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Fascination set for major upgrade
Carnival Cruise Lines’ Fascination will undergo a 35-day drydock
starting in September that will add a miniature golf course,
patisserie, teen club and other features.
The new Café on the Way, located on the Promenade Deck, will
serve specialty coffees and sweets, while the teen club will be
consistent with Carnival’s Club 02 teen program. Additionally, a
new 1,600-square-foot Children’s World play area will be created
on Verandah Deck to house the Camp Carnival program.
Also new, on Empress Deck: A gallery to house the artwork for
shipboard auctions and a new Atrium Bar. A newly designed Internet
café and a new 1,200-square-foot conference room are planned.
Spa Carnival will be renovated with new private treatment rooms,
updated exercise equipment and various cosmetic enhancements to the
12,000-square-foot facility.
Staterooms and suites are in line for new décor, remodeled
bathrooms and flat screen TVs. The work also will include upgrades in
carpeting and upholstery and modifications to the layout of the aft
lounge and casino area to accommodate larger groups. A number of crew
areas will be renovated.
The 70,000gt Fascination sails year-round from Miami on three-day
cruises to Nassau and four-day cruises to Key West and Cozumel.
Crystal sets ’07 ‘Value Collection’
Crystal Cruises announced its 2007 Value Collection sailings.
Travelers who plan ahead can save up to 52% on fares aboard Crystal
Symphony and Crystal Serenity.
The collection features six varied cruises of 10 to 17 days through
the Panama Canal, Western Europe, Eastern Mediterranean and the
Caribbean plus a trans-Pacific voyage from Los Angeles to Hong Kong.
Orient Queen completes Beirut mission
Orient Queen has completed its mission to evacuate U.S. citizens from
Lebanon and returned to Cyprus on its last voyage from Beirut.
The charter to the U.S. government stretched 11 days, according to
shipbroker John Hanbidge, president of Cruise Ventures in New York.
The ship carried 5,154 evacuees, about one-third of the U.S. demand,
with the most heavily loaded voyage transporting 1,056 evacuees.
There were 386 people on the last sailing, which ended over the
weekend. The ship transited the Israeli blockade of the port of
Beirut 14 times.
A U.S. general boarded the vessel to thank the crew on completion of
the charter. Orient Queen’s master called the operation ‘a
great challenge’ but added that ‘cooperation with all
parties ashore and on board was great.’
Orient Queen is owned by Abou Mehri Cruises of Lebanon. The ship is
currently in Limassol. The owner has not announced future plans for
the vessel.
Missing woman’s body believed found
Autopsy results are awaited on the body of a woman believed to be
Elizabeth Galeana, who went overboard from Voyager of the Seas last week.
An autopsy was being conducted yesterday in Italy, according to news reports.
The body was recovered between the islands of Ponza and Palmarola,
according to the Associated Press. Italian investigators said Monday
they believe the body is that of Elizabeth Galena, 22, who was last
seen early the morning of July 25 as Voyager of the Seas was en route
from Civitavecchia to Naples. However, no official identification has
been made.
The Galena family issued a statement saying it does not believe the
young woman’s death was the result of foul play. The family also
thanked Royal Caribbean management and the officers and crew of
Voyager of the Seas for ‘the professionalism and compassion they
displayed during this ordeal,’ adding: ‘They could not have
done more than they did to help us deal with our anxiety and loss.’
Royal Caribbean said it continues to support the investigation by
U.S. and Italian authorities. The company referred questions about
the body to the investigating agencies.
HAL debuts self-guided art tours
Holland America Line introduced self-guided art tours using iPods on
the current Westerdam sailing. Tours of the art and antique
collections on each of the line’s ships are to be available
fleetwide by year’s end.
Passengers sign out an iPod free of charge and take the tour at their
leisure, returning the device when they finish. In addition, the
tours will be available for download to a home computer or handheld
device from hollandamerica.com.
Narrated by radio hosts and cruise authorities Paul Lasley and
Elizabeth Harryman, the 40- to 50-minute tours include walking
directions, interviews with artists and background music. Images
displayed on the iPod screen help passengers locate each piece.
Something's Missing
A couple of weeks ago, when Princess set their 2007-08 Caribbean
schedule, it seemed like there was something missing. Galveston!
Grand Princess, which has become a part of the Galveston cruise
landscape, is being redeployed to Ft. Lauderdale, and there was no
mention of any other ship operating from the Texas port. So
what happened? Princess' SVP of customer service and
sales, Jan Swartz, says the line is temporarily withdrawing from the
Texas market.
New Restaurant look
Holland America Line's 2,044-pax Signature-class vessels will include
an Asian restaurant on a new deck overlooking the pool area and a
whole new category of staterooms forward, featuring wall-to-wall and
floor-to-ceiling windows.
Aker Yards floats out Liberty of the Seas
Liberty of the Seas was floated out Friday at Aker Yards in
Turku at a ceremony hosted by Yrjö Julin, president of Aker
Yards, Cruise & Ferries. The vessel is the sister of Royal
Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas.
Liberty and Freedom will alternate seven-night Western and Eastern
Caribbean itineraries, Liberty sailing on Saturdays and Freedom on
Sundays from Miami. Both itineraries will visit Labadee. In addition,
Liberty's Western Caribbean route will call at Cozumel, Grand Cayman
and Montego Bay, while its Eastern itinerary will visit San Juan and
St. Maarten.
Houston leaders discuss cruise potential
More than 100 Houston area business and community leaders attended a
forum highlighting the Texas city’s cruise potential as work
proceeds on the massive Bayport container and cruise terminal
project.
The first of up to three cruise terminals is scheduled to open at
Bayport in Spring 2007.
According to a study by Business Research & Economic Advisors,
the industry spends more than $700m in Texas, supporting nearly
14,000 jobs that pay more than $500m in wages and salaries.
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