Disney kicks off first cruises from Texas

Kent Phillips

By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY

Is Texas ready for the Mouse?

The first Disney cruises out the Lone Star State kicked off over the weekend with a celebration at the Port of Galveston.

The 1,754-passenger Disney Magic set sail from the port on Saturday for the first of several dozen four-, six-, seven- and eight-night sailings to the Caribbean and Bahamas. The ship will be based in Galveston through May, when it repositions to Barcelona for the summer of 2013.

Disney already has announced plans for more cruises out of Galveston over the winter of 2013-14 aboard the Disney Magic's sister ship, the Disney Wonder.

 Read more: http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/09/disney-cruise-galveston-texas/70000988/1

Deal watch: Cunard Line launches tropical cruise sale

This item was written by Johanna Jainchill, who covers the travel industry for Travel Weekly. Jainchill is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away.

Known mostly for its trans-Atlantic sailings, Cunard Line is offering five days of savings on its warm-water itineraries with the Tropical Discoveries Sale.

Starting today, the British cruise company is offering reduced rates, as well as two-for-one savings, reduced deposits and on-board credit of up to $300, on 16 sailings departing in 2013, booked over the next five days.

The itineraries include the South Pacific, Panama Canal transits, and the Caribbean.

Read more: http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/09/cunard-line-tropical-discoveries-sale/70001249/1

Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas cruise: Search over for woman who went overboard

By: By Juan Ortega, Sun SentinelThe Coast Guard on Tuesday evening gave up its search for a 21-year-old woman who fell overboard Sunday night from a cruise ship about 47 miles east of Fort Lauderdale.

The Bartlett, Tenn., woman was seen going overboard by another passenger on Royal Caribbean's mega-ship Allure of the Seas, the same day the ship had kicked off a seven-night Caribbean itinerary from Port Everglades.

The ship remained at sea Tuesday, but was scheduled to make its port of call at St. Maarten on Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/royal-caribbean-allure-of-the-seas-cruise-search-over-for-woman-who-went-overboard#ixzz2714QDaqj

Steal of the Week: Cruise the Southern Caribbean Over Thanksgiving From $67 Per Night

September 13, 2012 | By Cruise Critic

From CruiseCritic.com

THE DEAL: American Discount Cruises & Travel is offering a seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise aboard Caribbean Princess, sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on November 17, 2012. Fares start from $466 per person for an inside cabin, $493 for an outside cabin, $736 for a balcony cabin and $916 for a mini-suite.

Read more at:  http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2012/09/13/steal-of-the-week-cruise-the-southern-caribbean-over-thanksgiving-from-67-per-night/?isalt=0

Carnival Axes Future Cruise Certificates

From cruisecritic.com

Starting September 27, Carnival passengers will no longer be able to purchase cruise certificates good toward the purchase of future cruises while onboard ships. Existing certificates will be honored through their printed expiration dates.

According to a document on GoCCL, the travel agent section of Carnival's Web site, the certificates – officially called the Future Carnival Vacations Program – underperformed economically, and, after "careful consideration," the cruise line decided to eliminate the program.

Read more at: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4988

Singles cruises for Halloween

Remember when Halloween was considered a holiday just for kids? No more. Halloween is now a major holiday for adults -- especially singles.

Halloween sailings are drawing more interest than ever this year, according to the professional singles cruise planners. Thousands of solo cruisers will take to the high seas this Hallow’s Eve, with a Halloween singles cruise to satisfy just about anyone...

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/09/12/singles-cruises-for-halloween/#ixzz26GUxDKyA

Cruise.com Launches Mobile App for iPhone and Android

DANIA BEACH, Fla., Sept. 10, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise.com, a subsidiary of Omega World Travel, Inc. and one of the Internet's leading cruise sellers, announces the launch of their new mobile app for both iPhone users and Android users. The free app is designed to put a wealth of cruise-related information at the user's fingertips. The Cruise.com app is available now for download in the iPhone App Store and in the Android Marketplace and can be also be downloaded at www.cruise.com.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/10/4804532/cruisecom-launches-mobile-app.html#storylink=cpy

Seniors on the Go: Cruise lines turn to fees, packages

Following the lead of airlines, some big cruise lines are moving toward the airlines' pricing philosophy: Keep the base price low, and make up the difference with fees. How this will play out is anybody's guess, but if you're considering a cruise, you need to look past the initially featured rates.

Read more at:  http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-09-04/travel/sns-travel-ed-perkins-seniors-on-the-go-cruise-lines-turn-to-fees-packages-20120904_1_cruise-lines-drink-packages-cruise-critic

First look at Peter Max-designed cruise ship exterior

Courtesy Norwegian Cruise Line

Call it Peter Max's largest canvas ever.

Norwegian Cruise Line today released the first image of the Max-designed hull art planned for its next ship, the Norwegian Breakaway -- a colorful mixture of New York- and cosmic-themed imagery that will cover 40,000 square feet of the vessel's exterior.

"Norwegian Breakaway is New York's ship, and this colorful artwork by Peter Max will make the ship an instant icon," Norwegian CEO Kevin Sheehan says in a statement.

Debuting in April 2013, the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway is scheduled to sail year-round out of New York to such destinations as Bermuda and the Bahamas. At 144,000 tons, it'll be the largest ship ever to be based year-round in the city.

Read more at: http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/09/norwegian-cruise-hull-art-peter-max/837902/1