By Sue Kovach Shuman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 21, 2007
It's another big year for new cruise ships -- with "big" being the operative word. Many of the liners premiering in 2007 will set sail with more than 3,000 passengers.
"More and more, the ship is the destination," says Lauraday Kelley of Alexandria-based Vacation.com. Amenities count "when you've got maybe 4,000 [including crew] floating in what is in effect a 12-floor condo," she adds.
Here's the scoop on five of the newest ships. Rates listed are from the cruise lines, though some offer early-booking discounts. Prices are per person based on double occupancy and do not include taxes and fees. For lower rates, check with travel agents, discount cruise specialists such as Vacations to Go ( http://www.vacationstogo.com/) or Web sites like Cruise Compete ( http://www.cruisecompete.com/), at which you name your preferred cruise and travel agencies then offer competing bids on the voyage.
Norwegian Pearl(Norwegian Cruise Line)* Debuted: Dec. 16 (was due in 2007 but was ready early)
* Stats: 93,530 tons, 2,394 passengers, 1,197 staterooms, 15 decks, 10 restaurants, 13 bars and lounges.
* Highlights: First regulation-size bowling alley on the high seas . . . Thirty-foot rock wall has five levels of difficulty . . . Three pools, plus water slide . . . Features family-friendly "freestyle cruising": unscheduled activities and open seating with flexible meal times . . . The Second City comedy troupe -- the one that begat Bill Murray and John Belushi -- hosts workshops and performs . . . Entertainment includes the "Garden of the Geisha" show with tai chi, Kabuki and drums.
* Itinerary/prices: Inaugural season includes round-trip from Miami to the southern Caribbean; a nine-night voyage leaving March 16 includes stops in Roseau, Dominica, and Bridgetown, Barbados, and starts at $949. Other itineraries include the Pacific Northwest and Panama Canal, Miami-to-Los Angeles round-trip journeys, and round-trip from Los Angeles to Vancouver, B.C. From May to September this year, the Pearl travels round trip from Seattle to Glacier Bay, Alaska.
* Info:866-234-0292, http://www.ncl.com/.
Freedom (Carnival)* Debuts: March 5 in Venice
* Stats: 110,000 tons, 2,974 passengers, 1,487 staterooms, 13 decks, two restaurants, sushi and pool bars, and dance, jazz, piano and supper clubs (among others).
* Itineraries/prices: Many of its first cruises (in the Mediterranean) have sold out; bookings for July and October 2008 start at $1,249. On April 26, 2008, a 14-day transatlantic voyage from Miami to Rome starts at $699. In November, Freedom will sail the western Caribbean on four-day round-trip voyages from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico (rates from $299); seven-day eastern Caribbean cruises will leave from Miami and include stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Nassau, Bahamas (from $579). Eight-day eastern and western Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale start at $579.
* Info:888-227-6482, http://www.carnival.com/.
Emerald Princess(Princess Cruises)* Debuts: April 11 in Rome
* Stats: 113,000 tons, 3,080 passengers, nearly 900 staterooms, 15 decks, 14 eateries (including full-service restaurants, burger grills, ice cream bar) and seven bars and lounges.
* Itineraries/prices: Inaugural cruise is 12 days from Rome to Venice via the Greek Isles, Turkey and Dubrovnik, Croatia; from $1,799. Then Emerald moves to Fort Lauderdale to begin round-trip southern and eastern Caribbean itineraries into April 2008. On Oct. 27, for example, a 10-day southern Caribbean trip starts at $899.
Info:800-774-6237, http://www.princess.com/.
Costa Serena(Costa Cruises)* Debuts: May 26 in Venice
* Stats:112,000 tons, about 3,000 passengers, 1,500 staterooms, 17 decks, five restaurants and 13 bars and lounges.
* Highlights: Grand Prix simulator features the same technology that race drivers use, with G-force effects and peripheral-vision screens . . . Amenities include three-level theater, four swimming pools with slides, casino, tennis court and outdoor jogging track . . . Like sister ship Costa Concordia, the Serena will have a two-deck spa (some suites get direct spa access via private staircase) . . . Supervised activities for children will be available, as well as babysitting.
* Itinerary/prices: Inaugural cruise prices start at $1,499 (30 percent off the regular rate of $2,139) for eight days; the cruise is round trip from Venice, including stops in Katakolon and Piraeus (Athens) in Greece. Serena sails June through October from Venice on seven-night cruises to Mediterranean ports; from $1,229.
Queen Victoria(Cunard)* Debuts: Dec. 11 in Southampton, England
* Stats: 2,014 passengers, 1,007 staterooms, 12 decks, eight restaurants and 20 bars (including traditional English pub and champagne bar) and lounges. Victoria, sister to Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2, is smaller (90,000 tons), so it can fit through the Panama Canal.
* Highlights: Exterior elevators with glass walls will tower 10 decks high (a first) and the three-deck Royal Court Theatre will have private viewing boxes . . . An oak-paneled library with circular staircase will hold 6,000 titles (three times more than most ships) . . . Amenities include a heated therapy pool and spa with treatments including body wraps and thalassotherapy . . . Supervised youth and child programs, but no babysitting.
* Info:800-728-6273, http://www.cunard.com/.
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