Royal Caribbean International announces 2010 Europe Cruises
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Royal Caribbean International announces 2010 Europe Cruises
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Category: Europe - Industry economy
- Hotel projects
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2009-03-13
Eight Ships Offer Vacationers Widest Range of Choices for a Spectacular Family Cruise
Royal Caribbean International today announces the deployment of eight ships in Europe for 2010. Reinforcing the cruise line’s “Nation of Why Not” campaign, promoting guest experiences undreamed of on other vacations, Royal Caribbean is offering guests unparalleled combinations of innovative cruise ships and compelling Europe cruise itineraries, ranging from four to 14 nights, and three- to five-night cruisetour vacation extensions, in the Mediterranean, and Northern and Western Europe. In addition to the Freedom-class Independence of the Seas – the largest, most amenity-filled ship to sail in Europe – Royal Caribbean also will position three Voyager-class ships in the region for the very first time, with Adventure of the Seas to make her European debut and join sister-ships Navigator of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas. Also sailing European waters in 2010 will be Brilliance of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas and Vision of the Seas. In all, Royal Caribbean is unveiling 57 unique Europe itineraries, visiting 22 countries and 55 ports. Bookings open immediately for 2010 Europe cruises and cruisetours aboard all ships.
“Royal Caribbean International’s 2010 Europe season offers a myriad of spectacular cruise and cruisetour choices for family and adventurous vacationers,” said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Cruising in Europe is well-known as the best vacation value to see the continent’s historic and cultural destinations. A Royal Caribbean Europe cruise and cruisetour will combine a European vacation with some of world’s most innovative cruise ships, featuring exclusive onboard amenities that will lend to all the ‘why not’ moments guests can experience onboard.”
Although Royal Caribbean will position the same number of ships in 2009 and 2010, the 3,114-guest Adventure of the Seas will replace the 1,804-guest Legend of the Seas and boosts the line’s capacity by 1,310 berths. The 2010 season will debut Adventure of the Seas’ seven-night sailings from Malaga, Spain, and Vision of the Seas’ 12-night Holy Land voyages from Venice, Italy. Also brand new for Royal Caribbean in 2010 will be maiden port calls at Akureyri, Iceland, and Gothenburg, Sweden.
Guests also can combine their Royal Caribbean cruise with three-, four- and five-night escorted land tours to some of Europe’s more inland and culturally rich cities on a Royal Caribbean cruisetour. Four cruisetour options feature packages to Madrid and Barcelona; Venice, Florence and Rome; Italian Lakes featuring Lake Como, Stresa and Venice; and Paris and London. Royal Caribbean will take care of all the details, enabling guests to focus on soaking in the destinations visited – and affording plenty of free time for exploration and independent pursuits. A tour director will escort each group on the cruisetour itineraries, and ground transfers, hotel reservations, city tours and some meals are inclusive.
Shore excursions on 2010 Europe itineraries also will offer a wide array of unforgettable experiences, including, for example, an exclusive after-hours tour of St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum; a hike of Italy’s Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii, beginning at a height of 3,000 feet; and a trek that blends four miles of hiking and walking along Corfu’s magnificent beaches and coastal villages.
Sailing from Southampton, U.K., Independence of Seas will launch a third season in Europe with 14-night alternating Eastern and Western Mediterranean itineraries and 10- and 11-night Canary Island voyages. Independence of the Seas is the only ship in Europe exclusively featuring amenities that have revolutionized the modern cruise industry, with the FlowRider surf simulator, the H20 Zone water park, a boxing ring, cantilevered whirlpools, and the four-bedroom/four-bath Presidential Family Suite. With eight restaurants and more than 15 bars and lounges, Independence of the Seas offers vacationers a unique onboard experience found on no other ship in Europe.
The three Voyager-class ships – each of which offer guests ice-skating rinks, the line’s iconic rock-climbing wall, a nine-hole miniature golf course, and the Royal Promenade boulevard, with shops, restaurants, bars and lounges that run nearly the length of the ship – will ply Mediterranean waters on a wide-ranging slate of voyages next year. Adventure of the Seas’ inaugural season in Europe will kick-off with four- and five-night Western Mediterranean sailings roundtrip from Barcelona. In late June, the ship will continue with seven-night voyages roundtrip from Malaga, Spain, on a new itinerary with calls at Italy’s Rome (Civitavecchia), Cagliari in Sardinia, and Ajaccio in Corsica; and Spain’s Palma de Mallorca. In late fall, Adventure of the Seas will conclude her Europe season with a series of five-night voyages alternating between the Mediterranean and Canary Islands, roundtrip from Malaga.
Navigator of the Seaswill feature seven-night sailings, alternating between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean roundtrip from Rome (Civitavecchia) during the summer. From April to May and September to October, she will sail from the “Eternal City” on 12-night Eastern Mediterranean cruises, the highlight of which will be a full two days-stay in Alexandria, Egypt. For its part, Voyager of the Seas will reprise its series of seven-night voyages to Rome, Naples, Florence, and France’s Nice (Villefranche) and Marseilles, from her homeport of Barcelona.
For the first time ever, Royal Caribbean will debut a 12-night voyage roundtrip voyage from Venice to the Holy Land aboard Vision of the Seas. The itinerary will feature an overnight in Venice prior to departure and boasts extended port time – until 10 pm or 11 pm – in Israel’s Ashdod and Haifa and Egypt’s Port Said and Alexandria. Other calls include Split, Croatia; Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey; and Athens (Piraeus), Greece.
Reprising its 2009 cruise schedule, Splendour of the Seas will sail seven-night voyages roundtrip from Venice, alternating between a “Greek Isles” itinerary calling at Split, Croatia and Greece’s Corfu, Athens, Mykonos, and Katakolon; and a “Greek Isles and Turkey” sailing with calls at Dubrovnik, Croatia, Ephesus, and Greece’s Santorini and Corfu.
For the third consecutive year, Brilliance of the Seas will sail from Barcelona, offering “Greek Isles” and “Mediterranean Venice” cruises, both of which are 12 nights in length. In November and December the ship will sail featuring four 12-night “Egypt and Eastern Mediterranean” voyages, featuring a two-day overnight stay in Alexandria, Egypt.
Jewel of the Seas will venture into Northern European waters, continuing on its 12-night Baltic “Scandinavia and Russia” itinerary roundtrip from London, the highlights of which are an overnight call in St. Petersburg and first time calls at Gothenburg, Sweden.
On every Royal Caribbean ship, guests enjoy the cruise line’s award-winning onboard programming, including Broadway-style musical revues from Royal Caribbean Productions, Adventure Ocean youth programming and teen-only spaces fleetwide, and Royal Caribbean’s Gold Anchor standard of friendly and engaging service from every staff and crew.
Travel agent professionals can stay abreast of the latest Royal Caribbean International deployment news at http://www.cruisingpower.com/royalcaribbeandeployment. The microsite offers agents a central repository to view announced itineraries and download deployment flyers
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