Book Regent Now to Beat April 1st Fare Increase

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has announced that it is raising rates effective April 1, 2010, on its 2010 Europe itineraries.  Currently, Regent is offering up to $1,000 off already 2-for-1 fares for a number of Mediterranean cruises aboard the Seven Seas Mariner.  On top of the savings rates, Regent also is offering free roundtrip airfare, free unlimited shore excursions, and free business class airfare for guests who book a Penthouse Suite or above.  Penthouse Suites or above also come complete with  dedicated Butler Service.  Guests below the Penthouse Suite can upgrade to Business Class air for a low promotional rate of $999 each way.

Consider the following cruises (Note:  all rates include airfare from select gateway cities, all taxes and port charges, gratuities, and complimentary beverages):

• July 10-21, 2010, Rome to Venice (11 Nights), visiting Sorrento, Amalfi/Positano, Taormina, Olympia, Corfu, Kotor & Dubrovnik, Korcula, and Koper.  Click here for details.
• July 21-31, 2010, Venice to Barcelona (10 Nights), visiting Dubrovnik, Corfu, Sarande, Olympia, Taormina, Sorrento, Rome/Civitavecchia, Livorno, and Marseille.  Click here for details.
• July 31-August 7, 2010, Barcelona to Rome (7 Nights), visiting Palma de Mallorca, Mahon, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, Portofino, and Livorno.  Click here for details.
• August 7-19, 2010, Rome to Venice (12 Nights), visiting Sardinia, Sorrento, Trapani, La Goulette, Valletta, Santorini, Olympia, Corfu, and Durbrovnik.  Click here for details.
• August 19-26, 2010, Venice to Athens (7 Nights), visiting Split, Kotor, Corfu, Sarande, Olympia, and Santorini.  Click here for details.
• August 26-September 5, 2010, Athens to Istanbul (10 Nights), visiting Kusadasi, Sevastopol, Sochi, Yalta, Odessa, Constanta/Bucharest, and Nessebur.  Click here for details.
• September 5-15, 2010, Istanbul to Athens (10 Nights), visiting Mykonos, Santorini, Kusadasi/Ephesus, Rhodes, Limassol, Haifa, and Asdod (overnight).  Click here for details.

Some things to know about Regent:

• All rooms are spacious suites with balconies.  Minimum square feet is 252, with an additional 49 square foot balcony.
• Dining is open seating in one of four onboard dining venues.  They include Prime 7, offering contemporary interpretations of classic American steakhouse fare; Signatures, serving French cuisine inspired by Le Cordon Bleu; Compass Rose, Regent's flagship restaurant serving up continental speciatlies; and La Veranda, serving elegant buffets.
• All gratuities, soft drinks, and most alcoholic beversages are complimentary onboard.
• Dress is elegant casual; there are no formal nights.
• Ships are mid-size, catering to a maximum of just 700 guests, making for a more intimate, relaxes experience.

Silversea Announces Extraordinary Savings on Select Cruises.

Today, we received word from Silversea Cruises about select 2010 voyages that we can offer at huge savings rates.  Silversea is a trul luxury line, sailing smaller ships rich with luxurious appointments and amenities.  All gratuities, non-alcoholic, and most alcoholic beverages are included, and many promotional rates include roundtrip airfare from major North American gateways.  Here are just a few examples:

• Silversea Cruises Below $3,000 per person (including alcoholic beverages and gratuities):
• April 21-28, 2010, San Juan to Fort Lauderdale, visiting St. Barts, Antigua, Tortola, and Turks and Caicos, $2,758, including airfare! (compared to brochure rate of $6,895).
• December 21-28, 2010, Barbados roundtrip, visiting Dominca, St. Barts, Tortola, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, from $2,798 (compared to brochure rate of $6,995)
• Silversea Cruises Below $4,000 per person (including airfare and gratuities):
• June 17-24, 2010, Stockholm roundtrip, visiting Szczecin (Poland), Ronne (Denmark), Gdynia (Poland), Riga (Latvia), and Mariehamn (Finland), from $3,638, including airfare! (compared to $9,095 brochure rate).
• July 16-23, 2010, Copenhagen roundtrip, transiting the Kiel Canal and visiting Hamburg (Germany), Kristiansand, Oslo (Norway), and Skagen (Denmark), from $3,638, including airfare! (compared to $9,095 brochure rate).
• July 18-24, 2010, Rome to Barcelona, visiting Porto Vecchio (Corsica), Portoferraio (Italy), Livorno (Italy, overnight), Cannes (France), and St. Tropez (France), from $3,758, including airfare! (compared to $9,395 brochure rate).
• July 25-August 1, 2010, Barcelona to Lisbon, visiting Formentera (Balearic Islands), Valencia (Spain), Cartagena (Spain), Malaga (Spain), and ending with an overnight in Lisbon, from $3,758, including airfare! (compared to $9,395 brochure rate).

All of these rates are for at least ocean view suites, boasting tremendous square footage and luxurious appointments.  There are a number of other departures at similar savings.  Should you like to experience these departures, we can also secure for you some additional amenities.  At these rates, factoring in the included gratuities, soft drinks, wine and other alcoholic beverages, and airfare, cruisers can experience Silversea Cruises at an overall cost that rivals some of the mass market and premium lines.  Visit our website at http://www.LuxuryCruiseCounselors.com, or give us a call toll free at (866) 368-7327.

New Choices on the Horizon for Alaska in 2011

Currently, two luxury cruise lines sail Alaska: Regent and Silversea. That is about to change in 2011. Crystal Cruises will return to Alaska for the first time since it retired the Crystal Harmony from its fleet. Disney Cruise Line also has announced plans to sail Alaska in 2011, giving families a welcome (and fun) alternative to the current offering of contemporary family-oriented ships. Finally, rumor has it that with the introduction of a 4th ship to its fleet, Oceania Cruises for the first time will be sailing Alaska in 2011. These will be in addition to the mainstays in Alaska: Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity Cruises.

All of this raises the question, of course, of whether the Alaska market (which proved soft in 2009) can fill all these new beds. What do you think? Will the return of Crystal and the introduction of Disney and Oceania merely service a segment of the market that previously was underserved in Alaska, or will their introduction lead to market over-saturation?

Some of the Best Promotions in the Luxury Market

Here is a rundown of some of the better promotions going on right now in the luxury cruise market.

This week, Crystal Cruises announced its 20th Anniversary Celebration. Its offers throughout 2010 are some of the most extraordinary out there, especially for the luxury market. The offers includes fares that are lower than comparable 2009 fares on many itineraries, offering better than 2-for-1 rates, free roundtrip economy class airfare for guests booking an ocean view and balcony (remember, Crystal has no interior staterooms) and free business class air for guests booking suites and higher, and up to $2,000 "As You Wish" spending credit onboard. This is in addition to Crystal's price guarantee, which means that should you book and your fare goes down before sailing, Crystal will rerate your cruise to the lower rate automatically. These fares are enough for us to decide to host a Thanksgiving Cruise Holidays of Alexandria cruise aboard the Crystal Symphony roundtrip Los Angeles. Sail with us November 21-28, 2010, and you'll enjoy the extraordinary rate of just $2,165 for a Category E stateroom, plus prepaid gratuities and a $500 "As You Wish" spending credit.

Oceania also has released its 2010/2011 Winter Collection. It's entire collection (as in years past) includes free roundtrip airfare and up to $3,000 off 2-for-1 rates. A first for Oceania is its new pricing structure. No longer do guests have to add air and cruise taxes, which in previous years could add as much as $1,000 to the rate. Now, the rates include all taxes, lending themselves to no surprises. The only additional costs to the guest are transfers and of course the onboard expenses, such as gratuities and beverages. But these too are minimized. First, Oceania has begun to include non-alcoholic beverages free-of-charge on board its ships. Second, the largest Oceania travel partners, like Cruise Holidays of Alexandria, have negotiated pre-paid gratuities for their guests onboard, saving them hundreds of dollars additional on their cruise.

Finally, Silversea has offered an array of incredible opportunities to sail one of its luxury ships. Silversea still is offering up to 60% off numerous itineraries. This puts Silversea within reach of many people who in the past could not afford to travel aboard. When you consider that Silversea is all-inclusive, and therefore guests will not face a large bill at the end of the cruise for such things as beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcholic) or for gratuities, Silversea absolutely is worth considering. But don't wait; Silversea already has announced plans to discontinue its 60% off rates beginning in early October.

For these or any other cruise offers, contact Cruise Holidays toll free at (866) 368-7327. You never pay more with us than booking directly with the cruise line, and frequently pay less.