Cruise News and Deals: Agents Speak On Houston Sailings; Plus, Port Everglades' Reconstructed Cruise Terminals

Agents Sound Off about Cruise Lines' Plans for Houston Sailings
As Galveston, TX, has grown as a cruise embarkation port over the past few years, the Port of Houston, TX, has waited - without success - for cruise ships to arrive. But that's changing. Late last week Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line said they'll home port ships in Houston for 2013 and 2014-15, respectively. What do agents think about the news? The trade sound off!

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This Week in Cruise: The Latest Port News From Port Everglades and Cruiseport Boston
Port Everglades opens four reconstructed cruise terminals, Cruiseport Boston welcomes 23 percent more visitors over the previous year and both Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line to begin service out of Port of Houston.

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Azamara Quest Completes Shipwide Refurbishment
Azamara Quest, the first of Azamara Club Cruises’ twin boutique ships to undergo refurbishment, emerged from an eight-day drydock – complete with a refresh of all public spaces and staterooms and a new “Azamara Blue” hull.

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15 Travel Agents Picked for Royal Caribbean's Travel Agent Guide
The agents are the winners of the TAG your "T.A.G." content held on the official Facebook page of Vicki Freed, the line's senior vice president of sales, trade support and services.

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Carnival Glory Completes Two Week Dry Dock Renovation
Carnival Glory’s new dining, bar and entertainment options are part of Fun Ship 2.0, a $500-million product enhancement initiative that is being rolled out across the Carnival fleet.

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CLIA and ECC Announce New Cruise Safety Policies
New policies include Excess Lifejackets, Securing Heavy Objects and Harmonization of Bridge Procedures, CLIA reports.

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Expedia CruiseShipCenters Celebrates 25-Year Anniversary Aboard Ruby Princess
The conference theme, Building Excellence - Celebrating 25 Years, will be reflected in all of the presentations, workshops and celebrations attended by the 600 franchise owners and vacation consultants onboard.

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Tracy Wilson Mourning Selected as Godmother of the Carnival Breeze
Mourning will preside over the traditional naming ceremony on board the 130,000-ton ship while it is docked at its homeport of Port Miami on Dec. 8, 2012. The invitation-only event will also include a $25,000 donation from Carnival Cruise Lines to the Honey Shine program.

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• CLIA Cruise Lines Promote Holiday Cruises        

Regent Cruise Ship Gets New Look, New Home
A newly-refurbished Seven Seas Navigator departed PortMiami Thursday on a 10-night Caribbean cruise dubbed "Coral Reefs & Silver Sands."

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Carnival Cruise Lines Suddenly Cancels Handful of 2013 Europe Sailings
Months after announcing an ambitious European expansion, Carnival Cruise Lines has suddenly cut five sailings from Carnival Legend's autumn 2013 schedule.

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Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in line to reopen by New Year
The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal – which was badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy – could re-open for business by late December, a top city official said yesterday.

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Seabourn Announces Guest Speaker List for Seabourn Quest's World Cruise, 2013
Seabourn has expanded its line-up of guest speakers who will entertain guests aboard Seabourn Quest's world cruise in 2013. The new additions include historians, authors and entertainers such as Grammy Award-winning vocalist Patti Austin, film and television actress Stefanie Powers and more.

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CruiseOne Earns Praise for Vetrepreneur Program
CruiseOne, a leading travel agency franchise, welcomed the winners of its 2012 “Operation Vetrepreneur - Become Your Own General” contest to Fort Lauderdale for seven days of intensive training. The program supports returning veterans by helping them start up their own businesses.

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Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Offers Buy One Get One Free Promotion
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has launched a Buy One Get One Free cruise promotion for 2013. Fred. Olsen chose 51 cruise offers for guests: book one cruise of 12 nights duration or more before Dec. 31, 2012 (subject to full payment at the time of booking), on a wide variety of 2013 worldwide itineraries, and get another cruise for free, which is transferable and can be used by the guest or given to a friend or family member.

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Crystal Cruises Offers Hobbit-Themed New Zealand Dinner Experience
The shoreside opportunity will debut just days after The Hobbit opens worldwide, when Crystal Symphony calls in Tauranga during a New Zealand/Australia holiday cruise beginning Dec. 20. The Crystal Adventure will also be offered on a Jan. 29 voyage through the region.

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