From the exotic—celebrating Christmas with
penguins in Antarctica or toasting Hanukkah beneath the fiery
Kilauea volcano in Hawaii—to a popular Caribbean or Mexico cruise,
Holland America Line invites savvy travelers to celebrate the
holiday season this December on one of 20 winter escapes.
Families will enjoy the spirit of the holiday
with the cruise line’s Family Reunion Program rewarding those
who book five staterooms or more with special pricing and extra
amenities enhancing the already inherent value and ease of a
cruise vacation. The special program features extras such as
unlimited soft drinks, family photos, and dinner in the line’s
specialty Pinnacle Grill Restaurant. Caribbean-bound families
might enjoy free rentals of snorkel gear and swim mats or banana
boat rides on Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line’s award-winning
private island.
From December 17 through 30, 2005, Holland
America Line offers several cruise departures ranging from seven-
to 20-days and accommodating the varied schedules of busy professionals,
school kids and grandparents. Destinations, both close-to-home
and far-flung, include:
The white-sand beaches and azure waters of
the Caribbean—the perfect warm winter retreat with 13 holiday
cruises, ranging from seven to 15 days, traveling round-trip
from Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa, Florida, and Norfolk, Virginia.
Most itineraries feature a visit to Half Moon Cay, the line’s
award-winning private Bahamian island. Here, in addition to
relaxing on the beach or enjoying a host of water sports activities,
guests will appreciate the island’s Family Aqua Park with slides,
AquaTrax guided personal water craft park, sting ray adventure
program and a horseback riding and swimming tour. One cruise
also visits the Orinoco River in South America.
The mystery and beauty of the Mexican Riviera
explored with four journeys 8 or 10 days traveling round-trip
from San Diego. In a country known for its festive celebrations,
guests may experience the excitement of Las Posadas, the nine
days before Christmas.
Wondrous journeys to more exotic locales—15-day
Circle Hawaii itinerary round-trip from San Diego featuring
the talents of Ying Chang Compenstine, an internationally recognized
Asian healthy cuisine author traveling as part of the line’s
Culinary Arts Program; a 16-day New Zealand/Australia adventure
from Auckland to Sydney; and a 20-day exploration of South America
& Antarctica traveling from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Valparaíso,
Chile.
Each holiday voyage features clergy to conduct
Catholic, Protestant and Jewish services. Holland America Line’s
on-board festivities for the entire family include holiday decorations,
special movie showings, traditional dinner selections, religious
services, a visit for the kids from Santa—sometimes arriving
by parasail—activities and crafts for the Club HAL kids program,
and a Christmas show by the crew on Christmas Eve. The line
also holds a New Year’s Eve Gala and arranges to broadcast some
college bowl games on board the ship.
With per person fares beginning at US$999
for a 7-day Caribbean cruise, the uncommon level of service,
elegant accommodations, and enchanting style of a Holland America
Line vacation represents tremendous value – perhaps the best
gift of all.
For more information about planning a holiday
cruise, contact a travel agent or call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425)
or visit www.hollandamerica.com .
A sailing on an MSC Cruises’ ship in the
Mediterranean is sure to make this summer’s family vacation
memorable. This summer, six of the line’s ships are sailing
to ports in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Balearic Islands,
Malta, Croatia and Tunisia, offering unforgettable experiences
with something for each member of the whole family. “MSC Cruises
recognizes the importance of family values and places a strong
emphasis on being family-friendly,” says Richard E. Sasso, president
and CEO of MSC Cruises USA. “Our Italian officers and staff
create an environment that allows all our guests no matter what
their age to enjoy a vacation like no other.”
Guests both young and old alike will have
the opportunity to explore destinations they may have only read
about in text books. MSC Cruises helps history and geography
come alive with visits to such landmarks as the canals of Venice,
the site of the Yalta Conference, the Roman Coliseum, the Acropolis
in Athens and the birthplace of Christopher Columbus in Genoa.
In addition to the Italian officers and international
crew, guests on MSC Cruises’ Mediterranean itineraries come
from around the world, creating a truly international experience.
For families whose roots are in the Mediterranean
region, MSC Cruises is a wonderful multi-generational vacation
a way to share a journey back in time and to reconnect with
a family’s heritage. “The entire family can enjoy a vacation
with a truly Italian flavor while visiting some of Europe’s
most memorable destinations,” says Sasso. “The adults can relax
knowing that, while they are working out in the gym, being pampered
in the spa or swimming on deck, the youngsters are enjoying
themselves, too, participating in age-appropriate activities
and facilities designed especially for them under the watchful
eye of trained counselors.”
In addition to staterooms that accommodate
as many as four people, family suites with separate rooms for
children can be found on the MSC Opera, MSC Lirica, MSC Sinfonia
and MSC Armonia. Special rates are available for
the third and fourth person (age 12 and younger) sharing a stateroom
with two adults.
Since accommodations, onboard meals (featuring
authentic Italian dishes, international delights and a children’s
menu featuring younger-set favorites such as hamburgers, hot
dogs and pizza) and European-style entertainment on the ship
are included in the cruise rate in US dollars, there is less
worry over the exchange rate.
For more information about MSC Cruises, visit
www.msccruises.com or a travel agent.
A family holiday can be memorable vacation
for those taking the youngsters on a cruise. Most cruise lines
organize special activities for the younger set especially during
school holidays while allowing parents to have some adult fun
as well. Here’s a sampling:
-- Carnival Cruise Lines advertises itself
as the "fun ships", and the cruise line has a variety
of family-friendly amenities at its fleet-wide Camp Carnival.
Carnival has scheduled onboard programs for ages 2 through 14,
special shore excursions for teens, and even baby sitting (for
a fee).
-- Costa Cruise Lines is the Italian branch
of Carnival Corporation, and the ships are designed for both
Europeans and North Americans. The year-round Costa Kids program
offers daily activities for kids 3-17, and has youth counselors.
Good choice for families who want their kids to interact with
those from other countries.
-- Crystal Cruises is a luxury line that
offers a supervised children's program whenever a large enough
group of children will be onboard (holidays, summer vacations,
etc.) Grandparents and parents who prefer an upscale line, but
who wish to take their kids (or grandkids) along might enjoy
this sophisticated line. Crystal does not set the youth program
activity schedule until the ship knows the ages and numbers
of kids who will be sailing.
-- Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 and
Queen Elizabeth 2 are two of the largest cruise ships
afloat. They have a British flair for their children's programs,
including real children's nurses and trained British nannies.
The ships also have a teen center.
-- The Disney Cruise Line is totally family-based
with its Disney characters entertaining the kids on the ships
and organizing numerous family activities. As such, the ships
are much like a theme park at sea, and are geared towards family
cruising. The ships have supervised children's programs year-round
for ages 3 through teens.
Holland America's Club HAL provides year-round
supervised children's programs for ages 5 to 12. Some of the
Holland America ships have programs for ages 3 through teens.
The ships have daily activities and a "just for kids"
shore excursion on its Half Moon Cay Caribbean island.
-- Norwegian Cruise Line's Kids’ Crew program
has a playroom staffed with youth coordinators year-round. Activities
are scheduled when the ship is at sea and in port for kids ages
2-17. Fun things to do for kids include dancing, arts and crafts,
treasure hunts, costume-making, and games.
-- Princess Cruises expanded its youth program
in 2002 to provide age-specific activities for kids 3-17. The
ships also include learning activities on science, wildlife,
and conservation. Teens will enjoy many of the same things they
love at home such as Nintendo, movies, Karaoke, and giant screen
TVs. Younger kids will find plenty to do in the youth center.
Princess also has full-time youth coordinators and group babysitting.
-- Royal Caribbean International has big
ships with non-stop activities for children. The ships have
those famous rock-climbing walls and ice skating rinks. The
RCI supervised year-round youth program, Adventure Ocean, is
targeted to kids 3 to 17 in five age groups. It promises to
be both fun and educational. Group babysitting is also available.
