Oriana To Leave P&O Fleet In August 2019 – Other Cruise News: First Cruise Ship To Visit Great Yarmouth – AmaMagna Preview

THE CRUISE EXAMINER AT CYBERCRUISES.COM BY KEVIN GRIFFIN

The Cruise Examiner for 2nd July 2018

The 450-berth Seabourn Quest became the first cruise ship to call on Great Yarmouth on June 30

Last week it was announced that after a career of twenty-four years with P&O, the 1995-built Oriana would be leaving the fleet in 2019 , possibly to cruise in Chinese waters. Elsewhere, Great Yarmouth has been added to the roster of UK cruise ports with the arrival of Seabourn as its first cruise line and the Seabourn Quest as its first cruise ship on June 30. Finally, we have an advance view of the double-width river cruiser AmaMagna on the Danube.

FOR THIS WEEK’S STORY                                                                                                     (See previous columns)

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Last Minute Cabins On ACL’s Atlantic Sun – Hamburg July 15, Antwerp July 18 & Liverpool July 21 To Halifax, New York & Baltimore

ACL’s 100,430-ton Atlantic Sun carries 12 passengers in an Owners Cabin and five Twin cabins

The following last-minute notice has been received from Grimaldi Lines’ passenger office  in Naples: “We are able to offer 6 cabins, 5 DE 1 EM, from Northern Europe (Hamburg July 15th, Antwerp July 18th, Liverpool July 21st) to Halifax / Baltimore / Newark.” Further details on this new service can be found by clicking here.

The 12 passengers on the ACL ships dine with the officers

Passenger fares from any  port in Europe to Canada are €750 per person or €1,050 for sole occupancy (Owners cabin €1,300pp / 1,800 sole use) and from Europe to the USA €980 per person or €1,300 for sole occupancy (Owners cabin €1,500pp / 2,100 sole use). There is also a €70 per person booking fee. Owners cabin has separate lounge and double bedroom, twin cabins have twin beds. With ACL, travel to the USA is possible by ESTA.

The passenger lounge on an ACL container ship

To book passage please call Miri Lopusna at The Cruise People Ltd, 88 York Street, London W1H 1QT on +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or email PassageEnquiry@aol.com.

Victory II’s Maiden 9-night Great Lakes Cruise. Embark In Montreal On July 27, 2018, for Quebec, the St Lawrence Seaway, Kingston, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Cleveland And Detroit, from £3,320 pp

m.v. Victory II – 9 nights Montreal to Detroit, embarking 27th July 2018 – Cruise-only from £3,320 pp

Now being prepared in Helsingborg, Sweden, to enter service with Victory Cruise Lines, the 202-passenger Victory II is scheduled to embark passengers for her maiden voyage from Montreal to the Great Lakes on Friday, July 27, 2018.

This 9-night cruise will include overnights in both Montreal and  Quebec City as well as the St Lawrence Seaway, the Thousand Islands, Kingston, Toronto, Niagara Falls and Cleveland and will finish this voyage in the “renaissance” port city of Detroit.

Later this summer the Victory II will cruise between Detroit and Halifax (click here for August itinerary), as well as Atlantic Canada and New England.

The 202-berth Victory II is due to leave Montreal on Saturday, July 28, for Quebec and the Great Lakes

Day        Date           Destination

1      27/07/2018      Montreal, Quebec (Embark Victory II)
2      28/07/2018      Montreal, Quebec
3      29/07/2018      Quebec Ciry
4      30/07/2018      Quebec City
5      31/07/2018      Scenic Sailing of the St Lawrence River
6      01/08/2018      Kingston, Ontario
7      02/08/2018      Toronto, Ontario / Welland Canal
8      03/08/2018       Port Colborne, Ontario / Niagara Falls
9      04/08/2018       Cleveland, Ohio
10    05/08/2018       Detroit, Michigan  (Disembark Victory II)

Victory Cruise Lines’ two sister ships, Victory I and Victory II, both feature a friendly bar

What’s Included:
o  9-night St Lawrence River and Great Lakes cruise including
o  All inclusive drinks on board
o  Immersive shore excursion programme
o  All meals and snacks on board
o  Speciality dining
o  Daily cocktail party
o  On board entertainment

Victory II passengers visit Niagara Falls while the ship transits the Welland Canal

Cruise-only fares starting at £3,320 per person on Category B, subject to availability, for 9 nights. Fares can also be paid in US Dollars.

For further details of cruising the Great Lakes, River and Gulf of St Lawrence, Atlantic Canada and New England please contact The Cruise People Ltd in London, England, on +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail PassageEnquiry@outlook.com.

Royal Caribbean Acquires Silversea – Other Cruise News: New Expedition Ship For Quark – Havana Expansion

THE CRUISE EXAMINER AT CYBERCRUISES.COM BY KEVIN GRIFFIN

The Cruise Examiner for 18th June 2018

Brodosplit in Croatia is to build a new 13,500-ton 200-berth expedition ship for Quark Expeditions

The big question before last week was who would eventually take over Silversea Cruises, but that shoe has finally dropped. After some experimental financing through Chinese interests in recent years, Royal Caribbean Cruises has finally walked away with a two-thirds share of Silversea for about $1 billion. Elsewhere, Quark Expeditions has ordered a new 13,000-ton 200-berth expedition ship, and Turkish port operator Global Ports Holding has signed a 15-year contract to manage the cruise port in Havana.

FOR THIS WEEK’S STORY                                                                                                            (See previous columns)

Victory II 12-Night Canadian Maritimes, St Lawrence & Great Lakes Fly/Cruise Package, Departing London August 14, 2018

m.v. Victory II – 12 nights departing 14th August 2018 – From £4,199pp

Immerse yourself in the historic gems of French Canada while navigating the 1,500-mile St Lawrence Seaway system with small ship operator Victory Cruise Lines. Your cruise on the 202-passenger Victory II features architectural, culinary and natural highlights, including the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, and two of Montreal’s high-points, the Notre Dame Basilica and the city’sworld-class botanical gardens. Natural wonders include whale watching off Tadoussac (above), and the splendour of Niagara Falls. As always, The Victory Experience™ includes 5-star service and cuisine on board.

The Victory II visits the metropolis of Montreal on Day 8, while en route from Halifax to Detroit

Day          Date                      Destination

1              14/08/2018         Depart London Outbound Flight – Overnight Hotel Stay Halifax
2              15/08/2018         Halifax, Nova Scotia (Embark Victory II)
3              16/08/2018         Scenic Sailing of the Atlantic & Gulf of St Lawence
4              17/08/2018         Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
5              18/08/2018         Scenic Sailing of the Gulf of St Lawrence
6              19/08/2018         Whale Watching / Tadoussac
7              20/08/2018         Quebec City
8              21/08/2018         Montréal
9              22/08/2018         Scenic Sailing of the St Lawrence River
10            23/08/2018          Niagara Falls
11            24/08/2018          Cleveland
12            25/08/2018          Detroit, Michigan (Disembark Victory II) – Return Flight
13            26/08/2018          Arrive London (am)

What’s Included:
o             Return flights from London, England
o             One night pre-cruise stay in Halifax – 4* hotel (room only)
o             10-night St. Lawrence River cruise including
o             All inclusive drinks on board
o             Immersive shore excursion programme
o             All meals and snacks in board
o             Speciality dining
o             Daily cocktail party
o             On board entertainment
o             Overseas Airport to Hotel private transfer

Victory II passengers visit Niagara Falls while the ship transits the Welland Canal

Fly/cruise prices from the UK from £4,199 per person for 12 nights.

For further details of cruising the Canadian Maritimes, Gulf of St Lawrence and the Great Lakes please contact The Cruise People Ltd in London, England, on +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail PassageEnquiry@outlook.com.

Holland America Acquires White Pass & Yukon Route – Other Cruise News: 105 Years Ago – The Endurance

THE CRUISE EXAMINER AT CYBERCRUISES.COM BY KEVIN GRIFFIN

The Cruise Examiner for 11th June 2018

The three-foot narrow-gauge White Pass & Yukon Route has been bought by Holland America Princess Tours

Last week came news that Carnival Corp & plc, through a member of its subsidiary Holland America Group, is acquiring the 400,000-passenger White Pass & Yukon Route, the narrow-gauge railway that connects Alaska’s Inside Passage with Canada’s Yukon Territory over the Gold Rush route of 1898. Elsewhere, we look back a little more than a century to one of the world’s first expedition cruise ships, the Polaris of 1913, which in 1914 would become Shackleton’s Endurance.

FOR THIS WEEK’S STORY                                                                                                            (See previous columns)

Thirty Years of Ponant – Other Cruise News: James Cook – The Voyages

THE CRUISE EXAMINER AT CYBERCRUISES.COM BY KEVIN GRIFFIN

The Cruise Examiner for 4th June 2018

By 2021, L’Austral will be among ten expedition ships and a full icebreaker sailing worldwide for Ponant

Since its beginnings in April 1988, when it was founded by several officers of the French merchant marine, Ponant has been the only cruise line to fly the French flag. The line has introduced a new style of cruising, an amalgam of sea travel, exceptional itineraries and elegant hotel service and cuisine aboard ships on an intimate scale. By 2021, it will be the world’s largest expedition cruise company, with a full icebreaker, ten expedition ships and the line’s mascot, the original sailing ship Le Ponant.

FOR THIS WEEK’S STORY                                                                                                    (See previous columns)