J Shipper

The Chandris Line was the precursor of Celebrity Cruises.

One of the ships operated by Chandris was the beautiful Liner America previously owned by the United States Line and initially captained by Demitrios Challioris who had been in charge of a crude oil tanker in Southampton.

Chandris bought the largest passenger liner ever in Greece called the Australis. The Australis had served extensively as a troop ship during the second world war so underwent a major refit and became a one-class configuration geared to carry 2300 passengers. The aft promenade decks were extended, a swimming poolwas added, and air conditioning was installed. She made 3 month voyages around the world from Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Southampton, Casablanca, Las Palmas, Cape Town,(or through the Mediterranean via Gibraltar, Naples, Malta, Piraeus, Port Said and Aden), Freemantle, Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Suva, Tahiti, Acapulco, Balboa, Cristobal, Port Everglades and return to Southampton.

Chandris Lines also had the Australian Government’s prized immigrant contract bringing tens of thousands of new immigrants out to major ports in Australia The ships were always sold out so that there were 3 sittings for dinner and special sittings for kids. P&O, a rival cruise line, had ceased the line voyage business to Australia so that the Australis was now known as “the world’s largest express liner” .

In 1977 Australis tried a new itinerary from the South Pacific to points in South America to Portugal.

Interest in Sea Travel at that time was low and Australis and became the sole remaining liner on the trade.

New Immigrants now traveled by jet.

In November of 1977 Australis was laid up.

In 1978 she was sold to US investors.

They mismanaged the ship and their company, Venture Cruises, was declared bankrupt.

Guess who bought the ship in bankruptcy court?

Chandris Lines.

For $4 million less than the amount for which they sold her four months earlier!

The ship was laid up and sold in 1992.

Celebrity Cruises was created by Chandris Lines as a separate luxury cruise line, initially using Chandris’s Galileo, which was renamed Meridian after she was rebuilt. She was joined by the new ships Horizon and Zenith in 1990 and 1992.

In 1989 there was a need in the Cruise Industry for a luxury product at a decent price.

Chandris wanted to establish a worldwide standard for cruising by The company was determined to set a new, worldwide standard for cruising.

Exceptional Cuisine and all its facets became the mainstay of the Celebrity Cruise experience.

Master Chefs serve as the line’s revered culinary and wine consultants since its founding.

In 1995 Celebrity introduced the so called Century Class Fleet with an Industry first:

Luxurious Spa Experiences.

In 1997, Celebrity Cruises merged with Royal Caribbean International, bringing together two extraordinary cruise brands within one corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Today Royal Caribbean uses 29 Cruise Liners.

Cruising has become so popular that from 2000 to 2002 Royal Caribbean doubled its passenger capacity.

Its newest ships use gas turbine engines reducing exhaust emissions by 95% and have become traveling art shows as well. They boast original paneling and artifacts from famous transatlantic luxury liners.

In 2001, building on the strengths of both the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises brands,

Royal Celebrity Tours was started to offer truly unique vacations in Alaska, Canada and Europe, combining outstanding cruises with exceptional pre- or post-cruise land tour packages now known as “cruisetours.”

About the author:

J Shipper loves Celebrity Cruise Lines.

>http://www.celebrity-cruise-now.info http://www.2qz.com/condo-cruise-ship http://www.condo-cruise-ship.com

http://www.youwillquit.com

David Nelson

First up, it’s not as hard as you think to find discounted cruises, particularly online. Most people reserve cruises through a travel agent, which not only means a service fee but subjective rates as well. So your travel agency is probably the last place to approach for a cheap cruise. Turn to the Net instead! Travel Guide

­ As a first step, you must take the time to understand cruise lines lingo like guaranteed staterooms, singles supplement and run-of-the-ship

­ If you book directly through main cruise lines sites such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Princess, you may pay a higher cabin price, even if the sites show reduced prices. In other words, a cruise booking site may charge you an even lower rate

­ For the best discounts, check with large vacation suppliers such as Travelocity, Expedia, or cruise booking sites like CruiseDirect.com, which can put together a cruise package just for you

­ Remember, online travel suppliers and cruise companies may either pre-purchase cabins at a very low price, or are directly linked to the cruise lines’ inventory database. They also receive the latest stateroom information, which means they know in advance about cabin inventory deals, and can pass them directly on to you

­ Once you understand what the online suppliers have to offer, you may avail discounts that range from 20-60% depending on the season, itinerary, and cruise ship

Finding the right cruise

p Be on the lookout for inaugural cruises. Just like any company introducing a new brand in the market, cruise lines offer huge discounts for inaugural cruises, because they rely heavily on word of mouth. Trust us, this form of ‘advertising’ is far more valuable than media promotions. And most cruise lines recover many times the amount that they lose on inaugural discounts

p Ever heard of a repositioning cruise? In simple terms, not all cruise destinations are uniformly in demand in all seasons, though most of them operate cruises all year. What happens then is that cruise lines send ships from one area to another to meet the demand. So as the Caribbean slows down in late spring and summer, the European cruises begin to reach their peak season, and ships from the Caribbean are sent to European and Mediterranean ports. Here’s where you come in. Cruise lines would rather charge unbelievably low prices to fill these ships than to leave them empty as they travel across the world. They have to pay staff anyway, so why not have them take care of you in luxury and style while taking in a full cruising experience?

p Look for last-minute specials online. With many travel suppliers offering special search tools, last-minute email alerts, and last-minute auction deals, you can book your last-minute cruise with very little effort, and without the disappointment of calling a travel operator to find that the last four seats have just now been sold

Visit the Travel Guide Today http://www.etravelforum.com to find more Information!

Copyright David Nelson - http://www.etravelforum.com

J Herrera

Find what you need to compare caribbean cruises

So finally you can take a breath and rest from your job for a couple of weeks or so, but now there is a decision to make: what to do? Well maybe it is not as hard as you thought but your next decision certainly will be hard. Let’s say that you decided to take a cruise as you use to, but now you will be wondering…..which one can I choose? If you are wondering this it is because you don’t have enough information to compare caribbean cruises or about the destinies you could go to make a choice, or maybe there are several options that you are missing because you have not even seen or heard about them. Maybe the best vacation of your life is out there and you do not even know it.

Has this happened to you every time you want to take a cruise? Your cruise vacations have been boring or the places you met did not have what you were expecting? Well, now this will worry or bother you no more. Now you will be able to compare caribbean cruises with the help you will receive on-line to make your decision more easily.

You will get all the detailed information you may need about the very cruise ships, including the how much people can travel comfortably in a large number of wide and incredible rooms, all the activities on board such as rock-climbing walls, self-leveling pool tables, ice-skating rinks, shops and cafés, dining rooms, relaxing spas, nightclubs and much more. Also get reviews about very amusing attractions such as hilarious comedians, live musicians, cooking and wine classes, even professional ice-skating shows.

Also, of course, all the information you are looking for about the beautiful and incredible places you may know and enjoy, such as the rugged beauty of Alaska and Canada/New England, the charm of Europe and the lush landscapes of Mexico , Hawaii , the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Bermuda, and the Bahamas .

And, last but not lease important at all, the key information which is necessary to wisely compare caribbean cruises and choose the right one: the prices, but you do not need to worry, all of them will be inside your budget, so that will not be a problem at all.

In few words, everything you need to know so you can compare caribbean cruises and make your next cruise to be the cruise of your dreams, a cruise that has everything you wanted for yourself and those who are traveling with you, and that you will gladly remember forever.

You will find the answers to all your questions about cruising in a very comforting and professional way so you can compare caribbean cruises. It is not necessary you wait months anymore to set sail on your first cruise or for taking a new one, now you can compare caribbean cruises with all the information you want and take the cruise you ever wanted. Make your dreams come true.

http://www.cruise-mediterranean-royal-caribbean.com/directory/19/reviews-cruise.html

About the Author

J Herrera is a freelance writer for travel topics.

http://www.cruise-mediterranean-royal-caribbean.com/directory/19/reviews-cruise.html

Colin Hartness

A family cruise is a perfect getaway with loads of fun and excitement for everybody. Whenever you have kids bored with the usual stuff amusement parks, theater and all and your spouse needs a change, plan a cruise. You will get addicted to it. Family cruise is a sure shot way to drive away boredom.

A movie to watch, a relaxing massage, snooker game…anything, you just name it. You have many activities to choose from, actually that is the most difficult part- to decide what to do. Family cruise is one of the healthiest entertaining ways to enjoy your vacation with your family and cherish the memories forever. You will find selective activities and tailor made services for all of you. You just need some planning.

Start planning your family cruises, by defining your budget. Once you know your budget look for cruises that fit into your budget. After short listing, the cruises look for the facilities and services they are offering along with the nature and types of activities suitable for children. You of course want them to enjoy the cruise so there should be sufficient provision to keep them happily occupied. If you have very young children, make sure cribs and babysitting facilities are available. While for a bit older children loads of activities like dancing classes, escorted tours, parties, games and contests are planned. Every cruise has its own bag of goodies for children. Keep your children’s age in mind when you re going through these activities.

Some family cruises do not allow infants or pregnant women onboard. Check at the time of booking whether infant care and baby-sitting facilities are available or not. Keep ample stock of the things your baby might need like baby food, diapers, as you might not find them onboard.

While embarking on a family cruise, make sure there are proper medical facilities are available for emergencies. Also, make enquiries about fees for cancellation or changing dates for the trip, in case any such need arises. It is better to check latest information about the cruise schedule on the cruise’s website. A weeklong cruise is perfect for families and you are sure to find more families joining the fun.

One of the popular family cruises is a Disney cruise. With many special facilities and fun filled activities to occupy young and old alike, Disney cruise is a perfect setting for fun, fun and more fun. You have a club and lab for kids, Flounder’s reef nursery for your babies, a coffeehouse, specially designed programs in filmmaking and photography plus interesting teen outings along with live shows.

Another interesting family cruise is the carnival cruise with its special fun ships. The fun ships have special entertainers, Karaoke parties, teen makeovers and art & photography classes, water slides, ship tours for children etc. There are special camp carnivals for different age groups. There are specially designed virtual reality machines in the entertainment complex along with disco and video arcade. There is a playroom with loads of toys and electronic games.

Family cruises are joyous occasions for the family where they can spend some quality time with one another. Simply put, are great places to unwind and enjoy

Colin Hartness

Looking for information about cruises?

Go to: http://www.whatcruises.com

‘What Cruises’ is published by Colin Hartness -

An excellent resource for Cruises!

Check out more cruise articles at: http://www.whatcruises.com/archive