Celebrity Names Fourth Solstice Class Ship

On the shortest day of 2009, Celebrity Cruises made a symbolic announcement with the naming of the fourth ship in its Solstice Class fleet. The 122,000-ton, 2,850-guest Celebrity Silhouette will enter service in April and joins the Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Eclipse ships.

Similar to its sisters, the Silohouette will include a half-acre Lawn Club with real grass and a glassblowing show and studio developed with The Corning Museum of Glass. The ship will feature larger staterooms (90 percent outside, 85 percent with verandas) and categories of accommodations, including Celebrity's ConciergeClass and spa-inspired AquaClass staterooms.

Celebrity sails in Alaska, California, Canada, New England, the Caribbean, Europe, Galapagos Islands, the Pacific Coast, Panama Canal and South America. Call 1-800-788-2545 or visit www.CruiseCafe.com.

Costa Spends $79 Million Refurbishing The Old Carnival Holiday

Costa Cruises is refurbishing the former Holiday of Carnival Cruise Lines for its new service as the Grand Holiday for Iberocruceros starting in May. The work, estimated at $79 million, is being done at the S. Giorgio yard in Genoa.

In addition to completely restyling the cabins and public areas, four new suites with balconies and a new wellness center will be built. The hull will be treated with a silicone-based paint that also increases the vessel’s hydrodynamic performance while reducing the environmental impact thanks to reduced fuel consumption, according to a prepared statement from Costa.

The Grand Holiday will be the fourth ship of Iberocruceros. The first cruise will depart from Barcelona on May 18, 2010, calling at Villafranche-sur-Mer, Leghorn, Civitavecchia and Porto Torres. The ship will sail seven-day cruises in the western Mediterranean during the summer season, departing from Barcelona on Sundays, calling at Villafranche, Leghorn, Civitavecchia, Naples and La Goulette.

The other three Costa ships having undergone routine maintenance work are the Magica (Nov. 4 to 18); the Mediterranea (Nov. 21 to Dec. 5) in Palermo; and the Marina (Nov. 4o to 18) in Genoa.

Norwegian Declares 2010 'The Year Of The Freestyle Vacation'

Norwegian Cruise Line is ringing in the New Year early with a bevy of promotions marking 2010 as “The Year of the Freestyle Vacation.” All new reservations through March 14, 2010 on any of the line’s 10 Freestyle Cruising ships will receive up to a six-category upgrade and on-board savings certificates of up to $400. In addition, bi-weekly promotions will feature special offers on select ships and destinations. The first offer from January 4-17, 2010 includes reduced deposits and kids from $249 for bookings on Norwegian Epic’s seven-day cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

“It has been ten years since Norwegian first introduced its innovative Freestyle Cruising, so it is fitting that we celebrate 2010 as ‘The Year of the Freestyle Vacation’ as we move to introduce the next phase of Freestyle Cruising with the launch of Norwegian Epic in the summer of 2010,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s chief executive officer. “We encourage travel partners to take advantage of these value-oriented offers to help spur consumers into booking their Freestyle vacation.”

For more information on this fantastic promotion, visit www.CruiseCafe.com or call us at 1-800-788-2545 today.