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QE2® To Leave Cunard Fleet in November
2008
Queen Elizabeth 2®, the most famous ship in the world, will be
leaving the Cunard fleet in autumn 2008. QE2 has sailed the world's
seas for almost forty years, and has travelled over 5½ million
miles in the process; that is further than any other ship in
history. She is the longest-serving ship in Cunard's 168-year
history, and she has outlasted all other transatlantic liners.
After such an illustrious career, we feel that the time will be right
for her to leave the fleet next year.
However, she will not disappear. She has been purchased by Istithmar,
the investment arm of Dubai World and a wholly owned company of the
Government of Dubai. She will be delivered to Dubai in November 2008,
where she will cease her role as an ocean-going passenger vessel, and
be refurbished and adapted to become a luxury floating hotel, retail
and entertainment destination at The Palm Jumeirah.
Largest "Fun Ship" Ever
To Operate From West Coast
Carnival Cruise Lines’ 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor –
the largest “Fun Ship” ever constructed – will launch
year-round seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach, Calif.,
beginning in March 2009, following its inaugural schedule of European
and Caribbean voyages.
The Carnival Splendor will further bolster the line’s dominant
position as cruise industry leader in Southern California, which is
currently home to four Carnival ships. With the arrival
of Carnival Splendor, the line expects to carry approximately 650,000
guests annually on these highly popular West Coast cruises -- almost
twice the number of any other cruise line.
Carnival is the only cruise line to feature three ships offering
year-round cruises from Southern California – two from Long
Beach and one from San Diego -- as well as a fourth ship sailing
seasonally from San Diego. In addition, Carnival offers the
widest available choice of cruise lengths – ranging from three
to eight days -- with visits to exciting ports in Baja Mexico and the
Mexican Riviera.
A new class of “Fun Ship,” the 113,300-ton Carnival
Splendor will introduce a host of innovations, highlighted by a
luxurious 21,000-square-foot health and fitness facility surrounded
by 68 spa staterooms and suites – a first for the line.
Jury finds for NCL in Norwegian
Dawn Case
At the conclusion of a three-week trial and after only two and half
hours of deliberation, a jury returned a verdict in favor of
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) in a lawsuit stemming from the April 10,
2005 voyage of Norwegian Dawn. The vessel had encountered heavy
weather on its return to New York. None of the guests or crew members
suffered serious injuries as a result.
Empress of the North Repairs Update
Majestic America Line reports that the Empress of the North will soon
relocate to Cascade General shipyard in Portland, Ore. to complete
repairs. The ship is being moved from Alaska Ship and Dry Dock in
Ketchikan, AK due to the yard’s prior obligation to another
repair project. Additionally, the company has announced that the June
30 departure has been cancelled. The ship is expected to return to
service on July 7.
Help save the Delta Queen
As many of you know this grand steamboat, the Delta Queen was
built in 1926 and in 1970 was registered as an historic treasure by
the Department of Interior and the National Trust for Historic
Preservation. Although the vessel’s hull is made of steel, its
superstructure is constructed of wood. As such, it must have a
statutory exemption from the Coast Guard’s fire retardant
materials regulations for its operations on the Mississippi and Ohio
Rivers to continue. That is the reason we are asking you today, to
help us extend her operating license beyond the current exemption,
which expires in November, 2008.
CLICK
HERE to help save the Delta Queen by sending emails
to the right people.
Carnival, San Diego kick off first
year-round cruise program from port.
June 7th Carnival Cruise Lines and the Port of San Diego commemorated
the launch of the port’s first year-round cruise program with a
special VIP event aboard the 2,052-passenger Elation, which departs
this afternoon on a four-day cruise to Cabo San Lucas.
Carnival’s Elation recently began operating San Diego’s
first and only year-round cruise program encompassing four-day
cruises departing Thursdays to Cabo San Lucas and five-day cruises to
Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada departing on Mondays and Saturdays, on a
rotating schedule.
The Elation will sail on 78 voyages annually from San Diego and joins
the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit which has operated seasonal
eight-day Mexican Riviera voyages from San Diego since 2004. With
Elation and Carnival Spirit, Carnival is expected to carry more than
230,000 passengers annually from San Diego – the most of any
cruise operator.
Uniworld joins CLIA
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) today announced the
European ship unit of Uniworld Grand River Cruises is the
association’s newest member, furthering CLIA’s river cruise
and niche membership base. Uniworld Grand River Cruises is the first
European river cruise company to join CLIA.
Mariner to Los Angeles
Royal Caribbean International is pleased to announce that beginning
February 2009 Mariner of the Seas® will take over for Vision of
the Seas, sailing 7-night Mexican Riviera voyages, round-trip from
Los Angeles, California, with Sunday departures. This will mark
the first time that a Voyager Class ship has sailed from the West
Coast. Book early and get a $200 discount. With this move
Royal Caribbean has confirmed that they are withdrawing from the
7-day market at the Central Florida port for the short term in 2009.
Another "Gem" for Princess
Princess Cruises will add another 'gem' to its fleet in November
2008, with the debut of Ruby Princess. The line has unveiled the
ship's name along with its inaugural deployment -- a season of
seven-day Western Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale.
Celebrity Cruises Taps 'Rising
Star' Van Staden AS VP, Food & Beverage
Long-recognized for providing fresh, gourmet cuisine, Celebrity
Cruises promises to take its culinary program to the next level, with
the appointment of Jacques Van Staden as vice president of Food &
Beverage Operations.
Nominated for a "Rising Star of the Year" award from the
prestigious James Beard Foundation, Van Staden began his career in
Washington, D.C., working under the late chef Jean-Louis Palladin at
Jean-Louis, adjacent to the White House. He followed that invaluable
experience serving as chef de cuisine at Alizé, rated one of
the top five restaurants in Las Vegas; executive chef at Vegas'
Aladdin Hotel's high-end London Club; and executive chef at the
California-French restaurant Citronelle in Georgetown, just outside
Washington, D.C. He also operated his own casual, Mediterranean
restaurant, "Café Olé", specializing in
tapas, before serving as executive chef for Washington's renowned
Watergate Hotel, where he managed 250 employees and a $10-million
food and beverage budget.
Van Staden now will oversee Celebrity Cruises' food and beverage
operations across the fleet, and will play an integral role in
shaping the line's evolving culinary program. "We're thrilled to
have someone of Jacques Van Staden's caliber join our
organization," said Celebrity's President Dan Hanrahan.
"Jacques has as much passion for food as he does for people, and
I'm confident our guests will experience the difference, as we
deliver a fresh, creative culinary product and the same high level of
service that will keep Celebrity at the top of our industry's dining polls."
Crystal's Caribbean Jazz Cruise
Serves Up Hot Brass And Cool Blues
From solo piano performances to trios, quartets and full seven-piece
bands, the many sounds and styles of jazz will take center stage
aboard the award-winning Crystal Symphony's December Jazz theme
cruise. As the ship embarks from Miami on this seven-day voyage
through the Caribbean, the entertainment lineup features noted jazz
performers and five times its usual complement of musicians. Also on
board will be noted jazz historian, professor, author and Grammy Award-nominated
producer Dr. Robert G. O'Meally.
From December 1 - 8, 2007, Crystal Symphony will call upon Key West,
Florida; Puerto Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Belize City,
Belize. Nightly jazz performances will occur throughout the ship,
including intimate venues such as the Avenue Saloon that especially
lend themselves to the sultry moods and sounds of jazz. A gala jazz
brunch will also offer guests an inviting musical backdrop for
creative cuisine, conviviality and conversation.
Whoops
Travel agents are concerned about potential problems with American
clients with DUI's on their records being turned around by Canadian
inspectors en route to boarding ships departing Canada. CLIA is in
talks with the Canadian government. "As soon as we have a
clearer picture of the situation, we will notify our agency members
with recommendations," says CLIA spokesperson Christine Fischer.
New Seabourn Yacht
Seabourn Cruises released details of the design plan for the first of
the two $250 million, 450-passenger ships it commissioned from
Italy's T. Mariotti shipyard. Seabourn said the yard recently cut the
first steel plates for the ship, which is slated to enter service in
June 2009. The ship will have 13 categories of suites, four dining
venues and six bars; it was designed to mirror the silhouette of the
existing Seabourn ships but contain additional facilities and
amenities. At three times the size of current Seabourn vessels but
just double the passengers, Seabourn said the ship would have one of
the highest space-per-guest ratios in the industry. "We've been
careful to incorporate Seabourn's signature features while designing
the next generation of ultra luxury ship to satisfy the desires of a
new generation of luxury travelers," said Pamela Conover,
Seabourn president and CEO, in a statement.
They got sick
Royal Caribbean said 200 of the 3,846 passengers on its newest ship,
the Liberty of the Seas, experienced gastrointestinal illness on its
seven-day, May 26 sailing from Miami. The next cruise left Miami five
hours late on June 2 so that Royal Caribbean could carry out enhanced
cleaning procedures and protocols, as recommended by the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Twelve of the ship's 1,425 crew
members were also affected, Royal Caribbean said. It said that all
affected passengers and crew responded well to over-the-counter
medication administered onboard the ship. The CDC's Vessel Sanitation
Program said that Royal Caribbean increased cleaning and disinfection
procedures, notified oncoming passengers about the illness, delayed
the subsequent voyage's embarkation to implement additional cleaning
and disinfection procedures and staffed the subsequent voyage with
additional crew to clean and disinfect the ship during the
voyage. For more on this type of virus CLICK
HERE
Majestic America joins CLIA
The Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) welcomed
Majestic America Line as its 22nd member last week, saying that
"America's largest river and coastal cruise company" adds
diversity to its membership. Majestic America operates seven
U.S.-flagged vessels on the Mississippi and Ohio and tributary
rivers; the Columbia, Snake and Willamette rivers in the Pacific
Northwest; and Alaska's Inside Passage. The addition brings CLIA's
membership to 97% of the cruise capacity in North America, CLIA said.
Majestic America is a division of Ambassadors Cruise Group, LLC,
which also operates Windstar Cruises. Majestic American will also
remain members of the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance.
Princess Expands Canada & New
England Capacity by More Than 50 Percent in 2008
Princess will debut its most extensive Canada/New England season ever
in 2008 with an expanded schedule of northeast coast sailings
beginning in August, and offering more than 50 percent additional
capacity. Caribbean Princess will make her debut in the region,
and the program will return to Montreal with a new, longer
Connoisseur itinerary that offers more opportunities than ever to
experience the dramatic fall foliage, quaint towns and rich history
of this colorful destination.
The extended Canada/New England season runs from August 24 and
October 29, 2008, featuring 18 voyages on three ships.
Itinerary choices include new 11-day Connoisseur sailings on Royal
Princess between Montreal and New York, Classic 10-day cruises on Sea
Princess between Quebec City and New York and seven-day roundtrip
voyages from New York on Caribbean Princess. Royal Princess
also offers a 17-day Colonial America sailing.
It's for you!
Disney Cruise Line wired the Disney Magic for passengers for
passenger cell phone usage in time for its transatlantic voyage to
Europe. The ship departed Port Canaveral for the Mediterranean on May
12. Disney said the service will be added on its second ship, the
Disney Wonder, this summer. In a statement, the line said that mobile
phone service was only available in passengers' cabins while at sea,
so "guests who still look for a cruise vacation as a way to
escape need not worry." Wireless Maritime Services is proving a
service that will support more than 340 cellular providers worldwide,
Disney said.
HAL's Eurodam to get a sister
Holland America Line will launch a 2,100-passenger ship in the fall
of 2010. It will be a sister vessel to the 86,000-ton Eurodam, which
will make its debut next summer.
The ship order was made by Holland America's parent company, Carnival
Corp., with Italian shipyard Fincantieri, for an all-in cost of about
$567.6 million.
The new vessel will have a 144-seat specialty restaurant, live music
and entertainment facilities, outside-view glass elevators and a
Greenhouse Spa and Salon.
It's Again Cool to Go on Pride of Aloha
We're hearing from a number of Pride of Aloha passengers returning
from Hawaii in the last couple of weeks who are "steaming"
about their cruise. They said that they didn't have air conditioning
in their cabins for "most" or "all" of the nights
they spent aboard.
NCL says there were two two-week-long bouts with the same problem,
but it should be resolved by now.
Back to Asia for Asia
It's hard to go back somewhere, if you haven't been there yet, but
Royal Caribbean is going back to Asia and has already scheduled their
2008/2009 season in Asia.
Actually Royal Caribbean has been there before, but not since 2001.
Those programs were aimed at their traditional North American-sourced
passengers, but they never quite clicked with the market. Last year
Royal Caribbean announced an Asian program for later this year
(December 2007 thru April 2008), but the difference was the bulk of
it was aimed at the Asian-sourced market. Even though that hasn't
begun (and Asians are notoriously late-bookers), RCI has committed to
going back a second time, next year with Legend of the Seas.
First Cruise Ship To Stop There
Regent Seven Seas became the first cruise ship to call at Campbell
River, British Columbia, Canada's first aboriginal terminal, on June
5. The Seven Seas Mariner docked at Campbell River's Wei Wai Kum
Cruise Ship Terminal, located on the northeastern end of Vancouver
Island. Regent said the new cruise destination was an initiative of
the Campbell River Indian Band, also known as the Wei Wai Kum. The
Seven Seas Mariner will be the only ship to call in Campbell River
this year, a destination that Regent said was also known as the
"Salmon Capital of the World," on seven-night cruises from
Seward, Alaska to Vancouver. Upcoming Regent sailings featuring calls
to Campbell River depart on June 13, June 27 and July 11; it will
also call there on some 2008 cruises.
New York Cruise Opportunities
For its upcoming Canada cruise schedule from New York aboard the
102,000-ton Carnival Victory – which kicked off June 14th - with
a new itinerary, four-day voyages to Bay of Fundy/Saint John –
Carnival Cruise Lines will offer an unprecedented 70 exciting and
attractive shore excursion choices, including more than 20 new selections.
Costa Looks to Dubai for Long Term
We've reported a couple of times about Costa homeporting ships at
Dubai - first one ship, then a rapid subsequent expansion there for
both the Costa brand and sister brand AIDA. Now it appears Dubai is
going to figure in Costa's plans for the long term.
Costa today signed a five-year pact with the Dubai Dept of Tourism
and Commerce Marketing, one provision of which will give Carnival
Corp ships priority in berthing at Dubai.
Royal Princess christened in Portofino
Royal Princess was christened Thursday in Portofino by Princess
Cruises’ most-traveled passenger, Lorraine Arzt, who has logged
a total of more than 4,100 days at sea.
At the ceremony which celebrated her loyalty to Princess, she was
feted by Princess executives and the passengers and crew of Royal
Princess, set to the backdrop of local Italian musicians and a
blessing by the father of the local parish.
Last month when the ship entered service Arzt, who spends
approximately 10 months cruising each year, moved into her ‘home
away from home,’ a suite aboard Royal Princess. She plans to
travel exclusively on the 710-passenger vessel when not at her
shoreside residence in Beverly Hills.
Carnival teams on national movie promotion
Carnival Cruise Lines and New Line Cinema are teaming up on a
marketing partnership for the summer film ‘Hairspray’
starring John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher
Walken, Amanda Bynes, Allison Janney, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron,
Elijah Kelley and newcomer Nikki Blonsky.
The partnership includes themed programming and prizes on
Carnival’s 22 ships, a special prize trip promotion and,
starting today, an exclusive movie trailer and behind-the-scenes
footage viewable only at www.carnival.com/hairspray.
The promotion is expected to reach millions of consumers in the month
of July alone. It is supported by a national print advertising
campaign in several consumer magazines, including People, Oprah,
More, InStyle and Women’s Health. Sneak preview showings of the
movie for travel agents will air in 20 cities throughout the U.S.
Travelers who book a Carnival cruise between today and July 31 will
be automatically entered into a drawing to win a trip for four to New
York City to see the ‘Hairspray’ musical on Broadway and
receive free make-up and wardrobe makeovers. Consumers may also enter
to win without purchase at www.carnival.com/hairspray.
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