Cruise Blog, by American Discount Cruises

We're happy to bring you a very exciting update, direct from Holland America Line concerning their new upcoming ship, the ms Eurodam, which is scheduled to do Caribbean cruises and Europe cruises in 2008:

Keel-Laying Ceremony Marks Milestone in Construction of Holland America Lines ms Eurodam:

Seattle, March 27, 2007 -- Construction of Holland America Lines new Signature-class premium cruise ship ms Eurodam reached a milestone with the recent keel-laying ceremony at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Italy. The 2044-passenger ship is scheduled for delivery in June 2008. The ceremonial keel laying involves lowering the first modular section of the ship onto the construction dock. Subsequently, other modules are put into place, much like fitting together a giant, multi-layered jigsaw puzzle. The $450-million Eurodam, with 11 passenger decks, features a new class of staterooms with floor-to-ceiling windows on the top two decks, as well as many traditional Holland America Line amenities.

Attention those of you that are planning to do a Hawaii cruise soon - The following is a press release, direct from Norwegian Cruise Line:

Miami, Marich 14, 2007 -- Please be advised that beginning March 17,2007, Pride of Aloha, Pride of America, Pride of Hawaii and Wednesday sailings of Norwegian Wind will be departing from the Pier 2 Cruise Terminal at the Honolulu Harbor. The pier is located at the end of Channel Street at 521 Ala Moana Blvd, and is adjacent to the Foreign Trade Zone #9.

Big news! The Crown Princess will be giving its New York departure duties over to the Caribbean Princess in Summer 2008 - here's the info direct from Princess Cruises:

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (March 16, 2007) -- Princess Cruises' popular Caribbean cruises from New York will return for a third season in 2008, this time featuring Caribbean Princess. The amenity-filled vessel's debut in the Big Apple will offer two different nine-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries, enabling passengers to plan the perfect escape to idyllic islands and favorite ports of call such as the pink sands of Bermuda and the resort amenities of Grand Turk.

"Caribbean Princess takes over for Crown Princess, which successfully debuted on this crowd-pleasing route last year," said Jan Swartz, Princess' senior vice president of customer service and sales. "Passengers have loved this opportunity to sail to the Caribbean from our convenient New York terminal in Brooklyn, and we're delighted to return for a third season. As you might guess from her name, Caribbean Princess was designed especially for Caribbean cruising and will help our New York-area passengers get in the island mood with a wealth of amenities perfect for the region, such as the poolside Movies Under the Stars and the local flavors of Cafe Caribe."

Caribbean Princess' summer season from New York will include 11 departures between May 17 and August 15, 2008 on two Eastern Caribbean itineraries. Ports of call on eight of these nine-day roundtrip voyages include Bermuda (West End), San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. In addition, three sailings will feature calls in San Juan, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. Caribbean Princess will also offer one seven-day Exotic Eastern Caribbean sailing from New York to San Juan departing on October 26 and calling at St. Kitts, Antigua and St. Thomas along the way.

Caribbean Princess features the many hallmark amenities that define the Princess experience, including the dramatic Movies Under the Stars outdoor movie screen; multiple dining venues including specialty restaurants and the regional Cafe Caribe; Personal Choice Dining featuring traditional or Anytime seating; Lotus Spa with fitness center; an extensive children and teen's center; a wedding chapel and nearly 900 staterooms with private balconies.

Early booking fares for nine-day Caribbean Princess summer Caribbean cruises begin at $1,199 per person, based on double occupancy. Sailings open for booking on March 24, 2007.

Royal Caribbean is scheduled to send a record seven ships to Europe in Summer 2008. Here is their press release regarding this exciting news:
MIAMI, March 09, 2007 - Royal Caribbean International today announced its largest deployment in Europe with seven ships visiting the continent in 2008. Choosing from four- through 14-night cruises, guests will be able to tour Europe aboard the new Independence of the Seas, the first Freedom-class ship in the region; two Voyager-class ships, Navigator of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas; and Brilliance of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Legend of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas. Bookings for Royal Caribbean's 2008 Europe cruises will open on March 14, 2007.

"Our increased capacity in Europe reaffirms Royal Caribbean's strong commitment to the region, which has shown tremendous growth in the recent years," said Adam Goldstein, president, Royal Caribbean International. "The Europe cruises will take guests to some of the most spectacular locations throughout the continent aboard some of the world's most innovative ships, offering travelers a range of exciting itineraries and experiences that best accommodate their needs. Active travelers, families and first-time cruisers will marvel at the rich history and culture of the region while enjoying the elements of our style of cruising that have made our brand globally recognized as an award-winning vacation experience."

Guests aboard Royal Caribbean's Europe cruises will enjoy the cruise line's signature amenities. Independence of the Seas will feature the revolutionary FlowRider surf simulator and regulation-size boxing ring. Navigator and Voyager belong to the first class of ships in the world to offer guests an ice-skating rink and the Royal Promenade - the ship's entertainment hub. Jewel and Brilliance boast self-leveling pool tables and golf simulators and allow guests to relax in expansive, themed solariums while kids play in the ships' Adventure Beach water park. Legend and Splendour feature a 12-hole mini-golf course for families and a retractable glass roof. All ships offer an extensive range of spa services, fitness and wellness classes, engaging Adventure Ocean kids and teen programs, top-rated Broadway-style theater productions, and multiple restaurants and lounges from which to choose.

The highly anticipated Independence of the Seas will embark on her maiden voyage in mid-May 2008, offering 14-night Western Mediterranean sailings from Southampton, England to the Spanish, French and Italian Riviera. Independence also offers travelers four voyages to the Canary Islands on ten- and 11-night itineraries.

From Harwich, England, guests aboard Jewel of the Seas embark on 11- to 13-night voyages to the majestic Norwegian coast and grand Baltic cities. Jewel also will sail on a series of three- and four-night North Sea short cruises departing from such ports as Amsterdam, Holland; Oslo, Norway and Hamburg, Germany, offering a call at one popular Northern Europe city per sailing, including Copenhagen, Denmark and Brussels, Belgium.

Navigator of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas will sail from Barcelona, Spain on four- to 12-night itineraries throughout the Mediterranean. Perfect for first-time or time-strapped cruisers, Navigator's four- and five-night sailings - beginning in April - give travelers a great opportunity to sample the Western Mediterranean and enjoy the innovative amenities of a Voyager-class ship. In addition, Navigator also offers a series of ten to 12-night sailings from Barcelona to the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece and Turkey. On certain sailings, guests will make an overnight call at Istanbul, Turkey to explore this gateway to the East. In July, Navigator will embark on seven-night voyages from Rome (Civitavecchia) to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Voyager follows the French Riviera to Sicily, Italy on weekly seven-night sailings from Barcelona through November. Voyager will call at some of the most popular cities in Europe, including Nice (Villefranche), France; and Florence/Pisa (Livorno) and Naples/Capri in Italy. Being deployed year-round at Barcelona, Brilliance of the Seas offers travelers ten- and 12-night sailings that combine popular Italian port cities with the Greek Isles, or with the Dalmatian Coast. On the voyages through the Adriatic, guests also will enjoy a two-day call at Venice. From Venice, Splendour of the Seas alternates roundtrip Turkey and Greece, and Greek Isles voyages ranging from six to eight nights. On the eight-night voyage, Crete is an additional port of call. Legend of the Seas alternates between 12-night Greece and Eastern Mediterranean and 13-night Italy and Croatia itineraries, both roundtrip from Rome (Civitavecchia). Guests on the 13-night voyage will enjoy an in-depth Italian peninsula experience with two full days in Florence/Pisa (Livorno) and Venice.

For travelers in search of more in-depth experiences, Royal Caribbean International's cruisetour program offers pre-cruise packages as an extension of their European cruise vacation, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the customs and cultures of the locations they are visiting. The cruise line's signature cruisetours makes travel planning simpler by taking care of all arrangements including air travel, hotel, land transfers and land-tours. Each cruisetour is led by experienced tour directors, who provide expert historical and cultural insights giving guests a deeper understanding of the attractions visited. Personal concierge services also provide anything from dinner reservations to the purchase of VIP museum, show or attractions tickets, allowing guest to avoid long lines.

Royal Caribbean International is a global cruise brand with 20 ships currently in service and three under construction. Liberty of the Seas, the cruise line's newest ship which debuts in April 2007, will share the title of largest cruise ship at sea with sister-ship Freedom of the Seas. At 160,000 GRT with a capacity of 3,634 guests double-occupancy, Liberty of the Seas will sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami. The line also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand through its cruisetour division.

The much anticipated release of the newest ship in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet, the Gem, is coming up shortly. Here's a press release that was recently issued by Norwegian Cruise Line:

Miami, FL. March 7, 2007 -- On March 5, Norwegian Gem's main superstructure was completed as block numbers 62 and 63, weighing 600 tons, were lowered onto the ship's aft at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, where the ship is currently under construction. Once this section is welded to the ship's hull, the final outfitting work in the accommodations area will begin.

On Thursday, March 8, the ship will be moved backwards in the dock so that the final block at the ship's nose and funnel can be installed. With these final blocks in place, Norwegian Gem, NCL's fourth Jewel-class ship, will have its complete form.

Built specifically for Freestyle Cruising, Norwegian Gem is designed to provide guests the most customizable experience at sea. She features multiple restaurants, vibrant public rooms, versatile, family-friendly accommodations; and NCL's popular style of accommodations, Courtyard Villas, which along with the ship's two Garden Villas make up the biggest, most luxurious, most innovative suite complexes at sea. Additionally, Norwegian Gem will feature the industry's second on board bowling alley -another NCL industry first, which debuted in late 2006 on her sister ship, Norwegian Pearl.

Norwegian Gem is currently scheduled for delivery in October following which she will sail five new Mediterranean itineraries. After a series of inaugural events on the east coast, Norwegian Gem will be home ported year-round in New York featuring a seven-day Bahamas & Florida itinerary in December 2007, February, March and April 2008. In January and February 2008, she will sail a series of 10- and 11-day Exotic Southern Caribbean itineraries roundtrip from New York.

NCL Corporation Ltd. is an innovative cruise company headquartered in Miami, Florida, with a fleet of 15 ships in service and under construction. The corporation oversees the operations of Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America, and Orient Lines. The company recently took delivery of its newest ship, Norwegian Pearl, and is currently building Norwegian Gem for delivery in October of 2007.

In addition, NCL plans to build up to three new third generation Freestyle Cruising ships for delivery between 2009 and 2011. NCL is on target to have the youngest fleet in the industry by 2010, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy the flexibility of Freestyle Cruising on the newest, most contemporary ships at sea.

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to our blog! We hope to provide you with informative information regarding the entire travel industry. For example, if a new ship is released by a major cruise line we'll definitely be the first to let you know. A recent merger between two companies? We're the ones to find out about it from!

Stay tuned...lots of info is coming!

-The Blog Staff