Barbados, Cartagena, Cozumel, Curacao and St. Maarten. Ritzenthaler said they are among the highest-rated destinations in the Caribbean by guests.

“Consumer and trade research indicates this is something they desire,” Ritzenthaler said.

Of Celebrity’s 10 ships, five are scheduled to be in the Caribbean in the first quarter of 2016, but not all do itineraries of 10 days or longer.

Celebrity has been selling the 2016 Caribbean winter season since the fall of 2014 and cruises have been booking well, Ritzenthaler said. Now booked guests will get the bonus of an overnight stay. “This will be a really wonderful gift for these folks,” she said. “This will be something that will be a really nice opportunity for them. We think it will be a differentiator.”

Royal Caribbean gives US residents a tax holiday

Royal Caribbean – giving US residents a five-day tax holiday

 In a novel US tax season twist, Royal Caribbean International is letting travelers off the hook for cruise-related taxes and port fees. For five days only, from April 11 through 15, the line will pay the taxes, port charges and fees on new cruise bookings.

With Royal Caribbean’s ‘Tax-Free Holiday,’ US residents can save up to $200 per person when they book a six-night or longer Bahamas, Caribbean and roundtrip-Europe itinerary. The offer applies to sailings that depart April 15, 2015, through March 31, 2016, but does not include Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.

Starting April 11, details will be at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/TaxFree.