The year in cruising – 2014 edition
There has been a lot of cruise buzz lately (mostly not so good to be honest) but as a whole 2014 has seen a lot of growth in the cruise travel sector.
Topping off the list of positive events was the launching of new ships, specifically Royal Caribbean’s 4,180-passenger Quantum of the Seas; Norwegian Cruise Line’s 4,028-passenger Norwegian Getaway; and Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess.
Not all attention either was on the ocean vessels. In fact, river cruising as whole has continued to exceed expectations and companies like Viking Cruises is expanding by leaps-and-bounds. Besides new ships, there have been many improvements in the segmentation of services for guests onboard the ships. Besides the obvious onboard amenities to lure first time cruisers with out-of-the-ordinary attractions like zip lies, bumper cars, Broadway-caliber entertainment, the cruise lines have also made tweaks to dining programs by offering more diverse specialty dining experiences and more options that appeal to a more discerning traveler like Azamara’s Insider Access Tours and Cruise Global, Eat Local programs.
The quest to improve technology access on the ships was also creating buzz. For example, we wrote about faster Internet on ships in October, if you missed it click here to read all about it.
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2014 was a fun year for me. I had a couple opportunities to sail on the ships to report live from Silversea Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.
- Aegean discovery: Istanbul to Athens on Azamara Club Cruises Azamara Quest
- Athens to Venice (calling on Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, and Italy) via Silversea Cruises Silver Spirit
More cruise news from the web
Passenger Is Crowned Champion In Holland America’s Dancing With The Stars At Sea
December 30, 2014
The 15 Champions Cruise competitors represented each of the ships in the Holland America Line fleet. Joining the Champions Cruise to perform in a special production show were ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancers: two-time “Dancing with the Stars” champion Kym Johnson, Sharna Burgess and Artem Chigvintsev. Celebrities who have previously appeared on the hit television show and performed onboard included actress Sabrina Bryan and television personality Carson Kressley. Read more at Cruise Hive
10 Great Caribbean cruise deals for the New Year
December 29, 2014
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to take a cruise vacation, or you just need to unwind after the holidays. Read more at USA Today
How Did Cruise Critic’s 2014 Cruise Industry Predictions Turn Out?
December 29, 2014
Yes, on some level cruise lines are distinguishing themselves from others by each honing in on a special area. Read more at Cruise Critic
Next stop 2015
Mexico’s Sea of Cortés via UnCruise Adventures
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