Celebrity Equinox will sail from Papenburg down the River Ems June 19 or 20, depending on the winds and tides, and following various provisioning activities, sea trials and inspections, will host a series of invitation-only special events for press, travel agents and consumers from Southampton, England, from July 23 until entering service July 31. Celebrity Equinox will present a series of “Ancient Empires” and other European itineraries from Southampton and Rome this summer, followed by 10- and 11-night “Ultimate Caribbean” cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beginning in November.

The next Solstice class ship scheduled for delivery as part of the 5 ship order is the Celebrity Eclipse due out in 2010 with the yet unnamed #4 scheduled for 2011 and #5 in 2012.

Ok, so here’s the short list:
Look for elevators and staircase exits near your stateroom. (Some people love to be close to everything so this might be a positive feature but with activity comes noise)

Look up.  Oops!  A basketball court, jogging track or day pantry might result in the wakeup call you did not ask for.

Look Down.  Is the bandstand for one of the show lounges right below your room?  Even with good sound proofing there is a chance for ambient noise.

Look across the hall.  Is there a room service pantry shown or other service area.  A potentially busy area to avoid.

Look Right and Left.  If you are at the end of a hallway, make sure that the disco or other high energy lounge is not adjacent.  Avoid hallways that lead to these lounges unless you are a night owl.  Late night revelers sometimes carry on with the partying outside your door.

The good news is that modern cruise ships have been designed with passenger comfort in mind and the architects strive to develop a deck plan that confines public rooms and lounges to areas far from the staterooms.  A little advance review of the deck plans and the advice of a good cruise specialist can help deliver an extra measure of peace and quiet in your stateroom.

And please don’t slam your door in the morning when you get up for early risers’ coffee.  Those partiers next door are still sleeping.  Then again. . . . .

Carnival Cruise Lines, known for large, action packed casinos, recently announced the PokerPro Challenge, a series of No Limit Texas Hold’em poker tournaments that will take place on the 22-ship fleet now through October. The winners of the preliminary tournaments will face off for a cash prize of $25,000 in the Grand Final during Carnival Freedom’s Jan. 24 six-day voyage from Fort Lauderdale.  First place winners of the preliminary tournaments will be automatically entered to participate in the Grand Final and will receive a certificate toward the Jan. 24 cruise. The tournament entry fee is $150. Your cruise specialist can provide information on the initial tournament schedule.

Each cruise will start with a screening of the film, and passengers on select ships before the nationwide roll-out of the movie this summer will get an advance viewing. Participants will then divide into teams to learn choreographed routines. The program will culminate with a farewell show performance in the ship’s main theater.

If you are Fred and Ginger challenged however, don’t despair because you can still twist’ n shout in a dark corner of the disco or slow dance accompanied by the house orchestra in one of the lounges!  Something for everyone on Royal Caribbean.

The first thing to understand when you let your fingers do the shopping online is that virtually all cruise travel sites develop their prices from the same “feed”.   For the digitally challenged, this just means that the cruise lines deliver pricing from their central computer. This means for all practical purposes, cruise travel sites offer up the same rates.  One great myth is that the cruise lines who sell directly to the public (mostly the mass market lines) have special, direct rates different from cruise agent.  Wrong, my fellow cruisers!  In fact, an independent cruise agent can often find you rates lower than the cruise line.  More on how to take advantage on some insider tips in a moment.  But first we have to get this off our chest.  WHAT ARE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU ONLY SHOP DIRECTLY WITH A CRUISE LINE????  First of all, that cruise line employee is paid to get your booking as fast as possible and move on to the next sale.  And, heaven forbid, maybe instead of cruise line ABC, you really belong on cruise line XYZ, what is the chance that the cruise line agent will say “Oh you really belong on cruise line XYZ and not us”.  Sure,  the next thing that will happen is that the Toyota sales person will send you next door to the Volvo dealer.  Your local cruise agent invests time and interest in YOU and has a goal of creating repeat business.   Where, When,  and How you cruise is very important to your specialist.

Now onto those hot tips.  Your local cruise agent not only views the pricing feeds from the cruise lines, but also may have access to what is known as group rates.  Also, there are often unadvertised specials that are made available from time to time that might include special benefits such as upgrades, onboard credits, spa treatments, complimentary alternate dining.   Your agent can also check for regional promotions, senior and public safety discounts, past passenger specials and lots more.

Get the picture?  Maybe instead of surfing a dozen web sites and seeing the same information over and over put a local cruise agent to work for you.  They don’t charge for their basic services and often find these hidden lower rates.  Let them play detective for you!

Now, Swine Flu is a little different story.  Because it is a somewhat more global issue, it affects quite a few  cruise ships,  mainly those that call on Mexican ports.  The cruise lines have been very diligent in their anti-viral procedures since the days of the Norovirus.  And while viruses do impact some passengers, the percentage of the nearly 11 million people who cruise every year is very small.  That being said however, the cruise lines are exercising prudent caution by intensifying their sanitation efforts and making itinerary changes.  Western Caribbean and Mexican Riviera cruises are most impacted.  The major lines have dropped ports like Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan from their schedules until further notice.   In some cases a full day at sea is being added but in the case of the “Mexican Riviera” cruises, entirely new itineraries are being substituted.  The best source for the latest information about a planned or booked voyage is your cruise specialist who can provide invaluable guidance and advice.  Keep in mind that the cruise lines have the safety and comfort of their guests as their first priority and make changes with that in mind.  You can still expect to enjoy all the great service, food and entertainment cruise ships deliver, regardless of where you make landfall.

Why the ambiguity?  Because the most important thing to remember that what you are reading is just one person (or couple’s) opinion about a particular ship, cruise line or service amenity.  Have you ever gone to a shore side restaurant that a friend raves about and found it to be very disappointing?  I think we all have.  And what about that fabulous plumber who was recommended strongly?  The one who broke the pipe and flooded your new carpet?  Oops.

So, it is best to consider these reviews with a grain of salt.  They are good for general trends and recommendations and certainly provide some insider tips.  Generally, if there are a large number of reviews and all or most of them are negative on a topic, there is likely to be some underlying cause.  Then again, there is a certain group of people that would complain if they got a million dollars in cash that it was in old bills and not crisp new ones.  Go figure.

The fact that 80% of all people who cruise indicate they will sail again points out that if you work with a knowledgeable cruise agent and he or she matches your needs with the most suitable ship, it is almost inevitable that you will have a great vacation.

The concierges will provide consultation at no charge to anyone onboard. They’ll be located in the ships’ computer centers, where guests can check e-mail and use the Internet, beginning in April aboard Crystal Symphony and in May aboard Crystal Serenity.

Personally my favorite button on these devices is the one that turns it off so I can enjoy a holiday on my holiday.  A lot of folks today, go on vacation to get away from it all and then try to bring as much of “it” with them as they can.  While staying in touch on your  cruise is an important consideration, too much of a good thing can be distracting.  However, like everything else connected with vacations at sea, there are multiple choices and options and this is just one more to be added to the list.

Crystal operates two 5 Star luxury lines on voyages to ports throughout the world.

In a recent press release, the Yachts of Seabourn touted ‘Six things you didn’t know about Seabourn Odyssey’  which is due to enter service on June 24 in Venice:
They include iPods and laptops for loan, with Seabourn-branded netbook computers (also available for purchase) to take advantage of Wifi connectivity in all suites and most public spaces.
Also, Seabourn Odyssey will have a private diamond showroom, The Collection, and it will be the first ship to offer SkinCeuticals products in the spa. In addition, Molton Brown’s new Therapies line of plant-based products will make its sea-going debut on board.

In a new space for Seabourn, The Retreat at Sea provides a nine-hole mini golf course, chess on a giant board and shuffleboard. It’s also the spot for organized stargazing.
The sixth thing ‘you didn’t know about Seabourn Odyssey’ is rarely offered treatments at sea, including personal training on the Kinesis Wall in the Motion Studio and Thai massage in the spa.

The 220,000-ton, 5,400-passenger Allure and its sister-ship the Oasis of the Seas will be world’s two largest cruise ships when they debut: the Oasis this November and the Allure one year later.

Both ships will be based out of Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades, with the Allure leaving on Sundays and the Oasis on Saturdays.

Both Allure itineraries will feature three days at sea, and in the eastern Caribbean will call in St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Nassau. In the western Caribbean, it will go to Falmouth, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico; and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach on the northern coast of Haiti.

Bookings for the Allure’s inaugural season open on April 2 for Diamond- and Diamond Plus-level members of the Crown & Anchor Society, Royal Caribbean’s frequent cruiser program, and on April 8 for all Crown & Anchor Society members. General bookings will open on April 13.