P&O Cruises New 141,000-ton Britannia Will Have Two Funnels But Will Abandon Traditional P&O Colours For A New Red, White & Blue Livery

P&O Cruises’ new Britannia will have two traditional fore-and-aft funnels

But will give up the traditional P&O colours worn since 1931 for this. You decide whether you like it or not!

P&O Cruises has announced an order for a new 141,000-ton cruise ship to be based on the recently-designed platform for Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess and Regal Princess, which are being introduced in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The new P&O ship, to be named Britannia, will accommodate 3,611 passengers in lower berths. What is most interesting about the design is P&O’s reversion in the new ship to a more traditional appearance in that she will feature two conventional funnels. This is unusal in that P&O went straight from three funnels with the Strathnaver and Strathaird, the first P&O ships to carry the now traditional white hull in 1931-32, to one funnel in the Strathmore, Strathallan and Stratheden of 1935-38. The last important P&O ship to have had two funnels arranged fore and aft was the original Oriana, built for the Orient Line in 1960. Previous to that, the most famous two-funnelled P&O ship was the Viceroy of India, delivered in 1929.

The last major P&O ship to have been built with two funnels was the Viceroy of India in 1929

Now being built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard, Britannia will cost about €560 million, or €155,000 per lower berth. Ushering in a new era for P&O Cruises, the ship will offer a stylish and innovative design and an unprecedented number of passenger facilities, along with many of the line’s classic and iconic features.

The original Oriana was built for the Orient Line in 1960 and became a P&O ship in 1965

Commented Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc’s chairman and CEO, “P&O Cruises is Britain’s number one cruise operator, and is synonymous with high quality holidays that celebrate its rich British heritage. The UK continues to be a key growth market and innovative vessels such as this new P&O Cruises ship – targeted specifically to British clientele – underscore our commitment to leading the expansion of this important cruise region. With a progression of highly successful new ships introduced over the last 15 years, P&O Cruises is uniquely experienced in designing vessels to meet the specific needs and aspirations of British passengers.”

At tge time of the announcement of the order, then P&O Cruises Managing Director Carol Marlow said, “This next-generation ship will deliver the ultimate P&O Cruises experience, with ‘sophisticated wows’ and new features to attract thousands of newcomers to our brand, and equally to resonate with existing P&O Cruises passengers by giving them the ‘P&O-ness’ they recognise and love. She will offer ‘the best of the best,’ combining the favourite classic features of Oriana and Aurora, the choice and variety of Azura and Ventura, and a host of new ideas and concepts which together will deliver to our passengers the holiday of a lifetime, every time they travel with us.”

Two funnels have made quite a comeback in the past fifteen years. Starting with the original Disney Magic and Disney Wonder in 1998-99, these were followed by six Holland America “Vista” types (Zuiderdam through Nieuw Amsterdam)  in 2002-10 and joined by five Celebrity Solstice class  ships in 2008-12, then Disney Dream this year and Disney Fantasy to follow next. Cruise ships have now entered a size bracket where two funnels have become relatively common once again. Indeed, after the new P&O ship is delivered there will be sixteen ships carrying two funnels in the fore-and-aft mode. Meanwhile, the last of the traditional two-funnelled ships, NCL’s Norway, was retired in 2003.

For more details on cruising with P&O, sister company Cunard Line or any other cruise line please contact The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk.

New Cargo-Passenger Services From NSB: Two Ships Italy-Far East and Two Ships Singapore-South Africa-South America

NSB’s CMA CGM Corneille takes up to eight passengers in an Owners Cabin, two Doubles and two Singles on her Mediterranean-Far East service between Trieste and Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Malaysia.

With immediate effect NSB Freighter Cruises advise that they are able to offer passenger service in the 85,400-ton CMA CGM Corneille from Italy to Far East. She sails on the same route as the 77,940-ton CMA CGM Balzac on a round trip that takes about 70 days. Sectors can be booked as well but the full round voyage takes in Trieste – Port Said East – Jeddah – Port Kelang – Singapore – Shanghai – Pusan – Chiwan – Hong Kong – Tanjung Pelepas – Port Said East – Beirut- Trieste – Koper – Rijeka – Trieste, with the following sailing dates now available from Trieste:

on/about  February 23, 2014
on/about  April 21, 2014
on/about  May 4, 2014
on/about  July 1, 2014
on/about  July 13, 2014

NSB also now offers the routing between Singapore, South Africa and South America on the 68.800-ton Buxcliff (5 passengers) and the 101,660-ton MSC Texas (10 passengers). These ship sail from Singapore to Durban in 15 days and from Durban to Santos in 12 days but the full route is 91 days taking in Singapore – Port Louis – Durban – Santos – Buenos Aires – Paranagua – Santos – Coega – Durban – Colombo – Singapore – Shanghai – Nansha – Hong Kong – Chiwan – Singapore.

For further details please call Miri Lopusna at The Cruise People Ltd in Lonfon on +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk.

Mid-Size Newbuildings Take On New Importance – Small Ship Fleets Continue To Evolve – Carnival To Charge For Live Concerts

THE CRUISE EXAMINER at Cybercruises.com by Kevin Griffin

The Cruise Examiner for 27th January 2014..

 

Recent deliveries and orders for several new midsize ships in the 40,000- to 60,000-ton range signify a change in cruise ship development. The recent arrivals of Marina, Riviera, Europa 2 and orders for Viking Star, Seven Seas Explorer and a new 40,350-tonner for Seabourn, modelled on the smaller 32,000-ton Seabourn Quest (left), are beginning to hark back to the traditional days of cruising, making the big new ships look like circuses by comparison. The new midsize ships will become the First Class of 21st Century cruising while the megaships are quickly becoming the Tourist Class. At the same time, the small ship market continues to evolve, with the smallest Seabourn ships soon to go to Windstar Cruises. Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Lines continues the trend of adding extra charges to mainline cruises, with the addition of live concerts at a charge on board eight of its ships in the Caribbean and Mexico.

FOR THIS WEEK’S STORY                                                                  (See previous columns)

Traditional Cruising To Return – Oceania’s Riviera at Reviewed.com – Veteran Cruise Ship Retired – Heritage Sailing Goes Ahead

THE CRUISE EXAMINER at Cybercruises.com by Kevin Griffin

The Cruise Examiner for 13th January 2014..

Viking Cruises has begun its advertising for the 2015-16 maiden season of its 930-guest 47,800-ton Viking Star, a ship that promises to move in a new direction in the contemporary world of cruising. Viking promises to steer away from mega ships and the superficial glitz that has become too common, and back traditional cruising. At the same time, another of the new wave of more traditional cruise ships, Oceania Cruises’ 1,258-berth 66,048-ton Riviera, has been attracting attention at Reviewed.com and at USA Today, which wrote up the review. Meanwhile, last week saw one of the last of the traditional ships, the Saga Ruby, complete her last cruise after a career of forty-one years. Finally, the Akademik Shokalskiy, now freed from the ice of the Ross Sea, will be able to take up this Friday’s expedition voyage from Bluff after all.

FOR THIS WEEK’S STORY                                                                         (See previous columns)

New Cargo-Passenger Service Between Genoa and Vancouver via the Panama Canal – Two Single Cabins Available – 77-day Round Trip

Update 01.11.14:  Hamburg-Süd’s 50,270-ton deadweight container ship Cap Jackson has been assigned to a new cargo-passenger route between Genoa, Fos-sur-Mer, Barcelona and Valencia, by way of Cartagena and the Panama Canal, to Manzanillo, Los Angeles, Oakland, Tacoma and Vancouver. She then returns from Vancouver via Portland, Oakland, Los Angeles and Manzanillo, by way of Panama again, Cartagena and Caucedo, to Lisbon, Tangier, Valencia, Cagliari, Livorno and Genoa. The round voyage takes 77 days while the voyage from Barcelona to Vancouver is 34 days and Vancouver back to Genoa is 40 days. Built in 2010, and sailing from Barcelona this morning (01.11.14) on her way to Vancouver, the Cap Jackson has two single cabins. Fares begin at €6,850 for the round voyage (€7,235 in the Owners single), and €3,195 for the one-way trip from Barcelona to Vancouver (€3,365 in the Owners). Air-conditioned with elevator, both cabins have views to the side of the ship (so no container stow in the way) and age limits are 6 to 79 maximum. This voyage can also be turned into part of a round-the-world routing by linking up with CMA CGM’s Columbus Loop service to the Far East and New York via Suez.

For further details please call Miri Lopusna at The Cruise People Ltd in London on +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk. Ask about round-the-world cruises as well.

Gauchos, Penguins and Glaciers, by Chile’s Cruise Line Australis

Want a voyage that is completely different? Then try Chile’s cruise line, Australis, for expedition cruises and round-trip programs from Punta Arenas to the marvelous scenery and history of Tierra del Fuego by Land and Sea.  See Cape Horn and Patagonia. Also ask about our coastal connections from Chile through to Ushuaia in Argentina.

Cruise in either the 210-berth Terra Australis or the 136-berth Via Australis – all-inclusive small ships to meet your mood. Round trip voyage in 7 days from either Punta Arenas or Ushuaia or one-way voyages between the two ports in 3 or 4 nights.

For further details please call Miri Lopusna at The Cruise People Ltd in London on +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk.

Royal Caribbean’s UK “Royal Family” – Heritage Expeditions Hopes For Ship Back – Saigon Pandaw Lost

THE CRUISE EXAMINER at Cybercruises.com by Kevin Griffin

The Cruise Examiner for 6th January 2014..

 

Royal Caribbean International’s UK arm has started the year with a new marketing project called “Royal Family,” whereby a typical British family has been chosen to be its ambassadors for a year, a move that is interesting because that family has been chosen because they have never cruised before. Elsewhere, Heritage Expeditions of New Zealand is hoping to get back its Spirit of Enderby, otherwise known as the trapped Russian research ship Akademik Shokalskiy, for a scheduled January 17 departure from New Zealand. And in Southeast Asia, Pandaw River Cruises has been rescheduling bookings after the recent loss of its 60-berth river cruiser Saigon Pandaw, while being towed from Viet Nam to Burma.

FOR THIS WEEK’S STORY                                                         (See previous columns)

Round-the-World Cruise People Freighter Client (Seattle to New York) Interviewed by Another Cruise People Client (Piraeus to Hong Kong)

Last summer, Athens-based repeat Cruise People customer Bex Hall, who had earlier sailed in one of the last banana boats to carry passengers, travelled from Piraeus to Hong Kong in the NSB container ship Hanjin Boston. Bex posted her experiences on her blog, an excerpt of which can be found here.

Whether by coincidence, by serendipity or by Google, Minnesota-based David Riggs happened upon Bex’s blog and also onto a piece on our own blog that mentioned a unique round-the-world routing between Seattle and New York or vice-versa, available through CMA CGM.

Once bitten by Bex’s posting, David got really interested and contacted us to arrange a voyage of his own, which he set out on last autumn on another container ship, the CMA CGM La Scala. sailing round the world from Seattle across the Pacific and the China Seas, through the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic back to New York.

Although both Bex and David passed through the Suez and the Mediterranean on their respective voyages, about the only port call they actually had in common was Hong Kong. You will find Bex’s interview with David, and David’s deep reaction to the experience here at Bex’s blog.

Anyone wanting to experience the same thing or similar need only contact our freighter specialist Miri Lopusna at The Cruise People Ltd in London and we will soon have you set to go to sea. There are now 300 passenger-carrying cargo ships on the world’s seas, accepting pasengers for as few as eight or as many as 112 days. For further details call us on +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail us at cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk.

With thanks to both Bex Hall and David Riggs.