Cruise news: ranges from $19.99 to record sales

Cruise news this week included some of the least expensive trips ever, record sales and first- ever offers. For example:

—Discovery Cruise Line, the largest tour operator between South Florida and Grand Bahama Island, announced its lowest fare ever.
 

The price is $19.99 for a Fun Day cruise and Stay vacation package for bookings between Sept. 8 through Sept. 30, and travel between Oct. 1 and Jan. 31, according to PRNNewswire.
 

Surcharges of $39 per person apply to all passengers and these special rates are for Florida residents only. A limited number of these cruises per sailing are available, said the newswire.
 

"We want to provide a stimulus for what is traditionally a slow Fall season, and the best way to accomplish that is through price reductions,” said Hans J. Hahan, Discovery’s General Manager.  He added:
 

“These are the lowest published rates we have ever offered."

Discovery sails every day except Wednesdays from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale to Grand Bahama Island, departing at 7:45 a.m. and returning at 10 p.m.
 

Discovery offers same day roundtrip cruises as well as cruise and stay vacation packages, including all-inclusive and island-inclusive packages.

—The month of August set new booking records for Oceania Cruises with the one week period of Aug. 23 through the 29th marking the busiest week on record; Aug. 31st registered as the biggest single booking day in the company’s history. 
 

Thirty-two of the line’s 2010 voyages are already sold out and overall pricing has strengthened back to the record setting 2007 and 2008 pre-recession levels which prompted the line to raise prices on over 40 percent of its 2010 departures effective this month.
 

Another price increase is slated starting Jan. 1, 2010.
 

“The demand and pricing strength Oceania Cruises is experiencing showcases the resilience of the cruise industry in the wake of a challenging economy and demonstrates once again how important vacations are to consumers,” said Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, parent of Oceania. He added:
 

“Travel Agent partners are also reporting record booking levels as consumer confidence strengthens.”
 

—Celebrity Cruises introduced its Celebrity Select Dining, a new flexible dining option that is says includes the industry’s first pre-cruise, day-by-day dining system.
 

The new system allows guests to choose when they dine in the main dining room onboard, on a day-by-day basis.
 

“Celebrity Select Dining gives our guests the flexibility to spend their days any way they like,” said Jacques Van Staden, Vice President of Culinary Operations, Celebrity Cruises.
 

He said no other cruise line that offers a flexible dining option also offers pre-cruise day-by-day reservations.
 

“Through this industry-leading technology, Celebrity’s guests can go online to choose their desired dining time  –  anytime between 6 and 9:30 pm  –  for each day of their cruise, up to four days prior to boarding,” according to a press release.
 

Reservations also can be made onboard with the main dining room’s Maitre d’.

Guests can pre-book their dining times online at www.celebritycruises.com. All dining times are subject to availability, and guests who elect Celebrity Select Dining must pay gratuities.
 

Guests sailing on Celebrity’s newest ship, the 2,850-guest Celebrity Equinox, beginning with the Sept. 26, 2009 sailing, will be the first to experience Celebrity Select Dining.
 

By David Wilkening