National Cruise Vacation Week
National Cruise Vacation Week is this week! There are 26 cruise lines participating with specials and promotions. 
Some of the terrific promotions include:
Windstar Cruises: Is offering two-for-one cruise fares on select voyages in both Europe and the Caribbean. For Europe cruises, you will also receive two free hotel nights at the beginning or the end of the sailing. For those looking to sail the Caribbean waters, up to $800 of bonus savings will be added to the reservation. In addition, all bookings made through October 27 will receive $100 per stateroom shipboard credit.
Celebrity: Book any Alaska, Europe, Caribbean or Bermuda cruise departing between January 1st, 2013 and April 30th, 2014 and receive $50 to $250 Onboard Credit depending on your room category. Plus Captain’s Club members will receive an additional $50 onboard credit on all categories!
Royal Caribbean: Book any 7-Night or longer 2013 Europe or Transatlantic cruise by October 28th and receive $50 to $100 onboard credit. Plus book any of these sailings that depart between January and June, 2013 and receive an additional $50 to $200 onboard credit depending on room category.
Princess Cruises: Is offering an Escape Completely Sale through October 29. More than 200 cruise departures are on sale, and you can snag a free balcony upgrade as well as half off your cruise deposit. Featured destinations include the Caribbean as well as Alaska, Europe, Hawaii and the Panama Canal. Cruise departures run from January to July 2013.
Thomson Alaska Cruise
Thomson Family Adventures is chartering the entire Wilderness Discoverer starting July 19, 2013 for an Inside Passage cruise. 76 spaces are available onboard the comfortable expedition ship, which is small enough to always be up close to the action. Thomson’s expert mentor/team leaders will be ready and equipped with the energy and creativity to help you make the most of your family adventure. Every day you have options to kayak, walk, hike, even stand up paddle board or swim (brr)! You’ll be a whisper away from glaciers and breaching whales, bald eagles, otters and more. So much to see, do and learn about! It is a wonderful and special way to experience Alaska.
Lindblad Offers
Looking for a small ship, adventure style cruise? Lindblad Expedition is showcasing a variety of specials
to entice your family to experience their cruises. Sail the Sea of Cortez during winter break and receive free non-stop air from Los Angeles to La Paz plus your second child is half off. For Galapagos cruises, receive 2012 rates on 2013 sailings if you book by October 31. Also get a 3 day Monteverde extension to explore the cloudforest with a cruise of the coastline of Costa Rica and the Panama Canal. In addition, free air from Seattle is included in May and June coastal Alaska trips.
Disney’s Lone Star
Disney Cruise Line is taking on Texas. Starting in 2013, the cruise line will offer a number of new itineraries on Disney Magic departing from Galveston. In addition to six-night Western Caribbean sailings, new choices include four-night Caribbean getaway cruises and eight-night itineraries that take guests to Walt Disney World Resort and Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay. The four-night Caribbean sailings include two days at sea with a day in Cozumel. Six-night Western Caribbean cruises visit Grand Cayman and Cozumel. An eight-night Bahamas includes a day at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, and a stop at Port Canaveral, Fla., giving you an opportunity to visit Walt Disney World Resort. Your family will receive a one-day Walt Disney World Park Hopper ticket and roundtrip transportation between their Disney ship and the resort. Ports include Castaway Cay, Port Canaveral and Key West. Another eight-night Western Caribbean cruise include stops in Key West, Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel. Later in 2013, Disney Wonder is scheduled to sail seven-night cruises from Galveston to Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel.
Crystal Magic
Crystal Cruises new shipboard program called Magic Castle at Sea features magicians from Hollywood’s private magicians’ club, the Magic Castle. 
Intimate evening magic shows will be featured on every voyage in 2013. The affiliation also offers complimentary classes for adults, educational enrichment on subjects including Houdini, and children’s shows on select summer and holiday sailings. Like at the Magic Castle itself, onboard performances are invitation only with advance, complimentary tickets available at the ships’ libraries. Multiple half-hour performances will be offered on several nights. They will be held in the Pulse or Luxe lounge, which will be transformed into a Victorian-era castle, with flameless candles, lighting, music, murals, bookshelves and magic movies from the 1920s. Attendance is limited to 25. The onboard invitations can later be used for one-time access to the real Magic Castle in Hollywood.
A Holiday Expedition to the White Continent
This holiday season, Abercrombie & Kent is offering families The Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falkland Islands sailing fro December 17, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013. This trip will allow junior scientists to voyage to the “White Continent” accompanied by geophysicist Dr. Henry Pollack, recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. Additional experts on marine mammals, geology, birds and history will take part in the journey, leading informal discussions. The onboard Young Explorers program will feature such workshops as Marine Mammal Identification, Squid Biology, Charting the Ship’s Course, Fish of the Southern Ocean and a Plankton Lab. Various art projects and writing labs will be available and select images produced from a digital photography workshop will record the journey. The expedition will sail abroad the MV Le Boreal, promising comfortable accommodations for families in 2-bed, 2-bath suites, with private balconies that allow guests full view of wildlife and towering icebergs. Standard rates for the Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falkland Islands itinerary start at $16,995. Guests can save 25 percent on category 1 cabins starting from $12,745, and children ages 7-18 save 50 percent off the published adult price, with one full-fare paying adult per cabin (except in suites).
Happy and Fun Time Dinner on MSC
MSC Cruises has introduced two dinner plans designed for children who might get antsy at a long meal. The MSC Happy Dinner serves young cruisers dinner from a children’s menu while parents are having their first courses. When the children are finished, they are picked up by Kids’ Club staff members to join their friends, leaving parents to leisurely enjoy the rest of their meal. With MSC Fun Time Dinners, children ages 3 to 11 dine in a separate, specially decorated area of the buffet restaurant with the entertainment team. Then, they can join in activities at the Mini and Junior Club. Three of the seven nights are theme parties — a Welcome Party, Italian Party, and Farewell and Birthday Party. Both children’s dinner programs are now available free on all MSC ships, but parents need to register their children in advance with the Mini or Junior Club. The cruise line has also extended the hours of the Kids’ Club programs and added a parent and baby/toddler program two hours each day for ages 10 to 36 months. Staff members will organize games and activities aimed specifically at the youngest guests and their parents, including playing with bricks, musical games, baby disco, puzzle games and drawing.
Holland America Savings
Enjoy free upgrades and Early Advantage Savings on select 2013 cruises on Holland America. Family friendly offers include free and reduced cruise fares for third or fourth guests in the same stateroom. For example, a family of four can sail the Caribbean with fares starting at $699 for the first two guests, and the third and fourth sailing free! Or book an ocean-view category for $999 and receive a complimentary balcony upgrade. Seven-day Alaska Inside Passage cruises from Seattle or Vancouver also start at $699 for inside staterooms or $999 for balconies, with free upgrades available. The promotion also includes savings of up to 50 percent by combining two cruise itineraries on select Collectors’ Voyages in Europe. A 14-day Collectors’ Voyage is priced from $1,799 per person, double occupancy, for an inside stateroom, and includes a free upgrade to an ocean-view while staterooms are available.
Breakaway Entertainment
Norwegian Cruise Line announced that the five-time Tony Award-nominated musical “Rock of Ages” will be featured on the Norwegian Breakaway, along with two additional Broadway shows: the dance sensation “Burn the Floor” and “Cirque Dreams & Dinner Jungle Fantasy.” 
Other entertainment venues will include Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club featuring outdoor seating on The Waterfront, Headliners Comedy Club from Second City and the rock ’n’ roll dueling piano show, Howl at the Moon. The 4,000 passenger Norwegian Breakaway will arrive in its year-round homeport of New York City in early May 2013. The ship will begin weekly summer seven-day cruises to Bermuda on May 12. From October 2013 through April 2014, the ship will offer voyages from the heart of Manhattan to the Bahamas and Florida and the Southern Caribbean.
Fun and Fit on Princess
Princess Cruises revealed new and exciting fitness offerings on the 3,600-passenger Royal Princess, scheduled to debut in June 2013. 
The ship will feature a portable batting cage, laser shooting range (the first one at sea) and a new take on the at-sea jogging track with a circuit program with outdoor exercise stations set at intervals along the track. All three activities will be offered in the multi-sport area on Decks 18 and 19, appropriately known as Princess Sports Central. A golf driving facility and a center court that can be used for basketball, tennis, volleyball and badminton will also be available. On the upper deck, a Lawn Court features an artificial grassy area for bocce ball, croquet and lawn bowling. A game lounge will offer up Ping Pong and virtual options via Kinect for Xbox gaming systems. One deck below you will find the fitness center with a private aerobics studio and a selection of fitness classes like TRX suspension bodyweight training, body sculpt boot camp sessions, MyRide spinning and Chi Ball Yoga, which uses aromatherapy-scented balls to help participants relax.
