Archive for the ‘Disney Cruise Lines’ Category

Disney Prepares for the Dream

Alaska Cruises, Atlantic Crossing, Caribbean, Disney Cruise Lines, Mediterranean, Positioning Voyages | Posted by cruisepeople
Aug 04 2010

by Mark Tre’ – "The Cruise Examiner"

As a result of the delivery of its third ship, Disney Dream, from Meyer Werft in January 2011, Disney will be expanding its horizons to include new destinations. It has cruised from California and from Europe in the past, but now will also be extending into the Alaska trade from Vancouver.

The line held an open house for a number of guests on board its Disney Magic in Dover last Friday. So where from here? We will have a look at Disney Cruise Line from an adult’s point of view.

Disney Magic at Dover

Most people have never heard of the Magical Cruise Co Ltd of Burbank, California, London, but in fact it is this company that operates  Disney Magic and Disney Wonder from its base in Florida. The company, trading as Disney Cruise Line, invited a large number of guests to view its 83,000-ton Disney Magic on her last call at Dover for the 2010 season last Friday.

The first impression one gets when boarding is a very high quality finish and public spaces that show great attention to detail. Although the hands that indicate what deck the lift or elevator is at include a little white glove a la Mickey Mouse, this is tastefully done, as in fact are all the children’s areas as well.

Small maritime touches such as the use of brass, white ropes to hold back shower curtains and windows (and even the shape of verandas) that give the appearance of the promenade deck of an old ocean liner. This is not to mention the ship’s very fine lines, and the black hull and two red and black funnel colours that echo those of North Atlantic liners such as RMS Queen Elizabeth, RMS Queen Mary and Normandie.

The feeling in the public areas on board is also quite different from the normal cruise ship, in that the finish shows high quality and attention to detail and the ship tends to exude an air of theatricality about it.

Disney also operates its own cruise terminal at Port Canaveral, Florida, not far from Disney World at Orlando, and its own Bahamian private island called Castaway Cay. The company likes to control as much of its own operation as it can and has done so since introducing Disney Magic in 1998 and  Disney Fantasy a year later. When  Disney Dream is delivered Disney Wonder will transfer to the west coast.

 

New Horizons

While Disney has cruised to other areas in the past, the delivery of the 128,000-ton Disney Dream in January and sister ship Disney Fantasy a year later will give the company a fleet of four large cruise ships with which to trade. The result will be more European itineraries in 2011, a first season to Alaska and more cruises to the Mexican Riviera. It is rather interesting how the per person fares work out for these different areas, and this may indicate where cruise lines, or at least Disney, think they will make the best money on 7-night cruises, depending on season:

Alaska – From $1,359
Mediterranean – From $ 979
Caribbean – From $ 839
Mexican Riviera – From $ 729
Alaska, Mexico and Caribbean 7-night minimum fares go up to $1,909 per person while Mediterranean cruises include 7, 10 and 11-night departures and range up to a minimum of $2,609 per person. At the other end the two Disney suites run as follows:
Alaska – From $6,819
Mediterranean – From $5,909
Caribbean – From $5,609
Mexican Riviera – From $5,179
Again, the suites run up to $7,929 per person to Alaska, the Caribbean and Mexico and up to $11,199 each in the Mediterranean.

Disney Magic itineraries in 2011 will offer Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona that include either Nice, La Spezia, Naples and Palma or Cannes, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples and Palma (7 nights) and Malta, Tunis, Naples, Civitavecchia, La Spezia, Ajaccio and Nice (10 and 11 nights).
Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral will go either east to St Maarten, St Thomas and Castaway Cay or west to Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Castaway Cay. The new Disney Dream will meanwhile take over the line’s stock 3, 4 and 5-night Bahamas cruises that are usually combined with a stay at Disney World.
Disney Wonder’s Alaska cruises from Vancouver will include Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan while Mexican Riviera cruises from Los Angeles will go to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.
Other voyages will be offered in positioning season, for example, both Trans-Panama (to position Disney Wonder to Los Angeles) and Trans-Atlantic, as well as 6 nights Los Angeles to Vancouver and 5 nights Vancouver to Los Angeles by Disney Wonder before and after the Alaska season.

 

Can Adult Couples Cruise with Disney?

Two things are of interest for adults on these ships. First, much of the forward part of the ship is dedicated to adults only (only those of age 18 and above are allowed) and overlooking the stern there is the Palo adults only alternative dining room. There is also a large spa area where adults may relax and this includes couples areas and the Cove Cafe is an adults only coffee bar.
The adult only areas are decorated in a stylish manner and show no real evidence of being on a ship that was designed for families and children, so it may be possible for an adult couple to cruise on a Disney ship comfortably and without being overly influenced by all the children’s activities, which are kept to their own areas and divided largely by age group, while also allowing a family of children of different ages to play together.
The large cinema is also rather grand and does show films other then Disney. And even the Disney character appearances are scheduled and announced to that adult can steer clear of them if they wish.
Finally, some tips for adults:
1. When booking your stateroom, choose one well away from the children’s areas.
2. Ask for late dinner sitting as most younger children will be on the first sitting.
3. Take advantage of the adults only Palo as much as you can.
4. Use the adults only pool on Deck 9, with its own bar and coffee lounge.
5. Relax with a couples treatment in the spa.
It is worth remembering that Disney also welcomes adults so much thought has gone into the ships’ layout for this category of passenger too.

One way for adults to try a Disney ship might be on the 5-night positioning cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles on September 20, 2011, with calls at Victoria BC and Ensenada, Mexico.

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118 New Ships Since 2000 – Ship Sizes – The New Panama Canal

Atlantic Crossing, Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cruise West, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Lines, Fred Olsen, Hapag LLoyd, Holland America Line, MSC, News, Norwegian Cruise Lines, P&O, Panama Canal, Royal Caribbean, Uncategorized | Posted by cruisepeople
Jun 18 2010

by Mark Tre’

The recent announcement by CLIA that 118 new cruise ships had been delivered since 2000 has led us to have a look at how the world cruise fleet is now made up and how it has changed in the last decade. The findings, along with progress now being made on a new Panama Canal, are rather interesting. Large ships, nay huge ships, have now become the norm. And like the trade of the world, the type of passenger attracted to each size of ship is surely quite different.


118 New Cruise Ships Since 2000
In January, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) published an interesting statistic. It said that 118 new cruise ships had been introduced to the world fleet since 2000. That is very close to one ship a month, every month, year round for a decade. While there has been a slowdown during the recession, orders are starting again and it is worthwhile to have a look at how this massive new fleet is composed. To do this, in order to give the fleet a different perspective, we are going to look at how the fleet is divided in the same terms used for cargo ships, working from the largest down.

The Capesize Ships
In cargo ship terms, Capesize ships are the next size up from Suezmax, the latter being ships that are too wide or deep for the Panama Canal but can still use the Suez. Capesize ships, however, always have to navigate via the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn. Length and beam are not a problem in the Suez Canal, but draught is limited to 62 feet.

As cruise ships carry passengers and not heavy cargoes, this is not a problem for them, as even RMS Queen Mary 2 has only a draught of 32 feet 10 inches, which means that there is really no such thing as a "Suezmax" cruise ship. In the container trades these ships tend to be known as "post-Panamax" (a Panamax ship can carry up to 5,000 twenty-foot equivalent containers while a post-Panamax can carry up to 12,000 (although there is also now a design for a 20,000-unit vessel).

Capesize cargo ships ten to carry large cargoes of low-value goods such as coal and iron ore, of ports they can serve is severely restricted by their size. The same is of course true of Capesize cruise ships that cannot enter many cruise ports because of their own size, but the huge advantage they offer is that they can bring down rates because of economies of scale. Indeed, the same applies to Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, which carry 6,000 passengers each but limit themselves to the same more on board activities such as ziplines and high diving and their ports, which they visit on a repetitive basis all the year round, feature things such as roller coaster rides and chair lifts. Despite the fact that they offer huge loft suites, these ships must cater to the mass market with their low unit costs in order to stay full.

Where Capesize cargo ships are typically above 150,000 tons deadweight, or about 100,000 gross tons measurement, Capesize cruise ships are of basically the same size, The first Capesize cruise ships were actually built in the 1930s, with the delivery of  Normandie for the French Lines and Cunard Line’s Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. These three North Atlantic express passenger ships were all too long and to wide to be able to use the Panama Canal, and were the largest ships to have been built to that time.

To-day’s Capesize cruise fleet thus numbers forty-seven ships either in service or on order. Starting with the 5,400 lower berth Oasis and Allure of the Seas, they work down through a quintet (the largest cruise ship order ever placed) of the 2,850-berth Celebrity Solstice class, a quartet of 3,100-passenger ships consisting of the Voyager of the Seas class, and three trios, the 3,600-passenger Freedom of the Seas class, 3,500-guest MSC Fantasia class and the 3,100-berth Carnival Dream class.

Then follow another pair, Disney Dream and sister, and the one-off 4,200-berth Norwegian Epic (which was to have been part of a pair until her sister ship was cancelled), to be introduced next week, and Queen Mary 2, another one-off, and one with a lot more space with only 2,620 lower berths. These ships are all above 1,000 feet in overall length and only one, Voyager of the Seas of 1999, was delivered before the year 2000.

To be added to these are twenty-two more. The eleven ships of the Carnival Conquest (six) and Costa Concordia (five) classes, all 952 by 116 feet in overall dimensions, are ten feet too wide for the present Panama Canal. Eleven more ships, of the Grand Princess class, including P&O’s Azura and Ventura, all 951 x 118 feet, also fall into this category. These twenty-two Carnival Corp & PLC ships were built to a short and stout design that precludes them from passing through the present Panama Canal, and they are all products of the Fincantieri shipyards in Italy. Only one of this lot, Grand Princess of 1998, was delivered before the year 2000.

So of the 118 cruise ships delivered since 2000 sixty-seven, or more than half, are too big to transit the Panama Canal.

The Panamax Ships
The next category down is Panamax, which is the maximum size ship that can use the Panama Canal (although new locks are due to open in 2015). Cargoes carried by Panamax ships are generally a little higher value and include grain, steel and minerals as well as thermal coal and iron ore. And Panamax cruise ships are more likely to feature alternative restaurants and big shows than ziplines and roller coasters. In fact, many offer more than just a repetitive 7-day itinerary and are more likely to be found on alternating 10-day circuits in the Mediterranean as just one example.
These ships have a maximum length overall of 965 feet and a beam of 106 feet and are able to squeeze through the present locks. This size is ideal for World Cruises as well, and can reposition easily between Alaska and the Caribbean. For example, where Queen Victoria and the new Queen Elizabeth can offer world cruises that transit both Panama and Suez, Queen Mary 2 is forced to sail all the way around the tip of South America to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific as she is too big for the Panama Canal.

The Panamax cruise fleet numbers eighty ships. Owners such as Norwegian Cruise Line (and its once-parent Star Cruises) made sure they did not build wider than Panamax and so this fleet includes half a dozen Meyer-built vessels of dimensions of 965 by 106 feet, while Celebrity Cruises has four St Nazaire-built ships of the same dimensions in the Celebrity Constellation class and Princess Cruises two St Nazaire-built ships of the Coral Princess class. To these can be added Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, all of maximum Panamax dimensions.

Following closely behind are the four ships of the MSC Musica class, all just a foot shorter than Panamax, and the four Royal Caribbean ships of the Radiance of the Seas class, three feet shorter. Following at 960 feet are the four Carnival Spirit class and two ships each of the Costa Atlantica and Costa Luminosa classes. At 936 feet, or 29 feet short of Panamax are half a dozen Holland America ships, from the 2002-built Zuiderdam to this year’s Nieuw Amsterdam. Royal Caribbean’s five 915-foot "Vision" class ships (not including the now-lengthened Enchantment of the Seas) and the 921-foot Pride of America, complete the Panamax class above 900 feet.
Fully another forty ships follow at between 800 and 900 feet and Panamax beam, representing Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, NCL, P&O, TUI Cruises and at the lower end in terms of length, the ships of Aida Cruises (half a dozen at 817 feet), P&O Australia (three at 805-810 feet) and the Crystal Serenity at 820 feet.
There have been one or two exceptions to the maximum Panamax length of 965 feet. The laid-up s.s. United States, for example, was constructed in 1952 to be able to transit the Panama in an emergency, but her overall length is 990 feet. A couple of other ships to-day, the 990-foot Enchantment of the Seas, which was lengthened in 2005, gets around this as her bow was redesigned when she was lengthened to that it can be hinged up to bring her overall length down to 965 feet. The 970-foot Utopia, to be delivered in 2013, is the other.

The New Panama Canal
However ships may be classified today, the present Panamax definition will become redundant in five years when a third lane of locks is opened on the Panama. These new locks will allow ships of up to 1200 feet length overall by 167 feet in beam and up to 49.9 feet in draft to transit the canal. Essentially, this will allow most of the world cruise ship fleet to transit Panama.

There are sure to be some exceptions, however, as with the five largest units of the Royal Caribbean fleet their maximum width at the level of the bridge wings is 226 feet for the Oasis and Allure of the Seas and 184 feet for the Freedom class ships. This could leave the five Royal Caribbean ships as the last of the Capesize cruise ships, unable to use the new locks. How many other cruise ships might be affected is not yet clear.

 
Meanwhile, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 may be able to conduct her world cruises using the Panama Canal after 2015, although that is not yet clear. One factor, that might also affect other cruise ships, is the height of the Bridge of the Americas at the Pacific end of the canal, which has a clearance under the main span of 201 feet at high tide. By comparison, the clearance under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at the approach to New York is 228 feet, and Queen Mary 2 clears this bridge by only 13 feet.
This means she could be about fourteen feet too tall for the Panama Canal unless some height can be obtained from masts or her funnel, which was specifically designed to the maximum height to pass under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. By comparison the maximum height of the Queen Victoria is 179 feet from keel to top of the highest mast.

Handysize Ships
The next designation of cargo ships, called Handysize, carries all sorts of cargoes to and from ports all over the world, and again usually cargoes with higher values than either the Capesize or Panamax ships, including the likes of steel, project cargoes, copper, zinc and other valuable metals. Such ships are designed to maximum dimensions and maximum capacity to allow them to serve the vast majority of the world’s ports.

Within this grouping will be found all the traditional style cruise ships that we were used to until just a decade ago plus some new ships. Some examples of ships in this category, mostly ranging in the 600 and 700-foot overall length brackets, include the fleets of Azamara Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Phoenix Reisen, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, plus the most recent newbuildings of Seabourn and Silversea.

One point about all these fleets is that none of them do repetitive 7-day itineraries, which is the wont of the larger ships, and they offer itineraries worldwide that change according to the season, many of them never repeating an itinerary in a year.
A mixture of traditional and upmarket ships, the more traditional ones do not include many balconies but the newer middle-range ships such as the eight former Renaissance ships (now with Azamara, Oceania and Princess, with one to go to P&O soon as Adonia) offer a more discerning product. The new ships of Seabourn and Silversea, however, together with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa, serve the most discerning market of all with not only balconies but the best of on-board facilities.

These are indeed the finest cruise ships in the world, paying attention to every detail of service. They also cost more and attract a different clientele.

Small Ships
As well as the larger ships, there is a wide variety of small ships, ranging from the myriad of new river ships to the daily mail boat from Bergen to the North Cape to ships such as Cruise West’s Spirit of Oceanus, which now completes a globe-spanning world cruise of 335 days every year and a large fleet of expedition ships sailing to the Antarctic, the Amazon to Peru and the Northwest Passage, not to mention Alaska, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands.
But that, as they say, is another story for another day.

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Ultra-Luxury ships – Alaska In Retreat – Hapag-Lloyd’s Air Cruises and a Non-Stop Sailing – Cunard Joins The Overnight Stay Lines

Asia, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Lines, Hapag LLoyd, News, Positioning Voyages, Ship Reviews | Posted by cruisepeople
Mar 29 2010

by Mark Tre’ – “The Cruise Examiner”

This week, we look at initial reviews for Seabourn Odyssey while we await those for Silver Spirit, delivered more recently. As well, we have news of a retreat on Alaska’s head tax, air cruises and a one-time voyage from Singapore to Nice from Hapag-Lloyd and overnight stays for Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth.

STORY OF THE WEEK
Feedback for Seabourn Odyssey and Silver Spirit
So far, the Cruise Critic has accumulated a dozen reviews for Seabourn Odyssey, which has been in service since last summer, but just one so far for Silver Spirit, which has only been in service for three months.

Of the dozen for Seabourn Odyssey, five, or just under half, award the latest Seabourn ship five stars plus and three award five stars, accounting for three-quarters of the feedback so far. What is surprising, however, is that she has earned three scores of only four stars and one of just three. Review sites are notorious of course for producing complainers, but these account for a quarter of the reviewers. As the ship’s best reviews came from her initial Mediterranean cruises and the poorer reviews once she had moved over to the Caribbean, one must wonder about that as well.

The majority of the initial reviews were full of praise for Seabourn, something one would expect from a line whose followers are so steadfast in their praise and their loyalty. A number of reviewers, even critical ones, aid that they would return to Seabourn or bought future cruise reduction certificates on board, but it’s also worth looking at some of the disappointments.

One comment is that Seabourn Odyssey‘s standard suites have become quite narrow, at 9.5 feet, one reviewer describing them as “tunnel-like,” as the ship is much wider than the traditional Seabourn ship. Some complained that the service had suffered, something that hopefully Seabourn will overcome once the new ship is bedded in. This may take some time however as the second and third in the series are delivered. One peculiar observation made by a couple of reviewers was that the movement of Seabourn Odyssey made them feel seasick, but both these comments came in the Caribbean.
Overall, there is no question that the three new Seabourn ships will totally change the product. Instead of a trio of 212-berth yacht-like vessels that suffer from a genuine shortage of verandas, the new ships are each more than twice the size of the traditional Seabourn ships, and it is interesting to see the number of Regent clients who seem to be trying her out now that Seabourn has more or less joined the big ship league.

If Seabourn decides to keep the traditional ships as well as the new trio, it will have more than tripled its berth inventory in a very short period.

Silver Spirit has only received a single review so far at Cruise Critic. Although it only awarded four stars, such a sample is too small to be representative even if it was written by a travel professional. Further review will have to wait but one interesting observation is that this ship has television screens that appear and disappear into a mirror.
Meanwhile, there is no question that the new ships have brought Seabourn, and to some extent, arch-competitor Silversea into the next rung up in terms of size. Others have compared the new ships to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa, which has now been sailing for ten years with the world’s top cruise ship rating. The new ships also remind one of Royal Viking Line, whose initial trio of ships was limited to 550 passengers. Ironically, however, if one compares the new ships with Silversea’s last generation, Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper of 2000/01, the new ships actually have lower Passenger Space Ratios:

Ships of 610 to 650 feet were normal-size ocean liners in the past and the upmarket lines are trying to bring the exclusivity of the small ship experience into a larger platform. They will in all likelihood succeed, as they are now back to ship sizes that were common with the likes of Norwegian America Line and Swedish American Line in the past, as well as the newly-born Royal Viking Line of 1972. None of the latter survive to-day, but as the cruise market has now grown enough to support the four larger 40- to 60,000-ton ships of Crystal Cruises and Regent Seven Seas as well, this will now mean a fleet of a dozen large ultra-luxury ships sailing under five brands.

Whether all those brands will survive may be the next big question, but with lines such as Oceania and Azamara Club Cruises following close behind the trend is good that consumers will not be stuck with just mammoth ships carrying 5,000 and more people, as have been developing recently in the mass market. The likes of Seabourn, Silversea, Regent, Crystal and Ocean and Azamara will give people plenty of opportunities to trade up if they wish to escape the madding crowd.

THIS WEEK IN CRUISING
Alaska In Retreat
At Seatrade last week, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell and the cruise lines that are suing the state came to an agreement whereby the cruise lines will drop their suit if Alaska cuts back its head tax by 25%, from $46 to $37.50. Alaska will lose 140,000 passengers in 2010 because of this levy, which after another $4 to cover “ocean rangers” riding cruise ships, comes to $50 a head.

Governor Parnell was quoted as telling a luncheon meeting last Friday that “In an audience of thousands, I heard our state singled out for its costly fiscal and regulatory environment. No other jurisdiction has a head tax as high as ours.”

The present session of the Alaska state legislature ends April 18 and whether the new law can be passed by then is not yet known. Whenever it is passed, it will take immediate effect so the tax cuts would be felt right away.

In the last few months, it has been announced that more expensive ships such as  Crystal Symphony, Disney Wonder and Oceania‘s Regatta will be sailing into Alaska in 2011. But it will take some time before Alaska can see the sort of volumes it did in the past from the main market lines, who are now committing to their 2012 itineraries.

Meanwhile, while Alaska has been busy trying to extract more money from cruisers, Celebrity Cruises, who has been big there for some years, has committed to putting three “Solstice” class ships in Europe in 2011 and has recently confirmed that 40% of the line’s business now comes from outside the US. And Royal Caribbean is planning to deploy ten ships to Europe in 2011.

Hapag-Lloyd’s Air Cruises and a Non-Stop Sailing Singapore to Nice
In an innovative move for its German-speaking clients, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises have outfitted an Airbus 319 with 42 Club Class seats for a series of air cruises to points of interest. The plane, which has been named “Albert Ballin” after the inventor of cruising, will offer a variety of 3-, 12- and 21-day air cruises, with 3-day air cruises to Luxor and Marrakech, a 12-day itinerary to Hong Kong, a 21-day itinerary to the Silk Road. Other departures will take discerning travellers to South America and Australia. The first air cruise left Hamburg on January 27, 2010, using a Boeing 737 with 52 seats under command of Capt Erik Olsen and First Officer Sebastian Franz. In future, Hapag-Lloyd may consider using the aircraft to offer a special option to connect with cruises by its ships as well.

Hapag-Lloyd has meanwhile turned a problem into an opportunity, for some travellers at least. Their 420-guest five-star Europa has developed a problem in one of her four engines and three cruises that were part of her world cruise have had to be cancelled. Instead, she will be offering a real rarity, a non-stop liner voyage from Singapore to Nice, between May 4 and 21. The 17-night voyage with no stops is being offered from Euros 7,990 per person, with flight out to Singapore from Frankfurt, and there will be no single supplements. The voyage is to bring the ship back to Europe so that her defective engine can be replaced.

Cunard Joins The Overnight Stay Lines
With the delivery of the new Queen Elizabeth later this year, Cunard Line will join the ranks of cruises lines such as Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and Voyages to Antiquity who now include overnight stays to their cruise itineraries. With the fleet returning to three ships since the sale of  QE2, Cunard is taking the opportunity to add overnight stays at ports such as Venice, St Petersburg, New York and Amsterdam.

It is becoming an increasing mark of the quality lines that they are willing to allow their guests time in port overnight at interesting destinations so that they can enjoy the local cuisine and entertainment options rather than sailing at 6 PM and opening their casinos to all takers. Generally, the upmarket lines tend not to rely as much on board spend, which for more main market lines is now approaching 30% of their overall revenues.

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Not OASIS OF THE SEAS

Disney Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean | Posted by cruisepeople
Nov 02 2009

With 884 articles on Oasis of the Seas now listed in Google News, we have decided that we should not write the 885th.
With plenty of coverage for the new 225,282-ton Royal Caribbean behemoth, including a brief stop in the UK to disembark workers as she heads for Florida, we have decided to cover some other stories today.

This week we look at Southampton threatening Liverpool in the UK, Princess considering new ships, the Dutch introducing a new Antarctic ship and Disney introducing some really clever and novel ideas, that perhaps only they could get away with, while finally, Italy beats out Mexico as the world’s number one cruise destination.

Southampton protests Liverpool use of EU Funds
In the UK, Associated British Ports, owners of the Port of Southampton, are calling for an enquiry into the Port of Liverpool’s intention to open its new Pier Head cruise terminal as an embarkation port for cruises leaving the UK. At the moment, the Pier Head facility is used only as a port of call.

Southampton points out that £9 million out of the £20 million total cost of the new Liverpool cruise terminal came from EU assistance funds, whereas the Port of Southampton, with three cruise terminals, has been totally privately funded. It would therefore regard any move to install baggage, customs and immigration facilities needed to handle cruise ship departures to be unfair competition.

Almost 300 cruise ships called at Southampton last year compared to 16 at Liverpool, but if Liverpool were to attract just one line this could mean anything in the area of say 40 new calls to the northern port. Liverpool’s Pier Head terminal last made news on October 20 when Queen Mary 2 berthed there for the first time on a visit to the city which had once been Cunard Line headquarters and had seen the line’s first departures in 1840.

The Liverpool facility is run by Peel Ports, which owns the Mersey Docks & Harbour Company.

Newbuildings for Princess?
Recent reports indicating that a number of executives from Princess Cruises have met with Meyer Werft in Papenburg have followed by several months reports that Carnival Corp & PLC were considering ordering two Princess newbuildings from Mitsubishi.

The latest reports have of course caused new speculation as to when cruise ship orders might be placed again. Significantly, although plenty of new ships are now being delivered, no new cruise ship orders have been placed during the first ten months of 2009.

Princess president Alan Buckelew, however, has announced that the line has a new prototype design, which is based on a slightly longer version of Ruby Princess, a Fincantieri product. But Meyer Werft is not known as a Carnival yard, having been tied into first Celebrity, then Royal Caribbean and then Star, NCL and P&O for  Oriana and Aurora.
The Carnival connection lies mainly with Fincantieri and even if P&O had two ships built by Meyer Werft their newer P&O ships have come from Princess designs. As they say, stay tuned.

Antarctic Cruiser Plancius to be Named in Netherlands
On November 14, Oceanwide Expeditions will name its latest polar expedition ship Plancius. Following the recent entry into service of Lindblad’s 148-berth National Geographic Explorer (a former Norwegian coastal vessel), and Gap Adventures’ 120-berth Expedition (an ex-Baltic ferry),  Plancius is the third new conversion to have been added to the Antarctic expedition trade in the last year.

Built in 1976 as the Netherlands oceanographic research ship Tydemann,  Plancius as rebuilt can now accommodate 110 passengers in fifty-three cabins plus 36 crew.

The vessel will be named a week from Saturday by Carla Peijs, the Queen’s Commissioner for the province of Zeeland. She then departs for the Antarctic and leaves Ushuaia on her maiden voyage on January 8, 2010.

The ship is being named for the Dutch astronomer, mapmaker and geologist Petrus Plancius (1552 ­ 1622), who postulated the existence of a northern passage to Asia. His theory provoked several northern discovery voyages at the end of the 16th Century and a Dutch expedition under Willem Brantsz discovered Spitsbergen, but got stuck in the pack ice of Nova Zembla. To-day, that route is known as the Northeast Passage.

Interesting Features in New Disney Ships
Among the newbuilding projects now under way, last week Disney revealed some of the unique features the new 128,000ton Disney Dream will boast. These include a 765-foot long water coaster ride, to be called the AquaDuck, and “virtual portholes” in inside cabins, which fed by video cameras on the outside of the ship, interspersed occasionally with Disney characters.
While the latest Disney ship will join Carnival Dream and Norwegian Epic in the waterslide department, the Disney ship’s will be the longest afloat (Carnival’s is only 300 feet) and will be based on a two-person raft, propelled in some areas by waterjets. At one point near the stern the ride will go 13 feet beyond the edge of the ship at about 150 above the water, giving a bit of a thrill factor as well to the 90-second ride.

Bookings for Disney Dream open next week and her maiden voyage is scheduled to leave Port Canaveral on January 26, 2011. While on the subject of Disney, the company will return to Europe in 2010 with Disney Magic, which will operate a series of summer Baltic cruises from Dover as well as Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona between May and September.  Disney Magic was last in Europe in 2007.

Italy beats Mexico for Cruise Passengers
After many years of Mexico boasting to welcome the largest number of cruise ship passengers, with its combination of Pacific and Atlantic cruise ports and its proximity to the United States, Italy has now come to the fore. This news comes from John Tercek, vice president of commercial development at Royal Caribbean Cruises, speaking at the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association’s latest meeting in St Lucia.

His view is that Italy’s five home ports of Venice, Civitavecchia, Naples, Genoa and Savona, not to mention the number of calls cruise ships now make at Italian ports not only on the mainland but also in Sicily and Sardinia, now give Italy the advantage. As well, recent years have seen the development of year-round Mediterranean cruising by not only locals such as Costa, MSC and Louis but also by outsiders such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Meanwhile, the largest passenger ship ever built, Oasis of the Seas, will head out into the Atlantic after her brief stop at the Isle of Wight to offload her workers.
(Source: By Mark Tré – Cybercruises.com)

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Latest Developments in Cruising

Alaska Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Louis, MSC, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, South America | Posted by cruisepeople
Sep 21 2009

BRIC Cruising
Much has been made of the term BRIC, representing the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, and cruising development has also been taking place in these markets, most particularly in Brazil.
It is a little-known fact that the Brazilian cruising market is the equal of the burgeoning Spanish market. In 2008-09, for example, 520,000 cruisers left from Brazilian ports, including 445,000 Brazilians. This compares to a Spanish market count of 497,000 in 2008. During the 2009-10 season, 18 ships will be operating in the Brazilian market, offering over 900,000 berths.

As well as Costa and MSC, Pullmantur, and Louis send ships to Brazil during the Mediterranean winter to join other ships cruising for Holland America, Oceania, Princess and Royal Caribbean and the more upmarket ships of Crystal Cruises, Regent Seven Seas and Silversea Cruises. Royal Caribbean bases both  Splendour of the Seas and Vision of the Seas at Santos during the Brazilian season, which now lasts from October to May, while other ships come and go on cruises to and from Argentina, Chile and Florida.

 
In Russia, one might have expected to have cruise ships sailing from ports such as St Petersburg, Odessa and Vladivostok, but while more Russians have gone cruising, there is still no real Russian cruising fleet other than on its rivers. This is slightly surprising in a way as at one time the Soviet Union could boast the largest cruise fleet in the world, although much of it was admittedly aimed at raising much-needed hard currency in the west.

In India, Louis Cruise Lines last week announced that it will base its 1,200-berth Aquamarine in India starting this December, after her 2009 Aegean season. Based in Cochin, she will operate 3-night cruises Cochin-Maldives-Cochin and Cochin-Colombo-Cochin and well as 1-night cruises to nowhere.

Indian Ocean Cruise Line left the market last year and its 250-berth Ocean Odyssey, which operated between Goa and Cochin, has since been scrapped.

Star Cruises had also been active in the Indian market and has operated  Superstar Libra on short cruises from Mumbai to Goa in the past, while the newest addition is Aida, which will be turning some cruises at Cochin, as early as next month with  AidaCara.

In China, the growth has started, but the market is still a long way from being as developed as Brazil, or even Australia. Carnival Group member Costa Cruises was the first to enter the Chinese market in 2006 with its 1,000-berth Costa Allegra, adding the 1,697-berth Costa Classica just this April. Next June, the Costa Classica’s sister ship Costa Romantica will replace Costa Allegra, thus more than trebling the number of berths Costa operate in the Chinese market in not much more than one year.

Cruises leave Shanghai for Japan and Korea and from January 2010 from Hong Kong for Taiwan. Costa conducted three trial cruises to Taiwanese ports this spring. Other than Costa, a number of western companies is also active in river cruising on the Yangtse River, but these are primarily aimed at incoming travellers.

News from Elsewhere
Meanwhile, the Alaska Cruise Association, representing Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Silversea Cruises, finally announced on that it was going to sue the State of Alaska over the subject of the Alaska head tax, or at least $46 of this $50 levy, claiming it is unconstitutional.
No longer able to make money on the Alaska route, Holland America, NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean will reduce capacity to Alaska in 2010 by a total of 140,000 berths.
Meanwhile Crystal Cruises will return to Alaska in 2011, with e Crystal Symphony operating cruises from San Francisco, while Disney Cruise Line, on its first Alaska season, will introduce Disney Wonder from Vancouver. Both these lines tend to be higher priced than the usual mass market lines.
(Source: By Mark Tré – Cybercruises.com)

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It’s Cruising, Jim, But Not as We Know It – life on the 1,000-footers

Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Lines, MSC, News, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean | Posted by cruisepeople
Sep 25 2008

The first 100,000-tonners were introduced when Carnival Destiny was named in Venice in 1996, with Grand Princess following in 1997.
While the first 100,000-tonners brought real economies of scale to cruising they were not that different from the modern cruise ships that had preceded them.
A dozen years later, however, and there will soon be fifty ships of more than 100,000 tons.
But now, for the first time since the two original Queens and  Normandie and France, ships are being built to exceed 1,000 feet (305 metres). With the arrival of these 1,000-footers, the whole nature of cruising is about to change in a major way.
It began in 1999, when Royal Caribbean’s 1,020-foot Voyager of the Seas brought us a Royal Promenade, rock climbing and and ice skating. And recently, the trade has been deluged with news and images of the next generation of 1,000-footers, Royal Caribbean’s 1,181-foot Genesis Class, NCL’s 1,120-foot F3′s, MSC’s 1,092-foot Fantasias and Celebrity’s 1,033-foot Solstices.
Twenty-four ships will soon form a new class that will be far different from the ships we have known so far.
The Genesis Class – Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas
The 1,020-foot Voyager class of five ships built between 1999 and 2003 were followed by three 1,112-foot Freedom class between 2006 and 2008, one of which,  Independence of the Seas, was based in Southampton this summer.
The Freedoms, a lengthened version of the Voyagers, upped the lower berth count from 3,100 to 3,600 and brought us the first FloRider surfing machines and boxing rings as well as rock climbing and ice skating. Plus a 445-foot long shopping, dining and entertainment boulevard.
But the new Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will be of a different order completely. Not only will they include the tree-lined Central Park area with 668 passengers enjoying inward views, but they will have the first amphitheatres at sea, called the AquaTheatre, at the stern end of the Royal Promenade, and 28 two-level Loft Suites high up in the ship.
The AquaTheatre pool area will be encircled by sun loungers by day and at night will become a stage for acrobatics, synchronized swimming, high diving and fountain displays.
The Loft Suites will be the highest accommodation at sea and will include floor-to-ceiling windows to emphasize the views. Each loft suite, measuring 545 square feet, will be decorated with modern art and will feature a veranda with stunning views.
NCL’s F3 Class
The first announcement on the F3′s was about its New Wave.Staterooms, with wavy walls And the latest NCL concepts include a champagne welcome as well as lobster twice a week and every night in the alternative restaurants.
As well as the additional levies for dining in the alternative restaurants, NCL seem to have come up with another way of making some on board revenue – charging admission to other venues.
Recent news is about lounges, bars and night clubs. The F3′s won’t have massive void spaces and rooms only used for one thing like the massive show lounges that sit empty twenty hours a day except for rehearsals. Each night club space will have multiple uses – sunning, bowling, dining and, of course, hip night club ambience. Here’s what NCL has in store:
The Ice Bar, a chill out and chat up venue inspired by the original ice bars and ice hotels of Scandinavia. In this frozen chamber of iced vodka the centrepiece will be a giant ice cube that glows and changes colours.
Ice Bar will accommodate 25 guests who will be given fur coats, gloves and hats as the room’s temperature will not rise above -8 degrees Celsius. To enter, visitors will pay a cover charge although NCL says it has not yet determined the price.
The members-only POSH Beach Club – With a Miami South Beach vibe by day and night the venue will include four unique cover charge experiences: (1) POSH Vive, from 6 to 9 am, when people can partake in yoga classes and treatments in private cabanas. (2) POSH Rehab till noon, with guests relaxing and recovering from a hard night with Bloody Marys and chill out music. (3) POSH Sol, from noon till 6 pm, when passengers  can lounge on day beds and enjoy a beach-themed atmosphere. (4) Pure POSH, echoing the Las Vegas nightclub at Caesar’s Palace, guests will drink and dance under the stars.
Halo, the Uber Bar, where garden and courtyard villa guests have exclusive access, although other guests will be able to pay a cover charge.
This bar sits on top of the ship on Deck 16 and will showcase art and jewelry (modeled by servers), which will of course be available for purchase.
Bliss Ultra Lounge and Nightclub. Already popular on Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Pearl, this bowling alley by day hot bed club by night will also feature on board the new F3 ships.
The Spice H2O will be an aft tiered pool complex for adults only. Like the POSH club, Spice will feature four unique experiences. A screen over the pool will provide a smaller version of RCCL’s AquaTheatre.
With all-day-long music and a huge video screen, different themes will prevail: (1) Sunny Spice from 8 am to 11 am, including spicy drinks and breakfast. (2) daytime Aqua Spice with sun and water and Chinese take-aways. (3) evening Sunset Spice, with a perfect sunset every day (4) All Spice at night, offering a show of aqua ballet and dancing.
Charges haven’t yet been announced for each venue, but NCL says it will offer a "Beyond the Velvet Rope" package for all clubs. 

As of this writing there is a dispute between the French shipyard and NCL so there is some question as to whether these vessels will be built.

MSC Fantasia
MSC’s contribution to this wave of change is not only its European on board atmosphere on board, enlarging industry choice, but with its MSC Fantasia and her sister, a new Yacht Club concept.that will include Butler service in the best suites on the ship.
The largest ship ever built for a European cruise line, MSC Fantasia will be the first to have an exclusive VIP area with 99 suites, a bar, solarium, two hydro-massage pools, a skydome swimming pool, a reserved observation lounge with bar, concierge and an observation lounge forward where huge clear glass windows will provide passengers with amazing forward views.
A forward view is now something that a lot of ships don’t offer as their owners’ concentrate on trying to get passengers to increase their on board spend.
Disney’s New Ships
Although not due for delivery until 2011 and 2012, the artist’s impressions of these two ships show a development of the present Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, but with two more decks.
While Disney have extended its terminal lease at Cape Canaveral to 2022, the new ships can also be expected to introduce new itineraries, possibly once more from Marseilles in connection with Disneyland Paris or from Los Angeles with Disneyland Anaheim, or even from Tokyo in connection with Disneyland Tokyo.
No further details have yet been announced but they will be 1,082 feet long.
Celebrity Solstice
The grass is greener on Celebrity as it introduces what it calls its Lawn Club, a half-acre country club-style venue featuring real grass on the top decks and a lounge called the Patio on the Lawn for those who enjoy quiet. Activities will include lawn bowling and a putting green,
Elsewhere, the ship will have its own new Aqua class, where, along with a Solarium and Persian Garden, guests will have access to the Aqua Spa included in their package, complete with assigned seating in their own dining room called Blu and an AquaSpa Cafe.
Carnival, Costa and Princess
Of the twenty-four 1,000-footers, only three will belong to the Carnival Corp: RMS Queen Mary 2 and the new Carnival Dream and Carnival Wonder, However, the rest of the world’s 100,000-tonners, which number twenty-six ships of between 892 and 952 feet in length, are owned by Carnival, Costa and Princess. Mickey Arison was once quoted when asked about RCCL’s huge new ships, "we’re comfortable with our size of ships," and Bob Dickinson, then Carnival president, responded "we’re not in an arms race."
Carnival Cruise Line’s biggest and newest ship, the 130,000-ton 1,004-foot Carnival Dream, due to enter service in September 2009, will be the first to join the 1,000-footers club.
Originally reported at 982 feet but now longer, she will cruise year-round from Cape Canaveral. Her claim to innovation will be a new entertainment concept called The Piazza, an indoor/outdoor café and live music venue.
However, in a fascinating quotation from a recent release, it seems that unlike RCCL and NCL who are going for more bells and whistles, Carnival is going more traditional.
"Carnival Dream will take the traditional cruise ship promenade to new heights with a half-mile, open-air promenade encircling the ship on Promenade Deck 5. Here, guests can take a stroll while enjoying spectacular ocean vistas, read a book, or just take in the sun from one of the many deck chairs that will line this unique open deck area."
This sounds very unlike Carnival, whose Carnival Destiny, the first 100,000-tonner, had promenades with just two doors and no deck chairs at all.
Where The Market is Going
While RCCL have been heading the parade on hardware features, NCL has concentrated more on software, adding greater choice of venues.
RCCL’s Royal Parade, rock climbing, ice skating, boxing and surfing venues will compete with NCL’s array of clubs and restaurants, both attracting a much younger cruiser.
Meanwhile, RCCL, with its Loft Suites, NCL, with its Uber Bar, and MSC, with its Yacht Club, are all inventing a new class system in an effort to retain their higher-spending clientele as well.
Traditionalists will probably look in on these ships and go back to where they were, while younger first-time cruisers, the future lifeblood of the industry, will return, meaning more new customers.
And the lines hope to please families as well.
RCCL’s activities particularly are attractive to both the younger market and the family market – who will get the rock-climbing wall? The 17-year-old or the 30-year-old? At least we know there will be multiple routes.
Meanwhile, it is interesting that Carnival is not part of this sea change and in fact even seems to be getting a little more traditional in its approach.
But it is also interesting that, with its concentration on brands rather than gimmicks, Carnival remains the most profitable cruise organization in the world.

 

(Source: By Mark Tré – Cybercruises.com)

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New Caribbean Itineraries for Disney in ’09

Caribbean, Disney Cruise Lines, News | Posted by cruisepeople
Dec 05 2007

shipdisney.jpg

Disney Cruise Line has announced two new eastern Caribbean itineraries for 2009 — giving you more choices than ever before to explore the  islands of the Caribbean. Beginning in 2009, St. Croix will be a featured stop on one new seven-night itinerary, and Tortola will be featured on another seven-night itinerary.

Both islands are new to Disney Cruise Line,  increasing the seven-night Caribbean choices in Disney Magic to four itineraries.  All 2009 sailings are open for bookings.

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Autumn Positioning Voyages

Atlantic Crossing, Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, MSC, Norwegian Coastal Voyages, Orient Cruise Lines, Positioning Voyages, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, SeaDream Yacht Club, Seabourn Cruises, Silversea | Posted by cruisepeople
Aug 02 2007

Once upon a time, an ocean voyage was “the only way to cross.” To-day, with other much quicker options for travel available, more and more travellers are nevertheless choosing the unique pleasures of an ocean crossing or leisurely one-way voyage from continent to continent by cruise ship instead.

This year, no fewer than 15 of CLIA’s 24 member lines will offer autumn transatlantic or Pacific ocean voyages on more than 50 ships ranging in size from intimately small to extra-large. Combining leisurely, pampered days at sea, the itineraries range from two days to more than two weeks and feature ports of call in Europe and the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, Asia, the islands of the Pacific, in some cases even Iceland, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. While most conclude in U.S. or Caribbean ports, others find their way to South America, even Japan and China. Whatever the itinerary, they all recall a bygone elegant era of ocean liner travel and offer all the amenities and shipboard activities, including enrichment programmes and top-quality entertainment, found on shorter voyages.

For the most part, these voyages are “repositioning” cruises, as cruise companies move their fleets from summer seasons in Europe, Alaska and Canada to winter seasons in the Caribbean, Mexico and elsewhere. These unique voyages typically represent a terrific cruise value. The significant increase in the number of ships being moved around reflects the continued “globalization” of cruising, with travellers constantly seeking new experiences throughout the world and lines responding with new itineraries outside the ever-popular destinations closer to home.

Following is a summary of CLIA member lines’ autumnl repositioning cruises:

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES
Passengers are welcomed aboard Carnival Freedom on October 28 for two days in Rome before sailing through the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic Ocean to Miami. After Rome, the 14-day voyage includes a visit to Livorno for travellers to explore Tuscany, Pisa, Lucca or Florence, and then, after a “Fun Day” at sea, a stop in Malaga, Spain, another day at sea, and a call on Funchal, in Madeira, before seven more “Fun Days” at sea and arrival in Miami. Carnival winds up its Alaska summer season by repositioning Carnival Spirit to the Hawaiian Islands. Departing from Vancouver on September 19, the 12-day crossing includes five “Fun Days” at sea and visits to Kona, Kauai, Hilo and Maui before arriving in Honolulu.

CELEBRITY CRUISES
Constellation will cross the Atlantic on a 12-night voyage departing England for Cape Liberty on September 15. Millennium crosses from Barcelona December 2 on a 14-night crossing to Fort Lauderdale; Century makes a 17-night crossing from Barcelona to Miami on December 3, and Galaxy travels from Barcelona to San Juan departing December 8, with stops in North Africa, the Canary Islands, Barbados, Antiqua, and St. Maarten. Celebrity’s Summit departs from Vancouver on September 14 on a 14-night “Ultimate Alaska” cruise to San Diego. Stops include the Ketchikan, Skagway, the Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Victoria, Astoria, San Francisco and Catalina Island.

COSTA CRUISES
Five ships head west this autumn after a European summer, all departing from Savona, Italy. Costa Fortuna sails to the Dominican Republic on a 15-night journey departing November 2; Costa Victoria stops in Spain, Portugal and Cape Verde during a 18-night crossing to Brazil departing on November 25; Costa Magica includes Spain, Great Britain and Cape Verde in an 18-night sailing to Brazil starting on November 26; Costa Mediterranea leaves November 29 for a 16-night crossing to the Bahamas that features Spain, Morocco, Barbados and Antigua; and Costa Classica’s 17-night voyage to Brazil leaving December 3 includes stops in Spain and Portugal.

CRYSTAL CRUISES
Crystal Symphony features a film and theater festival during its 14-day “Viking Passage” transatlantic crossing fromEngland to New York. Departing August 31, the cruise features stops in Dublin and Belfast, Ireland; Reykjavik, Iceland; Nuuk, Greenland and Halifax, Nova Scotia. On November 9, Crystal Serenity leaves from Lisbon on a 10-day crossing that features Ponta Delgada in The Azores and Bermuda as well as “Big Band” music before arriving in Miami.

CUNARD LINE
Cunard Line has been offering transatlantic ocean liner service longer than any other existing cruise line – since the 1840’s to be precise – and to-day is the only company to feature regularly scheduled crossings. Cunard’s newest “queen,” RMS Queen Mary 2, sails between Southampton and New York on six- and seven-day cruises, occasionally making an eight-day voyage between Hamburg and New York, with a stop in Southampton as well. Devotees of transatlantic cruises might also keep an eye out for Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 which occasionally “crosses the pond” as well.

DISNEY CRUISE LINE
One of the newest entries in the repositioning/transatlantic market, Disney Cruise Line will bring Disney Magic home to Port Canaveral on August 18 after a summer of offering European cruises. Departing from Barcelona, the ship will call on Gibraltar and Cadiz in Spain before heading west for a stop in the Canary Islands. Before arriving in Florida after six days at sea, Magic will spend a day on Disney’s own island, Castaway Cay.

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE
Another of the cruise industry’s most venerable transatlantic companies, Holland America Line brings four ships home from Europe this fall with 15- to 21-day cruises. ms Veendam departs Copenhagen on August 22 for New York; ms Westerdam leaves from Rome on October 5 for Fort Lauderdale; ms Rotterdam sails from Lisbon for Rio de Janeiro on November 1; and ms Prinsendam journeys from Rome (Civitavecchia) to Fort Lauderdale on November 3. At the end of its Alaska season, Holland America moves five ships – Zaandam, Volendam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam and Ryndam – south along the Pacific Coast, offering three- to five day trips departing from Vancouver between September 26 and October 7.

MSC CRUISES MSC
offers four fall transatlantic repositioning cruises this year. On November 5, MSC Opera departs from Italy on an 18-day crossing to Tunisia, Spain and Brazil. MSC Lirica leaves Italy November 17 for Spain, Morocco, Barbados, Grenada, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Florida. MSC Sinfonia’s November 19 crossing from Italy to Argentina features France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil and the Canary Islands. And MSC Armonia offers an 18-day crossing departing December 1 that includes Croatia, Tunisia, Spain and Morocco before arriving in Brazil.

NORWEGIAN COASTAL VOYAGE
MS Fram, NCV’s newest and most luxurious ship, will make one of the longest repositioning voyages in the industry, from Iceland to the Antarctic. The ship departs September 18 from Reykjavik and will spend 67days visiting 44 ports in 17 countries on four continents before arriving in Ushuaia, Argentina on November 23. Among the highlights: Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, the eastern U.S., the western Caribbean, Panama Canal, the west coast of South America, the fjords of Chile and the waters of the South Pole.

ORIENT LINES
Orient Lines’ Marco Polo returns to the Americas in grand style, with a 39-day “CruiseTour” departing November 5 that begins in Rome and concludes in Buenos Aires. Also sold in 31-day and 36-day segments, the voyage encompasses much of the Mediterranean Riviera, Palma de Majorca, Barcelona and Malaga, Spain; Casablanca and Agadir in Morocco; the Canary Islands; the Cape Verde islands; Rio de Janeiro and three other ports in Brazil (Fortaleza, Salvador de Bahia and Itajai), and Punta del Este and Montevideo in Uruguay.

PRINCESS CRUISES
Emerald Princess sails on a 17-day, 8-port cruise departing from Venice on October 8 to Fort Lauderdale. Sea Princess leaves London on October 13 for a 14-day crossing to Barbados. Royal Princess sets off from Rome November 28 for Fort Lauderdale on a 24-day cruise and Star Princess offers a 17-day, 9-port sailing between Rome and Fort Lauderdale embarking December 3. On the West Coast, Princess offers a series of two- to six-day “Coastal Sampler” voyages in Diamond Princess, Island Princess, Golden Princess and Coral Princess from Vancouver to San Francisco or Los Angeles between September 15 and September 24. Pacific Princess will make a nine-day cruise from Vancouver to Honolulu, departing September 12, and Sapphire Princess sails from Anchorage on September 15, arriving in Beijing 15 days later.

REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES
Roaming the world is Regent Seven Seas’ specialty and, after a summer season in Alaska, the company’s Seven Seas Mariner heads west across the North Pacific. Departing from Seward on September 12, the ship’s 13-night itinerary includes Kodiak, the Kamchatka Peninsula, Hakodate, Sendai and Yokohama before ending the cruise in Osaka. The voyage also features six glorious days at sea.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL
Jewel of the Seas leaves Southampton October 30 on a 12-night trip to Fort Lauderdale. Brilliance of the Seas sails December 2 for Miami from Barcelona. Splendour of the Seas heads southwest from Lisbon on December 4, arriving in Santos, Brazil 14-nights later. Voyager of the Seas heads west from Barcelona on December 8 on a 15-night voyage to Galveston. Heading south from Alaska in September are Radiance of The Seas, on a 14-night cruise departing from Vancouver September 14 to Los Angeles;  Vision of The Seas – nine nights from Vancouver to Los Angeles departing September 21; and Serenade of The Seas, sailing from Vancouver on September 22 on a 13-night voyage to San Diego.

SEABOURN CRUISE LINE
As part of their year-long global wanderings, two Seabourn vessels cross the Atlantic this fall enroute to winter cruising grounds. On September 18, Seabourn Pride departs from Dover, England for an 11-day sailing to Gloucester, Massachusetts. In addition to being at sea for seven days, the ship makes calls on St. John’s, Newfoundland; Halifax, Nova Scotia and Bar Harbor, Maine. On November 7, Seabourn Legend sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal on a 14-day crossing to Fort Lauderdale. Madeira and the Canary Islands are visited before nine days at sea.

SEADREAM YACHT CLUB
SeaDream puts the emphasis on “ocean crossing” on two fall repositioning itineraries this year. SeaDream II leaves from the Canary Islands on November 3 on a 12-day sailing to Miami with ten days on the Atlantic. On November 17, SeaDream I sets sail from Lisbon enroute to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Other than a call in Madeira, this 11-day voyage features nine days at sea.

SILVERSEA CRUISES
On October 2, Silver Shadow slips out of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands for a 15-day transatlantic repositioning to Bridgetown, Barbados. In addition to eight full days at sea, the itinerary includes two other ports in the Canaries – Tenerife and Arrecife – as well as Dakar, Senegal; Porto Grande in the Cape Verde Islands and the Caribbean islands of Grenada and Bequia. Travellers wishing a little longer voyage are able to join the ship in Lisbon on September 23 for the nine-day crossing to the Canary Islands, with stops in Spain, Morocco and Madeira on the way.

The Cruise People, Ltd. on 1-800-268-6523 has information on all these sailings.

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Disney Cruise Line Finalizes Contract for Newbuilds

Disney Cruise Lines, News | Posted by cruisepeople
May 17 2007

Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin and Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft shipyard of Papenburg, Germany, signed the contract in front of several hundred cheering cast members at a Disney Cruise Line cast gathering this morning.

“This is an exciting time at Disney Cruise Line, and we are looking forward to working with Meyer Werft to build two new innovative ships that will take our immersive (??) family-focused cruise experience to an entirely new level,”  Mr. McAlpin said.

Plans to add two 124,000-ton ships to the fleet were announced in February when executives signed a letter of intent to negotiate a construction contract with Meyer Werft.

Scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012, the ships will more than double the passenger capacity for Disney Cruise Line to meet the sustained demand for Disney’s family cruise holidays..

The new ocean liners will be significantly larger than the existing 83,000-ton ships, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder with 1,250 staterooms each. Both ships will be built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Disney Cruise Line was established in 1998. From a theatre featuring live musical spectaculars to a luxurious spa for adults and nearly an entire deck dedicated to children’s activities, the ships truly offer something for everyone.

Similar to the original Disney Cruise Line ships, the new ships will be modern interpretations of classic ocean liners of the 1930s. Disney designers drew their inspiration from the original trans-Atlantic ships that featured a dramatic black hull with two funnels and porthole. The profile of the ships, with gentle curves at the stern combined with sleek angles at the bow, is reminiscent of the art deco designs of the era. To add whimsy to the classic design, the Disney ships feature the same exterior colours as Mickey Mouse, with a black, white, red and yellow palette. The new ships will feature elegant, detailed Disney scrollwork at the bow and evoke images of the glamour of the golden age of cruising.

Disney Cruise Line, which traditionally offers 3-, 4- and 7-night Caribbean cruises, has enjoyed strong demand for new itineraries. Trips to the Mediterranean and to the West Coast have recently set booking records within the company.

“Expanding our fleet will give us the flexibility to offer a variety of itineraries in the future,” Mr. McAlpin said. “We are looking forward to taking our guests on new adventures to different parts of the world with Disney Cruise Line.”

To learn more about Disney Cruise Line or to book a vacation, contact The Cruise People on 1-800-268-6523

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