PTV at Sea’s unrivalled adventure will sail March 16, 2013, and travel to ports in China, Vietnam and Thailand, allowing passengers exclusive access to some of the country’s most enthralling people – those with their fingers on the pulse of politics, history, current events, finance and the arts.

The insight and experience of these special guests are unparalleled and not available anywhere else in the world. Public Radio at Sea – and its celebration of NPR – is, quite simply, a journey unlike any other.

Esteemed guests include…

• Michele Norris, Host of NPR’s All Things Considered
• David Greene, Host and Correspondent for NPR’s morning programming
• Frank Langfitt, NPR’s Shanghai Correspondent
• Louisa Lim, Foreign Correspondent for NPR, based in Beijing, China
• Anthony Kuhn, Foreign Correspondent for NPR, based in Jakarta, Indonesia
• Madhulika Sikka, Executive Producer of NPR’s Morning Edition
• Chris Turpin, Executive Producer of NPR’s All Things Considered

For more information about this exclusive PTV at Sea event, contact Crown Cruise Vacations at 855-788-7880 (USA/Canada) or by emailing ptvinfo@crowncruisevacations.com.

Image courtesy of 111Emergency via Flickr

How to Find the Best Cruise Prices: Cruise Experts Dish

Each ship will be 45,000 gross tons and accommodate 998 passengers. The first will be delivered in late 2014, and the second a year later.

Viking had previously placed this ship order with STX France but withdrew to financing complications.

Details are still being finalized and I will post more information as it becomes available.

Readers, this is a rare opportunity to cruise while meeting and interacting with fascinating experts and their featured guests at panel discussions and presentations in the areas of history, politics, culture, personal finance, health and wellness and more.

The insight and experience of these special guests are unparalleled and not available anywhere else in the world. Public Radio at Sea – and its celebration of NPR – is, quite simply, a journey unlike any other.

Additionally, private dinners and cocktail receptions allow for one-to-one conversations during an unforgettable voyage where you will have the opportunity to meet some very interesting people who may never cross your path otherwise.

Public Radio at Sea enriches, inspires and entertains with informative programming, presented by some of National Public Radio’s most acclaimed personalities.

Voyage 1 – EPIC CIVIL WAR JOURNEY – New Orleans to Chattanooga

Celebrate PBS’ award-winning history series American Experience in luxury, aboard the newly refurbished American Queen.

Sails August 9-21, 2012 (12 nights, 10 aboard plus pre- and post-voyage luxury hotel stay), from New Orleans to Chattanooga, Tenn., on the American Queen, owned and operated by the Great American Steamboat Company.

Join as Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ric Burns and acclaimed producer Mark Samels, of television’s longest-running and most-watched history series, American Experience, present the Epic Civil War Journey. This is a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and premiere the highly-anticipated documentary “Death and the Civil War.”

Based on the best-selling book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by noted historian and Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust, the highly-anticipated documentary examines how the unprecedented death toll of the Civil War challenged American cultural attitudes about death and changed federal government policies regarding soldiers.

Prices begin at $2,895 per passenger (based on double occupancy) and include complimentary land tours, beverages, including fine wine, beer and spirits, and more. Additional taxes and fees apply.

Voyage 2 – IBERIAN TAPESTRIES – Barcelona to Lisbon

Experience the best of public broadcasting aboard the #1 cruise line in the world – Regent Seven Seas.

Sails August 13-23, 2012 (10 nights), from Barcelona to Lisbon, aboard the luxurious Regent Seven Seas Mariner.

Examine the fascinating 2012 electoral race, celebrate the brightest stars of Hollywood and discuss today’s most pressing social issues with special guests, including Robert Siegel of All Things Considered; David Fanning of Frontline; Charlie Cook of The Cook Political Report; and Michael Childers, acclaimed photographer of over 200 magazine covers.

Prices begin at $7,994 per passenger (based on double occupancy) and include return economy airfare, luxury hotel package, unlimited shore excursions, beverages, including fine wine, beer and spirits, complimentary travel insurance. Additional taxes and fees apply.

Voyage 3 – PUBLIC RADIO AT SEA – Beijing to Bangkok

Experience the best of public broadcasting aboard the #1 cruise line in the world – Regent Seven Seas.

Sails March 16-April 1, 2013 (16 nights), from Beijing to Bangkok, aboard the luxurious Regent Seven Seas Voyager.

Programming for this March 2013 sailing is currently in development.

These cruises are a rare opportunity to stimulate the mind and senses in an amazing way!  Please contact me directly at Heidi@AllThingsCruise.com for more information on these unique voyages!

My friend Rick Hazan with Dream Maker Vacations has some spectacular offers for AllThingsCruise readers (see below)- and be sure to read his post about the best reasons to take a river cruise! Kind Regards, Heidi

Greetings fellow cruise enthusiast! My last post here on AllThingsCruise received an overwhelming response and resulted in selling out two of our cruise dates.

In speaking to those of you who called, I discovered that many of you had never taken a river cruise and were interested in learning the differences between a river cruise and a large ocean going vessel. This note is aimed at giving you additional information about river cruising and sharing with you why river cruising is the hottest travel trend for people traveling to Europe.

Warm regards,

Rick

Rick Hazan
President
Dream Maker Vacations
3125 Old McHenry
Long Grove, IL 60047
Phone: +1 (847) 550-9191
Fax:  +1 (847) 660-6311
rickhazan@dmvacation.com
www.dmvacation.com

P.S. We have an unbelievable offer for you – 30%-40% off the current market price.

First, I personally like to know about pricing, so here’s a tip:  If you book river cruises outlined below by May 10, 2012, you can save between $75 and $100 per person by using the spring discount code when you book with us.

The credits break down as follows: $75 for mid-deck French Balcony, and $100 for top-deck French Balcony. There are limited cabins of 10-15 on each departure date.

Now a little about River Cruising and what to Expect…………..

River cruising offers an unparalleled level of convenience,  coupled with smooth and peaceful sailing experience throughout your cruise. You will unpack only once in your comfortable, fully equipped cabin.  It will feel more like a floating private club, rather than a croweded party.

River cruising in Europe is all about experiencing and learning about the history and the cities that are along the river.  When you are cruising during the daytime it is often through some of the most historical and scenic spots in the area. Land is always in view so you’re never just looking at water. Unique to Amadeus is that the restaurant is located on the mid-deck with floor to ceiling windows for great viewing while dining.

There is no sea sickness and you have to unpack only once as your floating hotel will take you to your next adventure. Plus there are no inside cabins or portholes, all cabins have a window or a French Balcony.

Right now Dream Maker Vacations has an amazing deal on a Danube River Cruise that starts on three different dates – September 10, 2012 and October 1, and October 8, 2012. We also have a Rhine River Cruise that embarks on three different dates as well – August 1, 2012, August 29, 2012, and October 10, 2012. This peak time of year is rarely discounted (at least on the newer ships like the ones we are offering), so these cruises are a real find.

We are able to offer you 30-40% off the current going rates on the Rhine and Danube Rivers.

For the Rhine River Cruise, you also have the choice of three peak season voyages (listed above) that sail between Amsterdam and Basel (Switzerland), which is just a few hours from Paris. The same great savings are available for the Rhine; simply book by May 10, 2012, and you will save between $50-150 per person. Price includes seven tours and all meals, and starts at $1,999 for an outside cabin. For more information, go to our website at www.dmvacation.com or email info@dmvacation.com.

For voyages on the Danube, you have the choice of three peak season sailings. You can select from the above departure dates cruising between Budapest and Nuremberg with the option to visit Prague. Plus, if you book by May 10, 2012, you can save between $75-100 per person by using the Danube SPRING discount code when you book with us. Your price includes seven tours and all meals, including wine with dinner. The prices start at $1,999 for an outside cabin. For more information and photos visit our website at www.dmvacation.com or by e-mailing info@dmvacation.com.

Act now and you save between $75- $100 per person on a French Balcony Cabin for one of our peak August – October Rhine or Danube River cruises.  Simply make your deposit by May 10, 2012 and mention the discount code of Spring.  I have put my direct e-mail and phone number for you to contact me directly.  I look forward to hearing from you.
Rick

Phone: +1 (847) 550-9191
Fax:  +1 (847) 660-6311
rickhazan@dmvacation.com

My friend Rick Hazan is offering some wonderful deals on river cruises right now (see the related post here) and has also come up with a list of great reasons to take a river cruise- Please read on to find out why these cruises are an outstanding option for your next voyage- Kind Regards, Heidi

9 Reasons to Take a River Cruise:

1. Fewer people: Your river cruise will have only 150 passengers. Your experience will be intimate and you should make at least 1 new lifelong friend.
2. No sea sickness: You’ll never experience rough water – only smooth and peaceful river sailing throughout your cruise.
3. Local destinations: Ocean cruises are restricted to cities near major bodies of water, while river cruise allow you to explore Europe’s history rich cities and villages that are inaccessible except by river.  Until just over 100 years ago the rivers were the highways of Europe. That is why so many medieval cities are along the river.
4. Dock right in town: River cruises allow docking right in the heart of a port town.  Ocean cruise lines often stop way outside of the town you are visiting – as far as 70 miles away. The river cruise not only saves you time, it allows you to easily maximize your time when in port without the expense and hassle of a taxi.
5. Convenience & scenic:  You will spend your time cruising by ancient villages, castles and other historical and scenic sites.  
6.  Overnight in port: You overnight both in Budapest and Vienna, plus late night departures from other cities allowing you to explore the port town in the evening.
7.  Inclusive pricing: On this river cruise you have seven included shore excursions, outside cabins and wine included with dinner each evening. While a river cruise might cost you more upfront, by the time you add all the extras on ocean cruises (like shore excursions and outside cabins) the price is surprisingly close.
8.  Educational & Local: River cruises are more elegant and educational. The cuisine is local and is brought in from the local area (not shipped in from far away places with the lowest price). The quality wines (included at dinner) are from Europe’s great wine regions.
9.  Exceptional service: Fewer people mean more attentive service and a more personal relationship with the staff.

To my astonishment, Detroit and Disneyland have more in common than just starting with the letter “D”.

My visit was a simple stop between flights landing at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. A two hour layover on our cross country college visiting tour was taking us from Syracuse to Phoenix. It has been said if you die in the south, and want to go to heaven, you have to change in Atlanta. As the second busiest hub for Delta, if you want to go somewhere in the northeast chances are good you are going to be making a connection in Detroit.

So we get off the plane in Detroit, expecting…well, not much. Instead, we walk through a light display tunnel (one that puts Chicago’s O’Hare to shame) into a terminal of the future. My son and I looked up and saw what reminded us of the monorail at Disneyland or Disney World, although this train has the not-so-exciting name of “The Express Tram”. It rides 21 feet above the main floor, and has two cable driven trams that travel on an air-cushion like a hovercraft. Each of the tram cars can hold more than 200 passengers at a time, and the track is around three-quarters of a mile long, with three stations along the concourse. (If you have to switch concourses, don’t worry: you don’t have to shuffle your feet much, there are moving sidewalks.)

The Disneyland-like feel is also evident at gate level. The fountains can transfix any bored traveler eating up their time between flights. How do I describe them? Good question. It’s like watching a fish jump out of a pond and back into it, but instead of fish it’s all done with water.

Shopping is plentiful and the rest rooms are…let’s just say: clean. (Who really wants a review of airport rest rooms?)

The McNamara Terminal Concourse A is the world’s second largest airport terminal building (Beijing’s is the largest), And who, you might ask yourself, is McNamara? He was a former Wayne County Executive who not surprisingly oversaw expansion of the airport. I found Detroit’s impressive, and I guess I’m not the only who liked it. J.D. Power and Associates named it the highest-rated in customer satisfaction in 2010.

Overall, thumbs up for this airport- it was a pleasant surprise.

AmaCerto stats courtesy of AmaWaterways

A note about one of my favorite lines: AmaWaterways will be christening its newest ship, the Amacerto in Vilshofen, Germany on May 16, 2012, and they have selected Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) President Christine Duffy as the ship’s godmother.

Prior to joining CLIA, Duffy was the President and CEO of Maritz Travel, one of the largest meeting, event and incentive travel management companies in the world. She has been recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the “25 Most Influential Business Women,” Corporate Meetings and Incentives chose her as a “Top Women Leaders in the Meeting Industry” and Meeting News Magazine named her as one of the “25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry” four times.

AmaWaterways’ new AmaCerto is a deluxe 164-passenger vessel that incorporates advanced river cruise ship design, including Twin Balconies in the majority of its spacious staterooms and suites, with room sizes of up to 350 sq. feet. The AmaCerto also features a heated sun deck swimming pool with a ‘swim-up’ bar; fitness center and spa; complimentary Internet and Infotainment system in all staterooms plus Wi-Fi. For passengers wanting to explore the serene paths along the rivers, the AmaCerto offers a fleet of bicycles onboard.

The AmaCerto will serve the Dutch and Belgium Waterways and the Danube and Rhine Rivers on nine itineraries: Tulip Time Cruise; The Romantic Danube; Melodies of the Danube; The Legendary Danube; Blue Danube Discovery; Magnificent Europe; Christmas Time Cruise; Legendary Danube Jewish Heritage; and Christmas on the Rhine.

This trial run lasted approximately three hours before berthing in front of the Café Du Mond on the Riverwalk, and is a preface to the first voyage from New Orleans on April 19^th.  She will travel up the Mississippi River to her homeport of Memphis at Beale Street Landing, where she will be christened by Godmother Priscilla Presley on April 27, 2012.

The American Queen will then depart for her inaugural voyage up the Mississippi River to the Ohio River with stops in Henderson, Ky., Louisville, Ky. (where she will take part in the time-honored tradition of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Great Steamboat Race with the Belle of Louisville and Belle of Cincinnati), and Madison, Ind., before arriving in the disembarkation city of Cincinnati.

Image courtesy of Crystal Cruises

Crystal Cruises, whom I love for their sophistication and attention to service and detail, is also well-known for their comprehensive and unique shore excursion program.  And those who adore their shore excursions have reason to celebrate; Crystal has added 100 new “Crystal Adventures” to their lineup.  These bold new excursions (whose locations from western France, up to the Arctic Circle and over to Iceland in areas of stunning natural beauty) offer a wide variety of options for the active traveler.

The new “Crystal Adventures” excursions offer the opportunity to hike, drive, ride, fish, climb, sail, row, bob, fly or surf in Northern Europe from May to September.  Here’s a listing from the line of some of the new inclusions:

• River Raft Iceland’s glacial Hvitá River (outside Reyjkavik).
• Rock Climb Ireland’s Mourne Mountains (CS Lewis’s Narnia-inspiration) outside Belfast, or rappel down a Dalkey quarry after taking in the view of Dublin.
• Surf in Biarritz, with Quicksilver’s world-class surf school instruction (from St.-Jean-de-Luz).
• Tank-Drive a vintage WWII battle tank for two miles near Portland.
• Helicopter over Paris and Versailles (from Honfleur), Bordeaux wine country, or Iceland’s recently-erupted Eyjafjallajökull volcano (from Reykjavik).
• Olympic Wheelbob down Lillehammer’s Olympic Bob & Luge Track outside Oslo.
• Horseback Ride through the “Garden of Ireland”/County Wicklow outside Dublin, Finnish countryside and forest near Helsinki, or mountains outside maiden call Akureyri, the latter on the back of Icelandic horses descended from the Viking Age.
• Kayak past colorful Copenhagen via its harbor and canals or the natural beauty of coastal northern Norway (from Tromso).
• Hike the chalky Dorset coastline in Portland, England or Norway’s highest mountain, Mt. Ulriken (in Bergen).
• Fish the Finnish Archipelago, Geirangerfjord or near Reykjavik (sea angling).
• ATV or 4×4 Drive through North Cape’s gateway, Magerøya Island (Honningsvåg) or past glacial Icelandic landscape to either a lobster lunch or snowmobile adventure (Reykjavik).
• Boat past Helsinki’s seaside villas and lighthouses by catamaran; discover caves and orkas in maiden call Heimaey, Iceland by RIB or motorboat; spot puffins on a RIB sea safari to Runde Island (near Ålesund, Norway);  or scout for sea eagles by Zodiac in Lofoten, Norway (maiden call).
• Soak weary, post-activity bones in a natural geothermic/volcanic lagoon en route to stunning Godafoss, a.k.a. “Waterfall of the Gods” (from Akureyri).

And for those of you who are looking for a unique shore excursion without the adrenalin infusion, there are a large variety of one-of-a kind intellectual and cultural additions, as well:

• Blown Glassmaking near Saint-Malo: Fashion your own blown glasswork at a local studio.
• Venturing Off-the-Beaten-Path in Berlin: Explore living as the locals do, with shopping at the fruit and vegetable market, riding the Underground, and going inside a typical local apartment.
• Painting in St. Petersburg: Take a painting master class at Russia’s largest private modern art gallery.
• Evening Walking with a Night Watchman in Copenhagen: Take a different type of walking tour, at night, with a traditional uniformed, and informed, local “night watchman.”
• “Titanic Experience” in Belfast: Visit the new Titanic museum on the centennial anniversary of the ship’s sinking.
• Gourmet Dining and Wine Tasting in Bordeaux: From slow food to Médoc wine, join local experts in exploring the region’s legendary estates, including a gala dinner at Château Haut-Bailly.

Here’s a tip if you’re looking a booking a cruise with Crystal: Until April 30, “Book Now” fares for these Crystal’s Northern Europe cruises start at $2,965 per person/double occupancy for eleven days sailing from London to Hamburg.  Additional savings are available for combining select voyages, groups of six or more, or sharing the experience with someone new-to-Crystal.

Find out more about booking with Crystal Cruises here, and be sure to ask your agent about these wonderful new excursions.