Boating lovers, it’s time to make your plans to head to south Florida. Next month is the 70th annual Miami International Boat Show & Strictly Sail Miami.

2011 Miami International Boat Show is one of the world’s largest and premier boating event and runs this year from February 17 to 21.

This year’s show is aimed at on-the-water fun, travel and Hands-On Education and features thousands of the newest powerboats, sailboats, engines, electronics and marine accessories from more than 2,000 leading manufacturers from around the world.

The 2011 Miami International Boat Show will offer many new attractions such as the Dive & Travel Harbor that will feature the ‘Be a Diver’ scuba pool, plus the new Discover Boating Resource Center, a boating education experience offering free boat rides, on-the-water training courses, and multiple daily seminars.

Here’s a small sample of some of the exciting events to be held:

• Miss GEICO is back! The world’s fastest offshore racing boat, powered with the same turbine engines that flew missions in the first Gulf War and can reach speeds of more than 185 miles per hour, will dazzle any boating enthusiast with a need for speed. Check out a video of Miss GEICO in action!

• *New! ‘Be a Diver’ Pool – Learn to Scuba! Anyone age 10 and older can discover the fun and exciting sport of scuba diving in the comfort of a tropically warm pool, test some of the latest scuba equipment and have a photo taken underwater as a keepsake.

• New! Tours & photo ops aboard the all-new Time Bandit Offshore Race Boat! This 30-ft. Phantom racer is named for the famous Deadliest Catch fishing vessel Time Bandit. The Time Bandit offshore race team is made up of team owner and driver Bob Mazikowski, an 11-year veteran with more than 40 wins, including three national championships and two world championships, and rookie throttle man Travis Lofland of another Deadliest Catch fishing vessel, Wizard.

• Pre-Show Shopping – The Miami International Boat Show’s newest online offering allows attendees to pre-shop the 2011 show for the greatest deals on the newest boats by visiting MiamiBoatShow.com. Show goers can plan ahead and search boats by brand, model and more, in addition to scheduling dealer appointments onsite or at the dealership.

The 2011 Miami International Boat Show & Strictly Sail Miami will be held at the:
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach – Florida

Admission:
Premier Day (Feb. 17): $30

Adults: $16
Five-day adult pass: $75
Two-day adult pass (valid Feb. 18-21): $30
Youth 15 and under get in FREE

You can purchase advance tickets at MiamiBoatShow.com or StrictlySail.com beginning Dec. 17, 2010

Skycut ‘86 by Virgolini & Musci Design

If you are in the market for a new luxury yacht, then here’s the one for you. Skycut ‘86 is the first yacht of a new line of luxury boats from the Italian company – Virgolini & Musci Design.

The Italian design studio Virgolini & Musci Design was established in 2005 by Paolo Virgolini (Designer) and Francesca Musci (Architect).

The luxurious yacht, Skycut ‘86 is defined by its Italian design with a prevalence of large spaces, and both modern materials and technologies, ensuring an ecological theme and attention to detail.

The yacht’s living spaces were creatively designed to utilize light as the main protagonist, creating an ambient atmosphere to relax its guests.

The exterior design of the Skycut ‘86 yacht is defined by a large, owner cabin window that extends its shape to the upper structure and glass door. This particular design allows a portion of the boat to be entirely opened toward both the sea and the light.

Skycut ‘86 by Virgolini & Musci Design

The yacht’s interiors are simple, yet elegant. The main deck of the Skycut ‘86 luxury yacht presents an open space, hosting a dining room and living room.

The lower deck of Skycut ‘86 offers three large cabins, and of course the biggest is the owner cabin. In addition, there are three bathrooms plus a lower living room. The design combination allows the feeling of a luxury that’s much bigger than an ’86 boat.

Virgolini & Musci Design has won several prizes as MYDA (www.seatec.it) 2007 for Sogica Openbridge ’55 and MYDA 2008 Nadir Yacht Titanium ’40, as well as with project yachts – Mito ’40 Tullio Abbate, Casa ’68 Cantieri Navali Casa, Ego ’43 Best Yacht and most recently for new Chinese shipyards.

To learn more about the Skycut ‘86 luxury yacht, please visit: www.virgolinimuscidesign.com

Queen Elizabeth -Cunard

Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth liner was officially named in a luxurious ceremony at the vessel’s home port of Southampton, England.

It was a bright, sunny day and her Majesty christened the new £360 million Queen Elizabeth, with a bottle of Rothschilds’ Cunard Graves 2009.

There were notable guests in attendance, including: Lord (John) Prescott, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Jimmy Savile, Alan Whicker, Judith Chalmers, Alan Tichmarsh, and Simon Weston.

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus supplied beautiful music and the Massed Bands of the Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards also entertained the ceremony gathering.

Queen Elizabeth has long been associated with the luxury Cunard fleet of ships. Her Majesty previously launched theQueen Elizabeth 2 in 1967, followed by the Queen Mary 2 in 2004.

The new Queen Elizabeth luxury liner is a 92,000-ton ship and will be Cunard’s second biggest ship behind the QM2.

Queen Elizabeth -Cunard (Grand Lobby)

The Queen Elizabeth cruise ship is bring back pure luxury to the high seas, featuring high ceilings, wood panelling, mosaics, art deco flourishes, chandeliers and fine marble.

The ship has a capacity of 2,000 passengers, and will enjoy many luxurious amenities including waltzing in multiple ballrooms, catching Shakespeare plays in the ship’s theatre.

If you feel lucky, take your chances by gambling in the casino, or simply relaxing with a cup of tea and listening to the soothing sounds of a string quartet.

For more information on Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth, visit http://www.cunard.com/Ships/Queen-Elizabeth/

Courtesy of: Derecktor

Cakewalk is not just a luxury yacht, but a luxury superyacht. Cakewalk is the largest yacht built in the United States since the 1930′s.

Cakewalk was built by the Derecktor Shipyards in Connecticut, U.S.   Cakewalk is 85.6 meters (280.84 feet) long and weighs 2,950 tons. Cakewalk is now one of the top luxury superyachts in the world.

The  luxurious Cakewalk yacht has four levels of decking, in addition to an incredible central spiral staircase that sweeps the entire height of this amazing ship.

Cakewalk has deservedly so received a fair share of media and industry attention. There is lots of anticipation to discover who the owner is and takes control of the boat with a 24 person crew, two staff members and up to 12 privileged guests.

Derecktor just announced that Cakewalk was officially launched on August 8th 2010.

Cakewalk provides six guest staterooms, which are found on the main deck.  The luxury staterooms include oversized windows that will offer expansive outdoor views.

In addition to the central spiral staircase made with cherry wood panels, all six decks of Cakewalk can be reached by elevator.

It was reported by Yachts International that Cakewalk will be the heaviest superyacht built in the U.S.  It won’t hold the record of the longest, as that feat is held by JP Morgan’s Cosair IV and was built in 1930.

Cakewalk will have a top speed of 17 knots and a range of approximately 9260km at 15 knots.

Although a much deserved superyacht, in comparison, Cakewalk is still only about half the length of the Eclipse, which is reportedly owned by mega Russian billionaire – Roman Abramovich.

For additional information on Cakewalk, please visit Derecktor

The M/Y “The World is Not Enough” is truly a luxury mega yacht and is heralded as the world’s fastest super yacht.

It’s been reported that the “The World is Not Enough” luxury yacht can sustain a high speed of around 65-70 knots. The yacht is about 139 feet 3 inches or 42.44 meters in length.

“The World is Not Enough” yacht was conceived by John Staluppi. His background in mega-yachts includes both the “Moonraker” and “Octopussy”, among others.

To buy, lease or charter a luxury boat, please contact us and enjoy the experience of a luxury yacht.

Courtesy of: Royal Caribbean International

Just when you think the luxury cruise industry can’t introduce another floating city, think again. It’s the latest luxury cruise ship – Allure Of The Seas by Royal Caribbean International.

The new Allure Of The Seas will hold 5,400 passengers and will be another new cruise option for 2010. The massive Oasis of the Seas arrives on the heels of its sister ship, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.

Allure Of The Seas weighs in at a whopping 220,000 tons and offers 16 decks, along with seven unique neighborhoods, including: Central Park, Boardwalk, the Pool and Sports Zone, the Royal Promenade, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone.

The new luxury cruise ship Allure Of The Seas has many luxurious amenities to make your cruise that much more enjoyable. The ship will feature a park that contains more than 12,000 plants and trees.

You can also enjoy a hand-carved carousel, an 82-foot zip line, plus a full production of Broadway’s hit show “Hairspray”.

There’s also a cocktail lounge named “Rising Tide.” What makes this lounge so unique is that it actually moves vertically between decks.

Additional entertainment options for Allure Of The Seas guests include an acrobatic high-dive performance, watch ice-skaters act out popular fairy tales, or even record a music video.

The luxury cruise ship will provide passengers 24 different dining venues to meet everybody’s taste. Dining options range from a cupcake shop and ice cream parlor to a Tuscan trattoria and upscale grill.

Courtesy of: Royal Caribbean International

For those passengers who want to pretend they never left home, will be treated to a two-story loft suite with floor-to-ceiling windows. It will seem like staying in an apartment on the ocean!

Allure Of The Seas provides a luxury experience with 28 ultra-modern loft suites, plus 2,700 spacious staterooms.

The inaugural launch of Allure of the Seas begins this December with a weeklong cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and cruising in style to the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

The Allure of the Seas cruise ship will be homeported in Fort Lauderdale. The ships will alternate the above itinerary with another, visiting Jamaica, the Mexican island of Cozumel and Labadee, which is Royal Caribbean’s private beach retreat!

For additional information on Allure Of The Seas, please visit: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do?shipCode=AL

Courtesy of: Norwegian Cruise Line

The maiden voyage Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic is nearing. The luxury cruise ship is one of the most talked about ships of all time and is NCL’s largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date.

The luxurious Norwegian Epic continues its trend of “firsts” such as the largest spa at sea, and will showcase the largest LED chandelier at sea and will be found in the ship’s Epic Casino. In addition, the casino is also the largest ever at sea.

The incredible chandelier, will change colors to all in the spectrum,  up to 255 possible variations. The chandelier has a height of 21 feet, diameter of nearly 11 feet and weighs two metric tons.

The one of a kind chandelier was built in Vienna, Austria by Kalmar, who is a leading glass crystal maker and previously designed some of the largest chandeliers for hotels and palaces around the world.

Designed by UK-based SMC Architects and Lighting Design, the chandelier is fitted with about 40,000 crystal glass pieces of various shapes and sizes.

Spanning vertically to three decks, the chandelier can be seen from various vantage points including the casino, Teppanyanki restaurant, Wasabi Sushi Bar, Malting’s Whiskey Bar, Shaker’s Martini Bar, and the Atrium.

The design is of spiraling oval discs, each up to 30 feet in circumference, and 112 suspended crystal encrusted balls of up to one foot in diameter, which orbit the main structure at varying heights.

The chandelier is the most energy efficient at sea. It is completely illuminated by LED technology, using over 10,000 diodes. It is fully dimmable to most effectively enhance the lead crystals and is currently being programmed by UK-based Project International.

For additional information NCL’s Norwegian Epic or to book a cruise, call Norwegian at 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784), or visit http://epic.ncl.com

Courtesy of: Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line recently announced that its largest and most innovative ship Norwegian Epic is sold out for its maiden voyage on June 24, 2010. The first cruise is a seven-day transatlantic sailing from Southampton, England to New York City.

Norwegian Cruise Line created a wait list for those interested in sailing on the transatlantic should any last-minute cancellations occur.

The Norwegian Epic will be the largest to berth in the Port of New York. The ship will arrive at Manhattan Cruise Terminal’s Pier 88 on Thursday, July 1. Country music legend Reba McEntire will christen the ship on Friday, July 2 followed by a two-day inaugural sailing.

On Sunday, July 4, Norwegian Epic will serve as the host venue for the 34th Annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks event. The event includes a national, one-hour, live entertainment broadcast on NBC-TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET and takes place on board Norwegian Epic where invited guests will have a front row view of the fireworks display.

“We are on the edge of our seats in anticipation of the debut of Norwegian Epic to the world in only a few short weeks,” said Kevin Sheehan, chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Guests on the transatlantic sailing will be among the first to experience all of Norwegian Epic’s innovative features including her more than 20 dining options and world-class entertainment.”

NCL released a sneak peak video of Norwegian Epic on its YouTube channel showcasing the finishing touches being made. The video is below and also viewable at www.ncl.com/youtube

Norwegian Epic will sail alternating seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings from Miami beginning July 10, 2010 through April 2011. Norwegian Epic’s Eastern Caribbean itinerary includes calls in Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and Nassau, Bahamas. The ship’s Western Caribbean itinerary includes calls in Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico. From May through October 2011, Norwegian Epic will sail a seven-day Western Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona, Spain with ports of call including: Florence/Pisa (Livorno); Rome (Civitavecchia); Naples, Italy; and Palma, Majorca, Spain.

For more information on Norwegian Epic and to book a cruise, call Norwegian at 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784), visit http://epic.ncl.com, or contact a travel professional.

Courtesy of: Silversea

World renowned, luxury cruise line Silversea launched its first new cruise ship in almost a decade. The new luxury ship is called the Silver Spirit, made it maiden voyage late last year from Barcelona Spain.

The Silver Spirit is an impressive 36,000-ton ship with all-suite accommodations. The ship can carry up to 540 passengers at double occupancy.

After the inaugural trip, the Silver Spirit sailed on a 16-night voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and docked in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There the new luxury liner was christened January.

Prior to the Silver Spirit, the Silver Shadow and the Silver Whisper were the largest Silversea ships in their fleet.

The Silver Spirit now becomes the largest ship with a passenger capacity about 41% higher than it’s two predecessors.

The Spirit has a unique art deco design that oozes elegance. The attention to detail is top notch.

The new Silversea ship offers six restaurants in all, while introducing Asian-fusion delicacy plus outdoor grill venues.

Many passengers will be surprised to discover that although, it’s an “all-inclusive” ship, you must pay extra for a meal at some of the restaurants.

The all-suite accommodations are beautiful and roomy. They include all the luxury amenities that past Silversea passengers have enjoyed. Don’t forget that all suites get their own butler service.

There are numerous live entertainment venues with something for everyone to enjoy.

For more information, please go to: www.Silversea.com

Courtesy of: NCL

NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) is currently putting the finishing touches on its new luxury cruise ship – Norwegian Epic.

The 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic is the company’s largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date. It is expected for delivery this coming June.

Norwegian Cruise Line just announced that the Norwegian Epic, which is the company’s most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date, will  feature the largest spa facility and fitness center at sea.

The ship’s luxurious Mandara Spa will total greater than 31,000 square feet!  Mandara Spa will feature 24 treatment rooms, two exotic steam Rasul rooms, two private couple’s villas, a Hydrotherapy Courtyard & Thermal Suite,  a DIY Scrub Experience, fitness center, a full-service salon,  and even a barber shop.

The luxury cruise ship Norwegian Epic., will features 39 spa suites and deluxe balcony and balcony staterooms. These can be accessed by private key-card and in addition, will provide complimentary access to the enclave surrounding Norwegian Epic’s luxurious Hydrotherapy Courtyard & Thermal Suite and state-of-the-art fitness center.

The spa caters to equally to both men and women. There will be more than 50 treatments available, including massages, Elemis facials, various body therapies and body treatments, bliss(r) face, acupuncture, in addition to cosmetic medical treatments that will be performed by a licensed doctor.

Norwegian Cruise Line has a 43-year successful history of innovation in the cruise travel industry. Today, NCL offers the youngest fleet in the cruise industry, including 10 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships.

For more information on Norwegian Epic, please call Norwegian at 866-234-7350,
or visit www.epic.ncl.com/

A new luxury yacht was announced at the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show 2010. In a collaboration between Elie Saab, Weyves Couture and Oceanco, the unveiling of the ES117 was an exciting event.

The high-profile launch event announced the introduction of the luxury ES117 yacht, which will be the first of three megayachts that will be designed by leading Lebanese designer – Elie Saab.

The ES-117 megayacht will be an impressive 385 feet (117m) in length. The yacht’s sleek design will include a high ceiling. This feature is something Elie Saab introduced exclusively to the yacht industry.

Its planned that the luxury yacht will be built by the prestigious megayacht builder, Oceanco.

The ES117 yacht appears to be the culmination of creativity, engineering and vision. The hull will be manufactured using both aluminium and steel.

The ES117 will feature two private suites across two decks that will be reserved for the owner. In addition, guests will enjoy ten luxurious suites, a swimming pool, whirlpool, spa, gym and even a theater.

It appears that the ES-117 megayacht will provide ultimate comfort and unimaginable luxury.

Source: AME Info