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NCL to
move Norwegian Spirit to New Orleans in Nov. 2007
Norwegian
Cruise Line said the Norwegian Spirit will homeport in New Orleans
from November 2007 to April 2008, sailing a western Caribbean
itinerary with calls in Belize City, Belize; Santo Tomas, Guatemala;
and Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.
NCL CEO Colin
Veitch said that in addition to being the first cruise line back in
New Orleans this fall with the Norwegian Sun, “our commitment to
this historic and beautiful city continues in 2007.”
In other news,
NCL said that starting in November 2007, its newest vessel, the
Norwegian Gem, will homeport in New York for a series of seven-day Florida-Bahamas
cruises and four 10- and 11-day cruises to the southern Caribbean in
the winter and seven-day cruises to Bermuda and the Bahamas in the summer.
Also in
November 2007, the Norwegian Dawn will move to Miami and sail seven-day
eastern Caribbean cruises for the winter.
Law
halts plans for new Venezuelan port
A law passed
by the Venezuelan government will halt the construction of new port
facilities within the country. One of the first likely casualties of
Resolution No. 053 is the planned cruise ship port of Puerto de la
Mar on Margarita Island.
Resolution No.
053 suspends the granting of concessions to build, maintain and
operate ports in Venezuela. This is devastating news for Puerto de la Mar.
Crown
Princess Debuts
Crown
Princess, the newest ship in Princess Cruises fleet, sailed into New
York on June 10th to begin its schedule of inaugural festivities,
which will celebrate the "crowning achievements" of several
notable guests, specifically a triumvirate of accomplished women.
The ship's
godmother will be Martha Stewart, who has created a domestic dynasty
of truly royal proportions. Also in attendance will be America's
newest pop princess, Katharine McPhee, who will sing the National
Anthem and perform during the christening ceremony. And the
"queen of the spelling bee," 13-year-old Katharine Close,
the recent winner of the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee
Tournament and the first female winner in seven years, will compete
in the very first "Bee At Sea," Princess' new spelling bee
tournament which debuts on Crown Princess.
The ship
festivities begin on June 11 when Crown Princess departs on a two-day
"cruise to nowhere" for special guests. When it returns on
June 13, Scripps Spelling Bee National Champion Katharine Close will
come onboard to test the spelling prowess of former "Love
Boat" Captain Gavin MacLeod, Crown Princess Captain Andrew
Proctor and other ship officers. The "Bee at Sea" will
officially debut on Crown Princess' inaugural sailing.
ms
Noordam Rescues 22 in Aegean Sea Off the Coast of Greece
At 5:44 a.m.
local time on Tuesday, June 6, the ms Noordam rescued 22 people from
the Aegean Sea in waters between Turkey and Greece. The individuals,
believed to be refugees from a number of countries, had been sailing
on a boat which had capsized. Ship's officers and other crew
began implementing rescue procedures as soon as a sailor working on
the aft of the ship spotted a person floating in the water. One fast
rescue boat and two tenders were lowered and the 22 people, all
wearing life jackets, were brought aboard within two hours and 15
minutes. One child, who had not been wearing a life vest, was later
found dead by Greek officials. Medical staff on the Noordam treated
the individuals for any injuries.
Royal
Caribbean to send Legend of the Seas to Santo Domingo
Following an
announcement in April that it will homeport a ship at an unspecified
port in the Dominican Republic, Royal Caribbean International has
revealed that it will sail the Legend of the Seas out of Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic, beginning Dec. 16, 2007.
The Legend
will sail out of Santo Domingo through spring 2008, offering
alternating eight-day itineraries that can be combined for a 16-day
vacation. The ship will call in Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Roseau,
Dominica; St. George’s, Grenada; Margarita Island, Venezuela;
Oranjestad, Aruba; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Point A Pitre, Guadaloupe;
Fort De France, Martinique; Bridgetown, Barbados; and Castries, St. Lucia.
Norwegian
Crown hits coral reef; no injuries to passengers or crew
The Norwegian
Crown ran aground onto a coral reef the morning of June 7, while
sailing into Hamilton, Bermuda. The ship was being guided by a local
pilot who was onboard, said Thomas Sleeter, director of environmental
protection for Bermuda.
The ship was
freed at about 6:30 p.m. the same day with the assistance of tugboats
and high tide, and repositioned at the West End Dockard in Bermuda,
NCL said. A full damage assessment was to be conducted by a team of
divers, NCL said, but preliminary inspections indicated there was no
damage to the ship. None of the guests and crew onboard were hurt,
the cruise line added.
Princess
charts a world cruise
Princess
Cruises will return to world cruising in 2008 with a 102-day voyage
aboard the 670-passenger Pacific Princess. The Fort Lauderdale to
Southampton journey marks the company’s first world cruise in
more than five years.
Pacific
Princess will sail from Florida on Jan. 10, 2008, and visit 42
destinations in 31 countries. The westbound course from North America
will encompass South America, the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, the
Middle East and Europe.
Carnival
Corp. places three-ship order
Carnival Corp.
& plc ordered two ships for its European brands with an option
for a third. The order includes a 92,700gt vessel for Costa Crociere
and an option for a sister ship, both from Fincantieri, and a
68,500gt ship for AIDA Cruises from Meyer Werft.
Disney
ships screen new movie
6/9/2006
Disney Cruise Line passengers are among the first to see
‘Cars,’ the latest film from Disney and Pixar. The animated
movie features the voices of Paul Newman and Owen Wilson.
Both Disney
Magic and Disney Wonder held a screening just after the stroke of
midnight today, the official release date of the film. There will be
additional showings on board.
Norfolk
sets terminal-naming event
A Monday
morning naming ceremony was planned for Norfolk’s new cruise
facility, opening next March. Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim will announce
the full name of the center, which will relate to a local historic
theme.
Also, in a new
twist, the facility will be called a ‘cruise and celebration
center.’ ‘The word “terminal” seemed too sterile
and typical – this will truly be a special place for the
passengers to begin and end their cruise,’ said Stephen
Kirkland, Norfolk’s manager of cruise operations and marketing. |
