Travelore Cruise News: Carnival And Royal Caribbean Passengers Unhappy Over Proposed New Cruise Charges

The new fees on the popular cruise lines involve the price of taxes, which - like everything else - has increased dramatically since 2019.

Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise enthusiasts are about to get hit with yet another fee, and they couldn't be less thrilled about the prospect.

Since 2019, the price of everything has gone up thanks to global inflation, and cruise prices are no different.

But while cruises have control over the prices of many things — such as Wi-Fi access and shore excursion prices — they don't have control over the increase of things like taxes.

And now, both cruise lines have announced that those increases will be passed on to customers.

For example, Quintana Roo in Mexico has announced that they will impose a $5 tax on all cruise ship passengers.

Rather than absorb the cost themselves, both cruise lines have announced that they will pass that tax on to its guests.

While that tax isn't due to be added until 2025, passengers are already furious that they'll be incurring an additional charge on an already-expensive excursion.

Mexican authorities, however, claim that the taxes will be "earmarked for tourism infrastructure projects and natural disaster recovery," per Cruise Hive.

"Approximately 30% of the funds would be directed to the Trust for the Attention of Natural Disasters, which would help mitigate damage from hurricanes, flooding, and other natural events. This could include emergency recovery projects and repairs, as well as funds to citizens and residents impacted by such disasters," Cruise Hive also reported.

The fees are anticipated to generate up to $25 million per year, by some estimates.

The proposed resolution to adopt these fees is likely to be granted, as well.

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/

Amazing Free Perks You Can Get On Cruises, The Benefits Of Being Loyal.

Brand loyalty among cruisers is a funny thing. Each enjoyable cruise you take on one cruise line entrenches you more firmly in your comfort zone. You feel good about your vacation choice, knowing in advance what you are getting. You love that it feels like home when you step onboard. You practically have the menus memorized. What if you switch and Brand X doesn’t have that soufflé you love? Or the right pillows? Once you settle in, it feels like you could sail to the ends of the earth fearlessly with your chosen cruise line.

But you want recognition, too! The cruise line should treat you like royalty for all that loyalty. In some cases they do. Yahoo Travel went in search of the best cruise perks available on the major lines, digging deep into the muddled fine print to find what each loyalty program is best at. Which cruise lines have the best plans for new cruisers looking to begin the loyalty game? And which cater more to serious cruisers whose crowns need a little polishing?

Loyalty programs often make big deals out of things that do not matter for most cruisers, so we attempted to cut through the clutter of “perks” like newsletters and magazines. Those are not benefits; that’s marketing. The same holds true for password-protected areas of websites. We also see limited benefit in dedicated help desks, a single soft drink or bottle of water, or tiny discounts on already high-priced things like minibars and spa treatments.

If a line can make you feel better about giving them all of your vacay money by handing out color-coded key cards and lapel pins, that’s great, but what we were looking for were perks with real value — in other words, free stuff! Onboard credits, free laundry, free Internet, cabin upgrades (that are easily attainable), and yes, even free cruises.

Here is what we found.  

Carnival Cruises

Frequent cruisers will love the bonuses from they rack up from all their Carnival rides. (Photo: Carnival Cruises)

The Lowdown: Even though you can join the VIFP Club (that stands for “Very Important Fun Person”) before your first cruise begins, the benefits are less than spectacular until you have cruised 75 nights and reach the platinum level. At that point (roughly 10-15 cruises), you start getting things like cabin upgrades and free laundry. Hit 200 nights (25-30 cruises average) and you can add a free specialty dining opportunity. 

Related: Cruising for Charity: Carnival Launches New Cruise Line for ‘Voluntourists’

A separate Milestone Cruise Program adds a bonus: an onboard credit on your 25th, 50th, and 75th cruises and a free eight-day cruise after your 100th booking.

Best for: Frequent cruisers. 

Celebrity Cruises

Like upgrades? Celebrity will swap your standard veranda room for a better veranda room just for being a repeat cruiser. (Photo: Celebrity Cruises/Facebook)

The Lowdown: Most cruises have the standard array of inside, outside, veranda, and suite classes. Celebrity excels by offering higher cabin classes like Concierge and AquaClass, which include experiences and special cabin locations. Celebrity’s Captain’s Club loyalty program dolls out free one-category upgrades within a “superclass” to even the lowest tier of past guests. So book a veranda class cabin and you’ll get upgraded to a better veranda cabin just for having cruised with Celebrity in the past. 

The rewards gradually escalate to include access to special lounges, Persian Garden access, and priority theater seating. See the experience trend? 

An added bonus is that anyone who has achieved platinum level or higher with Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor club enter Celebrity’s Captain’s Club with the same status.

Best For: Upgrade lovers, particularly those who frequently opt for upgraded cabin classes. 

Disney Cruise Line

Ten Disney cruises will earn you a free dinner at onboard specialty restaurant Palo. (Photo: Disney)

The Lowdown: Castaway Club members receive recognition, a tote bag or backpack, and not much more. Of course, if you love Disney, having a tote bag that not everyone else can get is cool. 

Related: Disney Announces a “Star Wars” Cruise

After 10 cruises, members receive a complimentary dinner at the onboard specialty restaurant Palo.

Best For: Disney lovers. 

Holland America Line

Cruise Holland or any of its sister lines for discounts and special treats. (Photo: Holland America Cruises/Facebook)

The Lowdown: You can join Holland America Line’s Mariner Society following just one cruise with HAL or one of its sister lines (Carnival, Princess, Cunard, Seaborne, or Costa). Points accrue on nights sailed, with double points for sailing in a suite, plus you earn one bonus point for every $300 you spend on most things onboard. 

Special treats like a Mariner Brunch and embarkation lunch in the dining room (as opposed to the buffet with the masses) begin in the first tier. The discounts and free stuff begin after 30 cruise points.

Best For: Previous guests of other Carnival Corporation cruise lines and those who spend extra onboard. 

MSC Cruises

MSC Voyagers Club will hook you up with great perks and benefits simply for being a loyal member of another cruise line. (Photo: MSC Cruise USA)

The Lowdown: MSC’s new reciprocal status program, MSC Voyagers Club, is perfect for anyone with accumulated status in any other travel loyalty program, particularly when it comes to moderately priced European lines. But it’s not just cruising: that airline membership will also qualify you. 

To take advantage of the program you must fill out a form providing the details of your status with another program and wait for MSC’s determination of your reciprocal status. The program is too new to have much feedback at this point, but it certainly has potential, as this European giant is setting its sights on attracting North American cruisers.

Best For: Travelers with existing upper-level status in any travel loyalty program — including non-cruise programs. 

Norwegian Cruise Lines

Start earning points automatically and working your way toward cool perks like a members-only cocktail party and great discounts. (Photo: Norwegian Cruise Line)

The Lowdown: After completing just one NCL cruise, members of the Latitudes loyalty program are eligible for bonus points on select cruises, as well as the usual assortment of discounts on Internet minutes and onboard purchases. The best thing: it is automatic. You never need to sign up to start receiving insider specials. Free stuff doesn’t begin until you have sailed 75 nights with NCL, and unfortunately never goes beyond complimentary dinners and tours.

Related: A-ha! The Ultimate All-Norwegian Playlist for Exploring Norway

Best For: New cruisers just testing the waters. 

Princess

Get great discounts simply by sharing your love of cruising with others. (Photo: Princess Cruises)

The Lowdown: As soon as you complete your first cruise you are eligible for Captain’s Circle, a referral program that lets you earn discounts when you refer (or bring) friends. You are also eligible immediately for both early and late booking discounts. With your fourth cruise, you become eligible for an upgrade on your purchase of Princess’ vacation insurance program. Free stuff starts with Internet access on your sixth cruise and laundry on your sixteenth.

Best For: Brand ambassadors and discount lovers. 

Royal Caribbean

Balcony lovers, rejoice! The Royal Caribbean loyalty program gets you great discounts on balcony rooms and suites. (Photo: Royal Caribbean Cruises)

The Lowdown: The massive Crown & Anchor Society has five tiers, beginning after your first cruise. There are small perks that start with the first tier, but good stuff like discounts on balcony cabins and suites begin at just 30 points, or roughly five cruises. No discounts to unravel, just a flat $75-225 per stateroom knocked off your final booking, depending on the length of cruise and how far in advance you reserve your cabin. Royal Caribbean is good at doling out feel-good perks and discounts onboard as members progress through the tiers, and if you stick it out with them for 700 nights, the reward is that ever-elusive free seven-night cruise.

Best For: Balcony and suite lovers. 

By Melinda Crow

Travelore News: Carnival Plans To Start Cuba Cruises May 1

PHOTO: Fathom is proceeding with plans to start Cuba sailings on May 1 on the 700-passenger Adonia. (Courtesy of Fathom)

While still awaiting approval from Cuban authorities, Carnival Corp.’s new Fathom brand is proceeding with plans to sail to the island nation starting in the spring.

“Our intention is for the first trip to depart May 1, if not before,” Fathom President Tara Russell told reporters on a press trip in the Dominican Republic.

The itineraries will likely include three destinations in Cuba — the capital of Havana, Santiago de Cuba in the southeast, and Cienfuegos on the southern coast, she said.

The cruises will offer cultural exchange programs with Cuban artists, small business owners, food producers, musicians and filmmakers. That programming would qualify for the People-to-People licenses authorized by the U.S. Treasury Department to allow travel to Cuba. In July, Carnival Corp. received approval from the U.S. government for Cuba cruises, but was waiting for the OK from Cuban authorities. On Aug. 31, Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald told reporters in a video conference that there was “nothing to report” relating to Cuba approvals.

Fathom was designed as a “social impact” brand offering cruises with volunteer experiences and “impact travel activities” in the Dominican Republic starting in April aboard the 700-passenger Adonia. Shortly after Carnival announced the brand in June, it revealed that it would alternate weekly departures to Cuba.

Russell described Fathom as “a different kind of cruise that combines your love of travel with your desire to make a difference.”

Lead fares initially announced were $2,990 for Cuba and $1,540 for the Dominican Republic, but have come down to $1,600 and $974, respectively, according to the website on Sept. 3.

From THERESA NORTON MASEK, www.travelpulse.com 

Caribbean's Newest Destination Amber Cove In The Dominican Republic To Welcome First Cruise Ship In 2015

Amber Cove, an exciting new destination located in the heart of the Dominican Republic's breathtaking North Coast, known as the Amber Coast, just outside the historical town of Puerto Plata – will welcome its first cruise ship when the Carnival Victory arrives on October 6, 2015, for a day-long call.

The visit by Carnival Victory is the first of 37 calls by eight different Carnival ships that will take place between October 2015 and April 2016, accounting for more than 100,000 guests during this period.

Amber Cove will be a featured port on select sailings of Carnival Breeze, Carnival Glory, Carnival Splendor and Carnival Victory from Miami, Carnival Conquest from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Valor from Port Canaveral, Fla., and Carnival Fantasy from Charleston, S.C.

"Amber Cove is destined to become a cornerstone in creating new itineraries from several U.S. home ports," said Terry Thornton, Carnival's senior vice president of itinerary planning. "It will provide an unmatched combination of 'fun in the sun' activities and eco-tourism opportunities along with unique sightseeing, dining and cultural experiences to create a lifetime of wonderful vacation memories for our guests," he added.

Designed to serve as the gateway to one of the world's most beautiful cruising regions, Amber Cove features dramatic architectural elements that echo the area's storied Colonial past. The port is situated in a picturesque cove that serves as the backdrop for soaring mountains and lush tropical landscape. Its cobblestone plazas will be lined with a wide variety of retail offerings, including themed restaurants and bars and a marketplace with locally sourced crafts and souvenirs, recreational amenities, and a transportation center for access to land and sea adventures.

The facility will offer two berths that can accommodate up to two large post-Panamax cruise ships simultaneously.

Amber Cove will feature one of the most extensive shore excursion programs available in the Caribbean, offering a wide array of landside experiences including beautiful beaches, exciting water sports and special culinary, cultural and adventure options. Nearby Ocean World, which is one of the region's largest marine adventure parks, will offer guests many great ways to experience and interact with a variety of marine animals.

Dozens of shore excursions will be available, from cross-country adventures in 4x4 Terracross buggies that traverse the rugged countryside and horseback riding on the beach to snorkeling in crystal-clear waters and swimming in a pristine natural river pool.

Guests can also travel via speedboat to beautiful Paradise Island, one of the Caribbean's top spots for snorkeling and scuba diving, or visit rural coffee plantations and sample traditional Dominican cuisine, rum and seasonal fruit. Or for the ultimate luxury experience, guests can reserve their own private beachside bungalow with the services of a personal chef, bartender and staff.

Amber Cove will also provide easy and convenient access to the nearby historic town of Puerto Plata, named by Christopher Columbus when he discovered the island in 1492. Puerto Plata is home to the first fort built by European settlers in the New World. Visitors to the city can shop in the bustling downtown area featuring numerous artist studios and rum and cigar factories or stroll along the famed Malecon, a three-mile-long open air beach-side boardwalk dotted with bars, restaurants and shops.

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