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Historic 40th Anniversary Voyage For QE2
September 15, QE2 set off on an historic "lap-of-honour"
around Britain to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of her launch by
Her Majesty The Queen on September 20, 1967.
While the primary purpose of the voyage is to celebrate the
anniversary of QE2's launch, two other significant Cunard
anniversaries will be marked: the 100th anniversary of Mauretania's
departure from the Tyne for her first sea trials on September 17 (the
day QE2 will also be on the Tyne) and the 40th anniversary of Queen
Mary's final departure from New York (September 22).
Since she came into service, QE2 has had a spectacular career and is
now simply the most famous ship afloat - quite probably the most
successful liner ever. She has hosted every senior member of
the Royal Family at least once; has welcomed Prime Ministers and
Presidents, from around the world; and has been host to a multitude
of celebrities and film stars.
Crystal Passengers Discovering Private Side of Adventure
A couple of years ago, Crystal Cruises debuted their service called
Private Adventures. It's done good business for those customers who
wanted something special ashore and were willing to pay for it, but
it seems like this year the secret got out and many more passengers
are discovering this indulgent option for the first time - and
finding they don't want to cruise without it.
That's pushing the dedicated unit at the luxury line to record
numbers. From January through August of this year, Crystal's land
programs team has arranged 55% more Private Adventures than they did
in all of 2006.
Bucking the Trend
The rest of the Caribbean might be stagnant in terms of growth from
the cruise industry, but Jamaica says their figures show their cruise
business is growing at a healthy pace. Their
passenger arrivals grew by 17.7% last year to a record 1.34 million people.
Scholar Ship" Sets Sail
The Scholar Ship, the first oceangoing study-abroad program developed
specifically for an international student body, departed on its
maiden voyage from Athens, Greece on September 5, 2007. More than 200
undergraduate and postgraduate students from 35 countries will travel
to four continents over 16 weeks.
The Scholar Ship, backed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., and
supported by seven international universities, will immerse students
and faculty in an intercultural living and learning environment
aboard a 201-meter ocean liner specially equipped for the academic program.
Students and staff will embark on The Scholar Ship in Piraeus, Athens
on a westward course to Lisbon, Portugal; Panama City, Panama;
Guayaquil, Ecuador; Papeete, Tahiti; Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney,
Australia; and Shanghai, Macau and Hong Kong in China. Ports of call
provide extensive educational opportunities for students through a
port program in which students participate in academic field study,
community service and independent travel.
Carnival UK breaks Southampton cruise passenger record
Carnival UK, which comprises the cruise brands of P&O Cruises,
Princess Cruises, Cunard Line and Ocean Village, has broken the
record for the number of cruise passengers passing through the Port
of Southampton.
Between Friday 31st August and Sunday 2nd September 2007 a total of
28,319 passengers embarked and disembarked from a total of seven
ships. These included a call by QE2 on Friday 31st and three ships
each on the Saturday (Oriana, Sea Princess, Oceana) and on Sunday
(Aurora, Arcadia, Grand Princess.)
Carnival UK, chief executive officer David Dingle said: "This is
a spectacular result, both for our cruise brands and for the port of
Southampton and seals Southampton’s rightful place as the home
of UK cruising. With some of our passengers less than a year old it
also demonstrates the popularity of cruising across the generations.
"With the launch of P&O Cruises Ventura sailing from
Southampton from next April and the launch of Cunard’s Queen
Victoria this December, these numbers can only increase. It is
further evidence that cruising has become a mainstream holiday choice
and with the crowds and delays at airports people are recognizing the
benefits of ex UK cruising."
Aker floats out Independence of the Seas
In less than a year, Royal Caribbean International's Independence of
the Seas will make its debut in Southampton as the largest cruise
ship ever to homeport in Europe.
With its hull now complete, the 158,000gt newbuild was floated out
today at Aker Yards in Turku. Final outfitting now begins for the
ship’s May debut.
Independence of the Seas is the sister to this year’s Liberty of
the Seas and 2006’s Freedom of the Seas.
Disney pleased with maiden Med season
Disney Magic has returned to Port Canaveral following what Disney
Cruise Line president Tom McAlpin called a successful maiden
Mediterranean season.
‘We are delighted by the success of our Mediterranean
itineraries,’ McAlpin said. ‘The pace of bookings was
exceptional from the day they were offered, and we continue to hear
from guests about how much they enjoyed visiting ports in Spain,
Italy and France on a Disney cruise.’
Disney Magic sailed eight 10- and 11-night voyages from Barcelona in
a season that ended in late August. The ship resumed its seven-night
Caribbean itineraries from Central Florida on Sept. 1.
DCL has not announced plans to return to Europe, but perhaps
that’s an option in the future. Meanwhile, Disney Magic is
scheduled to operate from Los Angeles next summer, reprising seasonal
seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises that it first offered in 2005.
Disney Wonder continues its Port Canaveral-based sailings.
Royal Caribbean Cruises To Start New Cruise Line Dedicated
To French Market
Continuing its expansion in Europe, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
announced today it is launching a new cruise brand, CDF
Croisières de France, committed to the French market. The new
brand will begin sailing its first ship, Bleu de France, in May,
2008, after the ship has completed extensive renovations and
undergone a cultural transformation wholly adapting the brand
experience to French tastes. The new line will operate one ship
initially when it begins operations. The 376-cabin ship was the
former luxury liner Europa when it was owned by Hapag Lloyd.
Currently, it is Pullmantur's Holiday Dream. The ship will sail a
Mediterranean itinerary, departing from Marseille, France, starting
in Spring, 2008. It will shift to a Caribbean routing, sailing out of
La Romana, Dominican Republic, beginning in Winter, 2008-2009.
Luxury Homes on Cruise Ship for Sale
A luxury residence project, the Four Seasons Ocean Residencesde,
signed to be built on a huge cruise ship sailing around the world and
featuring facilities and services to hotel standards, was unveiled
for sale Saturday to some of Hong Kong's richest people. "Four
Seasons Ocean Residences will be the world's most grand and luxurious
residential community at sea," said Robert Oppenheim, managing
director of BV International Ocean Holdings Ltd, the developer of the
ambitious project.
Cruise smoking bans clouded by complaints
Want to start an argument among a group of cruisers? Ask them about
the new smoking policies on ships. "The non-smokers are
thrilled, (but) the smokers are very unhappy," says Mark Conroy,
president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which is planning to tighten
its rules in December — and already is getting an earful from customers.
And Also In The News.......
CAMILLA PARKER BOWLES, the Duchess of Cornwall, will name Cunard
Line's Queen Victoria during a Dec. 10 ceremony in Southampton,
England. Prince Charles will accompany his wife to the ship's naming,
part of four days of inaugural festivities. The line said that its
Queens are traditionally named by members of the royal family; both
the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Queen Mary 2 were named by Queen
Elizabeth II.
CARNIVAL CORP. cemented its agreement to create a Spanish-market
cruise brand with Spain's largest tour operator, Orizonia
Corporacion. The three-ship operation, which will launch in spring
2008 under the name Iberocruceros, will use the Carnival Cruise
Lines' 1,486-passenger Celebration and two vessels from
Orizonia's Iberojet line, the 1,244-passenger Grand Mistral and
834-passenger Grand Voyager. Itineraries will be named later. The
transaction is expected to close on Sept. 14, and Carnival said that
it would own 75% of the joint venture; Orizonia would control the
remaining 25%. Iberocruceros will be based in Madrid.
CARNIVAL ALSO SAID that it scrapped its plans to for a joint venture
line with German tour operator TUI, citing regulatory difficulties in
Germany that delayed the transaction. Not being able to close the
deal this year, Carnival said, would create adverse tax consequences
for the company. Carnival said it would grow in Germany organically
through new ship construction for its Aida cruise line and its other
European brands that serve the German market, such as Costa Cruises
and Cunard.
CELEBRITY CRUISES' second ship in its Solstice class, the Celebrity
Equinox, entered life last week in a German shipyard. Royal Caribbean
Cruises CEO Richard Fain started the plasma torch that launched the
production of the ship's first steel plate at the Meyer Werft
shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The 122,000-ton vessel is slated to
enter service in 2009. Meyer Werft will build four Solstice-class
vessels in all; the first ship in the series, the Celebrity Solstice,
is under construction and scheduled for delivery in fall 2008.
THE PANAMA CANAL is two weeks into its $5 billion expansion. Ground
was broken Sept. 3 on the massive project, which is expected to
double the waterway's capacity by 2014. This is the first expansion
of the almost 100-year-old, 51-mile canal: The planned work would
build one new lane of traffic across the canal by constructing a new
set of locks, which would enable longer and wider ships to pass through.
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