Conde Nast Announces Top Cruise Picks

Conde Nast Traveler (CNT) announced the results of its 2008 Readers’ Choice Awards, ranking the best cities, cruise lines, airlines, hotels and resorts worldwide. The awards appear in the November issue and are derived from the Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Survey, the independent poll of consumers’ preferences in the U.S. This year, 32,633 readers voted. The full list of winners is at www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/500074.

Cruise Lines: Top cruise lines-large ships are Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, Disney. Top cruise lines-small ships are Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, SeaDream Yacht Club.

The Readers Choice Awards gala took place on Oct. 15 in New York City at the New York Public Library. The final tabulations of 32,633 responses were done by Mediamark Research, Inc., of New York City. Questionnaires contained lists of candidates (individual cities, hotels, etc.), and write-ins were allowed. Only candidates that received a required minimum number of responses were deemed eligible for an award. Each candidate was rated, criterion by criterion, on a five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, poor. Criterion scores, which represent the percentage of respondents rating a candidate excellent or very good, were averaged to determine the final score. For more information, visit www.cntraveler.com.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Says Brilliance Will Sail from Dubai

Royal Caribbean International will deploy Brilliance of the Seas in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from January to April 2010. The company will offer seven-night Middle East sailings, but exact itineraries will be announced in the coming weeks. “Dubai is a dynamic and thriving city that shows great growth potential. Building on our reputation for introducing revolutionary cruise experiences, we are excited to provide a different cruise vacation than traditionally offered in this region,” said Michael Bayley, senior vice president-international for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. During a visit to Dubai this week, Rama Rebbapragada, regional vice president-international sales and marketing for RCCL added, “We continue to win devotees from throughout the Middle East and are pleased to have exceeded our 2008 sales target for the region, achieving significant growth over last year.” The 90,090-ton, 2,500-passenger Brilliance of the Seas has a 10-deck-high Centrum, a rock-climbing wall, a nine-hole miniature golf course and five dining venues. For More Information, contact SailRoyalCaribbean.com

Crystal Cruise Lines Offers Easier Deposits, Cancellations

Crystal Cruises is introducing a collection of incentives to support its commitment to its guests’ satisfaction. In combination with its existing price guarantee, the line is reducing cruise fare deposits and cancellation periods. “Crystal is pairing its consistent delivery of incomparable vacation experiences with a program that showcases just how secure an investment the Crystal Experience is,” said Bill Smith, senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Luxury cruisers recognize the value of selecting a line whose performance is tried-and-true, to ensure they’re getting the best from the best.” The company is now offering a price guarantee that gives guests the best applicable fare offered by Crystal Cruises even after they’ve booked. Cruise deposits have been reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent for all 2009 itineraries except the full World Cruise. Deposits for the 2010 World Cruise have been reduced from 20 percent to $1,000 or $1,500, depending on stateroom selected. And deposits are now required within seven days, up from three days. Guests can now cancel their cruise up to 45 days prior to sailing without penalty instead of 75 days. For More Information, contact Crystal Cruise Values.