Miami Lands Yet Another Cruise Line – Other Cruise News: About Cruise Ship Safety – Norwegian Dream Returns To Service In Asia

          THE CRUISE EXAMINER at Cybercruises.com

          by Kevin Griffin

     The Cruise Examiner for 30th April 2012

With the confirmation last week that MSC Cruises would be moving from Fort Lauderdale’s port of Port Everglades to the Port of Miami in November 2013, Miami has added yet another cruise line to its recent list of conquests. These include not only the more upmarket Celebrity and Regent, always regarded in the past as Fort Lauderdale lines, but also Crystal and Cunard Line, who made the move to Miami earlier. Elsewhere, the European Cruise Commission and Cruise Lines International made three more proposals towards cruise ship safety at a conference in Brussels last week. And the Norwegian Dream, a ship that has been laid for the past three and a half years, is soon to go back into service with Star Cruises, possibly in China.

THIS WEEK’S STORY                                          (See previous columns)

Wonderful Opportunity To Sail Between Australia and Europe via the Suez Canal – But Sailings Limited To Only Four Per Year

Photo of “Conti Anping” © northtec at MarineTraffic.com

Only four voyages a year are scheduled, with a departure every 91 days: Tilbury – Hamburg – Rotterdam – Le Havre – Genoa – Damietta- Suez Canal – Fremantle  – Melbourne – Sydney – Melbourne – Adelaide – Singapore – Port Kelang – Chennai – Colombo -Suez Canal – Damietta – Malta – Genoa – Tilbury

Available Accommodations: One Owners Cabin, 320 sq ft (€95 per person per day, €110 per day for sole use), two Double Cabins, 290 sq ft  (€85 per person per day, €100 per day for sole use) and a Single cabin, 210 sq ft (€85 per day). Port charges €105 and deviation insurance €160 per person extra.

This 53,682 dwt ton vessel was built in 2006 and carries a maximum of seven passengers. Book now in order to get space!

For further details please call Miri Lopusna at The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk.

Richard Fain Named to UK Travel Hall of Fame – Other Cruise News: Viking Ocean Cruises Order Goes To Fincantieri – Does Princess Cruises Listen To Its Passengers?

          THE CRUISE EXAMINER at Cybercruises.com

          by Kevin Griffin

     The Cruise Examiner for 23rd April 2012

Royal Caribbean Cruises chairman and ceo Richard Fain was inducted into the British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame last week. As an executive, he spent thirteen years in London with the Norwegian shipping company Gotaas-Larsen, an early one-third shareholder in Royal Caribbean and owner of Eastern Cruise Lines. In Miami since 1988, Fain has been involved with Royal Caribbean for thirty-three years and at its head for almost twenty-five. His biggest regret must be having lost to Carnival a decade ago in his attempt to take over P&O and Princess Cruises. But his success in expanding Royal Caribbean worldwide into half a dozen brands and building the world’s largest cruise ships must far outweigh that set-back. Elsewhere, Viking Ocean Cruises have moved from France to Italy to build their two, option three, new oceangoing cruise ships, which will be slightly larger, at 998 berths and delivered slightly later. Finally, two Panamanian fishermen died in the Pacific last month because the master of the Star Princess was not informed that their small fishing boat was in trouble after some of his passengers reported their plight to a crew member. One has to ask, does Princess Cruises listen to its passengers?

THIS WEEK’S STORY                                          (See previous columns)

Oceania Announces Youth Program For Regatta To Alaska In 2012

Oceania's Regatta caught in a great mood shot by Aaron Saunders on sailing day from Vancouver. Photo © Aaron Saunders 2011

In what used to be a market that revolved around seniors, Oceania Cruises is introducing a youth program on board its Regatta sailing from Vancouver to Alasks this summer, to be called Alaskan Explorer

The Alaskan Explorer Youth Program is designed for two groups of children ages five to eight and nine to thirteen. Children under the age of five will not be eligible to participate.

Hours of operation:

o Sea Days – 09:30 – 12:00; 2 pm – 5 pm;  7:30 pm – 10:30 pm
o Port Days – 09:30 – 11:30; 3 pm – 5 pm; 7:30p m – 10:30 pm

An orientation meeting will be held the first day out.  Children must be registered to participate in program activities and will be signed up at the orientation meeting. Parents must remain on board while child is in the program.

Activities will be varied and may include pizza making and cookie baking and decorating with the chef, a back stage tour with the cruise director, kids karaoke, youth-oriented sports activities, destination-related scavenger hunts, arts and crafts projects, outdoor games, prize bingo and other activities created by Oceania’s professional counselors.

Special dinners will also be organized in Terrace Café or Waves Grill, as will special movie nights.

For further details on any Oceania Cruises program please call Gay Scruton at The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk.

Scenes From Edward Packard’s North Atlantic Crossing in the Container Ship Independent Accord, August 5-16, 2011

A calm summer day on the way to America on board the Independent Accord, August 14, 2011

For those interested in travel by container ship, Independent Container Line offers a weekly Transatlantic service between Antwerp and Liverpool on the European side of the Atlantic and Chester PA and Wilmington NC on the North American side.

From his crossing in the Independent Accord last August, client Edward Packard has sent us a slide show of some great images that can be accessed here: -  Trans-Atlantic crossing on the Independent Accord, 5-16 August 2011.

As well as booking passengers on Cunard Line’s renowned Queen Mary 2, The Cruise People offer cargo ship crossings between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean and the Great Lakes, Montreal, the US East and Gulf Coasts and the Caribbean as well as South America. Further details on our North Atlantic cargo ship routes can be found here: -  Trans-Atlantic Passenger Service by Sea 2012-13.

For further details on container ship voyages please call Miri Lopusna at The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk but be warned that summer space is at a premium.

Trans-Atlantic Passenger Service by Sea 2012-13

Columbus 2 Enters Service April 17 – Other Cruise News: More Details Released For Europa 2 – Saga Sapphire Breaks Down on Delayed Maiden Voyage

          THE CRUISE EXAMINER at Cybercruises.com

          by Kevin Griffin

     The Cruise Examiner for 16th April 2012

The casino on Oceania Cruises’ Insignia has been converted into the Martinis Lounge in her new guise with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises as Columbus 2. Note the banquettes where slot machines once stood and the dance floor replacing the former roulette and blackjack tables.

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Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ latest vessel, the 698-berth Columbus 2, arrived at Palma de Mallorca this morning after the second of two pre-inaugural cruises before she is renamed in Palma tomorrow. Operating until now as Oceania Cruises’ Insignia, she will replace the 420-berth Columbus, which goes to Plantours & Partner of Bremen next month as ms Hamburg. During the cruise, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises also chose to reveal further details of their latest newbuilding, Europa 2, now under construction at St Nazaire. Meanwhile, an earlier Europa, that of 1981, now operating as Saga Sapphire, has suffered not only a delayed maiden voyage but also an engine breakdown on the delayed cruise and passengers are being flown back today from Valencia, where she is undergoing engine repairs.

THIS WEEK’S STORY                                          (See previous columns)

Hapag-Lloyd’s Columbus 2 Prepares To Make Her Maiden Voyage

As agents for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises,  a few of us lucky types from around the world have been invited to spend the weekend on board the 698-passenger Columbus 2 as she sails from Palma to Menorca and back for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ annual partner event. Next Tuesday, April 17, she will be christened by Carmen Riu Güell, chair of Riu Hotels and Resorts, who will perform the age-old honour before she sets out on her maiden voyage, a 12-night Mediterranean cruise that will include Formentera, Barcelona, Ibiza, Menorca, Monte Carlo, Corsica, Civitavecchia for Rome, Sardinia and Sicily before finishing in Valletta, Malta.

The newly-renamed Columbus 2, until now operating as Oceania Cruises’ Insignia,will be under the command of Capt Jörn Gottschalk, previously master of the Columbus and before that officer on the Hanseatic  and Hapag-Lloyd’s last two Europa’s.

Further reports will follow but anyone wanting to know more about Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and its fabulous product in the meantime can call Gay Scruton at The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk

New Mega Yacht Variety Voyager To Cruise From Nice This Summer

Variety Cruises’ new 223-foot Variety Voyager, a newly-built 36-cabin mega yacht, will accommodate up to 72 passengers onn her cruises from Nice this summer.

Her sleek lines and ample deck space give her the feel of a luxurious yacht and she is furnished with warm fabrics, rich marble and wood panelling. Throughout you will find unobstructed views, while a professional crew of 28 will ensure impeccable service.

Ranging in size from 170 to 216 square feet, the cabins are arranged over three decks, all with en-suite marble bathrooms, individually-controlled air conditioning, minibar, safety deposit box, 24 hour WIFI internet access, flat screen television and DVD player. Bathrobes and deluxe toiletries are provided. Cabins on the Marina deck have two oversized portholes and cabins on the Main and Horizon decks feature large windows.

Variety Voyager‘s finely decorated public areas are very spacious. The main lounge offers comfortable seating with an internet and library area. The dining room seats all passengers at one sitting and has floor to ceiling windows, extending to the adjacent open deck, where meals can be taken al fresco.

The large Sun deck has Balinese beds and sun loungers, as well as the Horizon Bar & Lounge, which offers shaded seating and music in the evening. There is also a small spa with sauna, fitness equipment, massage, hair and beauty services.

The Variety Voyager‘s 7-night “Romancing the Mediterranean” cruise this summer will start and end in Nice, visiting the Cote d’Azur, St Tropez, Monte Carlo, the Italian Riviera, Elba and Corsica, with a departure from Nice every Saturday July 14 through August 25, 2012. Nice can be reached from the UK by Eurostar and TGV on the same day.

These will be followed in the autumn by 7-night “Treasures of South Italy & Malta” cruises that start and end in Salerno, navigating Sicily and the islands of Capri, Lipari and Malta, with a departure from Salerno every Saturday September 5 through October 13, 2012. Salerno also has a regular weekl;y connection from Southampton by Grimaldi Lines, with arrivals on Fridays.

For further details please call The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk.

Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa 2 Will Be A Stunner – Other Cruise News: Princess Plans Japan Season – Azamara Quest Incident Well Handled

          THE CRUISE EXAMINER at Cybercruises.com

          by Kevin Griffin

     The Cruise Examiner for 2nd April 2012

The illustrations released last week for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa 2 show a vessel that will be decorated in the fashion of the former “ships of state,” the majestic ocean liners that used to ply the North Atlantic.  The French restaurant Tarragon (above) is a stunning room, reminiscent of an earlier era of ocean liner design. And the ship’s Elements Asian restaurantbrings back memories of the Cathay Lounge on Canadian Pacific’s Empress of Britain of 1931 (see our last post below) .  Elsewhere, Princess Cruises will use its Australian-based Sun Princess to run a three-month cruise season in Japan next year. And Azamara Club Cruises leaves no room for a press looking for bad news in its exemplary handling of the fire on board Azamara Quest last week.

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THIS WEEK’S STORY                                          (See previous columns)