29 August, 2010

Dance With The Stars On An MSC Cruise

MSC Melody
Cruise leader MSC Cruises isn’t just renowned for spacious ships with sumptuous designer interiors, superb cuisine and friendly Italian service. It’s equally famous for its creative themed cruises. From Chess and Card Games to Arts and Crafts, Food and Wine, Dance, Wellbeing and Beauty, there’s a choice for everyone to combine their personal passion with a voyage of relaxation, entertainment and discovery.
Upping the tempo, the family-owned company with a personal touch has just announced its 2010-2011 dance cruises, setting feet tapping in anticipation with a spectacular choice of 18-day cruises across the Atlantic, and one week Baila Conmigo cruises along the coasts of Argentina and Brazil.

Each of these MSC specials offers daily dance lessons at beginners’ and intermediate level under the personal guidance of internationally-acclaimed professionals. The stars this year include Elaine Santana and Alex de Oliveira of the Axel Dance Company, and Petra and Norbert Backhausen of the Tanzschule Backhausen. With their expert tuition, even complete novices will be able to get their feet round the right moves in a sweeping array of dances, from the Tango to the Mambo, Salsa, Samba, Cha Cha and more, including Ballroom and Popular Dancing. Each lesson includes a fitness focus, beginning with a warm-up and ending with stretching, adopting fun exercises selected to provide the most appropriate support.

Adding depth, there will be workshops on the origins and special features of the different dances, bringing insight into their techniques and soul.
MSC’s passion for dance is sure to get you into the flow, with evening entertainment that includes beautiful dance shows to thrill and inspire, together with dance competitions for guests at all levels to display their progress and prowess - while of course having a ball. And for the sheer fun of it, there are costume evenings at which you can twist and twirl to the tunes of a Carnival Party, Super Sixties and Seventies Revival, Tropical Dance Night and even the occasional Tango Night. What’s more, if the captivating rhythms and soulful melodies of Cape Verdean music are your passion, an unforgettable experience awaits on MSC Orchestra, dancing your heart away to internationally-celebrated pianist and composer Chico Serra and his band.
Chico Serra and his band
So, if you’re passionate about dance for self-expression and for fitness, there could be no finer opportunity to immerse yourself in its pleasures than an unforgettable voyage with MSC Cruises, dancing Latin American in its lands of origin. You’ll be enjoying superb sports, leisure and entertainment facilities, accompanied by fantastic food and drink from around the world - all served with Italian taste and style. And you could be exploring the famous sights of Rome, Venice, Tunis, Lisbon, Madeira, Buenos Aires, Santos or Rio de Janeiro and more, depending on which route you select, cruising either way across the Atlantic or along the sunshine coast of South America.
Returning home with incomparable memories, guests will treasure a special souvenir, with each participant receiving a beautiful certificate upon completion of their cruise, testifying to the new skills they have acquired.


The first of these MSC Cruises dance spectaculars will be stepping out on MSC Armonia from 20th September to 8th October 2010, followed by MSC Musica, MSC Orchestra, MSC Opera and MSC Lirica all the way through to April 2011. So that whenever you can get away, you can dance away with the stars.

22 August, 2010

Itchy and Scratchy: Are There Bed Bugs on Your Cruise Ship?

Bed bugs have long been the bane of hostels and motels, even luxury hotels. But after months of occupying a prominent place in headlines around the globe, we wondered: Are they on cruise ships as well?

The short answer: Yes, and they're equally content to feed on the blood of both the budget-minded and big spenders.

Cruise ship infestations are rare, but they do occur. Cruise travelers have complained about possible bed bugs on recent Carnival cruises, and an outbreak on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas caught media attention in early 2005. For those with morbid curiosities, Web site CruiseBruise.com keeps a list of cruise outbreaks.

15 August, 2010

New Kids on the Block Rock Carnival’s Destiny

NKOTB "Back in the Day"
Rock Out ‘80’s Style to the Bahamas

Liam P. Cusack
Editor

(3:48 p.m. EDT) -- The New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) are together again and will set sail for the Bahamas on Carnival Destiny.

The boy band that made teen girls scream and swoon in the '80's and early '90's has grown up -- and are quickly becoming the kings of the theme cruise world. Veteran cruisers the “Kids” sold out their first concert cruise in 2009, crashing the cruise lines reservation computer systems process. Their last cruise was sold out, as well.

08 August, 2010

Cunard’s Newest Royal Performance


Liam P. Cusack
New York, NY

When Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth enters service in October 2010 Cunard will be introducing an original concept in theatrical entertainment, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Company – the first and only resident theatre company at sea. Guests will enjoy a brand new repertoire of shows premiered by the theatre company's 29 singers, dancers, actors and musicians.

New shows will include the hit "Slice of Saturday Night," a nostalgic pastiche of 1960s music. Adapted especially for the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Company by its original writers, the Heather Brothers, "Slice of Saturday Night" features all of the Theatre Company members – the largest production show that Cunard has ever staged.

07 August, 2010

Tropical Storm Colin forces Bermuda Itinerary Changes


  Weather Alert!
 
(12:00 p.m. EDT) -- Tropical Storm Colin, the third named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, has been slow and disorganized over the past 24 hours, but is expected to reach the island of Bermuda early Sunday morning.According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is currently located about 245
miles south-southwest of Bermuda and has been stationary for the past several hours. Maximum sustained winds have reached 40 miles per hour, and the NHC is predicting an increase in forward speed later today as Colin heads north-northeast.
 
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