Go to the 2010 Olympics in Comfort, Stay in Style

If you are an Olympics fan and your desire is to go to the 2010 Olympics but you do not know where to stay, how to get there, or even how to get tickets for events, Newwest Special Projects LP has an answer for you. Their staff will work with your travel agent or directly with you to help you get to the Olympics in 2010 and stay in sublime style. Newwest's president, Dennis Laliberte, conceived the notion of a cruise ship anchored in port to provide luxurious accommodations, world class cuisine and entertainment, live US and Canadian satellite feeds of the events and access to one of the most interesting cities in the world, Vancouver, BC. In an exclusive interview, Dennis shared that he had looked at several different cruise lines, their ships, the accommodations and meeting rooms, and the style of each cruise ship. NCL (Norwegian Cruise Lines) has their "Freestyle" lifestyle, a plethora of meeting rooms, 13 restaurants (plus 24-hour room service) and 10 lounges, a 1,000 person theatre, an intimate cinema for 150, the Spinnaker Lounge for 500 people and accommodations that range from budget to luxurious.
NCL Star was purpose-built for Freestyle Cruising in 2001 and refurbished in 2006. While docked in Vancouver, all the amenities, activities and entertainment programs normally offered while at sea are being offfered to the guests. There are six packages available in either four- or six-night durations that can be packaged back to back for longer stays. The Wave dates are:

• Wave 1 - February 10 - 13
• Wave 2 - February 13 - 16
• Wave 3 - February 16 - 20
• Wave 4 - February 20 - 24
• Wave 5 - February 24 - 27
• Wave 6 - February 27 to March 2

There will be approximately 1,000 staff on board to look after the maximum of 2, 240 guests in a total of 1,119 staterooms. During the entire Olympics, the NCL Star could potentially accommodate 8,960 guests. The variety of staterooms available include the inside and outside staterooms, balcony staterooms, mini-suites with balconies, and penthouse suites. All packages include meals, airport transfers, daily transfers from/to the ship to North Vancouver's Sea Bus Terminal, a city tour of Vancouver and more. Starting at just $2,010 per person, based on double occupancy for a four-night stay, this is one of the best values for accommodations for the 2010 Olympics. Dennis and his staff are working on additional offerings of services and will continue to be in touch with travel agents, meeting planners and wedding coordinators to keep them informed of those additional opportunities. Working through your travel agent or directly with Newwest, you can also custom tailor a package that could include private coach transfers, private meals and functions for up to 1,000 guests. Meeting planners and wedding coordinators should give serious thought to the NCL Star for the Olympics as an opportunity to offer a different kind of service and experience for their clients.

One of the most luxurious accommodations on board the NCL Star is the Garden Villa. With 5,750 square feet, three bedrooms. three baths, its own private garden and sundeck, hot tub and baby grand piano, this accommodation will satisfy even the most discerning of family or corporate groups. For a small private wedding, this is the ultimate in discreet and exclusive accommodations.

Newwest is also offering a four-day sailing from Los Angeles, arriving on Febrauary 10, 2010 at the North Vancouver dock, where it will reside until March 2, 2010. There will then be a Von Boyage return sailing to Los Angeles, arriving back on March 6th. These pre- and post-cruise options give people who have never cruised a chance to experience the best of a cruise ship for a very reasonable price and for a short period of time. For people excited to start the party in anticipation of the upcoming Olympics, the pre-cruise sailing gives them a chance to start unwinding from the daily grind and begin enjoying the Olympic celebrations. For party-goers from the wind-up of the Olympics, the post cruise gives them time to wind down after the frenetic last few days of the Olympics.

For more info:
HINT: Ask for your oceanview or balcony stateroom to be on the port (left) side of the ship. That view will face Stanley Park. The starboard (right) side of the ship will face the mountains.