$500 Shipboard Credit in Tahiti
Book your cruise by the end of July on Paul Gaughin and receive up to $500 to spend onboard, plus reduced deposits! Eligible voyages include a number of seven- to 14-night sailings through gorgeous Tahiti, the Cook Islands and Society Islands. The cruise line’s Stewards of Nature program is also available on select cruises in summer and winter break for children and teens ages 7-17 and their families. This is a joint program with the Wildlife Conservation Society with an emphasis on marine biology. The program must be reserved at time of booking and may carry an added fee.
Healthy Dining for Children at Sea
Costa Cruises is making healthy dining fun for its youngest guests. The line has revamped its 
menus and even incorporated an educational card game into the mix. The new menus are influenced by the principles of a Mediterranean diet, while the card game aims to teach your children about proper nutrition and the value of making the right food choices. Pasta, fruits and vegetables are the main components of the new menu with seven menu options available daily. Each is identified by a special name: Red Planet, Yellow Planet, White Planet, Purple Planet, Green Planet, Hidden Treasure and Rainbow. Along with their menu choice, the children will receive a package of ten playing cards. Illustrated by a famous Italian cartoonist, the cards contain characters representing fruit and vegetable colors. Children can collect and exchange all the cards (a total of 85) with each other.
MSC Updates Family Programs
MSC Cruises has launched a new family excursion program designed to get parents and children working together to discover all there is to see in ports around Europe. The Family Explorer 
Club tours, which are available in select ports in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, are interactive tours where you children act as detectives and explorers to accomplish a unique mission in each port of call. Your family will be equipped with interactive explorer maps. For every task completed, the children get a sticker to take home as a souvenir. Tasks might include playing games and solving riddles. Inspired by the history of the destination, the tours feature an iconic historical character as part of the storyline; they also include trained guides and an official storyteller to lend assistance as needed. Children pay half-price and the excursion is made up entirely of families. The excursions typically start later in the morning and last no longer than three to four hours, so that children do not get too tired. Also the new MSC Seaview will begin sailing the Caribbean next month with a range of interactive games and other activities for children of all ages including a new interactive live family show; the Doremi Summer Game, where parents and children can challenge each other to name popular songs and videos; and the Doremi Summer Parade, which will take place every sea day on the pool deck. Teenagers will also be able to participate in the Summer Selfie Contest, which will involve taking 30 must-have ‘selfies’ around the ship.
RCCL’s Ship within a Ship
Royal Caribbean has confirmed it will introduce an all-suite, separate elevator-access suite complex on its next cruise ship, Spectrum of the Seas following in the footsteps of Norwegian and MSC Cruises. In a first for the line, Royal’s first “Quantum Ultra” class of ship — set to launch next spring — will feature a dedicated suite zone that will include a private pool, sun deck and restaurant for suite passengers only. The ship will also feature the Ultimate Family Suite, which debuted on Symphony of the Seas; the Sky Pad, a virtual realty bungee trampoline experience that debuted on Independence of the Seas; and one large main dining room, as opposed to four on previous Quantum-class ships.
Exploring the Amazon
Save up to 50% on the second person in your cabin on the Iberostar Grand Amazon. Children 8 and older are welcome on this upscale river cruise through the Brazilian Amazon for a nature adventure of a lifetime! The promotion is valid for bookings made by December 24 for travel through December 30 (providing a rather unique winter break getaway). The cruise begins in Manaus and includes guided walks, motorboat excursions through the Jaraqui and Ariau regions, swimming with pink dolphins and more. The ship features 75 water view cabins and suites, spa, gym, pool, whirlpool and showcases Brazilian food and entertainment. Choose from 3-, 4- and 7-night sailings along the Negro and Amazon Rivers.
RCCL Renovations
During the next four years, Royal Caribbean International will inject new life into 10 of its cruise ships through a $900 million investment that will begin with Independence of the Seas and 
Mariner of the Seas. The Royal Amplified program will touch every facet of the passenger experience on all Freedom-class and Voyager-class ships, as well as on the Oasis and Allure of the Seas. Ships will be amped up with waterslides and waterparks, as well as new attractions like an Escape Room, Sky Pad (a virtual reality, bungee trampoline experience) and Battle for Planet Z laser tag experience. Royal Caribbean will also roll out some of its recently unveiled dining venues onto more ships and add new bar and entertainment options such as a music hall, karaoke spot and lounge-style nightclub. Check in with us on the cruise line’s latest promotional rates!
Perfect Day Island Collection
Royal Caribbean recently announced exciting plans to develop private islands around the world called the Perfect Day Island Collection. The cruise line expects to include islands in Asia, Australia and the Caribbean. The program will start with the upcoming relaunch of CocoCay in the Bahamas. The private island is receiving a $200 million upgrade that includes a pair of water towers with 13 water slides, an aquatic obstacle course for children and the Caribbean’s largest freshwater pool. Other notable additions include a 1,600-foot zipline with a water landing and Up, Up and Away, a helium balloon that will soar up to 450 feet to provide a bird’s-eye view of the blue Bahamian waters. The beach areas are also being redone with cabanas, daybeds and lots of new activities such as volleyball, glass-bottom kayaking and zorbing in an inflatable zorb ball. A more upscale venue, Coco Beach Club, will offer what RCCL says are the first overwater cabanas in the Bahamas. The current timetable calls for some of the features to open this September with the majority open by spring of 2019 and Coco Beach Club by November 2019.
Lindblad Family Offers
Save this summer with Lindblad Expeditions to the Galapagos Islands, South Pacific and Alaska. For the Galapagos, save $1,000 per child under age 18 and receive free round-trip air from 
Miami for select July and August departures. You can also add on a land tour in Peru. In another Galapagos promotion, every two full paying adults are welcome to bring a child at 50% off, and a second child for free with $1,000 off per each additional child. Four different South Pacific cruises lasting 10-20 days through French Polynesia and the 6-night Wild Alaska Escape and are also half off for children (under age 18 when traveling with two full paying adults) for certain sailings between May and August. Book now for the best availability!
Disney Events at Sea
Disney Cruise Line said it will again feature two special itineraries, Star Wars Day at Sea and Marvel Day at Sea, on select Caribbean and Bahamas sailings from January to March 2019. Seven-night Disney Fantasy sailings will transport your family to the Caribbean and then to another universe based on Star Wars. The cruise features a full day of Star Wars activities, including a deck party spectacular with fireworks display, encounters with the galaxy’s formidable and heroic characters, Star Wars-themed family and youth activities, special food and beverage offerings and special merchandise. Five-night Disney Magic sailings will take guests to the Caribbean and Bahamas, along with a day-long celebration of the Marvel Universe. Occurring on one day during each of the select Disney Magic sailings, Marvel Day at Sea offers guests the largest collection of Marvel super heroes and villains assembled on a cruise ship. The event features all-day entertainment, including interactions with some of the mightiest Marvel super heroes and the foes who oppose them in an on-deck show spectacular, as well as Marvel-themed youth activities, special merchandise and unique food and beverage offerings. Book early for the best availability!
Harry Potter River Cruise
There’s a new river cruise in England for Harry Potter fans. With sailings from August 5-11 and August 19-25 aboard the Magna Carta luxury river cruise ship, the two six-day trips will sail down the River Thames in England. The voyages will take your family to several of the most memorable locations from the Harry Potter movies, including Virginia Water Lake, the house where Harry lived with Uncle Vernon and Petunia Dursley, and Warner Brothers Studios, where you will take part in the official Harry Potter tour. Other locations on the trip include Oxford University’s Christ Church College and its Great Hall, which were the inspiration behind the sets of multiple Harry Potter films. The Magna Carta accommodates eight passengers in four rooms on two decks. In addition, the vessel also includes a living area, dining room, a hot tub and Wi-Fi. Each of the sailings will be manned by a crew of six people, including a gourmet chef that will prepare Hogwarts-inspired meals. Each voyage must be booked by parties of eight passengers who split the total cost of $36,000. While the price may be steep, this is a dream vacation for any Harry Potter fan!
