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More Ships!
Celebrity Cruises placed an order for a fourth Solstice-class cruise
ship with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft, with an expected delivery
date in fall 2011. The three other 122,000-ton, 2,850-passenger
Solstice-class ships are the Celebrity Solstice, the Celebrity
Equinox and the Celebrity Eclipse, with slated deliveries every year
between 2008 and 2010. Celebrity's fleet would grow to 11 ships with
the $798 million new ship-order, a testament "to the demand
we've received from travel agent partners and travelers" for
Celebrity, said parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises' CEO Richard
Fain. All four Solstice-class ships are being constructed by Meyer
Werft and will have 90% outside cabins, 85% of those with verandas.
Jobs For Soldiers
NCL will offer priority hiring to soldiers in an army employment
program for jobs on the line's U.S.-flagged NCL America ships. NCL
joined the Army's Partnership for Youth Success program, to help NCL
"develop long-term relationships with quality candidates for our
NCL America ships in Hawaii," said Colin Veitch, NCL's president
and CEO. Under an agreement with the U.S. Army Recruiting
Command, interested enlistees agree to interview for one of
approximately 50 positions on NCL America ships upon completion of
their term of service.
How Many Suites Would You Like To Order?
The Four Seasons will float on a luxury residential cruise ship
development slated for a 2010 delivery. BV International Ocean
Holdings opened sales for private residences aboard Four Seasons
Ocean Residences, a partnership with the Four Seasons Hotels and
Resorts brand. The 48,600-ton residential vessel will have 112 wholly
owned one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom residences, from 800 to
more than 7,000 square feet, starting at $3.8 million and will
feature a helipad, a putting green and more than 70,000 square feet
of public space.
New Docks in Denmark
The Port of Copenhagen in Denmark will invest $40 million in a new
dock for cruise ships, scheduled for completion in 2009. The dock is
primarily geared towards cruise ship turnarounds, the port said, and
the investment is part of a long-term strategy to attract more cruise
ship traffic. "Good facilities play a leading role when cruise
lines and passengers choose a destination," said Per Schmidt of
the Port of Copenhagen. The port said it would set a new record in
terms of cruise ship visits this year, with 290 vessels slated for
arrival, carrying 420,000 cruise passengers, a 5% increase compared
with 2006.
World's Oldest College Graduate to
Make a Special Appearance on Crown Princess
When 95-year-old Nola Ochs graduated from the Fort Hays State
University in Kansas last month, she broke the Guinness World Record
for the world's oldest college graduate. Her next goal?
"To be a storyteller on a cruise ship."
In June, she'll get her wish as she will regale passengers aboard
Crown Princess with tales from her many years of Kansas farm life,
and how she was inspired to pursue her goal of earning a college degree.
"When we heard Nola's remarkable story, we knew we had to invite
her on board as a special guest lecturer," said Jan Swartz,
Princess' senior vice president of customer service and sales.
"We love to bring on interesting people who will enrich our
passengers' lives. Nola has obviously been a great inspiration
to those who've met her and we think she will be to our passengers as well."
Ochs will cruise aboard Crown Princess' June 17 sailing, traveling
with her granddaughter Alexandra, who graduated in the same class as
her grandmother. Appearing as part of Princess' acclaimed
Scholarship@Sea program, Ochs will participate in a question and
answer session with the cruise director and take audience questions.
She'll share her many life experiences and memories of the many
changes she's seen in a life that spans nearly a century - from her
beginnings in a house with no running water or electricity when
horse-and-buggy travel was common, to the modern-day world of
computers and air travel.
New cruise terminal opens in
Gloucester, Mass.
A privately funded 16,000-square-foot, $7 million cruise terminal
officially opened over Memorial Day weekend in Gloucester, Mass., the
city's first cruise terminal.
The Seabourn Pride was the first cruise ship to call in Gloucester
last October, and Peter Van Ness, spokesman for the new cruise
terminal, said that Seabourn, American Cruise Line and Cruise Norway
are scheduled to call there five times this year.
Holland America Line ships are slated to visit Gloucester in 2008,
Van Ness said, and the terminal is negotiating to bring other lines
there as well.
One cruise ship, no longer than 500 feet, can dock in Gloucester;
ships as large as HAL's Amsterdam will have to tender in to shore.
Disney Magic makes European debut
The Disney Magic, the line's first ship to sail in Europe, arrived in
Barcelona, Spain, May 24.
The Port of Barcelona will serve as the 2,700-passenger ship's
homeport this summer while it operates 10- and 11-day Mediterranean
itineraries, visiting France, Italy and Spain.
"This is a special way to launch our unique Mediterranean
cruises," said Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin in a
statement. "Our guests have told us they want to explore
different parts of the world with Disney Cruise Line, and we're
delighted to provide them with an authentic European experience
combined with a fun, family-friendly cruise only Disney can deliver."
Passengers on the ship were treated to a debut of the new Disney film
release, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." The
movie debuted earlier in the week across Europe and debuts May 25 in
the U.S.
In summer 2008, the Magic will reposition to the U.S. West Coast to
sail seven-day cruises from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera.
Hawaii Superferry launch delayed
until 'late summer'
The launch of the Hawaii Superferry, which was scheduled to make its
first interisland runs beginning July 1, has been postponed until
"late summer" because of a "delay in hand over
procedures at the shipyard," a spokeswoman for the company
said. The vessel is still at the shipyard in Mobile, Ala.,
where it was built. A new date has not been set.
Cunard's Queen Mary 2 Hosts the
First-Ever American Institute for Stuttering Gala Luncheon
On Sunday, June 10, Cunard Line will welcome the American Institute
for Stuttering for a first-ever gala luncheon to raise funds for the
study and treatment of stuttering. To be held aboard the
company's flagship Queen Mary 2, the event will include lunch in the
renowned Queens Room, an awards presentation and performances by Otis
and the Hurricanes and comedian J.D. Lawrence.
The gala luncheon will be emceed by CBS News anchor Katie Couric and
co-chaired by Sir Harold Evans, James Manley (CEO of Atlantic Pacific
Capital), and Tina Brown. During the gala, the Institute will
award its first annual Freeing Voices, Changing Lives Leadership
Award to honorees Dominick Dunne, Jake Steinfeld, Kenyon Martin, and
Carly Simon.
Docked at its New York home of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red
Hook, Queen Mary 2 - the world's grandest ocean liner - will serve as
the elegant setting for the afternoon's festivities. The ship
will depart later that day for a Transatlantic Crossing to Southampton.
Cunard's QE2 Hosts Falklands Reunion
The world's most famous and best loved ship, Queen Elizabeth 2, will
host 100 Southampton veterans at a special lunch, in conjunction with
the City of Southampton, to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the
Falklands Campaign on Sunday June 10 while QE2 is berthed in her homeport.
QE2 joined the ranks of other famous Cunarders, including Mauretania,
Aquitania, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth when she was called up to
serve her country. She was almost unrecognizable following the
nine-day conversion to troopship when the public lounges were turned
into dormitories, fuel pipes were taken through the ship down to the
engine room so she could be refueled at sea; helipads were
constructed fore and aft, and the carpets were covered with 2,000
sheets of hardboard. Over 650 crewmembers volunteered for the
voyage to look after the 3,000 members of the Fifth Infantry Brigade
which the ship transported to South Georgia. During the voyage
south, in order to avoid detection the ship was blacked out and the
radar switched off and Captain Jackson and his fellow officers on the
bridge were plunged into a navigational nightmare as they steamed on
without modern aids, through an icefield in the dark.
New company puts deposit on former
AMCV ships
A nonrefundable deposit was made toward the purchase of the Cape May
Light and the Cape Cod Light, two coastal cruise vessels commissioned
by the now-defunct American Classic Voyages in 2000.
But the deposit was not made by Hornblower Marine Services, an
Indiana-based company that said last fall it would purchase the
identical 224-passenger vessels from the U.S. Maritime
Administration, which took control of the vessels when AMCV went
bankrupt in 2001.
An undisclosed company has made the nonrefundable deposit and expects
to close the deal to buy the ships by the end of this month or
mid-July, said the deal's broker, Joseph Killian, president and
managing yacht broker for Killian Yacht and Ship Brokers.
Killian said that the buyer was an American-owned resort and real
estate development company and that the ships would be kept
U.S.-flagged for at least five years.
Majestic America becomes CLIA's
22nd member line
Majestic America Line joined Cruise Lines International Association.
The addition brings CLIA's membership to 22 lines and 97% of the
cruise capacity in North America, CLIA said.
In a release, CLIA called Majestic America, "America's largest
river and coastal cruise company."
The line operates seven U.S.-flagged vessels in the Mississippi and
Ohio rivers, as well as their tributaries; the Pacific Northwest's
Columbia, Snake and Willamette rivers; and Alaska's Inside Passage.
HAL's Westerdam completes Signature
of Excellence upgrades
The latest Holland America Line ship to go in for Signature of
Excellence upgrades, the Westerdam, came out of drydock in May in
time for its European season
The Westerdam is now fitted with new staterooms; more shopping
venues; a larger Pinnacle Grill and Bar; and as a first for the HAL
ships, the Explorations Cafe, an Internet center and coffee bar,
which is situated at the top of the ship in a portion of the Crow's
Nest on the Observation Deck.
NCL sets Marco Polo's departure date
NCL Corp. disclosed the sale of Marco Polo from its Orient Lines
brand effective March 23, 2008. The new owner will announce the
ship’s acquisition soon, NCL said.
Fort Lauderdale promotes stay-over visits
Port Everglades is teaming with the Greater Fort Lauderdale
Convention & Visitors Bureau on marketing initiatives to boost
the number of pre- and post-cruise stays.
Last year more than 1.2m people cruised from Port Everglades on
voyages that lasted more than one day. Approximately 123,000 extended
their stay in the area.
‘There is no reason to make a beeline to board a ship or for the
airport following a cruise,’ said Nicki Grossman, president of
the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. She
suggested travelers think of the area as a port of call for beaches,
dining, shopping and nature.
Carnival Splendor milestone at Sestri
The 113,300gt Carnival Splendor reached a construction milestone when
the newbuild’s bow was lowered into place at Fincantieri’s
Sestri shipyard.
The 3,006-berth vessel – to be the largest in the Carnival
Cruise Lines fleet – is scheduled to enter service from Dover
July 13, 2008, inaugurating the line’s first Northern Europe
cruise program.
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