OCEANIA CRUISES' NEW MARINA TO FEATURE FIRST SUITES AT SEA

OCEANIA CRUISES' NEW MARINA TO FEATURE FIRST SUITES AT SEA

DESIGNED BY TOCAR FEATURING FURNISHINGS FROM RALPH LAUREN HOME

Glamorous Owner’s Suites Offer 2,500+ Square Feet of Palatial Luxury

NEW YORK, December 11, 2009 — When she debuts in winter 2010, Oceania Cruises’ new Marina will be the first ship to offer luxury suites completely appointed from furniture and fabrics to lighting and bedding using the acclaimed Ralph Lauren Home collection.

To accomplish this industry first, the cruise line tapped New York-based Tocar Interior Design because of the award-winning partners’ keen familiarity with the Polo Ralph Lauren esthetic. Susan Bednar Long, co-founder and president, previously oversaw the decoration of flagship retail stores for Polo across North America. Christina Sullivan, co-founder and vice president, began her career at Polo in the store design department, where she launched Double RL Collection Shops across the U.S.

“To appeal to discerning travelers we wanted the best suites on Marina to feel like a luxurious estate home. We thought out-of-the box, insisted on the finest craftsmanship and sought out the most talented residential designers,” stated Bob Binder, Oceania Cruises’ president. “Tocar has designed the first suites at sea exclusively using furnishings from Ralph Lauren Home.”

Norwegian Gem returns to NYC for Winter Cruise Season

NORWEGIAN GEM RETURNS TO NEW YORK FOR WINTER CRUISE SEASON

MIAMI – December 10, 2009 – On Saturday, the Big Apple welcomes back Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest Freestyle Cruising ship, as she returns for the winter cruise season, sailing seven-day Bahamas & Florida and 10-day Eastern Caribbean cruises direct from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in the heart of New York City.

Beginning Saturday, December 12, the 2,380-passenger Norwegian Gem will set sail on the first of 10 seven-day Bahamas & Florida cruises with stops in Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida; Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian’s private island) and Nassau, Bahamas.  The cruises are from $649 per person and sail on December 19, and 26, 2009; February 13, 20, and 27; March 6, 13, 20, and 27 and April 3, 2010. 

The ship will also sail a 10-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary on January 3 and 24; and February 3, 2010 with stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John’s, Antigua; Philipsburg, St. Maarten and Tortola, British Virgin Islands. 

These Eastern Caribbean cruises are from $699 per person. 

Norwegian Gem also offers two one-night cruises, great for those who want a quick getaway or want to sample Norwegian’s signature Freestyle Cruising, on January 2 and 23 from $159 per person.

Family Cruising

If you’ve vacationed with your children you know the look - a couple of bleary-eyed, bedraggled parents returning back to the hotel at 6 p.m..  In tow, are 2 hyper-active offspring wearing mouse hats or whale t-shirts sporting cotton candy hair extensions.  Next it’s the big choice:  wash them up and suffer through another dinner or collapse in the hotel room with another room service or take-out pizza meal.  And today’s receipts for all this fun?  Well,  let’s just say it cost more than your first car did?

If this is how you define vacation in your household, maybe it’s time for something different.  How about an experience where EVERYONE actually gets a vacation?  The answer is quite simple and does not end with the words “Park”, “World” or “Land”. But it does end with the word “Happy”.  On a cruise it is possible to make everyone happy with their vacation.

Contemporary cruise lines figured out quite a while ago that if you can keep the kids happy and occupied, then the parents follow right along.  Over the years, children’s programs on board ships have blossomed from having one children’s counselor on board over the holidays to full blown year round programs and separate facilities for the different age groups.  Every year from 6 months to 16 years is covered and child care is offered at various levels.

Cruise lines are now savvy enough to plan nighttime activities for the children so their parents can enjoy the facilities of the ship in a relaxed style simply unavailable at most land-based resorts.  Cruises are an exceptionally good idea for single parents as they have a controlled environment and child care on the ship,  but have the freedom and time to make new friends around the ship.  Extended families also love ships because cousins and friends can hang together on the ship while the adults reconnect. 

Before you plan your next road trip, let a cruise expert fill you in on the many choices and the “secret” affordability of family cruising.  Oh, did we forget to mention that all meals, snacks, entertainment, accommodations and transportation are included in one upfront price?  This year take a cruise and leave the mouse hats, maps, and (cotton candy remover) shampoo at home. 

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