If you are a veteran cruiser or just curious about cruising, the year 2006 will be introducing many new cruise ships for you to consider when planning a cruise vacation. Call your travel agent and ask about the cruise lines and their new cruise ships and then book a cruise vacation. Here is a cruise review of the new cruise line additions.

Holland America is introducing the Noordam. This new cruise ship was launched on February 22 and has been getting very good cruise reviews. It will be the last cruise ship of Holland America’s Vista-class series.

However, it is the first to be designed for the cruise line’s “Signature of Excellence program.”

The Noordam can accommodate 1,848 passengers. For this new cruise ship, there have been some design changes to enhance the cruise vacation. The new designs were focused mainly on the public areas and staterooms, the meeting point of many cruise travelers.

They have made additions to the very popular Explorations Cafe. As veteran cruise travelers are well aware, it is a coffee bar/Internet cafe, game room, and library.

NCL America’s Pride of Hawaii is the newest cruise ship for 2006 by NCL America. It is the sister vessel of the Norwegian Jewel and offers an excellent cruise vacation.

For the cruise line, Pride of Hawaii marks the first new build from the hull up.

It launched was in June. This cruise ship will accommodate 2,224 passengers. It will be another cruise ship in NCL America’s “Freestyle Cruising” concept being offered for your cruise vacation.

The Pride of Hawaii’s interior decor will be, of course, Hawaiian.

This cruise ship will be departing weekly on Mondays for your cruise vacation and travel the islands, calling Honolulu home.

In December the Norwegian Pearl is set to sail in the Caribbean in the winter months and Alaska in the summer months for your cruise vacations. One of their innovations is the Bar Central concept. It features a martini bar, a champagne bar, wine bar, and a beer and whiskey pub all connected.

The Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas was launched in May in time for summer cruise vacations. Cruise reviews call it the most innovative cruise ship for RCCL so far.

This 158,000-ton cruise ship has a capacity of 3,600 passengers. It will actually be 10,000 tons larger than Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. It will be the largest cruise ship to be built so far.

The Freedom of the Seas has an added feature that other cruise ships do not. It actually has a place to surf on the top cruise deck. This is a new and unique amenity for RCCL’s Freedom of the Seas cruise ship. Other cruise lines have virtual golf or movies under the stars but no one has a surf park. The cruise line has built the largest rock climbing wall ever.

Following its launching, the Freedom of the Seas will sail seven-day cruise vacations to the Caribbean from Miami.

The Crown Princess, Princess Cruises christened in June. The Crown Princess is expected to accommodate 3,110 cruise travel passengers with 1200 crew.

Princess Cruises lines redesigned the Skywalker’s Disco, which gained popularity from cruise passengers on their cruise vacations. They also have the Lotus Spa which has been expanded on the Crown Princess.

New pastries and snacks will adorn the International Cafe. Crown Princess will have the first ever wine and seafood bar of the entire cruise line.

Expansions were made to other popular features like the Wheelhouse Bar, Sabatini’s Trattoria, and the Sterling Steakhouse.

Crown Princess cruise vacations will sail roundtrip from the Red Hook terminal in New York. This cruise vacation will make stops in the Eastern Caribbean, Bermuda and Turks and Caicos.

MSC will launched their new cruise ship MSC Musica on July 01. Musica is an Italian ship that will bring MSC into the ranks of big cruise ships. It is expected to accommodate 2,550 passengers.

One of its outstanding features will be that a full 80% of its 1,275 staterooms will be outside rooms. In addition, 65% of these staterooms will have verandas.

It will also feature a large spa area. The Musica’s cruise passengers will also have several dining options. They will enjoy a three deck high waterfall and many different entertainment venues.

Musica will sail the eastern Mediterranean from Venice.

The Costa Cruises’ new ship the Costa Concordia is owned by Carnival Corporation based in Miami, while Costa cruise lines is based in Italy.

This will be the largest cruise ship to join the Costa Cruises’ fleet. It will be launched late this year on July 14. It is expected to accommodate 3,000 passengers.

The Costa Concordia will have an European theme for its interior decor. All the room’s names will be European inspired. They will have the Grand Bar Berlin, Cafeteria Helsinki, and the Milan and Rome dining rooms.

A unique amenity to the Costa Concordia is a Formula 1 driving simulator for cruise passengers to enjoy on their cruise vacation.

This new cruise ship will sail year round in the Western Mediterranean. For those taking their cruise vacation on this ship, they will make ports of call in Spain, France, Italy, Gibraltar, and Malta.

So much to choose from! Check out other cruise reviews of these new cruise ships to find out on which cruise ship you will spend your 2006 cruise vacation.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

Mary Hanna has traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.CruiseGold.com, http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and http://www.CruisingTips.com

A cruise to Norway is likely to have many highlights – but one of the main talking points will surely be the chance to see the world famous Aurora Borealis.

Known as the Northern Lights, this spectacle is an awe-inspiring moment that is likely to be the most unforgettable part of any Norwegian cruise.

One of the best places to view the Northern Lights from is the North Cape in the county of Finnmark, which harbours an impressive cliff that is between 500 and 600 million years ago and rises more than 300 metres above sea level.

The area boasts some amazing sea views thanks to its position, so if you don’t get to see the Northern Lights – which are best sighted in the late autumn, winter and early spring, ideally in October, February or March – you can still delight in the local scenery.

Visitors to the North Cape will find much to occupy them both within this part of Finnmark and elsewhere in the county.

You could go on a bird safari, visit a fishing village or take in the views from Knivskjelodden, the northernmost part of the region.

Elsewhere in Finnmark, there are five national parks to explore, each offering a unique experience.

For example, you could visit Seiland to see two of Scandinavia’s northernmost glaciers, or go to Stabbursdalen to immerse yourself in the most northerly pine forest in the world.

You may also want to take in northern Europe’s biggest canyon, or perhaps explore the culture of the local Sami people at the Finnmarksvidda mountain plateau.

Here you will also be able to indulge in summer and autumn activities such as hiking and winter pursuits like dog sledging, snowmobile safaris and cross-country skiing.

Other popular cruise stops around Norway include Bergen – the gateway to the country’s famous fjords – as well as the historic Viking city of Trondheim, the picturesque mountain town of Tromso and Hammerfest, the northernmost town in the world.

Whether you choose to sample each of these in turn on a normal cruise or make them part of a longer cruise holiday stay in the region, you’re likely to have a memorable break during your time in Norway.

Thus your options are limited both by the number of cruise ships and dates. Therefore, there is little or no competition to drive down the prices like at high volume ports like Port Canaveral, Ft Lauderdale and Miami.

My suggestion is to go to the web site for each of these cruise lines and search for cruises departing from Charleston.

You have two options, a short cruise of 5 days with Carnival or a longer cruise of 10/11 days with Celebrity. The best thing is to look at all of the options on the dates and go when the price is the lowest. Also, you generally always get the best price by booking well in advance and that means a year or more in advance. Once you look at the prices shown on the cruise line web sites, print off the cruises that interest you and then shop online or check to see if a travel agent has a lower price. My bet is you’ll not find a lower price; my experience is the cruise lines have the best prices.

I live only 4 hours drive from Charleston and wish they had more options. What I have done is driven to Port Canaveral (about 10 hrs for me) and there are more options and better ships and prices. The Royal Caribbean ship Freedom of the Seas now cruises out of Port Canaveral and that’s a great ship (just 3 yrs old) with great prices.

While you don’t want to force anyone into doing something they don’t want, chances are if they’re against cruises, they just don’t realize how many different kinds of cruise vacations there are out there. There really is something for everyone. Also, many people have some preconceived notions about cruises that just aren’t true.

According to Cruises 101, some of the most common cruise myths people have are that…

1. Cruises are boring
2. Cruises cost too much
3. Only retired people take cruises
4. Ships are crowded
5. You’ll get seasick

If you’re trying to convince someone to go on a cruise with you and they’re balking because they believe one or more of these myths, let me help you change that person’s mind (hey, I’m here for you!).

First off, if someone thinks a cruise is going to be boring, chances are someone hasn’t seen the list of all the things there are to do on the big mainstream resort ships these days.

If you like fine dining, there are all sorts of eating options throughout the day (you can find something to munch on even in the middle of the night). If you’re trying to stay fit, you can head to the gym and pump iron or sign up for classes such as kickboxing, yoga, or pilates. If you’re a golf fanatic, many ships have computerized driving ranges that analyze your swing and help you improve. Do you like to learn things when you travel? You can find all sorts of classes and lectures to attend from cooking to digital photography to histories of the areas you’re visiting. If you just want to relax, you could take in an after-dinner show, watch a new release movie, lounge by the pool, or curl up in a deck chair with a book.

As you can see, there are lots of things to do on a cruise ship–some even have rock climbing walls and ice skating rinks–and I can’t imagine how anyone would be bored. We haven’t even mentioned all the ports of call you’ll visit and the interesting shore excursions available.

Ok, but what about price? Cruise vacations are only for the rich, right?

Actually, cruises are extremely affordable vacations. Sure, you can find luxury cruises that are pricey, but there are more cruises out there that are affordable for middle income families.

You can find weeklong trips that take you to the Caribbean, for instance, for about $700 a person. This includes your cabin, the cruise, your entertainment, and all the meals you can eat.

If you’re not ready to cruise for a week, start with a 3-day trip for a couple hundred dollars. Cruises are a very economical way to see different countries. And best of all, you only have to unpack once.

But only retired folks cruise, right?

Actually, you’ll find people of all ages on cruises. You can find young singles looking to party, honeymoon couples on their first vacation together, and families with kids, as well as retired folks enjoying traveling now that they don’t have to work any more.

No matter what age you are, you probably won’t feel out of place on a cruise.

But what if you hate crowds? With all these people we’ve mentioned, a cruise ship can sound crowded.

Well, the large resort ships do have a lot of people, thousands in fact. But they’re big ships too, so you probably won’t feel hemmed in by crowds everywhere you turn. However, if being on a ship with so many people makes you uneasy, then just sign up for a cruise on a small ship. You can find ships that only take 50-200 people out at a time. These small ships can often get to the less touristy ports, too, places big ships just can’t find room to dock.

Okay, okay, a cruise is sounding pretty good, but what if you’re prone to seasickness? Hey, as someone who gets car sick, I totally understand, but chances are you won’t even feel the sway of the ocean most of the time. Today’s ships have stabilizers that keep things pretty darned comfortable. Also, they tend to sail around islands or in protected gulfs, which are calmer than the open sea. But if you’re worried about seasickness, simply take some medication along. Over-the-counter Dramamine works well for many people.

There you have it: some of the biggest cruise myths debunked. Hopefully this article will help you convince your significant other that a cruise vacation could indeed be a lot of fun for both of you.