Porthole Cruise News Briefs – May 27, 2016

Porthole Cruise News Briefs – May 27, 2016

• Travelers aboard Crystal Esprit’s voyages in the Seychelles will now be able to extend their vacations with an “Extended Land Program” consisting of a 4-day safari through Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. The trip will include game drives across the open savannah and into the dense bush, and an optional hot air trip at sunrise over the Mara Plain, watching wildlife such as giraffes, lions, rhinos, elephants, cheetahs, and antelopes.
• Fathom, the new social impact cruise brand, has announced a partnership with Ashoka, the largest network of social entrepreneurs worldwide. Together, they’ve developed onboard programming for trips to Cuba and the Dominican Republic, training travelers in “changemaking” skills – empathy, teamwork, leadership, and problem solving. “Fathom’s goal with each traveler is a long-term engagement, not one that ends in the confines of seven days,” says Ashoka’s Tia Johnston. “Fathom is doing something that we hope will one day be the norm for businesses – helping travelers and employees recognize their own changemaking potential and giving them opportunities to practice it.”
• In fall 2017, Disney Cruise Line will be returning to New York, San Diego, and Galveston. New York sailings include a new 7-night Canada cruise with a new port of call for Disney Magic – Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Other New York cruises will call on Bar Harbor, Maine, another Disney first. From San Diego, Disney Wonder will visit Baja California and the Mexican Riviera in September and October; then in November and December, will visit the Caribbean and the Bahamas from Galveston.
• As part of a new deal with the celebrity chef, Seabourn Quest has just opened its new signature restaurant, The Grill by Thomas Keller, a luxury dining experience based on a classic American chophouse. The wine list has been personally curated by Keller, while interiors have been designed by Adam D. Tihany. The restaurant will be open for dinner daily, and reservations can be obtained online in advance of the cruise.

^{Photo: Amy Harris | Dreamstime.com}

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