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Norfolk
to display maritime treasures
Norfolk
has gained permission to exhibit items from a vast private
collection of ocean liner memorabilia at its new Half Moone Cruise
and Celebration Center, opening on April 28.
The
items include passenger manifests from the 1920s and ’30s, a
deck chair from the Queen Mary, dishes and silver, menus, artwork and
advertisements. An object of local relevance is the manifest for a
1935 sailing of the S.S. President Hoover on which Gen. Douglas
MacArthur met his future wife. (Norfolk’s Douglas MacArthur
Memorial is the couple’s final resting place.)
The
objects are on long-term loan from Norma Beazley of Houston, whose
late husband Herbert amassed one of the country’s largest
private collections of ocean liner memorabilia. ‘It is an
absolutely astounding collection and we’re proud to have it
here,’ said Stephen Kirkland, Norfolk’s manager of
operations and cruise marketing. The presentation is being designed
by Charles Craig, exhibit director for Nauticus, The National
Maritime Center.
‘We
want to interpret it and tell the story of the glorious age of ocean
liners and the romance of cruising,’ said Kirkland, who is
writing the text for the display.
Princess
cancels cruise for repairs
Regal
Princess canceled two cruises after the ship sustained damage to a
ballast tank after touching bottom on Sunday’s departure from Huatulco.
After
temporary repairs, Regal Princess went to a drydock to complete the repairs.
Lines
not liable for doctors, court says
The
Florida Supreme Court ruling that cruise operators are not liable
for their shipboard doctors’ negligence follows well-established
maritime precedent, according to an attorney representing Carnival
Cruise Lines.
‘There
is a good hundred years’ worth of history supporting this
decision,’ said Darren Friedman of Maltzman Foreman P.A.
However,
the lawyer for the young woman who filed suit against Carnival said
he intends to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. His
client was a teenager in 1997 when, on a family cruise, her
appendicitis was allegedly misdiagnosed as flu. According to her
lawsuit, the woman was left sterile by an infection after her
appendix burst.
A
Miami-Dade court dismissed the case but it was reinstated by an
appeals court on the grounds that the doctor was an agent of the
line. The Florida Supreme Court said the lower court’s decision
had been based on a single decades-old case which conflicted with the
vast majority of maritime rulings.
MSC
sets golf cruises with a top coach
Two
eight-day golf clinics with Chuck Cook, a top instructor, are
scheduled for MSC Sinfonia in 2007. Departures are from Genoa on May
7 and Oct. 22.
Director
of the Chuck Cook Golf Academy in Texas, Cook has coached PGA Tour
professionals Corey Pavin, Bob Estes and Omar Uresti as well as US
Open champions Payne Stewart and Tom Kite.
The
golf program includes lessons, seminars, day and night competitions
and individual tuition, plus play at courses ashore. Passengers can
choose from three packages: basic, advanced and academy-level, which
is reserved for players with handicaps (in two groups, 0-18 and 19-36).
Regent
details 107-day Pacific voyage
Regent
Seven Seas Cruises will operate its longest ever ‘Grand Asia
Pacific Voyage,’ a 107-night journey with calls at 53 ports in
19 countries. Seven Seas Mariner sails from Vancouver on Sept. 5 and
wraps up the adventure in Los Angeles on Dec. 21.
The
course follows the ‘Ring of Fire’ from Alaska to
Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, the Far East, New Zealand and
Australia and the islands of French Polynesia. Eight segments are
available, each with two-for-one savings or free economy air from 86
North American gateways. Segments start at $3,697 including free air
for the seven-night Vancouver to Seward jaunt.
QM2
to stage NY musical benefit
Queen
Mary 2 will host guests from the New York City Opera and the
Brooklyn Academy of Music for a gala evening benefiting both institutions.
Set
for May 24, The Britannia Ball will include cocktails, dinner,
dancing to Peter Duchin and his orchestra and a performance by Tony
Award winner Patti LuPone in the ship's Royal Court Theater. Tickets
are $1,000, or $2,500 for a VIP ticket that includes an exclusive
cocktail reception and preferred seating for the performance and dinner.
Princess
launches Alaska sale
Princess
Cruises launched an ‘Alaska Wilderness Sale’ with
cruisetour discounts of up to $500 off per couple on top of the
line’s early booking discounts.
Princess
will operate eight ships in Alaska this year, its biggest deployment ever.
Dickinson
marks 35 years with Carnival
Carnival
Cruise Lines celebrated Bob Dickinson’s 35th year with the
company with a surprise party at the Miami headquarters.
During
the festivities, attended by hundreds of employees, as well as his
friends and family members, Dickinson received a number of mementos,
including a 35-year diamond and ruby anniversary pin.
Dickinson
joined Carnival on Feb. 14, 1972, as evp – just three weeks
before the inaugural sailing of the Mardi Gras, on March 9, 1972. He
was named president in 1993 and added the title of ceo 10 years later.
At
the helm of the world’s largest cruise line, Dickinson has
overseen Carnival’s growth from a one-ship brand to a fleet of
21 vessels carrying 3.6m passengers annually.
An
industry pioneer, he is widely credited with transforming cruising
from an elitist experience into a popular mainstream vacation, in
part by promoting the ship as the destination.
Disney
orders two post-Panamax newbuilds
Disney
Cruise Line signed a letter of intent for two 122,000gt newbuilds
with Meyer Werft. The vessels are scheduled to enter service in 2011
and 2012. DCL did not disclose the price.
The
order will more than double the passenger capacity of the Disney
brand. Each new ship will have 1,250 staterooms and will tower two
decks higher than the line’s existing vessels.
‘Since
our maiden voyage in 1998, Disney Cruise Line has been a huge
success for our guests and for our shareholders alike,’ said Bob
Iger, president and ceo of The Walt Disney Co. ‘It has brought
our unparalleled family vacation experience to the high seas, and has
also generated high margins and double digit returns on invested capital.’
Jay
Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said that
focusing on the family sector has been ‘smart business’ for
the company, whose vessels consistently sail with load factors of 150%.
Similar
to the 83,000gt Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, which were built by
Fincantieri, the German newbuilds will represent a modern
interpretation of the classic ocean liners of the 1930s.
Windstar
Cruises to be sold to Ambassadors International
Carnival
Corporation & plc has signed an agreement to sell its Windstar
Cruises brand to Ambassadors International Inc. Under the terms of
the agreement, Windstar will be sold for $100m, $40m of which is
payable in cash and assumption of liabilities, and Carnival will
provide mortgage financing for $60m. The loan will be payable over 10
years at 7% interest, collateralized by the three Windstar ships.
Ambassadors
International will delay the launch of the Mississippi Queen in its
Majestic America Line to upgrade the onboard experience, according to
Ambassadors Chairman Joe Ueberroth.
Although
the ship is "in many ways, in better condition" than it
was at the beginning of the 2006 season, Ueberroth told analysts,
"we believe in order to protect our brand and establish the
Majestic America brand as a premier luxury product it is prudent to
address certain shortcomings in her guest experience as well as
overhaul her outdated galley."
Ueberroth
said Ambassadors does not know how long the renovations will take,
"so for now we'll say it will take a few months."
Renovations
to the American Queen and Empress of the North have been successful
and the ships are "spectacular", Ueberroth said, as are the
other ships in the Majestic America fleet. But the Mississippi Queen
needs further renovations, he noted, specifically to its galley.
Crystal
classes to teach Microsoft’s Vista
Crystal
Cruises is debuting courses on the new Windows Vista operating
system and Office 2007 software in its Computer University@Sea curriculum.
The
new Microsoft system, just released on Jan. 30, will be offered in
as many as six Crystal courses. The free classes begin in early March
on Crystal Symphony and early May on Crystal Serenity.
Holland
America opens sales and marketing office in Rotterdam
Returning
to its roots, Holland America Line opened an office in Rotterdam,
Netherlands, Feb. 28, where HAL began more than 134 years ago. The
Seattle-based cruise line opened a sales and marketing office in the
port city with an eye towards increasing the company's share of the
growing Dutch cruise market, according to HAL.
Royal
Caribbean's new megaship to sail out of England
The
Independence of the Seas, the third in Royal Caribbean
International’s Freedom class of ships, will be based in
Southampton, England, when it debuts in May 2008.
The
vessel will be the largest ship ever to be based in Europe and one
of three largest ships in the world, along with sister ships Freedom
of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas. The Liberty is scheduled to
enter service in May.
Carnival
Has Freedom
Like
Baskin Robbins rolling out a new flavor, Carnival Cruise Lines has a
new ship. Carnival Freedom was delivered on Feb. 28th, making the
twenty-second in the fleet. The Conquest-class ship will be
christened by godmother Kathy Ireland on March 4 in Venice.
They're
Building It, Will Someone Come?
Feb
28 - Just like the jazz band in a New Orleans funeral seems
strangely incongruent, that city's port announced yesterday that
plans for their third cruise terminal are still on track. This is in
no way implying that the cruise industry in New Orleans is dead (or
even terminally ill), but it does seem strangely incongruent when it
comes just after two cruise lines announced cancellation of plans for
each to bring a ship to New Orleans next winter.
The
port recently opened the Erato Street cruise terminal, the second
dedicated to the cruise business. The plan is now to spend $10-$13
million to convert a warehouse at Poland Avenue into a third cruise
terminal by 2008.
Tan
Lines to Appear on Carnival Cruise Lines
May
we have a moment of silence please? Feb. 27th marked the passing of
a time-honored Carnival tradition. Effective with sailings this week,
the topless sunbathing decks aboard all Carnival ships will be
topless no longer.
Military
Rates Everywhere, All the Time
Norwegian
Cruise Line is showing their appreciation to members of the US
military by offering new discounted military rates on every NCL and
NCL America sailing.
40
Feet of Rope Keeps Mercury from Going to Cabo
On
Feb. 18th, as Celebrity's Mercury was leaving San Diego on the first
leg of its 14-day Panama Canal cruise to Ft. Lauderdale, the bridge
noticed something not quite right with its starboard propeller.
Further investigation found that the seal which surrounds the
propeller shaft was letting a small amount of water into the ship.
Since they were still so near San Diego, they decided to return to
port where it would be safer to send divers down to look at the situation.
They
found what they suspected. There was some heavy fishing line and
some relatively lightweight rope wound around the propeller and
shaft, and that was somehow preventing the seal from doing its job.
The divers were able to cut it away, and Mercury ended up leaving San
Diego (the second time) more than twelve hours after the first time,
of course putting it well behind schedule.
Steiner
signs MSC Musica
Steiner
Leisure Ltd. signed an agreement with MSC Cruises for a term through
the 2008 summer cruise season on MSC Musica. The agreement provides
for Steiner Transocean Ltd. to be the exclusive provider of spa and
massage services, hair dressing, beauty treatments, and fitness
programs aboard the ship.
Southampton
prepares for mega ships
Southampton
is planning for another bumper cruise year with 830,000 passengers
projected to pass through its three dedicated cruise terminals. This
represents a 12.6% increase compared to last year for the UK’s
top cruise port although the number of ship turnarounds will be the
same as 2006.
Majesty
of the Seas adds Johnny Rockets
Majesty
of the Seas emerged from its recent drydock refurbishment with a
Johnny Rockets restaurant, becoming the eighth Royal Caribbean
International ship to offer a branch of the popular burger chain.
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