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Carnival
Freedom salutes remarkable decades
When the
110,000grt Carnival Freedom debuts in Europe in 2007, the
interior design will take passengers on a journey through remarkable decades.
When
passengers step into Freedom’s Millennium atrium, they will be
transported into 2010. Futuristic elements include cylindrical forms
painted in iridescent lacquers that take on red or gold tones, curved
railings in blue glass, and glass and copper chandeliers with columns
and beams accented with iridescent glass tiles.
Named after
Queen Victoria, the Victoriana show lounge recalls the 1880s with a
design that evokes theaters in London’s West End with ornate
moldings, fancy marble and gold leaf. The centerpiece is a
mural-decorated dome with a crystal chandelier.
The 1990s were
all about style, as reflected in the two main restaurants, the Chic
and Posh Dining Rooms. The walls feature polished marbles and a wood
veneer laminated in a python skin pattern. The mood of each room can
be changed dramatically by special lighting strips.
Recalling
Louis XIV, the Sun King Supper Club represents the glory days of the
18th century. A statue of Louis as the Sun King greets diners as they
enter and a period chandelier hangs in the skylight dome.
Other rooms highlight
the 1950s (Player’s Sports Bar), the 1970s (Studio 70 dance
club) and the 1890s (Bar Nouveau, the wine club), among others.
Under
construction at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard, Carnival
Freedom is scheduled to enter service with 12-day Mediterranean
cruises — including the line’s first visit to the Greek
Isles and Turkey — beginning March 14, 2007.
For the
Schedule of the Carnival Freedom CLICK
HERE
JAXPORT
casts wide net for cruisers
A recent
survey revealed that more than 88% of passengers embarking cruises in
Jacksonville originate from outside the area, with customers coming
from 49 states, mainly in the U.S. Southeast. More than 86% of the
out-of-towners said they would consider returning to the Florida city
for a future vacation.
The
Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) conducted the survey of
passengers sailing aboard Carnival Cruise Lines’ Celebration,
the sole year-round cruise ship.
Nearly
one-third of those from outside the area planned to spend additional
time in Jacksonville before or after their cruise, with about 20%
staying overnight in an area hotel. JAXPORT estimated that translates
into a total of 18,000 room nights annually, averaging about 1,500
room nights per month.
Some 95% of
those surveyed said they would consider choosing Jacksonville again
for their next cruise departure.
For the
schedule of the Celebration's cruises from Jacksonville CLICK
HERE
Record
number of Australians cruising
International
Cruise Council Australasia chairman Steve Odell announced today that
a record number of 186,666 Australians took a cruise holiday in 2005
-- an 18% hike over the previous year.
Freedom
sets course for America
Having wrapped
up European inaugural events in Hamburg, Oslo and Southampton, Freedom
of the Seas sailed from the UK Wednesday en route for New York.
The
world’s largest cruise ship caused such a stir in Europe that it
was reported to be the second most popular search term on yahoo.com
last week, Royal Caribbean International said.
Stateside, the
public will be able to catch a glimpse of Freedom as it makes
its way along the Eastern Seaboard, with stops at Cape Liberty in
Bayonne, Pier 92 on Manhattan’s West Side, Warehouse Berths 6
and 7 in Boston and, finally, the Port of Miami.
For the
schedule of the Freedom of the Seas CLICK
HERE
Carnival
sets new San Juan route
Carnival Destiny
will launch a new seven-day, five-port Southern Caribbean schedule
from San Juan beginning on Jan. 7.
The itinerary
includes extended day-long visits to St. Lucia, Antigua, Dominica,
Barbados and St. Thomas/St. John, along with a sea day.
The 101,353gt
Carnival Destiny currently sails from San Juan to St. Thomas/St.
John, Dominica, Barbados and Aruba.
Vance
Gulliksen, Carnival spokesperson, said the decision to eliminate
Aruba from the itinerary was both a fuel-saving initiative and also a
way to freshen the Carnival Destiny program, which had operated the
same itinerary for five years. “By removing Aruba from the
itinerary, we are able to offer two new ports of call while at the
same time achieving significant fuel savings,” he said.
Six RCI
ships for Europe in ’07
Royal
Caribbean Cruise Line’s strategy for Europe is ‘to be
as strong over here as we are in the US.' reported Susan Hooper,
marketing VP at RCCI.
‘The
decision to position two Voyager-class ships in Europe for summer
2007 is a real indication of the strength of the market and the
company’s commitment to realize the growth potential by placing
some of its best hardware,’ she added. Hooper also revealed that
the number of Royal Caribbean ships deployed in Europe will go from
five this year to six in 2007 although she was not prepared to name
the additional vessel.
U.S.
Open champ to sail with Crystal
Golfers on Crystal
Symphony’s Aug. 19 cruise from Rome to London can tee off
with U.S. Open golf champion Corey Pavin at four exclusive
Mediterranean golf resorts. Pavin will also participate in golf
clinics, lectures and a Hole-in-One Competition for a chance to win a
free cruise.
Staying
tight-lipped on Genesis
Royal
Caribbean International president Adam Goldstein would not be
drawn on giving any finite details of what to expect on board the 40%
larger Genesis class due for delivery in 2009, preferring
instead to focus on the wealth of facilities on offer on Freedom of
the Seas.
‘We
disclosed the dimensions and that’s all we’re prepared to
say at the moment. Everyone wants to know what new on-board features
to expect, but we are about two years away from making any final
decisions,’ he said.
Costa
Allegra starts off on Europe-Asia repositioning cruise
The Costa Allegra,
which will sail from mainland China starting in July, completed its
refurbishments and set sail April 30 from Savona, Italy, on a 30-day
repositioning cruise to Asia, Costa said.
The ship will
sail through the Suez Canal and call in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Singapore and Vietnam before reaching Hong Kong. On July 3, the ship
will begin a series of 24 scheduled cruises out of Shanghai.
Constellation
kicks off Stockholm's cruise season
Stockholm's
cruise season kicks off this Wednesday with the arrival of Celebrity
Cruises' 1,950-passenger Constellation. 2006 is expected
to be the city's busiest year to date with the Stockholm Cruise
Network anticipating an estimated 250,000 passengers from 261 cruise
ship calls between May 10 and September 16, of which 29 are
turnaround calls. Overall, that represents a 9% increase over the
number of passengers calling in 2005, which totaled 228,000.
MSC
Musica nearing completion
Having passed
her first sea trials in April, MSC Musica is undergoing final fitting-out
in Saint-Nazaire at the Alstom yard. Next sea trials are expected to
take place between May 25-28. The handover ceremony is planned
for June 19.
Feeling
the pride in Pride of Hawaii
Pride of
Hawaii stopped in Miami Saturday to take on more crew as it
deadheads to the West Coast. The visit also gave Norwegian Cruise Line
shoreside employees an opportunity to see the new ship.
With 900 crew
on board, the vessel is nearly at full staffing, said NCL Corp.
president and ceo Colin Veitch. Forty to forty-five percent are
experienced workers from Pride of Aloha and Pride of America.
The rest are new hires.
HAL adds
up Boston economic impact
On the eve of
its Boston cruise season, Holland America Line spelled out its
expected economic impact on the city and the state of Massachusetts.
Last year the impact totaled $21.4m and in 2006 the figure is
expected to rise to just under $22m as the Maasdam operates 17 calls. |
