In today's newsletter, I'll tell you about some of the innovative dining
concepts and celebrity chef-inspired restaurants that cruise lines have
introduced aboard their ships.
But first, here are some terrific offers that we've negotiated with
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, Regent, Azamara and Cunard.
In addition to deep discounts, these offers may include free amenities
or shipboard credits, which are as good as cash on the ship and can be
used toward onboard purchases not covered in the cruise fare, like shore
excursions and spa treatments. Please note that some rates on our site
may not be eligible for free amenities or shipboard credits.
Royal Caribbean is offering Vacations To Go customers huge
discounts and newly reduced rates -- save up to 82%. Plus, receive
exclusive shipboard credits of up to $300 per cabin on select
last-minute Caribbean and Bahamas cruises.
Book by October 22.
See dates and prices.
Celebrity has slashed rates by up to 78% for our customers. In
addition, receive shipboard credits of up to $300 per cabin when you
book an inside, ocean-view or balcony stateroom, plus get up to two of
the following perks on select cruises: 1) an additional shipboard credit
of $300 per cabin, 2) a free beverage package, which includes a variety
of alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages, 3) free gratuities or 4) free
Internet. Book a suite and get shipboard credits of up to $500 per cabin
and all perks on select departures. Kids age 17 and under cruise free
when sharing the same cabin with two adults on eligible sailings.
Book by October
31. See dates and prices.
Carnival is offering our customers big savings on select sailings
through February 2020 -- save up to 85%.
Book by October 14.
See dates and prices.
Regent has provided exclusive new discounts on a variety of
upcoming voyages, for discounts of up to 86%. Plus, receive shipboard
credits of up to $850 per cabin on select cruises. The upfront price of
a luxury Regent cruise includes unlimited shore excursions, gratuities,
unlimited beverages including fine wines and premium spirits and
unlimited Wi-Fi.
See dates and prices.
Azamara is offering Vacations To Go customers discounts of up to
83%, with newly reduced, exclusive pricing on select sailings, plus
exclusive shipboard credits of up to $500 per cabin on applicable
departures. Azamara schedules longer stays and more overnights in port
so that guests can experience more of the destination. Rates include
gratuities, drinks and, on most cruises, a nighttime shore excursion
called "AzAmazing Evening."
Book by October 18.
See dates and prices.
Cunard has provided discounts of up to 68% for our customers.
Also receive shipboard credits of up to $800 per cabin and prepaid
gratuities for two on select voyages. Suites also receive free
beverages.
Book by October 14.
See dates and prices.
As always, these offers are for new bookings only and subject to
availability. Restrictions may apply, and some free amenities and
shipboard credits may apply only to eligible rates. Past guests of some
cruise lines may see better rates on select sailings.
Cruise lines have enlisted master chefs, Michelin-star winners, culinary
television personalities and famed restaurateurs to help them elevate
and expand the dining experiences aboard their ships, giving passengers
more variety than ever. Here's a look at some of the standout culinary
options at sea, from casual fare to fine dining. Certain restaurants may
not be found on all ships across a line's fleet, and some incur an
additional fee. Your Vacations To Go cruise counselor can tell you if a
particular venue is aboard any ship that interests you, and if a
surcharge applies.
Princess
collaborated with Australian chef and Michelin-star earner
Curtis
Stone to create "Crafted by Curtis" dishes for the main dining room
as well as the six-course menu of SHARE, where you can feast on green
curry pork ravioli in lemongrass cream and toffee cheesecake. Los
Angeles burger ace
Ernesto Uchimura developed the Salty Dog
Gastropub menu, which features the Ernesto, a patty of ground ribeye and
short rib topped with grilled pork belly, cave-aged gruyere, caramelized
kimchi, beer-battered jalapeno and charred onion aioli.
Celebrity
has a pair of Michelin-starred chefs guiding its culinary program:
Cornelius Gallagher oversees the line's fleetwide food and
beverage operation, while
Daniel Boulud serves as Celebrity's
culinary ambassador. Boulud designed the signature dishes for Luminae,
included for suite guests, and the Chef's Table by Daniel Boulud, which
comes with a galley tour. Of smaller stature but no less impressive is
Le Petit Chef, a tiny, animated 3D chef that is digitally projected onto
tabletops and plates. Diners can watch the little culinary maestro
"prepare" each course of the meal right before their eyes.
Oceania
places a firm focus on its culinary program, appointing revered French
chef
Jacques Pepin as its executive culinary director 16 years
ago (you can join him on a
Jacques Pepin Cruise
in the Mediterranean next October). His seagoing restaurant Jacques is
modeled after a Parisian bistro and serves classics like bouillabaisse
and chicken that's been slow-roasted on a rotisserie. At lunch in the
main dining room, enjoy dishes on The Bistro menu inspired by Pepin's
family recipes.
Windstar
is the official cruise line of the James Beard Association, and it
offers regionally themed
James Beard Foundation Culinary Cruise Collection
voyages with guest chefs and sommeliers.
Anthony Sasso, a past
guest chef, returns to Windstar to open the Spanish-themed Cuadro 44
aboard the line's three Star-class power ships next year. Meanwhile,
James Beard Award-winning author, TV cook and grill master
Steven
Raichlen will debut the alfresco Star Grill for grilled, smoked and
rotisserie specialties aboard the same vessels.
Carnival
presents the casual fare of Food Network staple
Guy Fieri at the
poolside Guy's Burger Joint, inspired by roadside burger shacks. Order
off the menu or customize your burger at the toppings and condiments
bar.
Emeril Lagasse will kick it up a notch at his first-ever
seagoing restaurant, Emeril's Bistro 1396, serving Creole specialties
like duck and sausage gumbo aboard the new
Mardi Gras,
launching next August. The Mardi Gras also celebrates international
street food at Street Eats, with tasty items like kebabs and satay.
Seabourn
features The Grill by
Thomas Keller, providing the chef,
restaurateur and cookbook author with a seagoing showcase for his
updated versions of iconic dishes like lobster thermidor and tableside
preparations of classics like Caesar salad and ice cream sundaes. Keller
is best known for his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French
Laundry, and is the only American-born chef to have two restaurants with
three-star Michelin ratings.
Royal Caribbean
invites passengers to venture down the rabbit hole at Wonderland, where
chefs unleash their imaginations to make eye-catching small plates like
a garden of baby vegetables nestled in "soil and pebbles" or "liquid"
olives. British chef
Jamie Oliver created a Tuscan menu for
Jamie's Italian, where the galley produces lamb chops grilled under a
brick and freshly made pasta with black truffles.
Crystal
showcases the cuisine of famed chef
Nobu Matsuhisa, who has
dozens of restaurants and hotels worldwide but only one seagoing
concept, Umi Uma & Sushi Bar. Nobu himself trains Crystal's chefs in the
preparation of his signature dishes.
Norwegian
tempts cruisers to dig into a Cheeseburger in Paradise at Jimmy Buffet's
Margaritaville at Sea, while the Supper Club hosts "Wine Lovers the
Musical," where guests taste six wines during lunch while watching a
musical comedy about wine and love. The
Norwegian Encore,
which debuts next month, will have Onda by Scarpetta, the first seagoing
concept of a restaurant with locations in Miami, New York, London and
more. Look for housemade pasta and signature seafood dishes here.
Holland America
turned to its own award-winning master chef,
Rudi Sodamin, for
the line's first seafood brasserie. Called Rudi's Sel de Mer, it
features whole Dover sole meuniere, salt crust-baked branzino and
oysters on the half shell.
MSC
partnered with award-winning chef
Roy Yamaguchi, known for his
fusion of Japanese, Hawaiian and European cuisines, to develop Asian
Market, which covers three types of venues: an Asian-fusion restaurant,
a sushi bar and a teppanyaki grill. Spanish chef
Ramon Freixa,
whose Madrid restaurant boasts two Michelin stars, designed the small
plates meant for sharing at Hola! Tapas Bar.
Silversea
announced its S.A.L.T. -- or Sea and Land Taste -- culinary enrichment
program earlier this year, with immersive culinary offerings on and off
the ship. The S.A.L.T. Kitchen aboard the upcoming Silver Moon (due next
August) embraces this dedication to regional culture and cuisine,
adapting menus to reflect the sailing destination.
1)
Caribbean, 7 nights on Holland America, departs Fort Lauderdale Oct 23, starting at $314, save 74%,
FastDeal # 15435
2)
Bahamas, 7 nights on Norwegian, departs New York Oct 27, starting at $329, save 80%,
FastDeal # 20308
3)
Caribbean, 7 nights on Royal Caribbean, departs San Juan Oct 27, starting at $424, save 70%,
FastDeal # 20446
4)
Mexico, 7 nights on Princess, departs Los Angeles Jan 18, starting at $519, save 46%,
FastDeal # 31858
5)
Caribbean, 7 nights on MSC Cruises, departs Miami Dec 20, starting at $399, save 75%,
FastDeal # 10239
6)
Transatlantic, 13 nights on Holland America, departs Rome Oct 31, starting at $474, save 64%,
FastDeal # 12740
7)
Mediterranean, 8 nights on Crystal, departs Rome Oct 28, oceanview starting at $2,680,
FastDeal # 20673 (Crystal does not provide brochure rates for this cruise, so we are unable to show a savings percentage.)
8)
Africa, 14 nights on Oceania Cruises, departs Cape Town Jan 6, starting at $2,799, save 79%,
FastDeal # 41925
9)
Tahiti & South Pacific Islands, 7 nights on Paul Gauguin Cruises, departs Papeete Dec 7, oceanview starting at $3,045, save 50%,
FastDeal # 22049
10)
Middle East, 7 nights on Crystal, departs Dubai Dec 16, suite starting at $3,985, save 52%,
FastDeal # 11599
For the best last-minute cruise specials in the next 90 days, please
visit our world-famous
90-Day Ticker.
To search for discounts of up to 82% on cruises departing more than 90
days from now,
click here.
To save up to 40% with escorted tours,
click here.
For river cruises up to 50% off,
click here.
For discounts of up to 50% at hotels and all-inclusive resorts,
click here.
For the lowest rates on Africa safaris from budget to luxury in quality,
click here.
Once you've found a FASTDEAL, call us toll free at 800-338-4962 (US and
Canada) and a cruise counselor will attend to your needs. Customers
from the UK, please call toll free 0-800-098-8546. All other
international customers, please email or call us at +1-713-974-2121.
Please email me your comments, suggestions and questions at
alanfox@vacationstogo.com
and I will respond the same day.
If you enjoy our newsletter, please forward this email to family and
friends.
Sincerely,
Alan Fox
Executive Chairman
Vacations To Go
