Dunham Cellars Team with Windstar on Mediterranean Cruise

The past few years have seen Windstar Cruises augmenting its on board education series and guest lecturers have often included celebrity chefs and winemakers. This summer aboard the 312-passenger Wind Surf as part of Windstar's Signature Collection Host Series, guests will meet winemaker Eric Dunham of Dunham Cellars on the July 25, sailing from Rome to Venice. The itinerary also includes Capri and Taormina, Italy; Kotor, Montenegro; and Dubrovnik and Hvar, Croatia.

Mr. Dunham is passionate about fine wine and will share his knowledge with travelers about the wine-making process in the form of lectures, Q&A sessions, and wine tastings. He'll also lead an exclusive seven-and-a-half-hour shore excursion to the wineries of Croatia. The day will begin with a drive along the Adriatic Coast to Komaji to visit winemaker Andro Crvik. Afterward, guests will move along to Orasac for a food tasting and a visit to Milos Winery in Ponikve Village. Then, the tour will visit the "oyster capital" of Croatia—Mali Ston—for a lunch of fresh-caught seafood and fine local wines.

Eric Dunham began his career at Hogue Cellars before being named assistant winemaker at L'Ecole No. 41 winery, where he studied under the famous Marty Clubb. From there, he began crafting premium cabernet sauvignon for his own brand, Dunham Cellars.

For more information about this cruise, talk with your travel agent or contact Windstar Cruises at 1-(800) 258-7245.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photo courtesy of Dunham Cellars

Crystal Cruises to Launch Open Dining By Reservation in 2011

Crystal Cruises has brainstormed a way to keep current guests happy with its traditional Classic Main and Late Seating dining times in the Crystal Dining Room while rolling out new "Perfect Choice Dining." I applaud the cruise line for developing an option for more flexible dining by reservation! In my opinion, this change makes Crystal Cruises much more appealing.

Starting on July 1, 2010, guests booked on itineraries in January 2011 and beyond will utilize an online Priority Check-In and Planning Center (PCPC) to make advance reservations for the main dining room as well as Crystal's specialty restaurants. You must select "Open Dining by Reservation" at the time of reserving your cruise in order to participate in this program and your cruise must be fully paid before you can make reservations via the PCPC.

Open Dining by Reservation tables are available from 6:15–9:15pm, subject to availability. Classic Main Seating is at 6:15pm and Late Seating begins at 8:30pm. Tables for two, four, six, and eight are available.

The cruise line has prepared a comprehensive FAQ about Crystal's new Open Dining by Reservation.

For more information, talk with your travel agent or contact Crystal Cruises at 1-(888) 799-4625.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photo courtesy of Crystal Cruises

Video: Celebrity Cruises Floats Out Celebrity Eclipse

Last summer we sailed aboard Celebrity Equinox, the second in Celebrity Cruises' $3.7 billion Solstice Class fleet. Last Thursday the cruise line floated out the next ship in the series: Celebrity Eclipse.

Take a look at this video from Celebrity Cruises and learn a bit more about this terrific new ship that starts sailing this April:

Celebrity Eclipse will sail round-trip itineraries out of Southampton, England between April and the end of October, when she'll cross the Atlantic and begin her winter season in the Caribbean.

For more information, talk with your travel agent or contact Celebrity Cruises.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

New Luxury Cruise Vacations for 2011–2012 from Yachts of Seabourn

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Yachts of Seabourn. Today the luxury line released its itineraries for 2011 and 2012. There are some fantastic routes so it's time to start planning! And, if any 2011 European or Asian cruise piques you're interest, you'll be pleased to learn more about Seabourn's special promotion that includes two-for-one pricing on some itineraries starting at $3,250 per person. Value air add-ons are also on special from $699 per person in economy and from $2,299 in business class.

So, where will Seabourn take you in 2011 and 2012? Just about anywhere says cruise line president and CEO Pamela Conover:

"With the launch of Seabourn Quest in June 2011, our six intimate yachts will enable us to provide the unique, Seabourn yachting lifestyle to travelers anywhere they wish to explore, from the beaches of St. Tropez to the jungles of Borneo. From Iceland to Queensland and Beijing to Barcelona, you can travel the world, and travel it well, on a Seabourn yacht."

New Itineraries

• Canada and New England aboard Seabourn Sojourn
  
  
• "Patagonian Passage"—Chilean fjords, Cape Horn, and Falkland Islands aboard Seabourn Sojourn
  
  
• Singapore to Bali with stops in Borneo, Sulawesi, and Java aboard Seabourn Pride
  
  
• "Indian Oceans Delight" series of cruises aboard Seabourn Legend
  
  
• 60-Day "Stars of the Southern Cross" from Los Angeles to French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii aboard Seabourn Odyssey
  
  
• 7-Night St. Petersburg & the Baltics aboard Seabourn Sojourn
  
  
• and more!

There are a lot of new itineraries mixed in with old favorites. It's worth your while to study the new PDF Cruise Calendar. I've had some time to study the options and here's one cruise that I know will be fantastic!

Andrea's Dream Cruise for 2011
Spice Islands Discoveries
12-Night Embarking June 29, 2011 Aboard Seabourn Pride
Benoa, Bali; Waikelo, Sumba; Palopo, Sulawesi; Makassar, Sulawesi;
Sandakan, Boreno; Kota Kinabalu, Borneo; Muara; Singapore

For more information about the Yachts of Seabourn, talk with your travel agent or call the cruise line at 1-(800) 929-9391.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photo courtesy of the Yachts of Seabourn

Countdown to French Polynesia Vacation with Paul Gauguin Cruises

There's no better cure for the winter blues than planning a luxury cruise vacation to some exotic destination like French Polynesia. For that very reason, I'm so thankful that I've got an upcoming voyage aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin from Paul Gauguin Cruises.

March is the probably my least favorite month. It's the busiest time of year for my work (writing and editing for book publishers, magazines, and websites) and it's generally when I reach the end of my rope regarding winter weather. I just want the snow to melt and the days to get longer and sunnier!

In the meantime, plans for my South Pacific cruise will just have to sustain me. Last week I attended a webinar hosted by Paul Gauguin Cruises. My husband and I fired up the computer and took notes as the PGC team spent an hour explaining just what was in store for travelers cruising with them.

After the webinar I downloaded the shore excursions for our seven-night itinerary and now it's time to make some tough choices. On Moorea, for example, do we want to book the "Capture Moorea Photo Adventure" tour hosted by photographer Renaud Fayada or the "Dolphin Watching Expedition" with local biologist Michael Poole? Maybe we can do both since we'll anchor off Moorea for two days. These are good decisions to have to make.

Our cruise is still two months away but the webinar has inspired me to get organized and research the cruise and the islands we'll be visiting. To that end, here are a few videos I found on YouTube. If you're planning to visit French Polynesia, these may be of interest to you as well. Enjoy!

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Paul Gauguin Cruises Video

Diving in Tahiti Video

Cruise Ship Dress Code Uproar & the Yachts of Seabourn

Every luxury cruise line and cruise ship is grappling with the "great dress code debate" these days. What exactly is the debate all about? Many longtime cruisers love dressing up for formal night and look forward to one or more upscale events per cruise. Other guests, however, are asking cruise lines to loosen up on the rules of formality.

The Yachts of Seabourn just announced a significant change to its formal night policy. (The new rules will make their debut across the Seabourn fleet soon.)

• No black tie optional nights on cruises that are eight nights are shorter
• 1 black tie optional evening on cruises that are 9–13 nights
• 2 black tie optional nights on cruises that are 14–20 nights
• 3 black tie optional events on cruises that are 21 nights or longer

On those special "black tie optional" evenings, men are asked to wear tuxedos or dark-colored suits and women generally wear gowns or stylish cocktail dresses. The Restaurant hosts this gala while guests who wish to dress down (to the Elegant Casual category) are invited to dine at Restaurant 2, The Colonnade, or the Patio Grill).

My husband and I were thrilled to hear about this change. However, I completely understand that many cruisers love dressing up. I think they should continue dressing in whatever manner makes them most comfortable. I know couples who dress up every night for dinner while cruising. Others prefer Elegant Casual most of the time. Each traveler should do what works for them.

I do not think that the new dress code "dumbs down" the Seabourn experience. On the contrary, I think the cruise line will find that it attracts a new demographic of travelers who were afraid Seabourn would be too stodgy for them. I believe these new-to-cruising individuals will be a refreshing addition to Seabourn's passenger complement. After all, anyone who can afford Seabourn's price point knows how to dress smartly for dinner—formal night or not.

What do you think about Seabourn's new black tie optional plans?

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com