Cruise Deal Watch: Still some Valentines Day values available

by Chris Owen on

Norwegian Cruise Line likes to do things big. New Norwegian Epic debuted last Summer full of never before seen entertainment options that put the cruse industry on notice: These people mean business. Now, with Valentines Day fast approaching, the line has some special offers sure to ring in romance on the high seas.

Offering special savings on 12 different sailings that include Valentines Day, the line is throwing in a complementary four-category upgrade and e-coupons in on-board savings of up to $400. In addition, the line is featuring two of their special packages with Valentines Day in mind.

The Romance Package features sparking wine and strawberries in your stateroom upon embarkation, a spa pedicure and manicure for one person, two massages and tea service in your stateroom.

The Deluxe Romance Package includes sparking wine and strawberries in your stateroom upon embarkation plus a choice of Exotic Frangipani Body Nourishing Wrap for one or and Exotic Coconut and Milk Ritual Wrap for one along with breakfast in bed, a keepsake portrait and dinner for two in the ship’s exclusive Le Bistro restaurant with a bottle of wine.

Question: Who decides who gets the stuff for one? Do they flip for it?

Popular Valentines Day sailings sell out pretty fast and often demand a premium price. Checking around, we found very few extra value sailings. Actually, this was it.

Still looking for something special to do on Valentines Day? Among other options, maybe a City Boat Tour will work for you.

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Flickr photo by ses7

Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy goes 3D planet-wide

by Chris Owen on

More than 50 million people world-wide have traveled the globe to see ultra-quality Cirque productions in theaters, Las Vegas casinos, theme parks, at sea and on Broadway. Cirque took Broadway by storm in 2008 as the only circus/cirque show of its kind. Now, Neil Goldberg’s Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy production joins with stereoscopic pioneer N4D to create a never-before-seen spectacle.

Cirque will incorporate Atlanta-based N4D’s patented technologies to create a variety of layers and textures both on and off the stage that previously never existed that they claim will “reinvent the current dimensions of theater.”

“Since 1993, audiences have come to expect Cirque Dreams’ artistry to unfold live, right before their eyes-pop off stage and soar through the air while defying gravity with limitless imagination.” Goldberg said “Adding the new dimension available through stereoscopic visualization implemented with unique N4D technology will not only heighten the experience, but will also create a sense of intimacy that brings live artistry and audiences together as one.”

To be unveiled in 2013, count on some spectacular productions as Cirque founder Neil Goldberg and N4D CEO Cliff Parker join forces to bring a never-before-seen spectacular to the stage.

This should be something to see.

Photo: Cirque Productions

Cheap Cruises: Best time to go

by Chris Owen on

A big factor in finding cheap cruises is when the ship sails. Holiday sailings are in high demand as well as pretty much any time school is out and kids can sail. That leaves the rest of the year wide open for some of the best values around. But some are better than others.

Hurricane Season is sometimes a good buy, sometimes not. Officially, hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th. In there is Summer and Thanksgiving, both popular times to sail but also times in hurricane season. Millions of families take a Summer vacation because that’s when they can go, hurricane season or not. So don’t let hurricane season scare you off. Some excellent values occur the first weeks of October, November and even December as thoughts turn to holiday plans and a cruise is not an option.

Other good times to go include January through May with the exception of Valentines Day week and Spring Break which pretty much wipes out March and most of April too.

But other than calendar times to sail, economic factors can affect when a good time to sail would be. In 2008 and 2009 when the world-wide economy was at it’s lowest, some of the best cruise values could be found at pretty much any time of the year.

If your schedule is flexible and you have the ability to move when you can sail around a bit, huge gains can be had by booking special offers either way in advance or at the last-minute. Don’t count on last-minute sales though. Cruise lines hate practically giving away cabins at the last minute and have taken steps recently to avoid that happening.

Photo: Cunard Line

Photo of the day – Amusement park Americana

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Everyone loves an amusement park ride, especially one with pretty lights, right? Flickr user ohad* snapped this appealing nighttime image of a local amusement park ride in Delray Beach, Florida. He manages to create an image that captures a reconizable, summery piece of Americana, one especially welcome during these cold winter days. In fact, ohad* took this photograph on New Year’s Eve, but the summery feeling is there nonetheless. We need reminders, here in the frigid Northeastern US, of how it feels to stroll around at night in a t-shirt and jeans.

Got an image of a warm-weather nighttime carnival you’d like to share with the Gadling readership? Upload it to the Gadling pool on Flickr and it might very well end up as a future Photo of the Day.

iPhone App Hotel Tonight does exactly what its name implies

by Scott Carmichael on

Not every night in hotel has to involve weeks of planning and early reservations – iPhone app Hotel Tonight proves that.

This slick app is designed with one purpose – get you a well priced hotel for tonight. At the moment, the app only covers hotels in Hollywood, New York and San Francisco, but since its hotel deals are hand-picked, the quality of the results are quite impressive.

Once you pick your city of choice, you are presented with three hotels – sorted by category; hip, elegant and basic.

For tonight in San Francisco, I can choose from the Hotel Nikko ($120), Hotel Vitale ($191) or the Executive Hotel Vintage Court ($69).

From my quick test, these prices are considerably cheaper than what is offered directly from the hotel. For example – the Vintage Court can be booked through the app for $69 ($80 with all taxes), but that same room is $172 with taxes through the hotel itself.

The deals are not exacly random either – they are hand picked by the people behind Dealbase who happen to know a thing or two about hotel prices.

All hotels are accompanied by a really well written description, explaining what the reviewers like, what the fine print is, stats about the hotel (including things like the cost of parking) and its Tripadvisor rating. Most properties even list the food and drink offering, with examples of prices for room service items. And to top it all off, you can even find some tips about the area with some recommendations for places to eat and drink close to the hotel.

%Gallery-114854%The credits tab is a really neat one – because if you sign up, you’ll get a $10 instant credit applied to your account. Once you’ve made a reservation for tonight, your booking is displayed inside the app.

I have to say – I love this app. It is well designed, it offers well priced hand picked deals, and the amount of information presented with each hotel is staggering. Sadly, the number of cities is still limited, but Hotel Tonight promises they’ll be expanding that soon.

So, if you’ve had a few too many drinks, or you’d just like an elegant way to surprise someone special in your life, download Hotel Tonight (free) and book yourself a room.