Disney Dream Magical Porthole

Feature 1: Windowless interior cabins aboard Disney’s new 4,000 passenger cruise ship Disney Dream are commanding rates 60 percent higher than similar cabins on RCI’s Freedom of the Seas and 78 percent more than Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Dream. All three ships are based at Port Canaveral.

The main reason passengers are willing to pay Disney this premium is because of the magical portholes (HD video screens) installed in all the interior cabins that offer guests a real time view of the outside thanks to the live video feed from high-definition cameras placed on the exterior of the ship and sent to each interior porthole.

There are other innovations aboard the ship, including a lounge where the sun sets over the skyline of a different city each night, a floor that transforms into the rooftops of London, atrium paintings that come to life and animated sea turtles that engage children in conversation about life in the ocean.

Disney aims to wring more revenue from new ship - Orlando Sentinel
Why so long between ships? A Disney honcho explains - USA Today

Feature 2: National Geographic has partnered with Mountain Travel Sobek to launch National Geographic Adventures, offering 11 adventure travel itineraries in such remote places as Alaska, Bhutan, Chile, Argentina, England, Italy, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru, Spain, and Tanzania.

Each trip will have at most 16 travelers, accompanied by local guides like sherpas in Nepal and nomads in Mongolia.

“Adventure is an integral part of National Geographic’s heritage. These new trips combine the immersive experiences for which we are so well known with the opportunity for a more physically active adventure,” said Lynn Cutter, National Geographic’s senior vice president, travel and business development, in a statement.

For more information, visit www.nationalgeographicadventures.com/

Here’s the rest of the week’s news headlines:-

American Airlines and Sabre put litigation on hold until June 1, 2011 – AA.com
Virgin America selects Sabre for full content GDS participation – VirginAmerica.com
Virgin America joins ARC to expand its sales reach – VirginAmerica.com
Airlines revamp sites to sell more than seats – WSJ

NileGuide.com acquires 10Best.com – NileGuide.com
ViaVerity contracts to buy TravelMaster – Management.travel

Tech company earns Greenpeace’s highest rating – Technology Review
Keeping the personal touch without getting on a plane – Technology Review
Virtual Meetings: Are we there yet? PhoCusWright

HomeAway partners with social travel site Gogobot.com – HomeAway.com
CityVoter partners with Gilt City for user-generated contests – CityVoter PR

Starwood partners with Broadway’s official loyalty program – StarwoodHotels.com
IHG launches hotel industry’s first online gaming platform – Priorityclub.com
MGM invests in technology to boost loyalty – Forbes
Advaya Hospitality launches lifestyle hotel brand MODO at ALIS – HospitalityWorldNetwork

LaHood: airlines should use tax savings to invest in NextGen equipment – Dallas News
Industry Official: TSA wants countries to cooperate on air cargo screening – GlobalSecurityNewswire

Spotted by Locals offers 33 offline iPhone cityguide apps – SpottedbyLocals
JetBlue Airways introduces Go Places Facebook app – Facebook

Photo courtesy Disney Cruise Line