New York Cruises - Best Ships & Itineraries of 2008 - 2009
Over one million people sailed from New York's three ports (Manhattan, Brooklyn and Cape Liberty, Bayonne, NJ) in 2007, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and that number is expected to increase in 2008.
Since 9/11 the number of ships and passengers increased to the point that additional berthing facilities were opened in Red Hook, Brooklyn and Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey. Today every major cruise line has several ships that home port in New York for extended seasons of voyages ranging from a one-day party cruise to a 100+-day circumnavigation of the globe.
Four cruise lines (Cunard Line, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line) have year-round service from New York. Itineraries range from one-day party cruises to a 99-day full circumnavigation of the globe. Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 continues the tradition of regularly scheduled transatlantic service between New York and Southampton.
Picks for the Best Ships and Itineraries of 2008/09:
BEST CRUISE LINES AND SHIPS
The New York Star: Queen Mary 2. Ballroom dancing to a live orchestra, high tea perfectly served, scholarly guest lecturers, a dog kennel and the ultimate in creature comforts keep the British maritime heritage alive and well.
Best Ships for Families: Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas. A big kid pleaser due to her rock climbing wall, roller blading, ice-skating and private teen club, Explorer of the Seas is hugely popular with cruisers of all ages.
Top Luxury Ship: Crystal Symphony (Crystal Cruises) Boasting the top levels of food and service, penthouse suites with private butlers and onboard enrichment programs, Crystal Symphony steals the show in luxury cruising.
Best Itineraries: Princess Cruises' Caribbean and Canada/New England cruises from Brooklyn.
Best Ships For Laid-back People: Norwegian Cruise Line. This cruise line's popular "Freestyle Cruising" program means you may opt to dine in numerous restaurants when and with whom you please. And, no tuxes required.
Best Onboard Dining Program: Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess. Princess offers the choice of single open seating dining or traditional two seating dining plus a Lido Restaurant that serves great food 24 hours per day.
BEST ITINERARIES OF 2008/09
Caribbean: (Princess) Caribbean Princess sails on nine-day Eastern Caribbean voyages round-trip from Brooklyn to Bermuda, Grand Turk, San Juan and St. Thomas
Bermuda: (Royal Caribbean & NCL Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas sails on six-day Bermuda cruises from Cape Liberty (Bayonne), NJ and Norwegian Cruise Line' Norwegian Dawn makes seven-day Bermuda voyages from Manhattan
Canada/New England: (Princess) Princess's Sea Princess sails on ten-night cruises between Brooklyn and Quebec City (with an overnight stay aboard the ship). Ports of call are Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown
Europe: Six-night transatlantic crossings between New York and Southampton aboard Queen Mary 2
Short Cruise: Aug. 29, 2008 three-night cruise to nowhere aboard Holland America's brand new Eurodam sailing from Manhattan.
Best Long Cruise: Sea Princess' 14-day Iceland & Greenland voyage from Southampton, U.k., to Brooklyn Aug. 30, 2008. Bergen, Norway; Shetland Islands, Scotland; Faroe Islands, Denmark; Iceland; Nanortalik, Greenland; St. Johns, Nova Scotia.
World Cruise: Queen Victoria sails from New York to Barcelona on a 99-day World Cruise departing Jan. 10, 2009. The ship visits Curacao; Guatemala; Cabo San Lucas; Los Angeles; Honolulu; Tonga; New Zealand; Australia; New Guinea; Japan; China; Hong Kong; Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore; India; Dubai; Jordan; Egypt; Turkey; Greece; Rome; Barcelona.
Copyright Anne Campbell, 2008
Anne Campbell, a journalist who has been covering the cruise industry for 15 years, is editor-in-chief of Cruising From New York ( http://www.cruisingfromnewyork.com ) Visit this new web site for reviews of all ships sailing from New York, 2008/09 itineraries, cruise deals, in-depth information on the ports of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Cape Liberty (Bayonne) NJ.
Incumbent Judy Anderson defeated challengers Jim Bramble and Larry W. Davison in the Democratic primary for Vigo County Commissioner District 2.In unofficial results with all precincts counted, Anderson received 12,621 votes, Bramble, 8,635; and Davison, 3,677.No candidates ran on the Republican ticket.Anderson, 67, is seeking her third term as county commissioner.Anderson, celebrating at the Paradise Pavilion in West Terre Haute, said she had two good opponents."I feel really good about the win," she said. "I'm also happy the way the election went and the fact we had so many newly registered voters. It showed one more time the people rule, the people are interested."For the past eight years, "I've tried to do what I thought was good for Vigo County and the people," Anderson said. Voters on Tuesday indicated they approve of the job she's done, she said.Bramble, 54, has served as county auditor for nine years.
NORRISTOWN, Pa. - Jeremy Jakubowski was 4-for-5 with three runs batted in and Brian Hartsell was 4-for-4 with three runs scored as the Saint Joseph's baseball team ended a five-game losing streak with an 8-1 victory over Rider on Tuesday afternoon. Andrew Powers earned the win in his only start of the season, scattering seven hits in five scoreless innings to improve to 2-0.
The heart of the Hawk order provided more than enough offense on Tuesday, with Hartsell, Jakubowski and Ryan McDonald combining to go 11-for-14 at the plate with three runs scored and five RBIs.
Saint Joseph's (16-29) got on the board in the bottom of the third to take a 2-0 lead. With one out, Mike Coleman singled to center and was followed by Hartsell, who attempted to sacrifice him to second. However, Hartsell laid down a superb bunt that rolled all the way past the third base bag in fair territory, putting runners on first and second.
If you want to see the Hawaii of your dreams, set your compass for Kauai.
The most northern of the eight major islands, and the oldest geologically, Kauai is Hawaii without the high-rises. It also has some of the world's most spectacular scenery, even though it's only 25 miles long and 33 miles wide. Since Kauai is more than 100 miles from Honolulu, the overdevelopment that has encroached on much of the state hasn't made much of a dent on it. And because its rainforests are rimmed by almost impenetrable mountains, the island's interior has defied "civilization."
Kauai is called the "Garden Island" precisely because 97% of its land is composed of undeveloped mountain ranges and rainforests. It also has 43 miles of beaches, the most per coastal mile of any of the island chain.
If you want to see the Hawaii of your dreams, set your compass for Kauai.
The most northern of the eight major islands, and the oldest geologically, Kauai is Hawaii without the high-rises. It also has some of the world's most spectacular scenery, even though it's only 25 miles long and 33 miles wide. Since Kauai is more than 100 miles from Honolulu, the overdevelopment that has encroached on much of the state hasn't made much of a dent on it. And because its rainforests are rimmed by almost impenetrable mountains, the island's interior has defied "civilization."
Kauai is called the "Garden Island" precisely because 97% of its land is composed of undeveloped mountain ranges and rainforests. It also has 43 miles of beaches, the most per coastal mile of any of the island chain.
Cruises are often social vacations, and Royal Caribbean wants to tap into that community energy by creating an online social network for its customers.
Called RoyalConnect, the social network is a way for previous Royal Caribbean customers to get in touch with company staff and other cruisers with similar interests. Cruising enthusiasts already dive into chat message boards and blogs, but this is the first time a cruise line is creating a private social network just for its customers.
The site's first users will be members of the company's Crown & Anchor Society -- a free benefit program where membership requires having been on one Royal Caribbean cruise. About 70 executives, captains, cruise directors and other select ship staff will be among the first employees to create profiles so that customers can engage with them.
