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Vision of the Seas delays Feb. 19 sailing for one day
Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas was grounded for 24 hours
yesterday to repair a short circuit in the starboard propulsion
motor. The problem, which renders the ship unable to use its
starboard propeller and to travel at slower speeds, occurred on Feb.
9 when the ship was maneuvering to dock in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Celebrity puts order in for second megaship
Celebrity Cruises ordered its second megaship in less than a year, a
118,000-ton, 2,850-passenger ship to be delivered in summer 2009. The
line said it exercised an option with the German yard Meyer Werft for
a sister to the 116,000-ton ship, now dubbed the Solstice and also
has a capacity of 2,850 passengers, which was ordered last July for
delivery in fall 2008. The new ship is named the Equinox.
Cunard debuts Queen Victoria details
Cunard Line has released the first details of its next liner, the
Queen Victoria, scheduled to enter service in December 2007. The line
opened bookings for sailings to preregistered passengers earlier this
month and will enable past Cunard passengers to book starting Feb.
26. The line will begin accepting bookings from the general public on
April 3. The 90,000-ton Queen Victoria, with a capacity of about
2,000 passengers, will cost parent firm Carnival Corp. about $525 million.
Its pricing scheme will be similar to the other Queens, but the
maiden voyage will break with tradition. The Queen Victoria will
leave its homeport in Southampton, England, on Dec. 11 and head
north, rather than south, for a 10-night Christmas markets tour of
northern Europe. The ship will call in Amsterdam; Oslo, Norway;
Copenhagen, Denmark; Hamburg, Germany; and Bruges, Belgium..
QM2 drops Fort Lauderdale stop on South America cruise
Cunard Line cancelled the Queen Mary 2’s scheduled stop this
April in Fort Lauderdale on its way back from a 38-day South America
trip. The QM2 has been operating at reduced speed since it hit
a channel wall while leaving Fort Lauderdale last month, damaging one
of its four engine pods.
Cunard public relations manager, Jackie Matthews, said that because
the ship is traveling at slower speeds, it will bypass Fort
Lauderdale and go directly from St. Thomas to New York.
Cunard will compensate guests who planned to depart in Fort
Lauderdale with air fare from St. Thomas to Florida, a one-day refund
and a $50 onboard credit, or a flight from New York to Florida, a
two-day refund and a $50 onboard credit. The cruise is set to depart
March 8 from Los Angeles, sail around Cape Horn and reach New York
April 15. Cunard said that the QM2 will return to Fort
Lauderdale next fall.
Alaska vote set on head tax on foreign cruise ships
An Alaska judge upheld an initiative last week that would allow
voters to decide whether to impose a $50 per-person head tax on
foreign-flagged cruise ships. If approved, cruise ships
visiting Alaska will incur a $50 per-person head tax and a tax on
onboard gambling profits. It also would require ships to obtain
discharge permits and would reinstate an income tax on the lines’
Alaska marine operations.
In January 2005 the North West CruiseShip Association and 14 other
groups sued the state and its division of elections, claiming
Alaska’s lieutenant governor unlawfully certified the
initiative. The initiative is scheduled to appear on the primary
election ballot in August.
Post-Katrina lodging ship set adrift in New Orleans
A cruise ship providing post-Katrina lodging here broke free from its
mooring Feb. 13, sending more than 1,000 New Orleans city workers and
their families for a brief ride on the Mississippi River.
Carnival Cruise Line’s 855-foot Ecstasy was set adrift about
5:35 a.m. when a metal bollard holding its tie-down lines broke off
the wharf in high winds, according to a statement released by
Carnival. There were no injuries reported and no damage to the ship,
the statement said.
The ship went less than a mile downriver before the captain and crew,
with the help of a river pilot who managed to get aboard, dropped the
ship’s anchor and secured its position, according to the U.S.
Coast Guard. Tugboats returned the ship to its berth. The ship was
secured in about five minutes, said Scott Talbot, an officer at the
USCG sector in New Orleans. He added that the crew and river
pilot’s quick response “averted a major incident.”
The Ecstasy is under charter to the U.S. government and provides
temporary housing to New Orleans police officers, firefighters and
emergency personnel.
MSC lets pax unplug on Opera, Lirica with Wi-Fi access
MSC Cruises completed installation of Wi-Fi access aboard its Opera
and Lirica ships. The wireless Internet access will be available in
various “hot spots” throughout the ships, including on the
pool deck and in select bars, cafes and lounges. Passengers can buy
pre-paid Wi-Fi access cards onboard and must have their own equipment
capable of operating Wi-Fi.
Costa Cruises to homeport two vessels in Dubai for winter season
Costa Cruises will offer the first ever departures from Dubai, United
Arab Emirates, beginning December 2006. The port of Dubai is a
common stopover on cruises in the region, but Costa says it is the
first company to make it a homeport.
Two ships, the Costa Classica and the AIDA Cara, will offer 25
seven-day cruises between December and April with stops in Muscat,
Oman; Fujairah and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and Bahrain.
There will also be two cruises through the Suez Canal to get the
ships from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. The repositioning
cruises will depart Italy Dec. 5 (Classica) and Dec. 9 (Cara), with
stops in Italy, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Oman before arriving in Dubai.
HAL plans 21 Canada-New England routes
Holland America Line in 2007 will offer 21 sailings between May and
October to Canada and New England, including seven-day cruises on
Maasdam during spring, summer and fall and 10-day fall foliage
cruises on Veendam.
The line will also introduce weeklong roundtrip sailings from Boston
and visits to the new port of Savannah, Ga., on two Eastern Seaboard
and Canada itineraries.
Holland America charts Puerto Chiapas
Holland America Line has confirmed six calls to Mexico’s newest
cruise port, Puerto Chiapas. The Pacific Coast port was inaugurated
last week by Mexican President Vicente Fox during the maiden cruise
call, by ResidenSea’s The World.
Holland America’s 2007 visits will include the Ryndam on Jan.
16, the Volendam on Feb. 10, April 30 and Oct. 9, and the Zuiderdam
on May 1 and Oct. 11.
‘We are very impressed with the scope of the project,’ said
Simon Douwes, Holland America’s director of itinerary planning.
‘It is a large and well-designed port. The shore offerings are
very attractive.’ Douwes sent his assistant to observe
operations during The World’s two-day visit.
‘We’re currently negotiating with other major cruise
lines,’ said Henry Yaniz, the Miami-based cruise development
liaison for the state of Chiapas. At least one operator is
considering a date in 2006.
Cunard unleashes new pet perks
Recognizing what it calls a growing trend of traveling with pets,
Cunard Line enhanced its ‘Pets on Deck’ program, including
adding services and amenities such as fresh-baked biscuits at turn-down,
a choice of beds and blankets, and even a QM2-logo coat.
Queen Mary 2's kennel program is overseen by a full-time kennel
master who takes care of feeding, walking and cleaning the ship's 12 kennels.
As part of the enhanced program, dogs and cats also receive a
complimentary gift pack featuring a QM2-logo coat, Frisbee, name tag,
food dish and scoop; a complimentary portrait with pet owners; a
crossing certificate and personalized cruise card. Other pet perks
include an assortment of toys, cat posts and scratchers, and a
selection of top-brand premium pet foods.
The kennels and adjacent indoor and outdoor walking areas are open
throughout the day. Kennel reservations may be made at time of
booking; the fee ranges from $300 to $500.
Morgan brings Harmony to Asuka II
London-based SMC Design specified Morgan’s Chevy chairs, sofas
and tables as part of a rebranding and repositioning of Crystal
Cruises’ Crystal Harmony to NYK Cruises under the new name of
Asuka II.
The layout and design of many public rooms on Asuka II have been
replanned and restyled to provide a Japanese ambience where culture,
hospitality and service are of prime importance. The ship is tailored
to the more sophisticated Japanese cruiser in the over-50 age group.
Seattle considers new cruise terminal
Booming cargo business at the Port of Seattle could lead to a
relocation of cruise ships from Terminal 30 -- which would become a
cargo facility -- to Terminal 91 by Spring 2008. The cruise terminal
at Pier 66 will remain in operation. |
