Travel Insurance? London delays? Not sure what your policy includes? Will it pay your hotel costs and meals if your flight is delayed? See the Pre-Paid Legal Link, sign up and they will review your insurance contracts, plus More….

Cunard Line has unveiled a stunning centerpiece for the Grand Lobby of the Line’s newest ship, Queen Elizabeth, debuting this fall. The artwork was specially commissioned to David Linley, son of the late Princess Margaret and the internationally famous photographer Lord Snowdon – and Her Majesty The Queen’s only nephew – whose company specializes in the design and creation of fine furniture and marquetry.

Work is already underway, and the completed 18 and a half foot panel will be shipped this summer to the Fincantieri shipyard at Monfalcone, Italy, where it will be installed over a four-day period to take pride of place at the heart of the ship just before she enters service in October.

Linley’s work shows the port bow of the original Queen Elizabeth seen dramatically from sea level, and is intricately executed using the technique of marquetry inlay with nine individual panels made of various types of wood veneers seamlessly jointed to lightweight board. Featured woods are Madrona, Indian ebony, American walnut, grey ripple sycamore, burr ash, bird’s eye maple, satin walnut, ash, burr walnut and Macassar ebony – all utilized to depict the evocative image of one of Cunard’s most elegant Queens.

Designers for the new Queen Elizabeth’s interiors considered the best way to treat the Grand Lobby’s soaring central arched space on the sweeping staircase leading up from the main deck, as it is the first area to greet embarking guests.

“We needed to fill that space with a decorative screen which would not just be dramatic – a ‘wow’ factor in an area already full of ‘wow’ – but which would also reflect our emphasis on traditional and sumptuous materials,” said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line. “After much thought and exploratory work, it was decided to commission a marquetry panel depicting the original Queen Elizabeth, an Art Deco icon, using a variety of natural woods from around the world.

“Once we had decided on the theme and the medium,” Shanks continued, “it didn’t take us long to conclude that no one was better qualified for this detailed but monumental work than the company of the exceptional craftsman David Linley, whose creative ability and mastery of wood is renowned.”

“Though we have made fittings for luxury yachts in the past,” said Linley, who founded his company in 1985, “this is the first sea-going work we have done on this scale – it is certainly the largest screen we have ever made – but it was a commission I was delighted to accept. I recall my father saying the interior design on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 made one proud to be British, so I am hoping our achievement on the new Queen Elizabeth will make him – and others – equally proud.”

Queen Elizabeth will be the second largest Cunard ship ever built and will join her sisters, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, as part of the youngest fleet in the world. The first Queen Elizabeth was one of Cunard’s greatest ships, and the new Queen Elizabeth will reflect her predecessor in interior grandeur, décor and style, but with a modern twist.

Queen Elizabeth will depart on her Maiden Voyage on Tuesday October 12, 2010. This 13-night celebration will leave from the company’s home port, Southampton, and will call at Vigo, Lisbon, Cadiz, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (overnight call) and Funchal. She will then embark on five celebratory maiden voyages to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Caribbean.

For more information and to book a voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth, consult your travel agent,  call toll-free 1-800-7-CUNARD (1-800-728-6273) or go to www.cunard.com.

Scenic Tours has opened river cruise reservations for the 2011 season. The new brochure will be available at the end of May. The Scenic Pearl will join four sister ships in spring 2011.

Also new for 2011 are an eight-day “Tulip Time” cruise roundtrip from Amsterdam; a 14-day “Romantic Rhine & Moselle” cruise from Amsterdam to Basel; a ScenicEnrich experience to Marksburg Castle in Braubach on the Rhine; a choice of three included sightseeing tours in most cities; Scenic FreeTime, which allows guests to take a map and audio device with commentary ashore for sightseeing on their own; and a choice of three dining venues including an outdoor experience on all Scenic vessels.

Scenic’s river cruises include gratuities, all sightseeing and tours, bicycles for shore-side exploring, beverages including wine and beer at lunch and dinner, airport transfers and more. Many of the accommodations have private balconies with room for a table and chairs. Those in private balcony suites on the Danube deck have services of a butler.

In Russia, Scenic now offers cruises on the all-outside-view Tikhi Don. Egypt and Jordan cruising and tours are also on offer. Guests will sail the Nile aboard the Jaz Legacy or Jaz Minerva, or cruise Lake Nasser on the Jaz Omar El-Khayam. For more information, call (866) 689-8611 or visit www.scenictours.com.

All of us at AllThingsCruise love Silversea.  We receive quite a few questions about the cabins, the destinations and of course the food…but the one question that we are asked over and over is about the dress code.

Even many of my close friends have the impression that Silversea is more on the formal side; this really is a misperception.  I thought this information regarding the dress code for one of our favorite lines could be helpful to you.

Cruise Days                        Formal                Informal                Casual

1-7 days                                  1                             3                           3

8-10 days                                2                             4                          2-4

11-14 days                              3                             5                          3-6

14 plus days                           4                             6                          4 plus

On the Silver Spirit, they offer casual dining every night at the Pool Grille called Hot Rocks.  This concept has been so successful that Silversea plans to roll out this dining choice across the classic fleet.

La Terrazza has always been offered as a dining choice for those who prefer informal dress.

Of course, many guests enjoy the exclusivity of dining in the privacy of their own suite. My husband and I never went to the dining room for dinner on one of our cruises; we had cabin service every evening as we had an unbelievable balcony with the most gorgeous of sunsets. It was like our own private yacht.

The Prince Albert II expedition ship does not have any formal evenings at all.

Once again, NCL is breaking ground with is new Norwegian Epic ship.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced this week that the Epic will feature a pre-cruise online reservation system for select on-board entertainment. Norwegian Epic will feature such outstanding entertainment as the  Blue Man Group, Cirque Dreams & Dinner, The Second City Comedy Troupe, Legends in Concert, Howl at the Moon Dueling Pianos Show and Nickelodeon at Sea.

To book tickets for many of these performances, Norwegian Epic guests can pre-book reservations prior to their cruise. Booked guests can go to the Norwegian website, www.ncl.com, log in to the “My NCL” section and visit a special entertainment page where they can select and reserve their desired performance. Pre-booking will be available for performances of Blue Man Group, Cirque Dreams & Dinner, Legends in Concert, The Second City Comedy Troupe, Nickelodeon SlimeTime Live!, Breakfast with Nickelodeon and the Murder Mystery “Presumed Murdered.” Guests may make a reservation for each show once per sailing.

Online bookings open 45 days prior to sailing date. Reservations for entertainment events with no cover charge are valid until 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. At that time, all unclaimed reservations with be released to guests on a first come first serve basis. Cancellations of reservations for entertainment events which have a cover charge must be made no later than 24 hours prior to the scheduled start time to receive a full refund. If cancellation occurs with less than 24 hours notice, the full price of the ticket will be charged. Once on board, guests may still make reservations for available shows through the ship’s iTV system or by contacting the Box Office.

“Norwegian Epic will redefine cruise ship entertainment with its wide variety of world-class entertainment,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “We believe there will be a huge demand for the on-board entertainment and to ensure that guests can see the performances of their choice, we created a special pre-booking mechanism. We feel that this will further the Freestyle Cruising experience, offering guests unsurpassed flexibility and convenience.”

Guests will have many entertainment options and venues to choose from on board Norwegian Epic. Blue Man Group will perform eight shows per sailing; Legends in Concert, six performances; Legends Unplugged, three shows; Nickelodeon SlimeTime Live, three shows; Cirque Dreams & Dinner will be performed 12 shows per cruise; Second City, 14; Howl at the Moon, four shows; and there will be Breakfast with Nickelodeon on three mornings per sailing. Amongst the 13 entertainment venues is the first big top at sea, the Spiegel Tent, which will be home to Cirque Dreams & Dinner, created and directed by Neil Goldberg. A special Murder Mystery, called “Presumed Murdered,” presented by The Second City will also be featured in the Spiegel Tent one time per cruise.

Online reservations for entertainment are currently being accepted for Norwegian Epic’s June 24 transatlantic sailing. The ship begins alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean seven-day sailings from Miami on July 10. To book a cruise on Norwegian Epic, visit www.ncl.com; call 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784); or contact a travel professional.

MSC Poesia returns to the Caribbean for her second season with a line-up of five baseball cruises during the 2010-11 Caribbean season.

Cruise-only rates begin at $529 per person double  and participation in the theme cruises is complimentary.

MSC Poesia’s 2010-11 Caribbean cruises sail roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and feature the ever-popular Baseball Greats theme cruises. Here is a review of what these theme cruises feature:

Baseball Greats

During the sailing, guests gain insight into the world of Major League Baseball as seen through the eyes of some of the greats of the game.

The Baseball Greats theme cruise includes free interactive guest/player activities, including a player-hosted trivia game in which guests can test their baseball knowledge, question-and-answer sessions with the players, a guest pitching contest and a story-telling session where players share candid revelations about their baseball experiences.

Players will also host pitching, hitting, fielding, and base running clinics. There’s an extremely popular free autograph session at the end of the cruise.

The following itineraries will be Baseball Greats theme cruises:

• November 14, 2010: 7-night Eastern Caribbean calling at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Nassau, Bahamas. Featured former players include: Bob Feller, Tommy Davis, Glenn Beckert, Clarence Jones, and Stan Bahnsen.

• December 5, 2010: 7-night Western Caribbean, calling at Key West, Florida; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. Featured former players include: Graig Nettles, Amos Otis, Dave Campbell, Stan Bahnsen and one more still to be announced.

• January 9, 2011: 7-night Eastern Caribbean. Featured former players include: Stan Bahnsen and four more still to be announced.

• January 23, 2011: 7-night Eastern Caribbean. Featured former players include: Rick Burleson, Jim Fregosi, Rick Wise, Stan Bahnsen one more to come.

• February 6, 2011: 7-night Eastern Caribbean. Featured former players include: Stan Bahnsen and four more still to be announced.

For more information about MSC Cruises and its theme cruises in the Caribbean, visit www.MSCCRuisesUSA.com, call (877-665-4655) or contact a local travel professional.

Seabourn has announced that British supermodel Twiggy will be the Godmother of Seabourn Sojourn. She will name the yacht during a christening ceremony hosted on board on the River Thames on Friday, June 4.

Twiggy

Twiggy exploded onto the international modelling scene as a London teenager in 1966. She went on to define the term ‘supermodel’ and to become the icon of 1960s style worldwide. In the early 1970s, she became an actress and singer, winning two coveted Golden Globe Awards for her first film “The Boyfriend.”

In the 1980s, she took Broadway by storm in the Tony Award-winning Gershwin musical ‘My One & Only.” More recently, she has been a judge on America’s Next Top Model and fronted the phenomenally successful campaign for the British retail giant Marks & Spencer. Along with this, she designs her own clothing and bed linen lines in the U.K. and has just launched her “Twiggy London” collection in the U.S. on the Home Shopping Channel. She is an ardent campaigner for animal welfare and breast cancer support.

Parents taking a cruise with tween or teenage children know these kids enjoy their space as much at sea as they do at home. The cruise lines have long recognized this and now offer more special hangouts and activities exclusively for them than ever before.

Combine this space with plenty of activities for the whole family and it is easy to see why cruises make for memorable family vacations, no matter what one’s age. Special pricing for children up to 17 years-old generally applies on many cruises which makes a cruise a true travel value.

I have seen 7 night summer cruises to Bermuda this year in the $600 range per cabin. Most cruises include 24/7 room service for those hungry teenagers, all dining options and most entertainment – including plenty for tweens and teens to do.

Please see samples below for some of the coolest places for older youth to hang out at sea in safe and secure settings:

Holland America Line

Teens traveling on HAL cruise ships have enjoyed the Loft, a special lounge area designed to resemble a New York artist’s studio. The setting includes music and videos, comfortable furniture, Internet access stations, video games and karaoke, big screen TVs and more. A secluded passageway leads upstairs to the Oasis, a teens-only sundeck featuring a nine-foot waterfall and cooling cave. Teens can sunbathe during the day and dance under the stars at night to the beat of a state-of-the-art sound system and laser show.

Royal Caribbean International

The cruise line’s Voyager Class ships are a floating paradise for teenagers. The Living Room invites kids to hangout during the day, stocked with computers, books and games. The Back Deck provides teens with a place to sunbathe together and enjoy a buffet dinner. Fuel, the teens-only disco, is open until 2 a.m. and also provides a great place to mingle and meet new friends.

Norwegian Cruise Line

The Norwegian Dawn and Jewel feature the line’s most elaborate and largest teen clubs. The Underground lounge features computers, big-screen TVs and dance floor. Youth 17-and-under have their own cinema for nightly movies or an afternoon matinee.

Disney Cruise Line

A little Disney magic makes cruising memorable for teens too. They are invited to spend time with their peers in the Aloft lounge on the Disney Wonder and The Stack on the Disney Magic. Both of these teen-only hangouts feature music, movies, video games, plasma TVs, dance floor, Internet cafe and other activities. In addition, Disney hosts the H2O Splashdown and Party in Paradise farewell bash exclusively for teens.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival’s youth-oriented programming includes the Circle C clubs for 12-14 year-olds. Each features a dance floor, high-tech sound and lighting, monster plasma TVs with movies and music videos, touch screen jukeboxes and gaming centers with 20-inch plasma game screens. A number of ships have already been retrofitted with Circle C facilities, with several more are scheduled for this year and the entire fleet by 2010. Carnival’s Club 02 facilities continue to be very popular with teen’s ages 15-17 year-olds. In addition to a pulsating dance floor and the latest music and lighting systems, Club O2 features a teen-oriented library and lounge with non-alcoholic specialty drinks.

Princess Cruises

The cruise line’s Grand Class ships have the largest facilities for teens. The Off Limits teen center includes plenty of games, movies, big-screen TVs and jukeboxes. On the Grand, Golden and Star Princess, teens can use their own Jacuzzi and sun deck.

Celebrity Cruises

This cruise line’s Celebrity X-Club Youth Program does offer teens plenty to do, especially during the summer and holiday family travel seasons. This includes supervised theme parties, pool games, movies, sports tournaments, karaoke, talent shows, fitness activities and play stations.

Regent Seven Seas

Ultra-luxury cruise line Regent Seven Seas also offers teen programs. Regent’s Club Mariner operates during the summer and select holiday sailings and gives tween and teen travelers the opportunity to enjoy a variety of exciting, interactive activities, including whale watching in Alaska and artist classes on tropical cruises, plus other unique adventure and cultural opportunities.

Crystal Cruises

Select Crystal sailings during the summer and holidays also offer older youth things to do without their parents on ultra-luxury cruises. These include games, arts and crafts, video games and other activities under the supervision of experienced activities directors. The Crystal Symphony and Serenity also feature Waves, a teen video arcade.

Reading the blogs written by cruise executives can be enlightening. Often they break news sooner (we receive the official press releases later) and they add insightful comments.

Just yesterday Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) posted on his Why Not? blog the very interesting news that RCCL will be dropping Park West as its on-board art auctioneers.

Here is the actual statement:

…our contract with Park West Art Services has expired and we have decided not to renew it. There is a wind-down period in effect and the art auctioneers will finish on different ships at different times over the next few months. We are evaluating what if any art-related programming we may offer in the fleet in the future beyond Oasis of the Seas where Art Actually is our provider of art tours and art for purchase onboard.

Park West has been sued by several patrons for unscrupulous practices (among other things) and is now fighting a class action suit. I think RCCL is wise in getting out of its contract while it can.

I, for one, believe that art auctions have had their run. They were entertaining in the beginning but have become bothersome. The auctioneers often use high-pressure tactics and often don’t readily disclose all of the fees they slap on art purchases. That said, I must admit that I have bought several pieces from cruise art auctions over the years and they grace the walls of my home. But I have a couple still in their tubes that I wonder why I ever bought. It doesn’t leave me with a good feeling.

On the same blog, guest poster Lisa Bauer, senior VP of hotel operations, announced that RCCL has obtained the rights to produce “Chicago” on its new Allure of the Seas. They did this because “Hair Spray” has been so successful on the Oasis of the Seas. Now they beginning casting and rehearsals…and they hope Richard Gere will show up!

Carnival Cruise Lines will launch its first-ever cruises from Seattle today (May 11) when the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit departs on a seven-day voyage to Alaska – the first of 17 cruises that will bring some 40,000 passengers to the city this season.

Carnival’s new Seattle-based Alaska program will run through Aug. 31, 2010, with week-long Glacier Bay cruises departing every Tuesday from the port’s newest cruise terminal, Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91. Ports of call include popular Alaskan destinations of Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, as well as Victoria and cruising Tracy Arm Fjord.

“Carnival’s passengers will pump nearly $2 million per ship visit into our economy,” said Port Commission President Bill Bryant. “17 Carnival calls here expected this year mean jobs and local tax revenue. We are pleased to welcome Carnival to their new home at the Port of Seattle.”

A wide range of shore excursions – from helicopter flightseeing and rainforest canopy tours to hiking, canoeing, kayaking expeditions and even alpine snorkeling – are available, providing guests myriad opportunities to experience and explore The Last Frontier.

And the Carnival Spirit is an ideal ship for Alaska, with 80 percent of staterooms featuring an ocean view or balcony – perfect for viewing the passing scenery — along with indoor and outdoor promenades, and a 14,500-square-foot health and wellness center.

Guests also enjoy specially prepared “Just For Alaska” menu items featuring local fish, game and other ingredients, as well as full-service multi-course meals in the main dining room as well as casual options such as a 24-hour pizzeria. Carnival Spirit also features a classic American-style steakhouse with prime U.S.D.A. dry-aged steaks and other gourmet cuisine.

Carnival Spirit also offers a two-deck-high promenade lined with lounges, bars and nightspots, including a 1,200-seat theater showcasing lavish production shows, as well as full casino gambling, a wedding chapel, conference center and bow-to-stern wireless access. Four swimming pools – one of them heated – as well as Carnival’s signature Twister Waterslide, are featured, as well.

Kids sailing on Carnival Spirit can enjoy three different children’s programs – Camp Carnival for ages 2-11, Circle “C” for ages 12 to 14, and Club O2 for 15- to 17-year-olds – with facilities and counselors dedicated to each group. Many activities in these programs feature fun, educational activities with an Alaska theme.

Reservations are currently being accepted for Carnival’s 2010 Alaska cruises from Seattle. For  reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com. You can also find good rates through www.cruisecompete.com.