The combination of Nascar and Carnival Cruises are not what you would think would be a winning combination, but the Rusty Wallace Cruise is one of the most popular cruises the company offers.

The week-long cruise will operate round trip from Long Beach, Calif., Dec. 3-10, 2006. Featured ports include Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.Carnival’s “Rusty Wallace Cruises” began in 2001 and over the years more than 6,500 racing fans have enjoyed opportunities to meet and interact with the stock car racing legend, who retired from the active circuit late last year.

“Carnival’s ‘Rusty Wallace Cruises’ are among the most popular theme voyages in cruising and we’re delighted that Rusty has agreed to continue the series, this year aboard the Carnival Pride,” said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO. via  ThatsRacin.com

When on a cruise, the biggest fear is having to dine with people who are less than thrilling. The cruise industry is recognizing this  difference and now is offering  more choices for dining, and working to provide personal and intimate options for the dining public. Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, and Disney have all started offering more options for their passengers, but Norwegian Cruise Line was the originator of the trend.

The trend today is toward flexibility of dining times, variety of cuisine and premium dining in intimate restaurant settings.
The shipboard dining experience now prizes quality over quantity and frequency.
Norwegian Cruise Line is credited with pioneering the trend in 2000 with its launch of Freestyle Cruising. With a sweeping stroke, it did away with the large dining room, the two dinner seatings, the assigned table companions and the nightly dress code.
As others have rushed to mimic Norwegian’s model, dining space has been carved up into restaurant-type venues. Smaller galleys have been built here and there, particularly on the newer ships.

Visit  The Columbus Dispatch for more details on other cruise lines and their dining options.

This is the season for awards and Porthole Magazine has announced its Readers Choice Awards for the cruise industry. Here is Part 1 of the list of awards that Porthole Magazine awarded for 2005:

BEST SMALL SHIP - Seabourn Pride - Seabourn Cruise Line
BEST MEDIUM SIZE SHIP - Oosterdam - Holland America Line
BEST MEGA SHIP - Queen Mary 2 - Cunard Line
BEST RIVER CRUISE - Peter Deilmann Cruises
BEST TALL SHIP - Star Clipper - Star Clippers
BEST PARTY LINE - Carnival Cruise Lines
BEST LUXURY LINE - Crystal Cruises
BEST VALUE-FOR-THE-MONEY LINE - Carnival Cruise Lines
BEST PRIVATE ISLAND - Holland America Line
BEST SHORE EXCURSIONS - Princess Cruises
BEST ONE-DAY CRUISE - Discovery Cruises
BEST SHORT-DURATION CRUISE - Carnival Cruise Lines
BEST ADVENTURE CRUISE LINE - Royal Caribbean International
MOST ECO-FRIENDLY CRUISE LINE - Royal Caribbean International
MOST ROMANTIC CRUISE LINE - Windstar Cruises
MOST FAMILY-ORIENTED LINE - Disney Cruises

Found an interesting article on finding the lowest rates on your next Carnival Cruise. Brian Prunczik has this article up over at Ezines.

First, pick a cruise specialist. Using a specialist will eliminate the uncertainty associated with using a travel agent in that a specialist knows the inner workings of the cruise line in regards to best travel dates, promotions, ship details, routes etc. When searching for a specialist, whenever possible, talk to them personally. Doing searches on the internet these days is leaving too much to chance.

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Make sure your rate includes all port charges and taxes. If you look close, 95% of so-called bargains on the internet are not bargains at all-you can get the same rate by dealing with the cruise line directly. Beware of outrageous internet claims-“75% off your cruise!”, “Buy one get one free!”, “Free Air”. You’ve heard it before, if it sounds too good to be true… There are literally thousands of garbage promotion hooks.

The travel section of the New York Times has an article on the strengths and weaknesses of booking a cruise online, and finds that a booking a cruise is much more frustrating than booking flights or hotels online.

Judi Brownell, a professor at the Cornell Hotel School who follows the cruise industry and has taken six cruises since January, said she often ends up making calls to book cruises, when she would rather complete the transaction on her computer. “If I wanted to call an 800 number or speak to a travel agent, I wouldn’t be online,” she said.

Professor Brownell isn’t alone. Just 37 percent of 2,000 participants in a recent interactive test of travel industry Web sites found cruise line sites to be satisfactory, according to Keynote Systems, a company that analyzes e-businesses.

“The sheer number of people who experienced frustration on the cruise line sites was high, especially when compared to lodging and airline sites,” said Bonny Brown, director of research at Keynote, in San Mateo, Calif. Complaints include online customer service, difficulty in researching shipboard activities and, at the top of the list, limited online booking.

They go on to state that some of the cruise lines, with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, are working very hard to improve the experience and provide new tools such as online check in. Other lines are allowing the booking of classes and meals online also.

As the competition between the cruise lines heats up online, the tools available for the traveler will increase as well. That will be a welcome change from the present system.

The after effects of the hurricane season has hurt the 2005 cruise season tremendously. First the damage in the US Gulf region closed the cruise ports of New Orleans, Mobile, and Gulfport. Now Hurricane Wilma has hurt the Western Caribbean and Mexico, closing many of the ports of call.

 Hurricane Wilma has wreaked new havoc for cruise ships sailing from Texas ports, and passengers are likely to feel the effect for some time to come.

For a week, ships dodged Wilma’s wrath as it churned across Mexico’s Yucatan region and raked South Florida, dealing unexpected blows to the two busiest U.S. home ports: Miami and Port Everglades at Fort Lauderdale. More than 20 ships were affected.

Key West, a popular port of call that’s on some itineraries from Texas, was closed to tourists for nearly two weeks. It’s now open, and ships are returning. Royal Caribbean International’s Rhapsody of the Seas, sailing from Galveston, is again calling at Key West .

The worst and longer-lasting devastation was in Mexico’s popular Maya Riviera. Cruise lines now are dealing day by day with the aftermath. The popular resort of Cancun was severely damaged, but the destruction at the nearby island of Cozumel is a greater impact to cruises. Cozumel is the most popular port in the Caribbean, with an estimated 50 ships calling there regularly. During the winter season, as many as a dozen ships with 30,000 passengers might call at Cozumel in one day.

via The Dallas Morning News

The “Georges Blanc Signature Selections” will be a new addition to the fine cuisine found aboard the Carnival Cruise Lines. This renowned chef, one of the best culinary artists in the world will work with Carnivals top chef and some of his own, to develop recipes that will be prepared on board Carnival’s Eight Spirit and Conquest class vessels.

To develop this program, several of the top chefs from Carnival have gone to train at Blanc’s restaurant in Vonnas in France. They have undergone an intense 2 week training program that will develop their skills and provide a foundation in the techniques the distinguish Blanc’s dishes.

Travel Daily News reports:

Two culinary development teams, comprised of chefs from Carnival and Georges Blanc’s restaurants and under the direction of Carnival’s Corporate Executive Chef Peter Leypold and Executive Chef - Culinary Development Sanjay Dhall, will also travel to the line’s ships to introduce the “Georges Blanc Signature Selections” fleetwide.

The “Georges Blanc Signature Selections” complement the wide range of culinary offerings aboard Carnival ships, which include elaborate, multi-course meals in the main dining rooms, a more intimate dining experience in the “steakhouse-style” supper clubs, and a variety of casual breakfast, lunch and dinner alternatives in the poolside Lido restaurants. Many Carnival ships feature patisseries and sushi bars, and complimentary 24-hour stateroom service is available fleetwide.

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The new ship, yet to be named, will be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, is expected to enter service in spring 2008. The ship is expected to hold up to 3.000 passengers. This ship will feature a new design that will be rich on amenities, such as a nearly 18 thousand square foot spa, and a 5,500 square foot children’s play area. Looks like a great boat aimed at providing a full family experience.

From Carnival:

MIAMI (Sept. 30, 2005) – Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today announced that it has assigned a previously ordered 112,000-ton cruise ship to its Carnival Cruise Lines brand. 

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