Cruise Holidays - Attheta Travel

Do you want to hear about the safety, value and overall appeal of cruising from leading industry experts? Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, has launched a YouTube channel called Cruise Industry TV. Located at youtube.com/cruiseindustrytv , the new channel provides information on the fun of cruising and cruise industry practices that are designed to keep passengers safe, happy and enjoying every minute of their vacations. Cruise Industry TV highlights the diverse experiences and destinations the cruise industry delivers to more than 20 million passengers each year. In addition to safety practices, there’s a wealth of information on industry operations in areas such as health environmental protection. Cruise Industry TV has three main sections: Industry Practices, Information for Cruise Vacationers, and CLIA Travel Agents. The Information for Cruise Vacationers section has videos from a variety of cruise li...

Cruising is a popular choice when two, three or even four generations of a family want to vacation together. There are a number of trends that are contributing to the growth in multi-generational cruising:   ·          The baby boom generation has entered the ranks of senior citizens with a desire to stay active and to spend more time with their children and grandchildren. By hopping on a cruise ship, a family can see the world in comfort and togetherness.   ·          The boomer generation is increasing the overall affluence of the senior population, and many of them can afford to pay part or all of what it takes for their children and grandchildren to get on board.   ·          The younger end of the boomer generation is still working and using their limited vacation time to be with their own parents as well as their children. ...

When the opportunity to take a Cruise Holidays training class was offered in Seattle this month, we decided to take advantage of the training and re-visit Alaska as well.   This was to be our third sailing on the Celebrity Solstice – the second time this year.   Needless to say, Celebrity is our favorite, big ship company, and the Solstice is still one of our favorites.   The ship is 5 years young and as beautiful as ever!   We had arrived very late the night before our ship sailed.   After a short night, our friends, Ned and Carolyn Nelson, who are also our clients, picked us up at our hotel and took us to Pier 91.   Although the traffic was heavy, once at the pier, check-in was a breeze and we were onboard in under an hour after leaving our hotel. We boarded the Celebrity Solstice on Friday, 31 May.   The news on CNN about the tornados in the Oklahoma City area (again…), our sail-away enthusiasm was slightly diminished.   Only w...

Early reviews from travel agents and passengers indicate that the new ship from Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Breakaway , provides a terrific onboard experience. Some of the most-talked-about features include: The Aqua Park. With five full-size water slides, this water park is thrilling for all ages. If you dare, the twin “free fall” slides will drop you and a friend nearly straight down for several stories. There are also two pools, hot tubs, and a SpongeBob-themed play area for little ones.   The Sports Complex. This three-story playground includes lots of great activities for kids, teens and adults, including an intricate suspended ropes course, nine-hole mini golf course, basketball court, rock climbing wall and bungee trampoline. The Staterooms. The mix of stateroom options includes unique Studio staterooms designed for solo travelers; and, elegant suites in The Haven, “ship within a ship” accommodations that offer 24-hour butler service and access to a s...

Note: this client returned to Seattle from Vancouver the day AFTER the bridge collapsed on I-5. We left Vancouver at 11:30 am and finally arrived in Seattle at 6:00 pm!  It was a long bus ride, but we saw some very nice scenery!  If you have any clients that are going on a cruise leaving out of Vancouver, you might want to advise them of this bridge problem.  People might want to take the train or if they drive or take a bus, might want to get up to Vancouver a day ahead of schedule.  Also, upon returning to Seattle, people might want to take the train back (although you get into Seattle late - about 9 pm) and if they're flying out, spend the night in Seattle.   We had a really great cruise -  the suite was perfect for 4 people!  Room service was super fast!  Of course, I called them about 5 am for coffee and not many people are up that early!  We really enjoyed the Neptune Lounge!  Our cabin steward was great!  A wheelcha...

So far, 2013 has been an incredible year for new ship launches, especially for river cruise lines. No launch has been more attention-getting than one held March 20 in The Netherlands, where Viking River Cruises christened 10 new ships in a single day. In fact, the event received recognition from the Guinness Book of World Records : Viking is now entered as having “the most ships inaugurated in one day by one company.” All 10 ships are identical Viking Longships, a series first introduced in 2012. These long and low ships (made to glide under low bridges and into narrow docks) include river cruise ship innovations such as indoor-outdoor viewing areas and two-room suites; they are also equipped with herb gardens, solar panels and energy-efficient hybrid engines. The ships are now sailing major rivers in France, Germany and Austria; in the Eastern European countries of Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria; and through the springtime tulip fields of The Netherlands. Riv...

Since ancient times, ships have been ceremoniously blessed before their first voyages in the hopes that the gods, and the seas, would treat them kindly. Long ago, ships were blessed with a splash of water, wine – or human blood. As time went on, the ship-christening liquid of choice became champagne, and the honor of breaking a bottle over the ship’s hull was given to female members of royal families. More recently, ship christenings have become major red-carpet events, and the bottle-breaking honors belong to “godmothers” who lend their star status, prestige and glamour to the launch of a new ship.   Female royalty still rank among the most elegant godmothers. Queen Elizabeth has christened two ships for Cunard Line; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, will be the godmother of Princess Cruises’ new Royal Princess when it launches on June 13.   Some godmothers bring Hollywood style to cruising, including actresses Julie Andrews (Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity ); Soph...