Royal Caribbean International: Oasis of the Seas
The massive 220,000-ton Oasis of the Seas will enter service in late 2009, and will operate seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. The inaugural voyage is scheduled for Dec. 12, 2009 from its homeport at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Royal Caribbean has been working closely with the ports to ensure a fantastic cruise experience. Ports like St. Maarten, Cozumel, St. Thomas, Nassau, Haiti (Labadee's Dragon's Breath Flight Line has proven to be one of the destination's most popular attractions) and Jamaica. In Jamaica, they are working to complete the new Falmouth Cruise Pier by March 2010. A historically important 18th century settlement, Falmouth was a colonial center of Jamaica's sugar and rum industry. The town's history and Georgian architecture has most recently drawn the attention of Prince Charles, a long-time supporter of restoring historic buildings. The ship will be docked in all of its ports.

When launched in late 2009, Oasis of the Seas will be the largest cruise ship in the world with 16 decks and 2,700 staterooms which will accommodate approximately 5,400 guests. Oasis of the Seas will feature a neighborhood concept of seven themed areas, including Central Park, Boardwalk and the Royal Promenade.

Central Park: Nature meets nautical.
Introducing the first neighborhood concept onboard a ship—Central Park^SM. Elegant and lively, Central Park’s piazza is the ship’s town square, which evolves from a tranquil atmosphere by day to a gathering space by night with dining, entertainment, and street performances.
There are several alfresco dining options and more than 300 staterooms, which rise up six decks to overlook the park. Quiet reading corners, specimen gardens, and other hidden surprises await you among the winding paths. At the center of the ship, the park opens to the sky and features lush tropical grounds spanning more than the length of a football field.

Boardwalk: Family fun meets nostalgia.
Dedicated to family fun and nostalgia, the new groundbreaking Boardwalk^SM neighborhood is a slice of old-world charm with a modern twist. Introducing the one-of-a-kind AquaTheater and the first ever Carousel at sea, and a zipline suspended nine decks above where riders will speed diagonally across the open air atrium. Boardwalk^SM offers enough games, amusement and attractions to keep everyone entertained. Surrounded by casual restaurants, including Johnny Rockets^® and the Seafood Shack, a coffee and donut shop, bars, candy shop and more—it’s the place to be for the entire family.

Royal Promenade: excitement meets the heart of the ship.
The Royal Promenade^SM neighborhood is the most expansive promenade at sea. It’s the heart of the ship, and now, it’s better than ever. For the first time, it will have a mezzanine level that overlooks the space below and will feature Rising Tide: a levitating bar that ascends and descends over three decks. And enough shops and restaurants to entertain even the most traveled of travelers. In the morning, enjoy a relaxed atmosphere over coffee, and people watch. The afternoon ambiance becomes more energetic and vibrant with shopping, lunch, or drinks in the pub. In the evening, the energy rises with parades, nightlife, and entertainment for everyone. It’s a destination unto itself.

Holland America: 29 Alaska Cruise-Tours
Alaska celebrates 50 years of statehood in 2009. Can you think of a better time to see it than on a cruise-tour? It combines an Inside Passage cruise with land tours into the Alaskan wilderness. There are many choices, here are a few:
Double Denali – 20 cruise-tours will feature this two-night stay at a wilderness lodge near the gates of Denali National Park, plus a guided Tundra Wilderness Tour.
Great Land Tours – these cruise-tours include three- or four-day Inside Passage cruises between Vancouver and Skagway; trips into Tracy Arm to see the twin Sawyer Glaciers; and Glacier Bay National Park.
Great Land Klondike – these cruise-tours offer 11- to 15-day adventures to Denali National Park, Dawson City with optional excursions to Tombstone Territorial Park, Fairbanks, a Yukon River cruise aboard the Yukon Queen II, and Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon Territory.
Arctic Circle – 19 itineraries include options to travel above the Arctic Circle, cruise the Kenai Fjords National Monument, explore the Kenai Peninsula or stay two nights at the Alyeska Resort near Anchorage.

The Carnival Dream: A new class of Fun
Setting sail in September 2009, Carnival Dream was designed to be the largest and most innovative floating resort in the "Fun Ship" fleet. Among many amazing features, she will boast more outdoor deck space, more stateroom categories, the largest spa Carnival has ever built, Carnival Waterworks and a new dining and entertainment complex called The Piazza.

Scheduled to enter service September 21, 2009, the Carnival Dream begins with an inaugural 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruise from Rome (Civitavecchia) and two additional 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises in October, 2009. The ship will then sail on a 16-day transatlantic crossing from Rome (Civitavecchia) to New York in November, 2009. From New York, the Carnival Dream will sail two eight-day Bahamas/Florida cruises, these voyages include a call at Port Canaveral (in proximity to Orlando-area attractions), followed by a visit to Nassau and Freeport in The Bahamas.

Following its New York departures, Carnival Dream will reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., where it will launch year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises Dec. 5, 2009, departing every Saturday on alternating weeklong cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Eastern Caribbean cruises will call at Nassau; St. Thomas/St. John, U.S.V.I.; and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles; while exotic Western Caribbean voyages will visit Cozumel; Belize; Costa Maya; and Nassau.

A short list of new ships:
Costa Luminosa, Spring 2009
Sounds a little Harry Potter-ish, but it will mark a return to a smaller, more intimate Costa ship experience.
Costa Pacifica, Spring 2009
It’s the sister ship to the Concordia and Serena, which will mean spas!
Silver Spirit, November 2009
Silversea’s luxury market entrée.
Celebrity Equinox, Fall 2009
The sister ship to the Solstice; wind in your hair and grass beneath
your feet.

For 2008, Royal Caribbean International^® is offering guests—on all 21 ships—the chance to play in the Royal Poker Tournament (a no-limit Texas Hold'em qualifying tournament). The winner of each tourney will receive a complimentary cruise for two aboard the Freedom of the Seas^® on December 14th, 2008, an entry into the Royal Poker Tour Championship and a chance to compete for an estimated prize pool of $100,000.

Carnival Cruise Lines is the largest cruise line which naturally makes their casinos the largest at sea. They have blackjack, roulette, craps, Caribbean stud poker, Caribbean draw poker, three-card poker and, of course, slots. They have a similar Texas Hold’em tournament that just ended in June 2008.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Casinos at Sea are filled with games—baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette, Caribbean stud poker, three-card poker, Texas Hold'em, Pai Gow poker and tiles, Oasis poker, video poker, mystery jackpots, and 24-hour slot machines ranging from one cent to $100. Plus, they were the first cruise line to offer a rewards program known as the Casinos at Sea Players Club where players earn “Sea Bucks” when playing either table games or slots. The Sea Bucks can be used for onboard items, shore excursions or towards a future cruise.

Royal Caribbean has sitters, adventure and art for your kids!
Every year, more and more families are sailing with Royal Caribbean International^®. It’s because of all the onboard adventures and new features like their Fisher Price Sitters at Sea^SM. With ‘Sitters’ parents can relax and enjoy their well-deserved private time knowing their kids are being cared for in their own stateroom. Plus, it’s priced at only $10 per hour for up to two children and $15 for three children per stateroom—a bargain on land or at sea. The in-stateroom babysitting is available for children who are one year or older and can be booked in advance.

Another big reason Royal Caribbean continues to be a family favorite, is their Adventure Ocean^® program for kids 3-11 and teens 12-17. In this program your child will get to learn about local customs, do cool science experiments and make great new friends. The teenaged Adventure Ocean groups allow them the freedom to come and go as they please for sports, themed parties, movie nights and more. Teens can also meet and relax in the laid-back Living Room lounge, or dance late into the night at Fuel, the teen-only nightclub.

Gas prices are continuing to rise. The economy is questionable. You may think it’s crazy to even fathom the idea of taking a cruise vacation. Or how to justify going on vacation when many of us are just glad to have a job.

Needle off the record. Life is not going to wait for us. We are facing more stress every day. From work, the media, even at home. We need a break! A real break, not just a long weekend but a nice getaway with our loved ones and DE-STRESS!

This is a reality check. Many Americans work through their vacation time and take fewer, shorter breaks. A global study conducted by Expedia.com shows that about a third of employed Americans usually do not take all the vacation days they’ve earned and deserve. We leave an average of three days unused. Unspent. Lost forever.

Studies have shown that those who do not take the time for themselves tend to have more health risks such as coronary heart disease, obesity and sleep deprivation. The body reacts to a lifestyle of stress and it is important that we take vacations to live a happy, healthy and longer life. We need to unwind and relax which means leaving the Blackberry and cell phone behind and not rushing to the nearest computer to check emails. The body and mind need to take a vacation.

Bottom line is we all need a vacation. Cruising is a very affordable and fun way to get the family and friends together. You’ll be pampered by the gracious staff on board, dine at gourmet restaurants and soak up the sun. The kids even have their own areas of fun so you can really take a break. It’s time to leave the office behind. Stop working, start relaxing and enjoy life.

And we’ll have fun, fun, fun…

Cruise ship entertainment is not what it use to be. Stars are born here and many come back to their roots for a special performance at sea. There’s a whole new world of entertainment aboard and it’s nothing you’ve ever seen before.

Cruise lines are upgrading to offer their guest state-of-the art facilities including theatres and show lounges with Broadway-style production. Some even encourage passengers to get in on the stage show. This complements the amazing choices that each cruise line offers from lavish staterooms to exotic itineraries and shore excursions.

The Show Must Go On and it does with virtually every cruise line. The shows are unbelievable. Along with exciting casinos where you can test your luck and auctions that offer unbelievable works of art, cruising is the new way to travel and be entertained.

Carnival Cruise Line
The fun is all around you. Watch the ‘Big Easy’ show on Carnival Freedom and take a stroll down the ‘Big Muddy’ to New Orleans with over 40 songs. You’ll be able to catch a glimpse of rising stars as a wide variety of comedians and singers perform nightly.

Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity’s new ship Solstice has The Hot Glass Show and The Lawn Club— both an industry first. Celebrity Solstice also has teamed up with Poet Theatricals to create three original productions including a celestial European-style theatrical circus.

Costa Cruises
There’s a variety of entertainment on board, sometimes including performers who went on to become famous Italian TV stars. There are also Broadway-style productions that bring the audience into the act.

Cunard Line
Highlights include Shakespeare performances and workshops by Britain’s famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Boston Symphony Chamber Players.

Holland America Line
Lavish Vegas-style shows are created by a team of Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Oscar nominees. Legendary-designer Bob Mackie’s original costumes are featured throughout a series of Broadway-inspired productions.

Princess Cruises
Full-scale production shows feature the sounds of Motown and the Cole Porter era with singers and dancers. Laugh till your belly aches at a stand-up comedy show and party into the night at one of the themed festivities.

Royal Caribbean
Every night is different. There are theme nights to hide your true identity such as Masquerade Balls and Toga Parties. You can dance with the stars from “Dancing with the Stars”, at sea on select ships. Guest will learn how to dance the samba, cha-cha and more.

Norwegian Cruise Line
The party never stops with new ultra-hip theme parties like “NCL’s White Hot Night” and “NCL’s Monte Carlo Night”. Enjoy off-Broadway musicals, evening shows and a classical dance production. There are even Wii games and a bowling alley at sea.

Disney Cruise Line
Recently introduced Toy Story–The Musical on board. The deck comes alive with a “Pirates of the Caribbean” deck party with a fireworks finale.

Now that’s entertainment!